I am new at this game, and I bought some About Uncirculated and Mint State (I think) Trade and Morgan dollars, and some other coins. How do I go about getting them certified?

David Smith

Via email

Each major grading service, including Professional Coin Grading Service, Numismatic Guaranty Corp., ANACS and Independent Coin Grading, has its own set of coin submission guidelines.

Guidelines may allow for direct submission to the grading service for authentication and grading or, depending on the submission option, may require submission through an authorized dealer approved by the particular grading service.

PCGS and NGC normally require grading submissions to be made through dealers that have been authorized by those services to submit coins for grading consideration.

However, both PCGS and NGC offer options that allow for direct submissions.

PCGS has its Collectors Club and NGC its Collectors Society, each of which charges a specific fee depending on the level and duration of membership.

Membership privileges include access to educational resources, online forum participation and submission privileges.

The fees the grading service charge for submissions, whether direct or through an authorized dealer, depend on the level of service desired, often noted as “turnaround time,” the type and number of coins submitted, variety attribution, and other additional services desired.

If you are a paid member of the American Numismatic Association, once you apply and are approved for an ANA Submission Account, coins may be submitted directly to NGC, the official grading service of the ANA.

ANACS and ICG both allow direct submissions.

ANACS and ICG both regularly offer free verbal grading opinions to those who bring coins to the two services’ tables at national, state, regional and local coin shows where their graders attend. The opinions offered are not a binding guarantee on what a final grade will be upon formal submission for grading.

The decision as to which service to submit coins to is totally that of the collector or dealer, and is a matter of personal preference or perception of market acceptance.

For the specific guidelines of each of the four grading services, visit PCGS at www.pcgs.com, NGC at www.ncgcoin.com, ANACS at www.anacs.com, and ICG at www.icgcoin.com.