Alex in PA.

But I would assume that human hands -- unprotected -- would transmit dirt/oils/residue to the coin and start to degrade luster, finish, etc.

Are you talking about toned coins ?  I've rarely seen it said that CAC stickers didn't belong, more so that a coin deserved one and didn't get it.
I get why some veterans and oldtimers might not like the CAC function or even the TPGs....but that doesn't mean we should denigrate their work, even if we/you do disagree with it.  For sure, state your objections....disagree....talk about the negative things you feel happen to our hobby because of it/them.
But I find too often that folks make broad generalizations, personal attacks, or unsubstantiated charges against CAC and/or TPGs and this detracts from the person's arguments (not saying you, just in general).

The 1920 is an interesting one, as it is plentiful, but not so much in higher grades.  They used to see a big jump in price at the MS-63 level, but with grade inflation over time that break is now at the MS-64 level. 

You piqued my interest, Cat, so I just looked up some 1920's in HA.
I see plenty of MS-64's going for about $3,500 - $4,500.  Add in CAC....the price jumps to the mid-$5's.
A "+" seems more stronger to the coveted MS-65 grade where the price takes an atmospheric jump...$6,500 - $7,500.
Apparently, no coins above MS-65 so given the few at that level, I'm surprised the price isn't even higher than the $50-$125K one would go for depending on how good it looks.

I'd like to have a private conversation with the finalizer ATS.
I suspect Brett has turned him into a bean farmer.
I had no use for CAC either until recently, now it seems you have to get the OK from NJ for an upgrade.

There were 28 TrueViews of the same coin with different cert numbers.
So far as the 20 goes, it's one of those rare times when you can have a nicer coin than Hansen or Simpson. Since there are over 50 MS64+ coins and not super expensive, you can just wait like a vulture.
The + or the bean does double the price. There was very nice Kutasi MS64 CAC for sale recently that I almost bid on.

When dealing with a more expensive coin like a Saint, it was tough enough cost-wise just to buy some of the years and mintmarks, let alone die varieties.
And I think until Roger's magnus opus there was no detailed research on the die varieties (I don't know of any myself but maybe there was in the numismatic journals).  Don't recall any die variety talk in any other books or on message boards.
But now we have people talking and discussing and looking for some of these die varieties and other differentiators (i.e., long vs. short rays). 

@Lem EBeautiful nickles. 

Sure seems like it.....yet that guy with legal claim to the haul apparently still believes and is raising $$$.  Maybe something comes of it, who knows.
The higher gold price today vs. most of the last 35 years makes it a now-or-never thing, IMO.

If the ship had hit bottom upright, the chances were very good that anything in the mail vault would have remained inside the wreck.
I checked my available Ex/Im records and do not find anything of the magnitude claimed in popular articles.
The diver's comments imply that proper salvage protocols were ignored, and the first group of divers merely ripped through everything they could hoping to find gold. It also seems that what they found was largely junk.

Kurt = William Jennings Bryan. 

Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that “Every action creates an opposite and equal reaction “.
Alex First Law of the Forum states that:  For every action there is an opposite and unequal over reaction.

Absolutely and I recollect the folks ATS have had several counterfeit holders with real (but not the original) coins in them.  The people who do this counterfeit ae getting better by the day.  I remember when it was only coins and now it's the holders too.  I believe, but I'm not sure, one of those PCGS counterfeits was the holder, label, substitute coin, CAC sticker.  
 
I may be wrongs, my memory is not what it used to be but I 'think' even a decade ago if you cracked an NGC holder something turned a different color.  Maybe someone from NGC could tell me whether I'm wrong about that.

Oops!  My bad.

I forgot; it wasn't intentional.  I've just got caught up in this excitement.  I do think reading about sunken treasure or buried treasure always exciting.  
 
Hey, doesn't he have plenty of money?    But everybody loves gold.  There's just something about it.

I take it this means other salvage outfits besides Mister Bayerle were after the wreck?  

Absolutely and I recollect the folks ATS have had several counterfeit holders with real (but not the original) coins in them.  The people who do this counterfeit ae getting better by the day.  I remember when it was only coins and now it's the holders too.  I believe, but I'm not sure, one of those PCGS counterfeits was the holder, label, substitute coin, CAC sticker.  
 
I may be wrongs, my memory is not what it used to be but I 'think' even a decade ago if you cracked an NGC holder something turned a different color.  Maybe someone from NGC could tell me whether I'm wrong about that.

Hello Alex.  I really do hope JustBob and Coinbuf are correct. I think anything like this (if found to be fraudulent) not only hurts numismatics and collectors, but can also have an indirect impact on our forum host as well.  I simply could not sit on the sidelines with this one so I chose to pursue it.  
If I am wasting my time, then I've wasted my time, no big deal to me. I had simply rather put forth the effort to verify this one as opposed not to.  If this does happen to turn out to be a fake, then I am grateful for the opportunity in getting one more of them off the market for our great hobby.  Just my humble opinion here my friend.
I completely respect, and truly appreciate, everyone's comments here on this topic. Maybe we are looking at a result of lighting and photography issues, but on the flip side, maybe we are not. I value everyone's opinion here for sure!

Give an assist to CatBath who first posted about this.    I had never heard about it. 
As we've seen above.....there's lots of questions if this ship had the listed gold on it ...and even if that answer is YES.....if it is still salvageable.
Still....a fascinating story.  I wonder if I can see the History Channel special on YouTube or something.
IF the gold was actually on the ship....and IF it hasn't been strewn on the ocean floor....and IF it's all still on the ship in some accessible locations.  Lotta "ifs."
Hasn't been a press release since last Fall.  If anything is gonna happen, we should see it soon. 
Maybe Elon Musk can get the gold. 

@Lem EBeautiful nickles. 

+1
I think it is the same coin, too. On my phone, it looks way off. Comparing pictures on my laptop, however, it looks like the same coin with very different lighting. 

I agree that the coin looks different, but I do not see any signs in the first pic to show that the slab has been tampered with, so my reaction is that the differences are in the photo lighting and/or editing.    I will say that I know zero about ancients so it would be very interesting to hear from a member that is well versed to know if there are two coins that look this alike yet apart and the value difference between them if so.

1 DE = 1.075 T oz. 250 coins (1 bag) = 268.75 Troy ounces or 22.4 pounds (Troy or Avdp.). 5 tons = about 446 bags.
446 bags x 5,000 per bag = $2,230,000.
This quote from a diver is especially troublesome: "Unfortunately, the salvors had broken up the ship very badly and we were all disappointed in the structural integrity of the ship."

Bottom line, this ship's been out there a long time and nothing of substance has come up....yet.
FWIW, I believe 5 tons of DOUBLE Eagles (not Eagles as in the article) is 160,000 coins.
 

This 2005 article might shed some light on the current RMS Republic situation.
[ From: https://shipwreck.blogs.com/shipwrecks_historical_tim/2005/07/rms_republic_sa.html  Copyrighted © by Nautical Research Group, Inc. Creative commons use. ]
July 24, 2005
RMS Republic - Sad Times for Older Sister of Titanic
I noticed in recent days the news about the plight of Titanic's older White Star Line sister named Republic.  The Republic sank on January 24th, 1909 when she collided in a dense fog with an immigrant ship named SS Florida. The approximate location of her sinking is about 50 miles south of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. The Republic was reportedly carrying a fortune of 5 tons of newly minted American Gold Eagle coins valued at $3 million in 1909, 15 tons of gold bars, a Navy payroll with estimated current value around $70 million and several tons of silver, as well as passengers' jewelry.  Additionally, it was reported to have on board JP Morgan's rare library of documents and books. She was discovered in 1981 by Martin Bayerle and salvaged throughout the mid-1980's. While I was diving the Andrea Doria through the 1980's, I could look off to the horizon and see about 5 miles away all the machinery of the rigs that were used to split open the Republic like a ripe watermelon. In all their destruction of this once-beautiful vessel, not one part of this vast fortune was found. Eventually, the salvors lost money and abandoned their claim to the ship. Auctions were held for the recovered artifacts from the Republic; however, there were very few buyers for these items. Literally boxes of artifacts were sold at a cheap rate and then the ship seemed to disappear for the past 15 years. In the mid-1990's, many of us that dove the Andrea Doria every year would then come over and dive Republic once.  Unfortunately, the salvors had broken up the ship very badly and we were all disappointed in the structural integrity of the ship.
Now Mr. Bayerle has, once again, secured salvage rights to the Republic. Since she lies in the shipping lanes into and out of New York, the Coast Guard has a mandatory 180 day notice to mariners period that must be given before diving can commence. With the weather window to dive the Republic all but closed, the operations will not begin until 2006. It will be certainly interesting to see if Mr. Bayerle's efforts will pay off or whether he will only succeed in desecrating the wreck site a second time.
July 24, 2005 in Ocean Liner, Titanic | Permalink
 
See also this site: http://www.rms-republic.com/story_rumor.html