Tony S

The one thing that concerns me is that the sheet of microchamber paper looks like it might be smaller than what CGC uses. (I hope they used two sheets and not just one!) I've unslabbed many a book, including PGX books. Their sheets of microchamber paper are a little smaller. They also typically put them inside the first wrap, rather than inside the cover. They do use two sheets. I have no idea if the slightly smaller size makes any difference or not. The purpose of microchamber paper is to absorb gasses released as the paper ages. Logic suggests a smaller size might not be effective for as long a period of time. But then how long microchamber paper is good for is a grey area that is much debated.

I cannot understand why eBay even allows private auctions/feedback. It is as though they encourage shill bidding. They get paid from his won auctions, don't they? -slym I do believe you have explained it well and completely....

I cannot understand why eBay even allows private auctions/feedback. It is as though they encourage shill bidding.

No pics for you, but a good cleaning would make it look like a different book on the back cover. It looks to me like pretty much all that would clean off.

I don't think anyone doubts you. Evidence of this has been presented on the boards before. Classic statement! As someone with an ex-wife I laughed out loud.

bcc, the 3 comics he cracked open and regraded all looked undergraded by cgc. DJBrady only shows the front covers on his auctions so I wonder if there's damage on the back covers. Do you remember? I guess part of his methodology is to look over hundreds of slabs with an eye for good "front cover" appeal. To me, looking at his pics, the JIM 83 & the DD 1 look like they could actually pass for the grades he gave them (which makes me think they must have flawed back covers), the Hulk 1 he's selling doesn't come close to a 7.0, but it looks like it could be a 5.0 or 5.5 judging from the front cover. If you have pics of the 3 comics in their CGC slabs I would love to see them, especially the back covers. BTW.... I am SO grateful for these boards educating me about crooks like Djbrady. I too think this is part of Ryan's game plan - looking for CGC graded books with exceptional eye appeal for the grade. I'm also fairly sure he understands and uses to his advantage some of the differences between CGC and PGX's grading. For instance I have held in my hand a Shadow 1 PGX 9.8 that clearly had staples that had rust cleaned off them. PGX doesn't have a "qualified" label, which is what CGC would have given the book. The Hulk 1 is laughably overgraded at 7.0, but it looks better than 4.0. The JIM 83 initially looks like it could be 6.5. If you enlarge the scan (the only scan) there is a faint diagonal color breaking crease that starts at the bottom left. It is clearly visible in the dark grey bricks, but then seems to disappear in the red banner on up. My guess is in hand you might be able to make out a bit more of this crease. MAYBE I see it very, very faintly in the building behind Thor's leg. The deal with such a crease is I've seen CGC give books like this grades vary from 5.0 to 6.5, depending on how faint and how long the crease is. I have a CGC 6.5 right now with a very faint sub crease that is similar, but not the same. Just barely visible for a couple of inches at the bottom then pretty much disappears. Since the crease on this JIM 83 is easily viewed for a couple of inches, I think that is the why of the 5.0. So 5.0 is probably the more accurate grade. To me, the real pity is that this JIM 83 could likley have been upgraded with CGC. If I had it in hand at a show I would have had Stan sign down where the color breaking crease shows. It is a good place for a signature and Stan slants his signature up just like the crease. More than a few books have been upgraded just by having him sign over such a defect. What is also interesting is that these shenanigans don't always pay off for them (IRyan and Brady are two different people. What isn't know is if Ryan just sells under his friend Brady's account) But it's not unusual for their books sell for substantially less than the price it would have gotten in a CGC holder. If you don't dismiss purchasing a PGX graded book out of hand and actually look at any given book you might like, there are some deals to be had. It's no secret that many books graded by PGX in their early years are strictly graded. 2005 and 2006 are "good" years. I too would be interested in knowing when Ryan Elliott became associated with PGX. If you ask, you will be told he does not work for them.

Last year at this time, there were 7 cgc 9.9's. Now there are 15. It seems like the people that wanted a 9.9 and had the means to buy it, have done so. Now the prices are dropping to the next tier buyer. I stole this link from ExcludedTim on the TWD thread http://www.cgcdata.com/cgc/issuehistory.asp?comicid=43829 Interesting data. Thanks for sharing, I don't think that the WD 1 9.9 selling for $7600 had anything to do with CL and their clientele. The number 19 in 9.8 sold for $620 or about $100 over the 12 month average price. The number 7 in 9.9 came in right at the last recorded GPA sale. So there appears to be plenty of WD collectors at CL's auctions. The downward trend on 9.9's is most likely as you've said - there are twice as many 9.9's now as there were a year ago. But not 2x as many people looking to pay the 9.9 premium.

That's crazy!! I have a modern FT received 10/31 still in QC. Good for you!! Congrats (thumbs u You really do have my sympathy. Waiting is awful. I suggest you call up to "inquire" about the status of your invoice. I don't know for sure it helps - but I think sometimes it does.

They can sit at different stages for a very long time - or only a day. When were your books received? Modern (non-FT) received 10/10 shipped today (12/4). My FT moderns received 11/4 also shipped today! Wee!

So basically you don't like the show, you wont buy or read the book, and you're spending time writing in a walking dead thread? Such gall! Imagine the absolute audacity and steely nerve of someone who doesn't like something voicing that dislike! Watching the show with my wife and daughter I came to enjoy the show. Until the last few episodes this had been what I thought the most sensible and therefore - for me - the most interesting season. They settled in enough to start doing some things you would expect to be done. A counsel was formed for decision making. They started farming. Hershel's influence on Rick and the larger group brought them back to a place you could call a moral center. Rick begin to talk about "safety in numbers" They did all this and still kept the show interesting by introducing new types of threats. The flu and the threat from within of members dying from ordinary causes. Rogue members that feed the zombies at night like pets and Carol doing things with no one else's knowledge or permission. But noooooo. It's not enough. My wife is done too. Or so she says now. As for my spending time writing in a WD thread, don't worry your pretty little head any. I waste a lot of time here on the boards. And having retired from my day job four months ago, I have a bit of free time. It keeps me off the streets and out of trouble. BTW, I think it's way safe to say that 99.5% of the people that watch the show have never read the comic book. The comic book's monthly circulation runs around 300,000 copies a month (absolutely huge numbers by today's standard. In October, Batman was #2 at 124,000). Meanwhile, 12 million plus people watch the show. And I think it safe to say that in the case of WD more than most, some collectors are purchasing more than one copy. There are no "duplicate" viewers of the show.

I intend to do just that. I'm tired of this group never making what I'll call any "forward progress". It's the same plots endlessly recycled. Add a bunch of members so you can have a blood bath killing them off. Kill people in ever more gruesome ways. About the time the group settles in and starts doing something constructive, have some major calamity and scatter them all over the country side - so you can have them find each other again and start over. It's not boring. It's senseless and stupid. The groups do so many stupid things trying to list them all would be work. For instance. Last time Rick's group drew the Governor's people into the prison and kicked their asses. Should have wiped them out, but that is a different issue. Sunday, they stand along the fences guns blazing. The Governor had already announced he wanted the place intact. So retreat inside and wait. It isn't safe for he and his people to stand outside the fence for days, so he'll either come in or go away. At some point the Gov's people have to try to take the prison from the inside, one cell block at a time. Advantage to Rick's team. And of course a good rifle and a scope could have taken the Gov out and the remaining people probably would have taken the offer to coexist. Then Rick goes mano a mano with the Governor as he walks past the bus he's hiding behind. That no one else notices is stupid too. What, they all forgot he was behind the bus?? But that's not quite as stupid as Rick - who gets the absolute snot beat out of him. Here is a suggestion Rick: He just cut off Hershel's head and he's leading a small army. Shoot the SOB in the back as he walks by. At this point, Rick's kid is smarter and a better leader than his old man. I'm done. But it won't affect the comic book prices, as I don't read or purchase them.

Business day 26 by my count and I was advised today that it should be about another week before my 10/23 (graded 11/6) FAST-FREAKING-TRACK Moderns might ship. BUY ANOTHER ENCAPSULATION MACHINE AND TRAIN SOMEONE TO USE IT! So I guess my 11/4 FT moderns are going to sit a bit longer still? I Just like yours, mine have been sitting at "graded" for over a week. I called today and was first told that "with the holidays it hasn't been 20 days yet". I replied that FT moderns were 10 days. "Oh, yeah. Right. Well, they are behind because of the holidays and working to get caught up." Apparently they see no need to update their site, since FT moderns are listed as 20 business days on the site: http://www.cgccomics.com/services/Services.aspx Thanks for pointing that out. I wonder when it changed?

Business day 26 by my count and I was advised today that it should be about another week before my 10/23 (graded 11/6) FAST-FREAKING-TRACK Moderns might ship. BUY ANOTHER ENCAPSULATION MACHINE AND TRAIN SOMEONE TO USE IT! So I guess my 11/4 FT moderns are going to sit a bit longer still? I Just like yours, mine have been sitting at "graded" for over a week. I called today and was first told that "with the holidays it hasn't been 20 days yet". I replied that FT moderns were 10 days. "Oh, yeah. Right. Well, they are behind because of the holidays and working to get caught up." Apparently they see no need to update their site, since

Most likely. I don't really care when or if the WD bubble pops. I just want the TV show to get interesting again. I'm disappointed this past month. I am tired of introducing lots of new members just so there can be a big blood bath. I'm totally bored at the thought of another assault on the prison by another group led by the Governor. I haven't read the comic, does the TV show diverge from the comic in this regard? Or is this what basically happens in the comic too? Because if the comic is like this then I guess I'm not missing anything. nope. "nope" to which question. Does the TV show diverge from the comic book in this regard? Or is this what basically happens? I don't read the comic - just watch the show. I know from previous discussions the show does change things. So does the comic book have the Governor assault the prison repeatedly with different groups he leads? Do they introduce lots of new characters just to have sheep to slaughter?

Most likely. I don't really care when or if the WD bubble pops. I just want the TV show to get interesting again. I'm disappointed this past month. I am tired of introducing lots of new members just so there can be a big blood bath. I'm totally bored at the thought of another assault on the prison by another group led by the Governor.

If it is one of the large dealers or several of the large dealers throwing together - exactly what happened in sports cards - you don't need to "steal away" any business from CGC. Just those dealers sending their stuff to the new grading company is plenty enough business. Plus they have enough (more than one dealer claims a million + inventory) material to "prime the pump". They can quickly get enough graded material out there on the market to LOOK like a serious competitor. So ... Mile High, again? I suppose the eyeroll is significant? Chuck is controversial on these boards - though plenty of boardies will admitt to purchasing books from Mile High. But people on these boards constantly forget that we are a teensy, tiny part of the hobby. To the overwhelming majority of the comic collecting world, Mile High is the place that found the Mile High collection and claims to be the largest comic book store in America. Mile High is hardly the only possibility. There are several other what one could call major dealers with huge inventories, wharehouse facilities. substantial staff and name recognition. Surely you can think of a few more? The idea of one of the publishers getting involded isn't far fectched either Nor is it the least bit far fetched to think that maybe an existing business like Collectors Universe would get involved. If your not familiar with them, Collectors Universe is much like CCG (parent company of CGC). They are a publicly tranded company that is one of the very few hobby companies listed on NASDAQ. The own PCGS (coins) PSA (cards - and arguably the best regarded sports card grades) and PSA/DNA (autograph certification) Think outside the box, folks

If it is one of the large dealers or several of the large dealers throwing together - exactly what happened in sports cards - you don't need to "steal away" any business from CGC. Just those dealers sending their stuff to the new grading company is plenty enough business. Plus they have enough (more than one dealer claims a million + inventory) material to "prime the pump". They can quickly get enough graded material out there on the market to LOOK like a serious competitor. TAT is key. But as I said before, CGC leaves a potential competitor lots of other areas that they could expand or improve on. Get rid of the qualified label and do Split grades. Have the label show individual grades for various areas. A signature authentication service or process. Slab loose items like 3D glasses or COA's. Vanity labels ("john's very first comic book purchase") In other words, take a look at what other grading services in other hobbies are doing. No interest in CGC closing it's doors. But a bit of healthy competition is good for everyone. Ford and GM are making some of their best cars ever because of Toyota. And Toyota is upping it's game due to Hyundai

It is not going to devalue by 50-60%. Ten years from now I think #1 in CGC 9.8 is still easily a $1K to 1100 book. WD #1 is still the AF 15 of the modern age or the TNMT #1 of this generation. 10 years from now CGC will most likely be long gone. If you think because they will have a competitor than I would say you are incorrect. I'd say because TAT's are going to get up to a year or more at this pace, for Fast Track. Even though your hyberbole of a comment will never happen that still wouldn't prove why CGC wouldn't be around. No competition ever I wouldn't go that far. Coins and cards all have 3-4 major, respected grading companies and several each that come and go. It mostly depends on if another grading company sees an opening. Or - and this is one of the ways it happened in coins and sportscards - if one or several big dealers band together and form a grading company because of what they see as poor service/prices to high. I can think of several dealers off the top of my head that if they wanted to do this have the staff, space, inventory and reputation. They only have to think there is a need. My fast track modern received 11/4 is still sitting on graded. It's at least 3 days overdue subtracting holidays and shows. None of the above means CGC would go out of business. But a competitor is a very real possibility. The WD show sucks this year. Please name them. Also tell me what their business plan would be besides a better turn around time that can't quickly be shot down as a reason why it would make people use them instead of CGC. No, I won't name them. That's how rumors get started. "Hey, I heard xxxx is gonna..." It's rather narrow view that you can't envision there could ever be a competitor to CGC. That's what General Motors thought. It's what Polariod thought, It's what AOL thought And you seem to not comprehend just how big an issue TAT's are to dealers. It's almost reason enough all by itself. But then a competitor could also offer other services for free that CGC charges for, like grading notes. Or offer services CGC doesn't offer, like split grades, individual grades (FC,, BC, interior) Or grade a few things CGC won't. Or put loose items like COA's in the holder. Or have/work with a signature authentication service. I'm not even trying hard to think of these things. Besides, we don't even exactly disagree. I don't think it likely that another service would put CGC out of business. I just don't think it's unlikely that in the next decade a real competitor won't appear. Isn't this a discussion thread on WD?

Yes. But I don't think it would cost near one million. Not if you already have a warehouse, staff that work for you that have been grading comics for decades and an inventory of one million books or more. Oh. And a well known name. Several come to mind. One stands out. And in sports cards, several dealers pooled their resources.

It is not going to devalue by 50-60%. Ten years from now I think #1 in CGC 9.8 is still easily a $1K to 1100 book. WD #1 is still the AF 15 of the modern age or the TNMT #1 of this generation. 10 years from now CGC will most likely be long gone. If you think because they will have a competitor than I would say you are incorrect. I'd say because TAT's are going to get up to a year or more at this pace, for Fast Track. Even though your hyberbole of a comment will never happen that still wouldn't prove why CGC wouldn't be around. No competition ever I wouldn't go that far. Coins and cards all have 3-4 major, respected grading companies and several each that come and go. It mostly depends on if another grading company sees an opening. Or - and this is one of the ways it happened in coins and sportscards - if one or several big dealers band together and form a grading company because of what they see as poor service/prices to high. I can think of several dealers off the top of my head that if they wanted to do this have the staff, space, inventory and reputation. They only have to think there is a need. My fast track modern received 11/4 is still sitting on graded. It's at least 3 days overdue subtracting holidays and shows. None of the above means CGC would go out of business. But a competitor is a very real possibility. The WD show sucks this year.

It's getting boring.... It's getting way boring. The writers seem to have run out of good ideas so just recycle old ones. Add a bunch of new people to the group so you can have a blood bath. Have the Governor head up a new group so you can have another assault on the prison. Only this time, instead of setting up traps in the prison Rick's group will apparently stand at the fence guns ready. I'm especially tired of the Governor. I can't believe they are going to have prison assult II. At least not so soon. Maybe two years from now I'd find it interesting.

Just called CGC about a Economy FT that was received by them 9/13. I was told Economy FT are "running about a month and a half". Joy.

Economy FT seems to be behind. As of 10/1 I have an 8/27 economy FT submission that has been sitting at graded for a week. Two 9/3 Economy FT are actually slightly ahead of the 8/27 submission as they are at graded/quality control.

I'm glad it's not just me. When I read the posts on Yahoo about the show people seemed to have liked it. But I thought it was slow, boring and a poor adaptation of SHIELD. Feels like a milking of the franchise rather than something interesting and fresh. And that seems doubly regrettable as it shouldn't be hard to do something fresh. Introduce some of Marvel's vast array of characters. Don't just talk about "the Battle of NY and everything has changed". Let's see some of the every thing has changed. Someone else already said it - but it was more like a CSI type show.

Most likely - based on the properties of Barex plastic - it is a couple of seconds at 300-350 degrees.