When did you find out about CGC?

[Beau]

I got back into comics two years ago after a long hiatus, and found these boards via a Google search after I got burned on Ebay (raw books) by 19jack76.

[Detroit MIke]

I remember seeing the prototype holder and Steve Borock at the 99 San Diego Comicon? I don't think it was 2000. I managed to be one of the original "collector" members and had my first three comics graded for free... yes, free! I saw the increased prices that graded sports cards realized so I was optimistic about graded comics, but baseball cards are more slab friendly than comics.

[Mister_Comics]

My friend who collects baseball cards told me about this NEW comic grading that was coming. I guess he read about it in one of his card magazines. So I checked around and found out more about it. So I guess I found out about CGC when they started. Got some of my books graded. They are some of the early CGC graded ones from their first year. The blue label with the small lettering. The red label for the moderns. That sort of thing.

[towards2112]

Found out about it yesterday.

 

I kinda like the idea.

 

When some jerkwad buddy of mine introduced you to me, you had

scads of nice books, I had trash, you had an article in CBG, I had

four free want ads, you had a ponytail, I had a hangover, we shook

hands and I've been a fan ever since.

[Wally's Comics]

Way too late. 2003 I believe. I lurked for years before I joined the boards. What a huge mistake that turned out to be.

 

joe it feels like you have been here longer than 4 years.

 

 

(thumbs u

 

 

 

[hikeeba-migration]

I've been aware of CGC since the days they tried to get Modern comics known as "The Wizard Age"

[2020-migration]

And how did you feel knowing that there was now a third party grading company for comics like there was for coins & cards?

Did you feel it finally Legitimized comic collecting? our did you think ''who would be stupid enough to pay for having books slabbed?

 

I thought it was a cool idea & still do.

 

CGC is one of the greatest ideas. Previous to CGC there was so much fraud going on. I like that I now buy a book and get resto-check and third party opinion on grading. I do not want to spend thousands of dollars on a book to get ripped off. Thank Heavens for CGC

[Gatsby77]

Either 2000 or 2001 when CGC 9.8 copies of ASM 238 were breaking $100.

 

I'm now a convert for three reasons--

 

1) It's pretty and makes for an easy protective showcase a la a Showcase Sealer or Fortress.

 

2)Makes me more confident than a mylar and backing board I won't accidentally damage the book.

 

3) Resto check.

 

4) Takes the gueswork out of grading when buying online _and_ in person, because at cons, etc. I often grade by the covers alone and have no idea re. interior defects and/or PQ.

 

The major negative is it took the fun out of the last major Wizard World I attended in 2008--dealers were asking GPA prices on $500+ raw books (I'm sorry, if you want the Overstreet multiple of $250 for a "9.4" Hero for Hire 1 or $700 for a "NM" Ghost Rider 1, slab it first), and more than a few customers were running around looking at raw keys with magnifying glasses for pressing potential.

[FlyingDonut]

A long, long, long time ago.

[sniderwj]

I had heard about CGC and seen pics of slabs on eBay years ago. I think my first reaction was that it was a bit silly to have your comics sitting in a plastic jail cell. I ended up buying a group of Spidey books and one was a CGC Spec Spidey 200 in all its holo-foil glory. It sat on my shelf for a year but I kept pulling it out to look at it and just liked it more and more. I then found the registry and these boards.

 

After spending about a year here on the boards I've gone from my lone slab to 20 or so. I've changed my mind from plastic jail cell to good protection and more peace of mind. I love my slabs and will continue to get more.

[PovertyRow]

It was at one of the Primate Productions (Dave Cummings as I recall) monthly Boston Shows. Pre-July of 1999. (I moved from Boston to SF in July '99 thus the reference.)

 

Borock was there explaining CGC to the dealers and seeking books for them to slab. I happened to be at a dealer table when he was there trying to sell a restored GA book.

 

I was passing it to the dealer and was going to explain the resto when,from a few feet away Steve said, loud enough for me and the dealer to hear "Who restored the spine?"

 

I looked at him, reached into the book, took out the Restoration Checklist Susan had included with the book and said (paraphrasing) "I was just going to get into that. Who ARE you, anyway?"

 

For some reason his response (forget what it was) made me laugh and we hung out during that show, talking about the proposed plans for CGC and me expressing my concerns. Been good friends ever since.

[fantastic_four]

I saw my first CGC at a local con in raleigh in 1999 or early 2000.

 

My first thoughts were, that is just cheesy I can grade books on my own accord

why in the world would I need that.

 

Little did I know that people were so damn good at resto so I slowly changed my tune.

 

Same here...heard about them in 2000, didn't know why they were necessary, then I bought a Daredevil #1 for full NM guide at the time, later found out it was restored, then became a believer in buying expensive books slabbed.

[Tomega]

I was walking down the aisles of a comic show about 10 years ago and an image caught my eye. It was a reflection in the glass case. It was a man, with almost shoulder length hair, dark complection and soulful eyes. That image spoke to me, I was hearing the voice of Jesus. He said the comic hobby is without form and consistency and there is darkness upon the faces of the collectors and the spirit of the hobby was moving through eBay. So Jesus said let there an established , consistent grading scale universally and so the CGC grading criteria was born. And Jesus saw that consistent grading was good and separated the good graders in hobby from the dark over graders. And Jesus said let there be firmanent to encapsulate the comic and preserve the integrity of the grade in the midst of waters of overgraders and so CGC was born. And Jesus saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

 

 

It was a little later that I realized it was just a reflection of Steve Borock talking to Vincent Zurzolo about Mark Haspel and the merits of CGC. Perhaps I had too many beers at the train station. Honest mistake, Steve's beard, complexion and longer hair did give him a Jesus like appearance.