NGC Basketball Celebration Special Label Available for All Submitters

Numismatic Guaranty Corporation® (NGC®) is celebrating the release of the 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coins with a vibrant special label offered for free to all submitters.

NGC is also offering its popular Early Releases and First Releases designations as well as a new special designation — Tip Off Releases — to capture the excitement surrounding the release of these highly anticipated coins. Basketball coins received within the first week of release are eligible for the Tip Off Releases designation, and coins received within the first 30 days of release are eligible for either the Early Releases or First Releases designation.

The NGC Basketball Celebration Special Label and First Releases designation with the 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame Clad Half Dollar. Click images to enlarge.

Other than Olympic coins and a few coins recognizing individual players, the US Mint has struck only one other coin commemorating a Big Three American pastime — the 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin, which proved to be one of the Mint’s most popular releases in recent years. The mintage of 50,000 gold and 400,000 silver coins quickly sold out.

Like the baseball coins, the 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coins are dome-shaped, reminiscent of the shape of a basketball. The only other curved coins that the US Mint has produced were the 2019 Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coins, another hugely successful release.

The 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame Coins are being issued in three denominations: a clad half dollar, a silver dollar and a gold five dollars. An Enhanced Finish half dollar — the first-ever commemorative coin with an Enhanced Finish — is also being released as part of a special Kids Set. All of the coins are only being struck in 2020, with a portion of each coin's purchase price going to the James Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to support its operations and educational programs.

NGC has signed an exclusive signature label deal with James P. Naismith, James Naismith's last surviving grandson and namesake. For more information about the NGC James P. Naismith Authentic Hand-Signed Labels, click here.

The design for the common obverse of the coin was selected in a national contest. The winning design conveys the inclusive nature of basketball, a game that is played and loved by people the world over. For the common reverse, the Mint chose US numismatic artist Donna Weaver to execute the design. Her elegant depiction of a ball passing through the net was immediately praised for perfectly capturing the essence of the game.

NGC has signed an exclusive signature label deal with Donna Weaver. For more information about the NGC Donna Weaver Authentic Hand-Signed Labels, click here.

To ensure the fastest availability to collectors and fans, basketball coins encapsulated with NGC's Donna Weaver and James P. Naismith Authentic Hand-Signed Labels are going to be available exclusively from select retailers immediately after the coins' release.

Adding to the excitement, a portion of the half dollar and silver dollar basketball coins being released on August 28 are the first colorized coins ever offered by the US Mint. To recognize this historic innovation in US coinage, NGC is giving these coins a special attribution: First Colorized US Coins. To learn more about the 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame colorized coins, click here.

Some of the 2020 basketball coins are accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) that has been signed and numbered by the Director of the US Mint. If requested, NGC will encapsulate the COA. The fee for COA encapsulation is $25 per certificate.

Submission Instructions

• Submit the 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coins under the Modern grading tier or higher.
• Submit the 2020-S Enhanced Finish Half Dollar in the original US Mint Kids Set packaging.
• Select Double Thick Holder (+$5) for the silver dollar.
• For the fastest possible turnaround time, please write "BB" in bold on the outside of the shipping box.
• All coins submitted must be graded.
• If you would like Mint packaging returned, select the “Return Mint Packaging” box on the NGC Submission Form. The fee is $5 plus the cost of shipping.
• To have the COA encapsulated (if applicable), write “Holder COA” on the NGC Submission form. The fee for COA encapsulation is $25 per certificate.

The following designations are available for the 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coins:

The following labels are available for the 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coins:

Label options	Fee	Directions
NGC Basketball Celebration #1422	Free	By default (The Tip Off Releases, Early Releases and First Releases designations are also available with this label for an additional $12 fee, if applicable.)
Early Releases #378	Included with fee for Early Releases designation (+$12)	Select Early Releases and enter Early Releases #378 on your submission form. Otherwise, the NGC Basketball Celebration Special Label #1422 will be used.
First Releases #379	Included with fee for First Releases designation (+$12)	Select First Releases and enter First Releases #379 on your submission form. Otherwise, the NGC Basketball Celebration Special Label #1422 will be used.
NGC Standard Brown #377	Free	Enter Standard Brown Label #377 on your submission form.

Questions? Contact NGC Customer Service at service@NGCcoin.com or 1-800-NGC-COIN (1-800-642-2646).

NGC Collectors Society paid members can submit their coins directly to NGC. Not an NGC Collectors Society member? Paid memberships start at just $25/year. Join today >

Bulk Submissions

NGC’s First Day of Issue designation and labels are available for select bulk submissions only. 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.

For bulk submissions, contact Scott Heller at Sheller@NGCcoin.com or 941-360-3990 or Miles Standish at Miles@NGCcoin.com or 949-922-0515.

NGC's labels, holders and certification services for the US Mint Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coins are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.