How important is the grade on a CGC SS book?

[lbtrip23]

I was looking at a book the other day and it was a 7.5 CGC SS.I like the book just a low grade .How much would you care if the book was a 9.6 vs 9.8 if it was the one you wanted? How much would it hurt the value? How do value SS books?Do you put more value on the sig ,the grade ,or the book?I got several grades in my collection but the lowest CGC SS is the 9.2 in my sig line .I just wanted to see what you guys thought. thanks

[MutantKeys]

case by case basis, IMO

[Paratrooper]

roger, depends on:

 

1. Who signed it

2. What book it is

 

that's pretty much it.

 

guarantee, if you get ditko on even a 2.0...it'll be worth lots

[Harley Troy]

As far as SS books go grade is almost irrelevant to myself. Higher is obviously nice, but I care much more about who signed it and if he/she worked on the particular book.

[A-DONIS]

I agree case by case. a Hulk 181 CGC SS in a 7.5 FOR SURE!!!

 

Batman 608 RRP 7.5

[inthehottub]

I think the older the book the less grade matters. A SS Amazing Spider-man 129 7.5 would be nice. A SS Punisher kills the Marvel Universe 7.5 would not.

[lscomics]

I don't agree that 7.5 is a low grade. It still falls into the grade of VF- which is on the higher end of the grading scale. Granted if it's a modern or copper age book I'd probably be reluctant to buy it but if we're talking about a bronze age key or gold or silver age book I don't think the grade is all that relevant. For whatever reason there's a stigma attached to most slabbed books that are under 9.2 that I think is unwarranted.

[Boozad]

I had a Batman #227 SS Neal Adams in a 7.0, absolutely loved it. I have a couple of Modern Bats SS Tony Daniel in 9.6 and they bug the hell out of me.

 

If it's Modern it's got to be 9.8.

[Chespirito]

I had a Batman #227 SS Neal Adams in a 7.0, absolutely loved it. I have a couple of Modern Bats SS Tony Daniel in 9.6 and they bug the hell out of me.

 

If it's Modern it's got to be 9.8.

If they SS sketch covers, I don't mind them going down all the way to 8.5, especially a good sketch...

[lscomics]

Now that's a different scenario altogether. When it comes to sketch covers I honestly don't care if it's a 9.8 or a 5.0. If you've got an amazing piece of work on it from an artist what does the grade matter? It's the perception that anything graded under 9.8/9.6 that's a big problem with the market in general right now. Before 3rd party grading came along fewer people were as strict about the grade of the books in their collection. It's that mentality that all your books have to be over a certain grade to be good enough. Don't get me wrong, there's certain books I myself am looking for only in particular grades but I allow a range of what I'm willing to accept. I'm generally just as happy with an 8.0 or 8.5 as I am with a 9.2 or 9.4 and in many cases I'll take the lower grade in order to afford one or two more book I may want. I understand everyone has their personal preference when it comes to their collection but in some cases if you become completely inflexible on grade you'll have to also accept that there are some books you will simply never own either due to it being out of your price range or in some cases simply because copies don't exist in the grade you're looking for.

[Raphael]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

[jpolz]

I had a Batman #227 SS Neal Adams in a 7.0, absolutely loved it.

 

I have that book now and I love it!

 

 

I have a couple of Modern Bats SS Tony Daniel in 9.6 and they bug the hell out of me.

 

If it's Modern it's got to be 9.8.

 

For me even Modern books are more about the sig than grade: Signer, placement, legibility, even ink color (how it appears against the book) -- all those are more important to me than a couple of tenths of a point on a modern book. 9.8's are nice, but some people go crazy just to have that 9.8 on the label and drive the prices of even recent books up to triple the price of the 9.6 - that's just nuts.

 

Here's a 9.6 I'm perfectly happy with:

 

[A-DONIS]

And I would be too!! That's a sweet book!!!

[Chespirito]

Well..a 9.6 ASM 301 doesn't really fit into this...if it was a 7.0, then I could understand the 'don't care' perspective..but I do remember Boozad's 227, it was nice, Adam's sig on the moon, if memory serves me right...

[A-DONIS]

I have a 227 that's probably a 7.5 as well that I've been meaning to get signed. That's a classic cover

[Chespirito]

My Bat 227 SS is 8.5 ..

[A-DONIS]

WHOA THAT'S RIGHT!!! I FORGOT ABOUT OUR LITTLE DEAL!!!

[A-DONIS]

I need to PM you

[jpolz]

Well..a 9.6 ASM 301 doesn't really fit into this...if it was a 7.0, then I could understand the 'don't care' perspective..but I do remember Boozad's 227, it was nice, Adam's sig on the moon, if memory serves me right...

 

OP specifically asked about 9.6 vs. 9.8. Lots of people make a big deal about 9.8 and would have a problem owning 9.6's, even of "keys" signed by popular artists. Some even moreso than a 9.2 or 9.4 because it's "so close" to a 9.8 that it "bugs" them. It's not my perspective, but some people see it that way. My point was that, for me, I can value the sig over that 2 tenths point difference.

 

 

[GoldenGuardian]

There's been several solid points made about this topic.

 

Ultimately, I believe it will fall on the eye of the beholder and no one else; if your collecting slabs to appease other people with your grades perhaps it's time to consider a cheaper hobby. The subjectiveness between a 9.6 and 9.8 can be argued ten ways from Sunday; the books are being examined by human-beings and a margin of error is to be expected. I love a 9.8 as much as the next guy but won't be heart broken if it comes back 9.6. It's the risk you take when you start stabbing the book with sharpies I suppose; the pen IS mightier than the sword.