Learn Grading: What Is A Pedigree?

PCGS - The NGC certification label may include important information relating to the history of a coin after it was struck.

The language of numismatics can sometimes seem daunting to new collectors. NGC has created the Learn Grading series of articles to help both new and seasoned collectors who want to learn more about how coins are graded and described.

Here we explore pedigrees, important information that can be found on the NGC certification label. Although a pedigree is not part of the NGC grade, it can provide useful information about the history of a coin.

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In numismatics, a coin's provenance can be an important factor in determining its authenticity, and a coin that was once part of a famous collection may be more desirable to some collectors. Accordingly, a pedigree is generally used to indicate a coin's past or present ownership.

NGC pedigrees will typically be the current or previous owner's surname followed by the word "Collection." In the case of a few very select collections, the word "Collection" is omitted on the NGC certification label. These include well-known and widely publicized collections such as Garrett, Eliasberg, Pittman, and Norweb.


LEFT: 1787 Figure Right Connecticut Copper graded NGC VF 20 BN and pedigreed to the Norweb and Partrick Collections. RIGHT: 1861 Confederate Half Dollar graded NGC PF 40 and pedigreed to the Newcomer and Green Collections (below the grade) as well as the Eric P. Newman Collection (at the bottom of the label).

For the renowned Eric P. Newman Collection, an unparalleled group of thousands of rare coins certified by NGC, the Newman pedigree was incorporated into the label design itself. Pedigrees to other famous collections were printed onto these labels as applicable.

Pedigrees are not limited to famous collections. For instance, in 2017, NGC pedigreed a group of 178 coins to Hubert Lariviere, the former chief engraver of the Monnaie de Paris. The coins were mostly modern patterns from France and its former colonies. NGC also pedigreed a couple of vintage Chinese specimens to Richard Bagge, a Swedish diplomat working in China over a century ago; this provenance helped shed light on the history of the coins.

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