Numismatic Guaranty Corporation of America, NGC

After 30 years in the coin business it’s nice to have a good honest company coin dealers can use. I and every other coin dealer will have an opinion on a coins grade, but we never agree. With NGC you get a third party unbiased opinion. The service is quite fast depending on the level you pay for. I prefer them to PCGS, the holders are easier to handle, better laid out and tougher and I tend to agree with the majority of grades they give.

I’m grateful for coin authenticity/​grading companies like NGC. I have to admit though my four start rating should really be a 3.5 star. The reason for this is the fact that NGC needs to be harsher and more consistent on grading the coins submitted to their company. I would much prefer a coin graded in a PCGS holder then a NGC holder. For the amount of coins graded by NGC I hope they pull it togather, we don’t want NGC to turn into another ANACS.

I have been buying/​selling coins for some time now. I have (and other notable coin dealers) had some coins graded that were off by some degree. Some coins were off a lot and some not so bad. I have personally seen coins submitted to get graded, and when returned we knew the grade was not accurate, so we crack them out and resubmitted the coins back to NGC, and the coins got a completely different grade (this happened 3 times back and forth with 3 different grades until it was graded correctly).
I am thankful for NGC and their name does help the value of coins, that is evident. I just hope that the coins submitted to NGC do not, and will not, go through an assembly line of unprofessional graders with little experience. I know of coin dealers that will not go through NGC/​PCGS because their coins have been miss graded on several occasions. All the coin community wants is an accurate grade the coins deserve. We do not want the respected NGC (in its popularity) to make it about production rather than quality.
QUALITY TRIUMPHS OVER QUANTITY!

NGC is the number 2 grading service after PCGS. I believe it is second in terms of the volume of coin grading and from what I can tell the value added of its grading and slabbing (as measured by the market premium for coins which it has graded) is also somewhat less than PCGS. Having said that, NGC is my preferred grading service for one main reason: it offers coin «cleaning» and preservation through its affiliate, NCS (Numismatic Conservation Service). I submit my older and more valuable coins to NCS/​NGC so that their beauty can be enhanced and preserved.
Cleaning is a bad word in coin collecting, so NCS use the fancier term «conservation» which they define as a non-​destructive form of cleaning which also helps to preserve the coin. I submitted a set of bimetallic coins which had sat in a vault for a decade and the silver had become tarnished. NCS «conserved» the coins so that they came out nice and shiny again and then they submitted the coins to NGC for grading and slabbing. I am hoping that the conservation will prevent the tarnish from coming back.
All of the major grading companies (NGC, PCGS, ANACS) will authenticate, grade and then «slab» or encapsulate the coins in an air-​tight plastic holder to help preserve the coin. Grading and slabbing will in general enhance the value of your coin. The only exception to this is if the grading company mis-​grades your coin lower than what it should be — this will lower its value! There is an element of risk here, i.e. grading errors, but if you feel your coin was rated too low you can always crack it out of the slab!
NGC’s services are a bit more expensive than ANACS but both are cheaper than PCGS.
PCGS = Professional Coin Grading Service
NCG = Numismatic Guaranty Corp
ANACS = American Numismatic Association Certification Service
ICG = Independent Coin Grading Company

NGC was founded in 1987, and for coin grading, its opening heralded the introduction of a new standard of integrity. From the beginning NGC focused on only one objective, a standard of consistent and accurate grading. As NGC has grown to become the leader in third-​party grading services, we have maintained a steadfast and uncompromising commitment to this standard. The knowledge, integrity and dedication of NGC’s team of grading experts ensures you a level of grading consistency unparalleled among grading services. This record of consistency, built over the years, has helped to foster greater stability throughout the rare coin marketplace.
To ensure impartiality and accuracy, three numismatic experts, each with decades of successful professional experience in rare coins, evaluate each coin submitted for grading. A grading finalizer assigns a final grade and the coin is then sonically sealed in a protective, inert plastic holder. NGC’s full-​time grading experts are no longer active in the commercial coin marketplace, and are prohibited from buying or selling coins to ensure impartiality. Most have been with NGC for many years. The NGC grading team’s only interest is in determining accurate grades for coins.
NGC also owns NCS (Numismatic Conservation Services), a company that professionally conserves coins.
NGC is the closest competition for PCGS. They are more regarded by many as better at grading World Coins.
I have had mostly good experiences with NGC, although not perfect. They do tend to have a faster turn around time than does PCGS.
However NGC seriously needs to update their World Coin populations reports. There are countries not even listed in their census. PCGS does a far better job with their World Population Report.
One good thing about NGC is that it is a grading services that is more open to grading esoteric or unlisted items.