VALPARAISO SPIDEY 55 9.8................SOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TheShadowKnows]

I don't think people are saying that CGC or OS does not allow a Color breaking spine tick per book to achieve 9.8 status. I think people are saying they shouldn’t.

 

No, you're saying they shouldn't.

 

But seeing that you're not a grading authority (unlike CGC and OS, I might add), which defects you think should and shouldn't be allowed in a grade is irrelevant, and has zero bearing on the actual grade of the book.

I don't like seeing color breaking spine ticks on 9.8 books, but I have seen several that have them. That is why I no longer buy CGC books sight unseen. This also why when I find a 9.6 CGC book that doesn't have one, I buy it.

 

Well-stated!

Which brings me to my next thought regarding this issue. I assume, as someone suggested, the 9.8 was a privately-arranged sale and not just some website surfer stumbling upon the book...having said that, I assume before this buyer decided to shell out $16.5K for the book he examined it in hand. Or maybe not...

I've never paid over about $1500 for a book sight-unseen. Do people actually pay $5K...$10K...and more without examining the book in hand...that they are truly just purchasing the number in the top left corner??!! I shudder to think...

Honestly you would be shocked by the number of people who cant grade.The vast majority of people would look at the book and say its a 9.8 because CGC said so.

[NewWorldOrder]

I don't think people are saying that CGC or OS does not allow a Color breaking spine tick per book to achieve 9.8 status. I think people are saying they shouldn’t.

 

No, you're saying they shouldn't.

 

But seeing that you're not a grading authority (unlike CGC and OS, I might add), which defects you think should and shouldn't be allowed in a grade is irrelevant, and has zero bearing on the actual grade of the book.

I don't like seeing color breaking spine ticks on 9.8 books, but I have seen several that have them. That is why I no longer buy CGC books sight unseen. This also why when I find a 9.6 CGC book that doesn't have one, I buy it.

 

Well-stated!

Which brings me to my next thought regarding this issue. I assume, as someone suggested, the 9.8 was a privately-arranged sale and not just some website surfer stumbling upon the book...having said that, I assume before this buyer decided to shell out $16.5K for the book he examined it in hand. Or maybe not...

I've never paid over about $1500 for a book sight-unseen. Do people actually pay $5K...$10K...and more without examining the book in hand...that they are truly just purchasing the number in the top left corner??!! I shudder to think...

 

I will ask Tom when I see him next week.

[goldenacase]

What is going on as well with the "D" in DOC lower left front cover...is that a scratch on the slab...nothing like that on my 9.6...

 

And yeah, that upper right edge is indeed "choppy" for a 9.8...I gotta say straight up my 9.6 beats this copy...

 

 

Your 9.6 is outstanding and I miss it

[trmoore54]

What is going on as well with the "D" in DOC lower left front cover...is that a scratch on the slab...nothing like that on my 9.6...

 

And yeah, that upper right edge is indeed "choppy" for a 9.8...I gotta say straight up my 9.6 beats this copy...

 

 

Your 9.6 is outstanding and I miss it

 

I understand and I appreciate it! (thumbs u

[cloudofwit]

What is going on as well with the "D" in DOC lower left front cover...is that a scratch on the slab...nothing like that on my 9.6...

 

And yeah, that upper right edge is indeed "choppy" for a 9.8...I gotta say straight up my 9.6 beats this copy...

 

 

Your 9.6 is outstanding and I miss it

 

I understand and I appreciate it! (thumbs u

 

And I appreciate your 9.0 (OW) undercopy. ::

[ChasingKingKirby]

Just to add fuel to the fire, I pulled out my trusty Overstreet Grading Guide. Under "Cover Creases" it states quite clearly "NONE ALLOWED" in 9.8 and above. Now I realize that CGC does not state their grading standards, but let's not throw overstreet into this when the grading guide clearly states that cover creases are not allowed. I also looked at all examples that they had and NONE of them had spine creases of any kind.

[trmoore54]

What is going on as well with the "D" in DOC lower left front cover...is that a scratch on the slab...nothing like that on my 9.6...

 

And yeah, that upper right edge is indeed "choppy" for a 9.8...I gotta say straight up my 9.6 beats this copy...

 

 

Your 9.6 is outstanding and I miss it

 

I understand and I appreciate it! (thumbs u

 

And I appreciate your 9.0 (OW) undercopy. ::

 

It's like one big continuous chain...or should I say web...of SPIDEY-Love...

[COI]

What is going on as well with the "D" in DOC lower left front cover...is that a scratch on the slab...nothing like that on my 9.6...

 

And yeah, that upper right edge is indeed "choppy" for a 9.8...I gotta say straight up my 9.6 beats this copy...

 

 

Your 9.6 is outstanding and I miss it

 

I understand and I appreciate it! (thumbs u

 

And I appreciate your 9.0 (OW) undercopy. ::

 

It's like one big continuous chain...or should I say web...of SPIDEY-Love...

 

Sir, I just clicked on your registry link for the first time, and I must say you have a BEAUTIFUL Spidey run. Congrats!

 

 

[DrWatson]

I've never paid over about $1500 for a book sight-unseen. Do people actually pay $5K...$10K...and more without examining the book in hand...that they are truly just purchasing the number in the top left corner??!! I shudder to think...

I did. Paid $10K for an X-Men #2 CGC 9.4 old label with white pages from Metro, of all people, sight unseen. The number and the PQ was all that mattered at the time. Luckily, it was a beautiful book, but I don't ever see myself doing that again. I sold it to another collector for exactly what I paid for it.

[COI]

I've never paid over about $1500 for a book sight-unseen. Do people actually pay $5K...$10K...and more without examining the book in hand...that they are truly just purchasing the number in the top left corner??!! I shudder to think...

I did. Paid $10K for an X-Men # CGC 9.4 old label with white pages from Metro, of all people, sight unseen. The number and the PQ was all that mattered at the time. Luckily, it was a beautiful book, but I don't ever see myself doing that again. I sold it to another collector for exactly what I paid for it.

 

I haven't been to a con in about 8 years, so I've never held a book in my hands before buying it, and that includes an ASM 14 in 9.4 that I bought for 8K in 2003.

 

I get large front and bc scans before buying. And if I get a book I don't like for some reason, I just throw it up on Ebay. I've lost money doing that, but I've never been too bright when it comes to this hobby.

[trmoore54]

Thanks very much Cap'n! Couldn't have done it without some help from fellow boardies, both selling and buying...I pretty much am a stickler for perfectly-centered copies if not almost so...if everything goes as planned I should have about half my remaining (13) holes filled by year-end...came to the CGC game a little late, didn't start upgrading until around late 2004...

[fantastic_four]

assume, as someone suggested, the 9.8 was a privately-arranged sale and not just some website surfer stumbling upon the book...having said that, I assume before this buyer decided to shell out $16.5K for the book he examined it in hand.

 

I'd think it was more likely Doug contacting someone directly who he knows has a history of paying insane prices for top-census copies and that they just looked at the same scan we have. He and Josh get to see who pay those prices at their auctions, so he should have quite a list to run down that are likely to pay huge prices to prevent a book from going onto the open market.

[VintageComics]

assume, as someone suggested, the 9.8 was a privately-arranged sale and not just some website surfer stumbling upon the book...having said that, I assume before this buyer decided to shell out $16.5K for the book he examined it in hand.

 

I'd think it was more likely Doug contacting someone directly who he knows has a history of paying huge prices for top-census copies and that they just looked at the same scan we have. He and Josh get to see who pay those prices at their auctions, so he should have quite a list to run down that are likely to pay huge prices to prevent a book from going onto the open market.

 

More like one friend to another. If the buyer is whom everyone thinks it is, well, they are very well acquainted.

 

I'll bet they buy nosebleed priced books from each other sight unseen from each other all the time.

 

 

[fantastic_four]

I'll bet they buy nosebleed priced books from each other sight unseen from each other all the time.

 

I bet they don't, not sight unseen--at least not Doug. I suspect he's a lot more into the press and resubmit game. I know every time I see a resubbed FF hit the top census, it's always in Doug's registry--you'd think the other would hit a few from time to time if he did a lot of resubbing. I know when that FF #1 trade went down the 9.4 copy was still in its original old-label holder, and now it's not. The post-trade resub resulted in it going from off-white page to white pages.

[COI]

More like one friend to another. If the buyer is whom everyone thinks it is,

 

I'd bet good money on it. John will find out for us, shortly.

[500Club]

I don't think people are saying that CGC or OS does not allow a Color breaking spine tick per book to achieve 9.8 status. I think people are saying they shouldn’t.

 

No, you're saying they shouldn't.

 

But seeing that you're not a grading authority (unlike CGC and OS, I might add), which defects you think should and shouldn't be allowed in a grade is irrelevant, and has zero bearing on the actual grade of the book.

 

 

Yes I am 100% saying they should not a give any book a 9.8 with one spine tick.

 

I guess I am on of the few that believe a 9.8 should mean 9. freakin 8.

 

OS is out dated by the way....

 

 

If you want a book without any spine ticks at all, buy a 9.9 or a 10.0.

9.8 doesn't mean "mint".

 

In your sig line, you have 1989 Sandman issues in raw 9.8 as a want. Can I sell you some with spine ticks similar to the tick on the ASM 55 9.8?

 

 

[VintageComics]

I'll bet they buy nosebleed priced books from each other sight unseen from each other all the time.

 

I bet they don't, not sight unseen--at least not Doug. I suspect he's a lot more into the press and resubmit game. I know every time I see a resubbed FF hit the top census, it's always in Doug's registry--you'd think the other would hit a few from time to time if he did a lot of resubbing. I know when that FF #1 trade went down the 9.4 copy was still in its original old-label holder, and now it's not. The post-trade resub resulted in it going from off-white page to white pages.

 

The gist of my post was that Doug and Tom have a very long relationship buying and selling comics between each other and if Tom is in NJ and Doug is in FL I'm betting Tom doesn't drive down to inspect the $16K Spidey 9.8. That was what I was meaning to say. I think there is a certain amount of trust between them when they buy and sell to each other. Just my opinion.

 

It's a different stratosphere than most people hang in.

 

Maybe Tom inspected the FF #1 9.6 before doing the trade, but books like the ASM #55 9.8? Doubt it. I'll bet on books like that they check the scan, settle on a price and it's a done deal.

 

There's just too many books that run collectors like Tom and Doug chase to worry about seeing every book sight unseen.

 

Again, just my gut talking...it could go either way I suppose.

 

R.

 

[NewWorldOrder]

More like one friend to another. If the buyer is whom everyone thinks it is,

 

I'd bet good money on it. John will find out for us, shortly.

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

Just to add fuel to the fire, I pulled out my trusty Overstreet Grading Guide. Under "Cover Creases" it states quite clearly "NONE ALLOWED" in 9.8 and above. Now I realize that CGC does not state their grading standards, but let's not throw overstreet into this when the grading guide clearly states that cover creases are not allowed. I also looked at all examples that they had and NONE of them had spine creases of any kind.

 

Point of order....when Overstreet is talking about cover creases, they do NOT mean spine stress/creases.

[RockMyAmadeus]

For the record....

 

When professional grading was established by PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) in 1986, it was established with the requirement that all member dealers would accept PCGS slabbed coins at the grade given, sight unseen.

 

This step was necessary to give professional grading a solid foundation as a legitimate venture, and to avoid exactly what is happening here.

 

Granted, coins are not comics, and that doesn't mean all PCGS coins were "accurately graded", but the principle is the same. Of course, this only applied to member-dealers, and not the general public, but it did quite a bit in establishing grading legitimacy, at least in concept if not always case by case.