EastEnd1

They also need to be more transparent than they have been. Their last posting was on January 3rd. A LOT of questions have been raised with no answers forthcoming. I'm sure they, and many others, would like for this incident to just disappear. Me too! But if the situation is in fact substantially larger than these 350 books (which still haven't been defined as to why they are on this list), CGC is just delaying the inevitable. As we've learned, there are MANY amateur comic detectives that are quite adept at sniffing out shenanigans. The last thing CGC or any of us need is a slow bleed of scandals. I wouldn't be rolling the dice on that possibility. Either give us assurance that we're good to go, or tell us that you're still investigating and here's an update on our efforts. I'll still be patient as I know investigations take time (though I'm not sure why carefully worded updates aren't forthcoming). But at some point, for me, silence becomes "Houston, we have a problem."

That's my assumption as well... anything really good a comic shop picks up winds up being pressed, slabbed and consigned.

Have to agree... I buy plenty of Golden Age... would never even cross my mind to go to a comic shop looking for it.

I think we have to wait to see some of the books in question come up... the books Heritage has sold so far have been super-premium gold and silver. Think we might see some of the books that have been targeted with the Jan 13th session.

I saw a number of before and after pressing images and also some images of folks associated with the shop. Some convention pics too.

If the volume and quality of books in those instagram posts is any indication, it's scary how many books it could possibly be.

As Keep It Thoro said in that video, look for a shop that rhymes with nation.

Yes, I just figured out which store this is (my brain works more slowly these days) and this post was gone. Some others with the notorious white carpet are still there though.

That would be foolish. His name WILL be getting outed at some point. As will the names of any co-conspirators. And prosecution is a very real possibility. Trolling would be a very dumb move... though criminals tend to not be the brightest people to begin with which is a contributing factor as to why they become criminals in the first place. Even "smart" criminals that had escaped capture like the Unabomber and Dennis Rader (the "BTK" killer) certainly couldn't help their conceipt that they they were too clever to be caught and kept "trolling" (in Rader's case, 13 years after getting away with his murders!), ultimately leading to their arrests.

Oh man, it just keeps getting better for the numbskull scammer(s). Certainly looks like it... nice find! As Monty Python once said, "What a Grand TWIT!"

Even if lifting stickers is what heat gun is being used for, we now know it can also be used to easily open holders.. so it definitely means SOMETHING.

Wow, the scammer(s) is even dumber than we thought... first he captures a reflection of himself in virtually every slab photo he posted and now we see the "tool" of his/their illicit trade. Should be an easy case for the FBI and prosecutor!

I believe the IRS has nice rewards for tax whistle blowers. Just a thought for those who know who the scammer is.

There are two HUGE differences between Ewert and this one. The first is the one you mention, the requirement for Ewert to go through the gatekeeper. The second is the exponential growth of social media in the intervening years. From my recollection, the Ewert controversy was largely centered around the CGC board and if you weren't on this board, or well connected with the dealer circuit, there was a good chance you wouldn't have heard about it. With social media today, word spreads like wildfire... even the casual collector can easily stumble across this one.

I think the upcoming auctions from the larger platforms like Heritage, ComicLink, ComicConnect, etc will give us an indication of what effect there has been, if any, on customer confidence. The results will also likely inform CGC's plans for further disclosure and changes.

One silver lining from this whole debacle is all the new members that have joined this board. Welcome! I think you'll find that there is no better comic book resource than the accumulated knowledge of all the members here. Enjoy exploring the various forums and we all look forward to your contributions.

Thanks again for all your hard work!

Josh posted here a few times maybe five or six days ago.

I understand... this is also why I don't watch or follow any influencers. I've been collecting since 1972... I've earned the right to be my own influencer now. Definitely let us know how it goes with CGC (if you're able).

I have no doubts. You should get it checked out for certainty. As I've been saying for a while now, every book the scammer touched should be checked out, especially when you've paid as much money as you have. We just don't know enough yet. But I agree with @MasterChief that the youtuber's analysis was faulty... and his conclusion with regard to trimming should have been presented as speculative, as opposed to groundbreaking and definitive.

No way you can make any conclusions about trimming from that grainy photo that influencer was showing. Frankly you can't even do it from a sharp photo... all you can do is speculate. From the clearer ComicConnect photo that emerged, it looked to me like the book wasn't trimmed... but again, that's still just speculation without the book in hand.

Yes, wasn't implying that they are the same books... just pulled the Heritage book to illustrate what the left edge should look like on a JIM #83 when the right edge is a bit mis-cut.

Here's one I found on Heritage that lines up similarly on the right. You can see the bit of mis-wrap on the left that you'd expect...

Agreed... I'd expect to see a mis-wrap on the left.

The JIM #83 looks like it could be trim job. Tough to say conclusively though from just a picture. Thanks for sharing!