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valiantman

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Posts posted by valiantman

    Wizard Magazine question

    in Comics General

    Posted

    On 4/18/2024 at 5:09 PM, bc said:

    So are those cards that came with the magazine worth anything today? Asking for a friend :whistle:

    -bc

    Nope, hundreds of thousands of anything add up to very little value individually, even 30 years later.

    Wizard Magazine question

    in Comics General

    Posted

    On 4/18/2024 at 6:03 PM, Browns81 said:
    On 4/16/2024 at 6:32 PM, valiantman said:

     

     

    If anyone's interested, the monthly Wizard Top Ten lists (1991 to 2010) are archived on WizardTopTen.com :gossip:

    It’s kind of sad how variant covers completely took over around 2000.

    Comic books have always been about 10 years behind sportscards.  "Variant" cards took over in the early 1990s (limited "chase" cards), so it's actually right on time that we'd see variant comics switch from the content of the books to the "limitedness" of the covers around 2000.  Sad, but true.

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    ASM #252 CGC 9.8 Record Sale - something fishy going on? - Holder Tampering Incident confirmed by CGC

    in Comics General

    Posted

    On 2/10/2024 at 8:38 PM, comeaux said:

    I’m not an attorney but from my Pro Se experience I would list these below as a few Affirmative Defenses along with about 20 others if I was a defendant in this case. CGC basically allowed this to happen under THEIR watch. CGC is supposed to be the EXPERTS. 

     

    AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 1
    Other than the fact that DEFENDANT resides in the State of New York, this answering DEFENDANT expressly denies each and every allegation therein contained save and except that this answering DEFENDANT recalls making perfectly legal sales and purchases of PLAINTIFFS graded comics over the internet although this answering  DEFENDANT expressly asserts that the information alleged is insufficient as to allow this answering DEFENDANT to form a belief as to any specific transaction that is referenced and on that basis denies the same and expressly denies that any transaction or submission to PLAINTIFF heretofore made by DEFENDANT had any association to illegal acts or manipulating PLAINTIFF graded comics. 

    AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 2
    This answering DEFENDANT alleges that any injury, which DEFENDANT denies, occurred solely as a result of PLAINTIFFS negligence and procrastination to properly verify that the plastic protective case which encapsulates PLAINTIFFS graded comic book is tamper resistant as conveyed in PLAINTIFFS guarantee wherein said negligence and procrastination functions as a complete impediment to any proposed recovery on behalf of PLAINTIFF. This Affirmative Defense is in no way an admission of any illegal acts asserted by PLAINTIFF. 
     
    AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 3
    This answering DEFENDANT alleges that PLAINTIFFS action is barred by the equitable doctrines of laches and unclean hands on part of PLAINTIFF. 
     
    AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 4
    This answering DEFENDANT alleges that PLAINTIFFS attorney lacks evidence with which to prosecute any claims made hereunder and that PLAINTIFFS attorney was aware of this fact at moment PLAINTIFFS attorney brought complaint and that the known lack of merit of these claims, based upon lack of specific evidence necessary to prove these claims, should subject PLAINTIFFS attorney to sanctions and penalties under FRCP Rule 11. 
     
    AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE 5
    This answering DEFENDANT alleges that any injury, which DEFENDANT denies, occurred solely as a result of PLAINTIFFS negligent service quality and incompetence related to the oversight of PLAINTIFFS comic book grading, encapsulation and reholder processes and procedures. DEFENDANT alleges that PLAINTIFF employed management and other personnel severely lacking the experience required to properly grade, encapsulate & reholder comic books which has been substantiated by comic book collectors receiving graded, encapsulated and reholdered comic books that have incorrectly positioned labels, incorrectly documented labels, comic books encapsulated upside down, comic books encapsulated backwards, comic books damaged during encapsulation, comic books delivered in cracked/broken slabs. This Affirmative Defense is in no way an admission of any illegal acts asserted by PLAINTIFF. 

    That's the longest wording I've ever seen for "Of COURSE we are criminals, but their JOB was to catch us. They didn't do THEIR JOB very well."

    Mile high comics prices

    in Comics General

    Posted

    On 2/9/2024 at 5:36 PM, mikenyc said:

    When he would hike his prices 50% and then run his 60% off sale you could get some good deals

    This is a fun bit of math, for those who would rather read about it than do it.

    You might think "up 50%" and then "60% off" would result in 10% off... but...

    If the original price is $100, then "hike his prices 50%" means the new price is $150.

    "Then run his 60% off sale" takes $90 off the price and the result would be $60, for a book originally priced $100.

    "hike his prices 50% and then run his 60% off sale" results in 40% off the original price. (:

    Someone who was Psycho with grade and suscessfully neat himself?

    in Comics General

    Posted

    I know what you're saying, I once sold a CGC 9.6 that I thought deserved a CGC 9.2 because it felt "wrong" to let it sit in my collection as a CGC 9.6. :sorry:

    For the "big books" in my collection, I like CGC 6.5.

    Think about when you were in school (especially in the U.S.A.)... if you got a 65% on a test, you made a "D" and you were "nearly failing".  Keep that "nearly failing" feeling in your head and then look at a book that's CGC 6.5. It's beautiful! Sure, it's not perfect, but there's no way it's "nearly failing". It feels like making a "B" on a test when you didn't study at all, and the price is always a deal compared to 8.5 (an actual "B").

    CGC 6.5 is also "better than 6.0" in some way that the graders awarded that extra .5 even though 6.0 is the "midgrade milestone" grade, exactly Fine 6.0, so there's some "bonus" on the book to get it to 6.5.

    Buy a "nearly failing" 6.5 grade, get a "feels more like success" book, and it's a win-win every time.

    1274544001_3001.jpg.ac7cf69af605c3aba0a0c12dc133e4bc.jpg

    Confirm you are human

    in Comics General

    Posted

    If anyone is curious, those "click here if you're not a robot" buttons don't actually check for the click. They check for the movement toward the checkbox. Humans have to slide the mouse (or finger) toward the box in a way that's very "human". Computers would just alter the checkbox to "checked" in the code.

    CGC Files Lawsuit Against Employees

    in Comics General

    Posted

    On 2/5/2024 at 5:46 PM, I like pie said:
    On 2/5/2024 at 2:18 PM, Green Givey Goblin said:

    You are correct, when CGC first started there were some Purple labels that said "cleaned and pressed". They quickly did away with that when they realized pressing could be another income stream.

    And that it mostly undetectable if done correctly.

    Cleaned and pressed was something that could be detected when the wrong types of cleaner (liquid, chemicals) were used, or when the "eraser" was obvious. Pressing as flat as a pancake (unnatural result) would also be detected.  I would bet that both would still be considered restoration today, but submitters now know not to do those things.

    Shadowhawk Saga - Silver Ashcan?

    in Modern Age Comic Books

    Posted · Edited by valiantman

    Possibly a silly question, but the CGC label says Hero Premiere Edition #9. Have you checked a bagged copy of Hero Illustrated #9, or maybe it was a later month (the 9th ashcan, not necessarily issue #9) to see if they're still in the original bag?

    Shadow Man Oxmox Muckle Resin Figure

    in Comics General

    Posted

    The gun hand is often broken.  From what I can remember, these may have sold better in Europe than they did in the United States. The few that have come up for sale seem to be from sellers in Germany or the U.K.  You could try asking on ValiantFans.com but I'm not sure anyone really ever had extras. Collectors either avoid them (because of the easy damage) or they get one to put aside forever.

    A superpower that would be lame to your kid-self but that your adult-self would love...

    in Comics General

    Posted

    On 1/22/2024 at 8:27 AM, BitterOldMan said:

    Having worked as a professional statistician, you can use probabilities to your benefit.  Jerry and Marge Selbee made $26 million from the lottery using one of two fundamental theorem of statistics, the law of large numbers.

    I hadn't heard the Selbee story. That's fun because there's not a way to start small and win the actual lottery (the big one, Mega whatever), but that particular game they were playing was so poorly designed that anyone who did the math would realize it. lol

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jerry-and-marge-selbee-how-a-retired-couple-won-millions-using-a-lottery-loophole-60-minutes-2019-06-09/

    A superpower that would be lame to your kid-self but that your adult-self would love...

    in Comics General

    Posted

    On 1/21/2024 at 6:48 PM, Krydel4 said:
    On 1/21/2024 at 6:30 PM, valiantman said:

    I don't remember who posted it, but "the power to manipulate probability" is the single greatest superpower, and not only would kids thinks it's lame, adults do, too.

    But think about it... if you had the ability to manipulate probability, you could make things than have a 0% chance of happening turn into 100%.

    Do you want to go in a store and find no other customers but yourself? Odds are very low of that happening, but wait, no, the probability just went to 100%.

    Do you want to sleep all night without getting up to go pee pee (as someone said earlier)... odds just went to 100%.

    Don't forget the classic superpowers... what are the odds you can fly?  Well, it's now 100%.

    What would be the odds of dying from multiple gunshots? Pretty high, right?  Nope, it just went to 0%.

    What are the odds you could do anything you want and not be seen, even by video cameras?  Well, that's 100%, too.

    The power to manipulate probability is the single greatest superpower and both kids and adults would think it (sounds) lame.

    What are the odds you read this whole post? I'm going to go ahead and set that one at 20%.

     

    Expand  

    Unfortunately, that's not how probabilities work, it's not all or nothing. Reality/dimensional manipulation perhaps where you could shunt yourself into another universe where the store is empty, or you didn't have to pee that night maybe.

    If your superpower is manipulating probabilities, then it's as all-or-nothing as you want it to be. Why would I set something to 72% if I want it to happen?