What Does The New CAC Grading Service Mean For Other TPG Values

I haven't thoroughly read the responses but responding to a couple of your statements:

Actually, they define it in their FAQ as "CAC stickers only coins that are solid for the grade, often referred to as B quality coins, and those that are considered high-end for the grade, which are often called A quality coins. Those that are accurately graded by PCGS or NGC, but are considered low-end for the grade and often referred to as C quality coins, are not stickered by CAC."

So if all the coins within a grade are evenly distributed into A, B and C buckets, CAC would sticker 66% of them.


Seems like you are assuming every slabbed coin has passed through CAC? Since there's no way to know whether a coin was rejected, or even submitted, there's no way to even guess how many coins would or wouldn't pass their criteria.

To address your question - how is CAC grading going to be different than any other TPG? If the coin is MS63 but falls into their "C quality" bucket, they're still going to give it MS63, right? I don't know how the market would value their MS63 as "better" and an NGC/PCGS/ANACS MS63 as "worse", other than the marketing/fan boy effect.

It is my understanding that a C coin MS-63 would be a CACG MS-62. It will be interesting to see if this plays out and CACG slabs get the same premiums that the stickers do.

Regarding the number of coins that have been to CAC, we will never know. None of mine have been and for that matter I have plenty of coins that have not been to any TPG - many that cross the threshold that folks around here give as a $ amount that should.

I thought about joining CAC years ago but did not fill out the application. Sometimes I wish I had, but I am good with my collection, sticker or not. Premium coins sell for a premium, regardless of a sticker, just not blindly.

This is one of the problems I have when a business steps in finding a way to make money from an established hobby.

The reality of the situation is that no coin ever SHOULD be in a slab. That term implies a necessity.

Our coins existed just fine for ages until some businessmen got together and created a way to make profits from an already established hobby. No one before that time ever had a concept their coins "should" be inside a plastic slab where someone claiming to be an expert had given their opinion of it. And when this business model started, the majority of collectors were wondering why they would ever need to pay someone to give an opinion they could come up with themselves.

And while I am full for people enjoying their own hobby the way they have the most fun...slabs or not...I do not like another aspect of how their business model has impacted all of us.

There are so many people out there that have been "taken in" (and that is NOT a bad term, I just do not know how else to say it) by the marketing and business/slab model of the hobby that they start telling others that all better coins NEED to be slabbed. The companies love this! They have faithful missionaries (likey who have never thought of it this way) out there promoting the idea that EVERYONE NEEDS to pay the companies for their services.

There are still many of us out here who are content to not care what some company thinks, and we enjoy keeping our own money in our own pockets...thank you. Someone believing all good coins SHOULD be slabbed likely have never had the thought cross their mind that they are in a marketing/business-encapsulation themselves by saying the "way things SHOULD be." And...make sure you understand that is NOT meant as a negative statement either.

A legitimate hobbyist enjoys their hobby the way they taylor it to themselves. When someone else starts to impose a right/wrong, should/should not onto other people's ideas of enjoyment, that mindset falls into a category of one of the most ridiculous notions (IMO) out there. That notion is oft called peer pressure.

I say if someone enjoys slabs, then good for them! They are ENJOYING themselves. If someone does not like slabs, then good for them! They are enjoying themselves.

My posts concerning slabbing companies are to make sure newbies perusing the forum understand that the business model of collecting is a very optional way of coin collecting. I do it b/c I see way too many newbies (b/c they do not do the homework themselves) who do not understand the role of slabbing companies and so unwittingly (not a negative term) send in big bucks to get discouraged bc they did not get back what they were expecting.

Thus some of those newbies end up blaming/hating the coin hobby for their personal loss of $ when they have never seen that slabbing is an optional paid service for those who desire/enjoy such a thing rather than being an essential part of the hobby as marketing promotes it to be.

Remember all that stuff about not grading moderns... Bunk... Not even open and they've jumped the shark!!!! This hit my email this morning:

Must be where the money is. And they're already doing special labels.

I think it has as much to do with the free marketing they will get from RCTV. It is on every weekend from 12-6 (and I believe may late night time slots). Prices are high, but they do a nice job with the history of the coins. My problem is the value they put of "first" slabs or the special Rick Tomaska inserts. Maybe some value those but not me - but I bet many grandparents "put a few away for the grandkids."

Those posting here on the new CACG third-party grading service might find the PowerPoint presentations "CAC and Its 'Green Beans'" posted on the Newman Numismatic Portal (4/9/22) or the American Numismatic Association E-Learning Academy (7/21) to be helpful background information.

I have presented this CAC PowerPoint at four A. N. A. World's Fair of Money National Conventions and to many Denver area coin clubs, etc., updated each time with information graciously provided me by both John Albanese and "Mickey" Kumpf, John's Office Manager/"Right-Hand Person."

I have neither sought nor received any financial return nor "preferential submission treatment" for doing this presentation. I am a retired teacher/coach/school principal who will always love teaching, especially about numismatics. I am also A. N. A. Life Member #4138; and CAC Collectors' Club Member #132.

Once CACG is "up and running," with its requirements and operating procedures established, I hope to put together a similar PowerPoint presentation on it. I believe that CACG will operate under similar consistent coin-evaluating standards as CAC has for nearly sixteen years, with both organizations proving helpful and beneficial to coin collectors, coin investors, and our beloved field of numismatics.

Bob Bair