loadstone

This. A hundred times this. Not sure I've ever complained about grading. I've missed stuff. But I have 2 subs done without a prescreen because I figured every book at least a 9.6, with most a 9.8. Most are 9.6 with a couple 9.4s and 9.2s. I can't imagine what a 9.9 looks like now. The requirements for a 9.8 have gone up substantially. I'm actually, glad to hear about the tight grading. As a buyer, I am now getting what I pay for. I think CGC went terribly soft a few years ago and it influenced our personal grading. We starting grading soft also. Now, CGC has finally tightened up. Maybe a 9.8 will now look like a near flawless book, this is the way it should be. Kudos to CGC !!! Tight grading is good for the hobby. Tight or loose, just be consistent. Right now, they're not consistent. I'm still talking about nearly flawless books or else I wouldn't sub them without a prescreen if it mattered. I'm not just talking sour grapes here. I'm not seeing it. I just got the grades for 5 submissions. Something around 75 books. My grades were dead on or under what CGC gave it on all but 4-5 books And that's the rub/problem. It's not consistent. I am getting books put in 9.8 holders that don't belong in 9.8 holders and books that I thought were flawless only passing prescreen at 50% rates. I've books that were cracked, books that I agreed with the grades on the holders, that dropped by multiple grades. The grading is crazy bad right now. It's not too tight, it's just bad. I'm curious if any of the 9.6's or 9.4's will have graders notes or if you'll be able to tell when you get them back. I wonder if they have just hired a new crop of graders who may have inconsistencies in grading or if they are beginning to more tightly/loosely grade some of the previously accepted/rejected production flaws. Stuff like bindery tears, slight waviness of the covers due to printing or packaging, almost imperceptible non-color break spine bumps less than 1/16" and only visible under angled light or some interior imperfections. Or perhaps, they had a a bout of horrible mishandling of the comics during the receiving or QA phase where some may have gotten damaged prior to being graded or after being graded 9.8 during the sealing/encapsulation process.

I am a first time buyer from Steve who just helped me knock out a bunch of HTF HG raw comics I've been looking for. I guess they're all up in Canada. He responded to my WTB ad with his list and was straight forward with his pricing which was very fair. His grading is accurate and conservative enough for my picky tastes. Steve was fantastic to work with and patient with my requests for front and back cover scans. Great communication and not pushy. He packed the raw comics safely and very well protected and shipped right away providing tracking info. I'm very happy with this purchase and look forward to doing business with Steve in the future. Thanks Steve! (thumbs u

Ah yes, I misread my google search results, thanks. Season 2 ends in May. Still surprised from the way the 1st 2 episodes went that it got renewed. The cheese is strong with this one show.

Well I guess that didn't stop them from doing it: From Wikipedia: "Better Call Saul is an American television drama series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. It is a spin-off of Breaking Bad, which was also created by Gilligan in 2008." So I'm just getting around to watching Marvel's Agents of Shield on Netflix now that they have the full seasons available and I'm done with my other shows. I've avoided this thread and other comments on AoS until now and have been taking a journey back through time on this thread while watching the show. I've been reading along with everyone's reactions here to each episode and it's been pretty fun to hear everyone's take on it. I must say that I agree the first one was terrible by today's standards (maybe in 1980 it would have kicked ) and debated continuing and 3 days later watched the 2nd. Better but marginally so even with Jackson's appearance. I'll keep watching for the remainder of the season and it seems like things got better since AoS is on it's 3rd season so it must have gotten better. Kudos to those who stuck with it. However, if some of those fans of the show bailed later for some reason let me know if I'll be gravely disappointed later and not waste my time.

I have to agree with ChiSoxFan. I was very pleased with Andy's grades and descriptions. They were as described if not better for great prices. He had a massive sales thread and got my package out very quickly maintaining excellent communication. Great packing btw and well worth the cost. I'm very picky but he was very patient with me responding to all my PM's and requests for hi res scans and details on some of the pricier books. I only wished I had seen his thread sooner. I look forward to buying from Andy in the future. Thanks, Andy!

I've been on the fence about giving it a shot. Looking at possibly putting up a small list and see what comes now that I'm reaching the more scarce items on my want list. I'm considering it mainly because I feel I might get more accurate grading or high res scans of books that I'm really after in the narrow condition range and flaws I'll accept on here than on ebay. I sometimes go looking to see if I have anything anyone wants and get excited when I find someone I can help but what a let down when I see they've already had it filled a few posts down but haven't updated their want list. Then I stop looking for a month or so and occasionally go back when the CG posts are not particularly interesting to kill some time.

I should add that you should be very very very careful when opening the package if you're intent is to remove and have the comic graded. Part of me hates to see the packaging sacrificed for the comic but it's yours so go for it. To extract the comic safely, prepare for surgery. Place it on a sturdy firm work surface like a workbench or cutting board. Examine the packaging and areas in contact with the comic. Carefully cut around the edges with a razor blade or x-acto knife and I would focus on the spine side. I might use a flat ruler as a guide along the cutting edge so as not to accidentally cut onto the comic. Scissors or a guillotine blade might force a bend in the packaging and damage the comic. If you can cut all 4 edges without damaging the comic and just lift the packaging up off the comic cleanly, go for it. Otherwise, (packaging and figure be damned) plan a method of removing the comic by freeing the spine side. If possible, insert some backboards behind and in front of the comic before you slide it out to prevent any sharp plastic jagged edges from scratching or snagging the comic. Good luck!

I recently completed a hunt for ASM #437 comic with Spider-Man Classics figure in as mint as I could find both to the condition of the comic and the condition of the packaging. I have a raw copy I found in a Chicago comic shop as well that's about 9.4. In every raw copy I looked at they all seemed to have the same defect. About 1/3 of the way down the spine from the top they all had a bend or crease below the top staple right where the hard plastic packaging for the figure meets the backboard or comic. That is where you have to focus. In many cases, as the packaging was handled and eventually opened, that part of the backboard likely got bent forward caused a bend or crease to the comic. I've seen plenty of unopened copies that have damage in that area as well so it's the area I looked at first when determining whether to buy or bid. The corners and edges are key as well. I'd recommend onsite inspection but if you can't just ask for as many photos as you'd be satisfied with. I happened to find mine on ebay. A few sellers were selling the same thing and I hit them all up for lots of photos at different angles all around the spine and corners of the book as best as they could provide. I was a real PITA about it but it's not like these things move very quickly so 3 of the sellers were happy to oblige. 1 showed the damage and the other 2 looked clean but the packaging on one looked somewhat damaged. I chose the one with the mintier looking packaging and hit BIN. Before I paid I messaged the seller take extra care in packaging the item to prevent any possible damage to the comic including padding that would prevent the top 1/3 of the package from bending forward or backward. I mentioned I'd be willing to pay extra for packaging if necessary but it wasn't and they did a great job. The comic and packaging are in pristine condition. I'd say the comic is about a 9.6 just because I'd have to open the packaging to verify for sure but I see no damage with my loop and flashlight. The package is mint. Storing is another matter. better on display rather than in a long or short box.

Thanks! But I have to reiterate, I'm not selling or consigning this item, just asking for some advice for a friend of the wife. Cool, well now that that's settled let's get down to brass tax. I'll give you $20 if you let me come over and play with it.

Any color breaks on the back? Book is also notorious for the back cover as well. Clean as a babies butt Looks like the back cover has 4 spine stress lines that seem to break color slightly on the top half of the spine and a tiny bindery tear on the top spine corner. 9.2-9.4 territory. 9.6 on a loose day.

Just finished reading this whole damned thing. Only 5 copies at 9.8 on census since this epic thread kicked off such a massive scavenger hunt. 3 Universal and 2 SS and only 1 SS sales entry in GPA for $599 and I guess 1 Universal copy referenced on here sold for $800. I guess the flood never happened. Did submissions go down, was demand satisfied with just those 5 copies, or did the grading tighten up after that last pristine copy got graded? I think that flawless copy should have been given a 9.9 at least if they were going to honor the production flaw for 9.8's. Tempted to look in my 90's bin but might not be worth the disappointment for the effort.

I hate to be a nay-sayer but...nay.

6.0? assuming no spine splits, interior tear, stains, or cover tears other than the chipping and fraying we see along the edges..

Wonder if this will show up on GPA as fake sale or be disregarded. Currently it has been added as a normal sale. I think the Black Label 9.9 was listed somewhere near that price a while back on ebay. Not sure if that one sold offline or through another auction house. That'll skew 9.9 prices for a bit or perhaps bring them out of the woodwork if we don't see this same one come up for sale again in a couple of weeks or so...

I've often wondered but keep coming back to a couple of thoughts: 1. ASM was the original title that most aging collectors identify with 2. ASM possesses the more significant story lines and character introductions and artists. (aka, lack of key issues) Imagine if gwen stacey had survived long enough only to die in the pages of PPSM or if the Punisher's 1st appearance was delayed 2 years and debut in PPSM #1 What if McFarlane had revolutionized the way spidey was drawn in Web of Spider-man and Eddie Brock and the alien symbiot first got together in Web of Spider-man instead of ASM 300? Would nostalgia still be enough for spidey collectors to hold ASM above all other spidey titles? Can you think of any 1st appearance of note in the PPSM or the WoSM titles? I'm not saying PPSM and WoSM sucked but I just feel that all the big bets were reserved for the flagship title. It's all good since it allows me to pick up PPSM and WoSM back issues on the cheap.

I like the comics. I'm a fan of the show. the show seems to have almost caught up to the raw intensity of the comics. the black and white nature of the comics allows it to be a bit more gory than allowed in live action but the show hit a new gore factor high, or low depending on which camp you're in, in the first 2 episodes. The thing that is beginning to get harder and harder for me to swallow is the the sheer physics and biology behind what allows the walkers, especially the emaciated and mostly devoured ones to actually walk. Yes I get it, it's a fictional show. But most of us can buy into the fact that a recently deceased organism is going to retain enough raw body mass and energy to lumber around. But a body who hasn't consumed anything recently and is mostly skin and bones or even loss of sinew, tendons, and musculature that can actually operate motor skills is beyond suspension of disbelief unless we start talking about metaphysical properties like the virus having a spiritual energy or chi. Seriously, it's been months, the bones and tissue should not be able to bend or flex to any useful degree without some form of the ATP cycle taking place let alone move if there's no muscle attached. "But they've been feasting on humans" you say. Where are all these humans? Most are already dead. They're not feasting on each other, most of the zero day zombies should be completely immobile. The rest...Ok, I can imagine that the virus has the unique ability to synthesize all the necessary nutrients and vitamins from consuming raw human flesh and has altered the molecular structure of their tissue and bones to be more efficient than humans and so forth. But...most don't even have stomachs to process the food. Ok sure I can imagine the virus operates on osmosis and absorbs the flesh it comes into contact with. But to walk, to move, to grasp. you have to have some form of motor control from your mid spine to your hips. Many don't even have connective tissue the whole way down. Does bone now function in place of muscle with zombies? I'm approaching the point where I may not be able to enjoy it even for the guilty pleasure it is because my damned logic is getting in the way. If the bubble bursts, it'll be due the sheer absurdity that the show or comic reaches where a majority of readers/viewers are like "Ok that just doesn't make any more sense to me and I'm out!."

Hmm lets see: 1st time Baltimore comicon has expanded to 3-days 1st time CGC is accepting onsite grading in Baltimore which is very close to a TON of collectors and comic shops Baltimore is considered to be one of the largest last Cons focused primarily on Comics Baltimore is in a densely populated section of the North East with DC and Virginia directly to the south and Maryland, NYC, NJ and Delaware, and Philly just to the north And CGC wasn't expecting so much onsite volume because? Baltimore opened the flood gates by adding a 3rd day. Tomorrow will be insane. I got in late today so I missed out on everything you mentioned. Does sound stupid about the VIP option. Today allowed many of us to come in and grab some early deals as well as pay full price for first crack at the quality. I heard some booths doing really well and others not so much. Prices were higher than expected to be on Sunday but dealers were willing to deal and haggle. It was a great day to mingle with the dealers and talk leisurely about comics. Tomorrow it'll be all out war. I look forward to more of your experiences at the con. Take some good pics!

In that image, DS kind of looks like Timothy Dalton. Just sayin'

When I first saw the movie it was the original theatrical version (I think) on HBO or some cable channel back in the 20th century and I thought BOR-RING!!!. Especially considering Star Wars and Star Trek were so much fun at that age. I later saw it at a more mature and intellectually aware age in college and saw the Director's cut and though it was still a very slow SCI-FI movie I began to appreciate it for it's subtle and noire style. The one thing that always annoyed me was the title. "Blade Runner". I knew the book's title and felt it was more relevant but never understood why they named Decker's profession as a Blade Runner. What is a blade runner in this story? I now know the back story to why they named it and his character a Blade Runner but it still doesn't make sense to me unless you make the HUGE leap that in that future, a "blade runner" is the new term for "wetworker", "operator" "contractor" and really to be running the razor fine line between humanity and inhumanity. This of course still makes little sense to me for reasons I won't go into here so as not to spoil the movie. I think they just really liked the way the name sounded and built the movie around the character-title. Silly but I guess it's better than Dreaming of a Unicorn.

Well she did give him blue balls...

I've followed this thread from the very begining and the issue from the previous threads and it has definitely opened my naive eyes to the frailty and reality of the certification program. I used to consider cgc's certification as good as gold and for many it probably still is. But more and more I've begun to see an erosion in the quality and now the integrity of cgc's grading and restoration system. The doubt that has crept in has kept me from sending in any older comics for doubt of their whimsical trim detection and moderns due to their inconsistency. I'm sick of buying any HG 9.8 or higher issue and seeing the degrees of leniency granted. The last 15 slabs purchased from comiclink, comicconnect, pedigree and especially heritage have been an exercise in frustration. Color breaking spine ticks, ink rub, chipped corners, and/or ncb bends do not belong in those grades. And I don't think those are from scs. And from my own submissions of 75 moderns I've received a few 9.8's for something that should have been a 9.4 at best and a bunch that didn't pass that looked better than the ones that did. I know and understand these inconsistencies generate a cottage industry for many on here and many more are beholden to this community, but my experiences with my purchases and this thread has exposed the reality that not only is the certification just an opinion but one that can vary depending on the human factor, the mood, the day, the level of staffing, the season, the lighting, is clearly not based upon any mathematically calculated system, and I challange that it is loosely based on any system let alone OSPG. As such I will be taking some of the advice offered on here in that I will no longer be supporting cgc or those that profit from cgc services by removing myself from much of the marketplace that exists for cgc. While I may not be a major submitter and there are certainly higher rollers than me, I will no longer be spending six figures annually on acquisitions of HG CGC comics. While this won't really impact cgc, it will mean there will be one less high bidder to compete against in auctions, 1 less high bidder driving up prices, and one less buyer of any cgc comic on eBay or anywhere else. I'll also be reducing my modern purchases much to the dismay of my LCS. When I told them they acted like I was breaking up with them, it was painful and awkward. I will likely only purchase comics that I can see in hand both raw and slabbed so probably only at cons and LCS. But gone are the days of trusting in buying a comic remotely based on the cgc grade and high res scan that I can only see online. I will be buying the comic and not the grade. And as for those that I sell I will be considering liquidating the cgc comics at their raw prices or cracking them out and selling as raw but I no longer wish to contribute to the problem of poor quality and inconsistent grading. I wish cgc goodluck in improving their grading quality, consistency, and trim detection but not holding my breath.

This was briefly touched on but the grade dates and walk through option seems strange to me. The buyer/resub definitely knew what they were doing. Whether it was a calculated gamble or back room deal, the buyer/resubber had to feel confident enough to spend additional money after paying for the walk-through service which isn't cheap. Unless, Spider-Dan faked the PM sale and cracked out the book to sell raw on ebay or somewhere prompting the new owner to try and CGC it unknowing that it was previously a PLOD, I'd say the buyer (knowing it's history) would have had to feel confident about receiving a different outcome. As for protecting the buyer because of the stigma of the book, it's irrelevant since the new S/N is known as well as the characteristics. Reselling this one will be tough on here. Might as well out the buyer as the only way he'd be able to sell it under the radar would be if he cracked it out to sell raw but that would defeat the purpose of the resub. I think the only thing left now is a response from CGC and/or the truth about the buyer.

Either CGC admits they can't detect trimming with any accuracy.....or they admit they don't take the time to bother. This will just be another blip on the radar though. Without CGC.....sellers could no longer print money. Cue an epic circle jerk...... Actually this will now reopen the flood gates for the TORCR wave. (Trimmed-Only Restored Crack and Resub) CGC is probably going to make another mint on all the resubs. sales for trimmed only restored comics will spike as everyone attempts to cash in on the inconsistencies.

Does two wrongs now make a right? I know 3 left turns do. this makes me So was the guy who resubmitted it a dealer or auction house? At this point it's either conspiracy or incompetance. What would you feel more comfortable with? Is CGC planning a response to this? Your masses are listening....

Ladies, gentlemen, mutants, morlocks, zombies, speculators, it's all very simple. Has the walking dead bubble burst? No Has it undergone a correction? That's one way to look at it. Will it burst or deflate and when? Well that all depends on those who are holding 9.6-9.9 copies and whether a few sellers decide to panic and sell for way below market price inducing others to sell out driving their prices down. How did we get here and where can it go? In the beginning, you had a run up from $100 to $2500 in a few years mainly because of the shows popularity but also because many fans, collectors, and speculators with big budgets (or willing to stretch them) decided they needed to get in right away at any price as it ran up. In the last few years, the number of collectors/fans/speculators (we'll call them Alphas) willing to pay $2k+ for a 9.8 have pretty much all obtained their copies (note there are plenty of Alpha Primes willing to pay $3k to $10k for the 9.9 copies but there aren't enough copies right now). What is left are the collectors/fans/speculators who are buyers at the next price point below that missed the early run up. These guys are the ones willing to pay $1.5k to $2k right now (white label at the low end and black label at the high end but let's not get into that) We'll call those collectors/fans/specs Betas. And then there's a few who will go above $1k but not 1.5k for some reason (line they've drawn in the sand and they are Deltas) Everyone else falls under the sub $1k price point which may be satisfied with 9.4's and below. So lets assume all the Alphas have all been satisfied so the next demand point is the Betas who are being picked off little by little as an Alpha owner gets nervous/wants to cash in/has other interest/needs the money decides to sell at a profit making lower price that is still acceptable which is where we begin to see the $1.8k 1.9k and 1.6k prices. Especially those early adopter speculators who got in at $100-500 and are getting really nervous/need the money. Thus the market will sustain a 1.5 to 2k bottom so long as sellers don't panic. Now there may be speculators among the Betas and Deltas who think buying at $1.5k is a good deal (which it may be right now) but what they don't realize is that now they are the new top of the demand curve market buyer driving the prices. If all Betas buy all the Alpha copies (there are likely more Beta buyers than Alpha sellers), they will have no one but other Betas and Deltas to sell to unless some of the Betas become Alphas or more Alphas enter the market. So what's the point? Well this market is both saturated and controllable. If all sellers collude to not sell below $2k+ or do so in a manner that won't get recorded to GPA/public online record, the market aware price point stays at $2k+. Betas will be forced to save up and buy at the Alpha price point. However, irrationality can lead to some playing the FUD (Fear Uncertainty and Doubt) trump cards. If all Alpha speculators (non fans/collectors) decide to dump their copies at whatever they can get and they also are holding a majority of the copies of 9.8, rest assured there will be a a steep drop off. However, just as there's a downward correction, there can and will be an upward one. Why? Because once speculators clear the market, bottom feeder fans/collector Deltas and Betas will gladly jump in on the downswing and spawn another upswing to keep the prices from falling too low. I believe we got a glimpse of this by what happened earlier this summer when many 9.8 #1's sold for $1.4k-1.7k and began another upswing back up to $2k. One thing to remember. I said before this may be true: # of Beta buyers > # of Alpha Sellers But this may not be true: # of Beta buyers > # of 9.8 copies So if # of Beta buyers is < # of 9.8 copies, you will definitely see a steeper drop off in pricing as the only ones to sell to will be Deltas. So what can the rest do about this? Not much. Look the speculators/fair weather fans are going to either start cashing out when they felt the market peaked which seems to be at $2.5k once they recognize that there are no more Alpha buyers and try to target the next tier to get the most that they can. Not all will right away. Others will be more patient and hold until they see it peak again or use the TV show ratings/cancellation as indicators but honestly if you wait until the ratings or show cancellation point to sell, you're probably too late already if you're expecting to get $$$$ So how can this market ever improve or be sustained? Well you just need to entice or draw in a whole new crop of Alpha buyers. Newly minted 25-35 year-olds with large disposable incomes willing to spend $2k or more on a comic and sellers have to agree not to sell below $2k. Sustainability can only be reached once the # of new Alpha buyers > the # of 9.8 copies available for sale. What about all the other issues other than #1? Well sadly those will probably suffer the most right away as it takes a true collector to desire to acquire a whole run. 1-10 will do fine, 10-30 will be ok with 19 and 27 not dropping a whole lot especially if there are spinoff series for Michonne. 40 and above will probably just get graded fees covered pricing $30-$50. Again, collusion in selling and pricing is key. If you hold prices at $50+ good. If you auction or sell below that then the Betas and Deltas will gladly begin to buy at the lower price points driving the market downward. Oh God not another bad analogy! Yes sorry but: Why does a pack of coca cola cost $3.50+ everywhere? Because they force distributors and merchants by contract to sell at no less than a specific price. They use a reserve price. Every now and then a store is permitted to offer a sale but not without permission from Coca-cola. this is to preserve the market price and brand and the other top cola producers collude. Want another bad analogy? Ok here goes: but if all sellers agreed to hold and control the market like DeBeers, and offer cooperative competitive pricing like the cola industry, you can continue to preserve the high prices long after the show's cancellation. You just have to keep bringing in the Alphas long after the show ends. How do you do this? That is the secret sauce! (thumbs u (sorry about the wall of text)