comicginger1789

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A bit. I mean it’s not gonna get sold and it’s eviden”ce to me that CGC def can have off days. That or because the front grades 9.4 and the back is more 7.5, they cut it down the middle at 9.0. Not saying that’s how I have ever graded but maybe that’s how this was viewed. Or else it was rushed or mixed up with another book

Great point! Its also why you can see variance in sales of the same grade. I’m betting a handful of collectors would look at my ASM 252 9.0 and not love it. So maybe it sells (if i ever do sell it) closer to the value of maybe an 8.0. And maybe you 7.5s sell for closer to 8.0 value because of how well they present.

An interesting question. If I made a guess, more rural areas probably got their books later than the more urbanized cities and such.

I’d be intrigued to know. I’m only finally submitting some books because I’m at that stage with my collection I feel. Maybe the modern graders are more lenient than the guys doing the pre 1975 books? Or do they all dabble in all grades? Either way, I’m now unsure how to feel. Most people might think I’m crazy but maybe I should contact them and ask and if it should be the grade they gave….or just keep and thank my lucky stars lol.

Those are gorgeous! Why the 7.5? There must be something noted

Room for improvement. It’s a book I care little for and may trade:)

I do prefer saying maths to be honest but as I’m not on the right side of the pond, it gets weird looks.

I didn’t have it done by CGC, the pressing that is.

Was pressed. Regret not cleaning but one learns from ones first submission

As a math teacher I don’t like variance that large…0.5 to 1 at most. Did the same grader gift me here too? The back seemed very dirtied for an 8.0

Yeah I know that happens. Like my Hulk 340 I’m sure could one day be a 9.8 I more so meant a book with truly visible flaws. That should be a whole grade point or more lower than it got, by most accounts.

Maybe it is a screw up you could be right. Now I’m intrigued to see if I resubmit 3-4 more times what it comes back at. If I send the book back for a regrade and they do grade a 7.5 would they compensate me for my time? Or just say “we human, we oopsed but thanks for the money” and be done with me

Has anyone ever tested CGC like that? Subbing a book 4 or five times in a row and seeing what happens? Costly but not tremendously. I can’t find evidence of anyone doing it tho….I’d be inclined to.

Me too but maybe CGC does not hammer spine ticks as hard, especially when more visible on the back than front? Or we got gifts? I mean I have seen CGC give VF grades for books with small water stain marks on back covers. Personally any stains especially ones the size of a nickel or larger knock a book into the Fine range but if it’s the only real flaw, it seems CGC doesn’t hammer it the same way….

I see your point. I mean, rest assured, it’s not entering hands other than mine. And really, if you took away the ticks, there are no flaws. The front is easily a 9.4-9.6 range. It’s only once flipped over you can see those spine ticks. I’m not saying it’s right but if you are at a 9.4-9.6 on the front and a 7.5 on the back, that averages out to around 8.5-9.0 which they gave. I’m not saying this is right or even the way I personally grade but it appears to be the way this book was graded. Really it’s all just proof that for every legit grade of a book they give there is probably one that is not legit. My question to the community here would be how many times should I submit this to get an accurate grade? I would def consider doing so as an experiment

I thought so too... You should see the GI Joe #21 Canadian Price Variant my buddy sent in...was maybe a 4.5-5.0 by my eyes. He was praying for a 6.0 I said haha yeah you pray to the comic gods and well, it came back 8.0!!! I will try to post pics...a press def helped but spine ticks galore on it.

Also not quite Silver Age haha Ummm for me, ASM 1 and AF 15 are probably the biggest two I would love but have accepted the fact I might not ever own...barring finding them in some collection some day. I am not the type who can spend that kind of money on a book. However, if I bought a collection, I can justify spending that kind of money, knowing that a lot would be sold off to cover costs. I remain hopeful and luckily, there are still thousands of books I would love to own so I will focus on whatever I can afford and get for the best possible price and keep doing that. Maybe in 10 years, I look at a bunch of my stuff and say "man why do I have this" and try to sell to put towards one of those two books but right now, I love everything I have.

Well, back in February, I sent some of my books of to be graded for the first time. A great thanks to @thirdgreenham for assisting in this! Anyways, I thought I would share and talk about the results and what I learned. So let's get started with... X-Men #101 CGC 8.0 So originally, I had graded this as a 6.5-7.0 unpressed. I felt that the slight colour fade/loss to the top left of the banner and the fact that the back cover was dirtied would have it fall there. I tried to clean it, but as an amateur, I did not put a ton of time into it so it probably could be even cleaner. That being said, I don't intend to sell and am extremely pleased with the 8.0 grade on it. It was also pressed. ASM #238 CGC 9.0 Another one I was way off on. I was thinking 7.0-7.5 and hoping that maybe an 8.0 could happen. There is a minor crease in the top right corner plus spine ticks so I felt that is where it would be. To get a 9.0 is awesome, extremely happy with that! Book was also pressed. ASM #316 CGC 9.0 Mark Jewellers insert When I sent this off, I thought it was a rarity. And it still is a more rare copy but since sending it, a handful have sold online with the MJ insert. I still love the cover and had it at 8.0-8.5 with hopes of hitting higher and it did so I am very happy with that. Book was pressed. ASM #252 Newsstand CGC 9.0 Another one, waaaaaay offf. The spine ticks, of which there are a lot on the back as seen above, had me thinking 7.5ish. Because of that, I was kind of on the fence about sending this issue originally but decided to since it is a great cover and newsstand and all. 9.0 is a fantastic grade to get returned! Book was pressed. Ms. Marvel #18 CGC 9.0 This one was the only slight disappointment....and really, it is no disappointment at all. Originally, I was thinking 9.0-9.2 because of a small amount of wear along the bottom edge but a part of me wondered if 9.4 were possible. Then, after I sent it off, I connected with a guy looking for a CGC 9.6 white pages and I somehow thought maybe mine would be that and we could work out a nice trade. So I deviated further in my mind from what it actually was, which was right around where I predicted. Still very happy as it is a sharp copy! It also came from a collection that was just bagged but not boarded and stored in boxes for a loooooong time. Proof that even semi-adequate storage can preserve old books...white pages too! Book was also pressed. ASM #300 CGC 9.2 Was anticipating 9.0-9.2, happy that I got this one right! I guess if I stuck with my Ms. Marvel grade, that is 2 I have correct so far! Book was also pressed. ASM #361 CGC 9.4 So this one, I was overly harsh at the staples. I also noted some ink smudge on the cover (which is tried gently to remove but did not come off...was not sure if it was production or not but factored it into the grade anyway). 8.0-8.5 was where I was, hoping 9.0 would happen so 9.4 is fantastic. Man, I grade too harshly. Book was not pressed, did not warrant it based off how flat it was. ASM Annual #16 CGC 9.4 PICTURE TO COME! Another one where I was too low. This one I did spend more time cleaning before I sent off and I am happy I did. Was thinking 9.0, maybe 9.2 so to get a 9.4 is a another win. Book was pressed Hulk #340 CGC 9.6 This was one of the books I expected to get the highest grade...and it did. I safely went 9.4 with my guess so to get a 9.6 is fantastic. Book was not pressed, again did not warrant it due to how flat it was. Spawn #1 Newsstand CGC 9.6 Another one that I knew upon sending off would likely come back as one of the highest graded. Like the Hulk issue, I said 9.4 so to get 9.6 is great! Book was pressed. So, what did I learn here? I learned that I am harsh. Technically, I was 2 for 10, and undergraded the other 8. Way too harsh in some cases, especially it seems when it comes to spine ticks, especially if that is the only real flaw. CGC does not seem like it hits that as hard which is interesting. And I mean, I counted a good half dozen or so on my ASM #252. But to be fair, everything else was sharp plus a press took out any minor imperfections. I am content though to continue grading in this way because it leads me to believe I have a lot of comics that I am grading at 8.0-9.0 that could in fact be higher. We shall see. Right now, I want to submit more but then I think about cost and I pump the brakes a bit. I will eventually but might space it out a bit. Also, I will try to share my friend's GI Joe #21 Canadian Price Variant. He sent it in and it looked rough...lots of spine ticks, cover had lots of non colour breaking bends and indents and what not. We were thinking 4.5-5.0 and he was praying that on a good day he might get a 6.0....well that sucker came back 8.0!!!!!!!!!!!! He was floored. I will share pics once he sends em, wish we had taken some before images though. Oh and I am still awaiting the return of the DD #1. It should be back within the month, who knows, but I will add it here when it does return. That one, I put at 1.0 so anything higher will be awesome although I dont anticipate it. Plus, with staples added to reattach the cover (as I think the original staples are were detached), it could come back restored. I hope not though.

And the final few from first submission. All higher than expected. Mark Jewellers on the ASM 316

Here she is

Annnnd yet another I thought was 7.5-8.0 but with a press….voila!

Also extremely pleased with this one. I docked it hard because of a bunch of spine ticks on the back. Was also pressed. I thought 7.5ish

Extremely pleased with this one. I guessed around 6.5 maybe 7.0. Has some colour loss in the Marvel Comics logo and back was dirty but I cleaned it a bit (could probably use more) and was pressed.

Ok continuing with my first ever submission… Right around where I expected which is great considering this one sat in just a bag in a box in a closet since the 80s