NGC Announces 2025 FUN Show Numismatic Triathlon Winners!

Posted on 1/24/2025

The top three finishers missed only a single question during the 2nd NGC Numismatic Triathlon, which was held at NGC’s booth at the FUN Show in Orlando. See the contest’s questions and answers below!

After a wildly popular debut and the great deal of positive feedback that followed the first NGC Numismatic Triathlon in 2024, a total of 162 contestants participated in the second-ever event. Numismatic Guaranty Company® (NGC®) hosted the contest at the Florida United Numismatists (FUN) Show in Orlando, Florida, which was held from January 9-12, 2025, and had another great turnout. The event ended with an exciting three-way tie for first place in the Adult category.

Once again, the Triathlon differed from past NGC Grading contests in that, instead of simply grading 15 coins in 10 minutes, contestants participated in three different numismatic exercises, which included the following sections for a total of 100 possible points.

  1. General Numismatic Knowledge – 6 Multiple-choice questions: 30 points total
  2. World Coin Attribution – 8 multiple-choice questions: 40 points total
  3. Authentication and Grading – 6 multiple-choice questions: 30 points total

The Prizes

Contestants competed in three age categories for prizes. For both the Adult (ages 26 and older) and Young Adult (ages 18-25) categories, the first prize was a $300 NGC grading credit. The second prize was a $200 NGC grading credit, and the third prize was a $100 NGC grading credit.

The Young Numismatist (ages 13-17) category prizes were cash — $300 for first place, $200 for second place and $100 for third place. The top five finishers in each of the three categories also received an NGC “Sample Slab” with a special pedigree that honors their achievement.

Additionally, all 162 contestants received a special free “Sample Slab” with a unique pedigree only available to participants in the Numismatic Triathlon.

The Winners

In the Adult category, three contestants each had near-perfect scores, creating a three-way tie for the winner of the event. Each aced the General Numismatic Knowledge and World Coin Attribution sections before missing only a single question in the Authentication and Grading section. Bruce B., Dave W. and Alexander R. each answered 17 out of 18 questions correct (or partially correct in the grading section), earning a score of 91%. An impressive feat by all three first-place contestants!

Since the three contestants tied for first place, they shared the total prize pool for adults of $600, with each receiving a $200 grading credit.

TOP LEFT: Adult 1st Place Winner Alex R. and YAN 3rd Place Winner Will H.; TOP RIGHT: Adult 4th Place Winner Connor F.; BOTTOM LEFT: YN 2nd Place Winner John B.; BOTTOM RIGHT: YN 5th Place Winner Allister A.
Click images to enlarge.

In the Young Adult category, Jacob G., 19, prevailed with an 86% score, answering 16 out of 18 questions correct or partially correct. He too aced the trivia and attribution sections, narrowly missing two of the grading questions. Finishing close behind him was Marc V., 20, in second place with an 83% score, and Will H., 25, in third place with an 80% score.

The Young Numismatists category was won by Noah Z., 17, who earned a 67% score. John B., 14, took second with a 55% score, while Vadim S., 16, took third with a 54% score.

Below, you can find the questions and answers from the 2025 FUN Show Grading Contest.

Section #1: General Numismatic Knowledge


6 Multiple-choice questions


1) What was the last year in which Kennedy Half Dollars containing silver were struck for circulation?

  • Correct answer: 1969 - The US Mint halted production of 90% silver coinage in 1964. However, while Dimes and Quarters were produced in clad from then on, Kennedy Half Dollars were still struck in 40% silver until 1970. However, the 1970 issue was only released in mint sets, not for circulation, so the correct answer is 1969.

2) What is the original purpose of the reeding on a coin?

  • Correct answer: To aid in weight verification - Reeding helps detect whether a coin has been shaved or clipped to steal its precious metal content.

3) Who was the first foreign ruler to appear on a US coin?

  • Correct answer: Queen Isabella - She was featured on the obverse of a commemorative quarter struck to commemorate the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Queen Isabella sponsored Columbus’s voyages to the New World, so this was a fitting tribute for this event.

4) In what city was the first United States branch mint founded?

  • Correct answer: Charlotte, North Carolina or Dahlonega, Georgia - In 1835, Congress passed legislation to establish three new branch Mints located in Charlotte, North Carolina; Dahlonega, Georgia; and New Orleans, Louisiana. Charlotte was the first to open on July 27, 1837. The Dahlonega Mint opened on Feb. 12, 1838, and the New Orleans Mint didn’t open its doors until March 8, 1838. However, both Charlotte and Dahlonega were options in the test, so both are correct. Sorry for those that agonized over which one to pick, you were both correct!

5) What denomination immediately preceded the 1817 Sovereign as the standard British gold currency unit?

  • Correct answer: Guinea - The Guinea was a gold coin denomination circulated in Great Britain from 1663 to 1814, containing approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. Following the Great Recoinage of 1816, the Guinea was officially demonetized and replaced with the gold sovereign as the standard unit of currency.

6) What is the silver fineness of the alloy commonly called German Silver?

  • Correct answer: 0% - German Silver is a common name for Nickel Silver, which is an alloy consisting of Copper, Nickel and Zinc. Contrary to the name, it does not contain any silver!


Section 2: World Coin Attribution


8 Multiple-choice questions


Coin #1

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1) From what country is the above coin?

  • Correct answer: Russia

2) What is the denomination of the above coin?

  • Correct answer: 20 Kopeks

Coin #2

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3) In which city was the above coin struck?

  • Correct answer: Mexico City, Mexico - Note the Mo Mintmark to the left of the date.

4) What is the denomination of the above coin?

  • Correct answer: 1 Real - The denomination can be seen to the left and right of the shield on the reverse written as R 1.

5) Under which king was the above coin struck?

  • Correct answer: Philip V, represented by the PHS ○ V on the right side of the reverse of the coin.

Coin #3

Click image to enlarge.

6) In which country was the above coin struck?

  • Correct answer: France

7) What is the denomination of the above coin?

  • Correct answer: 1 ECU - This one is a bit tricky as the denomination is not on the coin. However, it is the only French coin with this design at the time.

Coin #4

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8) In which country was the above coin struck?

  • Correct answer: Great Britain - Many people selected United Kingdom. However, the UK wasn’t founded until 1800, 27 years after this coin was struck.


Section 3: Authentication and Grading


6 Multiple-choice questions


Coin #1 – Germany ½ Mark

Click images to enlarge.

NGC MS 68 – Both of the coins in the contest are stunning, with brilliant luster and extremely minimal contact marks. The fact that they maintained such a high level of preservation is very impressive!

Coin #2 – 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent

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NGC Not Genuine or Altered – While the 1909-S VDB is known as the King of Lincoln Cents, these two examples were no such thing. They both began their lives as Philadelphia coins with no mintmark, and S mintmarks have been added to each; making them appear to be the far rarer issue. Both also show evidence of cleaning, but the correct answer in this case was Not Genuine or Altered.

Coin #3 – Sweden - 1921 2 Kronor

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NGC MS 66 – These coins may have only graded NGC MS 66, but this haircut is an MS 70! These coins were struck to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of Political Liberty in Sweden. The toning is common on this type, and likely is from the original packaging they were sold in.

Coin #4 – USA Walking Liberty Half Dollar

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NGC Fine 15 – These two coins are what we like to call well-loved. They show extensive signs of circulation. However, there is still a fair bit of detail left, leading to the grade they were assigned.

Coin #5 – USA 1936 Texas Half Dollar

Click images to enlarge.

NGC MS 68 – Both of these coins are simply stunning. While it seems some participants confused the toning with wear, thinking this coin as low as Very Good 10, these coins are in fact nearly pristine. They have beautiful matching toning, certainly from their storage in original packaging for many decades, which helped preserve them in nearly perfect condition.

Coin #6 – India - Quarter Anna

Click images to enlarge.

NGC MS 64 RB – Both of these coins are lovely examples of the type, but aren’t quite Gem Mint due to copper spots on both examples. A relatively large strikethrough on the obverse of one example hides very well in the devices, and doesn’t affect the grade.

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