THE NGC COIN GRADING TEAM

NGC currently employs 20 full time coin graders. Among them are the most skilled and acclaimed professionals in the field, making the NGC team the greatest assemblage of coin graders in history. Following are brief biographies of the senior members of NGC’s coin grading team.

	Mark Salzberg, NGC Chairman One of the world’s most respected numismatists, Mark Salzberg has been working in the industry for over twenty years and joined NGC in 1988. Named ANA’s Numismatist of the Year in 2006, he is a Life Member of the ANA, received the ANA’s Presidential Award in 1998 and is also a member of the Professional Numismatist Guild (PNG).  Mark helped create the U.S. Mint’s H.I.P. Pocket Change Program, designed to educate and spark youth interest in collecting. Career highlights include grading some of the world’s most high profile coins, and sponsoring the Smithsonian Legendary Coins & Currency exhibit with endowment and conservation of some of the country’s most treasured artifacts. He is widely credited for his central role in standardizing and promoting the use of today’s highly precise coin grading scale, an essential component of the coin industry’s development. Mark has also published numerous articles and continues to be one of the leaders in the area of numismatics.
	Rick Montgomery, President Many industry peers consider Rick Montgomery to be the coin industry’s greatest authenticator. Prior to joining NGC in 2002, Rick worked for ANACS and also served as President of PCGS for fifteen years. A veteran numismatist and key figure in the field, Montgomery co-authored the NGC Grading Guide for Modern U.S. Coins and contributed to the PCGS grading and counterfeit detection guide. He has also written numerous articles for the American Numismatic Association. Career highlights include grading the great rarities, famed coins such as 1804 Dollars, Ultra High Reliefs, and 1913 Liberty Nickels. He is also highly knowledgeable in and an active collector of ancient coins.
	Kenneth C. Krah, Vice-President Since an early childhood trip to a coin shop with his grandfather, Krah has been hooked on coins. Before coming to NGC, Krah owned his own coin business in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. A professional numismatist since 1979 and an ANA Life Member, Krah has also taught Advanced U.S. Coin Grading for the ANA and written several articles on English coins. Today, Ken Krah oversees NGC’s world coin grading program and is one of the leading experts on world coinage. Career highlights include grading a complete collection of U.S. minor proof sets from 1856-1915, as well as the Wells Fargo Gold Hoard and the Damon, Eliasberg and Millennia collections.
	Ron Drzewucki, Finalizer A professional numismatist for 25 years, Ron owned St. Louis Rare Coins before joining NGC. Drzewucki possesses a discriminating eye and has taught several grading seminars and counterfeit detection classes. He is a Life Member of the ANA, the ANS, and countless state associations. Even as a teenager, Ron was recognized for the accuracy and consistency of his grading. As a dealer, he handled such high grade rarities as an MS69 Type 1 Gold dollar and multiple MS68 Gold Liberty type coins. Today, he thrives on the stimulation and privilege of working in the NGC grading room alongside the greatest numismatists. His primary area of expertise is U.S. Gold coinage.
	William Conroy, Finalizer Conroy started buying and selling coins at the age of 15 and worked for two of the largest rare coin auction companies in the industry prior to joining NGC. A member of the ANA for the last 27 years, he has also taught several ANA Advanced Grading seminars. Career highlights include handling the King of Siam Proof Set as well as making significant contributions to several of the finest private collections ever assembled. He is a very popular numismatist, respected for both the depth of his experience and his affable nature. His area of expertise is in U.S. Gold coins.
	David W. Lange, Research Director The author of seven books on United States numismatics, David’s writing has received numerous awards and accolades from both the ANA and the NLG. David is the former President of the Pacific Coast Numismatic Society, the California State Numismatic Association and the New Jersey Numismatic Society, is an ANA Presidential Award recipient, and currently has memberships in the ANA, NLG, ANS, LSCC, EAC, BCCS and the Rittenhouse Society. Career highlights include the launching of NGC’s Photo Proof and writing historical copy for the U.S. Mint’s Web site and H.I.P. Pocket Change program. His specialties have included Seated Liberty silver, Philippine coinage under U.S. administration and British coinage from 1816-1970. In 2007, he published the first comprehensive reference to Coin Collecting Boards of the 1930’s and 1940’s.