Back in 2017 the fee for an NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Company) Associate membership was $39 per year. At that time an ANA (American Numismatic Association) membership ($28) included a free NGC Associate membership, so it made sense to join ANA and save $11 per year.

During the following year, 2018, the NGC Associate membership fee dropped to $25 per year and it has stayed there since. Nevertheless, an ANA membership still included a free NGC Associate membership and was still only $28, so the digital magazine and other benefits made the extra $3 for the ANA membership worthwhile. In 2020, ANA membership went up slightly to $30 but the other benefits were probably still worth the extra $5.

As late as June 2022, NGC was still touting itself as “The Official Grading Service of the ANA,” and the free membership was still available.

But as of August 2022, NGC now offers ANA members only a $15 discount on a new 1-year NGC Associate membership. If you are already an NGC Associate member, the discount does not apply. (In fact, you can’t apply for the ANA discount if you are currently an NGC member. The NGC ANA Submitter Application form states, “If you have an active membership with NGC and PMG you should not complete this application.”)

So, the ANA-NGC sweetheart deal is off. If you are currently a member of ANA and an NGC Associate member, you will have to pay full price for both memberships ($30 + $25 = $55), although NGC will give you a $5 discount for auto-renewing.

I guess the question you will now have to decide for yourself is whether the other benefits an ANA membership confers are worth $30 every year by themselves. If you plan to submit any coins to NGC for grading or participate in the NGC Registry, an ANA membership no longer confers any advantage.