Coolio McCool

Thanks. So in summary, I should still print out the paperwork, put the cards into holders, and organize the cards according to packing slip. But, no need for additional packaging (e.g., securing cards between cardboard, taping up box, etc).

Hello, I recently created several orders and I plan to submit them at an upcoming trade show (San Diego Comicon). I have previously submitted cards + comics to CGC, but never at a trade show. For these orders submitted at Comicon, do I need to go through the whole shebang with the packaging, labeling, etc, as if I were sending the orders by mail? Thanks.

I will be attending SDCC for the first time in about 15 years. I was already disappointed with the actual comics getting crowded out 15 years ago so I guess I need to set my expectations low. I was happy to see several independent artists I follow on the exhibitor list so it won't be a total loss. Message me OP with your list and I'll see what I can do. I'll happily pick up some books for you if it's not a matter of waiting in line for hours or participating in some kind of ridiculous ticket lottery. Unfortunately I think the comicons I remember so well from the 90s are gone and will never return.

Character arcs were probably planned in advance. Banshee was a minor X-man and Sunfire was going to leave sanctimoniously after one issue, so why waste cover space on them? So why bother with Thunderbird? Well they didn't want to spoil his death. Also notice that Thunderbird is the LEAST featured character on the cover. You have to admit that the best X-Men are featured most prominently, in hind-sight that cover couldn't be any better done.

Question for CGC folks - is "CGC Trading Cards Academy" intended primarily as a recruiting tool? Let's say I'm super interested in learning how to grade better for my own personal knowledge, but for various reasons I'm extremely unlikely to ever be employed as a card grader (I'm already gainfully employed in a field that is far more lucrative). Should I apply to attend this thing, or is it "not for me"?

(Copied from discussion on the grading forum). Attached is a pic of a chrome Gen 13 1 that was graded 9.8 blue label. As you can see, the book is signed by Jim Lee, but the comic was graded 9.8 w/o qualified grade. Is this a mistake, or is this a new policy to give universal grade to these "factory signed" Gen 13 comics? Note that there are many examples of the same book getting "qualified grade" on Ebay and elsewhere.

CONFIRMED that the book is signed (NOT the slab) which was almost certain given the timing / signature ink + location. So it's a mistake? Or is there a new policy to grade these "factory signed" books with blue label?

Correct. There are also Garner + Choi sealed boxes. The black boxes have the comic sig'd by the respective artist / writer (label on the box), the red boxes have the un-sig'd book. Very unlikely that the slab is sig'd. I will double check with the owner. Can we get a comment from CGC on this situation? AFAIK, the sig'd comics have always received qualified grade (you can find many examples on Ebay). The unsigned / universal grade book is actually pretty rare, but if CGC is now grading the sig'd books with universal grade then the census data is meaningless. Realistically speaking, we all know that signature is legit (99.9999% chance), nobody is going to forge Jim Lee's signature on an unsigned book that is rarer / worth more unsigned. But that's not the point, historically this book has received universal grade and there needs to be consistency.

Shouldn't this be qualified grade / "Jim Lee Written on Cover"? Did grading standards change when I wasn't looking, or is this a clear mistake? Edit: One possibility I didn't consider is that the slab is signed, not the book.

Here's my review: Case dimensions almost exactly match PSA, so much so that "superior fit" sleeves designed to fit PSA also fit CGC perfectly. Biggest difference is the glass-like transparent plastic (and the label of course). + Case is super cool and modern, way more stylish than PSA. + Super quick service, way faster than quoted (~10 biz days on 30 business day service). + Not too stingy on the max. value, didn't upcharge me despite having a few cards clearly > $400. + Packaging material is really nice, slabs ship in conveniently cut-out block of foam. + / - Grading is stricter than BGS, especially on the NM and lower cards. To be fair, I have long questioned some of the nowhere-near-nm MTG cards BGS grades as 7 / "Near Mint". Long-term this is a "plus" but short term it is "minus" because nobody has any frame of reference from CGC and will likely consider CGC 7 == BGS 7. - Poor text centering on "grade rectangle". Minor thing, but really gets on my nerves. Please fix? - Some bugs in the system still, e.g., couldn't check grades online even after shipment. Overall good service, recommended at this point over BGS especially after BGS just raised their prices. Here's my crappy YouTube video if you wanna see more:

My order shipped late last week (status Finalized / Imaged / Shipped, tracking available), but when I click on the "Submission #" link, I get a dead link that says "Details not found. If you've entered a valid submission number, details will be available when the submission is at the "Scheduled for Grading" status.". Looks like some kind of bug on the server side, maybe with all CGC card orders?

I was "scheduled for grading" for 1-2 days, then "Finalized / Imaged / Shipped". Looks like grading times are well ahead of schedule, my "ECONOMY" order was processed in about half the time stated. One bug I found is that I can't see my grades! Order is already shipped back to me, but the link that SHOULD show me my grades is a dead link. Still some small bugs they need to work out I guess, it's understandable. So ship me the 10s pls...

Yes, I understand that. What I would like to see (or understand) is how the front label appears on a pedigree card. For example, on pedigree CGC comics, the label says "Universal Pedigree Grade" at the top and the name of the pedigree is displayed prominently on the FRONT of the label.

Thanks! So just to clarify, the front of the label is identical for pedigree vs non-pedigree?

Does anyone have a link to some sample pedigree labels for trading cards? I didn't see any of those on the promotional material.

I have a problem with this, not necessarily the color (though it would have been nice to keep consistent purple / green), but much more with the text "CGC UNIVERSAL GRADE". It is literally NOT a universal grade book, it is a restored or qualified grade book. The label is false advertising.

Your numbers are way off. Spawn 305 (from Feb 2020, last pre-Corona month, nothing special about that issue that I'm aware of) sold around 35,000 copies, making it the top-selling Image comic of the month (probably Saga will outsell it if / when it returns). Here's a super long recent interview with Todd where he talks about his motivation and his current involvement in Spawn comics. One of the things he seems super proud of is the "world record" of highest issue number, unlike Marvel and DC he has refused to reset every few years as a gimmick, he thinks it's not helpful in the long-term to do those resets (FWIW, I agree). .

I thought it was well-written, the title character's narration leaves a lot of questions unanswered and makes you want to come back for more to get the entire story. Hulk 181 is fine, the story is a bit childish but so is that entire run of Hulk. Good thing Hulk hit Wolverine with only a glancing blow at the end or Wolverine would have been a goner and would have never had a chance to join the X-Men!

There's nothing in the video to suggest they will be doing sports cards, just gaming cards (Pokemon and MTG specifically). It looks like a service just for gaming cards. I'm not sure what features they will use to cater to the market, but I bet they have some good ideas up their sleeves. Can't wait!

Looks exciting. No doubt CGC has put a ton of thought into this business expansion and will bring a compelling product to the market. One big improvement they can provide are grader notes (hopefully available for free lookup by all based on serial number). It looks like they are targeting MTG. The thing about MTG is that people are scared to death of fakes, it takes some experience to distinguish fake cards from real one and folks who haven't handled the old cards their whole life are easily fooled. Reputable consignors are able to get 20%+ premium on ungraded cards on Ebay because they screen out the fakes. If CGC can launch a quick turnaround / low cost MTG grading / authenticity verification (maybe like $5 for cards < $200) then I think they will be able to take a large market share. Edit: Looking at the video closer, they are 100% pivoting into gaming cards. They first tease a beta MTG card that starts with "D" (based on the white border tick, I think it's Dragon Whelp, though it could also be Dwarven Demolition Team) followed by a newer blue MTG card and a "Stage 1" yellow border Pokemon card behind it. So gaming cards it is! Great! Last edit: I think the third card in the trio frame is Vesuvan Doppelganger. And I notice subgrades also (such as "center" or "centering").

A good return of Gen13, true to the original Cambell / Choi / Lee mini-series + series.

This is an inclusive club that doesn't require hundreds of dollars to join. Please post your X-Men 1 pics (any cover) so we can celebrate this Mutant Milestone together!

His signing on 4/6/18 was borderline elder abuse, see https://bleedingcool.com/comics/concern-stan-lee-silicon-valley-comic-con/. There were some reports of folks getting odd signatures, not surprised to see the same on your book months later.

Kinda off-topic, but what's the deal with the different Deathmate ashcans? Do they all have different stories? Based on the cover + first page, it looks like the story is set AFTER the prologue, AFTER the Solar / Void deed is done.

Good experience here, I sent in several 9.8 CBCS books and they came back 9.8. I was worried about one book in particular due to some wear, but no issue. It sounds like the grading integrity is very strong (based on the results of some people getting back books with higher score, some with lower). We all want and need impartial grades that are based on the reality of the book, not based on past judgement that may or may not be accurate.