L.E. Gill

I sort of figured there wouldn't be any adds or changes until after the registry awards were finished/announced on the 24th of July. I've had a few things in the admin queue since before June 12th when the registry deadline was.

I do appreciate tightly graded 9.8s and consistency in general. I tend to grade my oen comics as harshly as possible. I just don't want to see a 9.8 become like the proverbial 9.9 in relative rarity. I guess one of the things I find interesting is that it seems to reportedly be running across copper age and modern age which almost suggests to me this hypothetical grader is being very consistent without any allowances for printing quality 40 years ago versus now? The kinds of things that I see on modern 9.6 or 9.8 as flaws are different in some cases than the kinds of flaws I see on really pristine comics from the early 80s for example. If I look at 3 or 4 copies of a cardstock cover just published, sometimes it comes down to this tiny bubble or a pin dent or an itty bitty scratch that might make that copy less than a 9.8, especially in comparison to others. Whereas some of those 40 year old comics have no spine creases or scuffs or real issues except maybe some shoddy cutting on the corners from when it was made, or maybe a weird ink spot on the back cover from printing, that kind of thing. Maybe I'll put my next order in with a pre-screen just in case, but for my personal collection all these comics are the very best copy I have or could find, and they aren't valuable in general. I think a lot of them are 9.8 worthy but another set of eyes never hurts. Always interesting to learn more on the boards!

Thanks, that makes a lot more sense. I feel like I have read that before but then read references to three here on the boards as well. It only makeses sense that a high value GA would potentially garner more time authenticating and grading than a just published modern. If one person is checking say, for any reprinting info on the indicia and such and doing a page count then another grader is looking at the actual grade would be much more efficient.

I always thought or wondered if more than one grader assesses each book seems impractical from a volume standpoint and would only happen in instances when a grader wanted a second opinion or if they were thinking 9.9 or 10. The sheer volume of moderns in particular must be daunting.

Have to say I like the idea of the 9.8s for sale being beautiful specimens in grade because I have definitely seen some questionable 9.8s for sale. Would you say this is primarily on 'modern' moderns or primarily on comics from the 80s or 90s? This is the second time in the last few weeks I've heard someone mentioning a particularly harsh grader. I was really happy with my first submission to CGC and was about to put in another (all for my personal collection) but now I am hesitating. I guess a pre-screen would work but I really felt as though I wouldn't need to waste the time and presumably the extra handling involved on a pre-screen on books I was 100% confident about. Sorry you've been having a bad experience.

Here's hoping they will consider expanding into at least the non-sports comic related cards from the 90s on in the near future. I've been looking through a lot of my stuff to see about weeding out things and was just looking for some kind of encapsulation for those really rare chase and prototype/ holographics.

CLZ does have some errors and omissions, especially on certain newstand variants, but it's really easy to use for a quick check and usually my first stop. MyComicShop is usually detailed enough to tell you what to look for for reprint type variants that might be hard to identify on a glance.

I have to confess the first time I saw one of these wedges I thought some kind of glue had been spilled or melted out onto the comic from the slab sealing process. I learned better! I think generally the wedges don't detract too much and certainly can offer better protection from the book shifting in the well. Kind of wish they all had them, but I think it's a matter of how thick the book being slabbed is. One or two of mine have a vertical and a horizontal wedge and I think that book isn't going anywhere.

My first batch of slabs I personally submitted versus buying came back today! Most of them have at least minor Newton Rings, The smallest was only about 6mm across. Most were about 1+ inches somewhere just right of the lower center of the slab. I've definitely seen worse on older slabs. In general, I find the Newton Rings don't bother me too terribly so long as they aren't huge. I think it also depends on the cover art-- the worst looking newton ring I own is a close up of a character's face and the artwork suffers terribly from the ring. More detailed covers don't seem to be as bad to me. Depending on the light and the angle they are barely noticeable and might not bother you, but I think, like the decision to slab, it's a very personal one. I do slab comics that have no marketable value-- it's for sentimental reasons, or I just like the look. I also like registry sets. My non-slabbed comics for my personal collection are in mylite2s with fullbacks, which I think also offer superior protection and make the comics look great. I've started weeding my collection for high grade comics that are a little more valuable to start slipping into my submissions, but frankly the intent there would be to sell them for enough to afford to slab something I want to keep. I think another consideration if you decide to slab a bunch of comics is storage considerations-- you can get about 25 slabs in a shortbox, maybe more or less if they are older frames or thicker comics, and that space can fill up fast! If you're more interested in displaying a few comics on a rotating basis, for example, you might look into a frame option you could insert a comic within mylar and switch it out (just watch for those UV rays). I also would highly recommend getting comfortable with grading accurately. I waited what felt like a long time before sending anything in, and I did so with comics I felt extremely confident were 9.8s, a carefully selected few I figured were 50/50% 9.8 or 9.6 (CGC was kind to me-- all 9.8s!) and a single comic I thought would be a 7.0 that ended up being a 6.5 as an experiment. I didn't want to pre-screen or press, and depending on if you decide or need to press, it adds to your submission costs pretty quickly. So for me a better strategy is to choose the best possible raw comic to slab that, if it were to come back lower than expected, I would still be happy with in my collection as the very best I had or could find. My next batch will be comics I want slabbed regardless of grade that are all visually pleasing copies. It's definitely a little nerve racking sending them off and waiting for them to come back. My package actually came two days early than expected, so that was a plus! All very carefully packaged, no damage. I know there are a lot of horror stories out there about slabs getting damaged and the comic within as well, but overall I've been very fortunate to have well packaged slabs. Only two bad experiences with poorly packed items through eBay. Hope your CGC experience is positive and rewarding, whatever you decide!

I have no skill grading this era but that is a very nice copy. I see there are several spine breaks and folds. That bottom corner looks a little wonky on the cutting. I'm going to say 7.0. ( That it being said my first submission to CGC of 15 books just got shipped today and all were 9.8s except a copper I thought would be a 7.0 and ended up being a 6.5, so your mileage may vary.)

Great, thanks so much!

Hello, When you have a moment, please add the following to existing sets: Set: Amethyst (Complete) Book: Amethyst #4 (Certification #2076293016) Set: Amethyst (Complete) Book: Amethyst #15 (Certification #2100251002) Set: Amethyst (Complete) Book: Amethyst #16 (Certification #2100257011) Slots already exist. Set: Legion of Super-Heroes (1984) Book: Legion of Super-Heroes #8 (Certification #2107685003) Set: Legion of Super-Heroes (1984) Book: Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #1 (Certification #0930825010) Set: Legion of Super-Heroes (1984) Book: Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #3 (Certification #1054064016) Set: Legion of Super-Heroes (1984) Book: Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #4 (Certification #0930825012) Set: Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes Book: Tales of the Legion #331 (Certification #1571329015) Set: Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes Book: Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes #344 (Certification #1999532024) Thank you very much and have a pleasant evening! L.E. Slots created.

So would it be best practice to email the submissions email address above prior to submitting a definite error label? I have a regular direct edition cardstock comic that is incorrectly labeled as a foil convention variant that I'd like to get corrected. Does that need to go on a separate invoice but perhaps could be shipped together with another invoice to save on shipping? I've a slabbed comic I'd like to send in for one of the recently announced in house signings I could ship it with. Thanks for your time!

I'm given to understand from other posts and members this is a fairly common maintenance glitch. Mine went missing Saturday but were back very late last night and as of today have moved to grading/quality control. It seems it doesn't affect all members and listings at once, which is probably why CGC isn't posting some kind of universal message about it. I'd say give it up to two days before getting unduly concerned. Have to say I was relieved to see mine back!

I would try again tomorrow. There seemed to be numerous glitches going on today with the CGC database to include confirming certification numbers, viewing submissions, and adding to your registry. I got some very odd error messages myself when trying to add today. If you're lucky, you'll find it has resolved itself.

I'm glad you got it resolved! Mine came the other day, but actually got delivered to a lady a few streets down with the same house number who brought it over. Better than slabs I guess....

It also happened this morning with my submission, which was marked scheduled for grading. I did find a thread about this being a fairly common glitch from 2018 which is referenced above, so I think we can wait to panic :). Hopefully it will be resolved soon. I did notice when trying to enter a few new slabs into the registry that it had an error message that came up. So it may be a database issue of some kind that is currently being addressed.

Thank you for the info!

So whoever cracks the comic out of the slab at CGC would then insert the comic into the window bag you send in with it? Thanks for all this helpful info!

I upgraded my membership May 31st and half decided I wouldn't get the kit because I already had the free membership, but received an email June 12th my shipping kit was getting ready to be sent. It hasn't arrived yet, obviously but hopefully that will give you a rough timeline. Update: Recieved notice on June 15th my shipping kit had shipped via FedEx. So once you've gotten an order confirm for the kit I would expect it to be on the way shortly thereafter.

I got a 25% discount on a book I wanted which brought it down to $38. It was already a good price and this brought it to a great price. Great incentive to shop- just be sure it's something you already like the price for, as others have said.

I've never had a problem with my Fullbacks until the last batch I ordered which appears to be visibly less thick (and somewhat flimsier) than usual. Every so often I've had to gently straighten a handful of fullbacks but in this case there's a noticeable difference to the naked eye, the interior brown pressed cardboard us thinner. It was one package out of three. I've never used halfbacks so I wonder if it was a batch of them with the wrong packaging or a quality control issue. Can anyone speak to the general number of halfback versus fullbacks that can fit in the average shortbox? If those were halfback they were sturdy enough for reader copies and it would be nice to consolidate space if so. ETA: I tried your idea if doubling up two fullbacks in one mylite 2. I think it could work for a lot of moderns or thinner comics but I'd worry about any thicker issues it putting too much stress or tightness, especially near any staples over time.

Thank you, I do have it in mylar with a full back. It looks like a cutting error to me but I have no idea how CGC would view such a thing as you said. It's definitely a sentimental favorite cover for me; I think this was the first back issue I ever saved up money to buy from my LCS.

Sorry about that, here's one. I really appreciate your input. I feel pretty comfortable with high grade moderns but despite watching a bunch of tutorials and reading a lot on these boards I have a way to go on mid to high range older comics.

Hello, New to the boards. Would appreciate any grading thoughts on this copy of Superboy 197. There are 4 color breaking spine breaks, one at the upper staple, and a few minor finger dents. Slight rip on the back. Nice gloss on cover. Thanks for your time and input. L.E.