Good luck!

On 8/30/2021 at 1:17 PM, Brandon Shepherd said:

Good luck!

Thanks Brandon!  I highly doubt this is a 9.8 but it is just fun to get to submit a book like this at all.  I also like to see the limits of what CCS can take care of!  

On 8/30/2021 at 12:21 PM, Iconic1s said:

Thanks Brandon!  I highly doubt this is a 9.8 but it is just fun to get to submit a book like this at all.  I also like to see the limits of what CCS can take care of!  

I just sent this one to CCS, it has a long indent on the front cover, not visible in the photo. I’m not sure if it’s pressable or if I wasted $15, but like you said, it’s the excitement of submitting something.

This came sealed with trading cards, the indent was from the bag seal, non color breaking at least.

On 8/30/2021 at 6:11 PM, Brandon Shepherd said:

This book I just sent to CCS has an indent on the front cover, not visible in the photo. I should have taken a photo, I’m sure if it’s pressable or if I wasted $15.

This came sealed with trading cards, the indent was from the bag seal, non color breaking at least.

Hopefully it presses out for you!  The pics I took made it look a lot worse that I think it actually is and ended up just giving me one more thing to worry about 

On 8/30/2021 at 5:57 PM, Iconic1s said:

Hopefully it presses out for you!  The pics I took made it look a lot worse that I think it actually is and ended up just giving me one more thing to worry about 

It maybe hard to see in this picture but this is another issue I have with same flaw as the issue I sent to CCS, right between the “r” and “a” of the title. It’s going to be a long 6-9 months for both of us. 

Been at ‘CCS in Process’ for awhile now. Hope that means they are giving it some love!

This book has now been at CCS for six months and one day... has been 'CCS in Process' for about three of those six months now.

I am probably wrong, but to me, when I see 'in process' I take that as someone is actively working on the book.  Kinda like if your clothes are in the washing machine, or you are cooking dinner... stuff is happening towards the specific end in mind, such as clean clothes or cooked food.  I don't take dirty clothes laying on the floor, or food in the freezer as 'in process' for example.

Now, having said that... if this book has truly been 'in process' for three months IT IS GOING TO BE SWEET as all heck pretty darn soon!

I then hope that this is one of those lucky submissions I have been reading about where the book goes from graded to shipped in one day and then is returned to my loving arms in a crystal clear blemish free slab with that so so beautiful 9.8 WHITE PAGES sticker in the upper left hand corner.

In reality, it is probably just sitting in a box, getting kicked back to the end of the queue each time another in-house private signing takes place.

Anyways... I hope CCS has truly had their best people working day and night for three solid months to make sure this book flies through CGC and achieves that coveted 9.8 WHITE PAGES designation.

Will keep this Journal posted...

P.S. I still seriously doubt this book is actually a 9.8 but hey, a little denial never hurt anybody... did it?

A little bit of excitement this week!  Been like this since Monday morning… hope it’s one that gets through quick (a nice grade would be nice too!)!  Been refreshing and refreshing and refreshing and refreshing and refreshing…

At times I find myself getting really frustrated with CGC!  It’s not the TAT’s themselves but it is the unpredictability of them. Looking at the TAT thread and watching your own submissions statuses it’s easy to see that there is no discernible pattern to any of it… Tier Level, Fast Track (or not), size of submission. etc; none of it seems to matter.  Some people have Modern Slow Tracks turned around in THREE days (and I am happy for them)!  I don’t mind waiting in line as long I understand how the line works, watch it move in a predictable way, and see when my time is coming. CGC has done a wonderful job of ensuring that NONE of how they move books through their process makes ANY sense!  I have books I want to send in and also books I just want reholdered but I am not sending them because I really don’t understand what I am paying for any more… what’s the process, how long will my books be gone, or… shoot, will they get messed up with all the recent QC issues!!

But then I come down into my room and start digging through books and remember a submission like this…

…when I wanted to add this book to my set so bad I found and opened nine collectors packs and submitted multiple copies before finally getting these TWO back 9.8!

All my frustration seems to fade and my patience builds back up again.

Man I love the product but really wish CGC would at least fake caring about fixing some of their so obvious issues!

P.S. Here’s a link to Superman 76 second printing in my set if you want to see the whole story of how I ended up with two 9.8’s.

https://comics.www.collectors-society.com/WCM/ComicView.aspx?PeopleSetComicID=1145671

The rest of my submissions at CGC… will comment on these when this book is finished, and as they progress.  Quite a few are from this set…

Something to do as it’s unlikely I’ll find another raw copy of the 499 3rd to submit and talk about here anytime soon….

Also have another stack ready to submit but am holding off for now.  

Fingers crossed!!

On 1/24/2022 at 9:09 PM, Iconic1s said:

The rest of my submissions at CGC… will comment on these when this book is finished, and as they progress.  Quite a few are from this set…

Something to do as it’s unlikely I’ll find another raw copy of the 499 3rd to submit and talk about here anytime soon….

Also have another stack ready to submit but am holding off for now.  

  Hide contents

Fingers crossed!!

Fingers crossed, those are some cool books!

The wait, so hard!

On 1/24/2022 at 10:48 PM, Brandon Shepherd said:

The wait, so hard!

So so true my friend!

Finally!!

Okay, so I have some mixed emotions with these results.

If you look at the pre-pressing pictures above I think this book did VERY good!  I’m super-happy about the actual results!!  There were no Grader Notes but I think this book is probably fortunate to be a 9.4 so it won’t be going back for CPR (will make that final call when I get a look at it though).

So, I’m happy with the grade but man oh man I was also enjoying the delusional vibe I’ve been able to walk around with the past few months… imagining that this would be the book I’d been hoping for and somehow, just somehow pull off a 9.8.   Not quite, but it was still really fun to submit!

Lastly, I was also kinda hoping for a 9.6 (if not a 9.8) because my current 9.6 has a really good shot at 9.8 but I’m not about to crack that one until I have a 9.6 backup… and yes, I know I could keep the label and send the book back in but that’s not the point… I don’t think I’d want the book in my set if I knew it no longer actually existed.

I’ll post pictures when I receive the book, especially of those trouble areas I noted in the original entry… but here are the results…

P.S. I now have two 9.4’s and one 9.6… sure would like to add 9.8 to this list!  I'm trying 

On 2/4/2022 at 12:15 PM, Iconic1s said:

Finally!!

Okay, so I have some mixed emotions with these results.

If you look at the pre-pressing pictures above I think this book did VERY good!  I’m super-happy about the actual results!!  There were no Grader Notes but I think this book is probably fortunate to be a 9.4 so it won’t be going back for CPR (will make that final call when I get a look at it though).

So, I’m happy with the grade but man oh man I was also enjoying the delusional vibe I’ve been able to walk around with the past few months… imagining that this would be the book I’d been hoping for and somehow, just somehow pull off a 9.8.   Not quite, but it was still really fun to submit!

Lastly, I was also kinda hoping for a 9.6 (if not a 9.8) because my current 9.6 has a really good shot at 9.8 but I’m not about to crack that one until I have a 9.6 backup… and yes, I know I could keep the label and send the book back in but that’s not the point… I don’t think I’d want the book in my set if I knew it no longer actually existed.

I’ll post pictures when  I receive the book, especially of those trouble areas I noted in the original entry… but here are the results…

P.S. I now have two 9.4’s and one 9.6… sure would like to add 9.8 to this list 

Congratulations.  I know you hoped for better, but I agree that is still a good result! Look forward to seeing it!

On 2/4/2022 at 12:27 PM, onlyweaknesskryptonite said:

Congratulations.  I know you hoped for better, but I agree that is still a good result! Look forward to seeing it!

Thanks my friend!!

Can’t wait to see it also!

On 2/4/2022 at 1:04 PM, Brandon Shepherd said:

Can’t wait to see it also!

Thanks my friend... I'll post a group pic of all three too!  Just too bad their 9.8 sibling won't be there (yet).

The book arrived today and I am very happy with the result!  I think CCS worked miracles with the cover.  All I can see now is one small bend near the bottom staple (which I am surprised is still there considering the work done on the dents), with a very small (about 1 mm) color break.  The dents I was worried about are 99% gone and what I can see with my loupe are impossible to catch with the camera.

I was worried that I would receive the book and think it was over-graded but that’s not the case at all.  I think it’s a solid 9.4.  I plan on hanging onto this book and waiting for the right In-House Signing and send it in for signature and another press just to see what happens… you never know!

Lastly, as I’ve said before, I just really love this set.  The Death of Superman TPB is what pulled me back into collecting when my Mom sent it to me so many years ago for Christmas… this book is the last 9.8 I need for my set. Although this copy is not that 9.8, it was a joy to find/own it raw and to be able to send it in and to get it back in this shape.  Even if I never find a 9.8 (which I hope I do ), I will have the experience of submitting a copy of this book myself… so fun, and isn’t that what this is all about!?

All three of my copies…

Congratulations!

It does look really good.

I also agree with the possibility of the in house signing + as a potential for this one.  

On 2/8/2022 at 8:54 PM, onlyweaknesskryptonite said:

Congratulations!

It does look really good.

I also agree with the possibility of the in house signing + as a potential for this one.  

Thank you!  I was worried CCS may not give this the attention it needed considering the volume of books they are working on, but I’m really happy with what they did. Gives me hope for my other books there now!

On 2/8/2022 at 7:57 PM, Iconic1s said:

Thank you!  I was worried CCS may not give this the attention it needed considering the volume of books they are working on, but I’m really happy with what they did. Gives me hope for my other books there now!

Hope is a good thing, especially when back up by results. Congratulations!

On 2/9/2022 at 7:10 AM, Brandon Shepherd said:

Hope is a good thing, especially when back up by results. Congratulations!

Thank you!  It’s been fun sharing this submission with you guys!  Can’t wait for my other books to start moving so I can share those too!

Also gives me a little strength to maybe send some more in 

Public Service Announcement… checked on my submission received at CCS 6/11/21 and received this…

This was a 15 book ‘quick-press’ submission that I got in before that option went away, as well as the rates going up. CCS has not charged me so I don’t think these are actually being worked on yet.  Based on my one book May 2021 submission being back already (the 499 3rd) one can only guess at how huge of a volume of submissions the rate increase must have brought in that last month.

I’m patient, but wow!!  Not even accounting for CGC TAT yet…

On a brighter note… sending in another submission later this week… might as well get the books there sooner rather than later considering the wait, and before something else causes another surge in submissions!

P.S. still not going to send in reholders like I REALLY want to though… a couple recent eBay purchase of books graded this year have had debris in the holders and I’m not ready to risk reholdering books I am otherwise happy with right now.

Okay, I’ve finally got my next submission ready to go… rounding it out at just 10 books.  This will empty what I want to send, out of what I have… these all have what I think are good shots at 9.8… I realize I probably won't see these again for nearly two years so I might as well get them in sooner rather than later.  Seeing that I am only hunting one raw now, and that it rarely comes up, this may actually be my last submission for, maybe ever, aside from reholders, or if the right in-house signing comes up for that 9.4 copy of the 499 3rd that started this entry.

I have one of these submitted but know someone who is after a copy… might as well give this one a shot… it’s my last really nice raw…

I found these is 20 packs.  It’s the only book I have ever seen with that Superman 75 Platinum logo.  I would like a 9.8 to occupy the second image slot of this book…

https://comics.www.collectors-society.com/WCM/ComicView.aspx?PeopleSetComicID=109979

Just another cool piece of history that I’d like to include in my set…

I would like a Universal 9.8 copy for my second set where I keep Universal 9.8’s of my Signature Series books from my main set.  Will give these two a try…

This is my original raw copy.  I recently acquired the lone graded copy, a 9.8, and think my copy looks better so will give it a try.,,

I’ve been wanting to send this one in for awhile.  I think it’s got a shot at 9.8 with a press.., fingers crossed on this one, also my original raw…

These are cool and round out my submission.  I will love if these all get 9.8 with sequential cert numbers… they should!  Also my original raw copies..,

All will go through CCS, even though some don’t technically need a press… might as well give them the best chance possible. 

The 10 books noted above en route to Sarasota via the most secure delivery service known to man… USPS!

It will be fun to note delivery, opened, and so on here… stay tuned!

P.S. my submission pile is empty for the first time in many years… not sure how I feel about that BUT I do think that it has something to do with the semi-depressing state of CGC's affairs right now... long TAT's, QC issues, etc make me a little less motivated to hunt for books to submit!  I wonder if I am alone in feeling like this?