To Grade or Not To Grade, that's the question!

[handyjack]

Greetings to all! I am a new member and first time poster. Been collecting mostly Iron Man comics since the 60's, but only recently have taken the hobby seriously. I have every I.M from #1 to 311 and most of the Tales of Suspense issues too, except for the real early ones. Most of my comics I consider in the Very Good range according to Overstreet with some Fine to Very Fine mixed in, but I am in no way an expert on estimating this like CGC. The question I have is, do you think it is better to get a Official, let's say, 6.0 grade to maybe a 8.0 on some of the early comics or not have them graded at all? I don't plan on selling them anytime soon, but eventually would it be a worthwhile investment even if they're not 9.0's and higher? Thanks guys, I really look forward to your opinions.

[Silver Surfer]

My initial gut reaction is don't bother. Check out what FN raw copies are selling for and you'll find you might be hard press to recover your costs if you did. Maybe grade the #1.

[TFL-migration]

Welcome To The Boards. Put the books in a nice Mylar Bag and a acid free, fullback board.

Either the 2ml or 4 ml Mylar bags are nice. The 4 ml will offer better overall protection for the book's. This way there safe and secure. No real need to get them graded if your not going to be selling them anytime soon.

[kidcolt]

Never get them graded.

[DiceX]

I wouldn't bother right now either. I'd do a lot of research before I jumped in the pool.

 

WTTB, BTW!

 

 

[Limited66]

If the #1 is in really great condition, you might want to get it graded, but only if you want to sell it.

[handyjack]

Wow, thanks for the quick input. I really thought that having them graded would increase their value tri-fold. As I mentioned, I have no intention of selling them anytime soon, but down the road it is certainly my hope. I did some searches on eBay and found that some 8.0 to 8.5 graded books sold much higher than an ungraded book listed as very fine, so I thought it might be worthwhile to have some of the key issues graded hoping for a good mark, but now after all your inputs I have to reconsider. I sent out 3 books as a test with the free submission coupon received from joining up, so we'll see how they come back. Like I said I'm not an expert so I hope I'm off with my condition estimates. I did realize in my searches that most comics are not selling even near guide prices, as a matter of fact, some you cant even give away. Yet some graded comics do sell for true value, so that was the basis of my question. I look forward to your further responses on this subject.

[dwip99]

Good luck with your submissions and WTTB's.

[SilverRich]

Hi Jack. With all due respect, Iron Man is one of the lesser valued titles, especially in mid/low grades. If they were titles like Spidey or Fantastic Four, having the earlier issues graded may be the thing to do, but condition should still be factored into it. Certain issues of the Tales Of Suspense books are more desirable in higher grade, so you should check those out for quality.

 

My suggestion would be to take TFL's advice and put them in Mylar bags and good boards, especially if you have no intention of selling. On the IM's, if issue #1 is in really nice condition it could be worth submitting, and possibly #55 if the grade seems high.

 

Hope this was of some help and WTTB.

[PrismaticSmoke]

If the 128 issue is in really good shape, that may be worth it as well.

[handyjack]

thanks to all who responded. I appreciate your input. I knew all along that IM was a lesser valued title, unfortunately thats the guy I read, enjoyed, and collected. I 'm sure I'm not the only one. Oh why didnt I bond with the X-Men, or Spiderman, who knows....It's Iron Man I ended up with and I loved every issue. Really thought interest in the title would take off after the movie. Oh well, I will keep my Iron Man comics and maybe my kids can someday make a couple bucks off them.

[SilverRich]

Hey...nothing to apologize for. IM was/is one of the coolest heroes Marvel ever produced. I have his full run and love it. The real value is in what the books mean to you, so use that as your barometer.

 

I have some older Mad mags that most people wouldn't even look at, but to me they're treasures from my care-free younger days, which will still be here when I'm dead and gone.

 

BTW - Other than Spidey 2, the Iron Man movie may have been the best of the lot.

[Drakeprimeone]

Wow, thanks for the quick input. I really thought that having them graded would increase their value tri-fold. As I mentioned, I have no intention of selling them anytime soon, but down the road it is certainly my hope. I did some searches on eBay and found that some 8.0 to 8.5 graded books sold much higher than an ungraded book listed as very fine, so I thought it might be worthwhile to have some of the key issues graded hoping for a good mark, but now after all your inputs I have to reconsider. I sent out 3 books as a test with the free submission coupon received from joining up, so we'll see how they come back. Like I said I'm not an expert so I hope I'm off with my condition estimates. I did realize in my searches that most comics are not selling even near guide prices, as a matter of fact, some you cant even give away. Yet some graded comics do sell for true value, so that was the basis of my question. I look forward to your further responses on this subject.

 

Slabbed books usually are higher in value compared to their raw counterparts generally because those interested in buying them are willing to pay more to know their grade upfront as well as they will know if the book is original or contains restoration.

 

Since you arent planning to sell your books there probably isn't a real need to unless you yourself would like to know the grades of some of your books. Mylar/full backs work just fine and are better for preservation.

 

Ofcourse if you end up getting any of your books signed then try to get a witness so you can slab em with a pretty yellow SS label.

[Mr Mylar]

Hey...nothing to apologize for. IM was/is one of the coolest heroes Marvel ever produced. I have his full run and love it. The real value is in what the books mean to you, so use that as your barometer.

 

I have some older Mad mags that most people wouldn't even look at, but to me they're treasures from my care-free younger days, which will still be here when I'm dead and gone.

 

BTW - Other than Spidey 2, the Iron Man movie may have been the best of the lot.

 

I agree 100%. WTTB! (thumbs u

[rodan57]

Wow, thanks for the quick input. I really thought that having them graded would increase their value tri-fold. As I mentioned, I have no intention of selling them anytime soon, but down the road it is certainly my hope. I did some searches on eBay and found that some 8.0 to 8.5 graded books sold much higher than an ungraded book listed as very fine, so I thought it might be worthwhile to have some of the key issues graded hoping for a good mark...

 

You will get guide with an 8.0 or 8.5, depending on the title. But it can be expensive to slab books that don't grade so highly. Lesser books will probably trade at the same price, raw or not.

 

It's worth reflecting on how high grade an 8.5 is. If you don't have one already slabbed, take a look at one at a show. Aside from a rubbed edge or some spine stress, it is a beautiful book and not common in a collection that has enjoyed reading over the years.

 

Good luck.

[trmoore54]

Worthless drek...

 

Seriously...WTTB!

 

Do not send them in for grading except maybe one or two...post the ones that might value at $100+ on the Hey Buddy Can You Spare A Grade thread and it will give you a good idea of the grade within a 1/2 grade or so...post nice-rez full front and back cover scans...do not post more than 3 separate book threads (always post only one book per thread) in any 24 hour period.

 

After that, you might consider cherry-picking the highest graded/highest valued and send to Matt Nelson at ClassicsIncoporated and he will pre-screen (i.e., grade) your books for $3 apiece! GOOD DEAL! (thumbs u

 

He has a general track record of being within a half-grade or spot-on what CGC would grade. It doesn't sound like you want to sell the books, so it will let you know an accurate grade and help you grade the rest of your books...

 

GOOD LUCK!

[handyjack]

thanks again for all the input. I got my 3 free submission grades online and they were not too good. IM #1 was 3.5, I thought it was a 6, My tales of suspense 63 came in at 4.5, I thought it would have been a 7, and the one comic that I actually bought from a dealer 5 years ago to complete the run, Sub Mariner Iron Man 1 one shot was scored as a Apparant 7.0 which I have found through research means it was a Restored Comic, and I actually paid like $100 back then for it. Shoot, I'd like to go strangle that guy, but it's actually my bad for not doing the research first. On the up side I believe most of my other comics are in better shape than the ones I submitted, I sent those three in because they were key issues. I told you guys I'm new at this and boy did I get a lesson, at least I didnt pay for those grades! I'm debating wether to send a few more in just out of curiosity, but maybe this Matt Nelson guy would be a better option right now. How do I get in contact with him?

[handyjack]

Oops, I went back and read that Matt Nelson is with Classics Incorporated so that's what I'll do.

Another question out of curiosity, that SM/IM one shot that came back as Apparant 7.0, that's basically worthless no? I was shocked to find out it was restored, holy mackeral!

It broke my heart, and I keep thinking how dumb I was.

Do you think a Tales of Suspense #41 would be worth getting graded if it came back at 3.5? Thats the earliest issue I have but its close to the IM#1 condition. Aside from that one, as I said above, at least the rest of the comics are in better shape than the ones I sent in.

[Flaming_Telepath]

Sorry to hear about the grades, especially the Restored IMSM. Yeah, a restored 7.0 is probably worth $10-$20, tops.

 

If I were you, I would not submit a single book without taking some input from (no offence intended) more experienced, knowledgeable folk. The quickest, cheapest way to do this is to scan your books, front and back cover, and post them in the 'Hey Buddy, Can You Spare A Grade' section and ask for individual opinions on the grade, and whether at that grade, that book would be worthwhile slabbing. (thumbs u

[Bomber-Bob]

Assuming you remember the name of the dealer, I would make an attempt to contact him. A good dealer will take the book back for the money you paid.

You didn't specify the type of restoration. Some restoration, like trimming, is difficult for the dealers to spot. In all probablity the dealer did not actually perform the resto, he probably acquired it with resto, so don't strangle him.

Don't feel too bad, most of us have experienced the Purple Label disappointment,

you are not alone.