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What Does CAC stand for in Coin Grading?

An 1854 $20 Liberty Gold Double Eagle in a Holder.

What do these letters mean? I don’t speak Greek!

The CAC, or Certified Acceptance Corporation, is a third-party grading service founded in 2007. The goal of the CAC is to provide collectors with another level of confidence in the quality and authenticity of their graded coins.

To accomplish this, the CAC specializes in certifying coins graded by one of the premiere coin-grading organizations like PCGS or NGC. Certified coins earn a CAC sticker on the holder that indicates the coin has met their standards of rarity and quality. These stickers are recognized throughout the numismatic world as a token of the coin’s quality and authenticity.

What do CAC Sticker Colors Mean?

Coins deemed higher end for their grade are given a green sticker, which can add premiums of up to 92% to the coin’s value.

Ungraded coins that would otherwise earn a green sticker in the next highest grade are given gold stickers, which often average a 90% greater value than PCGS or NGC-graded coins already given the next highest grade.

What Coins does CAC Grade?

The Certified Acceptance Corporation is selective in what coins they grade. There is an approved list of American coins by year.

Coin AcceptedYears
All Half Cents1793-1857
All Large Cents1793-1857
Small Cents
Flying Eagle1856-1856
Indian Head1859-1909 (Proof)
Lincoln1909-1958 (Mint State)
Will Accept these Doubled Dies1955, 1969-S, 1970-S, 1971-S, 1972, 1983, 1984, and 1995
Does not recognize 1936 Type 3 or 1972 Type 2 Doubled Die Cents
All Two Cents1864-1873
Three Cents
Silver1851-1873
Nickel1865-1889
Half Dimes1794-1873
Five Cents (Nickel)
Shield1866-1883
Liberty Head1883-1913
Buffalo1913-1938
Jefferson1938-1942 (Proof)
1939 Double Monticello & Five Cents
1943/2-P
Ten Cents (Dimes)1796-1945
Twenty Cents1875-1878
Quarter Dollars1794-1935
Washington1932-1964 (Mint State)
1932-1942 (Proof)
Half Dollars1794-1935
Franklin Halves1984-1963 All Mint State and Proof Coins Accepted
All Silver Dollars1794-1935
Eisenhower Dollars1971-1978 (Mint State)
One Dollar (Gold)1849-1889
$2.50 Gold1796-1929
$3 Gold1854-1889
$10 Gold1795-1933
$20 Gold1850-1933
Classic Silver Commemoratives1893-1954
Classic Gold Commemoratives1903-1926
All Territorial GoldExcept California Fractional Gold
All Patterns
All Hawaiian
All Confederate

How Much Does CAC Verification Cost?

CAC submission pricing is broken into tiers based on the coin’s insured value. There is a cost of $16 per coin for coins insured up to $10,000 in tier one, $35 per coin for coins insured between $10,000-$25,000 in tier two, and tier three, which costs $75 per coin for coins insured over $25,000.

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Step 1:

Why Buy Physical Gold and Silver?

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Step 2:

How Much Gold and Silver Should You Have?

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Step 3:

Which Precious Metals Should I Buy?

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Step 4:

When to Buy Gold & Silver

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