grebal

bikesnbuses doesn't have a kudos thread, so please let me get the ball rolling. I replied to bikesnbuses WTB thread, and he accepted the three Thors at my offer and paid immediately. *And* he was one of the few board members that quickly came to kudos thread and left me a comment after buying from me on the board, so obviously I've gone sweet on him. So, great transaction, and thanks bikesnbuses !

Yeah, this place can seem lame sometimes. I skipped it because not really comics, but that was pretty lame of me too. I'd say strong VGs. As mentioned, major creases. And even an otherwise VF that also has a major crease (2 inch +) on front cover will usually start at VG/F and work down from there.

I basically agree with you here but on certain books I like it in a CGC holder. If it's an expensive book I think it is more valuable in a CGC slab. It's also easier for your heirs in case something happens. The slab also protects your books from damage = easier to hand it to someone for viewing without worry. In those cases, it makes sense, especially if you are prepping your collection for others to liquidate later on. I don't have any books that are ultra expensive (over a thousand in value)-- many books worth hundreds perhaps currently. Also- I can't remember the last time anyone looked through my collection other than myself. I live alone though-- so I am not the norm clearly. Practically nobody has seen my books except the random family member or friend nearby when a comic was going into/out of my collection. For around forty years I collected before joining the board last May, and in just those past months I've shared more of my collection here than combined all 40 prior years. It's whole different head, not that I was private on purpose or anything, just didn't have other friends who collected. I'm doing what bomber-bob suggested - putting a dozen or two books to submit to CGC for me or my estate to have more convenient/better price sale (last batch I did was 2001 and I still have all I didn't give as gifts).

D'oh ! Forgot my list of which to put away. Dark Knight Returns #1 9.8 Inhumans #1 9.0 Moon Knight #1 9.6 Defenders #1 6.5 Peter Parker The Spectacular Spiderman #1 9.0 Then you have 5 spaces left. But don't mind me, I tend to use misdirection as my key security feature. Of course you'll insure anyway, duh.

Yeah, munster, sounds like a newbie dud. : ( Good luck amigo.

If it's the Superior SM 20, give the noob another day, he has a WTB thread (and just 4 posts), and might have just forgotten the buy. Did he read your PM ?

Sweet list, I remember your first thread about the horse-sized inheritance. Sounds like this could be just the beginning if those aren't "big". Several hundred for a comic is a pretty good start though I get that several thousand could also be "small," in context. Did you submit any of these yourself or buy them all slabbed ? You should post some pics !!

I had 5.0 in mind. But last grading contest shin posted "by publisher" data and I was worst at DC.

At least a 9.4. Whether 9.6 or 9.8 can only be speculated at in hand, for me.

If you guys start cutting the TOD 10 up, I'd like a piece of it too please.

Sweet, thanks David. Great books (bronze), really nice prices, safely and very quickly sent. Great Swamp Thing 1, a Thanos early solo, and a Warlock price variant among others.

^I'd generally favor raw. In past few months I bought about 40 raw books, and 4 slabs (Av 1 in 3.5, Av 4 in 4.5, DD 7 in 7.0, and DD 168 in 9.4). Would've preferred the Avengers in raw but the slabs came up for sale at good price. The 'biggest' raw book I bought is DD1 in VG-. All five specific books mentioned were on ebay from sellers that were new to me.

Yeah, I agreed with Noman's grade at 9.0, but low resolution pics means low confidence, so I didn't post.

The light wear at the corners has me at 9.2 or so.

Thank you, hadn't fully appreciated the scene. : )

Sounds like a reason some top grade owners, in theory, might be against the proliferation of pressing. /jk

^That might be a bit extreme. Maybe a sticker on the cover instead?

Except that here I'm pretty sure "ignore" can also double as a mechanism for blocking members from buying in their thread in the Board Only sales forum.

this is my problem with giving grades-you end up having to undergrade just to be safe. Then the books don't sell for what they could. The hope is that the buyer will have a discriminating eye and factor the apparent undergrading into his bid, but the downside of that is bidders might bid optimistically, and then be disappointed and seek to make a return anyway. It's tough to predict (I've already whined a couple of times on the board for a return that I called high GD that seller returned because he and his LCS agreed it wasn't VG), but big scans and pics can help somewhat.

Lil' Kim? Ya got me, I had to google it. Didn't know that was her nickname. It was a weak jest since I have to explain, but I figured muggins said "because Buzz et' her (buzzetta), with et being old English cockney for eat. Since I thought all the bees we see are male drones it should be 'buzz ate him.' Ba-dum-bump. Yours was gooder.

^I thought only the queen bee was a 'her.'

Haven't been to an LCS for anything other than supplies since Heroes World at the Nassau Mall on Hempstead Tpk in the late 70s. So can't help with that part of it (except to suggest you carry at least some bags/boards). But if you have any personal assets you want to protect, and you don't have a tax guy giving you advice, the simplest free advice I have is form an S corp (lower taxes for you assuming you make a profit). And while keeping control of your costs will be a never ending pursuit, as others have already mentioned your best chance for survival is to have plenty of revenues coming in from multiple sources. But while diversified revenue streams are key, consider whether or not your MTG core concept and new (and back issue) comic books & TPBs becomes diluted or confused as you take on other logical related stuff like toys and licensed merchandise, Trek/B5 sci-fi collectibles, or collectibles like vinyl. Well organized store might let you squeeze in a bit extra without looking cluttered. Not knowing the LCS industry, this is just a general thought about concept dilution. Not a big deal, simply "cool stuff" can be a workable concept. Definitely list back issues on ebay or send to MCS or something in your downtime. .

I thought blob's post was funny. There are many ways people in US are reacting to the new Prez., and I thought that was his way of laughing it off a bit, philosophically (and not a way of starting a discussion about use/abuse of vices).

Looks at least 9.4 Hard to predict over 9.4 accurately w/o book in hand or several pics at angles against light.

Curious as to why this doesn't work as a metric for PQ. I've never actually tried to use it for evaluating color, but I would've thought it was a pretty useful tool. I like using it next to pages on ebay as a fixed reference point that gives potential buyers a better sense of actual paper quality/color. Paper can look very different in pics depending upon what might be different lighting (natural, flash, fluorescent, yellower or whiter lights, etc.).