If you own coins or banknotes you suspect are valuable — inherited, collected over years, or bought without certification — grading is the step that turns "I think this is worth something" into a documented, independently verified, market-recognised fact. As an authorised NGC and PMG dealer based in London, Pashiz Coins handles the entire submission process on your behalf. This guide walks through exactly how it works, how declared value is worked out, and exactly what each grading tier costs, with every fee laid out clearly.

Section 1What is Coin & Banknote Grading?

Grading is independent authentication and condition assessment by a recognised third party — NGC for coins, PMG for banknotes and paper money. The item is examined by trained specialists, authenticated as genuine, assigned a numerical grade (typically on a 1–70 scale for coins, or a comparable descriptive/numeric scale for notes), and sealed in a tamper-evident holder carrying a certification number anyone can independently verify.

Why it matters

• A graded coin or note is easier to sell, easier to insure, and commands more buyer confidence — often a meaningfully higher price than the same item ungraded.
• It protects you from disputes: once graded, condition is no longer a matter of opinion.
• For rare or high-value ancient and Islamic coins especially, grading is close to essential for serious buyers, since attribution and authenticity questions are more common in these areas than in modern coinage.

Section 2The Submission Process, Step by Step

Here's exactly what happens, from the moment you contact us to the moment your certified coin or note is back in your hands — based on our actual NGC and PMG submission forms.

1. Initial assessment Bring or send your item to us for an honest, free assessment. We'll give you a genuine view on whether grading is worthwhile for that specific piece, and a realistic sense of which tier it's likely to fall under.
2. Complete the submission form You (or we, on your behalf) fill in your customer details, select the grading service tier, and list each item — country, year, denomination, metal, weight, and declared value. A handling fee of £13.20 (VAT included) applies per submission form, for both NGC coin and PMG banknote submissions.
3. Choose your delivery preference Collect from our London office (Unit B11, Alfies Antique Market, 13–25 Church St, NW8 8DT), or have your graded item shipped back to you insured — cost depends on declared value, from £15 for items up to £2,000 via Royal Mail Special Delivery, up to £45 via FedEx for items above £10,000.
4. We submit on your behalf As an authorised NGC and PMG dealer, we handle the entire submission — paperwork, packaging, and shipping to NGC/PMG — using our dealer account, so you don't need to register as an individual member or navigate their systems yourself.
5. Grading NGC or PMG examine the item, authenticate it, and assign a grade. Turnaround varies by tier and current workload — NGC's and PMG's own published estimates for most standard tiers run around 30–60 working days, with faster tiers (Express, WalkThrough) available for time-sensitive submissions.
6. Payment — after grading, not before Payment is calculated and invoiced once your submission has been processed and graded, not upfront when you first hand the item over. Your item will not be released to you until the balance is cleared — but you're never asked to pay on the promise of a result you haven't seen yet.
7. Return Your item comes back sealed in its certified holder, ready to sell, insure, or keep — collect from our office or receive it by insured shipping, whichever you selected.

Section 3How Declared Value is Worked Out

Declared value matters more than it might seem — it determines which fee tier applies, and it sets your insurance coverage while the item is in transit and under examination. Here's how we help you get it right.

A word of caution on declaring value: underdeclaring can mean insufficient insurance coverage if anything goes wrong in transit, and — particularly with PMG — submission forms that need correcting for undervalued items can attract an adjustment fee. Overdeclaring, meanwhile, can push you into a higher (and more expensive) fee tier than necessary. This is exactly why we go through this with you before submission, rather than leaving you to guess.

Section 4NGC Coin Grading Prices

Our NGC grading tiers, from the most affordable to the highest-value submissions. All prices are per coin, VAT included. The tier is set by your coin's declared value, so pick the tier whose maximum value covers your coin.

FMV = fair market value. A £13.20 handling fee applies per submission form. Conservation services and add-ons are priced separately (see Section 6).

Section 5PMG Banknote Grading Prices

Our PMG grading tiers for banknotes and paper money. All prices are per note, VAT included.

A £13.20 handling fee applies per submission form. Only the Consecutive Bulk tier requires a minimum of 50 notes — Modern and Vintage Bulk (Mixed Types) don't carry that minimum.

Section 6Add-On and Conservation Services

Both NGC and PMG offer optional add-ons on top of the base grading tier. Here are the ones most relevant to our customers (charged in addition to your selected tier fee, VAT included):

• Early / First Releases designation Tier fee + £17.50 (coins) / £18 (notes)
• Special Label Tier fee + £8 (coins) / £8.40 (notes)
• VarietyPlus (coins) Tier fee + £17
• Variety attribution (notes) Tier fee + £9.60
• Mint Error review (coins) Tier fee + £17
• Tokens & Medals (coins) Tier fee + £4.80
• Oversize Holder Tier fee + £24 (coins) / £21.60 (notes)
• Pedigree (notes) Tier fee + £4.80
• Internet Imaging (digital photos of your certified item) £4.80
• Photo Vision (coins) £8.40

NGC conservation

NGC's conservation service (NCS) can safely remove harmful residues and surface contaminants before grading, which can improve a coin's eye appeal and long-term stability.

We'll walk you through which, if any, of these are genuinely worth adding for your specific item — most everyday submissions don't need any add-ons at all.

Section 7Why Submit Through Pashiz Coins

Here's what submitting through an authorised London dealer actually saves you.

Section 8Frequently Asked Questions