comicginger1789

If the Spawn #1 newsstand and ASM #361 has shots at 9.6-9.8 those would be ones to consider. But if not then I would sell raw. Those books differ slightly in value from like 8.0-9.2 to the point where if it falls one way and not the other, it could be a waste of time and money.

I mean to me it is the equivalent of the roadside service industry when you call for a tow truck and the text says "your tow truck will be there in 45 minutes". You will get the people who are happy it shows up sooner and never say anything. You will get the people who are unphased when it shows up 30 minutes beyond the ETA. But you will also get those who will say call irate and say "you said 45 minutes and I based my life around that and it was 10 minutes late and now I missed a hair appointment (or a movie release so I could sell a hot book) raawr raawr raawr". I don't think they care about those because to the roadside people, 10 mins late is nothing. To CGC, a customer upset that a 9.8 in their eyes was given a 9.4 probably warrants little concern. Now, I would hope they address concerns should they hear lots of people upset at 9.4-9.8 books coming back with grades in the 7 and 8s frequently....to me, that indicates a real issues with one or more of the graders. We all view grades as firm but reality is all grades have some flex, just like an ETA. Hence the term estimated time of arrival. Perhaps the term "estimated condition" needs to be considered?

Plus does CGC care if a grader is overly harsh and hits a book with a 9.4 or 9.6 grade that should get 9.8? Of course not....because it means there is someone out there, potentially, who will buy that book and crack and try to resubmit, thus generating more revenue.

And this makes the most sense. I have found that those grading the books in the economy tier tend to be the more consistent. I am sure someone out there has an experience to disprove this, but overall I think the complaints for grading inconsistencies happen much more with the CGC designated "modern" books.

I can see what is meant by this being difficult to just find. Mainly because its a series that a random person who collected comics probably did not pick up..so finding it in a collection from the time is rarer. As for at shops, because of its affordability (and desirability...I mean when I went into DD collecting a decade ago, that arc was where I started), it makes sense why you don't often see them in shops. I assume shops are smart and when they do get one, they price it properly so it sells.

Thanks all. Was aware of the fingerprints. My question pertained to the blue ink that appears to bleed through from the other side but does not match the black spot that’s there obviously. Stray ink seems to be the likely culprit which is good to hear

Fair enough. And that happens. The difference between 9.6-9.8 sometimes, sadly, comes down to the grader. That’s the human aspect that has existed always with the company. A lot of 9.6 books can probably pass through different hands and get 9.8 and vice versa. It’s why I think the value difference between the two should not be as wild as it is but that’s a different conversation.

I'll speak to Youtubers...a lot of them are average graders at best. The two best that I follow are the Comic Doc (Canadian guy, been pressing and cleaning and grading comics since the 2000s) and Improve-Collecting Comics (very strict and sensible with his grading strategy, very rarely sees bad results when he unboxes because of how thorough he is prior to grading and sending off his books). Again, CGC will make errors and no, on most books 9.4 and 9.6 you won't get notes. The answer is usually the corners not being sharp, or staple stress or a spine tick or two, finger prints or a minute stain or tear somewhere on the book (interior included)

Grading comes with experience. No disrespect to this guy, but is Instagram and Youtube accounts are only a couple years old. I am sorry, but it takes more than a couple years to get even somewhat decent at grading. You can be good sure but you will make mistakes. You can start off great, getting 9.6-9.8s, get complacent and then start overlooking things because YOU don't think it matters but to CGC they do. Hence why you see a lot of these 20-35 year old guys having very varied success. You gotta follow guys who have been using CGC for a decade or more. You gotta follow guys who really highlight what to look for when grading. All of this is not to say that CGC is perfect. They will make mistakes. But what I would personally do is post some of these 25 books in question on the grading forums here. Get feedback from the guys who have been members since the early 2000s or even the early 2010s....from experience, when I post a book for feedback here, if 9 out of 12 say 8.0 and the rest say 9.0, well it usually comes back close if not exactly as majority predicted. Plus, people here are not attached to the books being posted so they will be as harsh (or harsher) than CGC in most cases. That would be my approach. Or spend the $8 a book if they miss 9.6. Or just buy 9.6-9.8 books if you really want that grade.

And for anyone wondering there are NO signs of any other blue inks along the edges of the comic from a distributors spray….

So I was flipping through some books and noticed this on my ASM 194. Colour touch? Some sort of other ink from production? The spot on the cover where it could potentially be bleeding through from doesn’t feel different. Plus would someone use blue to colour touch a black cover? Any thoughts are appreciated!

Hi all! Harder to find B&V book here. It is in 5.0 range largely due to the crease on the back cover and spine ticks. A press would help some of the dings to the front cover. PayPal only for payment. Asking $65USD shipped obo. First claim takes it and I’m always happy to negotiate! Thanks!

Do I like comic content folks on YouTube? Generally no. There are Only a few I watch and personally I don’t get any joy watching people shop or try to find cool stuff so the ones I do follow are unboxing their own stuff or offering up pressing/grading/cleaning tips and tricks. As for this person, I think both the owners he upset could have handled it better. The second one it sounds like he was more in the “right” than the first. I can understand you not wanting business to happen in your store especially if you feel someone is only there to try and sell stuff to others.

The census has nothing to do with the hobby. If you feel it does, forgive me but you are hobbying wrong. As stated it really tells you nothing beyond how rare an older 40s book may be and how hard a certain book may be to find in 9.6-9.8 grades (example if there are 6000 copies graded but only 40 in those grades). People often try to say “only x on the census” as some sort of feature. Yeah there are only 24 graded copies of Omega The Unlnown issue 5 on the census because there are only 25 fans of the character (one guy keeps his issues raw). That book is super common! And I see no reason to freak out that the label for that issue doesn’t show “first appearance of El Gato” because again who cares! It’s not that important.

The census is the most useless tool on the planet. Bothering to concern yourself with it is a waste of time. Yes, it is nice to have everything properly labelled and all but with more obscure things on obscure titles, CGC just does not really care. If it does not really move the needle in terms of importance, they don't care. Labelling a first print vs second print of TMNT #1 matters. Labelling a first/second print of the indie series Space Pirates: The Planetary Crusaders from Jarimo Press Inc....not so much. Also, consider the fact I could send in that book and get a 7.5. But then I crack, press and send back and get 8.0. But THEN I crack and send to a better presser and resubmit and get 8.5. That book shows 3 on the census when really there is 1 book. CGC doesn't care about that and neither should you. Unless it is a book from the 40s, the census to me does not do much outside of showing rarity in those cases and, in the cases on certain books, which ones are hard to obtain in high grade.

Hi all, The good news is I acquired this Toshiba 27AF43 colour TV from 2003 for retro gaming for a very cheap $5. The bad news....the remote was not with it. Now I have tried to find a universal remote via Ebay and Amazon with little luck. Apparently I need a remote for this particular TV because when I plug a gaming system in and use the channel select to try to get to channels 2 or 3 (the standard ones one would try to get to) I still get the snowy screen. The remote is apparently needed to select an input option which then allows for me to access the gaming systems. Is this true? Does anyone have familiarity with such a TV or any info on how to acquire a universal remote (or where else to search?) Thanks!

I’m also gonna go 7.5-8.0 because of the stain. CGC hates those

Bullseye on the first two. I was too nice on the surfer and not harsh enough on the Batman, costing me 5 of my six points. But yeah six points. I did these grades on my phone (which I swore off doing). Maybe that’s the secret 🤷‍♂️

Miswraps are common for the era. I think it’s fine just a printing issue and I think a 5.0-5.5 is quite obtainable here

No need to apologize! It is a legit example. It is just a golden age book and whether right or wrong, CGC treats them differently

I think it is a disappointment because some (not all) people are paying $20-30 for a book they think is 9.8, grading said book for another $40-50 and then only finding they can sell their 9.0-9.4 copy for the same amount or less than what they put in it.

The highest grade I recall seeing on a book with hole punch hole was 3.5 universal...I am not sure on a green label (nor would I think this is preferred over a blue label). Generally these books get in the 2.0-3.0 range

I mean those spine ticks near the staple are not going to be removed with a press and they are the main reason this was a 9.0

I will just say that some of those ticks, a press will fix. I know you paid for a press but the press you pay for is not the press that is needed to remove some of those (or minimize them significantly more than they are).

Not sure that is the best example. Old label on a book that personally, I think they overgraded back in the day. Plus as a Sensation 1, like other so called top tier grails, they seems to provide a level of leniency that is not often provided to newer books. A copper age book with such a tan line and no other real flaws I believe would get hit hard down to the VF range. That is where I would put the original post in question, assuming the book is relatively flawless otherwise.