Take Note Newbies, Another Newbies Hard Learned CGC Lessons

[CompleteRunComics]

I've always been anal retentive when it came to grading comics. I've driven store owners nuts. I've made friend's collections look like carp compared to my own. I could go through long boxes of back issues for four hours and in the end only have picked out maybe 18 books.

 

Then CGC came along. I should have known there was trouble when I submitted two books through a local store; Iron Fist #14 & Doctor Strange #1 (1987 or 88). They came back 8.0 & 9.2 respectively. I was a bit confused, especially because the Dr. Strange issue had stood out in my mind even before CGC came around. It was perfect, looked like it had been cut by a lazor, razor sharp, 9.2 ?...A certain thunder god might have said "Yonder newbie CompleteRunComics, take heedeth of thy submissions!", but nobody listens to or buys Thor anymore so... a few months later I sent in 3 more books.

 

My first real submission and it came back today, submitted by myself that is, using my nifty Society coupon. The issues and the grades I expected were; Incredible Hulk #181 8.5, Strange Tales #104 7.5 and Teen Titans (1966) #2 9.0-9.2.

 

and the results...

 

Hulk #181 7.0, Restored Label, Slight P...ouch

Strange Tales #104 7.5...was right on

Teen Titans #2 8.5...was close

 

Now you might be saying, exept for the Hulk issue you knew what you were probably going to get for a grade, and yes this is true, but I hoped for better because these were issues I purchased years ago under the premise that they were NM. I know, I know, stop laughing out there CGC senior citizens.

 

So I say to the CGC newbies out there beware. Listen to the CGC geeks closely. CGC'ing a book is expensive and it adds up quickly. Low grades and resto are not acceptable, impossible not to avoid entirely but too expensive to not learn the warning signs. Put together a list using forum members posts and pics to get an idea of what grade requirements are, what you can get away with, and what will kill a book right off the bat. Hope only gets a book the grade it should have received and the only thing, you and I fellow newbie, should be hoping for is to be a CGC Geek too someday.

 

 

CRC

 

 

[chrisco37]

Very good advice. I remember the first CGC I bought. It was a 9.0. I remember looking at it and saying, "What's wrong with this book??" It looked "NM" to me. Now, when I look at the book, I can see the flaws.

 

It just takes some practice. Maybe get a couple of "cheapy" moderns on eBay (9.2, 9.4, 9.6) or RJ. Use them as a visual example and try and find the defects that seperate the books from one another....

 

Heck, CGC still surprises me sometimes!!!!

 

Chris

[wrcomics]

I agree with Chris completely. Looking at a few examples of already graded stuff will give you an idea of what they are looking at for criteria, but there are times when it appeared they were smokin' funny cigarettes (in both good and bad ways) when they reviewed a few of my submissions. I think the thing to keep in mind here is grading, no matter who does it, is a subjective thing and we give more value to CGCs opinion by a willingness to pay more for a CGC slabbed book. I know, I know...