Different strokes for different folks. I nailed the 5.0 Wow (surprising myself, for sure), but am slightly ticked off about the scan for Star Wars 68. No matter how far I zoomed in, that scan did not clearly reveal (to my eyes, at least) whether the discoloration on the top back cover was foxing or staining. CGC is harsher on stains than foxing, and it looked like staining to me. 

In cases where the scan is not adequately revealing defects that CGC graders can clearly see with a book in-hand, maybe we should be given at least partial grader notes when the raw scans are 1st posted.

The spine split on Jungle Comics 11 in Round Two is a case where some people didn't notice a spine split at all, but those of us who did notice could not determine exactly how long the split was. A note detailing the exact length could have helped us grade more accurately, based on CGC's policy for various lengths.  

No sour grapes here. I'm having a great time participating with fellow boardies to see who does best. We're all at the same disadvantage, grading scans while the CGC graders are grading books in-hand...and some of you are darn good at it!

On 4/30/2023 at 7:31 PM, skypinkblu said:

That's it for tonight...I was going to put in a few more Planets, but my husband who never pays attention to comics kept telling me they are all keepers...;)

Thanks for explaining why some of my fave Planet covers were missing. 

On 4/26/2023 at 2:16 AM, Grendel72 said:

Im just curious....those of you who have the top tier scores, are u grading based on what you think the grade should be or based on how cgc grades? 

I grade based on my opinion of defects apparent in the scans. Lately, my CGC orders generally come back in grades that are at least within a half-point of what I thought they would be.

It's tricky to accurately grade with scans of the front and back. Much better to hold and inspect the book, like the CGC graders have done with all of the contest comics. With that in mind, no one should get down on themselves for not doing better. 

On 4/23/2023 at 7:59 PM, Larryw7 said:

Batman 67 Classic Mystery Rope cover. A great Joker story. Nice copy except for a tiny hole on the right side of the cover. Off White to White pages. 5.0 300.00

 

Please count me in!
 

On 3/5/2023 at 3:54 PM, LadyDeath said:

Is this Baker or Kamen? I never know what Sheena covers are his. Any tips?

 

I believe there are no Matt Baker Sheena covers. This one is probably multiple Iger shop artists, perhaps with a touch of Kamen. 

On 2/18/2023 at 7:18 AM, BakerFanOne said:

Honestly this looks like partial Baker at best.  The woman is very stiff and reminds me more of a Kamen pose,  Maybe it is the inking, but curious if others question whether this is Baker?  Still, it is a beautiful copy!

I don't just "question" if it's Baker, I refute it!

On 2/9/2023 at 7:22 PM, thehumantorch said:

Harold Baker 

Overstreet has sometimes been the guilty culprit of wrong Baker attributions, but blame this one on the Grand Comics Database. That appears to be where CGC gets many of their label attributions.

Overstreet does not list Matt Baker cover & art for this book. I don't think it's listed in Matt Baker: The Art of Glamour, either, but I cannot locate my copy at the moment.  

On 1/19/2023 at 2:08 PM, Jaylam said:

I have never bought a book from them that didn't have images of the book. It is rare that the books they have for sale don't have images. When was it you bought that book?

When it comes to "New Items", Metropolis rarely posts images these days. At this moment, of the first 100 New Items, only 16 have scans, and 2 of those are stock photos. 

I was considering purchasing a Metropolis book with no scan, graded as a 5.0. The description said "glossy!" I emailed Metropolis, "There are no scans online. How can I be sure it's a 5.0?" Metro replied, "We have not seen the book as it is currently held by its consignor."

Metropolis would probably get a lot more of my money if they conducted business like mycomicshop. Consignors' books are always pictured, and mycomicshop does the grading and stands behind it. Apparently, if they misgrade a book and it ends up being returned, mycomicshop simply resells the book. The consignor is never bothered about it, because they got paid within days of the original sale. 

I guess I'll try again.

On 1/2/2023 at 3:50 PM, comicnoir said:

Another triumph for Matt.

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/romance/diary-secrets-26-st-john-1954-cgc-vg-45-off-white-to-white-pages/a/122301-11373.s?type=bidnotice-dailystatus

Wow. I'm feelin' good about the 4.0 that just came home from CGC. The one I paid $9 for.

St. John Matt Baker covers with older looking characters are mostly, if not all, from the time when the Comics Code Authority was coming into play. The obvious examples are from late 1954 onward, after the Senate hearings in April and June of ’54.

Matt was a pro and delivered what his clients ordered. He probably wouldn’t begin to age cover characters on a whim. More likely, St. John was avoiding trouble by having Baker depict people in such a way that they couldn’t possibly be mistaken for young teen-agers.

Situations on Baker covers during that period are clearly college or young adult oriented. No more promiscuous, trash talking teens on the beach!

On 12/10/2022 at 11:20 PM, Changer said:

NM - Carl Barks Disney Comics and Stories,Gyro Gearloose Lot 1-6

 

$60 for the set shipped!

 

Glad to have participated. I'm happy to have hit 2 bulls eyes in the last round but overall am much more accurate when predicting what my personal books will get when sent to CGC for grading. Getting to actually hold the book helps a lot. Kudos to those who can consistently predict a CGC grade by photos alone. 

And BIG THANKS to @CGC Mikefor going to all the trouble of making the contest happen. Superb organization, communication and follow-up. Well done, my friend!

On 11/7/2022 at 7:19 PM, Yorick said:

So you have a duplicate, or did you get that sticker off?  Who drew the other ones?  All Baker & Roche?

All of mine have stickers. Ryan's does not. Haven't tried to take them off, because it'll just tear the covers.  

Baker was involved only in the Cinderella book. Others are written by Roche and illustrated by Blum. The full 4-book set includes Red Riding Hood. 

Amazing World of DC Comics 

Count me in, please!

On 9/20/2022 at 8:50 PM, cgcsketcherz said:

I always wonder, if a new estimated time comes, do all books waiting get the new time, or are they grandfathered into the old estimated turn around times?

Reported turn around times are not a promise, so there's no grandfathering.

As I understand it, the current turnaround time of 240 days simply means that the books CGC is processing today came into the system approximately 240 work days ago.

Action Comics (1938 1st series DC)    200    Highest Graded Copy    CGC 9.4?  Current highest on census is 8.5.

Action Comics (1938 1st series DC)    165    Highest Graded Copy    CGC 9.4?  Current highest on census is 7.5.

After looking up a few of interest and finding no record of such grades at CGC, I'm going to have to see scans posted here before considering a purchase.

Action Comics (1938 1st series DC)    184    Highest Graded Copy    CGC 9.2?

Right now, the highest listed on the CGC census is a 7.5.