The NGC Coin Grading Team
NGC's team of more than 30 full time professional coin graders are led by some of the most experienced and trusted experts in the world. Learn more about the senior members of NGC's grading team below.
Rick Montgomery, President and Finalizer
Many industry peers consider Rick Montgomery to be the coin industry’s greatest authenticator. Prior to joining NGC in 2002, Rick served as President of PCGS. A veteran numismatist and key figure in the field, Montgomery co-authored the NGC Grading Guide for Modern US Coins and contributed to the PCGS grading and counterfeit detection guide. He has also written numerous articles for the American Numismatic Association. Rick received the PNG’s Art Kagin Ambassador Award in 2014. Career highlights include grading the great rarities, famed coins such as 1804 Dollars, Ultra High Reliefs, and 1913 Liberty Nickels. He is also highly knowledgeable in and an active collector of ancient coins.
Ben Wengel, Senior Vice President of World Coin Grading
Ben Wengel began collecting at age 8. By 16, he had completed both the ANA Summer Seminar Advanced Grading course and a six-week summer internship at NGC. While attending the University of Tampa, Wengel worked at NGC three days a week, and after graduation he joined NGC on a full-time basis. It was clear from the start that Wengel had a unique aptitude for attributing, authenticating and grading coins. A decade later, Wengel has firmly established himself as one of the industry’s foremost authorities on world coins. In 2023, he was the lead instructor of “Advanced Study of World Issues” at the ANA Summer Seminar in 2023 along with co-instructor NGC President Rick Montgomery. Wengel has led numerous on-site grading events around the world, where he often gives presentations on authentication and grading. In addition to teaching, Wengel has written extensively on counterfeit detection for NGC. He is also a passionate collector, whose personal interests include silver and gold coins from South and Central America.
Scott Schechter, Chief Numismatist and Finalizer
Scott Schechter’s first formal job in numismatics was in 1994 as an intern at the Smithsonian Institution, working with the National Numismatic Collection. After graduating from Harvard with a degree in history of science, he became a dealer in US coins for Pinnacle Rarities. In 2005, he joined Numismatic Guaranty Company, where he is now Chief Numismatist and Grading Finalizer. At NGC he has also worked on the development of the NGC Registry and online collection-management tools. Scott has lectured for the Professional Numismatists Guild and spoken about coin certification at many conventions in the United States and abroad, including the Beijing International Coin Expo in China and the World Money Fair in Germany. He is a co-author of 100 Greatest US Modern Coins, published in 2010.
Dave Camire, NCS President and NGC Finalizer
Dave Camire is considered an authority on modern minting technology and production, specializing in mint errors and Chinese coins. He has visited many mints, both domestically and internationally, which is not only insightful but useful in his role as NGC Modern World Coin Grader and Finalizer. His knowledge of the minting process is helpful in distinguishing mint defects from damaged coins and establishing a coin's authenticity and grade. Dave co-authored the 100 Greatest U.S. Error Coins and has contributed to such numismatic publications as Coin World (honored with being listed as one of the 100 Most Influential People), COINage, Numismatic News, The Numismatist and the Red Book. He has been featured on National Public Radio (NPR) and seen on Good Morning America and the Discovery Channel. Dave is also President of Numismatic Conservation Services (NCS). With his knowledge and expertise in coin conservation, he has been an active volunteer at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American History, helping to preserve the National Numismatic Collection and establishing key numismatic displays at the museum. A collector at heart, he has been collecting since he was 13 years old.
David Vagi, NGC Ancients Director and Finalizer
A lifelong numismatist, David Vagi has been studying ancient Greek and Roman coins since 1985. He entered the field as a staff writer for Coin World and later worked as a numismatist for the auction houses Christie’s, Superior Stamp and Coin, Spink America and R.M. Smythe before opening Delphi International Ancient Arts. For more than twenty years he has penned a column every month for a major numismatic publication, including Coin World, The Celator, Numismatic News, World Coin News and The Numismatist. His 1,294-page Coinage and History of the Roman Empire received ‘book of the year’ awards from the IAPN, PNG and NLG. He is a life member and Fellow of the ANS, and a life member of the ANA, for which he has taught more than fifteen weeklong courses on ancient coinage.
Eric Hogan, Finalizer
Eric Hogan began collecting coins at age 12, later to discover that he was a third-generation coin collector. When he was 13 years old, he started helping out at his hometown coin shop and attended a number of ANA Summer Seminars between 2002 and 2010. Eric joined NGC as a vintage coin grader in 2011, after graduating from Stetson University with a degree in business management and a minor in business law. His coin and currency collecting interests are expansive, ranging from Spanish treasure fleet coinage to early US Type to Florida banknotes.
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