What a rush!!

I have written in past journals about the risk and rewards that can come from cracking graded comics for signature purposes. If they fall in grade you have to find another copy in the higher grade to either try again or simply live with it as is.

As referred to in a recent journal by Kaholo1256, we as CGC collectors have been conditioned to strive for 9.8s or better. There is nothing wrong with that. It is just the way it is.

This means however, that if a cracked issue falls in grade, we bemoan its failure to hold up during intermediate handling while acquiring the signatures we want from the creators we love.

But the absolute joy and thrill of having an issue retain the 9.8 while improving its status on the CGC registry and comic collecting world in general is something every collector should experience.

It is a thrill like no other and once you do it the first time, you will become just as addicted to getting sigs as you were to simply acquiring or submitting CGC comics in the first place.

I have caught this bug. I have caught it pretty bad! I have cracked and resubmitted over 150 comics myself in the last year! I have had a few failures recently. I have had some raw issues that rose to grades I did not expect, as well.

And when it comes to the Baltimore Comic Con last year, I have acquired a boatload of OAKS by having over 80 comics signed and graded or re-graded!

While almost all of my invoices are back in my hands, I still have two that are in process. Until now that is.

My last journal was a teaser about one of these two invoices. This journal features the final results of that invoice, since I now have the issues back in my hands!

And these are some FABULOUS Bronze Age beauties!

So without further ado, here they are...

Spectacular Spider-Man #1 CGC SS 9.6 WP signed by Sal Buscema - I purchased this copy over six years ago in raw form online through Mile High comics, sight unseen. I held onto it with no real plans for it until I found out about Sal attending Baltimore! He never does shows! It is excruciatingly difficult if not impossible to get his sig on a CGC comic, so I could not pass up on a chance to get him on this Bronze Key. I thought it would get a 9.2 or 9.4 before a pressing. I did not know how much a pressing would help it. I am surprised and ecstatic for the 9.6!

ROM #1 CGC SS 9.8 WP signed by Sal Buscema and Joe Rubinstein - I bought this years ago already graded in 9.8 for $140. I felt that a chance for two sigs on it was worth the risk of cracking it, so I did. It is not on the label, but Joe Rubinstein inked the cover, which was penciled by Frank Miller. I wish Rubinstein had not signed right along the darkest part of Roms ankles, but its ok. Having 2 sigs on this is fantastic to me!

Star Wars #16 CGC SS 9.8 WP signed by Walt Simonson - this issue is significant in that it is the first work by Walt for this series. I asked him about it and he said it was true. It is now the earliest Star Wars issue I have signed. I will be looking to get most of the first issues signed by Chaykin and Palmer at Supercon in July.

Jonah Hex #2 CGC SS 9.8 WP signed by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez - This was a big risk for me. I purchased this copy on Comiclink years ago for $150. It is currently one of only five 9.8 copies! So for me to risk it with a cracking, signing and regrading was a risky proposition. But in this case, the reward was worth it, because it is now the only SS 9.8 in the world! OAK CITY!

Jonah Hex #1 - Since I knew I would taking my #2 copy to Baltimore for Garcia Lopez to sign, I decided to keep an eye open to finally acquire a 9.8 copy of #1. I had seen a few sell over the years for $400 or more and just never went after them. Three weeks before the show, I bought this copy for $330. Not bad at all. With 30 copies in 9.8 and none higher, this was the single biggest risk of the show for me. Not all of the 9.8s have White Pages either. As you can see by the pic below, I am absolutely ecstatic about the results!!!

Apparently I am the only collector so far with the guts to crack his 9.8 of JH #1 for a sig. Or maybe I am just nuts? It is now also the only SS 9.8! This means that I have JH #1, #2 and #92, each the only SS 9.8s!!!

I am thrilled with the results of this invoice. I was actually trembling with excitement as I pulled them out of the box one by one. I now have just one invoice left at CGC, and it has three Bronze Age beauties on it that I bought raw from Mile High years ago as well. As soon as I get those in hand I will post a journal on them.

I will post pics of the other four issues on this invoice in the replies. But check the biggest beauty of the show for me right below!!

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