Tec-Tac-Toe

Board member msschmidt did a very detailed analysis of E. Gerber backing boards vs. manufacturers claiming that their "coated and buffered" on one side with calcium carbonate (non-acid free) backing boards were acid-free. "... But ... this does not guarantee that your item won't become acidic at a later date, a much more apt description would be "acid-free at time of manufacture"." The results clearly demonstrated that only E. Gerber (correction two) and BCE boards were (correction) archival-safe acid-free. The post should still be available as it is quite informative. Edit: The thread is: Are "acid-free" backing boards truly acid-free? Time to pH test & find out!

Perhaps a Bong was involved.

To my recollection, virtually every slab holding the comic books I have had graded since I have done so has flaws. However, prior to approximately 2018, if memory serves, the flaws were typically minimal. Since then they became more significant, including, of course, newton rings, very visible and often deep scratches and/or scuffs, spots, debris inside the holder with some being quite large, comic books moving far too freely inside the holder, cracks in the holder, etc. Yet, I keep paying for CGC's services and will likely continue to do so. Clearly, I'm a born sucker.

I, of course, read the CGC news release on the 2023 awards but did not realize that this thread existed until a few minutes ago. I'm forever hopeful that I'll win one of the awards as hope is eternal. Hopefully, you will take one home this year.

Win baby, win!

I experience the same thing as concerns price, I will not pay what I consider "big bucks" for comic books at this stage of my life. Presently, I'm concentrating on the comic books few if any want, modern age issues, that will likely be worth less than I'm paying for them if I ever sell any of them. Oh well, I'm having fun purchasing them.

I have a raw copy of almost every comic book I have in a slab and I am "bound" and determined to acquire the raw ones I am missing. Heck, I need another comic book goal because the other 1000 are not enough.

"I see nothing! I hear nothing! I know nothing!"

Too many board members have passed over the years that I have been one and all, to my recollection, have been too young. RIP Mr. Drew.

"I'm gonna wash that comic book right outa my hair."

Chuck was with his pot. Err, excuse me, pots.

Even those who can grade.

The "G" on the AS-M stands for GULLIBLE if anyone purchases it.

Only if you like "soup" with your salt. The last can of Campbell soup I ate was in the 1980s, yes 1980s, and I still taste the salt from it.

"There Will Be Blood."

My future $0.50 per slab "profit" is now down to $0.40.

Presently, I only submit for my collection. However, if that ever changes I will have to reevaluate because what I typically submit currently only garners about 50 cents in "profit" per slab on a very good day.

By the way, you are 20 years older. However, so am I.

I have read where folks, as you did, were able to get bargains (some still may). I, on the other hand, despite seeing the MHC adds you mention and others, if I correctly recall,did not order from MHC until much later likely because I was already ordering from several dealers as well as purchasing in person in New Jersey and New York, later Florida. In other words, I was already up to my eyeballs in new and back issue comic book purchases. However, in hindsight, I should have purchased even more.

As has been repeated ad nauseam, including in a post above, and I'll repeat it to be annoying, MHC's grading is in my limited experience abysmal, such that one may argue a MHC's NM means Near Miss from F/VF (7.0). Accordingly, more often than not, getting a 60% discount, for example, on a reported NM has one likely paying much more than elsewhere for a comic book that is nowhere close to being NM even if one took NM to mean VF/8.0 to NM/9.4. Granted, some posters over the years have reported receiving a NM/M (9.8) from MHC put paying for a 9.4 with a typical MHC's discount. To be a pessimist, those comic books likely slipped past the MHC's team or they would have been priced at, I'll write, 100 times the going rate.

As we all know, and others have likely noted, it is all about the $. Granted, it is all about the $ for most. Edit: Including me if I ever sell my comic book collection instead of leaving it to my daughter. If I leave it to my daughter instead of the cash from its sale, I'm certain she will be happy!

Is lube ....

Twenty years of gaining and providing immense knowledge while all I do is post dribble.

I have seen better looking spines on worms.