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What An "Educated Buyer" must know and understand...

Started by Davenport,

198 posts in this topic

COI

COI

Posted
Posted
1. PRESSING IS A FORM OF RESTORATION

 

2. "The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is." - Winston Churchill.

 

"What you perceive, your observations, feelings, interpretations, are all your truth. Your truth is important. Yet it is not The Truth.”

 

"And Lo, There Shall be Complaining!" - Norrin_Radd

 

"The ambition of men is such that; to gratify a present desire, they think not of the evils which will in a short time result from it. Nor will they be influenced by the examples of antiquity". - Machiavelli

"When you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about." - Albert Einstein

 

"Rationalization is a process of not perceiving reality, but of attempting to make reality fit one’s emotions." - Ayn Rand

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DrWatson

DrWatson

Posted
Posted
1. PRESSING IS A FORM OF RESTORATION

 

2. "The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is." - Winston Churchill.

 

"What you perceive, your observations, feelings, interpretations, are all your truth. Your truth is important. Yet it is not The Truth.”

 

"And Lo, There Shall be Complaining!" - Norrin_Radd

 

"The ambition of men is such that; to gratify a present desire, they think not of the evils which will in a short time result from it. Nor will they be influenced by the examples of antiquity". - Machiavelli

"When you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about." - Albert Einstein

 

"Rationalization is a process of not perceiving reality, but of attempting to make reality fit one’s emotions." - Ayn Rand

“I'm also tired of hearing about innocent victims; this is an outmoded idea. There are no innocent victims. If you're born on this world you're guilty, period, you, end of report, next case. Your birth certificate is proof of guilt.” - George Carlin

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COI

COI

Posted
Posted
1. PRESSING IS A FORM OF RESTORATION

 

2. "The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is." - Winston Churchill.

 

"What you perceive, your observations, feelings, interpretations, are all your truth. Your truth is important. Yet it is not The Truth.”

 

"And Lo, There Shall be Complaining!" - Norrin_Radd

 

"The ambition of men is such that; to gratify a present desire, they think not of the evils which will in a short time result from it. Nor will they be influenced by the examples of antiquity". - Machiavelli

"When you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about." - Albert Einstein

 

"Rationalization is a process of not perceiving reality, but of attempting to make reality fit one’s emotions." - Ayn Rand

“I'm also tired of hearing about innocent victims; this is an outmoded idea. There are no innocent victims. If you're born on this world you're guilty, period, you, end of report, next case. Your birth certificate is proof of guilt.” - George Carlin

 

"A family of vertebrate animals whose females in a state of nature suckle their young, but when civilized and enlightened put them out to nurse, or use the bottle.” - Thomas Hobbes

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Cimm

Cimm

Posted
Posted

1. Buy what you like, either to read, or to look at.

 

2. If you are buying raw, get the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide.

 

3. If you are buying CGC slabs, get GPA http://comics.gpanalysis.com/

 

4. Ignore the opinions of others. Read as many threads as you can stomach on pressing, preservation, conservation, restoration, and study the subjects, not the responses...

 

5. Buying here on the boards is safer than buying almost anywhere else in comicdom.

 

6. If you desire to invest in comics, stick with true keys... i.e. first appearances of major characters, true classic covers, or #1 issues of long-running series.

 

7. If you are just looking to enjoy your hobby, and don't care about the money aspect of it except as it affects your cost... avoid what is popular, and get what you really like.

 

8. There are truly wise people on these boards... there are some real schmucks... sometimes, given the subject matter, there are people who are both...

 

9. Online debating is often an exercise in futility.

 

and, finally...

 

10. It's a hobby for some, it's a business for others, it can be frustrating, mind-expanding, gratifying, infuriating, fulfilling, rewarding, stressing, relaxing, unifying and segregating... But if you only buy what you love, you will never be wrong.

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DrWatson

DrWatson

Posted
Posted
1. PRESSING IS A FORM OF RESTORATION

 

2. "The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is." - Winston Churchill.

 

"What you perceive, your observations, feelings, interpretations, are all your truth. Your truth is important. Yet it is not The Truth.”

 

"And Lo, There Shall be Complaining!" - Norrin_Radd

 

"The ambition of men is such that; to gratify a present desire, they think not of the evils which will in a short time result from it. Nor will they be influenced by the examples of antiquity". - Machiavelli

"When you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about." - Albert Einstein

 

"Rationalization is a process of not perceiving reality, but of attempting to make reality fit one’s emotions." - Ayn Rand

“I'm also tired of hearing about innocent victims; this is an outmoded idea. There are no innocent victims. If you're born on this world you're guilty, period, you, end of report, next case. Your birth certificate is proof of guilt.” - George Carlin

 

"A family of vertebrate animals whose females in a state of nature suckle their young, but when civilized and enlightened put them out to nurse, or use the bottle.” - Thomas Hobbes

"Any idea can be brought into the classroom if the point is to inquire into its structure, history, influence and so forth. But no idea belongs in the classroom if the point of introducing it is to recruit your students for the political agenda it may be thought to imply." - Stanley Fish

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burntboy

burntboy

Posted
Posted
1. Buy what you like, either to read, or to look at.

 

2. If you are buying raw, get the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide.

 

3. If you are buying CGC slabs, get GPA http://comics.gpanalysis.com/

 

4. Ignore the opinions of others. Read as many threads as you can stomach on pressing, preservation, conservation, restoration, and study the subjects, not the responses...

 

5. Buying here on the boards is safer than buying almost anywhere else in comicdom.

 

6. If you desire to invest in comics, stick with true keys... i.e. first appearances of major characters, true classic covers, or #1 issues of long-running series.

 

7. If you are just looking to enjoy your hobby, and don't care about the money aspect of it except as it affects your cost... avoid what is popular, and get what you really like.

 

8. There are truly wise people on these boards... there are some real schmucks... sometimes, given the subject matter, there are people who are both...

 

9. Online debating is often an exercise in futility.

 

and, finally...

 

10. It's a hobby for some, it's a business for others, it can be frustrating, mind-expanding, gratifying, infuriating, fulfilling, rewarding, stressing, relaxing, unifying and segregating... But if you only buy what you love, you will never be wrong.

 

Very Nice......... (thumbs u

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Ze-man

Ze-man

Posted
Posted
What must they know and be aware of to stay safe while shopping?

 

Safe while shopping for comics? hm

 

Avoid long lines at Cons because of gas emissions, and rampant BO

 

Carefully remove a comic from the bag as to avoid getting paper cuts.

 

That buying comics with a credit card can lead to an unsafe credit history.

 

OK, so I am kidding.

 

 

 

 

Seriously if a person new to the hobby today wants to dive in and buy/sell in HG slabs I think there are quite a few things to learn, that took most of us years.

 

 

Learn how to grade, how CGC grades, how dealers grade and how they might differ.

 

Learn what sites you like to buy/sell from based on how they treat you, and what you learn along the way about how they do business. While people can offer opinions about this place or that, it all comes down to a personal experience to make that decision.

 

Learn what the various forms of resto are so you can make an informed decision as to what you feel about them. Because people and CGC obviously have different views on what is and what isn't resto, so know going in that this might be used as a tool by buyers and sellers alike.

 

When asking about disclosure know what it is you are asking about. Simply asking if a book was pressed is really only asking half a question, if the person selling the book was the one who had it pressed I would also ask them what the apparent grade was before pressing so I might make a more informed decision.(good luck with that though)

 

Ask the person who is disclosing, who worked on the book To me this should be important info to the buyer. Because if the seller is disclosing that the book was pressed, but not who pressed it might make one wonder if it was done correctly

 

That the word "pressed" is not entirely accurate and even misleading. Many times a book might have been improved, but never come close to being put in an actual press.

 

That for the most part pressing cannot create HG books. It can push an already HG book up a notch or two but most all 9.4 and above books were HG to start with, they just displayed flaws that lent themselves to being easily removed.

 

Know going in that the book you are buying could have been graded less only days earlier, but now it is what it is. So only pay what you are comfortable with for that book in grade no matter what you may learn about it later.

 

 

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kc120us

kc120us

Posted
Posted
What must they know and be aware of to stay safe while shopping?

 

Safe while shopping for comics? hm

 

Avoid long lines at Cons because of gas emissions, and rampant BO

 

Carefully remove a comic from the bag as to avoid getting paper cuts.

 

That buying comics with a credit card can lead to an unsafe credit history.

 

OK, so I am kidding.

 

 

 

 

Seriously if a person new to the hobby today wants to dive in and buy/sell in HG slabs I think there are quite a few things to learn, that took most of us years.

 

 

Learn how to grade, how CGC grades, how dealers grade and how they might differ.

 

Learn what sites you like to buy/sell from based on how they treat you, and what you learn along the way about how they do business. While people can offer opinions about this place or that, it all comes down to a personal experience to make that decision.

 

Learn what the various forms of resto are so you can make an informed decision as to what you feel about them. Because people and CGC obviously have different views on what is and what isn't resto, so know going in that this might be used as a tool by buyers and sellers alike.

 

When asking about disclosure know what it is you are asking about. Simply asking if a book was pressed is really only asking half a question, if the person selling the book was the one who had it pressed I would also ask them what the apparent grade was before pressing so I might make a more informed decision.(good luck with that though)

 

Ask the person who is disclosing, who worked on the book To me this should be important info to the buyer. Because if the seller is disclosing that the book was pressed, but not who pressed it might make one wonder if it was done correctly

 

That the word "pressed" is not entirely accurate and even misleading. Many times a book might have been improved, but never come close to being put in an actual press.

 

That for the most part pressing cannot create HG books. It can push an already HG book up a notch or two but most all 9.4 and above books were HG to start with, they just displayed flaws that lent themselves to being easily removed.

 

Know going in that the book you are buying could have been graded less only days earlier, but now it is what it is. So only pay what you are comfortable with for that book in grade no matter what you may learn about it later.

 

 

Very well said, Kenny!

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joeypost

joeypost

Posted
Posted
What must they know and be aware of to stay safe while shopping?

 

Safe while shopping for comics? hm

 

Avoid long lines at Cons because of gas emissions, and rampant BO

 

Carefully remove a comic from the bag as to avoid getting paper cuts.

 

That buying comics with a credit card can lead to an unsafe credit history.

 

OK, so I am kidding.

 

 

 

 

Seriously if a person new to the hobby today wants to dive in and buy/sell in HG slabs I think there are quite a few things to learn, that took most of us years.

 

 

Learn how to grade, how CGC grades, how dealers grade and how they might differ.

 

Learn what sites you like to buy/sell from based on how they treat you, and what you learn along the way about how they do business. While people can offer opinions about this place or that, it all comes down to a personal experience to make that decision.

 

Learn what the various forms of resto are so you can make an informed decision as to what you feel about them. Because people and CGC obviously have different views on what is and what isn't resto, so know going in that this might be used as a tool by buyers and sellers alike.

 

When asking about disclosure know what it is you are asking about. Simply asking if a book was pressed is really only asking half a question, if the person selling the book was the one who had it pressed I would also ask them what the apparent grade was before pressing so I might make a more informed decision.(good luck with that though)

 

Ask the person who is disclosing, who worked on the book To me this should be important info to the buyer. Because if the seller is disclosing that the book was pressed, but not who pressed it might make one wonder if it was done correctly

 

That the word "pressed" is not entirely accurate and even misleading. Many times a book might have been improved, but never come close to being put in an actual press.

 

That for the most part pressing cannot create HG books. It can push an already HG book up a notch or two but most all 9.4 and above books were HG to start with, they just displayed flaws that lent themselves to being easily removed.

 

Know going in that the book you are buying could have been graded less only days earlier, but now it is what it is. So only pay what you are comfortable with for that book in grade no matter what you may learn about it later.

 

 

Very well said, Kenny!

 

As always.

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kc120us

kc120us

Posted
Posted

I would also like to add....

 

If and when these "educated buyers" become sellers, pass what you have learned about these books on to the next buyer so that he or she may become "educated".

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SilverRich

SilverRich

Posted
Posted

Now that this thread has returned to the topic, I'll add a few other thoughts to the fantastic advice that's been given by many here already. These are pretty obvious to the regulars on this site.

 

1. Buy the book - not the label (paper never refuses ink)

 

2. Buy what you like (already said here, but very important)

 

3. Subscribe to GPA (again, already said, but a must if you're serious)

 

4. Read these threads as much as possible (the knowledge you'll gain is priceless)

 

5. Never, EVER buy a slab that doesn't say CGC (if you do, you'll almost certainly come to regret it)

 

6. As you probably know by now, if you see the word "pressing" in a thread, grab a comfortable seat if you intend to read on

 

7. If it looks too good to be true, it generally is (there's a sucker born every minute)

 

 

 

"It's impossible to take a shower without getting your hands wet" - Richie Primo

 

 

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jools&jim

jools&jim

Posted
Posted

 

Another thing to consider: who are these hypothetical "noobs", and what are their motives in the first place? Many of the new faces I saw coming into the hobby when I was most active in it as an adult (ca. 1988 - 2000) seemed to be chasing $$ more than comics. Maybe that's changed...I really don't know. And "buy what you like/love" is great advice, of course...but I'm not sure that it's entirely applicable to the more bottom-line-oriented nouveau collectors who are the ones most likely to be attracted to higher grade/slabbed books in the first place: the profit motive in the hobby is as strong as ever (possibly stronger than ever); eBay (along with other internet venues and opportunities) made just about everyone in our "vintage" corner of the market a "dealer/collector" or a "collector/dealer" to some extent; slabbing upped the ante all around; and the desire to become a "player" hasn't abated much as far as I can tell.

 

Sooo...if I were a noob who got into this game now because I discovered that I loved comics more-or-less for their own sake, and wasn't all that interested in wheeling & dealing and the big payout, I'd probably find all of this GPA/CGC/PQ/QP/OW/W stuff wayyy too sterile and daunting to contemplate, and would probably just buy readers, reprints and trade paperbacks instead...

 

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BRB-migration

BRB-migration

Posted
Posted
So knowing what you know, put yourself in the position of someone new wandering into the marketplace excited to begin a collection. What must they know and be aware of to stay safe while shopping?

 

Comic Guaranty LLC, also known as CGC, is a Sarasota, Florida comic book grading service. CGC is an independent member of the Certified Collectibles Grou] of companies. It is the first independent and impartial third party grading service for comic books. The company was launched in early 2000 and has since gone on to become an important yet controversial part of the comic book collecting community.

 

Comic books and comic-related magazines can be submitted to CGC for grading and encapsulation either through an authorized dealer or directly by the owner through CGC's Internet partners (at a 10% discount). They may also be submitted to the company by paying an annual membership fee. The company also sends representatives to several comic book conventions. http://www.cgccomics.com/faq/index.asp#question2 The comic books are graded on a scale from 0.5 to 10. http://www.cgccomics.com/grading/grading.asp

 

In addition to the numeric grade, CGC also uses color-coded labels to categorize comics: http://www.cgccomics.com/grading/label_description.asp

 

After grading, the comics are placed in an inner well (a sealed Barex sleeve, similar to Mylar), then sonically sealed in a hard plastic, tamper-evident holder. This process is often referred in slang as "slabbing". A label is affixed at the top indicating the title, date, grade, page quality, and any notes, such as notable creators. Books which would be damaged by encapsulation are returned without this process. Examples of this include books with cover overhang (i.e., the cover protrudes beyond the interior book), some European variants, and Museum Editions of modern comics. In such cases, the grading fees are refunded and the book is returned ungraded. Although ashcans are graded, CGC will not grade certain black-and-white books (i.e. Eerie # 1) as these books may easily be counterfeited.

 

There is disagreement in the Comic Book community on the definition of restoration. Some collectors feel that any work done to improve the quality of a book should be defined as restoration. CGC defines it as "treatment that returns the comic book to a known or assumed state through the addition of non-original material for aesthetic enhancement". http://www.cgccomics.com/resources/glossary.asp#r This includes changes in chemical composition and trimming. *CGC does NOT consider the following to be Restoration, and may receive a Blue (Universal) label: tape removal, dry cleaning (erasing pencil writing or surface grime with an eraser or other object), tucking loose wraps back under a staple http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=comicgen&Number=1345019&Searchpage=3&Main=1342297&Words=sborock&topic=&Search=true#Post1345019, disassembly and reassembly of a comic http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=comicgen&Number=1433649&Searchpage=3&Main=1383374&Words=sborock&topic=&Search=true#Post1433649,'>http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=comicgen&Number=1433649&Searchpage=3&Main=1383374&Words=sborock&topic=&Search=true#Post1433649, certain staple replacement, and pressing http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=comicgen&Number=103875&Searchpage=1&Main=102805&Words=public+relations+sborock&topic=&Search=true#Post103875.'>http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=comicgen&Number=103875&Searchpage=1&Main=102805&Words=public+relations+sborock&topic=&Search=true#Post103875.

 

*Pressing is one the most controversial topics today. Some collectors feel this should be called "enhancements" or "manipulation". some dealers refuse to proactively disclose pressing for fear of falling sales. Their argument is that most collectors don't care about pressing, so revealing this information is trivial, and shouldn't affect sales. CGC's president, Steve Borock, expressed his views on this:

 

"Q: What is your personal opinion about pressing a comic book prior to grading submittal?

 

Steve Borock: Who cares? Really, when you get down to it, dealers and smart hobbyists have been doing it for years and years. So the Certified Collectible's Group helps let the cat out of the bag, wants to keep Friesen under their umbrella because they feel his company would be a good fit (see PCS entry below), and the biggest complainers are the guys who don't want the collectors to have a level playing field. Taking a bend or fold that does not break color out of a comic book is not a bad thing. It is not like you are adding glue and/or color touch, using something artificial, to bring paper closer back to LOOK like it's original state. You ARE bringing it back closer to its original state. I and many of the top collector's and dealers have never seen a problem with this"[http://stlcomics.com/columns/ironslab/IV/'>http://stlcomics.com/columns/ironslab/IV/

 

*If it meets CGC's approval, disassembly and reassembly of a comic may not be counted as restoration. http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=comicgen&Number=1433649&Searchpage=3&Main=1383374&Words=sborock&topic=&Search=true#Post143364 http://stlcomics.com/columns/ironslab/IV In one case, a book which had previously received a low CGC grade (4.0) was given a much higher rating by CGC when re-submited (9.0). http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=comicgen&Number=1065511&Searchpage=1&Main=1065511&Words=+sborock&topic=&Search=true#Post1065511.

 

*CGC has deemed Matt Nelson (Classic Restorations) a "featured partner", and mentions him (and only him) specifically in the CGC Restoration FAQ: http://www.cgccomics.com/faq/index.asp#question18c. Comments about this include: "What I do take issue with is that CGC is openly choosing sides, which I do not feel is impartial, in promoting Matt's (Nelson) services in its FAQ. I can't imagine that CGC would so brazenly promote a particular comic book dealer simply because CGC staff personally believed that dealer's prices, grades or inventory were better than the rest.I have expressed my concern with what I feel is a demonstration of improper bias and I would encourage others to do the same. This has nothing to do with Matt, pressing or restoration. It has to do with CGC not only remaining independent and impartial but also ensuring the public perception of both exists." http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=comicgen&Number=1596771&page=0&fpart=all Steve Borock has posted the reasons for only listing Nelson: http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=comicgen&Number=1611240&Searchpage=1&Main=1518757&Words=+Foolkiller&topic=&Search=true#Post1611240 and the reason CGC will not list Tracy Heft's name in the Glossary: http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=comicgen&Number=450023&Searchpage=1&Main=447181&Words=+newerthannew&topic=&Search=true#Post450023

 

 

*The Jason Ewert scandal. After the discovery of a micro-trimmed Fantastic Four #3 that CGC did not detect, http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=906540&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1, others were discovered and CGC posted an official announcement, banning Ewert from CGC in toto. http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=comicgen&Number=947557&Searchpage=1&Main=947557&Words=+sborock&topic=&Search=true#Post947557. *CGC also released an official announcement that they would recheck any and all Ewert books for free, but this information was only available on their threaded board (here http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=1089207&an=0&page=0#Post1089207)- not on their website, and not reported to any trade magazines (CBG, Wizard, etc).

 

*After (and/or because of?) the Ewert scandal, CGC curtailed the usability of their CGC serial number search on their website. The serial number search was used to identify other books submitted by Jason Ewert, and several other trimmed books came to light which wouldn't have if the search engine was then like it is now. People have questioned CGC's motivation for this hindering change.

 

 

CGC does not reveal their grading standards. However, CGC does consult with Overstreet for their Grading Guides, and most, if not all, of the Senior Graders at CGC are Overstreet Advisors, including Steve Borock (President of CGC), Mark Haspel (Vice-President of CGC), Paul Litch (Modern Age Specialist), among others. At one point Steve Borock announced that CGC was going to fully adopt Overstreet standards http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai=3025&si=121, but then 3 weeks later backpedaled from that assertion http://forum.stlcomics.com/viewtopic.php?t=2589&view=previous&sid=18e7926c9cafda3027a351558e39a3c2.

 

*CGC used to put some grading notes on the label, but hasn't done this since 2001, when, dealers asked for the notes to be removed from the label. The argument was that dealers were saying that it was confusing for customers, and customers were complaining. These customers thought that the grade given was not the final grade, that it was before you subtracted the grading notes from the stated grade. Why anyone would think CGC would operate in this manner is unknown, but apparently it occurred so frequently that CGC did what the dealers asked. Grading notes are available by calling CGC. Members of the Collector's Society ($100 a year) can look up the date graded online.

 

CGC does not put the traditional alphabetical grade on the label anymore, the alphabetic descriptive grade (NM = near mint, VG = very good, etc.) was dropped when they revised their labels in 2004 to emphasize the numeric grade and make it clearly readable from a distance - a beneficial look for those buying and selling graded books. Here's Steve Borock's explanation for the change: "The quick answer and bottom line here is that the grade needed to be bigger so people could see it from far away. It was a pain, at conventions, to see the grade on the label on a sellers wall from in front of their table. Also, Nomenclature was removed, not only to make the grade bigger but it was fast becoming obsolete to many buyers of certified comics. When we give out grades over the phone we don't say 3.5 VG minus, we just say 3.5. It is very rare that I hear a customer talking to me about a grade and saying very fine to near mint, they just say 9.0. Finally, and you may not believe this, but we have gotten calls from people who are new to comics and hate anything with a minus next to it. One guy did not care that his book was a 3.5, he just did not understand why he had a minus sign, what he called a negative, on his book.

http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=comicgen&Number=240770&Searchpage=3&Main=240496&Words=sborock&topic=&Search=true#Post240770

 

Some argue that this was a way for CGC to "brand" their service, while CGC argued that the numeric grade is easier to explain and understand and that four years of the company's presence in the marketplace had shifted the emphasis away from the alpha descriptive to the numeric point scale. Nevertheless, this was a controversial move to seen by some as a calculated break from Overstreet. Overstreet now lists both the numeric point grade and the alpha descriptive grade in their annual price guide and their official grading guide.

 

*CGC does not subtract for several errors that occurred during the manufacture of the comic book. A book can have a large spine miswrap or the book can be miscut, and it can still get a 9.4 or higher. CGC does not take these manufacturing flaws into consideration when grading a comic, but they are still considered flaws by most collectors. Eye appeal used to be very important, but CGC has made that somewhat obsolete. For these reasons alone, one 9.4 can vary drastically from another 9.4, and you should never book a book without a scan, thinking "it's a 9.4, they're all alike..."

 

*CGC does not put the date the book was graded on the label. However, this can be obtained by calling CGC directly.

 

*CGC does not put both grades (the apparent grade and the actual grade) for Qualified (Green) books.

 

 

*In October 2005, CGC's parent company, the Certified Collectibles Group, announced the launch of a new separate company called Paper Conservation Service (PCS) with CGC's main restoration expert Chris Friesen as its President. The company's stated purpose was to "perform conservation to prolong the life of a comic book". PCS defined conservation to include deacidification, structural repair, reinforcement, pressing, and dry cleaning. The announcement also differentiated between conservation and restoration, saying that the company would not perform services which it defined as restoration. PCS also planned to offer consulting services regarding comic book conservation. http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=966745&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1 However, the Certified Collectibles Group announced PCS's dissolution in April 2006, two months after the company's planned incorporation. Steven Eichenbaum, CEO of the Certified Collectibles Group cited the perceived conflict of interest between CGC and PCS as the reason for the decision. http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai=11762&si=121 One concern was that comics with restoration could be "unrestored" to the point where they would receive the blue Universal label and could then be sold as if the comic had never been restored. Steve Borock confirmed this possibility in an interview. http://stlcomics.com/columns/ironslab/IV/'>http://stlcomics.com/columns/ironslab/IV/ and also on CGC's chatboard

http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=comicgen&Number=103875&Searchpage=1&Main=102805&Words=public+relations+sborock&topic=&Search=true#Post103875

 

 

*CGC did not reveal their Pedigree requirements/standards for the first 7 years of business. In late 2006 some wondered "Has CGC changed their pedigree criteria?" and later CGC did publish the requirements when they upgraded their website. http://www.cgccomics.com/resources/pedigree.asp. Mark Haspel (Vice-President of CGC) is considered an expert on Pedigree detection and has contributed to a book about Pedigrees that will be published in 2007.

 

*CGC will put "From the collection of" on the label if there is an arguable reason for it, or if you submit a monetary minimum (confirmed by Steve Borock, but the minimum amount of money is unknown at this time). Such as when the book comes from a collection assembled by a well known comic book creator like Stan Lee or Don Rosa or a celebrity such as Nicholas Cage. However, this is defined as a provenance, not a pedigree. Some collectors feel that this is misleading other collectors into thinking these are pedigrees as the only way you tell the difference is where this info is located on the label. Any person can receive the "From the collection of" notation if a minimum amount of books are submitted (see Dallas Stephens and the Mile High II collection).

 

*Heritage Auction's Jim Halperin owns stock in CGC. This has been confirmed by Halperin on the CGC message board http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=comicgen&Number=669810&Searchpage=1&Main=668110&Words=+jhalpe&topic=&Search=true#Post669810 and by Steve Borock http://stlcomics.com/columns/ironslab/IV/'>http://stlcomics.com/columns/ironslab/IV/

 

*CGC's relationship with Wizard Magazine is also watched by critics. Their relationship extends past running ads and having a special "CGC Price Guide" section. CGC teamed up with Wizard to create "Wizard First", Here is the official announcement of the program and what it does and does not entail http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=comicgen&Number=465028&Searchpage=1&Main=464798&Words=wizard+first+sborock&topic=&Search=true#Post465028 and here is an example where Wizard would send bulk comics to CGC to have graded, and then Wizard would sell them at a hefty mark-up. CGC created a special label for Wizard, and also a special new grade: 9.5. This is the only time CGC uses 9.5. CGC originally wanted to call the Red labeled books "Wizard Age".

 

 

*CGC charges books by Tier. The tiers are determined by 2 things, "Fair Market Value" and these value the submitter supplied on the submission form. The comic may be bumped by CGC graders to a higher tier if they feel that the book was not properly valued or that value is inconsistent with GPA. It is placed in the correct Grading Tier to reflect the value of the comic in the marketplace. Graders do have access to sales data and sites where comics are sold and sites where sales figures are tracked. Gemma, a CGC Moderator, has also confirmed that CGC uses GPAnalysis to determine what tier you book is submitted as. This is understandable, as GPA only reports slabbed book sales. She did not mention if this was an average of the prices realized. This seems unfair and open to manipulation, since one large sale (possibly dealer to dealer) can raise your submission costs substantially.

 

Others feel a company that is grading books should not be determining the values of those books too. The more valuable the book, the higher the grading cost and the faster the turnaround time as CGC does not want to hold onto books worth thousands of dollars for long periods of time. The Overstreet Price Guide does not catalogue prices of slabbed books, and this is the reason the guide's top grade is now 9.2 - books that grade 9.4 and higher mostly sell for a price higher than the Guide's reported 9.2 price. Overstreet had a short-lived publication called Overstreet's Comic Price Review that tracked sales on slabbed comics, but it is no longer published.

 

*CGC recommends you get your books re-slabbed every 7 years because the microchamber paper (a small sheet of paper that is inserted between the inside covers and the interior of the comic to protect the comic from any paper off-gassing) becomes inert. This more more a marketing scheme than anything. http://boards.collectors-society.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=76147&an=0&page=0#Post76147

 

 

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