NGC has been on a roll the past few weeks with special labels and designations for new coins. That looks set to continue in June. The grading company has announced that the upcoming United States Mint and Royal Mint of Australia two-coin commemorative set for the 50th anniversary of the US lunar landing will have special labels and designations available.
Each set will come with a special Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) Label, which benefits an organization that provides scholarships to outstanding college students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This label carries an automatic $5 fee; a royalty will be paid to the ASF by NGC for each label used.
For the Royal Mint, their coin is a curved $5 Australian silver coin that is .999 silver. The obverse has the classic Ian-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, the CSIRO Parkes radio telescope, the moon, and part of the Apollo 11 transcripts. On the reverse you will find one of the Apollo 11 moon walkers (Buz Aldrin or Neil Armstrong), the Eagle Lunar Module, and the Earth. The Earth is colorized on the coin, making it a striking look.
The United States Mint coin is one that you may already be familiar with as it was released back on January 24, 2019 from the Mint. It depicts a footprint in the lunar soil on the obverse while the reverse is based on the famous “Buz Aldrin on the moon” photograph. It is also a curved coin like the one from the Royal Mint.
NGC will have the normal Early Release designation and First Release designation available for coins that meet the eligibility requirements. Early Release coins have be received within 30 days of release while First Release designation, available only for bulk submissions, have to be received within a day of release.
If you want to buy just the US Mint Apollo 11 50th anniversary commemorative, you can do so directly from the Mint’s site. It is $59.95.