gumption

Very clean and sharp linework in those Zatara panels. Nice score!

Sent this to my presser back in May and I finally got it back slabbed this morning. Didn’t think it was sharp enough to get a 9.8, and maybe had an outside chance at a 9.6… but I’ll take the 9.4 and I’m relieved that it’s finally slabbed.

I received a curious UPS package from Sarasota this morning… wasn’t expecting any packages at all right now, but I know of only one thing that could’ve originated from Sarasota. 💪 Turns out my submission was tracked in my presser’s CGC account all this time. Strangely enough, the book was graded and slabbed and sent to me without having charged me first… I guess I was tracking the wrong credit card account as well. Anyway, I was happy with the grade received and also promptly called CGC to settle the amount due. Thank you sweet baby jesus, this is one less comic-related stress that I was able to resolve before the end of this year.

If you can’t go with a Paper check or echeck, and a wire transfer is your next option, consider using Wise online… their bank transfer fee is typically cheaper than what a normal bank would charge. I used Wise for a bank transfer to a dealer in the UK for a couple of golden age books. Wise charged me $15 IIRC versus $35 which is my bank’s fee.

I would crack a slabbed low- to mid-grade book if it could benefit from a clean and/or press.

Anyone with an update on Standard Tier submissions? (Honestly, if I could redo, I would’ve gone up to Express and just paid the extra $45 if it means less grief.) My presser shipped back in mid-August and the package has been received by CGC, but still no order number or a sign that it has been opened.

For single comics that are pricier (i.e. >$25), I will ship the book in a toploader inside of a Gemini Mailer. For Golden Age or books that are >$500, I will double-box. Comic book lots - I have used Media Mail for the past 20+ years and have never had any problems. But for pricier comic book lots, considering how much of a beating Media Mail packages get, I will bite the bullet and use Priority Mail just to minimize the shipping time and risk. Trade Paperbacks have no advertising and thus, I've also thought they qualify for Media Mail.

Went a little strong on this one yesterday on HA and yet was still surprised to win it. My favorite Green Lantern cover from early on in the All-American Comics run, before the covers become cartoony.

yes

Are resealed CGC slabs now happening? Now THAT is some alchemy that I have yet to read or hear about. Advice to the OP is to consider buying the grader's notes... maybe you'll uncover some more info on defects... but there are no guarantees that anything was noted. Another possibility is that the defects may have occurred after grading and before encapsulation.

If you decide to go through CGC/CCS for resto removal, it seems they now allow "glue on spine" for a regrade to a Universal. But it's really their call. I say this judging from seeing so many low-grade Universal labels with the "glue on spine" notation lately.

I know. I’m getting the bulk of my big sales done this year… sell off anything left of significant value on the Bay before hitting the threshold, then try other avenues next year.

I have All-Americans on my Saved Search feed and am reminded of this tripe everyday.

Ebay stopped allowing sellers to leave negative feedback ages ago. I despise selling on there more and more everyday. I plan on coming as close to the $20,000/200 items sold threshold this year (gonna be close) and then it's SAYONARA Ebay!

Bigger gouge yet not as noticeable on the back... and the rest of the cover really does present well. Thanks for sharing!

The main defect is that fold in the back. If it doesn't complete press out, and if it still breaks color, a 1" crease wouldn't clear an 8.0 grade. Looking at the shadowing on the crease, how there are shadows along two sides of the ridge... I think it could be difficult to take out. It's still a gorgeous book. Nicely centered and with great colors.

I think with a press, you can clear 9.2. I don't have a lot of graded copies that I could use for reference on the discoloration. But the color on the front is still very bright and clear. If you're going to get it pressed, might as well get it cleaned. I had an X-Men #95 that I bought recently as a raw 8.0 with some spine dings and lots of grime. I did a bit of the drycleaning/erasing myself, then sent it to a presser... they managed to get just about all of the dirt out. I haven't gotten it reslabbed yet but I think I could get a 9.0-9.2 after their work on it.

Found a reader copy of a personal grail of mine. I owned a copy of Action Comics 28 maybe 20+ years ago. Sold it along with a few other GA books to help pay for grad school, and this year I vowed to track down another copy. Picked one up on the bay for what I think is a steal... but it arrived today with a gouge on that front bottom corner. Looks like the damage was done with a dremel... the gouge is about 1/2" long and it goes through the first half of the book. Elsewhere, the book looks about G+/VG. Cover is attached; Centerfold is detached. Some chipping along the spine on the back cover. PQ looks about cream to OW. I think it's a nice reader copy considering it's 80+ years old... but I'm not crazy about that gouge. Wondering if this would dip below a 2.0.

Foxing is not the same as staining. "Foxing is an age-related process of deterioration that causes spots and browning on old paper documents such as books, postage stamps, and certificates. The name may derive from the fox-like reddish-brown color of the stains, or the rust chemical ferric oxide which may be involved." You may get the creases pressed out, but foxing doesn't come out. If you were to get that graded, foxing is more forgivable in GA books... not so much with Silver or Bronze. Send pics of the back cover to some pressers and see if it can come out just from drycleaning. Hard to tell from your photo... the stains don't look reddish or blotchy... it could just be schmutz or dirt.

Some of the grime may come off, but the discoloration along the bottom of the back cover looks like foxing to me.

Considering the minor surface wear and the 1" fold, I'd call it an 8.0. You should look into testing out a white eraser on that back cover to see if the dirt can dryclean out. Uncanny X-Men #121 is a tricky one to grade because of the white cover. I found a CGC 8.0 copy that looks very clean and without much cover defect just from glancing at it... thought it was a 9.0 for sure... but I bought the Grader's Notes and apparently there were tiny color-breaking spine ticks along the spine that are very hard to see without a loupe. I did end up cracking mine out of the slab and just enjoy it as a reader copy.

As you create your listing, there is sometimes a default setting under "Preferences" that says "Require Immediate Payment". Most of the time, it does turn up, but sometimes it doesn't. For BIN listings at least, turn that setting on. Also, be clear in your listing as to how long you will wait for payment before you cancel the transaction and report the buyer for defaulting on payment.

Got three more in the mail today from Heritage and thought I’d share a group shot. Working on a small run of early All-American Comics. Just started five months ago and it’s going swimmingly.

Hope to do a bit of buying and selling here. Thanks for the feedback!

Prompt shipping. Excellent packing. Book arrived as described. Really appreciate the prompt replies and courtesy. Thanks so much!