DWL

I am a bit late but I just wanted to say thank you to Charlie. I bought a few Avengers and Captain America's in his last sale and his grading was spot on. Packaging was excellent as well. Great board member to deal with and I would not hesitate to buy from him again.

Thank you for asking the question. I am in the same boat and have been having the same debate. Both of my books are "bigger" books, one is a golden age book from 1941, and both have small cracks in the lower left corner. I have been debating whether I should send them in for a re-holder but given all the quality control issues I am nervous CGC might do to them. This thread has convinced me not to send them in. They are both staying in my collection for the foreseeable future. But I must admit, the cracks do bug me.

Yes, I don't seem to see too many of the old / original slabs for sale but I would not hesitate to buy a book if it was in one of the original slabs. The grading may have been tighter in those days but even back then there were what seemed to be period of loose and tight grading.

Darn Canadians. Oh, can't forgot the obligatory "sorry".

Not that anyone cares, but you can add my name to that list. I watch those videos and hear stories of people having books damaged, labels mixed up, et cetera and keep thinking to myself, why are people still submitting books??

Yes. Sadly, yes

That seems like a reasonable explanation if indeed there are multiples in the same grade. In this instance, I don't think that is the case. I suspect the seller does not want anyone looking up the grader notes (if there are any). And we now know the seller's assertion CGC is planning on making customers private information public, which, of course, is ridiculous. I find the additional details about living close to CGC suspicious. There is interesting research which suggests when people are not telling the truth they tend to add additional details to try and make a story seem more plausible. Not always, but often, it is a sign they are not being truthful.

If I recall correctly it is 1 to 3 books, and then 4 to 6 books but I has been a while since I won any books on Clink. I am in Canada but I think 1 to 3 books was $95 but don't quote me on that

Hum, not sure I can make a judgement about his character, although he does give off a certain unpleasant sort of guy vibe. But, this seems to give credence to Bookery's suggestion in the C2E2 Variant Drama thread that the "mistakes" on the Ultimate Fallout cover may have been done on purpose by Crain. He does come across as someone who might be quite smug. And as we know from Seinfeld, "smugness is never a good quality"

Adding to the pile

What the heck,

Those early What - if books were fun. That tape stain or residue on the back cover leaves me feeling I would call this a 3.0 (good / very good).

Thanks for the assessment. I am curious about the disclaimer you noted, does the book specifically state what time period the book does cover? And if not, why not since they went to the trouble of stating grading standards change overtime. It may well be planned obsolescence as someone else noted or, it could be to provide cover in case someone argues their submission met all the guides items but did not receive the requisite grade. CGC can say, "well, yes, this book says 'official CGC guide' but that was for period x to y and your book was graded in period z. So shut up and keep sending us your money" (they may not say the last part out loud). Did the book actually say the guide may change due to "new advances in grading"? What are these "new" advances? No doubt there are new advances in medicine and science, what "new" advances are occurring among the subjective task of grading a comic book??

I agree, that is a very nice book. And I think you have highlighted all the specific defects I saw as well. The only other consideration, and it is tough to tell without having the book in hand, but it seems the front cover might be a bit faded. Nonetheless, even with the accumulation of minor defects I could see this grade as a 6.0 (Fine) or 6.5 (Fine +) or even higher. To the original poster, if you do submit it, please let us know what it comes back as, thanks.

Hum, as the character Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory might say, “fascinating.” Based upon reading just that one page posted as an example, I doubt very highly I will buy this book as the language is too vague to be useful. Want examples, try these: “Cream to off-white page quality is, with rare exception, not allowed in this grade”. What are the exceptions? And what specific criteria are you using for page quality, an Owl card? Knowing these details would be useful and helpful. “Slight rippling to the cover from printing is also acceptable within limits, another common flaw found on modern comics” (emphasis added). What does “within limits” mean, and whom is determining what is and what is not within the limit threshold? Is there a set criteria for what is defined as within and outside the limits allowed? If so, state them clearly so that decisions made are consistent and defensible. “If an entire print run of a new issue exhibits a minor printing defect that would not normally be accepted in 9.8, CGC will sometimes create a grading curve for that particular issue.” Fascinating. This leads to several questions. When is it determined or acknowledged that a printing error has affected an entire print run? Only after the first initial books from that issue have been submitted or is knowledge of the printing issue known before any issues from that run are graded? And how is this error affecting an entire print run communicated to graders? Another fascinating question is that statement “… CGC will sometimes create a grading curve …”. Again, fascinating. What is involved in creating a “grading curve” and when such a curve is created, is that information communicated to the general public who may be submitting or thinking of submitting that particular issue? “Golden Age comics are also allowed to exhibit thin and very light dust shadows or very minor cover tanning. Small, unobtrusive date stamps and store stamps, as well as minor writing are sometimes allowed.” Well, the language here could not be less vague. What, specifically, defines a “thin and very light dust shadow”? How, or whom, is deciding whether a date stamp is or is not “obtrusive”? And since this is a guide, could you please define what is the difference between “minor” and other writing on the cover? It would seem a definition of something of this nature would need to be clearly outlined to ensure there is consistency in the grade(s) provided. And these are as the book notes, “sometimes allowed”. For the sake of professionalism and consistency, could you provide detailed examples of what criteria are used to make the decision as to whether these defects will or will not be allowed? To say they are “sometimes allowed” is, well, essentially useless. Anyway, those are my two cents based on reading only one page as posted. Perhaps my questions are answered elsewhere in the book? But hey, buy the book if you want, to each his / her own.

I stopped collecting comics in 1987 and did not return to the hobby until 2007 so I missed the infamous "90s crash". I gather the death of Superman was one of the main drivers or impetus for the 90s crash. Wouldn't it be ironic if the same comic served as the catalyst for the next (future) crash

Just wanted to say thank you, I bought a slab and a couple of raw books from Tim's latest sale. Not only is he a pleasure to deal with, the packaging was fantastic and his grading on the raw books was spot on. Thank you, sir!

Very nice copy. That bottom staple had me worried a bit as it looked like a small tear from the front but it does not seem to be evident from the back cover scan. A 9.4 (near mint) is reasonable even with the pen mark on the back. I looked at my copies (both are direct editions, not Canadian newsstand) and neither have that "smudge" or mark on the front cover but if other copies have it I would roll the dice and agree it is likely a production defect.

Personally, I would keep them in their red labels. They are a legacy of the early days of CGC and there is, in my opinion, a market for these.

Awesome indeed. Really appreciate your efforts with these. While there is a lot of red, I am finding (anecdotally) that prices are not dipping as much recently. The past few Clink auctions I was able to get eight books, all at or below what I was willing to pay. But in the last Clink auction that just ended there were six books I had my eye on and all six ending up going for more than what I was willing to pay. And these were not keys (aside from one book), just Silver age filler books on a couple of runs I am trying to finish.

Yes, 100% yes! The greed has gotten so blatant I suspect it will lead to an implosion, at least among the modern market. It's just a matter of time now.

Awesome!!