NGC Releases Designations

NGC offers the Early Releases and First Releases designations for select coins received by NGC or an NGC-approved depository within 30 days of the first release of a new coin issue. The terms Early Releases or First Releases will be noted as part of the coin description on the NGC label. Early Releases and First Releases are interchangeable and the same definition and relevant cutoff dates applies to each term.

To qualify for Early Releases or First Releases, a coin must generally be received by NGC or an NGC-approved depository within the first 30 days of the coin’s release. NGC maintains a list of Early Releases and First Releases cutoff dates for US coins and world coins on this website.

A coin's release date may be different from the date on the coin itself. For example, a mint may release a 2015-dated coin in 2016 or a 2018-dated coin in 2017. Eligibility for the Early Releases and First Releases designations is determined at NGC's sole discretion. NGC will disqualify coins from these designations if it cannot reasonably determine that coin's release date.

A submitter wishing to have a coin designated with the Early Releases or First Releases designation must note this request on the NGC submission form, and additional fees generally apply for the special label and designation verification.

In certain markets, NGC may offer bilingual Early Releases and First Releases labels. The same Early Releases and First Releases definition, cutoff dates and NGC Registry treatment will apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

NGC offers the First Day of Issue designation for select coins that are purchased within one day of the first day that a mint makes a new coin issue available for sale. 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.

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. NGC will require that the submitter provide adequate evidence (including purchase receipts) to demonstrate the date when the coins were purchased.

Coins still sealed in US Mint-issue First Day Covers are eligible for the First Day of Issue designation, but private issue covers are not accepted for this designation.

NGC will sometimes attribute First Day of Issue coins according to the specific US Mint location where they were purchased. For example, the designation "FIRST DAY - PHILADELPHIA" on the NGC certification label refers to a First Day of Issue coin purchased at the Philadelphia Mint. Other designations include "FIRST DAY - DENVER" (a First Day of Issue coin purchased at the Denver Mint) and FIRST DAY - WASHINGTON (a First Day of Issue coin purchased at the US Mint store in Washington, DC). 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 location where the coins were purchased. These attributions relate solely to the US Mint location where the coins were purchased and 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

NGC offers the First Day of Release designation for select coins that are purchased within one day of the first day that a mint makes a new coin issue available for sale. The First Day of Release designation is available only for bulk submissions by special request and will require a higher grading fee.

To qualify for First Day of Release, 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. NGC will require that the submitter provide adequate evidence (including purchase receipts) to demonstrate the date when the coins were purchased.

The First Day of Release designation is made available only to select submitters of bulk quantities of qualifying coins. An advance request is required and there is generally a higher grading fee for the specific designation verification and attribution.

Frequently Asked Questions

NGC offers the First Day of Production designation for select coins that are struck on the first day that the mint begins production of that coin. To qualify for First Day of Production, coins must be received by NGC or an NGC-approved depository accompanied by a copy of documentation from the mint that confirms that the coins were struck on the first day of that coin’s production.

The First Day of Production designation is made available only to submitters of bulk quantities of qualifying coins. An advance request is required and there is generally a higher grading fee for the special designation verification and attribution.

Frequently Asked Questions

NGC offers the Last Day of Production designation for select coins that are struck on the day that the mint ends production of that coin. To qualify for Last Day of Production, coins must be received by NGC or an NGC-approved depository accompanied by a copy of documentation from the mint that confirms that the coins were struck on the last day of that coin’s production.

The Last Day of Production designation is made available only to submitters of bulk quantities of qualifying coins. An advance request is required and there is generally a higher grading fee for the special designation verification and attribution.

Note: Last Day of Production is not available for any submissions received in Mainland China.

Frequently Asked Questions

NGC offers the Early Production designation for select coins received by NGC or an NGC-approved depository in mint-sealed packaging that is dated on or before January 31 of the coin’s year of issue. In most cases, NGC will make the Early Production designation available only to submitters of bulk quantities of select coin types. In all cases, the Early Production designation is available only by special request and will require a higher grading fee.

To qualify for Early Production, coins must be submitted in mint-sealed packaging that can be proven to have been sealed on or before January 31 of the coin’s year of issue. Coins issued in prior years (sometimes called “backdates”) are accepted for the Early Production designation provided they are still sealed in the original mint packaging. For example, a sealed box of Mint State 1998 American Silver Eagles will be eligible for the Early Production designation if the box is dated on or before January 31, 1998.

For Early Production coins received by NGC or an NGC-approved depository in mint-sealed packaging that is dated prior to the coin’s year of issue, NGC may additionally designate the coins with the “Struck in [Year]” attribution, where “[Year]” is the year in which the coins were struck. For example, a sealed box of Mint State 1998 American Gold Eagles will be eligible for the “Struck in 1997” attribution if the box is dated on or before December 31, 1997. Regular bulk submissions of American Silver Eagles are not eligible for the “Struck in [Year]” attribution.

1986 American Silver and Gold Eagles: Bullion (non-mintmarked) 1986 American Gold Eagles were first released by the US Mint on October 20, 1986. Therefore, bullion 1986 American Gold Eagles received in mint-sealed packaging that is dated on or before November 19, 1986 are eligible for the Early Production designation. Bullion 1986 American Silver Eagles were first released by the US Mint on November 24, 1986. Therefore, bullion 1986 American Silver Eagles received in mint-sealed packaging that is dated on or before December 24, 1986 are eligible for the Early Production designation.

NGC offers the First Allocation designation for select coins that are from the first batch of a new coin issue to be released by a mint. The First Allocation designation is used primarily for bullion coins that are released in distinct batches, often to authorized purchasers. NGC will require that the submitter provide adequate evidence (including purchase receipts) to demonstrate that the coins were released in the first batch of a new coin issue.

The First Allocation designation is available only to select submitters of bulk quantities of qualifying coins. An advance request is generally required and there is a higher grading fee for the special designation verification and attribution.

NGC offers attributions of Final T-1 Production and First T-2 Production for certain 2021 Type 1 BU Silver Eagles, 2021 Type 2 BU Silver Eagles, 2021 Type 1 BU Gold Eagles and 2021 Type 2 BU Gold Eagles. These attributions are available for qualifying submissions when requested, based on box numbers provided in official US Mint documentation.

The US Mint produced certain American Silver Eagles and Gold Eagles as part of a “final production run” and “first production run.” The Mint struck 200,000 coins for the final production run of the 2021 Types 1 BU Silver Eagles and 200,000 coins for the first production run of the 2021 Type 2 BU Silver Eagles. The Mint struck 15,000 2021 Type 1 BU Gold Eagles and 15,000 Type 2 BU Gold Eagles.

NGC offers the Advance Releases designation for select coins that are purchased by designated mint customers prior to the publicly posted first day that a mint makes a new coin issue available for sale. For example, if the mint’s public calendar identifies the first day of sales as January 10, coins qualifying for Advance Releases must be purchased by designated mint customers prior to that date, typically through a bulk advance purchasing arrangement with the mint.

To qualify for Advance Releases, coins must be purchased by designated mint customers prior to the publicly posted 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 ship date. NGC will require that the submitter provide adequate evidence (including purchase receipts) to demonstrate the date when the coins were purchased and shipped.

The Advance Releases designation is made available only to select submitters of bulk quantities of qualifying coins. An advance request is required and there is generally a higher grading fee for the specific designation verification and attribution.

Note: Advance Releases is not available for any submissions received in Mainland China.

NGC may occasionally offer a Show Releases designation for select coins purchased from a mint’s booth at a trade show and then submitted to NGC at the same trade show. This designation is generally reserved for coins with a release date that coincides with the trade show or a release date shortly before the start of the trade show.

The designation will typically state the name of the trade show followed by Show Releases or a variation that reflects the coin’s type and release date. Past designations have included ANA Inaugural Releases (for Clad and Gold 50th Anniversary Kennedy coins sold by the US Mint at the August 2014 ANA show), Opening Day Releases (for Baseball Hall of Fame commemorative coins sold by the US Mint at the March 2014 Baltimore show) and FUN Show Releases (for 2015-W Proof Silver Eagles sold at the January 2015 FUN show). For a complete list, click here.

If NGC will offer a special designation at a trade show, NGC will post an article on its website that lists the eligible coin(s), the designation offered and any special submission instructions. The mint’s sales receipt must accompany coins that are submitted for a Show Releases designation.

Coins with a Show Releases designation will be listed separately in the NGC Census and appear when the variety icon beneath a non-designated issue is clicked.

Alternatively, NGC may list the name of a trade show without the term “Releases” for coins that do not qualify for the “Show Releases” designation. This notation (sometimes called a “pedigree”) is used to commemorate the show and does not necessarily mean that the coins were purchased at the show. For example, the notation may be used for samples that will be given away at the show or for coins that will be sold by a dealer at the show. This notation is generally used only for select bulk submissions. In the NGC Census it is grouped with the non-designated issues and not listed separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

NGC will designate coins that are verified to be among the first struck by a mint. These coins must be accompanied by a copy of official mint documentation that identifies that this group of coins was the first struck. The NGC certification label will indicate that the encapsulated coin is one of the first struck by the mint and state the total size of the “first struck” edition (e.g. One of First 1000 Struck or One of First 50,000 Struck). This designation is available only for select bulk submissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

NGC will designate select coins in the order in which they were struck by a mint. The minting must be witnessed and documented by an authorized representative of NGC or the coins must be accompanied by a copy of official mint documentation that individually identifies the order in which the coins were struck. The NGC certification label will indicate this order (e.g. “First Coin Struck,” “Second Coin Struck,” etc.). This designation is generally made available only to submitters of bulk quantities of qualifying coins. An advance request is required and there is generally a higher grading fee for the special designation verification and attribution.

Frequently Asked Questions

NGC offers a special "First Year of Issue" label for use with many US and world coins. A first year of issue is the coin from the first dated year of a new coin type. For example, the American Gold Eagle was first issued in 1986; all American Gold Eagles dated 1986 are eligible for encapsulation with this special label. (Note: The First Year of Issue designation and label is not available for coins of the same series but struck in new sizes or formats after the original introduction of the coin type.) The First Year of Issue label is green or red with the words FIRST YEAR OF ISSUE at the bottom. Additional certification fees apply, and no supplementary documentation or packing is required when submitting coins for this designation.

Click here for a list of coins eligible for the First Year of Issue label >

NGC offers a special "Last Year of Issue" label for use with many coins. A last year of issue is the coin from the last dated year of a coin type. For example, the Franklin Half Dollar was last issued in 1963; all Franklin Half Dollars dated 1963 are eligible for encapsulation with this special label. (Note: The Last Year of Issue designation and label is not available for coins of the same series but struck in new sizes or formats after the original introduction of the coin type.) The Last Year of Issue label is blue with the words LAST YEAR OF ISSUE at the bottom. Additional certification fees apply, and no supplementary documentation or packing is required when submitting coins for this designation.

Click here for a list of coins eligible for the Last Year of Issue label >

Occasionally, a US coin is officially released at a ceremony or event organized by the US Mint or government body overseeing the coin’s release. NGC will designate coins from such ceremonies as First Day Ceremony. To qualify, submitters must notify NGC in advance of the ceremony and the coins that they wish to submit for the First Day Ceremony designation. Additional supporting documentation may be required for eligibility. In all cases coins must be sent by overnight courier from the ceremony location and arrive at NGC on the day immediately following the ceremony.

When the US Mint releases a new coinage design, a special event is sometimes held during which notable figures related to that coinage are invited to strike the first of these coins. This has been used on States Quarters and other circulating and commemorative issues. NGC will use the term First Strike on the NGC certification label to indicate that the encapsulated coin was struck during a first strike ceremony at the US Mint. A copy of additional supporting documentation or other substantiation will be required for NGC to verify that the coin was struck at a first strike ceremony.

The First Strike designation is not to be confused with the First Strikes designation, which was discontinued after 2006.

NGC may list Numbered First Struck Editions separately in the NGC Census when the variety icon beneath the non-designated issue is clicked or it may group Numbered First Struck Editions into the population for the non-designation issue.

NGC offers limited edition special labels for bulk submitters only. Any quantity listed on the label refers ONLY to the quantity of LABELS encapsulated by NGC, and NOT the quantity of coins minted or graded.

How are coins that have been encapsulated with limited edition special labels reflected in the NGC Census?

Coins with limited edition special labels are not separately listed in the NGC Census. Rather, they are grouped together with coins of the same type, regardless of special label.