newshane

I see that the discussion regarding Menace is still raging. I feel compelled at this point to discuss my experience. 1. There were issues with my order and issues with communication through the CGC message board. 2. Menace corrected these issues once I contacted him through email. 3. Menace delivered his product and issued the appropriate refunds within 48 hours of being contacted. That is my basic experience. Take it for what you may. But for the record, I ultimately ended up satisfied. I think the biggest problem here is communication. I don't think he is HOS worthy; I'm convinced his mistakes were honest and not malicious. I do think it's fair, however, to air criticism at his "disappearance" from the board. If you make contractual agreements through the board, then you should use the system as a vehicle through which to maintain contact with your customers. I think the person making the money should be the one acting proactively throughout the transaction. When you sell something, like it or not, you are also providing customer service. If there is an issue or necessary update to be made, then it's up to the person providing the service to speak up first. As a seller myself, I think it's better to be proactive when there are problems or delays. It simply looks better than waiting for people to come knocking. Just my opinions on the subject. I figured I'd post my experiences because people are continuing to call him out for not making things right. Well, he made things right with me...thankfully.

I want one.

One of the following cases in a room with filtered, climate-controlled air and a dehumidifier. Geek Chic Comic Cubes

That's gotta be an awesome feeling!

What's the normal price??? And seems odd. Strange starting price, and only 1 bid. Last copy sold for around $2,100 so a bit of a jump, but nothing crazy. For the hardcore Spawn collector with money to burn, this is pretty much the holy grail. Still can't believe I sold my raw copy for $50 :doh: It's an awesome book! Here is my copy.

Spawn 185 sketch (CGC 9.8) just sold on eBay for $2,750. WOW

A few Greg Capullo sigs from Chicago.

People should consider posting all of their journals in one thread - that makes it easy for the followers to keep up with all the posts without missing a beat. It will also cut down greatly on the number of individual threads, which also makes it easier for everyone to keep track of what's going on. It will also prevent everyone's posts from falling off the page. Ogami, Doc Joe, Hibou, and I are currently using this method. All of our journal entries are in single, unique threads. I've found that it's easiest to post the initial thread by using the CGC journal entry page...then post all of your follow-ups by responding to your thread in the CGC forum. I think this is better than posting a bunch of threads with individual topics. Just a thought...

My 15-day coupon submission last month took exactly 15 days. Perfectly on time.

Just got the grade back on a trade paperback I purchased from Lonetree. If I recall correctly, the book was advertised as "unread" or "new" and ended up coming back as a 9.8! I couldn't be happier, of course! Thanks Lonetree!

Same here Business day 14 of my 15-day coupon submission - quality control since Friday (day 13) For clarity, the sub was received 10/15 Shipped today on day 15. Perfectly on time! (thumbs u

Same here Business day 14 of my 15-day coupon submission - quality control since Friday (day 13) For clarity, the sub was received 10/15

Maybe I should set on my coppers a while longer...especially the crappy "second/third" tier comics. Just look what happened to Darkhawk 1. I think you're onto something... PS - Darkhawk is awesome.

Yeah, nowadays, "low print run" generally indicates less than 10,000 copies (very roughly). Based on the current understanding of "low print run", none of the Spawn books have a low print run, other than maybe the black and white cover of #1 (which is actually a reprint). There are tons of Spawn books that are far rarer than Spawn 1 B&W. Tons. Spawn 185 black and white (print run of 60), Spawn 185 headless, Spawn 222 Kudranski Variant, Spawn 200 Finch Sketch....the list goes on and on.

Please do...if you guys find any 9.8 candidates that I need I will definitely scoop them up and make your troubles worthwhile.

I've done some pretty extensive research on this very topic. Allow me to display my uber-nerdiness with a chart. You can also consult my registry - I've included estimated print runs for each issue. Check the comic descriptions. I used comichron.com as source material. My Spawn Registry Spawn 18 and 21 were low distribution issues - but there are still a bazillion of them. For example, I personally own over 100 copies of issue 21 myself. The print runs only get lower and lower. I have the top registry set and I'm having an absolute nightmare of a time sourcing high grade copies in the 150-184 range. Basically, the higher the issue number - the rarer the comic...generally speaking. "Anniversary" titles are the exception here. The fact is that some Spawn comics are exceedingly difficult to find in high grade, and if you haven't noticed, the asking prices you see are starting to reflect this. Why? Lower print runs for one. Number two, people shoved them into quarter bins thus increasing damage to covers that are oftentimes quite dark. This makes high-grade copies pretty difficult. Don't believe that it's hard? Go looking and get back to me. Go looking because I want them...badly!

I'm just going to take the high road here.

Your experiment is pointless unless it is for your own 'observations.' Here is why; in a truly air tight environment oxidation could not occur. There are countless examples of rust developing on staples in CGC graded comic books AFTER they are encapsulated. Therefore, in an air tight environment this would not be possible. As for water damage, this occurs with CGC slabs as well. Just ask any of the countless forum members who have gone through a flood. Not sure what you are attempting to prove as facts and logic do not misrepresent the truth. CGC posts its encapsulation process online; as do PMG (for currency) and NGC (for coins). No certified collectible is vacuum sealed; thus none are air tight. Okay. The slabs aren't air-tight. As I pointed out earlier, I get that. We'll see about the water. The experiment is for my own observation. I want to know how badly the book will be impacted. I'd rather see it for myself than trust your self-proclaimed expertise, no offense.

Thanks for your response Meshuggah. I understand your point about vacuum and my technical misuse of the word air-tight. After examining a cracked slab for myself, I can't imagine that the seal would allow a tremendous amount of "breathing." It seems as though the amount of gas exchange would be kept to an absolute minimum. I think anyone who is truly worried about the effect of this process on the condition of a comic book is probably over-reacting to say the least. I feel as though my books are mighty secure within the slabs. Do I place my slabs in Mylar bags? Yes, I do. But I concede that it's probably overkill. Comics have been stored for decades in sub-optimal conditions and have fared pretty darn well. I think my comics are fine in Mylar bags with alkaline-buffered backing boards will hold up well over the coming decades, even without microchamber paper. I'll try to begin my experiment on the "water-tight" aspect of the slab later on tonight and I will keep everyone posted.

CGC holders are comprised of an outer-well and an inner-well. The outer-well is not air tight. The inner-well is air tight. The comics are completely sealed inside of the inner-well. It is heat sealed, not vacuum sealed. In order for it to be air tight it would have to be snug against the inner well. This is incorrect as it is not; just like third party graded coins. They are sonically sealed. If they were air tight, it would require a vacuum seal. Quote from the CGC grading process page concerning encapsulation: '...this is accomplished through compression and ultrasonic vibration.' If a vacuum seal was used (which would be required to form an air tight bond) the comic book would be compromised in the process and be damaged. I am willing to conduct an experiment. I will submerge a CGC slab in water. I'll leave it there for an hour. Then I will dry the outside of the inner well before removing the comic. I should be able to spot/photograph water damage fairly easily. If the inner well is not air-tight, then the book will suffer water damage - at least that's my theory. I'll post the results in my own journal. Stay tuned!

CGC holders are comprised of an outer-well and an inner-well. The outer-well is not air tight. The inner-well is air tight. The comics are completely sealed inside of the inner-well.

After seeing his response, and how he is basically thumbing his nose at the community here, I say put him on the H.O.S. I turn my earlier post around now - I concur, he is HOS material. -slym It's even gotten worse. HOS material 100% +1

Fantastic information all in one place. Thanks so much! I look forward to learning more.

I started a poll over in the General forum about this very topic. People chimed in with books from every comic collecting era. If you're interested, check it out by following the link below. Favorite robot covers Here is the compiled list of people's favorites: (Uncanny) X-Men 14 (Uncanny) X-Men 57 Action Comics 36 Adventures into the Unknown 58 Alien Worlds 7 All Star Comics 26 All Star Comics 52 Amazing Mystery Funnies Vol. 2 #11 Avengers 67 Brick Bradford 6 CyberRad 5 Doomsday +1 #2 Exciting Comics 3 Exciting Comics 45 Famous Funnies 82 Fantastic Comics 3 Human Torch 23 Journey Into Mystery 51 Journey Into Mystery 53 Journey Into Unknown Worlds 49 Judge Dredd: The Early Cases 1 Justice League of America 146 Katie Keene 62 Leading Comics 13 Machine Man 1 Magnus Robot Fighter 2 Mystery Comics 3 Out of this World 1 Pep Comics 1 Planet Comics 64 Plastic Man 54 Prize Comics 4 Science Fiction Space Adventures 10 Sensation Comics 103 Smash Comics 14 Startling Comics 49 Strange Adventures 136 Strange Adventures 50 Strange Tales 34 Strange Tales 72 Strange Worlds 8 Tales of Suspense 13 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 Tomb of Terror 15 Web of Spider-man Annual 1 Weird Science 14 Weird War Tales 101 World of Fantasy 17 World of Fantasy 17 X-Factor 14 And below is my contribution, although it's a pulp, not a comic. Now 60 years old...