OFFICIAL US MINT COVERS

2000 South Carolina States Quarter Coin Cover graded by NGC, obverse view. These coins are designated as First Day of Mintage, and have received different grades, thus two grade lines appear. Click to enlarge

NGC offers a certification option for United States Mint Official Commemorative Coin Covers. NGC grades the enclosed coins and seal the entire US Mint cover within a clear semi-rigid plastic sleeve. This allows the US Mint packaging to be preserved while receiving the advantages of an NGC certified grade. A label across the top of the holder describes the cover and enclosed coins. If the coins are of matched grade, a single grade line appears on the label. If they receive different grades, two lines of text are used to describe each coin individually (see photos).

Coin covers are presentation holders offered by the US Mint, consisting of a mailing envelope with enclosed coin(s), and a cancelled postage stamp. The date of the stamp’s cancellation is the coin’s first day of issue, the day the coin was released into circulation. For this reason, collectors often refer to coin covers as "First Day Covers," abbreviated "FDC." Many US Mint covers are eligible for certification under this new service, including, for example:

• 50 State Quarters Official Commemorative Coin Cover
• Westward Journey Nickel Series Official Commemorative Coin Cover
• Sacagawea Dollar United States Mint Official Commemorative Coin Cover
• United States Mint Official American Presidency $1 Coin Cover

Some US Mint covers enclose coins struck on the first day of minting. NGC uses the designation "First Day of Mintage" for these coins. This designation is applied only when the US Mint Cover explicitly states that the enclosed coins were struck on the first day of minting. For example, on the US States Quarters coin cover, the holder reads, in part, "The [quarter dollars] showcased in this historic cover are coins struck on the first day of minting...." The US Mint Sacagawea Dollar cover reads beneath the coin, "Struck on First Day of Mintage...." If an explicit description, such as the examples shown above, does not appear on the cover, the designation is not assigned by NGC.

Because the coins are graded while still housed within the US Mint Cover and will remain in this packaging, the NGC Coin Grading Guarantee does not apply. The NGC Guarantee applies only to coins in NGC holders. Like other NGC graded coins, the grades for these coins will be reported in the NGC Census, and they will be eligible for the NGC Registry.

Submission Instructions

NGC recommends that submitters send covers still shrink-wrapped and affixed to cardboard, as mailed by the US Mint’s fulfillment center. This is not required, but coins in damaged or tampered covers will not be eligible for this service and cannot be designated as "First Day of Mintage." Additionally, NGC will, at its sole discretion, not certify coins that reside in soiled, stained, torn, or tattered covers. Only US Mint covers are eligible for certification by NGC. Privately issued covers are not accepted.

To submit coins for grading and encapsulation in the US Mint cover, submitters should list the covers on a submission form. Covers should be submitted separately from other coin types being encapsulated in regular NGC holders. Coins in covers are eligible for grading at Modern Tier rates, and a grading fee applies to each coin in the cover. Minimum quantity submission rules still apply, and thus at least three sets of two coins are required when using Modern Tier. Submitters with a single coin cover should use the Early Bird Tier. Note that only the encapsulated cover is returned to the submitter, and no other packaging materials will be returned by NGC.

Questions regarding NGC Submission procedures should be directed to NGC Customer Service. They may be contacted by e-mail at Service@NGCcoin.com or by phone at 1-800-NGC-COIN.

NGC US Mint Cover Gallery
Click on the thumbnails below to see a larger image.

Examples
2000 South Carolina States Quarter Coin Cover, obverse view	2000 South Carolina States Quarter Coin Cover reverse view.
004 Westward Journey Coin Cover with enclosed Handshake Nickels, obverse view.	2004 Westward Journey Coin Cover, reverse view.