Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) is an international third-party coin grading and certification service based in Sarasota, Florida. It has certified more than 50 million coins. NGC certification consists of authentication, grading, attribution, and encapsulation in clear plastic holders. NGC is a subsidiary of Certified Collectibles Group (CCG), which owns six collectible certification services and is in turn owned by Blackstone, a multibillion dollar New York City hedge fund. History NGC was founded in 1987 in Parsippany, N.J. by John Albanese, who also founded Professional Coin Grading Service. A majority stake was later purchased by coin dealer Mark Salzberg. Along with CEO Steven Eichenbaum, Salzberg owns the CDN Greysheet, a price guide for coins similar to the Kelley Blue Book. NGC commenced operations at its new location in Sarasota, Florida in 2002. In 2006, NGC relocated to a 60,000-square-foot secure building that also houses its CCG-owned sister companies, including Numismatic Conservation Services (NCS), Paper Money Guaranty (PMG), Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), Certified Sports Guaranty (CSG), and Classic Collectible Services (CCS). In 2008, ancient coin certification began (NGC Ancients). Other Salzberg family companies such as ModernCoinMart and GovMint are operated from the same location. NGC has other locations in Hong Kong, China; Shanghai, China; Munich, Germany; and London, United Kingdom. In 2011 it was reported that Heritage Auctions owned 30% of NGC. Company President Max Spiegel's brother Sam Spiegel is the head of International Numismatics at Heritage Auctions. In 2021, owner Mark Salzberg's son Andrew (formerly of ModernCoinMart) was appointed Executive Vice President of NGC. Claimed Endorsements In 1995, NGC was named the official grading service of the ANA, though this is purely for marketing purposes as the ANA does not encapsulate coins in its collection, and those that are encapsulated are a mix of donated coins by different services including rivals such as PCGS. In 2004, NGC paid $120,000/year to be endorsed as the official grading service of the PNG. Similar to the ANA affiliation, this can be misleading as PNG dealers do not exclusively sell or endorse coins graded by NGC. NGC certification NGC certifies most US, world, and ancient coins, tokens, and medals. The certification process consists of authentication, grading, attribution, and encapsulation in plastic holders (aka slabs). Certification fees are tiered according to value, turnaround times, and extra services. NGC has certified over 50 million coins. NGC certification offers significant protection against counterfeiting, misattribution, overgrading, and damage, but