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Message:: [QUOTE="fiddlehead, post: 2192225, member: 31286"]Wow, thanks for the great responses. I asked because now and then I find myself with this sort of choice and I wondered what other folks were thinking.  I collect older gold - type one double eagles and a some pre-1850 liberty coins.  In those series, xf45 and AU50 are my favorite grades for several reasons - not the least of which is that when I have found slightly higher grade coins in my price range I don't find them as pleasing - although in many cases they're easier to find with CAC certification in AU53 to 55.  There's something I like about the little bit of honest wear on objects this old.  An AU50 that is CAC quality - original surfaces, some luster, etc - is usually way beyond what I want to  invest in any one coin, so high quality XF 45's tend to be what I try to find.  I've also found it much more likely to get an XF45 certified by CAC than an AU50 - even when I thought the AU50 might have a good chance. AU50 seems to be a difficult grade to get CAC certification on in older coins (I've had better luck with 1880's and 1890's CC gold in AU50 grades).  And then there's the potential for resale - The examples people provided are really good - I suspect those XF45's with CAC will often sell faster than the AU50's - at fair prices.[/QUOTE]