Collector’s Edge

Q: When I sent in my coins to get graded by NGC I had to use three forms, because they were a mix of old and new coins, plus a few foreign ones. I assumed that these would be shipped together in one package, but I ended up having to pay for three different shipments. When I called about this, I was told there's a way to do it, but I'm not sure I understand it.

A: Filling out an NGC submission form can be challenging, since so much information and so many options appear in one place. As for shipping several submissions together with a single package and shipping cost, this is actually quite easy, though your intention has to be stated at the time of submission. In the upper right of the NGC submission form is a shaded box that has a tiny box within it labeled "Ship With" and three lines below it to list the other submission numbers you want sent with that particular one. You'll need to fill this out on all of the several forms you're submitting, cross-referencing the others on each. This will save you money on the Registered Mail service and also reduce the number of packages requiring a signature.

Q: I just signed up with NGC as an ANA member so that I can send coins directly. My coins are mostly inexpensive ones, so I checked off the lowest price service, since it's just $17 for world coins. I found out later that I was charged $22 for some of them, and I'm not sure why.

A: This is a common mistake, as everyone wants to save money. The Modern tier you selected is indeed just $17 per coin, but it's limited to ones made 1955 and later. You'll find that information on the back of your form's gold copy, which the submitter keeps. I looked up your submission, and there were some lower value coins dated earlier than 1955, so for these you needed to fill out a separate form, checking the Economy tier. Again, the terms for this service appear on the back of the gold copy.

Q: At the recent FUN Show in Orlando I decided to bring in my coins to the NGC booth to save shipping them. When I saw how small the words were on the form, I just couldn't fill it out myself, so I asked one of the NGC people to do it for me. She was a little reluctant, but isn't that why they're there?

A: This is a common problem. For reasons of potential liability and to avoid any misunderstandings, it's better for the coins' owner to fill out the form, but this is not always possible. Perhaps the most important thing for you to remember before coming to the show is to always bring your reading glasses. This sounds like a joke, but so many customers come to the NGC booth expecting to just hand over all their coins and let the NGC reps do all the writing that they don't think to bring their glasses or a loupe. We'll guide you in filling out the form, but it's really important that you come prepared to do the bulk of the writing. Ideally, this should be done at home before coming to the booth, but only about half of our coin show customers do that, and we try to accommodate their needs when possible.

NGC submission forms can be entered online, too, and the program will automatically calculate the total due. If you're submitting at a coin show, be sure to bring all four copies that print out, since the submitter’s copy will be signed as received by the NGC rep, and this serves as your receipt.