New tool allows collectors to verify NGC certifications anytime and anyplace using a cell phone or PDA

Numismatic Guaranty Corporation introduces NGC Mobile, a new mobile site that allows collectors to verify an NGC certification on cell phones, PDAs and other mobile devices. This site can be accessed from any mobile browser at http://m.ngccoin.com.

This new site is part of NGC’s ongoing initiative to provide the highest level of protection to coin collectors. In late 2008, NGC introduced a high-security holder and began photographing all tier-level submissions. These images were made available using a web-accessible verification tool early in 2009. Now this new mobile site makes it possible to verify the authenticity of any NGC-certified coin using a mobile device, anywhere at anytime.

NGC Mobile is free to use, open to all, and very easy to use. Step-by-step instructions are also available on NGC’s website.

Steve Eichenbaum, CEO of NGC, comments, “The series of enhanced security services that NGC has introduced offer a level of protection never before available in the rare coin marketplace. Not only do they expand the preference for NGC-certified coins, but they also add to the enjoyment of collectors pursuing their hobby.”

NGC Mobile is fully compatible with cell phones and other devices that use Wireless Application Protocol, a platform chosen to ensure the site functions on the broadest possible range of devices. Additionally, each page load consists of only 1kb of data, and images are less than 25kb, optimizing the site in areas where high-speed coverage is not available and responsibly managing bandwidth usage.

Collectors desiring addition information about NGC Mobile and other services from NGC are invited to contact NGC Customer Service by emailing service@ngccoin.com or by calling toll-free at 1-800-NGC-COIN (642.2646).

The November 28 auction includes a rich offering of NGC-certified European and South American coins

French dealers and auctioneers Maison Palombo offer a rich assortment of high-quality World coins in their upcoming Auction 8. The auction will be held at the Palais de la Bourse, Marseille, France, on Saturday, November 28, 2009. All 982 lots can be seen online at sixbid.com: Palombo Auction 8.

Nearly 400 lots included in the sale have been certified by NGC, making this one of the largest offerings of certified coins in a European auction this year. Included is the continuation of the collection of Monsieur le Chanoine Léon Matagne.

Numismatic author and one of the founding members of the European Numismatic Alliance, Matagne assembled an important collection of Belgian coins and a number of elusive patterns from his collection are featured in the sale.

Several important South American coins from the Caballero de las Yndias collection are offered, and, as with previous Palombo sales, there is an extensive group of exceptional quality French coins.

Click here to view selected Highlights at NGC

The unique Ecuador 1862 50 Francos will be auctioned in January as part of Heritage’s Signature World Coin Auction in New York.

NGC recently certified the unique Ecuador 1862 50 Francos struck in gold. This classic rarity of 19th-century South American coinage is an experimental denomination that conforms to the European coinage standards of the era. It is graded NGC AU 55.

The coin first appeared in published texts in 1956, offered by Robert Friedberg in the November issue of The Numismatist from that year. Scholars believe that he acquired the coin from the Virgil Brand estate. After four more auction appearances between 1957 and 1976, it was sold into a private collection where it has remained since.

Although originally listed in Standard Catalog of World Coins as “unique” alongside the regular issue coinage of Ecuador, it was re-catalogued as a pattern coin in 1986, and this reference number is provided on the NGC certification holder. Although its exact origin and occasion for issue are uncertain, a related 5 Francos silver coin was struck for circulation in Ecuador in 1858. That coin contained 25 grams of 900 fine silver — identical weight and fineness to the 5 Francs and other crown-sized European silver coinage.

Some speculate that the coin was produced at the Paris Mint because an “A” mintmark appears beneath the bust of Bolivar. The quality of die engraving, however, seems incompatible with the superior work of Albert Desire Barre, who engraved for the Paris mint at the time, and best evidence suggests that dies were executed in Ecuador. The coin’s obverse shows a profile bust of South American liberator Simón Bolívar, and the reverse displays the coat of arms of Ecuador, above QUITO, the capital city and location of Ecuador’s mint.

After being off the market for three and a half decades, this coin will be auctioned on January 3–4, 2010, as part of Heritage’s Signature World Coin Auction in New York.