Mr. Zipper

CLZ has an active FB group and the developers are very responsive. You may want to pose this question there. It is an amazing app, by the way.

How could I forget all the "Stan Lee" and "Steve Ditko" signed comics they "authenticated" ? Laughable fakes.

I have found PGX to be typically overgraded by one to two grade increments, but the real concern is undetected restoration or trimming. Especially if the initial source was "Terrance Leder." http://www.justafanboy.com/PGX/

The bottom staple seems fine. In the centerfold, there is a spot of rust migrated to the paper underneath that corresponds with a spot on the staple. The top staple isn't as clear cut. There seems to be an indentation above the staple in the centerfold that does not correspond with the staple. Yet, there is no rust on the paper or indicator WHY someone would swap out that staple. I don't know.

So, I don't have time to read 60 pages... Is this seller suspected to be DD or someone else with a similar MO?

@Domo Arigato Thanks for the insight. There are things you "know," and things you can "prove." There is no doubt items were delivered to Trey McDaniel's address. And there were delivery confirmation receipts. There was a thread at the time where this was exposed and Trey McDaniel defended himself. He claimed "someone else" used his Paypal account and was able to get the deliveries off his porch before he arrived home. Yet, the eBay account and Paypal account were still linked to what was his active email at the time. How were all these transactions happening and he had no idea? Was the "other person" also infiltrating his email and deleting all the transaction confirmations? It doesn't add up. I wish the thread was still available, but Trey McDaniel's story had a lot of holes and inconsistencies. And Trey McDaniel disappeared from the boards soon after that. Regrettably, Paypal has a very permissive chargeback policy (at least at that time) and basically any crooked person could claim "It wasn't me" and they could get away with it.

Of course you got scammed. Burying an important fact in the listing and then removing the listing is intentional deceit.

The 2099 titles were generally considered a cheesy mistake at the time. It’s astonishing how many books that languished in quarter bins for decades are now “keys.”

Which begs the question, what would you do if this was your slab that you received back from CGC? You send something in anticipating an 8.0 or 8.5… And it comes back in a 9.8 label. I couldn’t do nothing. I’m afraid I’d have to contact CGC to inform them there’s been a mistake. I could never sell a 9.8 like this in good conscience.

The signature is good. Yes... front cover signing is a red flag 95% of the time. But this one is an exception to the rule.

At least 4 color breaking spine stresses... top edge looks a little denty... soft lower right corner. 9.0

Excellent eye appeal, but there is an accumulation of edge wear and spine stresses. 6.5... maybe 7.0 on a really good day.

I think I'd like it in my collection. :-) Diagonal crease bottom left front, thumbing crease right edge front. Possible staining/foxing bottom front cover? 7.5

I am trying to complete some runs... Avengers 1 - 200 is an example. For the big books, I get the best I can afford. For the filler books, I try to maintain a VF minimum and I would drive myself crazy with that. It's gotten to the point where I've eased up a bit. I'm not going to agonize as to whether an Avengers 168 is a 7.5 or an 8.0. I just can't do it anymore... life is too short.

This copy of Fantastic Four #1 was stolen from me in an eBay transaction that occurred on May 12, 2003. Supposedly, hijacked eBay and Paypal user IDs were used and the transaction was charged back to me well over a month after I shipped the book.The book was shipped to the verified Paypal address, which was:Trey McDaniel26849 172nd pl SECovington, WA 98042User ID: trey-autumnCGC Board Name: The Silver AgeMcDaniel was a board member here and he claimed that it wasn't him, he never received the book and someone else was using his accounts. The eBay account that was allegedly stolen, "sold" a bunch of expensive comics in a short time frame, and immediately used the money to buy a bunch of expensive books. The buyers never got anything and the sellers (like me) were all hosed with chargebacks a month after they shipped.So, on the off chance anyone ever runs across this copy of FF #1, please let me know. I originally purchased it from Stephen Ritter and it grades about GOOD+ in my opinion. It has very distinctive water damage/chipping on the bottom edge of the back cover.

I’ve been in the login / home page / chat board loop for past 2 days. Clearing cache fixed it. At least for now.

This is the challenge of grading from digital images. The flaws that CGC may ding the most for -- non color breaking bends... thumb dents, etc -- don't show up in most photos and scans. The 361 obviously has some flaws that are not apparent in the photos.

I disagree. A collector has focus and discipline. An accumulator does not. In my experience, most collectors start as accumulators, and mature into seasoned collectors.

PGX "autograph authentication" strikes again. Laughable amateur forgeries. Wish I could find pics of all the "Stan Lee and Steve Ditko" signed comics they "authenticated." Total joke. I can't believe people send them books. Yet all over the FB groups you see PGX slab after PGX slab. Total bottom feeders.

I shudder to think how many books are being ruined by the DIY pressing industry. I recall buying an Avengers 16 from a Boardie many years ago and it looked great. I took it out of the bag and the corners curled up and it was as flat as a pancake. Overheated and squashed. Thankfully, Joey saved it for me. I believe he re-humidified it and then properly pressed it. Pro pressing can be a lifesaver. DIY at your own risk.

Way too many spine creases and the bottom right corner is very soft with multiple diagonal creases. It's going to be a 7.0 no matter what you do with it. IMO, you're lucky it's not a 6.5 with the bottom right corner damage. Take the 7.0 and run.

It's likely in the dark area to the left of Hulk's word bubble. Probably covering some hairline creases. In fact, it appears some of it may bleed into the white area of the spine.

Walkthrough 1/20/22 - Delivered to CGC 1/24/22 - opened and GEI 1/26/22 - Shipped A true walkthrough. Kudos CGC.

Really clean solid looking book with great eye appeal, but the light diagonal corner crease in the bottom right will keep it out of VF range. 6.5

I'd go 8.0... maybe 8.5. I don't think pressing will help, but a dry clean may improve eye appeal with back cover. Frankly, you can do that yourself with a white art eraser and a gentle hand.