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To qualify for First Day of Issue, coins must be purchased within one day of the first day that a mint makes a new coin issue available for sale and must be received by NGC or an NGC-approved depository within one week of the release date. In most cases, NGC will make the First Day of Issue designation available only to submitters of bulk quantities or at select trade shows. In cases where the First Day of Issue designation will be available instead to all submitters, an article with submission instructions and grading fees will be posted to the NGC website prior to a coin's release. In all cases, the First Day of Issue designation is available only by special request and will require a higher grading fee.

First Day of Issue coins are listed separately in the NGC Census. They are also eligible for inclusion in the popular NGC Registry.

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NGC calculates the cutoff date for First Day of Issue based on the "release date." A release date is the day that a new coin issue is first released from a mint. In some cases, the mint posts an official release date; in others, the release date is the first day that a mint actually makes a new coin issue available. The release date is not always the same as the sale date since many mints offer coins for sale before they are released.

Mints may release a coin on different dates for online purchases from the mint's website and in-person purchases at a mint location. NGC will generally consider online purchases and in-person purchases to each have a release date. In the event that these release dates are different, NGC will require proof of purchase from its submitters.

Some mints have different release dates for their domestic market and for their international market. In China, for example, coins are generally released domestically several weeks or more before they are released internationally. In these cases, NGC will generally consider there to be two release dates - one for submissions in or from the coin's country of origin and one for submissions in or from all other countries.

First Day of Issue is listed separately in the NGC Census and appears when the variety icon beneath a non-designated issue is clicked.

Yes, First Day of Issue coins are eligible for inclusion in the popular NGC Registry. First Day of Issue coins receive the same point score as non-designated issues.

Only certain coins and/or sets will be designated First Day of Issue by NGC. This designation is generally offered only for bulk submissions or at trade shows. When this designation is available to all submitters of a particular coin an article will be posted to the NGC website with submission instructions.

Certain Official Mint Medals and privately issued medals may be eligible for the First Day of Issue designation. Privately issued medals are generally eligible for this designation only if the issuing mint has publicly identified a specific release date. The same policies and procedures that apply to submissions of coins for the First Day of Issue designation also apply to medals. For more details, see the question "Are medals eligible for the First Day of Issue designation?" below.

Certain Official Mint Medals, defined as those issued by a mint authorized to strike coins and medals on behalf of a government, are eligible for the First Day of Issue designation. Privately issued medals are generally eligible for this designation only if the issuing mint has publicly identified a specific release date.

The First Day of Issue designation is generally offered only for bulk submissions or at trade shows. When this designation is available to all submitters of a particular medal an article will be posted to the NGC website with submission instructions.

If eligible, medals will be listed with eligible US coins or eligible world coins, as applicable.

NGC will sometimes attribute First Day of Issue coins according to the specific US Mint location where they were purchased. FIRST DAY — PHILADELPHIA refers to a First Day of Issue coin purchased at the Philadelphia Mint, FIRST DAY — DENVER refers to a First Day of Issue coin purchased at the Denver Mint, and FIRST DAY — WASHINGTON refers to a First Day of Issue coin purchased at the US Mint store in Washington, D.C. These attributions have the same definition and requirements as the standard First Day of Issue designation, along with the additional requirement that the submitter provide adequate evidence (including purchase receipts) to demonstrate the US Mint location where the coins were purchased. These attributions relate solely to the US Mint location where the coins were purchased, not where they were struck. A coin may receive a First Day of Issue attribution naming a US Mint location that is different from the US Mint location where the coin was struck. As with all First Day of Issue attributions, these attributions are performed solely at NGC's discretion and require a special advance request and a higher grading fee.