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MAC, CAC, and other stickers
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8 posts in this topic

Are these legitimate? What does it all mean? I've seen CAC stickers but I'm seeing MAC and with those there's usually another one that's not an acronym but rather a word in all caps.

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      This topic would also have been better placed in the "Newbie Coin Collecting Questions" forum.  The Administrator will likely move it there next week.

     "CAC" stands for Certified Acceptance Corporation, which was founded in 2007 by John Albanese, a dealer who was involved in the founding of both PCGS and NGC in the 1980s and who is highly respected as a grader who applies strict standards.  NGC and PCGS graded coins are awarded green CAC stickers if they are found by Albanese and those trained by him to be solid for the assigned grade and gold stickers if they are found to be undergraded.  Originally, CAC would offer to buy CAC-stickered coins sight-unseen and acted as a "market maker" for these coins. Last year, however, CAC also became a grading service (CAC Grading or "CACG") that grades and encapsulates coins.  CAC still stickers coins in NGC and PCGS holders but, I understand, no longer buys or sells coins.

    A new stickering service, CMQ, began last year in affiliation with Stacks Bowers Galleries, a major numismatic auction house.  I understand that CMQ stickered certified coins have been approved by David Hall (a founder of PCGS) and Greg Roberts, who are also respected as graders.  

   Most of the other stickers don't, to my knowledge, have widespread market acceptance. An exception would be "Eagle Eye" stickers on Flying Eagle and Indian cents, indicating the approval of their grading by dealer Rick Snow, who is respected in that specialty. 

  In my opinion, the problem with these stickering services--and grading services themselves--is that they encourage collectors to accept the judgment of others about coins and not develop their own knowledge of grading, judgment, and personal taste. Ultimately, the decision as to whether to buy a particular coin should be based upon an informed purchaser's own evaluation of the coin, not what a grading or stickering service thinks of it.

   You might want to review the following topic about CAC and CACG:

   

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Two Eisenhower Dollars I just received back from CMQ. I have more money invested in stickers than I do in the coins. These were simply experimental slabs to see how many companies would sticker these. I will never get my money out of these coins, but it was a neat experiment nonetheless.IMG_1256.thumb.jpeg.700e2ca96e77d8e38b0a3fd51d156118.jpegIMG_1255.thumb.jpeg.b32964b44b628a26e4b5c8ab36d89dfd.jpeg

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On 6/3/2024 at 12:29 PM, Mike Meenderink said:

I'm not sure if I'm good enough so I will get several other opinions to boost my confidence. 

Ironically many who SHOULD lack confidence, have it in excess nonetheless. This hobby is like that all day.

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Funny, as one of the few people I know ow who read the best-selling book of all time (which Board Guidelines prohibit me from mentioning by name, I can't tell you what's in it, but I can confidently tell you what's not. Same with grading. Especially high end gold roosters.

I can't tell you what the upper MS grades look like, but hand me one and I can tell you with but two glances what one isn't. No two are alike. All have aggravating and/or mitigating factors.

In an ideal world, there would be an appeals board to which you can assert with confidence, this alleged MS-66 certified by [TPGS] is nothing of the kind. All you're left with now is re-consideration, which I consider a long shot, and cross-grading which I do not advise for the faint of heart.

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