crandmck

@oldrover @Joe Ankenbauer Just FYI, I moved copy B to separate post per rules. Since you already commented, thought I'd let you know. @Deadpoolica, per your comment.

Moved to separate post, per rules.

This is "copy B". Moved to separate post, per rules as noted by @Deadpoolica

Oops, sorry! I did read the guidelines, but apparently forgot. I have edited the post to remove the second copy. Will post one copy separately and remove from this one. Apologies, Rand

Another dup.... Last one today, I promise ;-) [Edited to put the other copy in separate post--my apologies!]

Got two copies of this one... (thought it would be fun to grade them side-by-side, hope that's OK. Apparently, it's not per rules. Will post copy B separately.) I do love this cover!

Got a few Sterankos that I'm thinking of sending in for signature....Gotta pick & choose, though--can't afford to send 'em all :-) Thanks for your opinions!

All the gory details are in this post... I am still surprised that the Conan and IM&SM#1 both got the same grade as the DD#5 because they both look a LOT nicer to me!

Yes, I always take a book out of the bag to inspect it front/back, carefully flip through a few pages, etc. I did so with the Conan, and it looked like at least a VF to me (as I mentioned, I'm not such a great grader). Since the dealer had graded it higher, I thought that was reasonable. Now I know better. I did notice some of the small defects mentioned in the grader's notes, but not the staining & tanning, which others have pointed to as the "grade killer". The other book I bought online, so I had to go by the scan, which in this case was a good high-res scan. I've definitely passed on books that had poor/low-res pics online (or asked for better scan). Again, I *thought* the book looked nice enough for a VF, and was graded higher... and again I was wrong. While it's possible that both of these dealers were intentionally grading too high and being deceptive, I think it's more likely an honest mistake. Overall, it is of course my fault, and from now on I'm going to be much more careful. As I said before, I probably won't be buying many more raw books for more than a few bucks.

I appreciate all the advice. I've been trying to learn to grade for quite a while... and I thought those two books in particular looked like 8.5-9.0's compared to the other graded books I have and what I've learned about grading. Plus, that's how the dealers graded them, so I felt pretty sure they'd get at least an 8.5. Oh well. The light staining on the Conan called out by @Lazyboy is basically imperceptible to me. I think it might be in the lower left FC, but it's really hard for me to tell... Not sure if the pix are good enough for anyone else to do so. The book is very sharp otherwise. I'm kicking myself of course... At some point, I might try to upgrade, but honestly the copy I have looks very nice so I'm going to just try to enjoy it! Anyway, as @thehumantorch suggested, I think I'm going to avoid raw books that are over $100 or so from now on. Not worth the risk for me. However, I am total Steranko nut, and I've got a bunch of books that I'd like to send in for this upcoming in-house signing. I've got quite a few, and dups of a couple.... I have a bunch of mid-grades, and a few higher grades, but now I'm starting to doubt. Can't justify/afford to get them all signed & slabbed, so you may see me over in PGM asking for input on some of them. Now I'm also wondering which of them (if any) I should get cleaned/pressed. Is there a good thread/reference about which books are good candidates for clean & press? It sounds like pressing has been around for a while, I guess I wasn't aware of it when I was collecting back in the 90s. So I need to get up to speed. Thanks again for your thoughts. I don't really know any other comic collectors so it's really nice to hear from more experienced hands.

Nope, the book I bought online was from a dealer in Texas. The one I bought at a show was from a dealer in No. California... Re, pressing--I had no idea it was so prevalent. I'm just getting back into the hobby after a 20 yr hiatus, so pressing is new to me (never done it). Now I'm going to look into it some more! Also, I know this isn't a PGM thread, but since you asked... The pic of the IM&SM is still available online. My intent is not to "shame" the dealer, because I don't suspect any ill-intent; so I hope posting that link is not inappropriate. I'm just trying to understand where I went wrong. :-( Here are some pics of the Conan:

Just got some books back from CGC. For the most part, the grades were about what I expected, except for two of them that I purchased from (what I thought were) reputable dealers. They both came back at 7.0, but one (Conan #1) was graded by the dealer as VF/NM and the other (Iron Man & Subby #1) was graded by the dealer as VF/NM to NM-. Not only am I disappointed, but I feel ripped off, because I paid a couple hundred bucks too much for these books, apparently! I bought one book online and one at a show. I could understand if the grade were off by 1.0, but 2 whole points! Jeez! Honestly, the Conan is very sharp. I know I'm not a very good grader, but when I compare it to the DD#5 (in the same batch and also 7.0) it looks WAY nicer, no comparison. It seems like at least a VF, but... *sigh* Here are the grader's notes: Conan the Barbarian 1 10/70 Marvel Comics light bends to cover light cover tanning light spine stress lines to cover light staining to cover Iron Man and Sub-Mariner 1 4/68 Marvel Comics light creasing to cover light finger bends on cover light spine stress lines to cover moderate cover tanning Should I have had either of these pressed? Water under the bridge, now, but for future reference...? This will be the last time I "believe" the grade from any dealer--until I get better at grading, at least. And apparently buying a raw book online is just a big gamble... even from a well-known dealer. Is it common to have the CGC grade be so far off from the dealer grade?

CGC gave it a 7.0, so I feel slightly lucky! :-) Unfortunately, there were two other books in the bunch that came back a full 2.0 points less than I expected (and paid for, ouch!) Oh well, win some, lose some...

> They just announced this. Your wishes have been granted!! Yay! "Ask and it shall be given to you...." In case anyone didn't see it: https://www.cgccomics.com/news/article/8305/

Jim Steranko ... I can't be the only one? He's getting up there (81) and I would love to get some of my books signed by him.

Sorry, some weird background scanner thing going on in the back cover scan...

Thanks @namisgr I'm still learning grading, and when it's worthwhile to send a book in to CGC. I checked the book and that is indeed a lower staple pull. Do you think that would bring it down 8.5? Or maybe 8.0?

Wondering whether I should send this in to CGC... Higher-resolution front cover: https://drive.google.com/open?id=13a31q411WZE2cLc5pWh0_nyxUH-qQSAm Thanks!

Bought this as part of an auction lot. Higher resolution front cover: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ywo0KASIszmF9DAfWBXUSrqVH7F6hkIZ Thanks!

Not to do thread necromancy, but I just wanted to say "thank you!" to the OP and all the people who did the legwork to investigate the so-called "Berkbridge Foundation". I certainly won't buy from them--at the least, they are shady and unethical scammers. At worst, well, they are much worse. Certainly they don't appear to be a legitimate charity organization. I was considering buying a book they have for sale on ebay, and noticed the reference to their website, berkbridge.com with "no tax and 5% discount for ACH payment". That got my spidey-sense tingling, and I figured I should look into them... The first place I searched was these forums, and... wow. It's confounding how they are still able to sell on ebay (185 items as of today), AND they are a "top-rated seller" with 100% positive feedback. Perhaps purely from the standpoint of transactional buyer they are OK. They won't be getting my business, though. Too bad, they have quite an inventory of high-grade books on their website.

Sorry, @Krismusic no offense intended... thank you, too! Just got lazy typing. I'm just happy to determine that there's nothing wrong with these slabs. Is it safe to assume that this doesn't affect the value of these books? They are not high-grade or high-dollar books, and I don't plan on selling them any time soon, but of course it's something that I'd like to know. At some point, I might like to upgrade these in my collection. I realize that they are "only worth what someone will pay for them" but has anyone heard of this detracting from the value? Thanks again... EVERYONE! :-D

Thank you, @theCapraAegagrus, @The Lions Den, et. al. I appreciate the benefit of your experience. Now that I look at it with this in mind, I can see what you're referring to. I can see the "tab" from the back--it looks like just a piece of plastic inserted. I have to say, it doesn't look great IMO.... and it's puzzling that they do it for some books but not others--In this batch I have different issues of the same title, where one has it and the other doesn't. Weird. Anyway, thanks again for your help.

> Those aren't cracks. They're sides of the tabs used to assist the comic in not moving around inside the case. Hi @theCapraAegagrus Thanks for your reply. It would be a relief if that were the explanation, but I'm fairly certain it's not because: These things (whatever they are) are not visible in any of the other cases I have (6+) or others I've seen. They are irregular in shape and position, not straight and in the same location as they would be if they were intentional/part of the case design. I think I can see the "tabs" you're talking about, in addition to these.... Rand

Apologies if this is not the right forum--I couldn't find another one that seemed more appropriate. I just got 7 books back from CGC, and when I inspected them closely I noticed some issues with the encapsulation. Five of the slabs have two small (what appear to be) cracks on the left side, and all of them have a strange strip of something down the left side. The "strip" is a line of bubble-like appearance, kind of like glue or something between the front and back of the slab. It's pretty hard to capture these things in photos, but I've tried below. I compared these slabs to others I have, and they are definitely different. Has anyone experienced anything like this? Is it common? Should I be concerned and should I contact CGC about it? I'm fairly new to this whole thing, so I want to be sure I'm not over-reacting. I appreciate any suggestions or advice.

Good point @Krismusic, but I suspect damage from indirect light (i.e. shade) and dim interior lights, with the UV film, would be minimal. I certainly wouldn't ever recommend putting anything printed (esp. an old comic book) in a place where it will get direct sunlight. That's just asking for damage. And, as you say, avoid sources of heat, moisture, etc. As for the books I have displayed, none of them are terribly valuable (all under $1K, most just a few $100), but when I got back into the hobby recently I decided that I didn't want to spend my time or money on things that would just sit in a box for years (as my comics did for the last two decades). I wanted to enjoy looking at them, and I do every day now! But that's just me. For me, their worth is mainly in being able to admire and appreciate them. If I had a 9.4 FF#1 or something like that, I probably wouldn't risk it, though!