Westy Steve

That's the thing. There isn't really a secret recipe. IMHO, if you try counting tick marks and measuring things with a ruler, then you'll be thrown off the trail by how severe the ticks are, and where they are, etc. Trying to be modest, I'm a pretty good grader, and I grade entirely based on the whole picture. Grading is an art. You just have to look at it and decide if it looks too scruffy for a 9.0, and too nice for a 6.0 and then start "wiggling in" in your mind until you reach a grade. FWIW, IMHO it looks like a 7.5....maybe a 7.0 if the grader is fighting with his wife that day. I own a GSXM1 in 7.5, and yours is about the same as mine.

Any idea how many people are playing?

I think one of the later issues is a perfect reprint because Smith got behind in his work and they had to print SOMETHING at the deadline. Maybe on of those would work on the cheap.

Now that I'm almost done with the X-men, I was wondering what to go after next. It was the Master of Quack Fu that showed me the direction: Yes, the Master of Quack Fu! See, I had this book back from when I was collecting variants. It's in a slab, but from a company ending in "X". Honestly, for some reason, I can't seem to get rid of this book though I've put it up for sale a bunch of times. And yet, every time I look at it, I marvel at the design, the colors, the intricacy. After a while, I began to realize that the reason I like this book so much is because it is that it comes from the era that hooked me on comics. I'm partial to the balance between art and story telling that comes from the Bronze Age. To me, the Bronze age embodies the true golden age of comics. Artists who gravitated to the genre were hired that lovingly put their skills to the test. Not just ad-men or illustrators looking for a job. This was the first generation of fan boys. Same goes for the writers. Guys who grew up reading comic books were given their chance to write them. And the results were great! No extra fluff. Good all-around story telling in bright colors covered with gloss. I like collecting keys. This book convinced me that I should start chasing bronze in higher grade. Not scruffy looking silver on my sad budget. Copper is interesting, but this was my era. OK, if you've been reading this blog so far, you're almost caught up on my back story. Next time, I'll tell you about in interesting concept called "The Box of Twenty" and how it's going to make my collection great.

After I made up my mind to work on a mini-run, I had a blast doing it. I have all but one now. This picture doesn't show my X-men 94 because it's being re-graded. And I'm missing the #100. Two of these books came from the BST area here at a good price. Two came from ebay. The #98 and #101 came from a swap meet. Notice that the X-men 101 is a 9.2. I had planned to buy a lower grade comparable to my GSXM1 and my #94, but I got such a good deal on that 9.2 that I stretched to buy it. Glad I did! What was painful is at the same time, I was given such a good price on the #98 that I couldn't say no to it either, even though it completely tapped me out. Still, I've never regretted stretching to buy a good book. Once you own it, you're glad you did. One question you might have is, "Why X-men?" Besides the classic story and the fact that I've assembled the set I wanted in my youth, I also wanted to avoid the hype. I don't enjoy buying books that are inflated due to movie hype. I think it's smart to go after classics that aren't hyped. I figure the classics will always be in demand.

As it is, I think it's more like a 4.0. But can you press it? I don't know if you can press a book with a piece replaced. I think a press would bring it closer to a 5.0 if CGC is forgiving on the chipping.

You all know that some Marvel Chipping doesn't start with big areas of missing paper. In some cases, the paper is still there, but kind of ruffled, or rilled, or otherwise possessing a lot of microcuts. If you have one of those books where it has marvel chipping, but the paper chips are still attached, does pressing help the appearance of these? Obviously it can't untear the paper. But does it line them up to make them look nicer? Anyone have before and after pix?

Yes. That's not restoration.

I think you're right. 7.0 at worst, but it could come back at a 7.5. I call it a 70/30 chance.

I don't think it would drop the grade more than 0.5 points in that state of preservation. So 7.0, and maybe 6.5 at worst.

Looks like a 9.2 to me based on the scan discoloration of the spine. I don't see a point in pressing it.

After picking up the GSXM 1, a couple shows later I managed to buy this X-men 94 for a good price. But the thing is, this copy was labeled as a FINE 6.0. I couldn't understand how such a nice looking copy could be graded a 6.0. But on the ride home from TampaCON, I saw it. There is a long diagonal fold on the book that isn't apparent unless you hold the book a certain way. So I realized this book would jump with a press. What's your opinion? I'm thinking 8.0, plus or minus. Maybe 7.5? I've looked at a lot of them on Ebay trying to figure it out. The spine is better than most 8.0's, but there is what looks like Marvel Chipping on the right edge. I don't know what they'll deduct for that. The back of the book looks like a NM book. Regardless, this book cemented my mind on the concept of doing a run of nicer X-men. Fate was steering me toward it. Right now, this book is at CGC. I sat on this book for a long time, spending my money on comics instead of grading and pressing. I figured I'd send it off for pressing some day. The good news is that I just sent it off on Friday. Hope to get the book back in a couple months. For the record, IIRC, I bought this for about $240.00 after factoring in a partial trade on a raw book. By dropping it off in person at a show, I guess I'll pay around $70 or so to have it slabbed at the modern tier including pressing and shipping. So I'll have $310 in it. As long as it gets at least a half-point bump, I won't lose anything. My hope is that it goes to 8.0, because I consider a VF book as a "nicer book", and that will satisfy me enough to avoid the feeling I need to upgrade it. Besides, the price jumps about $200 when it moves to 8.5, and I don't know if that's worth it to me when I could use that cash to buy a big chunk of another nice book.

Yes, the picture is terrible, but we thought about taking a picture at the last second before submitting it to CGC. Thank you so much for the help. That's kind of what we were thinking. It's a 6.0 to 6.5 and it will jump half a point due to the press. The inside of the book and the back are really nice, so I'm hoping that it will get the benefit of the doubt if the graders are split on their opinions. I'll let you know what happens.

Right now, I'm one book away from completing a "high grade" short set of X-men from Giant Size X-men #1 to X-men 101. First, a word about my definition of "High Grade". When I first started collecting, I lived and breathed by the Overstreet Price guide. I was a fairly experienced coin collector when I first started reading Overstreet, so my first question was, "Why isn't there a grade for Mint"? And it was explained to me that Near Mint was the highest PRACTICAL grade because of the abuse that fragile comic books were exposed to in distribution and delivery. Seeing tons of comic books bent in the middle from abuse in the spinner racks convinced me that Near Mint was as good as it could get! Ok, I'm dragging this out. Sorry. Here's my point. When I talk about "high grade", keep in mind I'm an old-school kind of guy. To me, high grade is Near Mint and a VF vintage book is plenty nice, with only a few tiny flaws. Once in a while I'll venture into the rarified air of grades like a 9.6, but if I need a magnifying glass to see the things that make difference in grade, then I'm a happy camper. This blog isn't about acquiring 9.8 books. But it is about buying things that are better than most. I'm happy with the kind of grade that stands out relative to other books. To me early Journey in Mystery issues in Fine are "high grade" because they aren't often found like that and they command a premium. Right? So let's define "high grade" as "commands a premium". I've learned when my collectibles command a premium, they are easier to sell if I need to sell them, and tend to appreciate more. My first "new" Bronze Key: (Ok, yes, I've had them before, but this became part of a set). I was at MegaCon a few years ago just looking for something key to buy at a good price. I stumbled across a guy selling a Raw Giant Size X-men #1. It was in an odd state of preservation because the cover was really wrinkled, but the rest of the book looked pretty good. Had a nice spine, no tears etc. But with the wrinkling, it was a 4.5 or a 5.0 at best. I thought that it was a good pressing candidate, but I as concerned that pressing might not work well on a squarebound book. Then I read an article about a guy who pressed his Giant Size X-men #1 with before and after pictures and it inspired me...his book came out really nice. So I thought I'd give it a shot with this one, and here's what I got: The results surprised me! 4.5 to 7.5! But then again, other than severe cover wrinkles, the book was pretty square and fairly nice. At this point in my education, I honestly believe Squarebound books are perhaps better candidates for pressing than regular issues. Also, I created book equity out of thin air! Why buy high grade books when you can make them? So suddenly I had a nicer GSXM 1 in nicer grade and this got me thinking about putting together a run of X-men in nicer grade since I already had the key. But it was just a concept at this point. The next book tipped the balance.

No guesses? It was submitted to CGC, so you can try your luck on guessing how it will grade!

Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis, and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this a young collector, who bought bronze items of beauty from the spinner rack...X-men, Conan, Doctor Strange, Defenders. As he collected, he began to realize his sense of worth. He mattered. In time, his collecting victories could not easily be counted. His collecting expanded into other areas and other kinds of comics and at times, he abandoned comics completely for other interests much to his regret. Now, late in life, he is abandoning the relics of his former collection and has started anew. With children soon to attend college, other collections, and the pressures of modern life, he is building a collection of bronze keys from the ground up, with an eye toward resale value and appreciation. This is a detailed account of his story. Hi there! I'm Westy Steve. I've been here a while and I've been collecting all types of "things" for a long time. Over the years, I've honed my skills at collecting. I don't consider myself an expert, more of a student who is always trying to learn. After collecting stuff for a long time, I feel that the best thing for me to collect is Bronze Keys in higher grade. Slabbed copies, ideally. I understand the game and how it works, and hope to use that knowledge to build a good collection. I already have a head start, which I'll discuss in later posts. My intent is to chronicle the struggle of building my collection, mostly just for me. But if you follow along, perhaps you'll enjoy my Quest for Bronze. Next time: My high grade X-men short set

Good to know. I've spent all my powder at the show (unfortunately), but I'm sure the lead is useful to someone.

My daughter and I estimate an 8.5/9.0 once pressed. Some spine stress around the bottom staple may go away once pressed. Top corner should press out nicely.

This book was sent off for a press and grading. Cover is the worst part of the book. The back and insides are perfect and page quality is offwhite to white at the very worst. Supple book that smelled good. Trying to get a feel for the current grade, and perhaps how the press will help. Thanks in advance.

Be careful with that. I found a craigslist scam originating from that area. The seller showed some genuinely nice books, but was advertising in a bunch of places all over Florida EXCEPT where they lived. And then they really wanted to mail the books, and didn't want to meet in person. And of course they didn't want paypal. I'm not saying this is the same person, but make sure you can see the books in person and hand over funds in person.

I went to TampaCon yesterday with a friend and my daughter. You guys might remember that I started a thread here about the surprising (to me) cost of NM copies of the "new" uncanny X-men for issues #94 through #101. You might recall I was trying to put together a short set in CGC 9.4. For years (decades), I put off my idea of putting this set together and when I finally decided to tackle it, I was shocked by the prices. If I can find my old thread I'll post it below: Found it..mostly people arguing: https://www.cgccomics.com/boards/topic/371050-when-did-x-men-get-so-expensive/?tab=comments#comment-8666397 Anyway, I had to make concessions on what I could afford with the Giant Size X-men #1 and the X-men #94 but I find myself needing only the #100 now. Naturally, when you're one book away from completing your set, you start thinking "what's next?". And I considered doing Conan #1 through #10, but then realized if I could just get the Conan #1, it would be more fun (to me) to hunt for other Bronze keys. I find I'm really enjoying finding high grade bronze keys. So yesterday, my happy naïve self makes the trek do TampaCon firm in my resolve to find a CGC 9.4 Xmen 100, a high grade Conan 1 (ideally an 8.5 or better), or as a back-up plan some of the other neat bronze keys you guys seem to post all the time. Figured that would be a piece of cake with about 20 dealers in attendance at TampCon, right? Wrong! There was not a single 9.4 X-men 100 to be found. Nor 9.2, or 9.0...nothing. Heck, I think I noticed that only one dealer even had some of the other Xmen (like #95 - 101) slabbed in NM. Dealers kept telling me that it sells as fast as they get it. So how did my hunt for Conan's go? Not too well! Nobody had a Conan 1 in higher grade that I saw. Later in the show, my friend, Mark, showed me one he found in 9.6 that I missed. But I couldn't have spent those funds anyway...(Ok, I could have, but then divorce proceedings would have followed shortly thereafter). As a footnote, I did end up making a deal to buy one at the show, from a friend I saw there, that will be shipped to me, but I found the fact that I couldn't find my Xmen 100, nor my Conan 1 at the show kind of jarring. Where was all the high grade bronze? OK, so after striking out twice, I went on the hunt for something nice. Some nice, slabbed, key bronze beauty. After arranging for the purchase of the Conan 1 from my friend, I only had a few hundred left to spend. The results were about the same. Now remember, I was willing to consider the entire UNIVERSE of high grade slabbed keys in the $300 to $400 range. Yes, I found some, but it was surprising how few there were. One dealer (you can guess who) had a hoard of them, but beyond that one dealer, there didn't seem to be that many scattered about and those scattered ones tended to have some healthy asking prices, though I saw a few candidates. I finally settled on a nice slabbed FN/VF Batman 251. Bottom line is that I'm hooked on my hunt for nicer bronze keys. But this is my testimony that an off-line hunt for these books appears to be far more challenging than I thought it would be. I was naïve in thinking I could fill my want list at a big show.

Almost. Flash and Fury made a comment about how Superman going to hell was a "bit of a stretch" (of reality). And my comment was that the entire Superman storyline is a "stretch". Us collectors will fully accept the existence of someone as far-fetched as Superman...an alien being who is super powerful, with super breath, super speed, xray vision, heat vision, etc. We can totally accept that. Yet, we think it's crazy to think of Hell as a real place. I find that interesting. There are probably millions of people who believe the exact opposite. That Hell is real, and Superman is not. Not trying to start an argument on religion. Just pointing out that it's funny what us comic collectors will accept as "realistic" and "unrealistic". But that's the fun of comics.

You know, I have to wonder if that cover isn't some kind of inside joke about Jack Kirby. The pitter patter of little feet made me wonder. Seemed too obvious. So I looked it up and I think that comic was published a few months before the birth of Kirby's 3rd child. And I know he worked there. And Hercules kind of looks like Kirby too. It's worth researching further.

I think it's a great idea. My other collectible of choice is coins. I'm in my 50's, but I do remember being in my 40's and realizing that I was the youngest person in the room at coin shows. And now coins are sputtering and those coin collectors wish they had the new entrants/demographics that we do. They didn't foster them, and they are paying the price. We should do all we can to encourage collecting among the youngsters. They will be the ones buying our books. I hate it when noobs get thrashed...so wrong and so short-sighted.

Sign me up! Should be fun!