IMPORTANT Tip for Collectors!

winesteven · April 23, 2024 8:56AM

Here’s a crazy but true story that happened to me about two weeks ago.

I noticed in my CACG and MyCollect Registry Lincoln Wheat DATE set that my 1950-S Lincoln, graded MS67RD by PCGS with a CAC sticker, did not show as having that sticker. I then went to the CAC “Coin Look-Up” tool, and lo and behold, that cert showed as not CAC!

I emailed CAC to let them know that I bought that 1950-S Lincoln MS67RD PCGS w/CAC two years ago from Heritage, and I included a photo of the Heritage info, showing the coin and their description that it was indeed CAC stickered. CAC asked me to send them the coin. I then got a call from JA, as he now had that coin in hand, and he indicated that sticker had clearly been reapplied, from a different coin! He and I separately then contacted Mark Feld of Heritage, and CAC has now returned the coin to Heritage. I let Mark know exactly which lot in which auction I bought the coin.

Naturally, Heritage is refunding my money. Both JA and I suggested Heritage contact the consignor. It's possible the consignor bought the coin with the tampered sticker already there. Naturally, no one will admit to having done this. I would think that Heritage will take a look at other coins consigned by this person to see if this was a one time thing or if there was another similar incident.

I dropped the non-stickered coin from all of my Registries. I searched GC, Collectorscorner.com, and eBay for a 1950-S Lincoln MS67RD PCGS w/CAC (that's the most common mint mark for that year - the "cheapest"), and I found only one, but it was really nice. It was on eBay, and I bought it after a brief negotiation with the seller. I then added it to all of my Registries.

So, while all collectors, including me, should know to check both the PCGS and CAC look up tools, many of us don't take the time, especially when the coin is being sold by a reputable auction house or dealer. But now I know to always check, to avoid these problems.

I don't believe Heritage is at fault, as my impression is none of the auction houses takes the time to look up every coin on the TPG website and the CAC Look-Up tool for confirmation of the status.

Steve

DeplorableDan · April 23, 2024 9:11AM

Honest mistake on HA’s end as far as I’m concerned, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard of this happening. I too sometimes purchase coins without checking them on the CAC website, but moving forward I’ll be more careful. Thanks for the heads up Steve!

291fifth · April 23, 2024 9:14AM

The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

winesteven · April 23, 2024 9:20AM

@291fifth said:
The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I think it's clear to many that CAC stickering has been a benefit for the hobby.

But here's good news for you! There WILL come a time that CAC stickering does indeed disappear from issuing new stickers. Possibly in about 8-1/2 or so when JA's current contract ends, or maybe sooner. But when that does happen, those collectors who chose to own coins that merit CAC stickers will likely see the current pricing differentiation between those coins with stickers and those without, growing even larger! Good luck when you or your heirs sell your coins without stickers!

Please let's try to keep this thread on topic. It's a good learning point for others! Thanks.

Steve

FrankH · April 23, 2024 9:25AM

@291fifth said:
The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

or

The sooner stickers disappear, coins may be a true hobby again.

winesteven · April 23, 2024 9:27AM

@FrankH said:

@291fifth said:
The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

or

The sooner stickers disappear, coins may be a true hobby again.

Believe it or not, for many of us, CAC stickering has made the hobby BETTER AND more fun!

Steve

BAJJERFAN · April 23, 2024 9:36AM

The PCGS Price Guide currently has that as a $450 coin so it may have been understandable that a buyer may have not bothered to verify it as CAC stickered 2 years ago.

I will say it one more time that several years ago a board member [I don't recall seeing his moniker here lately] posted about how CAC stickers can be removed and placed on other slabs, but at the time and a couple times since that info flew under everyone's radar or over their heads.

Kliao · April 23, 2024 9:38AM

Wow. Always thought this could happen but never heard it actually being done. Scary when you think about it.

I sometimes don’t look up the certs and this is a reason as to why you should.

Were there any visible signs that the sticker had been tampered?

winesteven · April 23, 2024 9:42AM

@Kliao said:
Wow. Always thought this could happen but never heard it actually being done. Scary when you think about it.

I sometimes don’t look up the certs and this is a reason as to why you should.

Were there any visible signs that the sticker had been tampered?

To my naive eye, no. But the moment JA saw it, it was as clear as day.

Steve

lcoopie · April 23, 2024 9:45AM

Fake stickers, slabs, and coins.
What a treacherous hobby.

1northcoin · April 23, 2024 9:48AM

@winesteven said:

I don't believe Heritage is at fault, as my impression is none of the auction houses takes the time to look up every coin on the TPG website and the CAC Look-Up tool for confirmation of the status.

Steve

That last paragraph sounds a bit tongue-in-cheek. I'll bet they do now thanks to your alert.

braddick · April 23, 2024 9:49AM

As long as the coin was in CAC's hands, could they have stickered it now?
In other words, is it CAC worthy and if not- was the cent "winesteven' worthy?

winesteven · April 23, 2024 9:50AM

@1northcoin said:

@winesteven said:

I don't believe Heritage is at fault, as my impression is none of the auction houses takes the time to look up every coin on the TPG website and the CAC Look-Up tool for confirmation of the status.

Steve

That last paragraph sounds a bit tongue-in-cheek. I'll bet they do now thanks to your alert.

Actually, while I'll occasionally say things tongue-in-cheek, this was not one. I truly don't blame Heritage at all.

Steve

Project Numismatics · April 23, 2024 9:51AM

Thanks for the heads-up. I often neglect to check and assumed the stickers were solidly tamper proof.

winesteven · April 23, 2024 9:52AM

@braddick said:
As long as the coin was in CAC's hands, could they have stickered it now?
In other words, is it CAC worthy and if not- was the cent "winesteven' worthy?

I was told by JA that it did not merit a CAC sticker. To me, the coin looked nice, but my skills in this area are poor. Hence, I buy my coins with CAC stickers applied.

Thanks.

Steve

Manifest_Destiny · April 23, 2024 9:53AM

@winesteven said:

@FrankH said:

@291fifth said:
The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

or

The sooner stickers disappear, coins may be a true hobby again.

Believe it or not, for many of us, CAC stickering has made the hobby BETTER AND more fun!

Steve

Not to be argumentative, but it seems like you're saying "I bought an awesome coin", then all of the sudden it's a "bad coin" because it doesn't have a sticker.

1northcoin · April 23, 2024 9:56AM

@winesteven said:

@1northcoin said:

@winesteven said:

I don't believe Heritage is at fault, as my impression is none of the auction houses takes the time to look up every coin on the TPG website and the CAC Look-Up tool for confirmation of the status.

Steve

That last paragraph sounds a bit tongue-in-cheek. I'll bet they do now thanks to your alert.

Actually, while I'll occasionally say things tongue-in-cheek, this was not one. I truly don't blame Heritage at all.

Steve

Most generous of you. The time and effort spent that could have been avoided of course remains uncompensated. That said kudos to the auction house for stepping up and doing the right thing. Purchased further down the line after passing through other hands the ending may not have been as happy for someone else.

braddick · April 23, 2024 10:03AM

@Manifest_Destiny said:

@winesteven said:

@FrankH said:

@291fifth said:
The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

or

The sooner stickers disappear, coins may be a true hobby again.

Believe it or not, for many of us, CAC stickering has made the hobby BETTER AND more fun!

Steve

Not to be argumentative, but it seems like you're saying "I bought an awesome coin", then all of the sudden it's a "bad coin" because it doesn't have a sticker.

It is difficult to escape this logic.

I'd be curious what CAC saw that makes this cent not worthy of the sticker and if it is visible for other collectors to see.

mattniss · April 23, 2024 10:07AM

Great reminder that no one else is going to do your own homework for you! Thanks for the cautious tale @winesteven and most importantly, glad it was resolved amicably.

BAJJERFAN · April 23, 2024 10:15AM

@braddick said:

@Manifest_Destiny said:

@winesteven said:

@FrankH said:

@291fifth said:
The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

or

The sooner stickers disappear, coins may be a true hobby again.

Believe it or not, for many of us, CAC stickering has made the hobby BETTER AND more fun!

Steve

Not to be argumentative, but it seems like you're saying "I bought an awesome coin", then all of the sudden it's a "bad coin" because it doesn't have a sticker.

It is difficult to escape this logic.

I'd be curious what CAC saw that makes this cent not worthy of the sticker and if it is visible for other collectors to see.

Quite possible the pics made it look more awesome than it really was.

pointfivezero · April 23, 2024 10:17AM

Thanks for the post, Steve. I’ve seen stickers which have the edge peeling and always assumed it was just a handling wear. Will check the lookup tool in the future.

Tim

winesteven · April 23, 2024 11:07AM

@Manifest_Destiny said:

@winesteven said:

@FrankH said:

@291fifth said:
The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

or

The sooner stickers disappear, coins may be a true hobby again.

Believe it or not, for many of us, CAC stickering has made the hobby BETTER AND more fun!

Steve

Not to be argumentative, but it seems like you're saying "I bought an awesome coin", then all of the sudden it's a "bad coin" because it doesn't have a sticker.

Absolutely not. It’s not a bad coin without the sticker. It’s still a nice coin. There are MANY nice non-stickered coins. But we all have choices, and when the time comes for me (or my heirs) to sell my coins, I want to increase the chance that fair value can be received! The reality is, in today’s market, coins that merit CAC stickers tend to get higher prices compared to coins without the stickers. As such, MY choice is to have my coins that are eligible for CAC stickers to have them.

Steve

winesteven · April 23, 2024 11:14AM

@braddick said:

@Manifest_Destiny said:

@winesteven said:

@FrankH said:

@291fifth said:
The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

or

The sooner stickers disappear, coins may be a true hobby again.

Believe it or not, for many of us, CAC stickering has made the hobby BETTER AND more fun!

Steve

Not to be argumentative, but it seems like you're saying "I bought an awesome coin", then all of the sudden it's a "bad coin" because it doesn't have a sticker.

It is difficult to escape this logic.

I'd be curious what CAC saw that makes this cent not worthy of the sticker and if it is visible for other collectors to see.

If a coin fails to sticker, there’s a reason it failed. It could be it was just not “SOLID” as a 67 (perhaps at the lower end of that 67 range). Perhaps it was overgraded in the opinion of CAC? Perhaps it had a “surface treatment” that in CAC’s opinion is unacceptable, but is acceptable to the TPG’s? This often happens with Gold coins! But in my opinion, if a collector chooses to buy a coin that failed at CAC, I would think it would be useful for them to know the REASON why it failed. Then making that informed decision to still buy it is ok.

Steve

yosclimber · April 23, 2024 11:14AM

Interesting.

Although it's not a tip for Every collector; I have very few slabs and no stickers....

winesteven · April 23, 2024 11:22AM

@yosclimber said:
Interesting.

Although it's not a tip for Every collector; I have very few slabs and no stickers....

Agreed! I edited the title about 20 minutes ago.

Thanks.

Steve

jmlanzaf · April 23, 2024 11:26AM

@winesteven said:

@yosclimber said:
Interesting.

Although it's not a tip for Every collector; I have very few slabs and no stickers....

Agreed! I edited the title about 20 minutes ago.

Thanks.

Steve

Sure, but EVERY collector could buy a CAC stickered slab in the future.

Crypto · April 23, 2024 11:41AM

@winesteven said:

@FrankH said:

@291fifth said:
The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

or

The sooner stickers disappear, coins may be a true hobby again.

Believe it or not, for many of us, CAC stickering has made the hobby BETTER AND more fun!

Steve

More collectors have had the liquidity of their collections impacted by not having sticker than have benefited from a god level grader cherry picking the market preference out of the masses. Yes the 1% buyers out there have saved from not making as many mistakes but even then they paid a price by not having the lessons trust upon them those mistakes mandate to the quick to learn. Maybe one doesn’t want to live and learn but the hobby is about living and learning and not just competition or investing.

I say this as a fan of CAC but it is a marketing tool that has benefited dealers way more than collectors. Just those of us used to be able to pick A coins out of the masses and get them for retail has dramatically dried up. Combined with the ability to sell C coins for competitive % of retail is also now an uphill battle. Those are not collector benefits

RLSnapper · April 23, 2024 11:44AM

HA surely is to blame here. It takes 30 seconds to look up a coin in the CAC registry. The auction house misrepresented what the coin was in its description. This situation is little different than auctioning a raw coin that turns out to be counterfeit.
Glad that it was resolved to everyone's satisfaction. I wonder if it was a little minnow like myself with the same issue it would have gone so easy.

Project Numismatics · April 23, 2024 12:37PM

@RLSnapper said:
HA surely is to blame here. It takes 30 seconds to look up a coin in the CAC registry. The auction house misrepresented what the coin was in its description. This situation is little different than auctioning a raw coin that turns out to be counterfeit.
Glad that it was resolved to everyone's satisfaction. I wonder if it was a little minnow like myself with the same issue it would have gone so easy.

Today’s minnow might be tomorrow’s whale. Most of the auction houses do a great job with the little guy too - especially on issues where reputation is at stake.

CircCam · April 23, 2024 12:44PM

Seems like a lot of hassle for a coin of that price point but more likely to fly under the radar that way. Does make one wonder how many of those they cranked out though, thanks for the heads up, Steve.

jmlanzaf · April 23, 2024 12:45PM

@Crypto said:

@winesteven said:

@FrankH said:

@291fifth said:
The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

or

The sooner stickers disappear, coins may be a true hobby again.

Believe it or not, for many of us, CAC stickering has made the hobby BETTER AND more fun!

Steve

More collectors have had the liquidity of their collections impacted by not having sticker than have benefited from a god level grader cherry picking the market preference out of the masses. Yes the 1% buyers out there have saved from not making as many mistakes but even then they paid a price by not having the lessons trust upon them those mistakes mandate to the quick to learn. Maybe one doesn’t want to live and learn but the hobby is about living and learning and not just competition or investing.

I say this as a fan of CAC but it is a marketing tool that has benefited dealers way more than collectors. Just those of us used to be able to pick A coins out of the masses and get them for retail has dramatically dried up. Combined with the ability to sell C coins for competitive % of retail is also now an uphill battle. Those are not collector benefits

Why is it not a collector benefit for them to be able to avoid the C coins that you appear to want to sell them?

CAC benefits collectors far more than dealers.

alaura22 · April 23, 2024 12:50PM

Thanks Steve for the heads up.
I too am a CAC fan as you know, most of the coins I own that could have a CAC sticker have a CAC sticker.
Now, did I check everyone of them through CAC ? I believe that I did but NOW I'll go back and check them all

spacehayduke · April 23, 2024 12:51PM

@Crypto said:
I say this as a fan of CAC but it is a marketing tool that has benefited dealers way more than collectors. Just those of us used to be able to pick A coins out of the masses and get them for retail has dramatically dried up. Combined with the ability to sell C coins for competitive % of retail is also now an uphill battle. Those are not collector benefits.

I am one collector that would say that the best thing that ever happened to me for evaluating coins is CAC. Sending in several hundred coins to CAC helped me learn tremendously about grading and surfaces. Made me a much better collector. Sure CAC coins sell for more, but there is a reason - they are simply, better quality. So yes the collector greatly benefits from CAC. When the collector goes to sell the CAC collection, recognition of the quality means higher prices. Hm............

Best, SH

winesteven · April 23, 2024 12:54PM

I'd appreciate it if we could try to stay on the topic of the educational point I made, and much less debate about the pros and cons of CAC. We've done that so many times before. As noted, I suggest we as collectors use the tools available to us on the various TPG sites to check our certs. That's all.

Thanks.

Steve

lermish · April 23, 2024 1:12PM

@winesteven said:
I'd appreciate it if we could try to stay on the topic of the educational point I made, and much less debate about the pros and cons of CAC. We've done that so many times before. As noted, I suggest we as collectors use the tools available on the various TPG sites to check our certs. That's all.

Thanks.

Steve

I think now is a good time to pivot. Has anyone heard of this VaultBox thing?

😅😉😉

Thank you for the good advice Steve. We have heard of checking certs for removed stickers for the occasional bargain but rarely consider the inverse.

telephoto1 · April 23, 2024 1:25PM

Why not have CAC-A, CAC-B, and CAC-C stickers for that matter? lol
I have and will always continue to look at the coin first, not the holder or sticker.

jesbroken · April 23, 2024 1:59PM

I've only had a few CAC coins and you are right, I never checked any one of them. I don't ususally check PCGS or NGC coins either unless for a purpose like registry or suspicious of wrong doing. Thank you, Steve, some very credible advice.
Jim

jmlanzaf · April 23, 2024 2:03PM

@lermish said:

@winesteven said:
I'd appreciate it if we could try to stay on the topic of the educational point I made, and much less debate about the pros and cons of CAC. We've done that so many times before. As noted, I suggest we as collectors use the tools available on the various TPG sites to check our certs. That's all.

Thanks.

Steve

I think now is a good time to pivot. Has anyone heard of this VaultBox thing?

😅😉😉

Thank you for the good advice Steve. We have heard of checking certs for removed stickers for the occasional bargain but rarely consider the inverse.

Crypto · April 23, 2024 2:12PM

@jmlanzaf said:

@Crypto said:

@winesteven said:

@FrankH said:

@291fifth said:
The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

or

The sooner stickers disappear, coins may be a true hobby again.

Believe it or not, for many of us, CAC stickering has made the hobby BETTER AND more fun!

Steve

More collectors have had the liquidity of their collections impacted by not having sticker than have benefited from a god level grader cherry picking the market preference out of the masses. Yes the 1% buyers out there have saved from not making as many mistakes but even then they paid a price by not having the lessons trust upon them those mistakes mandate to the quick to learn. Maybe one doesn’t want to live and learn but the hobby is about living and learning and not just competition or investing.

I say this as a fan of CAC but it is a marketing tool that has benefited dealers way more than collectors. Just those of us used to be able to pick A coins out of the masses and get them for retail has dramatically dried up. Combined with the ability to sell C coins for competitive % of retail is also now an uphill battle. Those are not collector benefits

Why is it not a collector benefit for them to be able to avoid the C coins that you appear to want to sell them?

CAC benefits collectors far more than dealers.

You have never sold anything but A+ coins. I would bet more than you could afford that you have sold more meh coins than I have ever owned. I am not a dealer and learned to grade over many speed bumps. Besides what I collect, many issues are simply not out there with A+ levels of preservation since they have been collectible for generations and having been processed by too many transactions not to have been fiddled with. Fresh is market slang meaning that it hasn’t been through too many dealers hands after all.

The whole construct that patina as a trait that deserves a price multiplier due to increased rarity is an attrition metric and any dealer knowns imparting scarcity is the key to adding value post procurement. Just as FBLs is a marketing schtick meant to impart scarcity/superiority to add value to otherwise common stuff. CAC is a pay more identifier in a market that the vast majority is simply trying to get their widgets to stand out. That helps dealers charge 50$ more for a nicely graded 81s dollar, I don’t think it adds much value to a choice AU58 61d dollar.

Of course CAC has helped pull some problems out of the market and a few collectors with the means have used it as a invaluable learning tool, but looked at on a pure number transactions base it has been used by dealers to maximize their inventory as a value add to charge more for other wise the same coins. Paying more for some random dealers 81s isn’t some blessing to collectors. And while paying 50$ more for a not bad 81s might be preferable to many newbs opposed to paying retail for an overgraded example, there were plenty of not bad 81s transacted before CAC. The detriment CAC has brought to collectors is the bad ones are still priced now closer to CAC’ed levels at the middle of the market and the collector’s good 81s not stickered is assumed bad or at best needing grading. Also not a blessing to collectors.

NeophyteNumismatist · April 23, 2024 3:43PM

Thanks for this post, and I am very sorry this happened to you. I am embarrassed to report I have several coins with CAC stickers, and I have never validated a single one of them. That process will now change. With so many things to check, I will soon have to flow-out a coin buying process map (sheesh).

Coin genuine?
Coin original?
Accurately graded?
Slab original?
Slab tampered?
Sticker original?
Sticker tampered?
...

1madman · April 23, 2024 4:11PM

@Manifest_Destiny said:

@winesteven said:

@FrankH said:

@291fifth said:
The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

or

The sooner stickers disappear, coins may be a true hobby again.

Believe it or not, for many of us, CAC stickering has made the hobby BETTER AND more fun!

Steve

Not to be argumentative, but it seems like you're saying "I bought an awesome coin", then all of the sudden it's a "bad coin" because it doesn't have a sticker.

Yeah, what I’m getting out of this thread is that the OP has no clue how to grade, buying blindly as long as the slab has a cac sticker. Might want to sharpen your numismatic skills versus imperatively checking some cac lookup tool on a website.

Dug13 · April 23, 2024 4:19PM

This issue may be more widespread than we know.
I've been watching a coin at a major auction house for the past week.
Just checked it, now the cac sticker is gone, and bid has dropped $200.00.

DeplorableDan · April 23, 2024 4:49PM

@1madman said:

@Manifest_Destiny said:

@winesteven said:

@FrankH said:

@291fifth said:
The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

or

The sooner stickers disappear, coins may be a true hobby again.

Believe it or not, for many of us, CAC stickering has made the hobby BETTER AND more fun!

Steve

Not to be argumentative, but it seems like you're saying "I bought an awesome coin", then all of the sudden it's a "bad coin" because it doesn't have a sticker.

Yeah, what I’m getting out of this thread is that the OP has no clue how to grade, buying blindly as long as the slab has a cac sticker. Might want to sharpen your numismatic skills versus imperatively checking some cac lookup tool on a website.

Unnecessary to call him out. Despite having a gorgeous collection, Steve has admitted on multiple occasions that his grading skills are rather unrefined, and as an older gentleman with diminished eyesight it probably wouldnt make much sense to start sharpening his skills now. He enjoys himself and has fun collecting, and thats truly all that matters.

Not every collector has the capability of being an expert level grader, and if they did, the grading services and coin dealers would have a tough time making a living. Collectors who recognize their limitations but willingly pay for the professional experience of others are the life-blood of the hobby, and in my opinion they shouldnt be shamed for it.

Sapyx · April 23, 2024 5:22PM

@winesteven said:
So, while all collectors, including me, should know to check both the PCGS and CAC look up tools, many of us don't take the time, especially when the coin is being sold by a reputable auction house or dealer. But now I know to always check, to avoid these problems.

It's just a reminder, again: "reputable" does not mean "they never make mistakes", it means "they try really hard to not make mistakes, and on the rare but inevitable occasions when they do make mistakes, they bend over backwards to fix it and make things right".

"Trust, but verify" is a worthy and honorable adage. Especially for cases when verification really isn't that difficult or time-consuming.

FrankH · April 23, 2024 5:22PM

@winesteven said:

@FrankH said:

@291fifth said:
The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

or

The sooner stickers disappear, coins may be a true hobby again.

Believe it or not, for many of us, CAC stickering has made the hobby BETTER AND more fun!

Steve

Other than the resale factor, HOW is it more ...fun?

If your collection weren't stickered, would you dispose of it?

yspsales · April 23, 2024 5:26PM

The antithesis of great GC/CMQ sticker debate.

I am a bit shocked this coin made it thru a major auction house.

These certs are the provenance.

The tampered CAC sticker inflates the value of a coin in the eyes of multiple bidders, so the buyer loses.

If this is SOP, then there could be more.

skier07 · April 23, 2024 5:39PM

Geez. This is getting VERY VERY old already.

We all collect differently and we should show a lot more respect to folks who have collecting strategies that are different than ours. If the OP chooses to buy stickered coins that’s his prerogative. If someone chooses to buy non stickered coins that’s their prerogative. Attacking Steve and suggesting that he’s clueless and blindly buying coins only with stickers is very inappropriate and it’s also furthest from the truth.

Jacques_Loungecoque · April 23, 2024 5:49PM

One small point since I’ve seen the term “tamper proof” mentioned in this topic, and others CAC themed.

NOTHING is tamper proof. Things may be tamper resistant, but never tamper proof. There will always be some enterprising POS out there looking for an edge. As has been pointed out by the OP, do a quick check and you should be good. The burden is ultimately on the buyer, as is every other aspect of this hobby/investment vehicle.

Thankfully, we are blessed with honorable auction houses and TPG’s that are willing to step up and stand behind what they do. We are truly a unique and fortunate community when you think about it.

Elcontador · April 23, 2024 6:00PM

How many times has someone sent in a $100 or $200 coin, had it stickered and had a modest increase in value as a result. And then, peeled it of and sold it to a scammer that put it on an expensive coin? And how many of the latter coins are out there now?

This thread doesn' t affect me, as the only stickered coins I have were bought sans sticker and sent to CAC to (hopefully) get one. But the info is helpful for those who will pay large premiums for stickered coins.

winesteven · April 23, 2024 6:35PM

@FrankH said:

@winesteven said:

@FrankH said:

@291fifth said:
The sooner stickers disappear from the hobby the better.

or

The sooner stickers disappear, coins may be a true hobby again.

Believe it or not, for many of us, CAC stickering has made the hobby BETTER AND more fun!

Steve

Other than the resale factor, HOW is it more ...fun?

If your collection weren't stickered, would you dispose of it?

How is it more fun?

Unlike the naive comment made by someone else above, for almost all of my coins, I pass on many dozens of coins I see with CAC stickers in the grade I want, graded by PCGS, for coins on my Want List, simply because they don’t have the eye appeal that I like! As such, when I finally see and then obtain the coin I’ve been searching for, THAT’S FUN! It’s all about the hunt, not just buying any coin with a CAC sticker in the grade I want!
I get tremendous pleasure out of the quality of coins in my collection! Why? I have confidence in the talents of JA and those he’s trained at CAC. As such, I have confidence that my coins have not had surface treatments applied that in the opinion of CAC are unacceptable, and that my coins are solid for the grade! As noted, this gives me tremendous satisfaction from my collection! I would put any of my sets up against others posting negatively in this thread that have chosen to buy coins without CAC stickers, but are similarly graded! Admittedly eye appeal is subjective, so putting eye appeal aside, and looking only at coin quality as I’ve described, I’m fully confident that a knowledgeable unbiased numismatist will pick my set over a non-stickered set of similar grades of the negative posters above in terms of quality!
I’ve made a personal decision over 15 years ago to buy stickered coins with the eye appeal that I like, since I prefer not to have coins in my collection that are at the low end of the grade, or overgraded, or have actual rubs on high points that should be graded high AU but reside in 63 or 64 holders, or have those unacceptable surface treatments, so I don’t understand your last point. Apparently you don’t mind having “a few” coins in your collection that may have those shortcomings. 😉

Steve

DisneyFan · April 23, 2024 7:21PM

@alaura22 said:
Thanks Steve for the heads up.
I too am a CAC fan as you know, most of the coins I own that could have a CAC sticker have a CAC sticker.
Now, did I check everyone of them through CAC ? I believe that I did but NOW I'll go back and check them all

The easy way to do this is to enter your coins on either the PCGS or CAC Set Registry inventories. The "CAC" pops up in the sticker column on the PCGS Inventory and the "green CAC sticker" pops up on the CAC Inventory; except, when it's a CACG coin. Then there is no green CAC sticker. : )

IMPORTANT Tip for Collectors!

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