How Coin Redemption Works
The first question every collector asks about a vaulted marketplace: can I actually get my coin?
The answer is yes. Every coin on Numex is a real, professionally graded physical asset held in institutional-grade vault custody by Brinks - the same company that armors cash-in-transit for central banks. If you own a coin on Numex, you can request physical delivery at any time.
Here's exactly how that works.
The Core Promise
Every vaulted coin on Numex can be physically shipped to you. This isn't a theoretical feature or a future roadmap item - it's a foundational design constraint. The entire platform is built around the principle that digital ownership of a physical coin must be backed by a real, exercisable claim to that coin.
When you buy a coin on Numex - whether from the marketplace or through a mystery pack reveal - you're buying ownership of a specific, PCGS or NGC certified coin sitting in a secure Brinks vault facility. Your portfolio shows the coin's certification number, grade, imagery, and custody status. That coin is yours.
Step-by-Step Redemption Flow
When you decide you want the physical coin in hand, here's what happens:
1. You request redemption from your portfolio. From your portfolio holding page, you initiate a redemption request. This flags the coin for physical delivery and begins the custody transfer process.
2. Numex initiates a vault pull request with Brinks. Our operations team coordinates with Brinks to locate and retrieve your specific coin from secure vault storage. Every coin is individually tracked by its certification number and integrity proof.
3. Your coin is authenticated against the registry record. Before shipping, the coin is verified against its PCGS/NGC certification number and the Numex registry record. The physical coin must match the digital record exactly - same cert number, same grade, same coin.
4. The coin is professionally packed and insured. Your coin is packed using numismatic-grade materials by trained handlers. Full insurance coverage is applied for the declared value of the coin during transit.
5. Shipped via insured carrier with tracking. The coin ships through an insured carrier with end-to-end tracking. You'll receive tracking information and can monitor your coin's journey from vault to your door.
6. You receive your physical coin. Your graded, certified coin arrives at your door - the same coin represented by your digital holding, verified against the same certification record.
7. The custody NFT is burned.
Once delivery is confirmed, the onchain custody token is burned. The registry status transitions from Vaulted → RedemptionPending → Redeemed → Burned. This is enforced by the smart contract's state machine - a redeemed token cannot be re-minted or re-traded.
8. Curator residuals stop permanently. If you redeemed a coin that you originally submitted to Numex, your curator residual stream for that coin ends. Residuals only accrue while the coin remains in vault custody and trades on the marketplace. Once it leaves the vault, there are no more resales to generate residuals from.
The 90% Vault Bid Alternative
Don't want to wait for shipping? Every coin in your portfolio carries a standing 90% vault bid - an instant buyback offer at 90% of the coin's estimated market value.
This gives you immediate liquidity without the shipping timeline. You sell the coin back to Numex, receive payment through Stripe, and the coin remains in the vault for future marketplace listing.
The vault bid exists because we believe collectors should never feel trapped. Whether you want your physical coin or you want fast cash, both options are always available.
Vault Bid vs. Physical Redemption
| Vault Bid (90%) | Physical Redemption | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Instant | Days to weeks |
| Value received | 90% of estimated market value | The physical coin itself |
| Coin stays in vault | Yes - relisted on marketplace | No - leaves custody permanently |
| Curator residuals | Continue (coin still vaulted) | Stop permanently |
| Shipping & handling | None | Insured carrier, professional packing |
| Best for | Quick liquidity, no shipping hassle | Collectors who want the physical asset |
Insurance and Liability
During the redemption process, your coin is insured at every stage:
- In vault: Covered by Brinks' institutional vault insurance
- In transit: Full declared-value insurance through the shipping carrier
- Handoff gaps: Numex maintains liability coverage for the transition between vault custody and carrier custody
If anything happens to your coin during the redemption process, you're covered.
What Happens Onchain
The Numex Registry smart contract enforces a strict custody state machine:
Vaulted → RedemptionPending → Redeemed → Burned
This isn't just a database status - it's enforced in the smart contract on Base mainnet. A token in Vaulted status cannot skip to Burned. A Redeemed token cannot go back to Vaulted. The state machine is one-directional and irreversible, which means once a coin is redeemed, its onchain record permanently reflects that it left vault custody.
Why Most Collectors Don't Redeem
Here's a counterintuitive insight from the vaulted collectibles market: most people don't redeem.
Courtyard.io - the leading vaulted trading card marketplace - reports that only about 4% of vaulted assets are ever physically redeemed. The average item trades 8 times on-platform before anyone requests physical delivery.
Why? Because the vault model is better for most collectors:
- No shipping risk. Your coin sits in a secure Brinks facility, not in a box on a porch.
- Instant liquidity. You can sell at any time - no listing, packing, or trips to the post office.
- Lower friction. Trading a digital holding is faster than shipping a physical coin across the country.
- Curator residuals. If you submitted the coin, you earn 1% on every resale while it stays vaulted. Redemption stops that income stream.
The redemption path exists because it must exist - it's what makes the digital ownership real. But the vault model is so convenient that most collectors prefer to keep their coins where they are: safe, liquid, and earning.
What Redemption Costs
Redemption fees and timelines are being finalized and will be published before the feature goes live. We're committed to transparent pricing with no hidden costs. Expect shipping and handling fees to reflect actual carrier and insurance costs, not inflated platform markups.
Every coin on Numex is real, certified, and redeemable. The vault makes it convenient. The redemption path makes it trustworthy. You choose which matters more to you.