So I've been a little bit busier with work of late than I had expected, which is a very good thing, so I've have had less time to browse and post in my dwindling free time. Prior to sending my ANACS package out, I decided to rip it open and update the contents to include that tiny California octagonal gold fractional. I figured why not? It didn't add much to the bill, and if it was cleaned priorly at least it'll get a numerical grade along with it. The clock starts ticking today to see how long they take to attribute a discovery coin and grade it. Nowhere will be as fast as VSS, but I won't hold that against them. But I'm very heavily leaning towards a CACG membership in the relatively near future after I've discovered that they do, in fact, have an option for attributing varieties on Washington quarters. I'd say I'm about 75% more likely to go CACG over the rest, and be damned if their strict grading comes back to bite me. I think I'd prefer a strict grade that commands a premium instead of a possibly inflated grade and take my chances at whichever auction houses they end up at, if any. And hearing good things about their turnaround times and customer service is very heartening. Change my mind on CACG if you wish to try, but I'm pretty sure I've found my next TPG to try out. Hopefully with fantastic results, but I know better than to trust my feelings over stuff like this! Lol!
That must be overlooking the fact that he has been a part of the last 4 1st party graders. Even though I like the tightening of grades. He will never do enough, otherwise it would cut his own throat.
I'm not on that bandwagon- not yet, at any rate. But I'm not gonna dissuade you, either. I'm mostly neutral on that front. I'm not gonna start submitting anything to CACG myself in the near future, nor will I be especially seeking out any coins in their holders. That being said, if I do see a coin I like in CACG plastic, would I add it to my certified collection? Sure. At this point, I have no strong feelings on them one way or the other. It's the same way with CAC stickers on my PCGS/NGC coins. I have a small few, and I do consider having one a minor plus, but it's not like I submitted them to CAC myself, nor did I pay any premium for the sticker. PS- since I'm heavily a World & Ancients guy, it should come as no surprise that NGC is my go-to TPG service these days. I used to be a PCGS loyalist, but when the quality of their TrueView imaging declined, I lost interest. (They don't certify Ancients anyway.) If I was a US-only guy like so many of you, I might be more on the CAC/CACG bandwagon. Who knows.
I joined CACG this year. I have a lot of raw gold coins that I would like to have graded, including 8 classic head gold coins I purchased over 30 years ago. Their rates are fine and the current turn around times are reasonable. I have a bunch of 2.5" x 2.5" flips ready to be filled and shipped. I'll probably get around to sending my stuff off in early February.
I'm still a month away or more before I really start seriously considering which coins I'll be sending to grade. Lots of very close inspections / observations still need to be done on the coins I'm juggling sending out. I don't expect a top pop coin by any means, but I'd prefer to get as close as I can to that as I have every intention of selling any superb graded ones that come back, as well as the key Buffalo and Washington's. Their turnaround time is reasonable enough, and they're much closer to me being east coast based so that might make a minor difference in shipping costs. But the strict grading they follow, and subsequent grade issued, makes for a slabbed coin akin to a PCGS with a green bean. At least that's what I've read on several websites and saw as a result from the ol' Googs. That intrigues me but I just hope I don't end up regretting it and being the walking adage of the fool and his money!
I've often been conflicted on whether or not to send a coin to VSS first, then get it graded later with that cert staring them in the face. I think that might insult ANACS though and make them downgrade my grade. At least they can't use the excuse that attribution made them take over two months to grade and ship.
I was in your camp until a dealer that I really appreciated in the past contacted me with what I thought again was a reasonable offer, as she always had in my past opinion. She had several $20 generic Double Eagles in the new CACG slab, and one was a 1927 MS64 for slightly less than $3000. I couldn't bypass that coin, and I'm glad I didn't as relative to other competitive TPG coins I'm seeing, it should have been a MS65+ CACed coin. Flawless fields and Rays with uniform "cartwheel", a full nose/fingers, I believe, are not normal for a current MS64 $20 TPGed coin! I located an exact date/grade PCGS coin in my collection that had a "green bean", which had considerable "bag rub". I've ordered her MS63 CACG 1923 $20 to see how that's graded!! I'm impressed!!!
