My experience with QA Check Sticker Approval Service,,,,,,,,

GRANDAM

There is always a lot of talk on these boards about who is tougher on grading,,,, PCGS, NGC, CACG or CAC Sticker.

Well here is my take on the subject. I just got my grades back from a QA Check Sticker submission.

I sent 40 Modern Coins,,,,,, modern is all they do,,,,,, no classic coins.

Of 40 coins submitted 29 passed. All the coins except for 7 pcs were 2023 Morgan & Peace Dollars that are freshly graded,,,,, basically sent to QA as soon as they returned from PCGS & CACG. Of the 11 No Stickers there was a Jefferson Nickel, an IKE Dollar and a 2023 Gold Eagle that failed,,,,,, these three coins are not the point of my evaluation.

That leaves 8 coins that failed,,,,,,, this is the point I would like to address. All 8 of these coins are the 2023 Morgan & Peace Dollars of the different finishes. As I said they are just back from PCGS and CACG so the coins haven't changed in the holders.

Here is a list of the 8 coins that failed:

2023-S RP MORGAN PCGS PR70 - FAIL 2 pcs
2023-S PEACE DOLLAR PCGS PR70 DCAM
2023-S RP MORGAN CACG PR70 - FAIL
2023-S RP MORGAN CACG PR69 - FAIL
2023-S MORGAN CACG PR70 DCAM - FAIL
2023-S PEACE PR70 CACG DCAM - FAIL 2 pcs

I did have 15 of 18 pcs of PCGS Coins (2023 Morgan & Peace Dollars) that did sticker
and 10 of 15 pcs of CACG Coins (2023 Morgan & Peace Dollars) that did sticker
Also 2 pcs 1973-S Eisenhower Dollars CACG PR69DCAM stickered
A 1986-W Statue of Liberty Gold PCGS PR69 DCAM with wild toning that stickered
Also a 2007 SOL Platinum Eagle NGC MS69 that stickered
So the above are the 29 coins that passed

So, the intent of this post is not to knock PCGS or CACG grading but my observation from this and many other QA Check submissions that I have done over the years is that QA Check is tough and thorough. It would appear that they are tougher than PCGS and CACG. So my thoughts are that if you want the best Modern Coin you can get for the grade the QA Check approval sticker will help you to obtain these coins.

I am sure part of this could be due to the fact that James and QA Check may spend a few more seconds looking at a coin and therefore they see things that the others may miss due to the speed and volume of coins that they process in a day compared to QA Check.
But,,,,,,, this is not the point,,,,,, QA Check catches minute imperfections that the others sometimes miss.

QA Check has a company motto that states:

"Because Not All Moderns Are Created Equal"

I believe this and feel the cost of the sticker far outweighs the cost of obtaining it.

I hope this info helps some people who are not familiar with QA Check.

BTW, I have no connection with or investment in QA Check,,,,,,, just offering my opinion.

Cougar1978

I would not waste my money on that. I just price PQ coins accordingly lol.

Project Numismatics

@GRANDAM

Did they provide any feedback on why the failed coins didn’t pass?

Have you been able to determine why the failed coins didn’t pass?

Particularly interested in what they saw on the PC and CAC 70s.

What is their standard for 70 (what magnification do they use to inspect for flaws)? How do they handle planchet imperfections and strike throughs?

So many questions!

Also - pictures would be helpful!

braddick

I am looking forward to @wondercoin reading and responding to this thread along with @cladking (although I think he nows go by a different handle?).

GRANDAM

I have not received the coins back yet. I just was e-mailed the results today.

As far as feedback I think they do that on a collector level but I am on a dealer level and you don't get notes at that level.

U1chicago

I have one QA check 1961 Proof Toned Nickel. It's a nice coin. I occasionally look to see if any QA check stickered coins pop up for sale but there tend not to be many (especially as a true auction).

wondercoin

‘’I am looking forward to @wondercoin reading and responding to this thread along with @cladking (although I think he nows go by a different handle?).’’

Hey Pat. Thanks for inviting me in.

Look- James is a nice guy with a good reputation. We have done smooth and easy business together on CCE over the years. We have not agreed on every issue under the sun, but, I think there is a mutual respect for each other. Ditto for the OP.

That said, I personally have no need or interest for modern coin stickers from his company. If I thought that adding those stickers to some of my coins would increase sales prices on those coins, I would have sent coins over there. If James wants to come down to S. CA as a courtesy and meet me at a couple bank vaults to review 500-1000 assorted modern coins for stickers, I would be open to the situation for him to prove me wrong. And, if he does proves me wrong, I’ve got 25,000+ additional modern coins to potentially add stickers to! 😊

Wondercoin

david3142

Did you send these for the education on detecting small differences or have you noticed a market price increase for coins with the QA sticker?

If you have the coins back, can you tell that the failed coins look worse than the passed ones?

It never occurred to me that somebody might want a sticker on a 70-graded coin. In my mind, that grade doesn’t exist on a continuum. A non-stickered 70 effectively says the coin is a 69.

GRANDAM

My point is that not all coins within a grade range are equal,,,,,, we all know that. I am just saying that QA Check helps me make sure that I have "the best of the best" with my coins.

And my theory as to why some coins don't sticker with QA that have been graded by the other companies is that James and his team spend the extra few seconds more examining the coins and by doing so they see flaws that the grading companies may sometimes miss.

@wondercoin may not need a sticker on his coins because he is a World Class grader in his own right. However, those of us who are not in the same league with James and Mitch can find value in the QA Check opinion.

When I go to sell my extra QA Coins I do price them higher than I would without the sticker.

hfjacinto

QA sounds like the CAC for moderns. When does this checking of a checker of another checker stop? When the slabs look like this?

DeplorableDan

Im most interested in the CACG 69 that failed. Failing a 70 is one thing, but that must mean he thinks its a 68? @GRANDAM do you have photos of that one?

DeplorableDan

@hfjacinto said:
QA sounds like the CAC for moderns. When does this checking of a checker of another checker stop? When the slabs look like this?

CACG is not a "checker", theyre just a grading company, the coins would only have 1 sticker on them.

GRANDAM

Coins are in the mail to me.

DeplorableDan

@GRANDAM said:
Coins are in the mail to me.

You don’t have the CACG images in your portal? Or do you have to pay extra for that with moderns?

rays

@GRANDAM said:
I believe this and feel the cost of the sticker far outweighs the cost of obtaining it.

I disagree, seems like a giant waste of time and money to me.

GRANDAM

@DeplorableDan said:

@GRANDAM said:
Coins are in the mail to me.

You don’t have the CACG images in your portal? Or do you have to pay extra for that with moderns?

Yes, there are the CACG photos. Ill post one when I get home tonight. I talked to James at QA, and from what he said the rejects were because of slight hairlines, they were all proof coins
so that is highly likely

wondercoin

‘’Here is a list of the 8 coins that failed:

2023-S RP MORGAN PCGS PR70 - FAIL 2 pcs
2023-S PEACE DOLLAR PCGS PR70 DCAM
2023-S RP MORGAN CACG PR70 - FAIL
2023-S RP MORGAN CACG PR69 - FAIL
2023-S MORGAN CACG PR70 DCAM - FAIL
2023-S PEACE PR70 CACG DCAM - FAIL 2 pcs’’

Grandam: This is most interesting. Is CACG grading moderns to a more “commercial” standard than it is with its Classics? I will not know until I actually see some CACG graded coins. At the moment, I have no interest in seeing any. But, sooner or later, I’m sure I’ll have a look at some.

Wondercoin.

GRANDAM

OK, Here is an PF69 RP that failed,,,,, I do see a lot of something on the cheek.

Here is a PR70 DCAM that failed.
I see some white specks but I don't think that is what killed it. I suspect that it is hairlines.

airplanenut

@GRANDAM said:
Here is a PR70 DCAM that failed.
I see some white specks but I don't think that is what killed it. I suspect that it is hairlines.

If there's a hairline, the coin shouldn't be a 70 (which is, of course, very possible). On the other hand, metal flow or other minor as-made imperfections can catch light and be somewhat visible, though they don't necessarily preclude a 70 grade. If they're distracting or perhaps large enough, their being mint-made may no longer be enough to allow a 70 grade, but for some series (state quarters come to mind) you see them on just about every 70. I don't know how James considers 70s, but perhaps those little flecks are considered enough of a distraction that there could be a better 70, thus no sticker. Between a potential allowance for minor mint-made imperfections and 70s usually needing to be clean only to 5x or 10x magnification, there is certainly room for a quality range within the grade, albeit it's a small range and the features present at the low end should be physically very tiny.

ShaunBC5

For us lazy and uninitiated people, what’s the point of the QA check? To say they agree with the grade or not? Or to say if a coin is PQ for the grade or not (or something else)?
I don’t usually shop moderns so I wouldn’t know how to interpret the sticker if I came across it.
Thanks

GRANDAM

@ShaunBC5 said:
For us lazy and uninitiated people, what’s the point of the QA check? To say they agree with the grade or not? Or to say if a coin is PQ for the grade or not (or something else)?
I don’t usually shop moderns so I wouldn’t know how to interpret the sticker if I came across it.
Thanks

QA Check is the CAC for Modern Coins
The below link explains QA Check Stickers
http://qacoins.com/grading-criteria/

blitzdude

@hfjacinto said:
QA sounds like the CAC for moderns. When does this checking of a checker of another checker stop? When the slabs look like this?

Yup welcome to "coin" collecting 2024. You can't make this crap up. SMH!