Anyone else willing to comment on the backstory of these two specific examples?...Any information regarding their "grade" would be appreciated [before I place another less than informed bid...]
Most likely graded by Steve and West, the original person that started up CGC along with its long time GA grader.
Decades of grading experience as opposed to the relative newbies at CGC in comparison, so you should be good to go with the grades.
That is, of course unless you think all of the slabbed books graded by CGC during the first 15 years or thereabouts of their existence are invalid and needs to all be regraded.
The 36 used to be mine. I won it on Heritage 3 yrs ago. I sent it to CCS to be subsequently graded by CGC. Matt Nelson strongly suspected a married back cover so it never was.
CBCS had it as "Conserved", he didn't think so.
Needless to say got rid of the book. It has exchanged hands at least twice since then. Now it is back on the auction block.
If CGC would grade that Tec 38 a 3.0 I would be VERY disappointed.