To CAC or not to CAC. That is the question

Frick

Going through some of the nicer coins in my collection, trying to decide if there is any real benefit to sending them to CAC. I know there is a premium for getting the bean, but I think strictly the appearance is sufficient to get the premium. Your thoughts and experience?
Thinking about starting with these two.

Frick

I think I should have posted this in the US Coin Forum instead. Sorry.

winesteven

There is absolutely no doubt that for U.S. coins valued above a few hundred dollars, coins with CAC stickers get more auction activity than “similarly nice” coins in the same TPG holder and grade, and usually end with higher prices!

Just pick out a few examples on GC, which has a high volume of stickered and non stickered coins for auction. And the difference of those higher prices are usually well above the cost of obtaining the sticker!

In my opinion, I believe many of the collectors who buy non-stickered coins that choose to not submit their coins to CAC stickering in NJ make that choice because psychologically they’ll have difficulty if it turns out a very large portion of their coins fail to sticker! However, based on the open-mindedness you show in your OP, you clearly do not fall into that camp.

Finally, many collectors who buy unstickered coins and don’t submit them for stickering, “say” they’ll submit them when they decide to sell their collection down the road. I believe that will often not happen, but regardless, it’s possible the collector will pass away first. I doubt the heir(s) will be submitting their collection down the road to CAC stickering.

I believe some/many of these unstickered coins do indeed merit CAC stickers, but if the sticker is not on the coin at the time of sale, money is being left in the table, whether by the collector, or their heir(s)!

I now see the two Morgan beauties you show in your post. Just call any dealer or auction house, and ask them for a rough estimate in the difference in value for those coins if they merit and have CAC stickers versus not! You may be shocked! Here’s a real life example on GC for the 1883-CC graded MS67 by PCGS. In April 2024 a non stickered one sold for $3,733 with the bp. Just one month later, one with a CAC sticker sold for $4,783 with the bp.

Here’s an example on GC for your 1879-S MS68. In August 2024 a non stickered one sold for $4,012 with the bp, and a month later another non stickered 68 sold for $4,281 with the bp. Then in November 2024, one with a CAC sticker was auctioned, and that one sold for $6,682! None of these were “toners”.

Steve