How To Grade Coins & Where To Get Them Graded

Coin Grading

CAC was founded to combat the inconsistencies in coin grading and to put a stop to over-grading coins. The CAC Stickering service made an impact on the hobby, but John Albanese and Ron Drzewucki wanted to do more (learn more about Our Team to understand why these names matter). So in 2022, they assembled over 150 leading members of the numismatic community with a purpose to reclaim accuracy and consistency in grading. After all, why merely appraise and evaluate a previously certified coin (our Stickering service) when the same stringent standards can be applied within the context of a grading service?

Boasting the highest quality grading team in the industry—including John Albanese, Ron Drzewucki and John Butler—CAC is committed to applying an unparalleled level of expertise to every submitted coin so that hobbyists, collectors, dealers, and investors can have total confidence in a CAC-graded coin.

Turnaround Time Estimates

Economy
30+ business days

Standard
3 to 5 business days

Express
2 to 3 business days

Walkthrough / Rarity / Ultra Rarity
1 to 2 business days

We strive to provide the best service possible. The turnaround times listed above are estimates but are not guaranteed. Certain submissions will, by their nature, take longer to complete. These turnaround estimates do not apply to our Stickering service.

Features of the Secure CAC Holder

Security and Beauty designed and manufactured in the USA.

Submission Types

Coin Grading

Our world-class team of graders authenticates coins submitted to CAC and assigns them a grade based on their lasting condition. CAC utilizes the Sheldon Scale, a numerical scale from 1-70. If you wish to submit your coins for authentication, grading, and encapsulation, this service is for you.

Reholder

A damaged CAC holder can always be reholdered for a nominal fee. For good measure, one of our graders will verify the coin to ensure it is genuine before it is returned to you.

Reconsideration

If you believe we have mis-graded a coin, it may be resubmitted, still in its CAC holder, for a second review.

Crossover

This service is reserved for coin(s) that are currently encapsulated by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) or Numismatic Guarantee Corporation (NGC). Our grading team will review the coin, and if our grade meets or exceeds your minimum grade, we will “cross” it into a CAC holder. Entering a minimum grade—which can be higher, lower or the same as the current grade—allows you to ensure we don’t remove the coin from its current holder unless it meets your minimum acceptable grade.

Note: Problematic coins are eligible for crossover.

Legacy Crossover

This process is essentially the same as a regular crossover except that the coin(s) submitted have already met CAC approval and bear a CAC sticker. All coins stickered during the "Legacy" period from November 2007 to June 5, 2023, will earn a "Legacy" designation whether or not they earn a "plus" when graded (CAC does not acknowledge the "plus" grade when stickering coins). Gold-stickered coins will also be eligible for "Legacy" designations with no ceiling on the grade.

MS64 and MS64+ coins bearing a green sticker are guaranteed to cross at MS64. MS64 and MS64+ coins with a gold sticker are guaranteed to cross at a minimum of 65. If you have a CAC stickered coin and want to know if it is eligible for a "Legacy" designation, please visit our coin lookup page and enter the certification number on the holder.

Additional Services

Variety Attribution

CAC attributes varieties recognized by the Red Book at no added cost. For other varieties attributed on the holder (FS Number, VAM, Overton, Cohen, etc.), there is an additional fee. However, if the submitter correctly identifies the variety on the submission form, the additional fee is discounted by 50%. We respect our submitters’ knowledge and want to reward you/them appropriately. We also intend for our variety attribution program to be consistent and directed with the collector in mind. For a list of the varieties that we currently accept, click here.

Mint Error

The Mint does a good job of minimizing mistakes in producing coinage. However, a small percentage of defective coins find their way into circulation despite being unfit for commercial use. For years, collectors have been interested in these “error” coins. CAC Grading offers a specialized Mint Error service to certify these coins for an add-on fee of $15 per coin. A mint-made error can come in many forms such as clipped planchets, off-center strikes, brockages, die caps, and many more. Because of the daunting list, we do not have a reference for customers to see what we encapsulate. Feel free to contact us with any questions regarding our Mint Error program!

Image Secure

Image Secure features high-resolution photos of the coins we encapsulate. We believe this service protects the coin's security while providing a lasting digital image that can be accessed by the submitting member and the public. Submissions to our Standard tier and higher (up through Ultra Rarity) will receive Image Secure photos as part of the service. Economy tier submissions and submissions on the Modern tiers do not include Image Secure photos, but the submitter may add this service to their submission for an additional fee.

First Delivery

We offer the First Delivery designation for specific Modern coins that are received by us or a depository that has been approved by us within 30 days of the first shipment of a new coin issue. The CAC label will have a description of the coin that includes the words "First Delivery". For more information on this and our other Modern designations, click here.