EC ed

New Pre-Trend EC in the box this week...

Now I want a copy. Is that wrong?

Although I'm a slab-cracker and agree with this, I actually can't +1 this notion generally. I agree because I'm from the era where the actual books are the object of the collecting activity, not plastic cases. But, that's my preference. We're dealing with a new era of collectors who actually do consider the plastic cases themselves (with the "pretty" number) to be part of the collectible object...Amadeus Arkham's post there illustrates this...he gets aesthetic enjoyment from having the plastic case itself. To each his/her own. The beauty of the hobby is that it's flexible. We slab-crackers have given plenty of answers to the OP's original question as to "why crack." Others have answered "why not crack"...the difference ultimately stems in part from how we each define and parameterize the item that is the collectible.

+2 Let me show something that illustrates the point in the first paragraph...this damage would not have happened had the book been in mylar:

Another random point to be made on the matter of cracking books out - for posterity, I make it a habit of taking scans of the front and back of the books in the slab before I crack them out. Seems to be a good practice. This way, if/when I ever sell the book, I can show the buyer both the pre-crack and current images to give them some assurance that 1) the book I'm selling them is indeed the same book that was in the slab (most books have distinguishing characteristics that make this obvious), and 2) (assuming I've done my custodial job properly) the condition of the book hasn't changed relative to when it was in the slab, meaning the assigned grade then is effectively still the grade now. For a buyer who values slabbing primarily for the resto check and independent grade assignments, this base-covering minimizes resale value loss.

Argh! You are right, my mistake. Another example. ASM 53 CGC 9.2 (Mycomicshop) at $355.86. Overstreet value at $270. It's 30% more. In this case, it makes more sense. A 30% premium for the assurance that the grading is correct may be worth it. That price in your new example is still misleading you in your analysis. Just because that's the price listed for that particular book at that particular vendor doesn't mean that's the market value of an ASM 53 CGC 9.2...that's just an asking price...the book could sit there forever unsold at that price. The 12-month average sales price for a slabbed ASM 53 CGC 9.2 is around $240 (based on those sales that are recorded in GPA, of course), and trending downward. If you're getting serious about spending significant money on slabbed comics, it would behoove you to get a subscription to GPA so that you can get a baseline for market values...a wise investment until you start developing more experience (and a good resource even after you have more experience) edit: ...the basic notion of your point is correct, though...as others have said, there's some logic to paying a slight premium for graded books for the resto check and independent grading opinion.

"But...but...won't that hurt their resale value/liquidity?" Yes, probably...but not always. Price you pay...goes with the territory

Yes. In the slab, only ~ 5% of the book is visible. There are a whole other 34 pages just brimming with artwork in there (usually more if we're talking Golden Age) that you can't see when the book is in the slab. I want to have access to 100% of a book I own. Some people don't care. Those that do become slab-crackers! Also, I like to change the microchamber paper occasionally, which requires deslabbing. Also, I really enjoy the 'conservationist' feeling I get from putting 3 or 5 sheets of microchamber in there, rather than just 2. More generally, there are arguments to be made that storage in mylar in an acid-free environment is "better" for the longevity of book than sitting in the slab, but opinions differ. As an aside, one thing that is clear is that books can be damaged in various ways by the inner well of the slab...putting them in mylar takes that out of the equation.

Ummmm....putting CBCS in the sales thread title? Is this just some sort of strange Friday night experiment? http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=8036847#Post8036847

And not like it was an inexperienced buyer...Balls knows what he's doing

He's just BRO'in around again, my bros...

Boy, this seems like bad practice: http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=8105429#Post8105429 ...setting up an auction and declaring an ending time (i.e., 10 PM Central tonight), and then shutting things down early because of "no interest". Seems like once one commits to an auction structure with time parameters, it needs to run its course...perhaps someone was contemplating a bid and was waiting until after work, or something....

In my estimation, it'll be missing the final 3 pages from the (originally 7 page) Mighty Man story "Note: The Mighty Man is held a captive by the Witch...", along with the first page from the (originally 2 page) Amazing Man text story "Phantom Tracks." So, I'm sure that I won't get to see how Mighty Man escapes the clutches of the witch. However, as you suggest, from a story perspective, I am indeed most interested in the lead A-Man story (spanning the first 12 pages of the book).

I have done multiple transactions with this true gentleman, and I always come away ecstatic. Usually, I buy raws from Robert, but recently I picked up one of his slabs...the packaging job deserves special mention...one of the best packing jobs I've encountered yet, and I've seen some good ones. Think Fort Knox... (thumbs u

And a Feldstein:

Here are a couple from Ingels, before he was Ghastly:

I think that any attempt to actually define the year delineator between groups would be frowned upon. You'll notice that it's currently undefined - I PM'd Arch about this a year or so ago with a suggestion when I was off on that tangent, and he ignored me.

Yep, and the only other buyer I see is another new boardie. Hopefully he/she didn't feel like it was "safe" just because they observed a seasoned boardie pulling the trigger. Still, they're responsible for their own behavior, and they'll learn that lesson fast if they stick around...

I don't think pointing out a factual inaccuracy would be thread crud...spread the knowledge...

Just plugged two big holes in my TOS run with these matching old label 9.0s Received them today from a boardie... Commence Crackage, Sir! That old microchamber paper gots to be changed, stat!

Beautiful books, everyone...but this thread needs some more EC. Here's a beauty...and the book's not in bad shape, either...

Love me some pre-trend titles...recently picked up this white-paged Gerber 8

Request permission to come aboard, sir....

Nice 'double quote' on the leading edge - not easy to come by (thumbs u