Supa-Bad-Mofo

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So, I won this book about two weeks ago. Took a quick look at it when it arrived and thought I had a gem...solid 9.2 after a press IMO. I was cataloging and prepping to send it with others for a press and grading. Put it on the scanner and it wouldn't square up. Looked a little closer and it wasn't square. I feel like a noob! I should have seen this obvious problem in the auction pics, but my excitement for the book clouded my judgement...I guess... So, I think I have a basic understanding of book assembly and reasoned that a "tapered edge" through the whole book would be basically impossible. Please check out this book and let me know what you think.

I found a few books in a drawer at my grandparents house in the mid 80's. The most valuable was Blitzkrieg #1 in VG. I didn't really know it at the time, but the seed had been planted. I didn't know anything about comics, but I liked them. Fast forward about 10 years...I had picked up a few books over time, mostly 90's stuff, mostly drek. I remember pouring through magazine racks at local retail stores, picking covers and stories I liked. I passed on most of the stuff that's worth big money now. I even remember passing on Walking Dead #1 because it was Image and I liked Marvel and DC. So, into the early 2000's I decided I liked Sgt. Fury. Ebay had made finding back issues easier and there were no comic shops within 150 miles of my hometown. Somewhere in there, I found a "reader" copy of Sgt. Fury #1. It was beat, but I picked it up for $50 or 60 bucks shipped...the most I had ever spent on a book. Sometime later CGC became a thing. I looked through listing, after listing, buying up a lot of Mile High II Fury books...mostly 9.2's. About 4 or 5 years ago I sent that Fury #1 for a press and grading. I still have it and probably will forever...I wish I knew then, what I know now.

A few nice bronze Sgt. Fury...

No doubt! Just makes you wonder how much they paid for it @Poka!

Beware! I know most seasoned collectors would notice, but unsuspecting or newbie buyers might fall for it! With all the new collectors out there, I felt it was only right to report it. Can you spot the misrepresentation?

A few nice Furys...thanks ComicLink!

@brentdevilI'd take it to them and see what they say. You can't go wrong. If they do it for free, perfect. If not, you can decide what you want to do. (Personally, I would at least reholder it without a press. There's too much value there not to do it. Whether or not you want to press and regrade is another story...there are risks there.) FYI, when reholdering (whether you pay, or they do it because of an issue like you're having), they will remove the book from the existing holder and inner well. They remove and replace the microchamber paper they put inside the books (this is used to mitigate further deterioration of the book from the natural decomposition of the paper and ink) and then place the book in a new well and current holder. The book I had issues with had similar bending, but was at a higher grade. I would bet that with the small amount of bending and the grade of your book, they wouldn't even think twice about reholering at the current grade...no questions asked. I would just ask them. They are pretty reasonable and tend to stand by their products. You'll have to prepare to be separated from your book for a while. It'll take some time to get it pressed and/or reholdered and/or regraded.

@brentdevil I would reccomend asking CGC to RE-HOLDER your book. You wouldn't want to get into a pistol duel at the show with all the holster talk. On a more serious note, I had a book that was damaged (the bottom of the book was quite bent, non color-breaking and no tears, most bending on the back cover) while in the slab. I owned the book, but the damage was done before I bought it. Keep in mind, the slab was pristine, with no external damage, lending to the proof the the holder itself was not protecting/supporting the book like it should. This ties right in with 3rd party grading and the integrity of CGC's grading service. Once graded and encapsulated, the book should, under normal conditions and handling, retain its grade. A book that slides around excessively in the well and causes damage, will not retain the grade, and in a way, nullifies the purpose of grading and encapsulation. I contacted CGC and they asked that I ship the book to them ASAP. The agent working on my claim hand carried the book in for a quick press, to repair and mitigate the damage. She then, hand delivered the book to the graders for a "review", to ensure the book retained its grade. (Even in this scenario, there was a chance that it could have dropped if there was damage that warranted a reduction.) Fortunately, the book retained the original 9.6 grade. It was reholdered in the newest slab design at the time and sent back to me. All of this was done for me at no cost and in only a few days.

Right...I get that. I was just pointing to the fact that they are really unscrupulous. It seems that ebay could use the deception to force them to modify the listing, if that is the case. I wasn't attacking the legitimacy of your statement @newshane.

Bought a raw Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD #1 from Tim. Nice book and fast, secure shipping from the North! Thanks!

So, @newshane may have something here, but according to the email response @AngelClaudio received, they are mylar. If you watch the first video, Clearbags states that their bags are 1.6 mil. I went to ebay and took a screenshot of the Diamond (cgc-mylars) listing, where it states their bags are 1.7 mil. If they aren't mylar and are in fact poly, cgc-mylars are flat-out lying in the listing and in email responses, as well as misleading buyers by stating incorrect thickness.

I use some I bought from ebay. They are mylar according to the auction listing, but even if they aren't, they are really clear and very inexpensive comparatively. They are a bit wider than the CGC sleeves and the slab, but I like that. Click here to see them...

Just started using these. Love 'em! Relatively tough, secure lid with slide "locks", includes one divider that snaps in (they're solid and you can buy more divders separately). They are stackable with a peg and hole to keep them stacked. BCW graded bins. Click here to see them.

I just saw it on the site a week ago. Think they still do it. Now the question is: Could and would CGC ever do this, for say, pre-grades that don't meet the muster? Don't offer it as a primary option, just an option for pre-grades only. They "rough" grade them anyway, I assume. Would you pay an extra $5 or $10 to have the book put into a mylar and backer with an "uncertified" grade sticker and seal? I might. You already pay shipping both ways and a fee for failures. At least you'd get something back for your time, effort and money.

So, this is the abridged version of the response to my inquiry: "Thank you for the bids. Unfortunately, I don’t have a way of backing out this. If you like, I’ll resell it at 0% commission if that will help, so so you’ll have some buffer. Maybe you’ll even make some money." I thought the solution was very generous and represents some excellent customer service. Thanks, Comiclink!

I'll check my books...for sure!

Great stories! I'm glad I'm not the only one!

fixed...tech is kicking my this week.

So, I did it last night. I decided to bid on a few books since getting a collecting re-boot bug recently...I hadn't bid there since 2014. I was bidding on 3 high grade books that were surrounding a mid-grade that I already have in my collection. In the "final" minutes of the auction, I put three quick bids in on 3 books I was interested in...accidentally putting a high bid on the mid-grade...way over its value. I ended up winning one of the high grades and the unwanted mid-grade for about $75- $100 more than I believe it's worth. Has anyone done this? Here's an opportunity to tell your story and let me know what you did as a solution. I emailed Comic Connect and am awaiting a response. Hey, I realize it's my bad, so don't beat me up too much. Those little bid fields are small on a phone screen...

Here's one Joey pressed for me. VF/NMish, save for the obvious water damage and subsequent staining on the front and back at the top of the book. He let me know it wouldn't do much for me, but it was one of the first books I purchased when I really started seriously collecting. I bought it for a song ($10 bucks I think) in the early 2000's. I still think the press helped the grade.

Pics are little hard to see. Corners look blunt. Creases and indentions on f/b covers. Looks like it may be dirty. The extra staples will be an issue, might be a notation or a qualified grade...not sure where CGC stands on added staples. I'm sitting at a 5.0. First Ghost rider appearance...nice book to have!

I'd hover around a 5.5. Blunting, tear llc. Blunting trc, others aren't sharp. Lots of spine tics, noticeable near supes Cape. Some dirt f/b covers. Issues @ the staples, specifically the bottom. Lois tore a big chunk out of the urc. Jk. Like the cover on this one!

per PM. Thanks!