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XXXPHOENIX

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Journal Entries posted by XXXPHOENIX

  1. XXXPHOENIX
    Let's celebrate my 1000th graded book and 202.000 registry points!
    AND
    ...once again no 9.9 HI Guys!I finally did it! after almost 10 years of CGC collecting...I reached the remarkable goal of owning more than 1000 graded books (1017 in competitive sets but they are 1041 if we consider my customs sets too).More than 202.000 registry points is not a bad result too!In February I submitted 60 more comics (mostly late bronze/early copper age) to CGC.Most of these were selected during 2014 and 85% of them came back in 9.4 (the minimum grade I usually accept for post 1980 books) or better...28x 9.8, 17x 9.6, 8x 9.4, 3x 9.2, 2x 9.0, 1x no grade , 1x 6.5Lately I have been concentrating on late bronze and early copper age Marvel books and they are very very hard to find in high grade!A minimal spine stress is capable of killing a gorgeous book. X-Factor 1-80, Uncanny X-men 200-280 are pretty hard to find in 9.6!I think high grade books of this period will be appreciated in the next decade by our sons :)Unfortunately after 37 submissions to CGC for a total of 820 books I still haven't received a single 9.9 :(Ok..I don't submit post-2000 books so the chances for a 9.9 are thin for bronze/copper age books but I still feel very unlucky.Turnaround was HORRIBLE this time. Cgc received my books on 04/01/2015 but they were ready to ship in early july.TITLE ISSUE FORECAST CGC2001 Space Odissey 3 9.2-9.4 // 9.62001 Space Odissey 4 9.4-9.6 // 9.62001 Space Odissey 5 9.4-9.6 // 9.42001 Space Odissey 6 9.6-9.8 // 9.82001 Space Odissey 7 9.6-9.8 // 9.62001 Space Odissey 9 9.6-9.8 // 9.62001 Space Odissey 10 9.4-9.6 // 9.4Marvel Fanfare 1 9.6-9.8 // 9.8Man-Thing V2 #1 1 9.4-9.6 // 9.4Micronauts 1 9.2-9.4 // 9.4Punisher War Zone 2 9.6-9.8 // 9.8Punisher War Zone 3 9.6-9.8 // 9.8Punisher War Zone 4 9.6-9.8 // 9.8Punisher War Zone 5 9.6-9.8 // 9.8Punisher War Zone 6 9.6-9.8 // 9.8Punisher War Zone 7 9.6-9.8 // 9.8Punisher War Zone 8 9.6-9.8 // 9.6Incredible Hulk 338 9.4-9.6 // 9.4What If 28 9.4-9.6 // 9.6Silver Surfer 1982 1 9.4-9.6 // 9.6Uncanny X-Men 253 9.4-9.6 // 9.6Uncanny X-Men 262 9.4-9.6 // 9.2Crisis on Infinite Earths 11 9.4-9.6 // 9.8SuperMan Man of Steel 3 9.4-9.6 // 9.2SuperMan Man of Steel 4 9.4-9.6 // 9.8SuperMan Man of Steel 5 9.4-9.6 // 9.8New Mutants 71 9.6-9.8 // 9.6New Mutants 72 9.6-9.8 // 9.6New Mutants 73 9.6-9.8 // 9.8Amazing Spider-Man 3rd 700 9.6-9.8 // 9.8What If II 1 9.6-9.8 // 9.8What If II 2 9.6-9.8 // 9.8X-Factor 37 9.6-9.8 // 9.8X-Factor 38 9.6-9.8 // 9.0X-Factor 39 9.6-9.8 // 9.6X-Factor 60 9.6-9.8 // 9.2X-Factor 61 9.6-9.8 // 9.4X-Factor 62 9.6-9.8 // 9.4X-Factor 63 9.6-9.8 // 9.8X-Factor 64 9.6-9.8 // 9.6X-Factor 65 9.6-9.8 // 9.8X-Factor 66 9.6-9.8 // 9.6X-Factor 67 9.6-9.8 // 9.8X-Factor 68 9.6-9.8 // 9.6X-Factor 69 9.6-9.8 // 9.8X-Factor 70 9.6-9.8 // 9.8Daredevil 264 9.6-9.8 // 9.4Daredevil 267 9.6-9.8 // 9.8Wolverine 75 9.6-9.8 // 9.8X-Men 25 9.6-9.8 // 9.8X-Force 25 9.6-9.8 // 9.6X-Factor 92 9.6-9.8 // 9.0X-Terminators 1 9.6-9.8 // 9.8X-Terminators 2 9.6-9.8 // 9.6X-Terminators 3 9.6-9.8 // 9.8X-Terminators 4 9.6-9.8 // 9.8X-Men 25Gold 9.6-9.8 // 9.8Excalibur 71 9.6-9.8 // 9.6Uomo Ragno II Serie 59 9.6-9.8 // .0Uomo Ragno III Serie 1 7.5-8.0 // 6.5Ciao!Federico - Italy
  2. XXXPHOENIX
    The Mistery and the Hoax
    MY FIRST NOGRADE (NG)... and the strange story of the mysterious UOMO RAGNO (Spider-Man) #59
    While I am still waiting for CGC to award me with my first 9.9 (almost 1000 books submitted and no 9.9 to date ), I would like to entertain you with the strange story of the misterious UOMO RAGNO (Second Series) #59 italian edition.
    Spider-man and all other Marvel Heroes were published in Italy from April 1970 (almost 8 years after AF15!) by a publisher named EDITORIALE CORNO. Marvel comics flooded italian newsstand with print runs of over 200.000 copies in mid 70s... But the advent of MANGAs and ANIMEs and the low quality of the late 70s' Marvel stories quickly lead EDITORALE CORNO to bankrupt.
    UOMO RAGNO (First Series) terminated with issue #283 in March 1981 but the publisher attempted to relaunch the character with SETTIMANALE DELL'UOMO RAGNO (3/1981-1/1982) and finally with UOMO RAGNO Second Series. The Second Series resisted a couple of years (3/1982-2/1984) until issue #58, due to EDITORIALE CORNO bankrupt.
    But, for many years a real mistery fascinated italian collectors: somebody claimed that #59 had been printed but never distributed. In fact, the last page of #58 had a preview of the #59 cover (the same of Spectacular Spider-Man's #58 "Ravaged by the Ringer" in the original USA version).
    The "Golden Age" of Italian superheroes had ended leaving all italian Marvel Fans orphans...for years! Later somebody found some of the printing plates of issue #59, but other sources later confirmed that it never made it to the printer...
    Three years passed and in 1987, STAR COMICS restarted to publish Marvel Comics (after another unsuccesfull attempt by LABOR COMICS in 1985), but guess what... issue #1 of UOMO RAGNO Third Series came out with the same cover (Spectacular Spider-man #58) that should have had to be used for #59 Second Series...
    The demand for #59 Second Series remained high, also because a collector (and friend of mine) kept maintaining the mistery alive by claiming he had some copies...
    His hoax continued until 2004, when that same guy produced issue #59....in 59 copies (could it be otherwise??). The uniqueness of this production is the total originality of this book: not to be confused with a reprint as it is not the reproduction of something that already existed. The book, instead is a recreation with the same graphic, structure (stories of Spider-Man and Captain America, Fan Club insert, central poster, ads)and paper of a 1984 book that was never published.
    The big hype created by this event is still alive today, some people love and other people hate this initiative but perpetrating a joke like this to us collectors for 20 years has been devilishly ingenious!!!
    I submitted my #59 (37/59) in 2013 and CGC sent it back to me...slabbed but with a nefarious NG (NO GRADE)... probably the fame of this story had already reached the atlantic too!!!
    ...More pics on the boards...
    CIAO!
    FEDERICO - ITALY

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  3. XXXPHOENIX
    AVENGERS/INVADERS 1 JOHN ROMITA SPIDER-MAN SKETCH SET
    HI!
    I am so proud to show you a FULL AVENGERS/INVADERS 1 - JOHN ROMITA SPIDER-MAN SKETCH SET made by all 5(!?) different types of Spidey poses that Romita Sr. drew for this particular issue!
    DF Certificate number 2/100 - Signed by Romita Sr.!
    DF Certificate number 5/100 - Signed by Romita Sr. and Alex Ross!
    DF Certificate number 7/100 - Signed by Romita Sr. and Alex Ross!
    DF Certificate number 27/100 - Signed by Romita Sr. and Alex Ross!
    DF Certificate number 83/100 - Signed by Romita Sr. and Alex Ross!
    I bought them raw mainly off Ebay and had them graded by CGC along the years.
    It has been a very hard task getting 5 different Spider-Man poses considering only 100 books were officially sketched by Romita for Dynamic Forces.
    Unfortunately CGC slabbed them with the Green label...
    I have always been a fan of Romita Sr.! His work on Amazing Spider-Man contributed to make Spidey an Icon!
    The sketches made for Avengers/Invaders 1 look awesome : Romita at his very best!!
     
    Excelsior!
    FEDERICO - ITALY

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  4. XXXPHOENIX
    ...once again no 9.9
    HI Guys!
    I have been away for a while
    Mego World Greatest Superheroes are my new passion so CGC books have lost the top priority in my collection...but despite of this I keep on submitting books...
    I have just received 60 graded comics (mostly early copper age) I had shipped to CGC in February 2016. 39 working days to get the awaited "graded" status is a VERY LONG TIME in my opinion.
    Honestly, after 38 submissions, I need to say that this long waiting really demotivates me a lot. I think that 15-20 working days should be the maximum acceptable amount of time.
    These books were selected during 2015 and most of them came back in 9.4 (the minimum grade I usually accept for post 1980 books) or better...
    2x 8.5 3x 9.0 9x9.2 13x9.4 17x9.6 16x9.8
    ...with the gem being a complete DD 227-233 (Nocenti Miller) run...that resulted in an almost complete set in 9.6-9.8 (weirdly 227 came out in 8.5 )
    Unfortunately after 38 submissions to CGC for a total of 880 books I still haven't received a single 9.9
    TITLE ISSUE FORECAST CGC
    Amazing Spider-Man 255 9.4-9.6 // 9.6
    Amazing Spider-Man 343 9.6-9.8 // 9.4
    Avengers 299 9.6-9.8 // 9.6
    Avengers 300 9.6-9.8 // 9.4
    Cloak & Dagger 4 9.6-9.8 // 9.8
    Daredevil 227 9.4-9.6 // 8.5
    Daredevil 228 9.4-9.6 // 9.6
    Daredevil 229 9.4-9.6 // 9.6
    Daredevil 230 9.4-9.6 // 9.6
    Daredevil 231 9.4-9.6 // 9.8
    Daredevil 232 9.4-9.6 // 9.8
    Daredevil 233 9.4-9.6 // 9.6
    Elektra Assassin 3 9.4-9.6 // 9.2
    Excalibur 1 9.6-9.8 // 9.8
    Excalibur 6 9.6-9.8 // 9.8
    Excalibur 7 9.6-9.8 // 9.8
    Fantastic Four 322 9.6-9.8 // 9.8
    Fantastic Four 323 9.6-9.8 // 9.6
    Fantastic Four 336 9.6-9.8 // 9.8
    Hulk 369 9.6-9.8 // 9.2
    Spawn 9 9.4-9.6 // 9.6
    Thor 392 9.6-9.8 // 9.6
    Uncanny X-Men 275 9.6-9.8 // 9.8
    Uncanny X-Men 276 9.6-9.8 // 9.8
    Uncanny X-Men 169 9.4-9.6 // 9.2
    Uncanny X-Men 198 9.6-9.8 // 9.6
    Uncanny X-Men 231 9.6-9.8 // 9.4
    Uncanny X-Men 234 9.6-9.8 // 9.6
    Uncanny X-Men 236 9.6-9.8 // 9.4
    Uncanny X-Men 238 9.6-9.8 // 9.6
    Uncanny X-Men 262 9.6-9.8 // 9.2
    Uncanny X-Men 270 9.6-9.8 // 9.2
    Uncanny X-Men 280 9.6-9.8 // 9.6
    Uncanny X-Men 284 9.6-9.8 // 9.4
    Uncanny X-Men 285 9.6-9.8 // 9.8
    Uncanny X-Men 294 9.6-9.8 // 9.4
    Uncanny X-Men 295 9.6-9.8 // 9.2
    Uncanny X-Men 296 9.6-9.8 // 9.6
    Wolverine 4 9.6-9.8 // 9.0
    Wolverine 5 9.6-9.8 // 9.4
    X-Factor 12 9.6-9.8 // 9.4
    X-Factor 14 9.6-9.8 // 9.6
    X-Factor 33 9.6-9.8 // 9.2
    X-Factor 35 9.6-9.8 // 9.4
    X-Factor 71 9.6-9.8 // 9.8
    X-Factor 84 9.2-9.4 // 9.0
    X-Factor 85 9.6-9.8 // 9.0
    X-Factor 86 9.6-9.8 // 8.5
    X-Factor 19 9.6-9.8 // 9.6
    Uncanny X-Men 186 9.6-9.8 // 9.8
    Uncanny X-Men 193 9.6-9.8 // 9.4
    Uncanny X-Men 197 9.6-9.8 // 9.4
    Uncanny X-Men 267 9.6-9.8 // 9.2
    Uncanny X-Men 279 9.6-9.8 // 9.4
    Uncanny X-Men 287 9.6-9.8 // 9.6
    Uncanny X-Men 288 9.6-9.8 // 9.4
    Uncanny X-Men 289 9.6-9.8 // 9.8
    Uncanny X-Men 290 9.6-9.8 // 9.8
    Uncanny X-Men 291 9.6-9.8 // 9.2
    Wolverine 2 9.6-9.8 // 9.8
     
    Ciao!
    Federico - Italy
  5. XXXPHOENIX
    ...in 9.4 and higher!
    Hello my friends...yes.... I did it!
    After a long long search I have finally completed my Eternals Set in high grade!!!
    The Eternals (1976) is one of my favourite Bronze age runs!
    Incredibly intriguing plot plus Jack Kirby art = A REAL MASTERPIECE!
    It was not an easy task to complete this high grade run.
    I submitted most of the books to CGC by myself: some of them were purchased from Superworld Comics, some others were found inside a closet in my parents' house...forgotten for at least two decades. The last issue I found....was the last issue #19...purchased from QualityComix.com in November 2013 as a raw NM+ 9.6 from the Tongie Farm Collection.
    I think I submitted 30 Eternals books in total...some books looked flawless but unexpectely came back home as 8.5 or 9.0...it's the bronze age baby!
    I am not at the top of the ranking and not even on the podium even if all 20 books range from 9.4 to 9.8...but I am super happy because any bronze age book in 9.4 or higher is hard to find!
    For those not familiar with this masterpiece I will cut and paste from Wikipedia:
    The Eternals are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. They are described as an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth. The original instigators of this process, the alien Celestials, intended the Eternals to be the defenders of Earth which leads to the inevitability of war against their destructive counterparts, the Deviants. The Eternals were created by Jack Kirby and made their first appearance in The Eternals #1 (July 1976).
    The storyline took elements from the ideas of the Ancient astronauts, which postulate that humanity may have been visited by extraterrestrials in ancient times and interpreted them as supernatural beings. Thus, a recurring topic of the plots was to use the Eternals, the Deviants or the Celestials to provide explanations for myths or obscure events from history. In particular, many points from the book Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Däniken were incorporated into the plot, such as the Nazca Lines being a spaceport or the Incas getting technological advances from them and in turn worshiping them as gods.
    Kirby began The Eternals when he returned to Marvel after his "New Gods" experience with DC. The Eternals' saga was thematically similar to the New Gods', but the series was also eventually canceled without resolving many of its plots, particularly the Celestials' judgment over humanity.
    I am now looking to start collecting Kamandi..what do you think? Is there any other Kirby run worth being collected a part from FF1-101 ?
    CIAO!
    FEDERICO - ITALY

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  6. XXXPHOENIX
    About the bad habit of not uploading cover scans in the registry...
    This simple thought has been buzzing in my head for a while:
    Do we collect serial numbers or comics?
    I would like to involve all the friends of the collector's society on this issue ...
    I usually browse other collectors' registry sets but, most of the times, I just find lists of serial numbers without covers scans nor descriptions.
    Isn't this sad?
    For this reason, in the past two months I have decided to write descriptions of all my slabbed books (more than 800) and to add the scans of all the covers.
    I can still improve my own sets: for example by writing presentations to all of them but, at least, if everybody uploaded the corresponding cover scan to its CGC serial, it would help to understand that we do not collect serial numbers but colorful valuable items!
    I hope that thanks to this brief thought, other collectors will be convinced to enrich their own sets with descriptions and scans in order to make our registry more colorful and enjoyable!
    HELLO!
    P.S. And yes...the attached picture depicts my entire CGC collection
    FEDERICO
    ITALY

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  7. XXXPHOENIX
    CGC Turnaround times....Finally improving?
    HI!
    I have 90 books sitting in CGC vault...
    the first 30 books arrived at CGC on 11/13/2012, the other 60 on the 01/24/2013. I chose modern tier for all of them.
    I am really excited to see them added to my sets since I sent many high grade AF(Byrne),DD (miller),FF (Byrne), -Men (200-300) and Thor(Simonson)books!
    The first order went into Scheduled for Grading after 76 Working days (I did not count saturdays and sundays) and into graded status after 86 days. After 94 working days it's still in Grading/Quality Control status. I expect to see the books shipped by day 100th...ROTFL!
    The other two orders went into Scheduled for Grading after 42(!!!??) Working days on 03/22/2013... Will they be shipped by working day 70?
    I talked to the excellent CGC customer service last week (Bree you are the best!) and they confirmed they hired new graders and are working very very much to return turnaround times to normal.
    In the last 5 years I submitted more than 25 orders to CGC (600 books in total!)and I was starting to lose motivation for the turnaround time.
    But... for me hunting down raw treasures and getting them graded is very FUNNY!
    What still I don't understand is why all of a sudden 1 year and a half ago the turnaround times for lower tiers became so slow...
    Total Number of Comics Registered: 722
    Total Number of Comics Currently in Sets: 688
    YEAH: The 1000th slab is not so far away!!!
    CIAO!
    FEDERICO - ITALY
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  8. XXXPHOENIX
    AF15 + AS1 + AS700 ...high-grade CGC books on the same table
    Hello fellow collectors!
    Last week I received from CGC one of my latest submissions :
    AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 700, Ditko Variant! It received a decent 9.6...but when I looked at that vintage cover I thought that it would have been nice to reunite the grandfather and father of this comic book...and take a family picture!
    All three books belong to my collection and their particularity is that I did not purchase them already slabbed but they were submitted by me from the "Belpaese"!
    Read the stories of my AF 15 and AS1 here:
    http://comics.www.collectors-society.com/registry/comics/ComicDetail.aspx?PeopleComicID=230328&PeopleSetID=32367
    http://comics.www.collectors-society.com/registry/comics/ComicDetail.aspx?PeopleComicID=207515&PeopleSetID=32384
     
    Ciao!
    Federico - Italy

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