Miles Standish Begins Next Chapter, Resigns From NGC

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Michael "Miles" Standish
Michael “Miles” Standish

Prominent professional numismatist, philanthropist and award-winning author Michael "Miles" Standish has amicably submitted his resignation as Senior Vice President of Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC).

"It’s been an excellent six years at NGC, but I want to take time now to write another book and create some new chapters of my own life," said Standish, a resident of the Austin, Texas area.

He joined NGC as a coin grader and Vice President in 2015 after successful previous roles as an executive at ANACS, Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), and Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA).

Standish is credited with spearheading and expanding the popular concept of autographs on encapsulation inserts with artists, engravers, former Mint Directors, celebrities, and star athletes signing inserts for certified coins and trading cards.

"In the past 37 years, I estimate I’ve examined, authenticated, and graded over ten million coins, cards, and sports memorabilia items," said Standish.

In 1997, a photo of Standish wearing white cotton gloves while examining the Eliasberg 1804 Flowing Hair silver dollar appeared on the front page of the Orange County Register newspaper in California. In 1998, news media in St. Louis photographed him again wearing white gloves as he certified Mark McGwire’s record-setting 70th home run baseball.

Standish is the author of the reference book, "Morgan Dollar: America’s Love Affair with a Legendary Coin" which won the Best Specialized Book Award from the Numismatic Literary Guild in 2015. In 2012, he co-authored with former United States Mint Chief Engraver John Mercanti another best-selling book, "American Silver Eagles: A Guide to the U.S. Bullion Coin Program."

In 2011, Standish was honored by United States Mint Director Edmund Moy with the Director’s Medal of Excellence. He also has created design concepts for more than 20 different numismatic and legal tender coins issued on behalf of the Cook Islands.

A native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Standish began buying and selling coins at the age of 17 while still in high school. Soon after graduating in 1983, he was hired as a grader by ANACS. During his career at third-party certification companies, he served as ANACS Vice Chairman; PSA Vice President; PCGS Vice President, Senior Grader and Director Of Business Development; and was a Co-Founder of Collectors Universe, Inc., the parent company of PCGS and PSA.

In 2015, he became NGC Vice President and Coin Grader. Over the years, he also has worked for well-known dealers Michael G. DeFalco, Wayne Miller, and Steven L. Contursi.

In 2021 Standish was named one of the Top 10 Most Influential Persons 1960-2020 by Coin World magazine.

He assists his wife, Andrea Mangione Standish, a Certified Child Life Specialist who is Founder and President of the Standish Foundation for Children (https://standishfoundation.org), an international nonprofit organization that promotes child and family-centered healthcare in the United States and overseas.

During a "Shave Miles" fund-raising event for the foundation, Standish had his head shaved by Pawn Stars television show star Rick Harrison and a half dozen numismatic celebrities at the American Numismatic Association 2017 Denver World’s Fair of Money®. In 2019, he established a $250,000 trust fund to benefit education and sports programs at Portage Central High School in Michigan where he played varsity football and graduated in 1983. He also donated an eight-foot bronze statue of a mustang horse, a symbol of the school’s mascot name, the Mighty Mustangs.

Standish explains he got the nickname "Miles" around 1985 from Florence M. Schook who was President of the American Numismatic Association at the time. The nickname is a humorous reference to the historic figure Myles Standish, an English military officer who accompanied pilgrims on the Mayflower to establish the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620.

"The key to my success has been focus, determination and never giving up or quitting on the goals I set out to accomplish," Standish stated.

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Rich

Sir Kaiser, he is Miles Standish, not Myles Standish (pun intended).

SENZA

His name is a well picked alias, he is from Mars and some how related to Elon Musk; and they both run massive middle-men Ponzi Schemes – I made some $$$ trading Collector’s Universe stock – it was highly manipulated and the dividend was too-good-to-be-true then they took it private just before the fraud was exposed and now miles is resigning and disappearing or perhaps taking on a new identity = Spider Man maybe. I wonder which Biden LGBTQ will be tapped to replace him and be the fall-guy-girl-it. THIS GUY MONETIZED OUR HOBBY – SHAME ON HIM AND ALL… Read more »

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Last edited 2 years ago by SENZA
SENZA

You know Kaiser I consider both of us deep – thinkers yet on rare occasions I have no idea what your talking about and it’s only fair if the same applies to you – I did include some purposeful nonsensical ramblings within the statements tht we can agree are factual at least by our loose standards on this blog but perhaps we could agree to just be confused on this one. And with your permission I would like to change the subject – please see the image below and pleeeze tell me what you think about caffeine Mikes latest offering… Read more »

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Last edited 2 years ago by SENZA
Rob S

Regarding that overpriced silver nugget …
Well, it has free shipping … and did you not see the BOX it comes with?? Not to mention the exclusive NGC core. 😀 😉
It even has 25K more minted than the also-overpriced Morgans, which I think he had at about 6 bills for the CC and O??
Looks like a booty call for his suckers.

SENZA

Shwww…

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Seth Riesling

He is the consummate self-promoter & will tell you so! Lol.
Like Scott “In Travers We Trust” Travers! – a Florence Shook trainee…

NumisdudeTX

SA Collector

So this is the guy to blame for “spearheading and expanding the popular concept of autographs on encapsulation inserts with artists, engravers, former Mint Directors, celebrities, and star athletes signing inserts for certified coins and trading cards.” That special , or should I say “Rare and Unique” label racket isn’t exactly a credit to this guy. I think that in 10 or 20 years it’ll be obvious that the special labels were not worth the extra money at all. I collect South African modern silver and I noted with bewilderment the 2020 Krugerrands signed by “Tumhi Tsehlo, South African Mint… Read more »