Numismatic Guarantee Corporation will go retro with a limited edition 25th Anniversary Holder to celebrate “25 years and 25 million coins.”

The announcement made on September 11, 2012 said that NGC will offer the Limited Edition holder with a black core and special label for Silver Eagles, Sacagawea, and Presidential Dollars for coins submitted between October 1 and December 31, while supplies last. Coins submitted for retro holders must be submitted at the Modern Special tier or higher ($20 per coin, five coin minimum) with no extra fee for special holder. Invoice must be marked “RETRO HOLDER” and no cross-overs allowed. Please read NGC’s announcement for more information.

NGC was founded in 1987, by John Albanese after co-founding Professional Coin Grading Service. For their first month, NGC encased coins they graded in a holder with a black core (see image to the left). The black core was only used for about a month before NGC switched to the white core we know today. Because coin grading was very conservative in 1987 as compared with today, it was common for the coins in the black holders to be cracked and the coins resubmitted in hopes to have the coin grade higher. As a result, fewer coins have survived in those black holders making the holder a collectable unto itself.

This is an interesting gimmick by NGC. Not only have they found another way to get around the “buy the coin, not the holder” sentiment, but without announcing how many holders they will release, could be fueling speculation on the value of the holder as a premium over the coin. No doubt it will add to the continuing discussion as to collectibility of special holders and labels from the third-party grading services.

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