The ASG Guarantee

Subject to the terms, conditions, and limitations specified below, an ASG-certified stamp (“Stamp”) encapsulated in an ASG holder is guaranteed to be:

• Genuine
• Not overgraded (meaning that it is not graded higher than ASG’s Grading Standards)

In addition, it is guaranteed that ASG “Authentic Hand-Signed” labels have a genuine autograph from the person identified on the ASG label.

For purposes of this Guarantee, the term “ASG” shall include any the companies listed below.

WARNING: THIS GUARANTEE IS LIMITED. By making a claim under this Guarantee, Owner (as defined below) agrees to be bound by all of the terms, conditions, limitations, and EXCLUSIVE remedies provided below and waives its right to all other remedies including, without limitation, any and all legal claims asserted through litigation or arbitration.

WHERE to Submit a Claim

All claims under the ASG Guarantee must be made to the appropriate Guarantor in the appropriate jurisdiction.

How to Submit a Claim: The Appearance Review Process

An owner of an ASG-certified Stamp (“Owner”) who believes the Stamp is overgraded or not genuine shall submit it for evaluation under ASG’s Appearance Review service. It is not necessary to be an ASG member to submit a Stamp for Appearance Review. However, service and shipping fees may apply.

To submit a Stamp for Appearance Review, Owner must furnish Guarantor with all relevant supporting documentation, including proof of purchase, that Owner’s claim relies on. If Guarantor determines, in its sole reasonable opinion, that Owner is entitled to a remedy under this Guarantee, Guarantor will offer a remedy as set forth below.

ASG is committed to proposing a fair and reasonable remedy to a submitter of a Stamp that is determined to be not genuine or overgraded. If the submitter does not accept such remedy from ASG, the Stamp will be removed from the ASG holder and returned to the submitter along with a payment of the grading fees originally paid to ASG to grade the Stamp and any reasonable shipping expenses incurred in returning the stamp to ASG for correction. In no event will (i) a Stamp that has been determined to be not genuine be returned in an ASG holder; (ii) a Stamp that has been determined to be overgraded or incorrectly described be returned encapsulated with an incorrect ASG label; or (iii) an “Authentic Hand-Signed” label be returned with an autograph that has been found to be not genuine.

Remedies for Stamps that are Not Genuine or are Overgraded. If Guarantor determines, in its sole reasonable opinion, that (a) the Stamp is not genuine or (b) that the correct grade for the Stamp is lower than the one originally assigned, Guarantor will provide one of the three remedies described below, subject to the “Compensation Limits” stated below. The choice of remedy will be made by Guarantor in its sole discretion, and the remedies are subject to the further limitations set forth below. Current Fair Market Value is determined solely by Guarantor as described in each of the listed remedies and the “Fair Market Value” paragraph that follows.

1. Guarantor may (a) return the Stamp to Owner encapsulated with a label indicating the newly established correct (lower) grade and (b) pay to Owner the lesser of (i) the difference between the Declared Value of the Stamp as stated by Owner on the submission form for Appearance Review and the Fair Market Value of the Stamp at the newly established correct (lower) grade; (ii) the difference between the current Fair Market Value of an accurately graded Stamp at the original incorrect (higher) grade and the current Fair Market Value of the Stamp at the newly established correct (lower) grade; or (iii) the difference between the amount actually paid for the Stamp by Owner in an actual arm’s length transaction and the current Fair Market Value of the Stamp at the newly established correct (lower) grade.
2. Alternatively, Guarantor may purchase the Stamp from the submitter. Guarantor will pay the lesser of (i) the Declared Value of the Stamp as stated by Owner on the submission form for Appearance Review; (ii) the Fair Market Value of an accurately graded, genuine Stamp at the original incorrect grade; or (iii) the amount actually paid for the Stamp by Owner in an actual arm’s length transaction.
3. Alternatively, Guarantor may retain the not genuine or overgraded Stamp and provide to the submitter in its place an equivalent Stamp that is genuine and has the same grade as originally assigned to the Stamp.

Remedies for Authentic Hand-Signed Labels. If Guarantor determines, in its sole reasonable opinion, that the autograph on an Authentic Hand-Signed label is not genuine, Guarantor will offer one of the remedies listed below. (Note: Guarantor does not guarantee the condition of an autograph on an Authentic Hand-Signed label, and it is possible that such autographs may fade or otherwise diminish in quality over time.) The choice of remedy will be made by Guarantor in its sole discretion, and the remedies are subject to the further limitations set forth below.

1. Guarantor may purchase the Stamp from Owner. The price Guarantor pays will be the lesser of (i) the Declared Value of the Stamp; (ii) the Fair Market Value of an accurately graded, genuine Stamp if the autograph on the Authentic Hand-Signed label were genuine; or (iii) the amount actually paid for the Stamp by Owner in an actual arm’s length transaction.
2. Guarantor may encapsulate the Stamp with a new label that has the same grade as originally assigned to the Stamp and has a genuine autograph of the same person on the Authentic Hand-Signed label.
3. Guarantor may retain the Stamp and provide to Owner in its place an equivalent Stamp that is genuine, has the same grade as originally assigned to the Stamp, and has a genuine autograph of the same person on the Authentic Hand-Signed label.

In addition, if Guarantor determines, in its sole reasonable opinion, that a Stamp qualifies for a remedy, Owner may submit receipts for reimbursement of reasonable shipping and insurance expenses incurred by Owner in submitting the Stamp for Appearance Review.

Fair Market Value. Guarantor will determine, if and as necessary, and in its sole discretion, the current “Fair Market Value” of the Stamp if it were to be sold. Guarantor will determine the current Fair Market Value of a Stamp based upon what Guarantor believes, in its sole reasonably exercised opinion, to be reliable current market information. Guarantor may use actual pricing and sales information available to it, including prices in the actual transaction history of the Stamp in question. However, due to the volatile nature of the market and Internet auctions/sales as well as the differences in buying habits of different individuals, such information may not necessarily represent the accurate current Fair Market Value of any particular Stamp, which again, will be determined by Guarantor in its sole discretion. In determining the Fair Market Value, Guarantor will not be bound by the values included within any ASG Price Guide. Guarantor’s calculation of a Stamp’s Fair Market Value will be based on a generic example of the Stamp at the original grade, without any variety, reference, or pedigree attribution. Compensation under this Guarantee excludes ancillary fees, such as customs fees, sales tax, VAT, and/or shipping fees.

COMPENSATION LIMITS

Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, Compensation under this Guarantee is LIMITED as follows:

Any compensation under this Guarantee will be contingent upon Owner’s execution of a standard form confidential release, which will include an attestation that (i) all information and/or documentation provided by Owner concerning the claim for Appearance Review is true and accurate; and (ii) the claim for Appearance Review covers all then-known claims of Owner. In the event Owner has an outstanding account balance with ASG or any of its affiliates for services, any compensation due under this Guarantee will first be applied against that balance.

Important Limitation: This Guarantee DOES NOT cover consequential damages, lost profits, foregone appreciation, or commissions. If Owner is the original submitter (or is a party related to the original submitter) of the Stamp for certification, then the compensation, if any, will not exceed the grading fee(s) actually paid for the certification of the Stamp. Under no circumstance will compensation be paid in instances where Owner has suffered no actual damages as a result of the error in certification or in reliance on this Guarantee. ASG reserves the right to investigate the relationship between Owner and the original submitter.

CONDITIONS AND EXCLUSIONS

1. Covered Stamps. This Guarantee applies only to stamps encapsulated in ASG Holders (“Stamps”) that had an active certification number with no published warnings (e.g., “Guarantee Does Not Apply. Contact Customer Service.”) in the Verify ASG Certification section on the ASG web site at the time they were purchased by Owner.
2. Limited Time Only. This Guarantee applies for a limited period of ten (10) years from the date of the grading. A claim under this Guarantee MUST be submitted to Guarantor NO LATER THAN the ten (10) year anniversary of the date of grading. A potential purchaser of an ASG-certified Stamp is strongly encouraged to look up the Stamp’s guarantee expiration date using the “Verify ASG Certification” feature of the ASG web site. The guarantee expiration date may be extended by submitting the Stamp to ASG under its ReGrade service.
3. Required Information. In fulfillment of the ASG Guarantee, Owner will be required to provide information and documentation regarding the purchase of the Stamp, including the date purchased, the purchase price, the seller, the transaction amount, and proof of payment. Owner acknowledges that (i) failure to provide required information and documentation; or (ii) providing false information or documentation, will result in the Stamp’s exclusion from this Guarantee.
4. Efforts to Minimize Damage. Owner is required to minimize Owner’s damage and stop a sale of the Stamp or attempt to reverse a prior transaction. Owner will further be required to provide proof to the effect that good faith negotiations to reverse a prior transaction have failed. Owner acknowledges that Owner’s failure to comply with this paragraph will result in the Stamp’s exclusion from this Guarantee.
5. Cooperation with Insurer. Owner will, at Guarantor’s request, fully cooperate with any insurance investigation or claim adjustment process. Owner acknowledges that a refusal to so cooperate will result in the Stamp’s exclusion from this Guarantee.
6. ASG Holders. The ASG Guarantee does not apply to Stamps that have been removed from their ASG holder, or if the ASG holder containing a Stamp has been damaged, unsealed, tampered with or altered. The determination as to whether this has occurred shall be at the sole reasonable discretion of Guarantor. Further, this Guarantee does not apply to counterfeit or tampered ASG holders.
7. Improper Storage. This Guarantee does not apply if Guarantor determines that a Stamp submitted for Appearance Review has a lower grade than that originally assigned as a direct result of the ASG holder having been subject to abuse, alteration or improper storage conditions such as (but not limited to) extreme temperature, moisture, damaging environmental conditions, excessive light, excessive motion or vibration or any other extreme conditions and that such exposure of the holder has affected the condition of the graded Stamp.
8. Post-Encapsulation Deterioration of Certain Stamps. This Guarantee does not apply to Stamps where the appearance of the Stamp changes or deteriorates over time and such change or deterioration is responsible for any discrepancy between the assigned grade and the Stamp’s actual grade. Guarantor shall make the sole reasonable determination as to whether this deterioration has occurred. The following specific parameters apply:
   • Most paper Stamps have adhesive (i.e. “gum”) on their back side. For unused Stamps, this adhesive may still be activated by moisture, including humidity. In extreme environments and improper storage conditions, this adhesive may potentially be activated even after a Stamp is encapsulated in an ASG holder, which may affect the grade originally assigned by ASG. Guarantor cannot guarantee that the adhesive on paper Stamps will not become active subsequent to encapsulation by ASG and the grade guarantee portion of the ASG Guarantee does not apply in such cases.
   • Some commemorative Stamps are issued in gold and other metals. In these metallic Stamps, natural environmental deterioration may cause undesired features to appear, such as (but not limited to) spotting, hazing, PVC and corrosion. Therefore, this Guarantee does not apply to stamps exhibiting any of these issues.
   • Some metallic Stamps are enameled, colorized, painted, hologram applied or jeweled at their production facilities as part of their normal production process. The methods used to apply these additive applications vary. Some are lacquered while others are enameled to hold the color in place. Colorized, painted, hologram, and jeweled stamps can, even with proper handling, before or after grading and encapsulation, lose some or all of these additive features. These additive features can chip, flake, or become dislodged. Such conditions may be due to the production process or other natural conditions over which ASG has no control. Therefore, Guarantor cannot guarantee that Stamps with additive features will retain their full applied aspects or their assigned grade.
   • In certain cases, ASG may encapsulate certain ancillary items (as described below) alongside Stamps inside the ASG holder. Because the material of these ancillary items is not tested by ASG, it is not possible to know whether they will cause the Stamp to deteriorate over time. Therefore, the grade portion of the ASG Guarantee does not apply to Stamps encapsulated with ancillary items.
   Guarantor shall make the sole reasonable determination as to whether post-encapsulation deterioration has occurred. Absent gross negligence on the part of Guarantor, Guarantor SHALL NOT be responsible for post-encapsulation deterioration of Stamps.
9. Items That Are Not Stamps. ASG may, at its discretion, encapsulate certain items that are not considered Stamps (as defined above). ASG may also, at its discretion, encapsulate certain ancillary items alongside Stamps inside the ASG holder, such as certificates or third-party packaging. However, the authenticity and grade of such items is NOT guaranteed.
10. Redemption; Use as Postage. Genuineness means that the physical Stamp is as issued and described. Guarantor DOES NOT guarantee the redeemability, transferability, face value or postage status of any Stamp, as expressly DISCLAIMS any guarantee with respect to any physical or digital account, wallet, or other store of value (for example, a cryptocurrency private key or wallet) that might be (or may have been) associated with such item.
11. Change in Philatelic Status or Classification Over Time. This Guarantee does not cover changes to a Stamp’s generally accepted status in the philatelic community, including its authenticity, variety, pedigree, or other characteristic, after the time of the Stamp’s original certification.
12. Third Party Information and Attributions. Information listed on a label that originates from a third party and any attributions (including variety attributions, reference attributions and pedigree attributions) are NOT guaranteed. ASG will attribute those varieties that it deems, in its sole reasonably exercised opinion, to be major varieties that are widely collected and accepted as legitimate varieties by the stamp collecting community at the time the stamp is graded. New information may cause ASG to no longer recognize an attribution that it previously assigned, which, again, is not covered by this Guarantee. It is not guaranteed that a particular variety or designation will always be recognized, and attribution policies are subject to change without notice. Further, Guarantor’s calculation of that Stamp’s Fair Market Value will be based on a generic example of the Stamp at the original grade without any variety, reference, or pedigree attribution.
13. Autographed Stamps. Courtesy Autographs or other signature annotations applied to a Stamp or postal cover after it was issued are NOT guaranteed. Such Stamps are encapsulated by ASG with a label that states “Courtesy Autograph,” “Signature Annotation,” “Ink Annotation” or “Annotation.” Further, if a Stamp submitted for Appearance Review is determined by Guarantor to be not genuine or overgraded, Guarantor calculation of that stamp’s Fair Market Value will be based on a generic example of the Stamp at the original grade without a Courtesy Autograph or other annotation.
14. Clerical or Mechanical Errors. A clerical or mechanical error occurs when a Stamp is encapsulated with a label that bears a grade and/or description that clearly does not correspond with the Stamp. It is the duty of the buyer and seller of a Stamp to examine such Stamp for a clerical or mechanical error to return such Stamps for correction when warranted. This Guarantee does not apply when Guarantor determines, in its sole reasonable discretion, that a clerical or mechanical error has resulted in the Stamp having an incorrect grade or description. If requested, any clerical or mechanical errors will be remedied free of charge by updating the encapsulation to show an appropriate label.

    ASG certification labels with incorrect dates, denominations and stamp types (all of which should be obvious to someone who performs an inspection of the Stamp and label) are considered clerical or mechanical errors. Examples of such errors include, but are not limited to, the following:

    1. A Stamp is labeled a 1912 Issue when it is actually a 1922 Issue.
    2. A Stamp label description references a denomination of one cent when it is actually a denomination of five cents.
    3. A Stamp is graded XF 90 when it should have been graded VF 80, an error with respect to grade that would be obvious to a collector.

    Owners and prospective buyers of ASG-certified Stamps should enter the Stamp’s ASG certification number in the Verify ASG Certification feature of the ASG website to confirm the Stamp’s grade and description and, for some Stamps, view images of the Collectible. If ASG becomes aware that a Stamp was encapsulated with a label that bears a clerical or mechanical error, it will correct the error in its records and display the correct grade and/or description for that Stamp in Verify ASG Certification.

15. ASG Registry. This Guarantee does not cover a Stamp’s status in the ASG Registry, including eligibility or points assigned. Changes to the ASG Registry may be made without notice, and it is not guaranteed that a Stamp will always be eligible for inclusion in the ASG Registry nor is it guaranteed that it will receive a certain point score.
16. Knowledge of Error. If the owner of a Stamp is informed by ASG that the Stamp is not genuine or overgraded or that the ASG label has a clerical error, or that an autograph on an “Authentic Hand-Signed” label has been found to be not genuine, it is the duty of that owner to immediately return the Stamp. If Owner does not immediately return the Stamp after such notice, then (a) this Guarantee will no longer apply to that Stamp, (b) if the owner sells, trades or otherwise transfers ownership of the Stamp instead of returning it, then the owner may be liable to the buyer for fraud or otherwise be subject to legal recourse, and (c) Guarantor reserves all rights to pursue any available remedies against Owner. Owners and prospective buyers of ASG-certified Stamps should enter a Stamp’s ASG certification number in the Verify ASG Certification feature of the ASG website for notification of possible errors or exclusions.

EXCEPT FOR ANY EXPRESS WARRANTIES SET FORTH IN THIS GUARANTEE AND PROVIDED THAT COMPULSORY STATUTORY WARRANTY OBLIGATIONS MAY APPLY TO ANY LOCAL SUBMISSION TO AN ASG AFFILIATE UNDER APPLICABLE LOCAL LAW, ASG AND ITS AFFILIATES DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING ASG, ITS AFFILIATES, AND/OR THE SERVICES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. AS CONCERNS THE PRESENT GUARANTEE, IN NO EVENT SHALL ASG OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES, OR ANY OF ITS OR THEIR RESPECTIVE EMPLOYEES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS OR AGENTS, BE LIABLE TO CUSTOMER OR ANY OTHER PARTY FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, AND EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN THIS GUARANTEE IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF ASG, ITS AFFILIATES, AND ANY OF ITS OR THEIR RESPECTIVE EMPLOYEES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS OR AGENTS TO THE CUSTOMER OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR WHOM THE CUSTOMER MAY BE ACTING, ARISING FROM ANY CAUSE, ACT, OMISSION OR OTHER CIRCUMSTANCE, EXCEED THE FEES PAID OR PAYABLE FOR THE SERVICES ORDERED BY THE SUBMITTER OF SUCH ITEM(S).

CLAIMANTS UNDER THIS GUARANTEE HEREBY WAIVE TRIAL BY JURY.

Severability

If any part of this Guarantee shall be declared invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, it shall not affect the validity of the balance of this Guarantee. In such circumstance, the provision declared invalid/unenforceable shall be re-drafted as closely to the original provision as allowed by law, so as to give effect to ASG and its affiliates’ intent.

Exclusive Venue for Disputes and Governing Law

In the event of a dispute arising out of or relating to this Guarantee, Owner agrees to exclusive venue as follows:

Claims made under this Guarantee by a resident of the PRC will be governed by and construed in accordance with PRC law as applied to transactions taking place wholly within the PRC between PRC residents.

All other claims made under this Guarantee will be governed by the substantive law of the State of Florida, USA, without regard to its choice-of-law principles.

Language Discrepancies

Should there be any discrepancy between the English language version of this Guarantee and the version of this Guarantee as translated into another language, the English language version shall prevail, govern and control in all respects.

Revised: 06/02/2026