Merit of Slabbing Lower Grade Comics?

[VK]

Can anyone explain to me the merits of slabbing anything below upper mid-grade? It doesn't really enhance the value, and if it's kept in a mylar, with acid-free backer, and possibly chamber paper between the covers, wouldn't it make more sense to keep it raw?

[ft88]

1.Restoration check

2. Better protection than a Mylar

3. Consistancy. For example, I collect high grade Bugs Bunny's from the 1940's CGC 8.0 or better. There are quite a few that might only be worth $100 as an 8.0 but if I buy one raw and keep it that way, it really doesn't fit with the rest of the collections

4. Pedigree notes

 

But I feel the same way about ultra low grade and high dollar GA and SA keys. A key reason to buy a Fair copy of Detective 37 would be to page through it. Especially low grades that have restoration. Sheesh, what's the point.

 

Ed

[etanick]

tough question to give definite answer for me since I personally don't see any reasons for slabbing anything less than a 6.0 but if I get a real nice book like a AF 15, i might slab at even at 2.5 just to preserve it.

 

 

[*paull*]

Low grade books can have color touch, tear seals, staple replacement, etc.

[Mac Man]

Can anyone explain to me the merits of slabbing anything below upper mid-grade? It doesn't really enhance the value, and if it's kept in a mylar, with acid-free backer, and possibly chamber paper between the covers, wouldn't it make more sense to keep it raw?

 

But the primary reason behind sending a book to be graded isn't supposed to be to increase that book's value; instead, the aim is to ascertain the grade from a third party and disinterested source as well as provide a comprehensive restoration check.

 

That said, I am fully aware of the after effect of having books graded is that they are often valued more than their raw counterparts, and so, people will send in books just to maximize their bottomline. But in some ways... I almost think that's one of the negative effects of slabbing as there are many (not all, but many) who adopt this sales model and it moves books away from being funny books and more towards commodities.

[VK]

Since I own my own blacklight, and don't trust CGC to catch all restoration, I feel that having it raw opens the opportunity to inspection beyond CGC's 'final say'. I can state one example of missed staple replacement that wasn't noticed, and they have a hard time distinguishing between a trim job and a genuine miscut book. Sure, sure, they're great graders, good guys, blah, blah, blah, but at the end of the day, they are only human as well. (side note: Why do they have to slab restored comics? Why can't they charge a cheaper fee for looking over your book, and send it back with their notes about restoration they have found?)

 

So....OTHER than to check for restoration, what could possibly be the merits of slabbing anything below a solid looking 6.0? And BTW, I feel a good mylar w/board can be better than CGC's cases. Their cases put waves in the books after a time. Properly stored mylars don't.

[VK]

 

But the primary reason behind sending a book to be graded isn't supposed to be to increase that book's value

 

 

Try telling that to all the "press and resubbers".....

[Mac Man]

Since I own my own blacklight, and don't trust CGC to catch all restoration, I feel that having it raw opens the opportunity to inspection beyond CGC's 'final say'. I can state one example of missed staple replacement that wasn't noticed, and they have a hard time distinguishing between a trim job and a genuine miscut book. Sure, sure, they're great graders, good guys, blah, blah, blah, but at the end of the day, they are only human as well. (side note: Why do they have to slab restored comics? Why can't they charge a cheaper fee for looking over your book, and send it back with their notes about restoration they have found?)

 

So....OTHER than to check for restoration, what could possibly be the merits of slabbing anything below a solid looking 6.0? And BTW, I feel a good mylar w/board can be better than CGC's cases. Their cases put waves in the books after a time. Properly stored mylars don't.

 

You bring up a great point here... but it is a conditional point. Not everyone 1. has a blacklight, 2. not everyone knows what to do with it, and 3. even then, there are other forms of resto to watch out for that a black light won't always pick up on. For you, it sounds like CGC's grading and resto check isn't necessary; for others, however, it's a valuable assurance. Additionally, when buying from venues like eBay where the in-hand grading is not an option (read Comics General for numerous horror stories), having the encapsulated option is much more preferable for many buyers out there who then go on to crack the book out and enjoy it.

 

Look, I'm a raw collector with minimal slabs in my collection; however, I also understand the value and reason many choose to go slabbed. Oh! And you might enjoy the thread discussion taking place in Comics General about the different holders and the quality pros and cons (thumbs u

[VK]

Since I own my own blacklight, and don't trust CGC to catch all restoration, I feel that having it raw opens the opportunity to inspection beyond CGC's 'final say'. I can state one example of missed staple replacement that wasn't noticed, and they have a hard time distinguishing between a trim job and a genuine miscut book. Sure, sure, they're great graders, good guys, blah, blah, blah, but at the end of the day, they are only human as well. (side note: Why do they have to slab restored comics? Why can't they charge a cheaper fee for looking over your book, and send it back with their notes about restoration they have found?)

 

So....OTHER than to check for restoration, what could possibly be the merits of slabbing anything below a solid looking 6.0? And BTW, I feel a good mylar w/board can be better than CGC's cases. Their cases put waves in the books after a time. Properly stored mylars don't.

 

You bring up a great point here... but it is a conditional point. Not everyone 1. has a blacklight, 2. not everyone knows what to do with it, and 3. even then, there are other forms of resto to watch out for that a black light won't always pick up on. For you, it sounds like CGC's grading and resto check isn't necessary; for others, however, it's a valuable assurance. Additionally, when buying from venues like eBay where the in-hand grading is not an option (read Comics General for numerous horror stories), having the encapsulated option is much more preferable for many buyers out there who then go on to crack the book out and enjoy it.

 

Look, I'm a raw collector with minimal slabs in my collection; however, I also understand the value and reason many choose to go slabbed. Oh! And you might enjoy the thread discussion taking place in Comics General about the different holders and the quality pros and cons (thumbs u

 

Thanks.

 

I am aware of the misgraded horror stories from ebay. However, I have heard an almost equal amount of horror stories about slabs arriving already cracked. Who's to say the 'ol 'bait and switch' hasn't occured? The seller's response?: "It must have been cracked in shipping. Sorry, no refunds on CGC graded books..." I have also heard that the Post Office refuses to pay on damaged slabs, because they don't feel it's their fault when it happens. They say the wells on the slabs are too fragile, and easily crushed.

[Mac Man]

Since I own my own blacklight, and don't trust CGC to catch all restoration, I feel that having it raw opens the opportunity to inspection beyond CGC's 'final say'. I can state one example of missed staple replacement that wasn't noticed, and they have a hard time distinguishing between a trim job and a genuine miscut book. Sure, sure, they're great graders, good guys, blah, blah, blah, but at the end of the day, they are only human as well. (side note: Why do they have to slab restored comics? Why can't they charge a cheaper fee for looking over your book, and send it back with their notes about restoration they have found?)

 

So....OTHER than to check for restoration, what could possibly be the merits of slabbing anything below a solid looking 6.0? And BTW, I feel a good mylar w/board can be better than CGC's cases. Their cases put waves in the books after a time. Properly stored mylars don't.

 

You bring up a great point here... but it is a conditional point. Not everyone 1. has a blacklight, 2. not everyone knows what to do with it, and 3. even then, there are other forms of resto to watch out for that a black light won't always pick up on. For you, it sounds like CGC's grading and resto check isn't necessary; for others, however, it's a valuable assurance. Additionally, when buying from venues like eBay where the in-hand grading is not an option (read Comics General for numerous horror stories), having the encapsulated option is much more preferable for many buyers out there who then go on to crack the book out and enjoy it.

 

Look, I'm a raw collector with minimal slabs in my collection; however, I also understand the value and reason many choose to go slabbed. Oh! And you might enjoy the thread discussion taking place in Comics General about the different holders and the quality pros and cons (thumbs u

 

Thanks.

 

I am aware of the misgraded horror stories from ebay. However, I have heard an almost equal amount of horror stories about slabs arriving already cracked. Who's to say the 'ol 'bait and switch' hasn't occured? The seller's response?: "It must have been cracked in shipping. Sorry, no refunds on CGC graded books..." I have also heard that the Post Office refuses to pay on damaged slabs, because they don't feel it's their fault when it happens. They say the wells on the slabs are too fragile, and easily crushed.

 

I'm not trying to convince you buy into the notion of slabbed low or mid grade books--your mind is obviously made up. I'm simply trying to answer your question that you've posted because I thought you were curious why some might be interested in it. I'm really not as interested in having each reason argued over.

 

Maybe someone else has some more convincing reasons though?

[rjpb]

It does seem that when books are worth several hundred dollaras or more, even in low grade, that some buyers are more comfortable buying a slabbed book over a raw book on venues such as ebay where the raw "3.5" can end easily end up being a CGC 2.5 without being obviously overgraded by the original seller. I'd say the caveat is to examine scans of a slabbed book as closely as you would a raw to make sure the slabbed book you buying didn't get a "gift grade".

[Gatsby77]

Honestly--for some super low-grade books, the slab encapsulation offers the feel of better protection than a Mylar, especially if the book would otherwise be falling apart. I'd rather have a slabbed 1.0-1.5 than have that copy in a mylar; that doesn't mean I'll pay more for it in a slab however.

 

I've got an Exciting # 30 in 3.5 that I can't wait to get slabbed just to better protect it, esp. because it was a 4.5 before I screwed up with a small back cover tape-pull while pulling it out of the orginal bag to read it.

 

My one super low-grade slab is a 2.0 Batman # 68 that I probably wouldn't have paid the $60 for raw, but slabbed it was worth the price & looks cool (and is my favorite Two Face cover).

[thehumantorch]

Resto check and grade check.

 

 

[VK]

Thanks, guys. I'm not trying to start any arguement. Just wondering about the mentality behind the slabbing of LG books, when it really doesn't seem to help much.

[mackenzie999]

When I first returned to collecting, about a year and a half ago, I thought that keeping a book in a slab was a terrible idea, mainly for the reasons Mac man gave about commodification. Now that I've gotten used to them though, I really like them aesthetically (as well as for protection, of course). And most of my books are mid-grade or less, as all I am primarily interested in are big silver age keys and cannot afford the higher grades.

[mschmidt]

Since I own my own blacklight, and don't trust CGC to catch all restoration, I feel that having it raw opens the opportunity to inspection beyond CGC's 'final say'. I can state one example of missed staple replacement that wasn't noticed, and they have a hard time distinguishing between a trim job and a genuine miscut book. Sure, sure, they're great graders, good guys, blah, blah, blah, but at the end of the day, they are only human as well. (side note: Why do they have to slab restored comics? Why can't they charge a cheaper fee for looking over your book, and send it back with their notes about restoration they have found?)

 

So....OTHER than to check for restoration, what could possibly be the merits of slabbing anything below a solid looking 6.0? And BTW, I feel a good mylar w/board can be better than CGC's cases. Their cases put waves in the books after a time. Properly stored mylars don't.

 

You bring up a great point here... but it is a conditional point. Not everyone 1. has a blacklight, 2. not everyone knows what to do with it, and 3. even then, there are other forms of resto to watch out for that a black light won't always pick up on. For you, it sounds like CGC's grading and resto check isn't necessary; for others, however, it's a valuable assurance. Additionally, when buying from venues like eBay where the in-hand grading is not an option (read Comics General for numerous horror stories), having the encapsulated option is much more preferable for many buyers out there who then go on to crack the book out and enjoy it.

 

Look, I'm a raw collector with minimal slabs in my collection; however, I also understand the value and reason many choose to go slabbed. Oh! And you might enjoy the thread discussion taking place in Comics General about the different holders and the quality pros and cons (thumbs u

 

Thanks.

 

I am aware of the misgraded horror stories from ebay. However, I have heard an almost equal amount of horror stories about slabs arriving already cracked. Who's to say the 'ol 'bait and switch' hasn't occured? The seller's response?: "It must have been cracked in shipping. Sorry, no refunds on CGC graded books..." I have also heard that the Post Office refuses to pay on damaged slabs, because they don't feel it's their fault when it happens. They say the wells on the slabs are too fragile, and easily crushed.

 

That's absolutely not true. If a CGC book is sent insured, and it gets damaged in transit, the post office pays up just like they would for any other item.

 

In regards to slabs getting cracked during shipping, that's the exception, not the rule - I've received & sent about a hundred slabs this year, and had just one arrive damaged with one cracked corner. You need to crack at least 2 corner posts to do a bait & switch, which is why CGC will happily reholder (not regrade) books where just one post is cracked.

 

Fair enough that CGC books aren't your thing, but making up stories to support your argument is silly.

 

[rjpb]

When I first returned to collecting, about a year and a half ago, I thought that keeping a book in a slab was a terrible idea, mainly for the reasons Mac man gave about commodification. Now that I've gotten used to them though, I really like them aesthetically (as well as for protection, of course). And most of my books are mid-grade or less, as all I am primarily interested in are big silver age keys and cannot afford the higher grades.

 

Nothing against slabs, but the few times I bought a slabbed book (mid-grade GA) - I never felt like I "owned" the book until I cracked it out and flipped through it.

[Point Five]

When I first returned to collecting, about a year and a half ago, I thought that keeping a book in a slab was a terrible idea, mainly for the reasons Mac man gave about commodification. Now that I've gotten used to them though, I really like them aesthetically (as well as for protection, of course). And most of my books are mid-grade or less, as all I am primarily interested in are big silver age keys and cannot afford the higher grades.

 

Nothing against slabs, but the few times I bought a slabbed book (mid-grade GA) - I never felt like I "owned" the book until I cracked it out and flipped through it.

+1 -- but I'm still happy to buy a book slabbed if the price is right, and even a cheapskate like me has happily paid at least a token premium for a slabbed book before. Buying slabbed definitely takes a lot of the guesswork out of buying a book from an unknown seller -- it doesn't make financial sense for 99% of the books I buy, but honestly, I wish I could do it more often.

[Sqeggs]

Since I own my own blacklight, and don't trust CGC to catch all restoration, I feel that having it raw opens the opportunity to inspection beyond CGC's 'final say'. I can state one example of missed staple replacement that wasn't noticed, and they have a hard time distinguishing between a trim job and a genuine miscut book. Sure, sure, they're great graders, good guys, blah, blah, blah, but at the end of the day, they are only human as well. (side note: Why do they have to slab restored comics? Why can't they charge a cheaper fee for looking over your book, and send it back with their notes about restoration they have found?)

 

So....OTHER than to check for restoration, what could possibly be the merits of slabbing anything below a solid looking 6.0? And BTW, I feel a good mylar w/board can be better than CGC's cases. Their cases put waves in the books after a time. Properly stored mylars don't.

 

You bring up a great point here... but it is a conditional point. Not everyone 1. has a blacklight, 2. not everyone knows what to do with it, and 3. even then, there are other forms of resto to watch out for that a black light won't always pick up on. For you, it sounds like CGC's grading and resto check isn't necessary; for others, however, it's a valuable assurance. Additionally, when buying from venues like eBay where the in-hand grading is not an option (read Comics General for numerous horror stories), having the encapsulated option is much more preferable for many buyers out there who then go on to crack the book out and enjoy it.

 

Look, I'm a raw collector with minimal slabs in my collection; however, I also understand the value and reason many choose to go slabbed. Oh! And you might enjoy the thread discussion taking place in Comics General about the different holders and the quality pros and cons (thumbs u

 

Thanks.

 

I am aware of the misgraded horror stories from ebay. However, I have heard an almost equal amount of horror stories about slabs arriving already cracked. Who's to say the 'ol 'bait and switch' hasn't occured? The seller's response?: "It must have been cracked in shipping. Sorry, no refunds on CGC graded books..." I have also heard that the Post Office refuses to pay on damaged slabs, because they don't feel it's their fault when it happens. They say the wells on the slabs are too fragile, and easily crushed.

 

Anyone have experience with opening a PayPal claim when this happens? I'm assuming they typically side with the buyer.

[Sqeggs]

Honestly--for some super low-grade books, the slab encapsulation offers the feel of better protection than a Mylar, especially if the book would otherwise be falling apart. I'd rather have a slabbed 1.0-1.5 than have that copy in a mylar; that doesn't mean I'll pay more for it in a slab however.

 

I've got an Exciting # 30 in 3.5 that I can't wait to get slabbed just to better protect it, esp. because it was a 4.5 before I screwed up with a small back cover tape-pull while pulling it out of the orginal bag to read it.

 

My one super low-grade slab is a 2.0 Batman # 68 that I probably wouldn't have paid the $60 for raw, but slabbed it was worth the price & looks cool (and is my favorite Two Face cover).

 

This is another issue, but I've never believed in taping bags for just this reason. Tape and comics don't mix.