ENCAPSULATING CERTIFIED COINS

After each coin has been graded and the necessary numbers and text entered into their respective data fields, the coins in a particular box are taken from the Grading Department into the Encapsulation Department. Here, labels are printed out bearing the following text: The coin's date, mintmark (if any), denomination, variety (if any), grade, special designation (such as FB for "full bands") and, finally, its identification number. This last item is extremely important, as it serves to make each certified coin label unique. It is also an important deterrent to the counterfeiting of NGC's valued product. All of the above information is duplicated in a bar code, which appears underneath the written text on the coin's label.

The newly-printed labels are matched with the coins to be encapsulated with them. The coins are now ready to be placed inside a plastic core piece that holds it securely within the transparent holder. NGC maintains a wide assortment of these white cores to assure a proper fit, each having a different size opening to allow for the many United States and foreign coin types certified by NGC. The core, like other components of the NGC holder, is made of inert material that won't adversely affect the coin it holds.

Once this is accomplished, each certified coin has its label positioned in place on the core, and these components are then enclosed within matching top and bottom shells of transparent plastic. First, however, all of the pieces, including the coin itself, are blown free of dust and other contaminants by a jet of compressed air. This process is used one more time when the shell pieces have been sealed around the core through a combination of compression and ultrasonic vibration. The result is a newly-encapsulated NGC certified coin, ready to be shipped to its proud owner.