GreatCollections scraped off my CMQ sticker
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I consigned several coins to GC recently, including a Morgan Dollar that had earned CMQ approval (which I paid for). When I checked the auction listing, I was surprised to find that they scraped off and removed the CMQ sticker.
An email inquiring about this decision elicited the following response:
We removed the label, as it is not one that we recognize in our auctions. We have not seen them bring premium prices, unlike CAC.
Not a huge deal, but some bidders may value the approval from David Hall, and if GC is removing these stickers, the sample size on hammer prices is small if not nonexistent (a completed item search does not turn up any listings for "CMQ").
I love both buying and selling with GC and will continue to do business with them, but thought this was worth sharing in case anyone else is considering consigning CMQ-approved coins. 
(left is my pre-submission photo; right is GC auction photo)
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Comments
Why not let the bidders decide if the CMQ sticker has any value?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Do they scrape off Eagle Eye? Wings? Other?
They should have this expressed in some fine print which stickers will Stay...
Unfortunately the glue reside was left behind which , can be dealt with, but looks a little unsightly to me.
It's all about what the people want...
It would probably be useful to have noted this in their T&C. They should also remove the sticker residue.
ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
Forgive my ignorance with the cmq sticker, but isn’t it strongly associated with stacks auction house? Seems like it would be somewhat of a conflict of interest to gc
If they scrape them off before auctioning then I would expect a search to turn up no listings.
Their answer to you is a little disappointing. If they had told you, for example, that the sticker would hurt the price then that's one thing, but just because they feel it wouldn't add to it that shouldn't justify removing it. Furthermore, the mess from the sticker adhesive is visible in their photo so it is clear there was something there.
I sure hope their T&C for consignments includes a notice that they reserve the right to do something like this.
I agree 100% with @PerryHall .
I also have to wonder that if it doesn't sell and is returned to you, will GC pay to have it restickered?
In my opinion, totally inappropriate.
If GC are going to do this, they should outline their plan to do so in such a way that the consignor knows this before submitting their coin(s).
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It’s a sticker from a competing firm. I guess I can understand it. As a consigner, I think I would have been caught off guard also, but when consigning, I assume that the auctioneer will do what’s best for the item to achieve the best price. That might be getting something into a slab or submitting something to CAC. Strange that they didn’t remove the residue better.
@ianrussell As the owner of GC, do you care to comment?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I agree. If that's their policy, they need to state that up front so the consignor can decide.
That said, they have a relationship with CAC and probably consider them a competitor. Still no excuse though.
it's a sticky situation
If the OP’s account of what happened is accurate it seems wholly inappropriate and I call a big-BS when Great Collections claim ignorance of CMQ and what the sticker represents. They shouldn’t remove it without the consignor approval. Just another example to me of poor service by this seller.
I personally rename them as Not So Great Collections.
The auction house can choose to list or not list whatever they want, but I don't think they should have altered your item without running it by you first.
Yikes. Knowing GC they'll make things right but this one seems like a swing a miss by them.
Sorry to be ignorant but could someone post how much a CMQ sticker costs and what it is suppose to designate? James
I don't do auctions houses, so this confuses me a little. Isn't GC an auction house like Heritage, Stacks, etc...? Don't they make money with consignment fees? They are a venue for selling other peoples coins. Why are they concerned about competing firms? Why should they worry about a sticker on a sellers slab that they own, when they are merely a middle man venue for selling someone elses property? What gives them the right to modify a persons property? I would think that they would have to notify the seller first instead of just removing a sticker without permission. Let the seller decide if the sticker is an advantage or disadvantage.
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https://cmq.stacksbowers.com
I wonder if GC would have taken this position if the CMQ stickers didn’t use the Stacks-Bowers logo?
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Thank you @MetroD. I would consider that to be a meaningful amount of money to have scraped off. I would ask that if that is their policy then they refund the cost of the sticker on your consignor statement. As far as the market effect the sticker has, I assume this is part of the other auction houses marketing program to retain quality material for future auctions. James
Does Heritage do the same?
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Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
Over the past month alone, we've had consignments arrive with 40+ different stickers affixed to them for a myriad of different purposes (you can see most of them all over eBay). Some coins look like Christmas trees. We have to remove them prior to listing.
Please note, I have nothing against CMQ or David Hall and Greg Roberts - Raeleen and I have the utmost respect for both of them.
Owner/Founder GreatCollections
GreatCollections Coin Auctions - Certified Coin Auctions Every Week - Rare Coins & Coin Values
Where does it state in your terms and conditions or on the submission form that GC has the right to do this at will or without notification to the owner?
https://www.greatcollections.com/terms
https://www.greatcollections.com/forms/coins.pdf
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Where do we draw the line? Have you seen the # of stickers that are being privately added to coins in the U.S.?
Owner/Founder GreatCollections
GreatCollections Coin Auctions - Certified Coin Auctions Every Week - Rare Coins & Coin Values
I think the question should be "what needs to be true for the CMQ sticker to be recognized by GC the same way as CAC sticker does?".
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That residue clearly should not have remained. That is being fixed.
Owner/Founder GreatCollections
GreatCollections Coin Auctions - Certified Coin Auctions Every Week - Rare Coins & Coin Values
Regarding some comments, the coin in hand is always a better indication of its eye appeal than a photo of the coin. So bidders do not have that option unless they see the coin in hand. With GC however, they do a good job photographing coins so I agree with Perry, let the market decide how much of a premium coin it is and how much its worth. Looks like a nice coin! Curious why did you not auction it with Stacks-Bowers?
Ian can you answer your own question? That is where does GC draw the line? What stickers does GC remove and which ones does GC let remain on the slab? And why if possible?
https://youtube.com/watch?v=_KWVk0XeB9o - Ruby Starr (from 'Go Jim Dandy') Piece Of My Heart
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https://youtube.com/watch?v=D0FPxuQv2ns - Ruby Starr (from 'Go Jim Dandy') Maybe I'm Amazed
RLJ 1958 - 2023
@ianrussell Do you also take off the Eagle Eye stickers issued by Rick Snow?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I am assuming that Ian is referring to this slab:
Respectfully, why?
You do not have to acknowledge them, like you do for CAC.
But what is the downside of just leaving the sticker(s) on the holder?
@PerryHall There's a 1908 Indian Head cent on GC with the Eagle Eye sticker on it showing on the website right now, so it appears that those stickers are not being removed.
Comment retracted.
Reason: The slab image that @Byers posted was meant as a joke, but I, embarrassingly, failed to realize it.
Not sticky enough...
We do not state anywhere that we accept CMQ stickers on coins. And I do agree with you, that it would be better if we reached out to the consignor first, so we are going to change our policy about this.
Btw - I did offer the consignor to return his coin with a check for resticker fee this morning. But I do think to myself, this 1889-S dollar of the OP's is getting the best marketing of all from this thread.
Owner/Founder GreatCollections
GreatCollections Coin Auctions - Certified Coin Auctions Every Week - Rare Coins & Coin Values
Honestly, I'm torn on this issue.
I guess this is the wrong thread to announce the launch of the GC sticker?
Owner/Founder GreatCollections
GreatCollections Coin Auctions - Certified Coin Auctions Every Week - Rare Coins & Coin Values
You should probably send it in and try to get it stickered for "clarity of plastic".
Exactly!! It's kind of a BS response, and is likely less than 100% truthful. OTOH, you have to respect Ian for not wanting to provide a platform to a competitor. After all, while it's a DH approval, it's a SB product.
That would totally explain why THIS sticker has to go while others are allowed to remain. So this information is not shocking, and I guess the takeaway is that if CMQ stickers are your thing and you want to later sell in auction, you should plan on sending the coins to the auction house marketing the stickers, as opposed to its competitors.
Yeah but we're stuck with it.
Th> @ianrussell said:
GOTTA LOVE that one.......
So it seems that the sticker is from a competing auction house? I sort of understand GC's issues with that, but then again the sticker is/was part of the coin's provenance. Furthermore, I would think that it would be a bit of a feather in GC's hat that a former SB coin was being entrusted to GC for auction.
I hold David Hall and Greg Roberts in the highest regard as to their experience and knowledge of rare coins and I think their sticker should remain on slabs. If they like a coin so much that they are willing to put their sticker on it, that means something to me and I'm sure to other collectors.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
On one hand, don't auction houses send coins in for reconsideration to maximize the return.
I guess there is a stated or implied intent.
To me it is part of the provenance.
Eagle Eye, CMQ, CAC would be important to me as both buyer and seller.
I get the GC POV, but could care less about GC marketing, and smell some BS.
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Because they still compete. If you were to sell an item you bought from HA through GC, I'd fully expect them to remove the HA label before sending the item to the buyer. Same type of thing, although I get why a consignor might not see it that way.
I don't get it. Can someone explain to me how a CMQ sticker hurts the value of a coin consigned to GC? If the buyer doesn't like it, he can always peel it off. Right?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Ya, the more I'm following the thread, the more I learned that the CMQ sticker is an SB product. Still, seller should be notified before removing any stickers. Looks like Ian is addressing that now.
My Original Song Written to my late wife-"Plus other original music by me"
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I would think the qualifications for a sticker remaining on a slab are that the sticker has a proven track record of adding value of some sort to the buyer, and not just the entity affixing the sticker before selling the coin. As far as approval stickers goes, this narrows it down to CAC, QA, and Eagle Eye. Thankfully, my attribution sticker is also now recognized.
I imagine soon we'll see an updated GC T&C that enumerates stickers that will not be removed from consignor holders.
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OTOH, you should also probably give some deference to Ian, the successful business he has built, and his desire not to have it used as a platform to promote the competition. Ian is apparently too much of a gentleman to say it, but it's pretty clear to me that the difference between a CMQ sticker and a CAC or Eagle Eye one is who is marketing it.
As much as he might respect them, I'd do exactly what he did. The only difference is that I would have told the client first, and asked whether they wanted the coin back.
Ian is now cleaning that up, and we should all acknowledge his willingness to come here and engage. Also, perhaps to my detriment, which is why Ian is where he is and I am where I am, I'd be upfront about not wanting GC to be a selling platform for SB stickers.
This glue situation is getting worse. It's not rocket science. Ian, use WD-40 on a rag to get that sticky off , next time.
As far as I know, GC does not offer their own stickers so there's no competition there.
SB exists and is a respected name in the field, as is GC. As a notable philosopher once said, "Can't we all just get along?".
One thing is for sure: GC needs to buy some GooGone.