Who buys slabs just for assurance of the grade, then cracks it open?

[collector_bill]

I've cracked over a 100 slabs , but I've never paid more than 450 dollars for a book .

 

The way I look at it is " if you can afford to buy it , you can afford to de slab it "

 

I would never over extend myself for a comic .

 

I agree with the example of Chromium , look upon it as an expensive treat ( meal or holiday ) once the cash has gone it's gone .

[Jeffro.]

Interact?

 

It's a comic book, not a female

 

Well, that would explain mystery stains on some comics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jeffro.]

I have no issue with anyone who wants to crack or not crack their books. They paid for it, it's their business. However, cracking out a 9.6 GA book seems a little loopy to me. Whatever, different strokes and all that.

 

However, for those of you who pay a slab premium for high grade books and then still crack them out to read, why aren't you just going for a lower grade raw copy? Why pay more for the slabbed copy? You can read a raw 3.0 just as well as a slabbed 9.x

 

 

 

[nik]

Maybe I already have seen the interiors

 

Maybe I already have seen the art and read the story :o

Maybe you're selling all of your comics and losing interest in the hobby and, therefore, not the person to be listening to. :o

 

 

Maybe, but after picking up another 60 books yesterday from a recent collection, maybe not

 

 

[chromium]

By the way, I buy midgrade Atom and SA and I don't think I've ever paid significantly more for a slab than the book would go for raw. It's a nice bonus that the book has been examined and certified, but not a bonus I'm willing to spend much extra money for. So I figure if I do decide to sell a deslabbed book, I'll still have the label and probably won't lose much money on the deal.

 

Makes perfect sense..I'm not interested in high grade comics either and 99% of the mid-grade books can be found slabbed for almost the same price as raw books. I still prefer to buy slabbed for the added insurance of the resto check and the fact you are almost sure there will be no hidden surprises.

 

All the stuf I buy goes to my US-agent who keeps my books for a while and then sends them on in one large package. The last few years I even let him crack out the comics before he sends them to me, saves on postage and all.

[VintageComics]

By the way, I buy midgrade Atom and SA and I don't think I've ever paid significantly more for a slab than the book would go for raw. It's a nice bonus that the book has been examined and certified, but not a bonus I'm willing to spend much extra money for. So I figure if I do decide to sell a deslabbed book, I'll still have the label and probably won't lose much money on the deal.

 

Makes perfect sense..I'm not interested in high grade comics either and 99% of the mid-grade books can be found slabbed for almost the same price as raw books. I still prefer to buy slabbed for the added insurance of the resto check and the fact you are almost sure there will be no hidden surprises.

 

All the stuf I buy goes to my US-agent who keeps my books for a while and then sends them on in one large package. The last few years I even let him crack out the comics before he sends them to me, saves on postage and all.

 

I've done that too...buy a book and have it cracked to save on postage.

 

Chrome, as always you cut to the chase and trumpet the voice of reason.

 

How did you end up in Belgium?

 

[chromium]

I've done that too...buy a book and have it cracked to save on postage.

 

Chrome, as always you cut to the chase and trumpet the voice of reason.

 

How did you end up in Belgium?

 

 

I took a right at Great Britain...

[VintageComics]

I've done that too...buy a book and have it cracked to save on postage.

 

Chrome, as always you cut to the chase and trumpet the voice of reason.

 

How did you end up in Belgium?

 

 

I took a right at Great Britain...

 

 

Damn me and my poor knowledge of Europe.

 

R.

 

 

[He11blazer]

If buying GA I crack, read and keep the label.

 

If buying modern I buy high grade slabs as collectible items. I have additional reading copies for stuff I want to read.

 

Pretty obvious really?

[VintageComics]

If buying GA I crack, read and keep the label.

 

If buying modern I buy high grade slabs as collectible items. I have additional reading copies for stuff I want to read.

 

Pretty obvious really?

 

It's only obvious to those who actually think about it.

 

[lizards2]

Interact?

 

It's a comic book, not a female

 

Well, that would explain mystery stains on some comics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:shrug: How come all these threads eventually end up being about greggy? :shrug:

[MightyBeanComics]

Its really a moot argument. Personal preference can vary and the way a person behaves/thinks can differ depending on many factors.

 

For instance, I love my comics in slabs. It makes them feel like an artifact to me. I agree with virtually every comment made by the "crackers" above, yet even faced with overwhelming facts and reason, I still find great joy by displaying my books in their slabs. And thats ok!!

 

I have cracked some for issues I wanted to read badly though.

 

I may change my mind in the future, but right now, I'm doing exactly what makes me happy! Go with your gut with your hobby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rodan57]

I have no issue with anyone who wants to crack or not crack their books. They paid for it, it's their business. However, cracking out a 9.6 GA book seems a little loopy to me. Whatever, different strokes and all that.

 

However, for those of you who pay a slab premium for high grade books and then still crack them out to read, why aren't you just going for a lower grade raw copy? Why pay more for the slabbed copy? You can read a raw 3.0 just as well as a slabbed 9.x

 

Not quite the same thing in my experience.

 

Reading a 7.5 or 8.0*, that you can imagine as just removed from a period collection, is far more fun than reading a 3.0 that looks far older than its 30 or 40 years. Such a distinction may not matter to many, but I do believe it to be more than a subtlety.

 

(*Perhaps not a rarer 9.2 where a small added crease might make a significant value difference.)

[Silver Surfer]

That's cool as long as you never plan on selling your collection. Have fun being burried with them!

 

 

If they are quality books and GA in particular it won't matter when it comes time to sell, just keep the original labels. I've seen more than a few of my cracked out books get resubbed for higher gardes and better PQ notations after I sold them raw.

[lizards2]

I have no issue with anyone who wants to crack or not crack their books. They paid for it, it's their business. However, cracking out a 9.6 GA book seems a little loopy to me. Whatever, different strokes and all that.

 

However, for those of you who pay a slab premium for high grade books and then still crack them out to read, why aren't you just going for a lower grade raw copy? Why pay more for the slabbed copy? You can read a raw 3.0 just as well as a slabbed 9.x

 

Not quite the same thing in my experience.

 

Reading a 7.5 or 8.0*, that you can imagine as just removed from a period collection, is far more fun than reading a 3.0 that looks far older than its 30 or 40 years. Such a distinction may not matter to many, but I do believe it to be more than a subtlety.

 

(*Perhaps not a rarer 9.2 where a small added crease might make a significant value difference.)

 

I agree with this as well - I also read and handle the 9.2 - ups without fear

[VintageComics]

That's cool as long as you never plan on selling your collection. Have fun being burried with them!

 

 

If they are quality books and GA in particular it won't matter when it comes time to sell, just keep the original labels. I've seen more than a few of my cracked out books get resubbed for higher gardes and better PQ notations after I sold them raw.

 

...or get FMV for a cracked book that has not been reslabbed. GA collectors seem to not be as hung up on grade as SA collectors mostly because you almost never see the multiples of guide that you see in SA and BA books.

 

R.

 

 

[adamstrange]

I have no issue with anyone who wants to crack or not crack their books. They paid for it, it's their business. However, cracking out a 9.6 GA book seems a little loopy to me. Whatever, different strokes and all that.

 

However, for those of you who pay a slab premium for high grade books and then still crack them out to read, why aren't you just going for a lower grade raw copy? Why pay more for the slabbed copy? You can read a raw 3.0 just as well as a slabbed 9.x

 

 

 

I was collecting higher grade copies for 14 years prior to when CGC opened their doors so I see no reason to shift to 3.0 copies simply because many of the books I buy are in slabs. It's annoying to have to crack them out but it really bothers me leaving them in the slab as they almost always look much, much better in the raw. I will occasionally share a book with a fellow collector (Foolkiller and cgcworld are 2 recent examples) and on certain ones I took them out of a mylar or mylite because they presented so much better.

 

If you were a high grade collector in the "old days" you learned to both grade and handle books so it's a bit of a revelation that folks are nervous about dealing with raw books. You do need to respect them, especially during reading, but I found a way to do that with minimal risk and don't hesitate to if it's a good story.

 

I do understand why many want to leave books in slabs as they are uncertain how long they might keep them. I was talking with a local collector who got into buying high grade CGC comics for a couple years and is now thinking of selling. Buying CGC slabs and keeping the books in the slabs will probably work out well for him as he might make a little money. Buying raw high grade books as a new collector in the old days was definitely a dicier proposition.

 

[TheShadowKnows]

The day I won't de-slab is the day I'll stop collecting. It's simply not worth it to me view a killer book through layers of plastic as I know I'm prevented from fully enjoying the book, which might be fine if you're viewing someone else's copy but not so fine when it's yours.

 

If you are the type of person who flits in and out of comic collecting or from one from one focus to another then de-slabbing will carry a cost that many would (and possibly should) find unacceptable. In my case I started collecting long before CGC opened their doors and I'm pretty careful to buy books I wish to keep.

 

 

 

 

That's exactly my problem! I change focus at the drop of a hat, and I only have so much money to spend.

 

I love comics, but you are fooling yourself if you think the value is not important. Unslabbing costs money, and if you want to spend it fine, but for me it is too costly.

 

 

 

Hmmmmmmmmmm, interesting perspective ....I always thought I bought and loved Comic Books because they MEANT something DEEPER to me than $$$ not because of their "assumed" market value... that was always a BONUS for me

 

who would have known

 

 

Another idealist...Please send me all your expensive comics and I will replace them with cheap than means something "deeper" to you.

 

The money matters, and if you claim you don't care, prove it! I get so steamed by guys who claim to be above the money and only love the "comic" for itself. What a load of .

 

 

I'm fooling myself or I'm hypocrite?

 

Tough choice.

 

Okay now that you cracked it open and read it. Would you let anyone else read it also?

 

Comics with LB Cole covers usually don't have much worth reading.

 

There are a handful of folks who I have and will let read most any book I own. They have reciprocated the favor to me and none of us buy "reader" copies.

If I remember right Doc Watson told a tale of a box of your books that he looked through.

Dennis

[adamstrange]

The day I won't de-slab is the day I'll stop collecting. It's simply not worth it to me view a killer book through layers of plastic as I know I'm prevented from fully enjoying the book, which might be fine if you're viewing someone else's copy but not so fine when it's yours.

 

If you are the type of person who flits in and out of comic collecting or from one from one focus to another then de-slabbing will carry a cost that many would (and possibly should) find unacceptable. In my case I started collecting long before CGC opened their doors and I'm pretty careful to buy books I wish to keep.

 

 

 

 

That's exactly my problem! I change focus at the drop of a hat, and I only have so much money to spend.

 

I love comics, but you are fooling yourself if you think the value is not important. Unslabbing costs money, and if you want to spend it fine, but for me it is too costly.

 

 

 

Hmmmmmmmmmm, interesting perspective ....I always thought I bought and loved Comic Books because they MEANT something DEEPER to me than $$$ not because of their "assumed" market value... that was always a BONUS for me

 

who would have known

 

 

Another idealist...Please send me all your expensive comics and I will replace them with cheap than means something "deeper" to you.

 

The money matters, and if you claim you don't care, prove it! I get so steamed by guys who claim to be above the money and only love the "comic" for itself. What a load of .

 

 

I'm fooling myself or I'm hypocrite?

 

Tough choice.

 

Okay now that you cracked it open and read it. Would you let anyone else read it also?

 

Comics with LB Cole covers usually don't have much worth reading.

 

There are a handful of folks who I have and will let read most any book I own. They have reciprocated the favor to me and none of us buy "reader" copies.

If I remember right Doc Watson told a tale of a box of your books that he looked through.

Dennis

 

He was proably that shady looking member of cgcworld's entourage.

[peewee22]

Here's a few books I deslabbed followed by the reason I deslabbed them. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

 

REASON TO DESLAB

 

 

REASON TO DESLAB

 

INTERIOR FROM BOY COMMANDOS 23

 

 

Damn nice.