marvelmaniac

I do not have my books graded but this is what I understand to be correct. All CGC Signature Series Books have been verified that the signature is authentic. The chain of custody is...From you to the writer/artist signing the book/sketch and the signature is witnessed by a CGC Representative, the book then goes directly to the CGC Rep and is sent for grading. Any book/sketch that is signed and not witnessed by a CGC Authorized Rep will not get a Gold SS Label. Books that are sent in for grading with an unwitnessed signature usually get a Green Qualified Label stating there is "Writing On The Cover".

Agree 100%.

Normally I would say this book is a GD 2.0 but I cannot really see the amount of wear at the bottom left of the cover at the spine. Looks much better than a FR/GD 1.5 so... 2.0 GOOD (GD): Back to Top Shows substantial wear; often considered a "reading copy." Cover shows significant wear and may even be detached. Cover reflectivity is low and in some cases completely absent. Book-length creases and dimples may be present. Rounded corners are more common. Moderate soiling, staining, discoloration and foxing may be present. The largest piece allowed missing from the front or back cover is usually a 1/2" triangle or a 1/4" square, although some Silver Age books such as 1960s Marvels have had the price corner box clipped from the top left front cover and may be considered Good if they would otherwise have graded higher. Tape and other forms of amateur repair are common in Silver Age and older books. Spine roll is likely. May have up to a 2" spine split. Staples may be degraded, replaced or missing. Moderate staple tears and stress lines may be present, as well as rust migration. Paper is brown but not brittle. Centerfold may be loose or detached. Moderate interior tears may be present. 1.8 GOOD- (GD-): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Good but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book's appearance by a perceptible amount

Nice Book!!! The more I see of the books you have inherited the more impressed I am. As far as this TOS 52... Spine Creases W/Color Break, Edge Wear on the Top Cover, Creasing at the Top Right Corner, other than that the book presents extremely well. I hate to Overgrade books and I am torn but have to go with a VG/FN 5.0 or possibly (???)... a FN- 5.5 5.5 FINE- (FN-): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Fine but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 5.0 VERY GOOD/FINE (VG/FN): Back to Top An above-average but well used comic book. An accumulation of bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor to moderate cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases and/or dimples. Inks have moderate to low reflectivity. Blunted corners are increasingly common, as is minor to moderate staining, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor to moderate spine roll is allowed. A spine split of up to 1/2" may be present. Staples may show minor discoloration. Minor staple tears and minor stress lines may also be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown with no signs of brittleness. Centerfold may be loose. Minor interior tears may also be present.

This thread and link were a true learning experience for me, Thank You for that. My Son has a copy of Thundercats 1 and I had no idea about multiple printings, turns out his is a second print.

Which part is "long gone"???, sitting there for hours, mesmerized or reaching the top of the racks/shelves?

Welcome To The Boards!!! Collecting is different for everybody, it all depends what you like and what you are interested in. 1)What characters/storylines, etc are you interested in? 2)Are you looking for new books/titles or looking to start collecting back issues of a title/character? 3)Are you looking for Graded books or Raw books? 4)Are you collecting for your enjoyment or investment purposes? As far as info about comics and collecting, I would recommend you get yourself a copy of the Overstreet Price Guide, the prices/values listed are usually outdated by the time the book is published but you can get a "general" idea of value and the book is filled with other valuable information for all types of collectors. https://www.amazon.com/Overstreet-Comic-Book-Price-Guide/dp/160360233X Google "comic book collecting 101", there are numerous articles and YouTube video's for beginner collectors. Also remember this... 1)Buy what you enjoy and enjoy what you buy. 2)The only "dumb/stupid" question is the one that is not asked. 3)It is easier to answer "dumb/stupid" questions than fix "dumb/stupid" mistakes. As far as I am concerned, ask any question you have no matter how silly you think it may be and I/we (?) will do our best to answer it.

If this is present on new books there must be other buyers seeing/saying the same thing. Have you spoken to the proprietor of your LCS about this issue, curious what he/she would have to say about it.

OMG!!! Lovin That!!!

Welcome To The Boards!!! https://www.cgccomics.com/boards/forum/50-comics-market-want-to-buy/

I cannot answer your question on pressing. With an unwitnessed signature you will receive a Green Qualified Label stating there is writing on the cover, if you requested a Blue Universal Label how much of a deduction would you receive for the signature??? Looking closely at all of the pics you posted all I really see is some slight denting without color break, minor foxing on the spine and blunted corners with what appears to be a tear/piece missing from the upper right corner, because of that I am hesitant to go FN/VF 7.0 but the book IMO is better than a FN 6.0 so...I can only give this book at a FN+ 6.5 discounting the signature.

This book presents very well, most of the issues are with the edges and corners, I always try to avoid overgrading so I am very hesitant to go with a VG/FN 5.0, so I would grade this book at a VG+ 4.5. 5.0 VERY GOOD/FINE (VG/FN): Back to Top An above-average but well used comic book. An accumulation of bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor to moderate cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases and/or dimples. Inks have moderate to low reflectivity. Blunted corners are increasingly common, as is minor to moderate staining, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor to moderate spine roll is allowed. A spine split of up to 1/2" may be present. Staples may show minor discoloration. Minor staple tears and minor stress lines may also be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown with no signs of brittleness. Centerfold may be loose. Minor interior tears may also be present. 4.5 VERY GOOD+ (VG): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Very Good but with an additional virtue or small accumulation of virtues that improves the book's appearance by a perceptible amount.

I had no idea what this was so I did some research, Very Cool!!! Is that insert all paper or does it have a standard cover? What do the inks look like on the inside pages? From what I can see by the two pics you posted I would say you are in the NM- 9.2 to NM 9.4 Range, once you start getting into the 9's every little microscopic defect makes a difference. 9.4 NEAR MINT (NM): Back to TopNearly perfect with only minor imperfections that keep it from the next higher grade. Subtle bindery/printing defects are allowed. Bindery tears must be less than 1/16" on Silver Age and later books, although on Golden Age books bindery tears of up to 1/4" have been noted. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Inks are bright with high reflectivity and a minimum of fading. Corners are cut square and sharp with ever-so-slight blunting permitted. A 1/16" bend is permitted with no color break. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as they are in an unobtrusive location. Slight foxing. Spine is tight and flat. Staples are generally centered; may have slight discoloration. Almost no stress lines. Paper is off-white to cream, supple and fresh. Slight interior tears are allowed. 9.2 NEAR MINT- (NM-): Back to TopNearly perfect with only a minor additional defect or defects that keep it from Near Mint. A limited number of minor bindery/printing defects are allowed. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Inks are bright with only the slightest dimming of reflectivity. Corners are cut square and sharp with ever-so-slight blunting permitted. A 1/16-1/8" bend is permitted with no color break. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as they are in an unobtrusive location. Slight foxing. Spine is tight and flat. Staples may show some discoloration. Almost no stress lines. Paper is off-white to cream, supple and fresh. Slight interior tears are allowed. For anyone else looking to help grade this or wanting more info... http://retroramblings.com/mask-insert/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.A.S.K.

Nice Book!!! If the darkened area on the outer/upper edges is caused by Sun Shadow I would grade this book at... 5.0 VERY GOOD/FINE (VG/FN): Back to TopAn above-average but well used comic book. An accumulation of bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor to moderate cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases and/or dimples. Inks have moderate to low reflectivity. Blunted corners are increasingly common, as is minor to moderate staining, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor to moderate spine roll is allowed. A spine split of up to 1/2" may be present. Staples may show minor discoloration. Minor staple tears and minor stress lines may also be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown with no signs of brittleness. Centerfold may be loose. Minor interior tears may also be present. If that is tape then the grade drops to at least... 4.0 VERY GOOD (VG): Back to Top The average used comic book. Cover shows moderate to significant wear, and may be loose but not completely detached. Cover reflectivity is low. Can have moderate creases or dimples. Corners may be blunted. Store stamps, name stamps, arrival dates, initials, etc. have no effect on this grade. Some discoloration, fading, foxing, and even minor soiling is allowed. As much as a 1/4" triangle can be missing out of the corner or edge; a missing 1/8" square is also acceptable. Only minor unobtrusive tape and other amateur repair allowed on otherwise high grade copies. Moderate spine roll may be present and/or a 1" spine split. Staples may be discolored. Minor to moderate staple tears and stress lines may be present, as well as some rust migration. Paper is brown but not brittle. Minor to moderate interior tears may be present. Centerfold may be loose or detached at one staple. 3.5 VERY GOOD- (VG-): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Very Good but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book's appearance by a perceptible amount.

https://geektyrant.com/news/marvels-moon-knight-will-reportedly-connect-to-their-blade-film

Nice Book!!! There are some "if's" associated with grading this since only pics of the cover front and back were posted. Tape is allowed on books VG- 3.5 and below but tape cannot be used to increase the grade, a book with tape should be graded as if the tape were not present. If the tape on the spine is not hiding a severe spline split (over 2") and the cover is not fully detached I feel this book is a... 3.0 GOOD/VERY GOOD (GD/VG): Back to TopA used comic book showing some substantial wear. Cover shows significant wear, and may be loose or even detached at one staple. Cover reflectivity is very low. Can have a book-length crease and/or dimples. Corners may be blunted or even rounded. Discoloration, fading, foxing, and even minor to moderate soiling is allowed. A triangle from 1/4" to 1/2" can be missing out of the corner or edge; a missing 1/8" to 1/4" square is also acceptable. Tape and other amateur repair may be present. Moderate spine roll likely. May have a spine split of anywhere from 1" to 1-1/2". Staples may be rusted or replaced. Minor to moderate staple tears and moderate stress lines may be present, as well as some rust migration. Paper is brown but not brittle. Centerfold may be loose or detached at one staple. Minor to moderate interior tears may be present.

Let me start by saying that I have no problem with people wanting graded books, CGC does provide a valuable service IMO for expensive, key books by authenticating they are original without any restoration and gives them a numerical grade so you as a collector or investor know what you are getting. If you are a collector of only CGC books and have ALL of your books graded and that is what makes you happy I salute you for doing what makes you feel good and collecting "Your Way". It is the Obsession with grading that bothers me, "OMG it came back with a 9.6 and it should have been a 9.8 and the graders notes do not say anything, now what do I do???". Now we are going to have the graders grade authenticated and verified??? I also realize that comic books have become a money making/speculation/investment commodity and that the Silver Age books that I bought back in the 70's/80's/90's and Pre-Hero Books I bought 15 years ago are now worth a lot more $$$ and although they are insured that is not why I bought them, to me they are still comic books, a piece of my childhood that I want to hold onto, one that when I look at or read those books it brings back good memories that make me feel good, I do not see dollar $ signs although my kids will when I am gone. Grading comics yourself falls into the same category as reading/looking at them since you basically have to do both to grade, you have to physically hold/touch/smell/look at the book in order to grade it and if you are like me, certain books bring back good/pleasant memories that make you feel good and that is what comic books are/were all about.

First let me say...Sorry for your loss whomever it was you inherited the collection from. Secondly all I can say is WOW!!! That is one heck of a collection!!! And in case you have not already found this...https://comics.ha.com/tutorial/comics-grading.s?show=comicdefinitions There are no pics like the Overstreet Grading Guide but I use this grading tutorial all the time. Good Luck!!!

Since CGC does not publish any of their grading standards/criteria we are all left to guess why they do what they do. IMO, since nobody can tell me differently, they must make up the rules as they go along.

And I am old enough to remember when nobody cared or even considered condition/grading a comic book. I wish people would stop being so obsessed with grade and remember why most started collecting in the first place. Comic books were and for me still are for reading and enjoyable entertainment to allow me to escape if only for a few moments, the harsh realities of the world we live in. Bring back the days of going to the Used Magazine Dealer in the Local Farmers Market where Coverless/Remaindered Copies were 10 cents each, 3 for 25 cents or 15 for $1.00 and I would come home with a stack of Harvey/Archie/Marvel/DC and sit for hours just Reading and Relaxing.

Found this for you. http://www.recalledcomics.com/SupermanBatman4GermanVariant.php

Did you send these books in for grading or were they purchased this way? Who wrote the #'s on the back cover? My understanding is that if it is not a manufactured printed number by the publisher or CGC was not there to witness the books being numbered by whomever, that it is graded as having a defect and could go either way, Green or Blue. I do not have my books graded, however, I would assume either the two graders saw things differently or the 9.8 book was given a Green Label upon request to keep the book at a 9.8. Did you also notice the title of the book is different on the two labels?

Are you an Insurance Company?

Welcome To The Boards!!! I cannot give you an exact answer since do not send books to be graded nor do I have books signed, however... Sounds like a business adhering to their rules (I have no idea what those rules are) that are written in the fine print. Unfortunately with most business's it is always about the Have you tried to contact CGC directly to get clarification on the issue?

I just recently asked the same question about an X-Men issue I came across while grading my Son's books. The consensus was that if the back cover is normal then that book is faded. As was asked in the previous post about "red/magenta" on the back cover... Under most circumstances, red fades the fastest of all visible colors