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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Lehigh96, post: 7331996, member: 15309&quot;]Welcome to the forum, I like that you are giving us some info about your numismatic resume.&nbsp; Likewise, as a new member, you don&#039;t have a history of the people who are going to be commenting on this thread.&nbsp; All I can tell you is that Cointalk has a membership that spans a wide range of numismatic experience, including within the core member group.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Of the major coin forums, Cointalk is by far the most &quot;anti&quot; TPG and that hostility includes CAC.&nbsp; Don&#039;t expect to see many members running to support CAC, and don&#039;t expect to see many members support your approval of the TPGs.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I don&#039;t see it as RIDICULOUS at all.&nbsp; Have you never seen a coin where your initial impression was it is either high end MS65 or low end MS66?&nbsp; Imagine a coin with premium gem luster and attractive toning but too many surface marks to warrant a premium gem grade, for example:</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/vhMNcJD.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>If the coin shown above was blast white, it would probably get MS65 grades across the board even though it has premium gem luster, because most 1880-S Morgan Dollars have great luster.&nbsp; But when you add the rainbow toning to the mix, people who are inclined to reward luster and eye appeal would see this coin as an MS66 while those who believe that surface marks are grade limiting would still grade the coin MS65.&nbsp; And that is the source of the inherent subjectivity in grading.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most people think that a coin has ONE specific and CORRECT grade.&nbsp; That simply isn&#039;t true.&nbsp; The overwhelming majority of coins will have a grade range and depending upon the proclivities of the graders assigned to evaluate the coin, the grade can change over time and still be correct both times.&nbsp; Back to the Morgan Dollar shown above, I would say the the grading range of this coin is 65.8-66.2.&nbsp; It could easily grade MS65+ or MS66 on any given day, and I would have no problem with either grade, would you?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Ok, you are nitpicking a little with this one.&nbsp; They are using that phrase simply to separate the discerning collector who doesn&#039;t simply accept the assigned grade from the legions of collectors who have no grading skills and are forced to accept the TPG grades, and they are doing this without insulting the latter group.&nbsp; As a connoisseur of Jefferson Nickels, I have my own standards, and if I think the grade assigned by the TPG is wrong, I won&#039;t add that coin to my collection. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>No, it means that they reserve the right to change their grading standards, in the same way that the TPGs change theirs.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Did you really think that JA created CAC in order to charge $15/coin to make money?&nbsp; By separating the high end coins from the dreck, CAC restores the value of coins that have suffered due to gradeflation.&nbsp; Of course they are going to invest in their coins and realize the fruits of their labor.</p><p><br /></p><p>I think this an important point that most people seem to gloss over.&nbsp; CAC isn&#039;t raising or inflating the price of the coins that they sticker, they are partially RESTORING the values of coins that lost significant value due to gradeflation.&nbsp; In essence, they are successfully fighting the effects of gradeflation.&nbsp; In my opinion, you can&#039;t be against both gradeflation and the CAC, it just isn&#039;t possible, you have to pick one.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I am almost certain that when CAC started, they only charged for coins that actually stickered, meaning there is no financial downside to resubmitting a previously submitted coin.&nbsp; I am not a member of CAC and don&#039;t know if this policy has changed over the years.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>CAC is a tool, nothing more.&nbsp; There are times when submitting to CAC is appropriate and times when it is not.&nbsp; For example, submitting a common date Morgan Dollar is a complete and total waste of money, whereas the submission of a registry quality full bell Franklin Half Dollar could restore hundreds or thousands of dollars to the value of the coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>So when a dealer flat out refuses to use a tool that is available to them, yes, that would make me very wary of that dealer.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>You seem to be viewing CAC with only your collector hat on.&nbsp; We all act in our own self interest.&nbsp; Accordingly, collectors will always want coin prices to be as low as possible because it suits their own financial interests.&nbsp; Alas, there will come a day for every collector when they don their dealer (seller) hat.&nbsp; As a seller, you want to achieve the highest prices you can in the shortest amount of time.&nbsp; Just as TPG certification provides liquidity to your coins, CAC acceptance provides additional liquidity and often, additional value compared to the same coins without a green bean.&nbsp; IMO, it has zero to do with external validation and everything to do with financial prudence.&nbsp; Furthermore, I don&#039;t see an attempt to maximize sale prices as a lack of integrity, and I doubt you will either when it comes time for you to sell your coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now typically, this is the time in this conversation that collectors tell me that they are &quot;never&quot; going to sell their coins so my entire argument is moot.&nbsp; My response is usually that you heirs deserve better than that, and that having coins graded by TPGs and evaluated by CAC is an important part of estate planning for a serious collector with a valuable collection.</p><p><br /></p><p>PS:&nbsp; Bravo on a big &amp; bold first post.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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