Stuk

--It can NOT be a problem caused by a post-reholder scam sealing process change or by a single "bad batch" of inner wells, because the problem started before 2024 and is still happening, no? Not a single one of my older slabs has this; about 70% of my 2023 and later slabs do. --Human error? One person or one of the people running the machine (the seals-the book-in-the-inner-well-and-then places-it-in-the-outer-shell machine) doing something wrong? That explains the wide range and inconsistency of the problem, sort of. Maybe a new person started working the machine in 2023? --Whether it harms the visual presentation or actually damages the book, it is a problem, right? No need to nitpick between them. But I will. Even if short term it doesn't physically harm the book-- and granted, I am not a scientist--one would think that after enough time, it will physically harm the book. --CGC cases were already not particularly good at protecting books, but we all knew that and as long as we take care of the slabs, the books should be OK and the grades should hold. CGC only guarantees the grade at the time they are shipped, not after. We all know that, too (right?). But if CGC is placing a ticking time bomb inside the slab, in the form of a bowed inner well that over time damages the book no matter how well we care for it, then it's no guarantee at all--especially if, if, if, CGC knows of the problem and still sells the service. It would be nice if CGC fixes the problem ASAP or, even better, already has. (I do not expect them to acknowledge it if it is already resolved, though.)

So, you are not buying any CGC slabs from 2022 forward? I kind of agree with that, especially for modern and very high-grade books. (Mid-grade golden age, probably isn't as affected by a little stress, which is still no excuse.) I just looked at several books on Heritage's weekly auction and when I saw that they were recently slabbed, I didn't even bother tracking them. Why take the risk?

Maybe it is the person doing it, not the process or materials? Human error seems like a logical probability to cover how long it has been happening (including pre reholder scandal), types of books and above all, that it isn't happening to every book, just some. Sounds human. Which is no excuse, but is fairly easily fixed.