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Why was the slab cracking thread pulled?

Started by snizzenfixit,

61 posts in this topic

BronzeBruce13

BronzeBruce13

Posted
Posted

Hey Darth... I can't comment until I see the methodology, and I don't mean to sound overly paranoid. My understanding was that a loose label was accessed and removed and maybe a substitute was replaced (counterfiet or a legit one with a .2 or .4 higher grade where the book may have been sent in again). No one has answered if the newer slabs have the slip encased within the plastic or not. I was not working on a cracking and resealing the seals concept at all. I guess I need to see what was posted before raising any more concerns.

 

Can I see it JR?

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fantastic_four

fantastic_four

Posted
Posted

He posted pictures of an opened slab that didn't have any visible cracks.

 

To his credit, I don't remember him posting instructions for how to open the slab in such a way that it wouldn't display the cracks, though. He just stated that it was possible and reliably repeatable. He kept the details to himself. So really all the thread did was prove that it is possible to open and reseal a slab in a way 99% of buyers wouldn't notice.

 

So you guys didn't really miss much if you just accept that it is possible to crack and reseal in a way that isn't easily detectable to a layman.

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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted

yeah, but readiing this thread (including reading arch's response), it seemed to me like it was a step-by-step (a "this is how you do it" blueprint.) If it was just him posting the results as "a proof of concept"- who cares? So confused. confused.gifconfused.gifconfused.gif

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BronzeBruce13

BronzeBruce13

Posted
Posted

I had a similar impression... that it was a step by step example of how to compromise the slab... and presumably remove the label and put a new one in?

 

Meth might have been able to open it without cracking it... I heard of that before from a guy who carefully opened slabs of unfavorably graded books he submitted (he claimed), but wanted to keep the undamaged slabs to protect or display other books of his.

 

I think the give away is that the seals of an opened and "put back together" seal look different, where the male and female plastic get it on... not as clear as a properly sonically sealed corner seal will appear... plus they come apart if handled too much. I suppose someone could leave it in the plastic sleeve and have it stay together if it was not bounced around much.

 

I know this first hand as I too had a perfectly undamaged opened slab on a ASM 195 9.4 I bought 10 months or so back. 8-14 months (I'm approximating), CGC had some sporadic problems closing some seals properly (equipment related I remember hearing??) as some of you may recall. This particular book had the lower 2 seals separate during shipping and/or handling by the seller (who did reimburse me). When I pulled the bottom open further to look closely at the comic in the well, the top 2 popped as well with no cracks or hint of damage. When I put it back together, the seals (at M&F union) looked slightly different. I recently gave it away as a freebie when selling my 194 9.4... (and yes represented as being opened but presumably still a 9.4 if regraded)

 

Did anyone else experience this with 1 or more improperly closed seals??

 

For the record- I'm not suggesting Meth has such a slab and his F'ng with us...only that I had this experience and heard from several others that had 1 or more seals pop for no reason... including that seller who said 5-7 of his books had that problem and were being sent back.

 

 

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FlyingDonut

FlyingDonut

Posted
Posted

I didn't read the original thread.

 

But I am shocked, SHOCKED! to find out that Meth wrote it. Can't IMAGINE that he would have ANYTHING to do with ANY sort of tampering or fiddling with books. SHOCKED I am!

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lighthouse

lighthouse

Posted
Posted

Obviously CGC is concerned with how their service is perceived, since they sell a value-added service rather than a commodity the perception of value is paramount to them.

 

Based on that I assume this thread has generated far more activity in Sarasota than the simple removal of a message board thread.

 

Though I am certain that CGC has already considered this, I would think it would be a small matter to incorporate the certification number into the comic well, whether imprinted on the plastic well or some other method. Even Meth has not suggested that the removal and replacement of the comic is feasible, just the label. A simple replication of the cert# on the sealed well would prevent effective label-swapping.

 

Again, I am certain that CGC has already considered a number of options, and I have no doubt that they invest a certain amount of time/money working through these scenarios on their own. Any company concerned with product security issues spends far more time testing ways around their own measures than we can imagine. I guarantee you there are people on the payroll, whether in Sarasota or elsewhere, whose job it is to try to beat the system.

 

Most property crimes are of opportunity, not necessity. Locking your car doors doesn't stop a professional car-thief, but it stops Darth from grabbing your WWE calendar off the front seat. CGC pulling Meth's thread is more about locking the car doors than any thing else. It limits the likelihood that the rest of us sit around bored with a screw-driver and a hemostat seeing if we can do it too. Because I guarantee that with access to a few thousand slabbed books for practice and a few thousand man-hours, any one of us could find a way to do it flawlessly. But there is no way that the benefits outweigh the costs in such a scenario. So it won't happen. Period.

 

Should CGC look into the matter, and see if the locks on the car doors could use a tweak? Sure, and they already are. But pulling the thread and slapping Meth's wrist was more than sensible here.

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snizzenfixit

snizzenfixit

Posted
  • Author
Posted

But pulling the thread and slapping Meth's wrist was more than sensible here.

 

We agreed up to that point. I don't think there was a need to slap Meths wrist because I don't believe there was any malicious intent. Meth simply entered the conversation that was already going on. With the overwhelming perception of him in these forums, he pretty much HAD to attach the images. Otherwise I can just see what would have happened.

 

Meth: No, these slabs can be opened without leaving any traces. I have opened one just to prove it.

 

Meth basher: Oh I would expect that out of you Meth. You probably TRIED to do it, and then sold the book under false pretenses. If you have done it tell us how.

 

Meth: I did it on an old book I had laying around here and I am not going to make it public how I did it just so some yahoo can start a big scam.

 

Meth basher: Yup, another case where Meth won't offer any proof. Why is your feedback private Meth? Huh? Huh? If you won't tell us how, then at least post some pictures. Surely you can do that.

 

The end results would have been the same. The pics did not show HOW it was done. Only that it WAS done.

 

Phil

 

 

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lighthouse

lighthouse

Posted
Posted

I don't disagree with you here. But I hardly think suspending Meth from posting for a day was any kind of real punishment. Dozens of posters have sat in the penalty box for a day, with little ill effects (unless Darth was in right before you and left behind his WWE mags). Meth didn't really do anything wrong, so he got a punishment that means very little. He's already back to posting...

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wolfling40-migration

wolfling40-migration

Posted
Posted

He posted pictures of an opened slab that didn't have any visible cracks.

 

To his credit, I don't remember him posting instructions for how to open the slab in such a way that it wouldn't display the cracks, though. He just stated that it was possible and reliably repeatable. He kept the details to himself. So really all the thread did was prove that it is possible to open and reseal a slab in a way 99% of buyers wouldn't notice.

ABSOLUTELY FKING CORRECT!

For those of you who didn't get in on the thread that I started, "Welcome to the occupation."

This censorship will now fuel far more fire than if you all could read the original thread.

I think the above poster makes the point razor fine: the thread was NOT a how-to on getting the slabs open -- only a visual reference.

So many forums, so little understanding of moderating them....:(

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