Two event-related potential (ERP) experiments defined the timing of visual object categorization and long-term memory. In experiment 1, participants categorized (naming; ratings from 1 to 4) novel and repeated impoverished object drawings during an indirect memory test. ERP results showed both naming and repetition modulated an N350 and LPC in the same individuals. The N350 decreased linearly as categorization was rated as more successful, while the LPC did not. In experiment 2, ERPs were compared to photographs of high versus low typicality basic level exemplars (e.g., cell- vs. rotary- phone). For high relative to low typicality exemplars, the N350 was larger, while the LPC was smaller. Repetition revealed perceptual specificity for the N350, while FN400-like effects thereafter differentiated same objects from same-named exemplars. Overall, these findings indicate the N350, FN400, and LPC reflect distinct visual object categorization and long-term memory processes, and support the two-state interactive account of object knowledge.