SteppinRazor

I don't think it has changed the classification, don't know if it should. BTW, the second story in 39 is Jim Lee's 2nd work for Marvel if you weren't aware

too bad that's not true for the London Night Razor #1

Some people can't understand the logic of slabbing a comic at all. There's room for everybody The most reasonable thing for CGC's rep to have done is ask what books they were, look them up, and call the guy if his phone number was provided on the submittal form. It's a con, it's not like they've collected thousands of books and there's an overwhelming number of submissions. While the rep could explain that he can't divulge information, he would see what he could do and attempt that probably would've resolved the situation. It's all about how one handles the problem.

You are absolutely correct on the first two points, but CGC didn't make people care about what condition their comics were in, and it didn't make people accept the idea of grading. People did that on their own. That is the nature of collectibles. The lowest common denominator is if people want something, they will create tiers of exclusivity and rarity all by themselves. CGC is an active participant no doubt but also a reflection of people creating a market. I would suggest that they got rich off of creating million dollar creations, not 'off fans'. Fans found those creations compelling enough to spend their money on it, the creations made that happen. I don't think free signatures would generate demand in the comic market, but I'm no expert in that regard, so perhaps you are right. It probably isn't a popular position given whose board this is, but my personal opinion of what the comic collecting arena looks like now is that the market has gone too far in terms of authentications and grading. Needing just short of a notary for a comic book creator signature is absurd, and I think a 100pt grading system is beyond the pale. But as far as things that happen in this world that are absurd, those aren't high on the impact list for me. And you are certainly correct that the baseball card market is a cautionary tale. At least steroid use in comic creation isn't a big deal

I don't think so. The root of skating without paying is human nature. The root of valuing a collectible, and detail/quality creep is human nature.

A lot to unpack here. I'll start with the first sentence. Signing something is more work than not signing something. Signed hundreds or thousands of times for each fan will give them hand cramps. It costs energy. It's work Second, let's break down the hard earned cash they've gotten from fans buying a book. Let's say you bought a book back in the 80's for $1. Half of that is publisher profit, so 50c left. Let's say a mere 15c to run the printing press and buy the ink and distribute the book. 35c left. Split with writer/artist/inker/letterer. So the writer for example gets a piece of 35 cents for your purchase. Let's say he/she gets almost half, 17 cents. So for 17 cents you've given him/her, what do you get? You get a physical creation, you get happiness and enjoyment for the time it takes you to read the comic, from the ownership of the comic, repeatable happiness and enjoyment from re-reading it at your leisure, and content/entertainment you could not create yourself for 17cents. You also got the ability to re-sell their creation for 100% of the revenue, sending 0 of it back to them. What does the creator get from you, aside from 17cents? They get the opportunity to create, and the happiness they derive from that. Now, if you think what they get from you means they owe you more than what they've already given you, I ask that you approach your own employment the same way (assuming you don't run your own business). Your employer provides your opportunity to create, what do you owe them in addition to a workday, for your 17cents? Regarding comic sales being down as a motive for signing fans' books free, that's a pretty mercenary way to look at it. If they are in a bind, it seems you're saying that's the time to take advantage of it. Sign my book or I'll quit buying. Whether they are wealthy or not is irrelevant. You are expecting them to give of themselves freely for no other reason than because you like their art. I agree with the spirit of what you're saying. I think we should live in a mutual appreciation society. I don't like the commodification of everything, which we have in our society. I just don't think an expectation that someone owes you free stuff because you derived a lot of pleasure from their work is fair. The fact that their creation means a lot to you doesn't mean that that means the same to them.

It would be nice if they did, but I don't think anyone should give something for free. It's up to them whether to be generous or not.

I think your biggest problem is the spine condition, especially on the back. My novice eyes say 6.5. 3 pretty good corners though, and good black on the front. Spots of wear in the black on the back

PGM ASM Super Special What do y'all think? Thanks!

To be fair, grading at all is all about the resale, even if it's by a grandkid or something. I've never really seen the point of autographs either (the book already has their names in it), and I don't get wanting to see a movie star walk a red carpet or get their autograph either. But some people who do like autographs probably find the idea of a Ferrari stupid.

Learning to grade - spine question Hi all. Trying to learn how to grade better, so I don't waste time/money subbing the wrong books. What do you think the grade ding is for this kind of thing (which is prevalent in a lot of my otherwise clean books)? Right on the very edge of the spine:

Quite possibly something happened to make it more than just pulling a Bartleby. I'm not saying he's not justified or doesn't have a point, the whole economy is full of monetizing stuff that some would believe absurd.

Sometimes, a business exists because it's filling a vacuum, sometimes it exists to meet demand, and sometimes it creates new revenue streams by putting a price on something that didn't have a price before. Creators signing books and being photographed with fans used to be free too. Refusing to participate in something because you find it ridiculous is great, but it seems like something different to announce your refusal as opposed to just not doing it.

I'd say a 9.0

Lot #9 - Miscellaneous X-Men - $15 NM/MT Rogue limited Series 1-4, Sabretooth Limited Series 1-4, Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix 1-4, X-Men v Fantastic 4 1-4, X-Men Unlimited 1-7, Generation X 1-3 I don't know if it's worth grading or a dime piece is mostly theoretical, but I couldn't find a flaw in Gen- X #1

Lot #8 - Marvel v DC and Amalgam collection - $30 NM/MT Marvel v DC 1-4, Assassins 1, Amazon 1, Speed Demon 1, Super Soldier 1, JLX 1, X-Patrol 1, Bruce Wayne Agent of Shield 1, Magneto and the Magnetic Men 1, Spider-Boy 1, Legend of the Darkclaw 1, Bullets and Bracelets 1

Lot #7 - Infinity Crusade and associated - $20 VF/NM/MT Infinity Crusade 1-6, Warlock Chronicles 1-5, 7, Warlock and the Infinity Watch 18-22, Quasar 1, 40, 54-57, Starblast 1-4 Lowest condition comic is the Quasar #1, pictured

Lot #6 - Age of Apocalypse collection - $30 NM/MT Gambit & The X-Ternals 1- 4, Generation Next 1-4, Astonishing X-Men 1-4, Weapon X 1-4, Factor X 1-4, Amazing X-Men 1-4, X-Calibre 2, X-Man 2, X-Universe 1, 2, X-Men Chronicles 1,2, X-Men Collector's Preview, Age of Apocalypse: The Chosen, X-Men Prime The X-ternals is average for the books, the Weapon X one is the lowest grade in the group

Lot #5 - Wolverine and Gambit Victims Limited Series - $10 NM/MT These are basically perfect. (if only my Wolverine 1 and X-men 266 were, lol)

Lot #4 - Vampirella A Scarlet Thirst and Lady Death Heaven and Hell TPB - $15 NM SOLD

Lot #3 - X-Men X-Cutioner's Song crossover polybagged - $20 NM/MT as far as I can see

Lot #2 - Classic X-Men - $10 NM 34, 38-41, 49-64 posted book is average for the group. Any particular book pics by request

Lot #1 - Fatal Attractions - $65 NM/MT Limited 5,000 signatures on X-Factor 92 by Al Milgrom, X-Force 25 and X-Men 25 by Fabian Nicieza. Also included are all crossover books unsigned (X-Factor 92, X-Force 25, Uncanny X-Men 304, Excalibur 71, X-Men 25, Wolverine 75 - NM/MT . The UNcanny X-Men 304 is representative of the unsigned full crossover included

CLOSED

You're correct, I don't have all the lingo down yet, but it's a good evolution of the thread topic