Just how ridiculous are things getting...?!?

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

Ok, JIMs and FFs are SUPA-Hot....that's a fact no longer in dispute on these boards; even James (Fantastic-Four) has seen the light. But how far are people going to acquire what they want? Case in point; a JIM # 108 that sold on Comiclink. Its a 9.2 with a $550 Sale Pending designation (in case you are unfamiliar, that's near 4 times Guide for a 9.2!). Now, take a look at the book itself:

 

 

Isn't that a fairly obvious corner abrasion/crease in the lower right corner? Sure the rest of the book is nice, but if that defect is indeed what it appears to be, what an eyesore! So....4x Guide + weak 9.2 = What are people thinking?

[g-man]

it's called "buy the label...not the book."

 

i've seen better looking 8.5s but hey JIMs are hot.

[kryptonitecomics]

Yep that's is clearly a crease............so in response to your question things are getting very ridiculous.....here comes the crash

[uclapeterg]

I have seen a lot of 9.x's that look the same way and stay away from those issues. But they are bid high enough on Ebay that there are a lot of people out there that just buy the label.

[sfilosa]

There is no question in my mind, that a FAINT small corner crease, with no other obvious defects on the book, can get a CGC 9.2.

 

Personally, if that is the only defect, I don't have a problem with it.

 

If you look at the rest of the book, the spine is excellent, the overhang is excellent and the corners are very sharp.

 

 

That's where I believe Overstreet Grading guide was too harsh. A small, faint corner crease should not automatically bring the grade of a book into the VF range.

 

Just my opinion.

[fantastic_four]

That's where I believe Overstreet Grading guide was too harsh. A small, faint corner crease should not automatically bring the grade of a book into the VF range.

 

The OGG isn't too harsh, people just interpret it too harshly. The article at the beginning of the OGG section on grading states that none of the defect categories and severities listed for the individual grades are absolute, and that a low number of above-normal defects can lead to a higher grade than would otherwise be assigned. Arnold Blumberg keeps pointing this over and over and over and over and over in these forums...and it says it right in the OGG itself...but everybody just seems to ignore it.

 

The popular overly-strict misinterpretation of the Overstreet standards makes some sense to me, since we all yearn for a highly resolute, tightly-defined grading standard free of all deviation and looseness. I yearn for the same thing...but the OGG explicitly states that it isn't that strict a standard.

 

Having said all this, that crease on the Thor 108 looks too severe to my eyes for a 9.2; looks more like a 9.0 to me. The rest of the book definitely does look razor sharp, though...possibly a 9.6/9.8 from what's visible in the scan.

[burntboy]

well, i'm with you here man. except for that crease that's a beauty. those corners are unbelievable!!!! i would consider it a 9.2.....................

[sfilosa]

The OGG isn't too harsh, people just interpret it too harshly.

 

Fair enough.

 

And if you look at the crease, it doesn't even really go straight thru the corner. It starts out at the bottom of the book, but doesn't look like it makes it all the way to the right edge.

 

Some people have problems with corner creases. Some with spine stress. I try to look for all the positives first on a high grade book (great color and gloss) and only then focus on the one or two defects. If anything, I'm problem a little strict on the overhang (which is the first defect you see when looking in boxes of books), and since this book has a beautiful overhang, I give it a little more leeway.

 

From what I can see, I think it is a very nice 9.2.

[drdonaldblake]

to me thats a 9.6 front cover with a corner crease

 

thats prob what the graders noites would say

 

lovely colors and razor structure, beautiful book

 

$500 is fair market, a 9.0 's were selling for $300- 350 in late2002, 2003

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

a 9.0 's were selling for $300- 350 in late2002, 2003

 

I sold my nice 9.0 for only $175 in Summer 2002.