NGC

Name

NGC

Legal name

Certified Collectibles Group - International Hong Kong Limited

Website

https://ngccoin.hk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Company), part of the Certified Collectibles Group, provides third-party authentication and grading for coins, tokens, and medals. Founded in 1987, it serves individual collectors, dealers, auction houses, and institutions globally, anchored by a database of nearly 20 million certified coins.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Coin Grading Services: NGC charges fees for grading and certifying coins submitted by collectors and dealers. Fees vary based on service tier, submission type, and turnaround time.
2. NCS Conservation Services: Numismatic Conservation Services (NCS) provides conservation and restoration services for coins for a fee.
3. Membership Fees: Collectors and dealers pay membership fees to join NGC and access submission services.
4. Affiliate/Referral Revenue: NGC earns revenue through affiliate arrangements with platforms like eBay where NGC-certified coins receive preferred treatment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NGC provides expert, impartial third-party authentication and grading services for coins, tokens, and medals. The service is backed by the comprehensive NGC Guarantee protecting buyers and sellers against counterfeits and misgraded coins. Founded in 1987, NGC operates as part of the Certified Collectibles Group (CCG), offering tiered grading services, population/registry data, mobile verification tools, and conservation services through its NCS subsidiary.

Product overview

NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Company) is a third-party coin grading service founded in 1987, providing expert authentication and grading for coins, tokens and medals. The company operates as part of the Certified Collectibles Group (CCG), which includes sister companies PMG (paper money), CGC (comics), and ASG (stamps). The core product is NGC Coin Grading, backed by the comprehensive NGC Guarantee. The service is supported by online platforms including NGC Census (population data), NGC Registry (collection display and competitions), NGC Price Guides (valuation), and NGC App (mobile access). Additional offerings include conservation services (NCS), VarietyPlus (coin variety catalog), NGC Galleries (featured collections), and certification verification tools. NGC holds official status with the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG), and is an approved grading service for eBay and Catawiki.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NGC Coin Grading Core third-party grading and authentication service providing accurate, consistent, and impartial assessment of coin authenticity and grade, backed by the NGC Guarantee. Available in multiple tiers (standard to express/expedited) with varying turnaround times for individual collectors and dealers.
• NCS Conservation Services Professional coin conservation and restoration services provided through Numismatic Conservation Services (NCS), a wholly-owned NGC subsidiary. Enhances eye appeal of submitted coins prior to grading for a separate fee.
• NGC Ancients Grading Specialized grading sub-service for ancient coins, allowing collectors of ancients (Greek, Roman, etc.) to receive certification under a dedicated NGC Ancients designation.
• NGC Mobile App Free mobile application (iOS and Android) enabling users to scan NGC labels, verify certifications, access population census data and price guides, track submissions, and read numismatic news. Available at the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Quantifiable outcome

• NGC-certified coins from major collections have sold for record prices including a Denmark 1496 Noble realizing €1.2 million and an 1820 Pattern realizing over $600,000
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and strategic.

• American Numismatic Association (ANA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGC is the Official Grading Service of the American Numismatic Association, the largest numismatic organization in the world. This designation provides NGC with significant industry credibility and access to the association's member base.
• Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGC is the Official Grading Service of the Professional Numismatists Guild, a leading organization of professional coin dealers. This partnership provides NGC with endorsement from the professional dealer community.
• eBaycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNGC is an Approved Grading Service of eBay. NGC-certified coins receive preferred status on the eBay marketplace, providing visibility and trust signals for buyers purchasing NGC-graded coins.
• CatawikicoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNGC is an Approved Grading Company of Catawiki Modern Coins, facilitating auctions of NGC-certified coins on the Catawiki platform with preferred treatment for NGC holders.
• CDN ExchangeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCDN Exchange is a strategic partner of NGC, providing additional market access for NGC-certified coins.
• ACEFminorGTM or Marketing PartnerACEF (American Coin & Currency Expo Forum) is affiliated with NGC, providing marketing and exposure for NGC services.
• The Royal MintstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Royal Mint is a strategic partner of NGC, indicating collaboration for authentication and grading services related to Royal Mint products.
• Stack's Bowers GalleriescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStack's Bowers Galleries serves as the primary auction partner for NGC-certified collections including the L.E. Bruun Collection, SINCONA British Collection, and Salton Collection. This partnership handles major auction sales of NGC-graded coins.
• CDHCDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGC is the Official Grading Service of CDHCD (RoundTableCoins), a numismatic organization providing additional industry credibility.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Others

• Heritage Auctions: The largest US coin auction house and a key NGC distribution channel for high-value collection sales. While not a grader, Heritage consumes NGC certification for the lots it sells, making it both a partner and a gatekeeper to institutional submission volume.
• Stack's Bowers Galleries: Major numismatic auction house and NGC's named primary auction partner for marquee collections including the L.E. Bruun, SINCONA, and Salton Collections. Comparable in that it drives institutional submission demand and benefits from NGC's certification quality.
• GreatCollections Coin Auctions: An online auction platform specializing in PCGS- and NGC-certified coins. Touches the same buyer/seller workflow NGC serves and is comparable as an alternative distribution channel for graded-coin liquidity.

Direct peers

• PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service): The principal head-to-head competitor of NGC, offering the same third-party coin authentication and 1-70 grading service to collectors and dealers. PCGS competes directly with NGC on the same submissions, the same grading scale, and many of the same auction-house and dealer distribution relationships.
• Certified Guaranty Company (CGC): Another CCG sister company applying the same third-party grading and encapsulation model to comic books. Uses identical submission workflow, registry platform, and guarantee structure, demonstrating how NGC's authentication architecture is replicated across collectible verticals.
• Certified Sports Guaranty (CSG): CCG sister company extending the NGC grading and certification model to sports cards. Comparable in that it uses identical submission infrastructure, holder design, and guarantee structure, only the underlying collectible category differs.
• Certified Acceptance Corporation (CAC): A specialized third-party stickering service that re-verifies coins already graded by NGC or PCGS, applied as a 'green bean' premium marker on high-end coins. CAC addresses the same trust/grading-accuracy gap NGC's guarantee targets and competes for share of high-value dealer and collector confidence.
• Paper Money Guaranty (PMG): A wholly-owned CCG sister company that runs the identical authentication/grading certification model for banknotes rather than coins. Operates the same member-submission, holder, guarantee, and price guide structure, making it the closest business-model comparable within the same corporate group.
• ANACS (American Numismatic Association Certification Service): One of the original third-party coin grading services in the US, providing authentication and grading on a comparable scale to NGC. ANACS competes in the same core product category and serves similar collector and dealer customers, though with smaller market share.

Broad incumbents

• Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA): The dominant third-party grading service for trading cards, operating a fee-based authentication and encapsulation model closely analogous to NGC. While operating in a different asset class, PSA is the most strategically comparable broad incumbent to NGC in terms of business model and market position.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqRyAYkQNVGHF5G4j9LCMVQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/NGCcoin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NGC