Certified Acceptance Corporation

Certified Acceptance Corporation

Certified Acceptance Corporation (CAC) is a coin grade verification service. It was founded in 2007 to examine and evaluate coins that have been previously certified by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) or Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS). CAC examines a coin to determine whether, in its opinion, the coin is correctly, over-, or under-graded. Coins that are correctly graded will have a green tamper-evident holographic sticker affixed to their holders. In the unusual event that a coin is found to be under-graded, a gold sticker is affixed instead. Coins that are thought to "just make the grade" or appear over-graded receive no sticker at all.

CAC's founder, John Albanese, was an original co-founder of PCGS and later founded NGC, which revolutionized coin grading nearly 30 years ago. Grading standards have, however, changed over the years. Because collectors and dealers have gotten more selective, an informal "sub-grade" system evolved. "A" coins the best, "B" coins are "solid" examples of a grade, and "C" coins are of lesser quality. CAC stickers attempt to standardize this system. Generally, "A" and "B" coins will be stickered by CAC, and "C" coins will not.

As a result, CAC-stickered coins fetch premiums in the coin market, including internet auctions conducted on eBay, and traditional floor auctions held by Heritage Auctions and Stack's Bowers Galleries. CAC has become an important force in the coin industry as its stickered coins are sought after by collectors looking for high quality. According to coin expert Scott Travers:

"Certified coins with CAC stickers have commanded bonus premiums because of the generally accepted perception that they are superior to 'unstickered' coins in the same grade – and coins with gold stickers have been selling for significantly more, often several times as much as coins of the same type, date, and grade that lack a CAC sticker."

"The green CAC are bringing 5 to 15 percent more on average, and coins with gold stickers are selling for roughly 80% to 90% percent as much as those already certified in the next higher grade."