NGC Certifies Official U.S. Mint Covers in their Original Issue Holders

NGC is offering a new certification option for United States Mint Official Commemorative Coin Covers. NGC will grade the enclosed coins and seal the entire U.S. Mint cover within a clear semi-rigid plastic sleeve. This allows the U.S. Mint packaging to be preserved while receiving the advantages of an NGC certified grade. A label across the top of the holder describes the cover and enclosed coins. If the coins are of matched grade, a single grade line appears on the label. If they receive different grades, two lines of text are used to describe each coin individually (see photos).

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A 2000 South Carolina States Quarter Coin Cover graded by NGC, obverse view. These coins are designated as First Day of Mintage, and have received different grades, thus two grade lines appear. Click image for enlargement.

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Coin covers are presentation holders offered by the U.S. Mint, consisting of a mailing envelope with enclosed coin(s), and a cancelled postage stamp. The date of the stamp’s cancellation is the coin’s first day of issue, the day the coin was released into circulation. For this reason, collectors often refer to coin covers as "First Day Covers," abbreviated "FDC." Many U.S. Mint covers are eligible for certification under this new service, including, for example:

• 50 State Quarters Official Commemorative Coin Cover
  
• Westward Journey Nickel Series Official Commemorative Coin Cover
  
• Sacagawea Dollar United States Mint Official Commemorative Coin Cover
  
• United States Mint Official American Presidency $1 Coin Cover

Some U.S. Mint covers enclose coins struck on the first day of minting. NGC uses the designation "First Day of Mintage" for these coins. This designation is applied only when the U.S. Mint Cover explicitly states that the enclosed coins were struck on the first day of minting. For example, on the U.S. States Quarters coin cover, the holder reads, in part, "The [quarter dollars] showcased in this historic cover are coins struck on the first day of minting...." The U.S. Mint Sacagawea Dollar cover reads beneath the coin, "Struck on First Day of Mintage...." If an explicit description, such as the examples shown above, does not appear on the cover, the designation is not assigned by NGC.

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A 2000 South Carolina States Quarter Coin Cover graded by NGC, reverse view. Click image for enlargement.

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Because the coins are graded while still housed within the U.S. Mint Cover and will remain in this packaging, the NGC Coin Grading Guarantee does not apply. The NGC Guarantee applies only to coins in NGC holders. Like other NGC graded coins, the grades for these coins will be reported in the NGC Census, and they will be eligible for the NGC Registry.

NGC recommends that submitters send covers still shrink-wrapped and affixed to cardboard, as mailed by the U.S. Mint’s fulfillment center. This is not required, but coins in damaged or tampered covers will not be eligible for this service and cannot be designated as "First Day of Mintage." Additionally, NGC will, at its sole discretion, not certify coins that reside in soiled, stained, torn, or tattered covers. Only U.S. Mint covers are eligible for certification by NGC. Privately issued covers are not accepted.

To submit coins for grading and encapsulation in the U.S. Mint cover, submitters should list the covers on a submission form. Covers should be submitted separately from other coin types being encapsulated in regular NGC holders. Coins in covers are eligible for grading at Modern Tier rates, and a grading fee applies to each coin in the cover. Minimum quantity submission rules still apply, and thus at least three sets of two coins are required when using Modern Tier. Submitters with a single coin cover should use the Early Bird Tier. Note that only the encapsulated cover is returned to the submitter, and no other packaging materials will be returned by NGC.

Questions regarding NGC Submission procedures should be directed to NGC Customer Service. They may be contacted by email at Service@NGCcoin.com or by phone at 1-800-NGC-COIN.

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A 2004 Westward Journey Coin Cover with enclosed Handshake Nickels graded by NGC, obverse view. Note that although the first day of mintage date appears on the holder, the holder does not explicit state that the enclosed coins were struck on the first day of mintage. NGC, therefore, does not use the First Day of Mintage designation for the coins enclosed in this cover. Click image for enlargement.



A 2004 Westward Journey Coin Cover, reverse view. Click image for enlargement.