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Tnerb

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Journal Entries posted by Tnerb

  1. Tnerb

    CGC vs. PGX

    By Tnerb,

    Beta vs. VHS; Blue Ray vs. HD; Star Wars Vs. Star Trek; and the list goes on.
    Both CGC and PGX use the same basic principles to encapsulate their books. The following was taken from their own sites.
    The first is from CGC:
    The newly-printed labels are stacked in the same sequence as the comics to be encapsulated with them, ensuring that each book and its label match one another. The comic is now ready to be fitted inside an archival-quality interior well, which is then sealed within a transparent capsule, along with the book?s color-coded label. This is accomplished through a combination of compression and ultrasonic vibration. The result is a newly-encapsulated CGC comic, ready to be shipped to its proud owner.
    The second is from PGX:
    Our holder also offers optimal protection for your book -- the airtight inner-holder is surrounded by a durable outer-holder, which preserves and protects your book much better than conventional storage methods. Each book has two pieces of micro-chamber paper inserted inside the book to help absorb any gases or acids the book lets off over time, thereby helping to slow down the aging process a great deal.
    It seems that the above keep comic books safe from being damaged and retain the grade given but how do Both CGC and PGX grade. PGX has a comparative price list on what they charge and what CGC charges; CGC only has what they charge. However anyone keeping up with encapsulating their books knows that the information PGX has is outdated. I do not know how PGX can compete if they are not even updating their own website. The company has so much potential but at the moment they cannot hold a candle to CGC?s light (that was so clich?).
    I remember when I first started to collect back issues. Most books when becoming a back issue were simply put in a bag with a board and then twenty five cents was added to the price stated on the cover. This was probably just to cover the cost of the bag and board. I remember when extra issues from my local comic book shop were put in the back issue bin I still recall seeing the New Mutants #98 for only a $1.25. Now years later CGC comes along and grades this book (along with the success of Deadpool) and the comic has been selling for over two hundred dollars (graded as a 9.8). I recently read that a 9.9 fetched a few thousand dollars. I do not think this book would be anywhere close to this price in a simple Mylar.
    I have this book (the previously mentioned New Mutants #98). I purchased it off the rack, read it, and put it in a Mylar bag with board. I didn?t do this with all my books, barely any in fact, but I loved this series so much that when (starting with) issue #86 came out I labored to take care of this series. I plan on getting my #98 graded with the hopes of receiving a 9.8. I looked it over numerous times. The spine is tight. The corners crisp. The staples clean, dare I dream a 9.9 when I expect a 9.6?
    I have one PGX 9.9 (my only PGX). Of course it is from The New Mutants, issue #5 in fact. I purchased it off of e-Bay under the ?make an offer? option. I offered $45(the average I like to pay for a 9.8 from this series). He accepted. I now have the book in my collection of 10 to get graded by CGC (the only reason I purchased it was to get one book closer in my attempt to get all the New Mutants in a 9.8) at Wizard World 2010. I inquired to them if they would do this. My reply is that they would but there was no guarantee it would receive the same grade. I understand this but I wonder if it does not receive the same grade how do the two separate companies agree or disagree on what is and what is not a flaw.
    The #5 is indeed crisp. The corners are magnificent; the cover colorfully vibrant. I stared over and over at the staples and they are my main concern. They are clean but where the cover is attached I question the space between metal and paper. I would have graded this book a 9.8 by Overstreet?s Grading Standards but then again I am strict in grading my own books, maybe too strict but I don?t want anyone telling me that I only gave it a high grade because it?s mine.
    So how do CGC and PGX grade? A rip is a rip, very east to distinguish; a rusty staple also very easy to tell, but what about spine stress. I have Daredevil #158 (graded an 8.0) which looks nicer than my X-Men #141 which I bought from auction as a 9.6. Sure it helps my points when I add it to my registry but I don?t get as much joy out of it as let?s say a Rom or the Human Fly graded in a 9.8 (just kidding). If I brought both with me to Wizard World 2010 would they look them over (the Daredevil and X-Men not The Human Fly and Rom)? Would my 9.6 drop, would my 8.0 increase? I plan on bringing a copy of X-Men #142 to get graded by CGC. This raw book is beautiful (better than the 9.6 141of X-Men I won) and anything less than a 9.6 would make me lose faith in CGC?s ability to grade properly or consistently.
    I am reminded of the days when there was VHS and Beta. Beta had better quality and better packaging (think green, they were smaller), but VHS had better marketing. Recently it was Blue Ray vs. HD. Blue Ray won. Who would win between CGC and PGX? If PGX could allow them to excel in so many areas including placing themselves into the forefront of the market rather than sit back and take the scraps that CGC leaves behind, I believe PGX could dominate. I am reminded when UPS went on strike about ten years ago and Fed Ex had the opportunity to excel?..they didn?t.
    Until then my preference is CGC. I can?t tell you why. Maybe it is the comprehensive registry. Maybe it is the journal?s that are so easy to post and get feedback from. It could also be like a pedigree that the market has deemed them the first and foremost expert in grading comic books. But if I had anything vested in either company I would honor another fully encapsulated book and grade it the same grade if they wished to switch their collection from PGX to CGC or vice versa. After all a rip is a rip and a rusty staple is a rusty staple, which leaves the question how many creases does it take to lower a grade and which company is better suited to make the distinction?
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb
  2. Tnerb
    What do you mean it's over already?
    I planned on bringing only ten comics to get graded and I brought 19. I planned on bringing some books for a pre-screening and opted not to(and I am glad I didn?t bring them). I became closer to completing my run of Daredevil Vol. 1. I even picked up quite an amount of Submariner Vol. 1, and I even purchased a copy of Avengers #57 after three years of searching for the price comparative to the condition (still paid too much but they are there to make money). I bought bags and boards (but not as many as last year) and some hardcover TPB?s. I am finally reading the Avengers/Invaders story line.
    I didn?t buy any graded books this year probably because I am getting such good deals on E-bay and Heritage that they seemed a bit outrageous. I mean seriously $5200 for a Daredevil Vol.1 #7 in a 9.2. The same guy has had it over a year. I say start marking it down and sell the thing. I understand wanting a firm price but that little book is taking up retail space. Of course I would gladly pay you $100 for it (hey it?s my journal I can dream a little bit.)
    I do have lots and lots of reading material not to mention an entry about how well I graded my books to what they graded my books. I did not get many 9.8?s on a few of the extra books I gave them to grade (maybe they read 9.8 for 9.8?s sake). I knew that would back fire. All in all I had a good time. I spent no more than I saved for (although I easily could have) but I do have a local convention in a month and a half, and I have a better eye for what I want because once I am done with my Sub-Mariner collection I am jumping to Tales to Astonish starting with #70. I guess I owe to CGC for making collecting comics fun again, I just didn't think they would do it for raw copies too.
    Thanks for Reading
    Tnerb
  3. Tnerb
    The second day of spending continues
    Here it is Day Two of Wizard World 2010. I received my books back from CGC and did the unthinkable and gave them four more. I am also starting to rethink giving them a fifty lot for a pre-screen. I am going to have to rethink my expenses (I did spend a lot). If I do the math correctly if all would return with a grade of 9.8 then my final ticket would be $850 pre shipping costs?not to mention insurance. I could give the attitude that it is only money.
    Today seems to be a signature day, the two main attraction being Patrick Stewart and Bruce Campbell signing away has fans teeming in long lines, not to mention people taking pictures galore. I just watched as Deadpool and Harley Quinn hugged (as they pointed guns at each other?s head) for a photo op. It is closer to the end of the show and there are only two more books (maybe three?.um four) books I really want to buy. I?d be happy if I could get these two (three) in particular tomorrow at the end of the show. You know the day where the dealer decides does he want the money or the comic book.
    It is towards the second day but apparently (a variation of that word accompanies one of my graded books) this day was a busier day because they were supposed to close at six and have decided to stay open till eight (two more hours to wait for my books). Either Wizard or the Convention center is making money (most likely both). I know that if I do send my books on the fifty ?lot?, there are at least ten I would try to sell to make up for what I spent, but of course do you really make it up. I might not but it might be a good start on E-bay for a bigger and better business. The main problem is not so much if I can ?Buy to sell?? (which I have mentioned before?twice) but how will that change me and my involvement with the hobby.
    Thanks for Reading
    Tnerb
  4. Tnerb
    Here I am at the convention
    I am sitting here at Wizard World 2010. I am taking a break from my wanderings even though I already had lunch with my Parents. They live in the area so it is also a good drop off point for some of the books I bought. I don?t know how much I plan on still buying because I feel somewhat let down. It might be because they do not have as many panels as they did last year. Marvel and DC seem to have decided it isn?t even worth being here. I would have hoped that would have left a hole here to be filled by Dark Horse with the news of Jim Shooter returning, but no.
    Of course the main reason I am here has paid off. My comics are safely in some conference room being looked over by CGC?s staff. I found a place to buy some bags and boards tomorrow (along with some boxes) and I was even able to replace two of my CGC comics that went missing in the mail. There are many vendors that have some good deals?.but not great deals. I am sure by the end of the show those great deals will emerge but until then I am just walking aimlessly. I can?t say it is all bad because as I walk around my bag that I have brought grows heavier.
    In fact I need to stop buying because my bag is heavy with out the books I came to get graded (have I mentioned how much I love same day grading). My eleventh one was a copy of Graphic Novel #4 staring The New Mutants (3rd Printing) and they do not have the proper tools to encapsulate it. I will bring it back so they can take it with them along with my pre-screen lot, the only thing is if I don?t continue buying maybe I?ll just get another fifteen books graded and not worry about the other 35. At least I will have all night to think about it. I might even just bring a camera tomorrow and not buy anything again till Sunday.(Yea right)
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb
  5. Tnerb

    Wizard World 2010

    By Tnerb,

    After another year it's finally here
    It is the currently the night before the convention. Wizard World Philadelphia 2010 is finally here. I sit typing away with the eleven books from ?My ten to get graded? both parts 1 and 2 on the table. The one book I am having trouble grading is my copy of New Mutants #15.
    This book has followed me through the years. Even when I had to place the majority of my collection in storage I still had this book with me. The grade will be low and I don?t mind that. The problem is I won?t be able to read it again unless I open the slab up and if that is the case why get it graded at all. Of course if I have the chance I might try to get it signed by all those who contributed.
    I am getting this graded because I want a full set of The New Mutants graded as I stated in ?A set of New Mutants?? I know they will be graded all through the spectrum but that is why I am also collecting a set in a 9.8 or greater. I decided to read it for possibly the last time, even going so far as reading the editor?s page by Jim Shooter(who is coming back to Dark Horse). I will list all the grades I do get and wonder horribly how off the mark I will be, or even scarier is if I am correct in my grading.
    If you are going to be here, have fun, enjoy yourself. I know I will be, and maybe you could post what you brought to get graded. Thanks for everyone reading my posts, thank you for everyone who has ever replied to anything I have written or has posted anything for me to read. Thank you for making this addition to collecting comic books so enjoyable. A special thank you to Bagofleas, Best2u, Triskelion, and Surfer99 for all the comments and great posts as well as camaraderie. It is time for me to eat, then sleep and wake up to go to this three day event. This is my Christmas eve.
    Thanks for Reading
    Tnerb
  6. Tnerb

    A Bunch of Questions

    By Tnerb,

    With eight days left the ? is how much will I spend?
    I have a little more than one week left. My books are already to be brought to Wizard World Philadelphia. I have eleven books that will be graded before the end of the weekend. I have another fifty books that I want to drop off for them to take to pre-screen for 9.8?s. I hope they are all graded as such but dread the financial repercussions. The fifty ?lot? is listed as well as the eleven I will be getting graded in previous journals.
    The book I want graded most of all will most likely receive the worst grade. I have owned this book for twenty six years and I plan on reading it one more time, because after it is encapsulated I will never open it again. I don?t know how I feel about that. I have come to terms with collecting graded books, but only because I already have read them?well except that Daredevil #28 I unexpectedly won. I will have to buy it so I can read it.
    I even started looking at the trade paperbacks they have of the New Mutants so I will be able to read it at my leisure. I do hope that with the resurgence of the New Mutants (and already up to #14) they will reissue them in hardcover as well. I already have lined up the new series to be graded, some of which are part of my fifty ?lot?, which I also already own the hardcover compilations.
    When does it end? When is it enough? I have already strayed outside my designated collecting lane and have tried to real myself back in, but what will happen in eight days time. Will I overspend? Will I regret not spending enough? Will I get more graded books then raw books? And how many more shelving units do I need to buy just to store what I will acquire over the three day convention?
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb
  7. Tnerb
    I don't iron shirts so why should I iron my comics?
    I began originally in ?Pressing the Issue?. Pressing was a term I heard before and disregarded it. I heard it from time to time when I was younger and would hang out longer at a comic book shop allowing me to overhear such conversations. Bottom line was I didn?t care. These days I just enter, buy, and leave however, when I go to a comic book convention I like to look and gawk before I purchase. About once a month, and I say once a month because they only happen ten times a year, on the outskirts of Philadelphia in Essington gathers a group of shops that sell their comic books in a large room. It?s called the Philadelphia Comic-Con.
    I was there this past April checking out a raw copy of X-men #213 and a raw copy of Daredevil #505 variant. Next to me, to my right, I heard two people discussing the books they were going to buy for the sole purposes of grading and then selling. Something I wish I could do (maybe to understand better you can go read Buy to sell Part 1 and 2). As they were in discussion with the proprietor I heard them say something which shocked me into researching, I heard ?CGC is getting soft?
    I continued to look over the two books to purchase and they continued on looking over their own books that they were going to purchase. I didn?t try to listen in but they were rather boisterous in their discussion and they talked about pressing. I listened but only nonchalantly. I decided to make my purchase and walked away as they were still going on and on about pressing them and then sending them off to CGC.
    Since I started to collect CGC graded comic books my views have changed, however slightly and I decided to read up more on pressing. Maybe I am old enough now to really research my hobby. They do say write what you know and I am doing so much that I can to inform myself on my hobby. In my search I found Classics Incorporated, checked them over, then made my way to Wikipedia next (because let?s face it, no search is any search without something from Wikipedia showing up.) As pleased as I was with the information I found on the former I was not as pleased as what I found on the latter. I did find the following quote from Wikipedia
    ?There is a disagreement among comic book collectors on the definition of restoration. Some collectors feel that ANY work done to improve the quality of a book should be defined as restoration. CGC does not consider ?pressing? to be restoration??? disagreement?why is there a disagreement?
    As I mentioned to find a definitive definition on pressing as pertains to the Comic book marketplace I searched and could not find one, but layman?s terms of pressing is ?uses heat to smooth out wrinkles?. At least Wikipedia led me to another site that interviewed Steve Borock (if you Bing his name and Iron Slab it will lead you directly to the interview.) In this interview he was asked about his personal opinion about pressing. Two words sum it up ?Who Cares?. Now there were some 138 words after those initial first two. Now mind you I did go on and read the entire interview and after reading the answer of who cares was from an arrogant piece of vile uncaring money grubbing comic whore. I was wrong. I can empathize with the guy and even share some of the same thoughts but I absolutely disagree with the ?Who Cares? comment. To me that is akin as being in a fight with any of my ex-girlfriends and getting the answer whatever.
    I do recommend that you go read this interview and form your own opinion. As I continued to research this more I read that Steve Borock has left CGC (I am sure you already knew that) on 7-Jul-2008. He left for greener pastures on amicable terms. How come when any company says they left amicably it is always covering up?well we just didn?t get along anymore. Maybe his view of pressing was part of the reason?
    MY thoughts (if they count and you have read this far)
    A car wash does not restore a car much like a bag and board does not restore a comic book. However a good detailer could cut the car and make the cars look as new as possible increasing its resale by a couple hundred dollars however any scratch you can get your nail into won?t come out and will decrease the resale value.
    However, from what I read a good press by a professional will take out the stress lines (stress lines I equalize to scratches) from the spine. So why ?pressing? wouldn?t be considered restoration when adding a piece of tape to hold a ripped page together is considered restoration. In closing how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop? The world may never know.
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb
  8. Tnerb

    Pressing the issue

    By Tnerb,

    What is pressing?
    Dictionary.com has seven definitions and not one of them has anything to do with our hobby. I scanned through the internet with Google and Bing searching for information. The site I like most with any answers is Classics Incorporated. I am only going to touch a little on what they said but recommend if you are interested in the topic to check them out. They mention ?the purpose of pressing is to raise a high grade comic to an even higher grade by removing small defects using non-restorative techniques?
    This puzzles me. What is a non-restorative technique? Any book sent in with tape on a cover or inside a book will be graded, encapsulated, and returned graded with a purple tag. Isn?t restoration the process of returning an item to its original pristine condition? Consider this, when this book was published, bought, and read I am pretty sure it did not have tape in it. So how does tape help restore the condition of the book? The answer (in my opinion) it doesn?t.
    Take a 1967 Chevy Camaro (I fell in love with this car from Better Off Dead), a car like this with the paint peeling, the seats gutted, dash faded, windows broken, and well you get my point. Degraded it is not worth much but restore it and you can name almost any price. Of course the two are entirely different medians of collecting plus I don?t think tape could put a car back together (I have a 1987 Chevy Nova and trust me I tried.)
    However, Pressing is used to remove small defects. Classics Incorporated used an example on their website of the benefits of suing their service. They state ?A copy of Daredevil #3 was originally graded a 9.2 but after close inspection it was revealed that visible defect could be corrected with pressing. After pressing the book was shipped to CGC for grading. It received a 9.4 doubling its value from $750.00 to $1500 for a cost of $75 plus grading fees.? As an investor it is great, a very nice profit, as a collector to press your own book would probably make the owner feel pretty damn good. As a buyer not knowing how would they feel after the fact? Is there a moral ground here?
    When I detailed cars, most customers realized their trade in value increased. When this book was sent into CGC (the Daredevil #3), did CGC know this was pressed? If not did CGC detect and disregard that it was pressed and most importantly why isn?t this book mine?
    To continue Classics Incorporated mentions ?A solid understanding of CGC?s grading standards is essential to determine how each defect will affect a book?s upgrade potential.? This statement is a bit startling.
    To explain I will analogize.
    The first analogy is a kid wants a cookie before dinner and knows without a doubt his/her mom will say no, but dad on the other hand is a sucker for cute faces and would say yes. This child knows the dietary standards of his parents and takes advantage of it. So the kid gets the cookie (kind of like sending in a comic that should be a 9.6 and getting a 9.8)
    The second analogy I will use is of a large breasted woman wearing a low cut shirt and a mini skirt inching dangerously high. She gets pulled over by a male cop (not being sexist just stereotypical, by the way this happened to someone I know). She giggles, bounces, and says she didn?t see the stop sign and was left off with only a warning. (Did I mention she does this a lot? At the same stop sign? And she did it with different cops.) She knows the standards of the male sex drive; took advantage and got way without a ticket.
    I know my journals have been getting longer and I didn?t realize how much on this topic there is. Please any input on this would be appreciated. I believe I even recently read somewhere that CGC no longer considers tape to be a restorative technique due to the person only used it to keep a book they cherished together for readability not to keep it in a pristine condition. Once I find that link again I will write up on that. I will be continuing this in a few days in a follow up to this journal.
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb
  9. Tnerb

    Same day grading

    By Tnerb,

    My first three graded comic books
    I missed the 2006 Wizard World. It wasn?t till 2007 that I was able to make it. I purchased my first encapsulated book as well as my second and third but then I also decided to get a few of my own books from my collection graded. The books I chose were Amazing Spider-Man #129 and Daredevil #158 and #168. At this time I of course knew about a 9.8 grade but I would have been happy with a 9.4 with the books I brought.
    I went for the full three day event. The first day I dedicated myself to walking around searching for books to fill holes in my collection. I stopped by the CGC booth and asked my questions. It was that night at home I seriously considered getting something of my own graded but what book should I bring, what book didn?t I want to read anymore(since I still read my back issues from time to time). I tore through my boxes (not literally of course) thinking heavily on what books would be graded high up on the ten point scale. I made my choice not on one, but three.
    I would love to tell you the first book I pickled to be graded was my Amazing Spider-Man #129 (9.2) but my first choice was probably my Daredevil #168 (9.2), which also so happened to be the first book of mine they graded (at least that?s what I believe with the numbering system they gave my books). I was happy with both those grades that I got and a little unhappy with the grade my Daredevil #158 (8.0) received (I even bought another copy of this issue so I had it to read).
    I guess these were the first three of my addiction. I did a few more the next year (2008-4) and even more the year after that (2009-6 and out of those 6 one was actually rejected, maybe more on that later). This year I plan on bringing eleven to get graded even though they charge a bit more, but let?s face it, same day returns make it worth it.
     
    Thanks for Reading
    Tnerb
  10. Tnerb

    Six Months Ago

    By Tnerb,

    As time flies or Am I writing too much?
    Six months ago I started to write my journals (16-Nov-2009) with my aptly title ?My first journal?. It kind of has the ring of My Little Pony. Since then I have tried to increase my encapsulated collection and continue to write my journals on a regular basis, writing the journals just happen to be cheaper. They?re both equally as fun. I previously have 35 journals written, this one being #36.
    Some of the journals bring up great memories (Direct vs. Newstand (yes I originally misspelled the title on 30-Nov-2009) for me. I try to entertain as I write and recently I try to inform. Unfortunately writing my journals as a memoir are so much easier than trying to write them as a journalist (Action #1 Vs. Detective #27 31-Mar-2010).
    I enjoy seeing my journals get views. Only recently did I see my first journal pass 200 views (Buy to Sell? 20-Feb-2010) and yes I take pride in what I write. I even wrote about hitting my first 100 views (Finally hit a 100 19-Jan-2010) and I hope that mentioning some of these now will compel you to read them and even look over some others that I have written.
    This hobby is great. I truly believe that and we have so many different kinds of people who collect. I grew up on my own with comics, sure I had a friend who collected them but I think he did so because I did. We didn?t talk about Cannonball?s relationship with Lila Cheney or Angel getting his wings ripped off, and why is Spider-Man wearing a black costume. I didn?t have that company and I was OK with that.
    Now I see a different charged atmosphere. Comics are no longer for geeks. They?re for Police Officers, Doctor?s, Scientists, and yes even Waiter?s. Whether you?re Filling Holes (11-Jan-2010) or Collecting too much (29-Jan-2010) or Playing the Odds (3-Mar-2010) make sure whatever you collect that you enjoy it. Let?s see if I can continue this for another six months. And although this journal is a shameless plug to hopefully get you to read more of my journals, I hope it is also a reason to think Hey why don?t I write my own journal and post them yourself. For one I am also looking forward to reading them.
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb
  11. Tnerb

    One month to go

    By Tnerb,

    Wizard World Philadelphia 2010 is almost here
    One Month to go
    Here it is only a month away till Wizard World Philadelphia 2010. Back in January when I started to save for this event I felt like it was closer and would be here before I knew it. Now I only have one month to go and I feel like I still have another year. I am almost up to the amount I want to save to bring with me. Let?s face it, this hobby could be expensive. Now of course I mentioned I almost up to the amount I want to bring with me, god knows I would spend so much more.
    With this in mind I normally love these conventions so I could fill the holes of my collection. Daredevil being first and foremost, I only need about 15 more. CGC will be there and grading books on site. A one day turn around isn?t that bad. Of course they up the charge a little bit but hey it is a guarantee that I will be getting the books (and let me tell you I am extremely pissed at the United States Post office at the moment) I have eleven books to bring with me, which should add up to a little under three hundred dollars, then there is the fifty book prescreen I plan on bringing for them to take, if they are all graded at a 9.8 that will be $850, not including shipping and insurance.
    That means I plan on spending over a $1000 on just a grading service. I have to wonder what is wrong with me when my main love of the hobby is getting my books graded and not getting books. Although like I mentioned, it is the fact they will be graded the dame day which clinches it for me, and as well with the prescreen I will at least have another month to save up for the extra money, so by the end of the day I will most likely spend a $1000 more on the convention without even bringing anything home from it. (I do like to purchase Gyclee?s I have this great one by Alex Ross but I digress.)
    I will look for certain books including a certain storyline someone mentioned recently in a journal but I hope and pray I do not go overboard, since this can be very addicting. By the end of the day, I will have 11 books graded and ready to put up on the registry, then a possibility of another 50 books back after that, some of which I will probably sell, hopefully at a profit. I don?t care if it is much of a profit as much as I care about getting my money back. I really have to learn to buy to sell and not feel attached to the books, after all I did get rid of over 12,000 books just for space, and I am already running out of storage.
    Oh, did I mention the possibility of purchasing already encapsulated books. Last year I started to save for the convention after the last one but found some good buys on e-Bay and found Heritage auctions, not to mention comic link. So let us see what happens after the comic convention when I brag about what I got and mope about what I spent. I think I will brag more than mope because when you save for something it is so much easier to spend for it.
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb
  12. Tnerb

    My 50 lot pre-screen

    By Tnerb,

    The List, the Whole List, and Nothing but the List
    Ok, the following is a list of fifty books I plan on bringing to Wizard World 2010. I am planning on a pre-screen of 9.8 (or better). There were a few I thought would NOT get the coveted 9.8 I already disregarded from the pile.
    The first group of 13 is all Robin II from the collector?s box set. There are 4 #1?s, 4 #2?s, 3 #3?s, and 2 #4?s. All are either direct or newsstand versions (although the newsstand versions do not have the bar-code) of the comic book.
    Next is the Wizard Copy of Daredevil #1
    Daredevil Vol. 2 #?s 1-7 I am hoping will all receive a 9.8. I had to deduct #8 from this list due to a crease on the upper right corner.
    Spider-Man #1, bagged, green cover, I just need to give them a note giving the permission to open the bag.
    The Full Daredevil: The Man without fear #'s 1-5.
    The following Numbers from New Mutants Vol. 1 as follows 50,87,88,90,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99,100.
    The following Numbers from New Mutants Vol. 3 as follows 2 different #1?s, #12 Iron Man variant, #12 ?Finch? variant.
     
    Daredevil #506 ?Iron Man? variant.
    DoomWar #1 Storm cover
    And WildC.A.T.S. Gold foil edition.
    That is my list of fifty, and if you were actually counting it adds up to 47. The reason I omitted three is I felt upon closer inspection that they would be a 9.6 and no higher. I will get them graded but I know that since they will not get a 9.8 there is no reason I should send it in for the pre-screen. The following three are to be determined later, but chances are they will be some New Mutants books?and most likely they are the books due out 12/May/2010.Hey I am addicted. One Month to go.
    Thanks for reading.
    Tnerb
    PS. I recently made a list of the ten books I am bringing to Wizard World 2010 (10 to get graded Part 1 (4/28/2010) & 10 to get graded Part 2 (5/9/2010)) and said there would be a possible eleventh book, that book is going to be Marvel Graphic Novel #4. My guess a 7.5
  13. Tnerb
    The second five
    If you read part one you already know my fist five, this is my second five to bring to Wizard World 2010 since CGC will be doing on-site grading there. If there is anyone in Philadelphia reading this and never went to get their books graded, i recommend it, quick, easy and reasonably priced.
     
    With the convention slowly creeping in and the decision to bring 10 books for encapsulation solidified in my mind I wondered what kind of books I should bring. I decided on the ones I wanted to keep and help my registry points. Not to mention one of my favorite most cherished books in my collection. The first five were in no particular order. These five are the same with the exception of the last one. That one being my most cherished comic book.
    My fist book of this grouping is X-Men #134 from the original series. It is probably one of the nice covers I have from the Phoenix/Dark Phoenix story lines. The X-men are squaring off against the Hellfire Club and Dark Phoenix looks like she really does not care who wins. I purchased this book years ago (should I say decades) at my favorite comic book shop. To be honest I am not sure how I still have this in the condition I do. I have to admit the book looks great and I would have to guess on at least a 9.4. Of course my Amazing Spider-Man winded up being a 9.2 and I thought that was a 9.4 so my final guess is a 9.2
    My next book is also from the first series of X-men. #52 has Eric the Red decimating the X-men. This silver age book has solid covers with minor spine creases. The corners look great to me with the tiniest bit of blunting in the upper left hand corner. It was one of those books that I placed in a Mylar bag almost right away. I would love a Near Mint grade but to be honest this looks like a Very Fine book. I am saying an 8.0
    The third book is from my favorite series the New Mutants, number 54. It is one of the nicer books I have before the Liefeld era. They have their new costumes and Cannonball is playing his favorite sport: Bowling. The black background gives the color in the foreground vibrancy. The spine is sharp and with using my eyes only looks free of any spine stress. This is one of those books I have that makes me wish I kept all my books like this, but unfortunately when I was younger I was all about the quantity of my collection and not the quality (even if I did want the best condition possible, it usually meant back issues not current ones). My hope for this book is a 9.8 but I will guess a 9.6.
    Another silver age book I am picking is Sub Mariner #38. This book is from my before collection days. This is not the one I read over and over again as a kid but one I purchased to have as a better grade. This is probably one of the least likely books I am going to get graded. I should really get my original one graded but this looks to good to pass up. Dare I say if it gets a high grade will I sell it? I do not know. I am not good at grading Silver age Books, let alone any books. Just for the fact I am just not sure. I would guess an 8.0 because it is aged. But it does look better than the X-Men 52. That would leave me as a low ball 8.5. Should I go out on a limb and say a 9. Why not, a 9.0 it is.
    And now for my absolute priced possession, if you have been reading my journals I am pretty sure you have guessed by now, and I do wish it was a Daredevil #1 but that would still not be my most cherished book. That distinction belongs to New Mutants #15, because that is the book that started it all. It is a very well read book. The inside paged are discolored, the corners are blunted, and the spine is riddled with stress lines; creases on the cover as well as so many other flaws from my constant readings. I would be lucky this book receives a 5. So I will guess a 4.0 for the first book of my collection.
    Those are my ten with the possibility of an eleventh. Book number eleven will be a last minute addition. It will all depend on what I spend at the show on the first day. Not to mention I have fifty books sitting aside to bring for a prescreening, which I will list at another time. Wish me luck.
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb
    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  14. Tnerb

    Buy to Sell? Pt 2

    By Tnerb,

    In part one I digressed
    There are many comic collectors out there that have no problem getting rid of a prized item to get another prized item. I don?t know if I could do that. There are books I got graded just for the purpose of selling them, I still have them. I purchased a boxed collector?s set of Robin II. It contains 14 issues(the 4 newsstand and all 10 direct editions). I bought it for thirty dollars for the express service of selling it and making a little money. I still have it.
    My latest thought is to get all 14 issues graded. The question is do I get them graded outright or do I put them together and get a pre-screen done so this way if they are a 9.6 or lower I only pay for the pre-screen, but if they are higher, let?s say a 9.9 or 10, they will be encapsulated. I am most likely looking at three hundred dollars to grade them and then there is the fearful question. Can I sell them? All of a sudden this thirty dollar investment became ten times that amount.
    Let me say that if one of those 14 books is pristine enough to receive a gem Mint grade would I sell it? I know it is only Robin II and to me I fell indifferent about it, but to have a Gem mint would be a desire fulfilled. Now what happens if by some miracle they are all a Gem Mint, well I would keep one and sell the other thirteen as quick as possible. However, I have gotten rid of so much. I even got rid of multiple copies of New Mutants #98. What if one of them was to receive a 9.8? (The things we do when we don?t have enough storage space.)
    At the moment I am only collecting the comics I want. I might pass on a few but when a comic shop has a sale for sixty-five percent off I buy what I passed on the first time. Sometimes I will just pick up the trade paperback when they are released. Most of the times I start to read them at the local book store and then decide if I wish to own them. It would probably be cheaper if I started to collect only the hardcover comics when they come out and purchase the individual copies in a CGC 9.8. Ok so it wouldn?t be cheaper but it would be so much fun.
    I have thought about trying to find some bulk comics and buy them in lots. If I get a good find send them off to get graded and sell them on E-bay, after all many others have sold it why can?t I? Oh yea, that?s because I don?t know if I could buy them to sell them.
    Thank you for reading.
    Tnerb
  15. Tnerb
    The First Five
    June is coming fast and that means I have to make the final decision on what to get graded. I have decided to bring ten comic books with me. The difficulty was getting ten books together. With a bit over a month to go I think I have what I want to bring, I could bring books that I think will get a 9.8. I could bring books that I think will grade high that I could sell, or I could bring something just for the hell of it. Here is the list of 10 (in no particular order not including the last one because it is my favorite book and I like the clich? saving the best for last. If you have been reading my journals since November of 2009 I am sure you already know what book it is.)
    My first book to list is New Mutants #5. I purchased this one on e-Bay for $45. That is my average price I like to spend on my graded encapsulated comic books in a 9.8. This one has a good point and a bad point. The good point is it was graded a 9.9 and the bad point is that it was PGX. I have nothing against PGX but since every book I have graded is by CGC I plan on bringing this with me to get graded. Will they give it a 9.9 as well, or will they claim they have stricter guidelines and lower the grade, and if so will they lower it to a 9.8. Me I always grade low so I am going to say a 9.6.
    My second book is the variant cover of Daredevil #505 with DeadPool. I am not a DeadPool fan at all but the homage to Frank Miller was too great to pass up. I purchased this book just this past Sunday for seven dollars. Not a bad deal. I haven?t even opened it yet since I already read the non-variant cover. I would love for this to be a 9.8 to hang on a shelf in my hallway. The spine is crisp but looks a little frayed. There is a small corner chip in the upper left hand corner. I do think they will grade this book a 9.8. Since I drop a grade I should say a 9.6, especially since I already think The New Mutants #5 will hit that grade.
    Side Note: I would rather expect low and be surprised and happy with a higher grade.
    My third book that I plan on bringing is X-Men #42 Volume #1. This is one of the oldest books I plan on bringing with me. I have had this book for the greater part of twenty years. Now as I look at these I am leaving them in the bags and just eyeballing it. The cover is bright and flat. The edges are not that bad (with the exception of the upper right corner. I should un-bag it and inspect it closer. If I could I would grade this one a 6.0. BUT, (notice it is a big but, maybe I should diet) I recently purchased a 9.6 Uncanny X-Men #141 which I never would have graded a 9.6 so my guess for this one will be an 8.0
    This brings me to my next problem, The Uncanny X-men #142. This is another issue that I have had for a great many years. I look at this and compare it to the 141 I have as a 9.6 and if this cannot achieve a higher grade I will be very upset with the grading standards of CGC. I look at this book and it reminds me of my Amazing Spider-Man #129. I thought that would be graded a 9.4 and it was graded a 9.2. So with that bit of experience I will say my final grade is a 9.2. (However if I have to grade it compared to the 141 I better get a 9.6)
    My fifth book I also purchased along with the Daredevil #505. This book I purchased raw just to try to get a 9.8 grade. (I also overheard something said which I am currently researching for another journal entry). The book is Uncanny X-men #213. The book looks great, colorful, sharp, and for only $16 I could not pass it up. Of course if it does not get a 9.8 then the $16 is a waste. A 9.6 grade and I will sell it, a 9.8 and I add it to my collection. I truly believe they should add a 9.7 grade. I know 9.8?s are not as rare as what I once thought and I know that if I have those high expectations that I better be ready for those crushing blows. I have books that were graded a 9.8 and should not be but I think on that basis I am going to stick with a 9.8.
     
    This is the first five of the ten I plan on bringing in June. I should get them back the same day, if not the next day. I love the same day grading and that is also why I never had to send anything out to get graded. I think that this is the year I might do something crazy. I plan on also bringing 50 books with me for a prescreening. I know they cannot do it there but they can take it with them. This will save me some money (and fear) with shipping and handling. I expect at least 40 to be a 9.8, the rest are borderline (or maybe hopeful). That is a journal for another day.
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb
  16. Tnerb
    How do I stop the addiction?
    I first talked about collecting encapsulated books in part 1 on 20/Nov/2009. Since then it has been tough to budget. I now have one complete box of CGC graded books. I have more on a shelf to fill another box and by the time I finish Wizard World 2010 in June I will probably have a third box filled (if not four). The current problem is I only have one box. I need to purchase more at the show since none of the comic book shops I can get to have them. I found many CGC books on E-bay and I felt compelled to bid for them. Some I won and was happy I did. Unfortunately as I continued to bid on E-bay, Heritage Auctions, and Comic Link I had to dip into my cushion zone to continue my habit.
     
    As my extra funds dwindled I vowed not to purchase any books in March. So, thirty days later and ten more books to my collection I vowed not to buy any CGC books for the month of April. I am now twenty-two days in and have still kept with my promise. Unfortunately, my cushion is still something closer to holding pins then something I could fall comfortably in. I also have to hold off purchasing any graded comic books for the month of May. I had trouble the past twenty two days. I have no idea how I am going to get past the next forty plus days.
     
    The convention begins June 11th and I fear that I will not purchase any encapsulated books on e-Bay or any other auction site, until after the convention. I still watch the auctions to try and find that one book I am allowing myself to bid on. I have a side stash of cash just for the convention. I have at the moment 8 books for them to grade on-site. I then have another fifty books to bring so they can be taken with them to pre-screen. I of course am looking to get all 50 pre-screened for a 9.8. If they all do get that grade I will be spending close to a thousand dollars on getting them graded, insured, and shipped back to me. Am I crazy, deranged, or just infatuated?
     
    Over 60 encapsulated books later I feel it is still not enough. I want to buy another one to add to my collection but I am afraid I cannot stop at just one (it sounds like a potato chip commercial). Of course if I reach my cushion goal quicker I know I will immediately start bidding again, either that or I have to bring less to the convention with me. What would you do?
     
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb
  17. Tnerb
    A modern age pedigree or just overstock?
    I have been collecting outside my means. I set a goal for myself to collect the following titles in a 9.8 grade or better, pretty much I wanted the best condition possible. They are ?The New Mutants?, ?Longshot?, and ?Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars?. Since making that decision I have purchased the ?Uncanny X-men?, Marvel Graphic Novel #4, a couple Spider-Man?s (the Amazing variety), and many other Miscellaneous comic books. My main priority was (and still is) The New Mutants. I believe that there are still twenty different issues readily available that I do not have. I wonder if I did not purchase outside my ?original? guidelines would they already be part of my collection.
    I officially started collecting CGC graded comic books in April of 2009. I started with a copy of The New Mutants #1. If it were not for that book I would not be spending what I have been spending on comic books, then again I would not be having fun collecting either. I estimate by April of 2011 I will have a total of sixty issues from The New Mutants, (don?t hold me to that) after which a slow down period will begin. After all, there are not many of them. This journal was fully plotted out, it was a back story about a loss of a 9.8 (Rom Annual #3) and a readable copy purchase (also Rom Annual #3), but I have since decided to amend everything else. The Annual reminded me why I was never a Rom collector but what I found inside was interesting. It was a simple page of many different companies wanting my twenty five cents so they could send me an issue list of comics they wanted to sell me.
    In the middle of that classified ads page was an ad for a company called Golden State Comics (complete with picture of Nightcrawler) and I began to wonder if it was the same Golden State Pedigree that I was now purchasing through WorldWideComics.com. It seems too much to be coincidence. I have purchased many of these books because they were what I was looking for, not because they were a pedigree. If you visit WorldWideComics.com and look at a book they will list Price, Condition, Page quality, and Pedigree, under Pedigree it will tell you what pedigree it is, or nothing at all. In a time before CGC and PGX a Pedigree usually meant you were purchasing the best conditioned book possible. I would imagine that someone would be more willing to buy a Mile High collection copy at a premium price easier than they would from a small local comic shop. Just the name Mile High would get a collectors attention.
    I have noticed that pedigrees now span so many different sets. In my research (and I hate doing research) I have noticed that the same gentlemen (Stephen Ritter and Matt Nelson) who run WorldWideComics.com (by the way this is not a plug for them, but I do like their site) also started to write a book on pedigrees (collaborated with two others, Mark Haspel and West Stephan who work at CGC (at least as of 2009 when Comicpedigrees.com was last updated). The last listing I see was over a year ago (I imagine business picked up for the worldwide-guys and they since had to shelve the book idea not to mention more and more people sending books of to CGC to get graded). I do not know if the book will ever be out. It was stated there are 45 pedigrees for Golden Age comic books, has that number increased? Will there also be a comprehensive Silver Age listing (they currently have 20 listed and Golden State is not one of them), and if so will CGC honor that listing as genuine? It is quite interesting the information that they have listed and I plan on reading more of it (especially in further detail). The Golden State copies I have are marked only with a sticker on the outside of the slab.
    A pedigree, coming from the words pe de gru (Anglo-Fr.) or pied de gru (Anglo-O.), which means ?Foot of a Crane?, the reason for this is because the branching lines of a genealogical chart looked like a bird?s footprint. For comics to be a pedigree it had to have come from one source, which would pretty much look like a straight line.
    First off a pedigree comic book must have an Origin (and not Wolverine?s, which would be too confusing). A pedigreed collection must have been accumulated by one individual during the time the comics were released on the newsstand (since Golden State was a store, does this count?). Two is Quality. A pedigreed collection must primarily consist of high quality comic books (now with third party grading high quality grading seems to be the norm). Number Three: Completeness: A pedigreed collection must contain a substantial number of key or rare issues, or represent a significant portion of a particular genre, company, period, or classic title/character. And Lastly, Market Acceptance: CGC and the collecting community must continue to recognize the pedigree name of a collection past the point of initial sale. These points were taken from ComicBookPedigrees.com website.
    So back to the Golden State books, are they actual pedigrees? As mentioned above, CGC and the collecting community must accept the pedigree name past the point of initial sale. The sticker is on the outside after all and what happens when the adhesiveness wears off and the sticker falls away. How do I prove that it is a Golden State copy, and does it matter? Will I still buy them? Will you still buy them? I will but only in a 9.8. A pedigree does not mean so much to me as does a condition of a book. I don?t care if the books were left in a hay loft, or some dry basement, or if Nicholas Cage owned them because I?ll tell you, my collection is precious to me (the ones I didn?t have to get rid of) and I would love to send them off to CGC and tell them ?Hey this is part of the Tnerb collection, make sure to mark it as such?.
    I also wonder with companies like CGC and PGX not to mention any future companies that might be established to grade books are Pedigrees still going to be a pedigree. The grade is what I want, how about you? Would you rather have an Iron man #1 from Mile High as a 7.0 or one from a collection sold by a grandmother cleaning out her attic that was graded 9.0. I don?t know why I picked Iron Man as an example, maybe because at one point I did have a copy and the reason I wanted that copy is because it was a #1 from the 60?s and at the age I was, I was able to afford it. To me it was my pedigree. I feel the same way with my Sub-Mariner #38, or even better my New Mutants #15, which I predict will receive a 5.0 when I turn it in to get graded. This is our hobby, our love and our enjoyment. We read, we gawk, and we are amazed at having a book in our hands and love the feeling of winning a bid. We don?t crave who used to own it, we cherish it because we own it and that is what makes it prestigious to us. So I end with this?..
    Is it OK to question the Golden State copies I have as a genuine pedigree or are they just simply overstock? What?s your opinion?
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb
    Bibliography:
    WorldWideComics.com (love the site)
    ComicBookPedigrees.com (some interesting reading)
    Dictionary.com
  18. Tnerb

    Buying to Slab

    By Tnerb,

    ...because I want the best condition possible.
    I want a Daredevil #1. You know the one with the cover where it looks like a blind man designed the outfit. By one price guide, not encapsulated, and in Near Mint condition fetches $3000.00. Other guides have other prices; then of course it also depends on what the seller wants to sell it for. I am going to have to budget better than I have ever done before to get it. This price is also before CGC gets their hands on it. My goal condition would be a 9.0 but I?d be happy with an 8.5, or even an 8.
    My dilemma is this. Do I purchase a low graded reading copy and save up for an already graded copy. Do I purchase the highest uncertified copy I can afford and after reading it, send it off to CGC to grade? Or, do I purchase the best graded copy I can and destroy my record of reading every book I have. (this record has already been destroyed by bidding on an item (an apparent 9.4 DD#28) at a price I could not afford to pass up on. I will be buying a reading copy soon).
    My first option bothers me because even an uncertified copy (let?s say graded around a 4.0) could still cost a couple hundred dollars. Purchasing a certified 9.0 of the same book would add a couple thousand onto the budget. I tried doing this already with a copy of #7 but have yet to purchase a higher grade then the one I originally bought.
    My second option is with Wizard World 2010, a few months away I'll have the chance to deal on the price a little; purchase, read, and have CGC grade it on the spot. Of course no matter how careful I am I know I will have a slight (OK a great) fear of messing it up before having it graded. Then there?s the fact I?d be rushing to get it slabbed all in the same weekend I might overlook a flaw and get a slightly lower grade then what I?d be hoping for.
    The third (and last appeasing) option of course destroys my record for reading every book I own (already gone?bye bye record. Yes this was written in advance and I believe I will not be doing that anymore with journals again?after my next one). The CGC books I do have don?t count since I have been only collecting books in graded condition that I already read. (Lies?..Lies. (Hey who wouldn't pick up an apparent 9.4 DD#28 for only $16.00? That?s what I thought.)) I did mention I was getting addicted didn't I?
    Those are my three options and to me it seems my second option is the best (unless anyone would like to send me a fourth and better option, I?ll accept 5th and 6th possibilities as well.) I figure I could probably find an uncertified copy for about 1200 that I would be pleased with, even more so if I had it graded and received an 8.0 (is that too much to hope for). The following is what I hope for to complete a run of Daredevil?s:
    Daredevil Vol. 2 all at 9.8 and up
    Daredevil Vol. 1: 300-380 all at 9.6 and up
    Daredevil Vol. 1: 250-299 all at 9.4 and up
    Daredevil Vol. 1: 125-249 all at 9.2 and up
    Daredevil Vol. 1: 75-124 all at 9.0 and up
    Daredevil Vol. 1: 25-74 all at 8.5 and up
    Daredevil Vol. 1: 10-24 all at 8.0 and up
    Daredevil Vol. 1: 2-8 all at 7.0 and up
    Daredevil Vol. 1: #1 I would love at a 9.0 or better.
    I figure if I am going to spend the money and make this endeavor I might as well have a standard or set of rules to get the books I want at the price I want so I can get the best condition possible.
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb
  19. Tnerb

    Doubles all Over

    By Tnerb,

    Is two better than one?
    I could never imagine someone picking up a comic book for the cover alone and never being tempted to open it. I started to collect because the cover was so outrageously eye catching I needed to acquire it and read what it was about. The reason why I started to collect CGC graded comic books is because I want to get the best copy financially possible. In essence I am buying a double (not something I?d do with a car).
    I was never a Rom fan. I did pick up a few when they came out but never searched them out. At the time the huge storyline was about the Wraiths, a shape shifting race that made the Skrulls look like your favorite babysitter. I purchased #65 at the 7-11 and couldn?t wait till #66 came out. The attractions promised every Marvel Super Hero would guest star. It?s hard to imagine a day when a single title could tell the story of an alien invasion.
    I check out e-bay more than anywhere else for my CGC graded books when I came across Rom Annual #3 up for auction. It was a 9.8 with white pages. I looked it over, thought about it, and placed my bid. I lost (but you already knew that). I didn?t lose in the last few seconds like I did bidding on two copies of The New Mutants (that one still hurts). I lost because I set a budget limit.
    I realize that if I did win I might start collecting all the Rom in a graded condition, if not just in a 9.8. Over the years Rom had many guest stars and this issue was no different. I was only trying to get it because it had The New Mutants guest starring. I mean seriously was I actually thinking of collecting Rom (this is no way an insult to those who like Rom?..or the Human Fly).
    I purchased X-Men #160 in a 9.8 because it is the 1st appearance of Illyana Rasputin as a teenager. I think purchasing that issue put me into the mentality of collecting other comics with the New Mutants (I also lost on a MTU #100) The reason Rom sticks out so well (other than waiting for #66, which I never got), I went on a spending spree a little after my 13th birthday. I purchased almost every single Marvel title they had out on the racks. It was a little over three months worth. That day I was pleased to carry two bags home.
    Once home I started to read them. I had to do this before my Mom got home from work, I had homework to do. As I was putting them in order to read I realized I Had two copies of Rom #72. This was the first time I ever purchased two of the same book. It was not the last.
    So here I have the option of collecting Rom in a complete slabbed set or just opt to get those that mean something to me. Of course this opens a whole bunch of choices for me to make, like how bad do I want that Sub-Mariner #38 and if I get it will I be compelled to get the whole series. Where do I set my rules and boundaries? Do I get a reading copy and a CGC copy and if so it looks like I will be purchasing doubles all over again, just this time it will be on purpose.
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb
  20. Tnerb
    And the winner is....
    Detecting your actions
    OK! Records were broken. Action Comics #1 fetched an Amazing one million dollars. It almost has the ring of Michael Myers playing Dr. Evil as he wants to hold the world hostage for One Million Dollars?(fold and rub hands together here). I can also hear the henchman say that?s not that much. Then in less than a week Detective Comics #27 sells for a little over one million dollars. That little bit was Seventy Five thousand and five hundred dollars. Do you know how many comic books I could buy with that?
    I imagine (and of course I am sure that this image is highly improbable) that the person who bought the one most likely bought the other. That is Two million plus dollars (and here I thought $3.99 a book was steep). I have trouble fathoming that amount let alone having it lying around for two comic books. Of course I might be able to understand it a bit more if I were a greater DC fan.
    There are two types who would spend this type of money. The first type is the serious fan type. If this person is a fan I have one question?is he (or she) going to open it and read it. Sure CGC will discount the price to reslab the book but what if coffee is spilled on it during a leisurely reading or what if CGC mis-graded it the first time and re-grade it as they re-slab it (remember they can do that) and place a 7.5 as the new official grade. Of course if you are spending that much money on a comic book then I have to believe they will have (or had) no trouble getting a second copy to read.
    That was my initial revulsion when I first saw a slabbed book. I couldn't figure out why someone would pay a premium price on a book they wouldn't open up to read. I read every single book I bought, sometimes twice. Currently every slabbed book I have, I also read. However, I have noticed lately I started to look at other books I don?t currently own (or have ever owned) and try bidding on them. I recently lost out on Rom Annual #3 in a 9.8 with white pages. The cover called to me. It was most likely the little faces in the lower right hand corner advertising the New Mutants. I will look for another copy in a 9.8 (or maybe even a 9.6, they are considerably cheaper). Of course now I am going to have to look for a copy to read.
    The other reason to purchase such a book is for investment reasons. The person who originally purchased Detective Comics #27 did so over forty years ago at the hefty price of one hundred dollars. Maybe then Michael Myers (sorry Dr. Evil) could appreciate how much a million dollars could really get you. A hundred dollars was a lot though, especially for a four color book. I sit trying to consider the mark up on this investment, we are talking over a million percent return (any finance wizards out there could help me out on this.) When these books are sold again (and they will be sold again) might not fetch a million dollars. Other comics in this grade could surface making the rarity of owning one of these books to be less of an honor. Not to mention to get the same return investment that the book would have to fetch somewhere in the one trillion dollar range (there you go Mr. Myers/Dr. Evil). (Once again finance guys help me out here).
    I have purchased a few CGC books that I spent more than I wanted too (and even more than I should) but I am happy with them and have no desire to sell them (at this time) and I hope that whoever did purchase them enjoys owning them as a collector rather than selling them as an investor. Now just let me know when an Amazing Fantasy #15 or Fantastic Four #1 hits that illustrious million dollar mark and maybe then I will be a bit more awestruck.
    Thanks for reading.
    Tnerb
    Ps. (my second Ps) This Ps is written some weeks after the initial journal, (I do have to post these quicker) and as I am rereading before I submit, I knew the eventuality of one of the books would resell if it was an investment, I just had no idea they would resell so quickly.) I just read in today?s (3-30-10) Philadelphia Daily News that the same Action Comic?s #1 that sold for the million dollars just sold for 1.5 million. Take that Batman.
    PPs. I really have to double check the local paper here. It was reported that it was the same copy but alas it was not. This copy was graded an 8.5 by CGC. Either way that is another $500,000 for a half point.
  21. Tnerb

    My 25th Journal

    By Tnerb,

    Just another number or a milestone
    I am having fun with my hobby again. I know the registry is mainly for people who wish to talk about the comic medium but primarily about graded books. I can?t help myself to journal my experience both with CGC books and the ones I read. Since writing my first journal entry I have read every journal since. Some I have commented on to the author. Others I just read and forget. Each one I realize is written by someone who cares about what they collect.
    I mentioned to someone that collecting CGC books is becoming so addicting I almost bid on The Human Fly in 9.8 just so I could have another 9.8. Jokingly he replied ?What were you thinking?? Of course when I first mentioned this to him I hoped I didn?t offend him (or anyone reading this now). My first comic book love was ?The New Mutants?. I am dedicating myself to finish collecting this series as fast as financially possible. A fellow member, Bagofleas, has almost accomplished this goal and I applaud him. Recently I picked up a number 48 and as I am the only one to have it in a 9.8 part of me feels bad because I just made it a little harder for him to accomplish his goal. (Ok the other part of me is damned happy to have it.)
    I read what others have written and feel kindred spirits. I?ll keep reading the journals and hope that more people will write them and I?ll continue to write them as well hoping people will also read them and maybe even send along a comment. One of my experiences was when a comic book reached issue 25, or 50, then 75, and especially 100. That is how I feel about journaling, I just reached a milestone. I hope to make it to 50 and that you might join me along the way.
    Thank you for reading.
    Tnerb
  22. Tnerb

    3 Vs. 4

    By Tnerb,

    When should I post? or Am I writing too much?
    I have fun writing my ?journals?. This is for a few reasons. As I write, my memories get rekindled. As I wrote about New Mutants #8 I was even able to remember the salt air (I lived over the bay at the time). It helped me remember the curiosity I get every time I walk into a new comic book shop (something I have not done in a really long time) and head over to the back issues bins. The other reason is to allow someone else to remember some of their own memories, maybe they will remember passing up an iconic key book to go to the three for a dollar rack. Does anyone remember when comic books came out twice a week?
    I tend to get ideas when I work during the night shift. I write them down on a blank check or moleskin I carry. After I get home I type them out and place them on the site but only after one of my ?journals? gets kicked off. Sometimes they get kicked off quickly, other times it takes a small while. I don?t mind waiting but I love to put up a new journal when I write them. Of course if I write four in a row, then I am knocking my own self off.
    When a journal of mine increases in views I know at least I am writing something that others want to read about (and I thank you for that). However I can never count the first view because that one is mine and that shouldn?t count. I save the journals in a separate file so if I wish to reread them and make a future entry I can. I even look over my total journal entries going back to when I first started (16-Nov-09) and see how many journals I have over 101 views (like I mention the first one doesn?t count)
    I?ll even go so far as comparing my views to others and noticed that those who add a picture seem to have more views, I added a few myself, not necessarily a graded book but something that has to do with my journal entries. I love seeing the covers of what other people write about. I might not collect them or even be remotely interested in collecting what I am seeing but I get enthralled in the energy of reading about what other people love.
    Sometimes I associate a view count with an issue cover, most of the lower view counts I think of are New Mutants covers, now some of my journals are getting higher and I associate them with the Uncanny X-men that correspond with issue #. For instance I thought about how I would feel when my view count hits 202 and the image of sentinels come into my mind.
    I wonder with each journal will I gain a following that will look forward to what I write or do people pick and choose if a title moves them. (I tend to read them all. Either way, I thank you for reading this entry and I ask you to read my others and maybe, just maybe send me a note and tell me what you think.
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb
    PS. I wrote this a while ago with the thought that I would wait till I was kicked off the recent three and then post another journal. Sometimes they stay on for a while and I get the views I like, other times they are thrown into the back issues bin to possibly be overlooked (I like the analogy). I do not know whether to continue to wait until my current journal is no longer readily available or just a matter of four days.
    I have acquired new CGC books and new experiences about those, for instance, record braking comic book sales, restored graded comic books, the best condition possible, losing in the final seconds, and Rom. I would like to keep current but I also want to be read. Kind of like the comic books I bought this past Sunday (3-21-10) at the Philadelphia Comic Con. Maybe I will just post with whatever deadline comes first. Of course?.I might wait longer if I have nothing to talk about(my father would say hell would freeze over first). Thanks again for reading.
  23. Tnerb

    At A Premium Part Deux

    By Tnerb,

    Does anyone remember Hot Shots?
    I ordered eight more graded books to my collection. Seven out of those eight are copies of the New Mutants. The eight one is X-men 160. All of them are a 9.8 and as of this writing one of the seven is the only one in that grade. When I first began collecting these issues I started with number one. The seller was willing to give me a 45 dollar price. He originally asked for 60. He dropped the price as part of a lot deal. All the other comics were readable copies of Daredevil. I promised myself that I would not spend any more than 45 dollars an issue. My reasoning is that none of the others should be worth more than the number one.
     
    This theory was smashed when I purchased #87, and has since been crushed even further with number 47. I then thought it out that some that I bought on E-bay has been under that 45 amount. I decided then that 45 dollars would be my average for the New Mutants that I still wish to collect. Out of the eight books I purchased the tally on three of them is $215. If I add the X-men 160 it brings my tally up to $260. For four comic books that is a lot. That is an average of 65 dollars a book, twenty over my limit. I looked over the website for a few other books that they have had for some time and offered them a price. Mind you, I have ordered from them before?.a few times.
     
    The other books were between 55 and 60 a piece. I sent an e-mail asking for a total price of 400.00. This would bring those additional books to 35 a piece, ten dollars less than what I like to spend. If accepted this would bring my average per a book to fifty dollars. I sent the e-mail off waiting for a response, a positive response. He accepted. All I had to do was add another fifteen dollars for shipping and they were mine.
     
    As of this writing I am waiting for them to ship (they shipped the 25-Feb). As you?re reading this I will probably have them listed. I tend to wait till one of my journals is knocked off before I write another one. This being the case with this one?.I digress?.again
     
    It seems I am starting to realize (against my wallets protests) that if I want something bad enough I?m going to have to spend a premium price. As for the new Mutants issues I realize that on some of them I will spend a greater amount then 45 dollars apiece. I also know that not everyone wants every issue. (Only one other person to my knowledge wants them all, and he?s going to do it too). On those issues that are hanging around I hope to offer a bulk price so maybe then I will bring my average down. I purchase a few on e-bay of less than thirty dollars, so it helps.
     
    What happens though when I find one of these issues graded in a 9.9 or a 10.0? Recently Bagofleas confided in me on the amount he spent on New Mutants #1 in Gem Mint 10.0 and to be honest I probably would have spent the same. I would just hide that amount from my father. Of course once I am done collecting the new Mutants or when they become harder to find I will start on my Daredevil collection. The premium on this run will be even higher especially when I get to the older numbers.
     
    Other than e-bay I look on Heritage Auctions and they include a buyer?s premium on top of shipping and the winning bid. I used to justify buying a back issued because I really wanted it, but how do I justify a book I already have at such a premium. (I?ve already tried I really really want it.)
     
    So far I have not had any buyer?s remorse on any of the books I have purchased that were graded by CGC. I also have not been upset about any of the books I have gotten graded. (Although I do feel that some of the grades received are slightly off). I still think my ASM 129 should be a 9.4 not a 9.2. Would I be willing to resend it in and argue my belief? Either way I know the longer I collect CGC books the more I know I will go over my original average buying premium.
     
    Thanks for Reading
    Tnerb
  24. Tnerb
    ...and in this corner.
    The comic shop I have frequented for the past five some years has decided to close up at their current location and open up at a new location. Until that happens they have decided to forgo getting any new releases. This puts me at a dilemma. Where do I go to get my books and do I continue to go there after they move. On the 17-Feb-2010 five books from Marvel were released. I went to the comic book shop only minutes away (and that is by walking). I was not able to make it on Wednesday so I waited the extra day. I shouldn?t have. They had Dark Avengers and Uncanny X-Men, only two of the five I wanted, I walked out without them.
    I decided to wait the extra week and try another comic book shop. This one I knew about from when I worked in the area (it also had a cameo in the movie Unbreakable.) So the 24th of Feb. arrived and I took the elongated drive. I brought a list of eleven comics (I made the list because knowing myself as I do, I would forget to pick up at least one.) They were missing two: Dark Avengers and DoomWar. I purchase the nine and had a quick decision to make. I could go home or go to another comic book store yet even further away.
    I was back in my car and within a few blocks I picked to go to the other store. I drove to center city Philadelphia to go to a place called Fat Jack?s. I frequent them from time to time (hey I like comic book stores). Parking is always a pain in the city so when I knew I was close enough I parked at the first spot I found. It was a half a mile away. I locked my car, fed the meter, and made my way to the store, quickly (comic books get very expensive with a parking ticket).
    I found both the books I wanted but they only had the Deadpool variant for the Dark Avengers at a premium price of ten dollars (ok so it was 9.99). I asked if they had any of the other cover. They didn?t but mentioned if I waited a week or two a second printing might be out. I already passed on the book the previous week. I looked at the cover as my brain was telling me no. I do have trouble purchasing a book that should still be the cover price (should I mention I also decided to buy the New Mutants #10 Deadpool variant at the same price).
    I purchased two copies of DoomWar, one of the normal cover and the second was the Storm variant. I only bought the Storm cover because it was cover price (I was already buying two variants at 9.99 each I would not pay that price for a third). I also purchased it because it looks like it could be a 9.8, if I send it in then I could sell it (OK then I could use selling it as an excuse to get it graded.) Plus it did not have the pesky bar code on the front cover. I am digressing?.again.
    So I have to get to the point. What is better, a second print or a first print variant? In the past between a newsstand edition and a direct edition I would prefer going to the comic book shop and getting a direct edition rather than the sub standard newsstand version at the 7-11. (I am sorry I do not like barcodes unless they are on a pack of gum). My first preference on covers is any of them at normal cover price. If more are at cover price then I?ll pick what I like but when it comes to the topic matter?. Well?..apparently I would rather get a premium priced variant (check my wallet, it?s lighter) rather than a second printing I would still have to wait for.
     
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb
  25. Tnerb

    Playing the Odds

    By Tnerb,

    .01 will get you 7
    I recently won seven copies of New Mutants Vol. 1 #1. They were described as near mint. I opened the picture hoping I could see every minute detail. I couldn?t. The bidding was to start at one penny and to ship the items themselves would be five dollars. I placed a bid of one dollar with the thoughts of ?why not?? I figured if I could win this then maybe one of them would be worthy to send in to get graded (or as in my case wait till the next convention that CGC will be at.)
    I still had a few days left before I would get notice of either winning or losing. I did not want to bid any greater than a dollar and as anyone knows who bids on E-bay that a lot of items are lost in the last seconds. I have won and lost this way myself. A few days later and it was over. I won. I was the only bidder, after all who would be crazy enough to bid on seven copies of the same comic book (um?. Don?t answer that.)My winning bid was the initial penny. I paid using pay pal (something I normally do not like) and waited for their arrival.
    Most times I wait and wait anxiously for my purchase. I didn't wait long. It was at my door step within days (two). I opened the package and glanced through all seven copies rather quickly. I did not have to give a second glance to see they were all in no greater condition then a Very Fine. Upon closer examination they were probably no better than a 5.5. I looked at the yellow discolored bags the comics came in. All seven books were in three bags with a board for each one. The board was normal cardboard and not acid free at all. Two of the three covers were even sun bleached.
    Of course it?s E-bay and they were not CGC graded so the description were to the whim of the owner. Am I disappointed? Not in the least. I mean really, how can you beat the price? (I never count shipping into the price of anything. That would be like including the tax). So no I have these seven additional comics that I will not be sending into get graded. I don?t even consider them as part of my collection, although I did pass on a copy to my son.
    I have no idea what I am actually going to do with the others. Maybe when I finally sell something on E-bay I will add it as a freebie, or maybe packing material. Of course I will have to sell something in the first place. I am not even discouraged from buying more books on E-bay. I have six more separate issues of New Mutants I won on E-bay , one of them is my favorite number to get, #15. I think I purchased that number 4 times already in the hopes of getting one worth sending in. I know I have a better chance of going to the casino and betting the odds but this is so much more fun.
    Thanks for reading
    Tnerb