Ron Drzewucki, a long-time dealer and world-renowned expert coin grader, is now president of CAC Grading LLC, a grading and certification service in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In August 2024, he received the highest honor given by the Professional Numismatists Guild (a leading coin-dealer organization), the Abe Kosoff Founders Award. The annual award is presented in recognition of lifelong dedication to the numismatic community. Drzewucki has dedicated his life and extraordinary talents to the coin-collecting hobby and industry.
In order for a coin to be graded and certified by CAC or any other leading certification service it has to be both authenticated and graded. Certification by a grading service is a two-step process. First step: The coin has to be determined to be genuine and unaltered. Second step: The coin has to be graded or rated on a scale of one through 70, where one is the lowest and 70 is nearly perfect.
How did you get involved with coins?
I was 10 years old and visiting my aunt and uncle, and my uncle had a cigar box full of Buffalo nickels, Liberty nickels, Wheat cents and Mercury dimes, among other coins, and I really wanted to know what they were. My uncle gave me a copy of A Guide Book of U.S. Coins by R.S. Yeoman, (the “Red Book”), which I used for my research for the first time. After I looked up the coins, I needed to know what they were worth, how they were graded and so on.
What was your last job, and why did you leave it?
I’ve never had a job outside of coins. My last job was buying, trading and selling coins for my own interests. I spent seven years at a major grading service as a shareholder and certified coin finalizer.
What does CAC stand for?
Correct and consistent grading standards, transparency and integrity.
Is CAC better than other grading services?
It depends on your perspective. CAC is a premium product and CAC coins, for the most part, sell for premiums over their competitors. In all walks of life, consumers have choices. Some prefer to shop for bargains and others can afford premium products. CAC’s intention was never to be the largest grading service in terms of volume, but we have demonstrated over 17 years that we are the leader in quality and liquidity. Of course, this is my biased opinion, but the market has clearly spoken. Check out prices realized at major auctions—it’s undeniable.
Further, the country’s largest collector has just spoken and is crossing his number-one sets to CAC Grading and is willing to accept lower grades on millions of dollars’ worth of coins.
What are the major perils and pitfalls confronted by collectors and investors who buy certified coins?
Beware of bargains and pay more attention to the coins than the holders. Beware of counterfeits when buying gold and silver eagles. All this can be avoided by doing some homework and working with a reputable dealer. It amazes me that a consumer may spend hours researching the best dishwasher and refrigerator and yet spend several thousand dollars of their hard-earned money on a fraudulent coin purchase. I get it—coins are beautiful and enchanting—but pause for a moment; take your time and do some research.
I highly recommend Scott Travers’ book, The Coin Collector’s Survival Manual. It covers all basic aspects of coin collecting and investing
Tell us a coin-market secret.
I don’t have any secrets; at CAC, we pride ourselves on transparency. For collectors: Beware of bargains. There is no Santa Claus in numismatics
What’s your criteria for reaching the conclusion that a coin has been “artificially toned?”
Forty years of experience looking at, buying and selling coins helps me to reach the conclusion that a coin has been artificially toned. Having looked at so many examples it becomes more of a gut feeling rather than something I can verbalize.
Are CAC grading standards for vintage U.S. coins too strict
Too strict? For the crack-out dealer? Yes.
For the collectors and retail dealers who are passionate about the hobby? No.
Remember, CACG has over 150 co-founders who are among the country’s leading collectors and dealers. Their collective investment in CAC is a testament and a statement of how they’d like to lead the coin industry going forward
How can you safely and efficiently crack a CAC-certified coin out of its holder?
I wouldn’t know, and I think they should remain in their holders.
What’s the future of the collectible coin market, and will coin conventions figure in that future?
The future of the business is very bright. Coin shows will always play a large part because it gives people the opportunity to see the coins in person to get a feel of how coins look compared to others in similar grades. I think it is also very important to mingle with other people interested in the hobby.
