Reveal Your Coins’ True Beauty

Numismatic Conservation Services (NCS®) is the world’s first and foremost professional conservation service, with more than 1 million coins, tokens and medals conserved since its founding in 2001.

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A professional approach to numismatic conservation.

From within a state-of-the-art secure facility, NCS uses a variety of proprietary techniques to remove harmful surface contaminants, stabilize and protect a coin’s surfaces, and improve eye appeal. The American Numismatic Association (ANA), the only coin collecting organization chartered by US Congress, and the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) have named NCS their conservation service of choice. Read more >

Entrusted with the world’s most extraordinary coins

NCS has conserved and preserved many of the world’s most important numismatic rarities and collections, including pieces from the Smithsonian Institution. In addition to these rare and valuable vintage coins, NCS has handled coins recovered from four major shipwrecks along with countless modern coins.

What is numismatic conservation?

Collectible coins are susceptible to damage and changes of appearance as a result of improper storage and packaging, adverse environmental effects, mishandling, and natural changes over time. Surface contaminants such as PVC and other residues, soils, tarnish, spots and encrustation can diminish eye appeal and even permanently damage coins.

NCS pioneered a professional approach to numismatic conservation and can safely remove these harmful surface contaminants and often dramatically improve a coin’s eye appeal. Unlike improper cleaning, which will permanently impair a coin’s surfaces, professional conservation from NCS reveals a coin’s originality.

NCS will never perform repairs such as filling holes or smoothing scratches, or do any type of mechanical alteration. The techniques used by NCS are non-invasive and widely accepted by industry experts.

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What NCS conservation can do

Prolonged exposure to an unstable environment can cause coins of all types to develop haze, spots, encrustation, verdigris, corrosion and tarnish. NCS specializes in the removal of these harmful surface contaminants and the stabilization of a coin’s surfaces. Read more >

Conservation for vintage and modern coins alike

All coin types can be affected by surface contaminants and negative environmental reactions. In many cases, coins have been stored or sold in soft plastic flips or mint packaging that contains polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a chemical now known to slowly leach onto the surfaces of a coin. If not safely removed, PVC and other residues will eventually result in permanent damage.

Some of these issues will make a coin ineligible for grading by Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), an independent affiliate of NCS, if not first addressed by professional conservation. After conservation by NCS, coins can be transferred to NGC for certification and, depending on the surface condition, will be numerically graded or NGC Details graded.

Important Note: Many coins are artificially toned or have had substances applied in attempt to hide other problems such as scratches or improper cleaning. These issues may become apparent after NCS removes the artificial toning or applied substances, but they are in no way caused by NCS’s conservation techniques. None of NCS’s techniques will cause scratches or an “Improperly Cleaned” notation at NGC, an independent affiliate of NCS.

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What NCS conservation cannot do

Though NCS conservation benefits many coins, there are certain problems that cannot be remedied, such as corrosion, wear, scratches, and white “milk” spots. NCS does not make repairs and, likewise, cannot undo mechanical alternations. Read more >

Important Note: Hairline scratches and other surface issues caused by improper cleaning are often disguised with artificial toning or applied substances. Artificial toning and applied substances can be removed by NCS conservation, which will then reveal the improper cleaning underneath. None of NCS’s techniques will cause an “Improperly Cleaned” notation at NGC.

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The NCS Process

  • NCS Evaluates your coin

    NCS first evaluates a coin to determine if it will benefit from conservation. If it will not benefit from conservation, NCS transfers the coin directly to NGC for certification.

  • NCS Conserves your coin

    If NCS determines that a coin will benefit from conservation, it performs the necessary conservation techniques. After conservation is complete, NCS transfers the coin to NGC for certification.

  • NGC Grades your coin

    After NCS conservation, coins are seamlessly transferred to NGC for authentication, grading and encapsulation. Once the coin has been graded and encapsulated by NGC, it is returned to NCS for shipment back to the submitter.

Frequently asked questions

How much does NCS conservation cost?

Professional conservation from NCS is 4% of the coin's Fair Market Value (FMV) (£20 minimum) but some modern and gold coins are eligible for discounted services that provide both NCS conservation and NGC grading for a flat fee.

For a list of NCS services and fees, click here.

Does NCS offer any type of guarantee?

CCG UK does not provide grade protection or any type of grade guarantee for coins submitted for NCS conservation. Coins are guaranteed by NGC only after they are graded and encapsulated by NGC.

Important: Conservation services performed by CCG UK do not necessarily improve a coin’s grade. In rare instances, CCG UK conservation may reveal additional issues that were previously hidden by residue or other surface contaminants. None of the techniques used by CCG UK will cause such issues. It is important to understand that coins conserved by CCG UK may still receive a lower grade or no grade from a coin grading service. By submitting a coin to CCG UK, the submitter waives any right to assert any form of legal claim against CCG UK (and any affiliates, divisions, subsidiaries or other entities related to CCG UK and its and their respective officers, directors, employees, agents and assigns) with respect to a lower grade or no grade subsequently being assigned to such coin by a coin grading company.

For more information, click here

What happens when NCS evaluates a coin?

CCG UK evaluates every coin submitted for NCS conservation services to determine whether it believes the coin will benefit from conservation. Special handling, detailed below, applies to submissions of NGC and PCGS-certified coins.

  • If CCG UK believes that a coin will benefit from conservation, the coin will be conserved and then transferred to NGC for grading.
  • If CCG UK believes that a coin will not benefit from conservation, the coin will not be conserved. In this case, raw (not holdered) coins will be transferred directly to NGC for grading. Only the NGC grading fees will apply.
  • If CCG UK believes that an NGC or PCGS-certified coin will not benefit from conservation, the coin will not be conserved and will be left in its original holder and returned to the submitter. The coin will not be transferred to NGC and the NGC grading fees will be refunded less a £5 processing fee.
  • However, if CCG UK believes that a PCGS-certified coin will not benefit from conservation but will likely receive the same grade (or a higher grade) with NGC, the coin will not be conserved and will be transferred to NGC for CrossOver. Only the NGC grading fees will apply.
  • *Please note that while CCG UK will attempt to accommodate special requests from submitters it can’t be responsible if any special requests are not fulfilled.

How can I submit to NCS?

When submitting a coin to CCG UK for NGC grading, you can also select an NCS conservation service. For more information about submitting to CCG UK, click here.

The NGC grading process

To ensure impartiality, NCS and NGC specialists never know the identity of a submitter. All submissions are opened within view of each secure facility’s surveillance cameras, and every coin is assigned a unique tracking number and handled with the utmost care. A separate certification number is printed on the NGC label once the coin is encapsulated.

NGC employs the internationally recognized Sheldon grading scale of 1 to 70. Coins with surface conditions that preclude a numeric grade are assigned an NGC Details grade with the problem noted. Every coin is assessed by multiple members of NGC’s professional grading team to determine authenticity, grade and attribution.

After the coin is graded, it is encapsulated in NGC’s EdgeView® holder — the same holder that has been tested by the Smithsonian Institution and is currently used to house many of that museum’s most important rarities. Encapsulated coins are then inspected by a quality control specialist and imaged for NGC’s online certification verification tool.

Every NGC-certified coin is backed by the NGC guarantee of grade and authenticity, the strongest guarantee in the industry. NGC is the official grading service of the ANA and PNG.

What types of coins does NGC not grade?

NGC does not grade coins that are not genuine, coins that are of questionable authenticity or unverifiable authenticity, coins that have added or removed mintmarks, or coins that have altered dates. NGC will not grade coins that have altered surfaces, such as those with frost added to give a Cameo appearance. There are also some coin types that are ineligible for NGC certification, such as Chinese “cash” coins.

Does submitting to NCS mean that I will get a higher grade at NGC?

Submitting a coin to NCS for conservation does not mean that it will get a higher grade at NGC (i.e., be “upgraded”). NCS conservation will improve a coin’s eye appeal and stabilize its surfaces. In some cases, coins may receive a higher grade at NGC after NCS conservation, but this is not guaranteed.

Can NCS add “red” to copper coins?

A copper coin's color can change naturally over time from red (noted as “RD” on the NGC certification label) to red brown (“RB”) to brown (“BN”). This is an irreversible process and NCS conservation cannot change the BN, RB or RD designations assigned to copper coins.

How do I contact NCS?

Headquarters

NCS
PO Box 4750
Sarasota, FL 34230
United States
+1 800-NGC-COIN
+1 941-360-3996
+1 941-360-2559 fax
Service@NGCcoin.com

United Kingdom

Certified Collectibles Group - International UK Limited
69 Southampton Row, Second Floor
Bloomsbury
WC1B 4ET
London, United Kingdom
(+44) (0) 20 3968 3848
(+44) (0) 20 3968 3849 fax
Service@NGCcoin.uk

What if I submit a coin for both NCS conservation and an NGC ReGrade, but NCS declines to conserve the coin?

NCS conservation can help coins with unattractive toning, copper spots and other surface issues. Customers may submit a coin already certified by NGC for a service that includes NCS conservation and an NGC ReGrade (NCS+ReGrade). If NCS declines to conserve a particular coin under this combined service, then NGC will not perform the ReGrade. If the customer wants the NGC ReGrade regardless of the NCS determination, then the customer should write on their submission form: REGRADE REGARDLESS OF NCS DECISION.

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