Written by: Max Spiegel

Numismatic Guaranty Corporation® (NGC®) has announced that world coins will be eligible for its popular NGC Star Designation® starting February 1. The NGC Star Designation identifies coins with exceptional eye appeal, including vibrant, colorful toning or intense luster.

Eye appeal is considered to be a coin's most subjective attribute, but the introduction of the NGC Star Designation in 2000 has significantly helped to standardize its definition. A registered trademark of NGC, the highly coveted NGC Star Designation distinguishes coins with exceptional eye appeal from those of the same technical grade.

With the growth in the world coin market in recent years, NGC has seen increasing demand for an impartially assigned identifier of exceptional eye appeal for all coins.

"The NGC Star Designation has become the industry's premier recognition of exceptional eye appeal for United States coins," said Mark Salzberg, chairman of NGC. "After considerable feedback from collectors and dealers we will expand the NGC Star Designation to include world coins.

NGC applies the to qualifying coins in its normal course of grading except for coins graded MS 70 and PF 70 because they are already at the ultimate grade. Coins already certified by NGC can be resubmitted and reviewed for using the Designation Review service.

The NGC Star Designation population figures are reported in the online NGC Census, updated weekly. Coins with the NGC Star Designation receive a score premium in the NGC Registry.

For more information about the NGC Star Designation, click on "Grading Scale & Designations" under the Coin Grading menu on www.NGCcoin.com.