In case you are unfamiliar with CAC gold stickers, a very small percentage of coins submitted to CAC exist which the graders feel are undergraded by today’s standards…
The finer of only two 1838-C half eagles graded Uncirculated by PCGS has been sold for a record price for any business strike Classic Head half eagle, and for any half eagle from the Charlotte Mint…
It is my contention that CAC has now seen enough coins that we can make important observations about how rare (or not rare) a specific issue is in regards to its appearance…
As I have pointed out in other articles, perhaps the single most important factor about CAC approval of third-party graded U.S. coins is that it creates a standard which I term “appearance rarity.” This refers to coins which are choice enough for their assigned grade to be accepted by CAC…
After more than a decade of viewing coins, the numbers which CAC has approved are now a significant sample size. In the case of Liberty Head quarter eagles, I believe that any issue with fewer than eight pieces approved show true appearance rarity.
