Early Copper “INELIGIBLE TYPE”.

[Burfle23]

I submitted a group of 4 early coppers for certification including a 1794 and 1795 countermarked large cent; both came back noted as “INELIGIBLE TYPE”. I did not see anything on the website that indicated this would be the case and wondered if anyone would know why?

I did find a note about this designation stating “Coins, tokens and medals that are not eligible for NGC certification will be labeled “Ineligible Type” and not encapsulated. The full grading fee will be refunded”, but there is no mention what that means for US coins, only world coins and ancients. Also, I wasn’t refunded the grading fees for these two.

Thanks, Jack.

[Matt G]

Thank you for your question. I apologize for the confusion but the coins should have been labeled as "Not Suitable for Encapsulation," and not "Ineligible Type." We do grade the types of coins you submitted but yours were in poor condition and could not be encapsulated as they may have been damaged by the sealing process. Your account has been refunded the grading fees of $60.  

[Burfle23]

Wow, I was totally unaware how poor a specimen this is and that holdering it was potentially that risky; it actually had been removed from another TPG holder prior to submitting to NGC. Thank you for the refund.

[DWLange]

To elaborate on what Matt G said, this coin would be deemed Not Suitable for Encapsulation primarily because of the numeral punched into it. This is considered post-mint damage, unless there is some legal authority that counterstamped the coin. Examples include the several Caribbean colonies and nations that applied official counterstamps to revalue coins and permit their legal circulation within their borders.

[Burfle23]

Thanks for the clarification David! Is there a place on the NGC website that explains this clearly, as I wouldn't have wasted NGC's or my time submitting them if I had understood that prior. Maybe I just missed that on the site.