When is it not worth it to submit to CGC?

[Mark 1]

I'm finishing a run of TOS 39-99. I have about 20 books to go on this quest...

 

A lot of the filler books are 3.0 - 6.0 condition with a few 7.0s in there.

 

I have this great vision of having each book slabbed and having that collection in my wall unit all lined up.

 

However, I think about the cost of submitting each book when some of the books in 3.0 or a little higher arent worth more than $20 or $30 (perhaps less).

 

In your opinion for my type of collection...is it worth it? I still don't get the whole slab modern books for 9.8s and the ridiculous pricing that is going on for those books but for the silvers between vg and Fine?

 

Would you just keep them raw and pick up the other 20 I need already slabbed?

 

I have 7 that are slabbed now (TOS 39, 40, 47, 49, 55, 61 and 94)...the rest are raw.

 

Curious about your thoughts.

[G.A.tor]

my philosophy is only slab if the slabbing cost is not more than 10% of the value...

 

so, if your book is worth $300, then spending $30 to slab is fine..

 

if your book is worth $100, then I wouldn't put 30% cost ($30) into slabbing

[Mark 1]

my philosophy is only slab if the slabbing cost is not more than 10% of the value...

 

so, if your book is worth $300, then spending $30 to slab is fine..

 

if your book is worth $100, then I wouldn't put 30% cost ($30) into slabbing

 

That makes sense to me, thanks..

 

Consider this though...

 

A run of TOS 39 - 99 all slabbed...does this have more appeal to collectors? And, a book that is worth $20 raw once slabbed is now worth $50 because it is slabbed.

 

In some ways do you recoup the value by having the book slabbed?

 

This is meant more for debate than anything else. I just happen to see so many slabbed books that of course you wonder why the money was spent to do it...

[oakman29]

Do you plan on keeping these books? or for sale?If your keeping them for your personal collection then slab them.If they are for sale then you wont get what you put into them.

[Mark 1]

Do you plan on keeping these books? or for sale?If your keeping them for your personal collection then slab them.If they are for sale then you wont get what you put into them.

 

Well..eventually everything gets sold one day...if I want to keep them and then I'm gone to the afterworld they will get sold by somebody in my family (kids, wife, whoever)...

 

I guess I plan on holding them for many years to come as a collection and then one day probably sell it off...not sure really.

 

I'm just liking the whole CGC slab book thing these days that I hate looking at the raw book in the mylites.

 

But the investment seems to be a poor one overall in theory. However (and correct me if I am wrong), arent a lot of silver books in 3.0-6.0 (filler books) slabbed by people already?

 

Again just debating here for thoughts...not sure what I will do yet really

[oakman29]

Gator is an expert around here,so I would ultimately go with his expert advice. (thumbs u

[rodan57]

Consider buying all the rest that you need already slabbed -- and then decide whether it is more economical to slab your raw copies or to upgrade to already slabbed versions.

 

(Though when it comes to appearance, the colours are true and more vibrant in Mylar. The plastic of the slab does grey the appearance of the book. Just put a piece of white paper under the slab where you can see it and observe the difference.)

[gaz973]

Consider buying all the rest that you need already slabbed -- and then decide whether it is more economical to slab your raw copies or to upgrade to already slabbed versions.

 

 

I agree, it's probably going to be cheaper to buy already slabbed books, especially if you're not aiming for the really high grades.

[Hey Kids, Comics!]

my philosophy is only slab if the slabbing cost is not more than 10% of the value...

 

so, if your book is worth $300, then spending $30 to slab is fine..

 

if your book is worth $100, then I wouldn't put 30% cost ($30) into slabbing

 

That makes sense to me, thanks..

 

Consider this though...

And, a book that is worth $20 raw once slabbed is now worth $50 because it is slabbed.

 

In some ways do you recoup the value by having the book slabbed?

 

This is meant more for debate than anything else. I just happen to see so many slabbed books that of course you wonder why the money was spent to do it...

 

Absolutely not. A $20 book that is slabbed is still worth $20 to me. On low/mid grade, a CGC label doesnt increase the value, just confirm a grade. At HeroesCon, there were numerous boxes of slabbed comics for sale for $10 and $15. There are pages and pages of completed ebay auctions that ended at less than the price of a slab. For example http://completed.shop.ebay.com/Comics-/63/i.html?LH_Complete=1&_trkparms=65%253A15%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1&_nkw=cgc&_catref=1&_sc=1&_sop=15&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14.l1581&_pgn=41

If you think you are going to recoup the grading fee (Or probably any portion) when you sell it, I would be shocked to see this come true.

[Jaymole]

Since you seem to prefer the look of slabbed books as a display, then for protection, I would probably slab them and then buy the remaining 20 already slabbed.

 

Now, slabbing those lower graded books will probably not increase their value, but if you do ever sell them one day, you would at least have a definitive grade for each.

 

I guess it all comes down to how much you are willing to spend to protect your books for display & visual appeal because if you are also thinking about it as an investment, then you may want to think twice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[G.A.tor]

my philosophy is only slab if the slabbing cost is not more than 10% of the value...

 

so, if your book is worth $300, then spending $30 to slab is fine..

 

if your book is worth $100, then I wouldn't put 30% cost ($30) into slabbing

 

That makes sense to me, thanks..

 

Consider this though...

 

A run of TOS 39 - 99 all slabbed...does this have more appeal to collectors? And, a book that is worth $20 raw once slabbed is now worth $50 because it is slabbed.

 

In some ways do you recoup the value by having the book slabbed?

 

This is meant more for debate than anything else. I just happen to see so many slabbed books that of course you wonder why the money was spent to do it...

I think we have seen many times that a $20 book is still worth $20, whether slabbed or not... I am not sure I have ever seen an example of a $20 book worth $50 just because it is slabbed

 

while it might be "neat" to see them all slabbed, I don't see the appearl on books where the slabbing fee makes up more than 10% of the value, because that means the value of the books is low enough to begin with, that there is no appeal for me

 

I think $300 is the minimum value of a book i would slab

[kimik]

To follow up on other posts, it is not worth it to slab low to mid grade non-key SA books for the simple fact that they tend to sell for less than guide in grade if they are less than 9.2/9.4 even if they are slabbed. If you are looking to collect, there are great deals to be found on 8.0 and 8.5 copies that somebody else will have already taken the time and money to slab for you.

[october]

This is a pretty easy question. If you are just looking at it from a value perspective, slab it if the cost of grading is a decent amount less than the increase in value of the book.

 

Paying $25 to slab a book that sells for $100 raw or $110 slabbed? Not worth it.

 

Paying $25 to slab a book that sells for $100 raw or $150 slabbed? Might be worth it.

 

Paying $25 to slab a book that sells for $100 raw or $200 slabbed? Worth it.

 

I generally shoot for a 50% increase in value at minimum (after slabbing fees) if the book is worth less than $500, or 25% minimum if the book is worth more than $500.

[october]

my philosophy is only slab if the slabbing cost is not more than 10% of the value...

 

so, if your book is worth $300, then spending $30 to slab is fine..

 

if your book is worth $100, then I wouldn't put 30% cost ($30) into slabbing

 

Not sure I understand this philosophy. I have plenty of books that are worth $10-20 raw, but $100 or more if they hit 9.8. In those cases, as long as I am reasonably certain of the grade, slabbing would make sense despite the grading costs being a decent percent of the ultimate value. On the other side of the coin, why bother to slab a $500 book that sells for that number raw or slabbed? The cost of grading might be a low percentage, but without a substantial increase in post slabbing value it isn't worth the trouble.

[G.A.tor]

I guess because I deal in mid grade or restored golden age mainly, I see "no" value increase in slabbing... I only slab for resto piece of mind... I feel I can grade as well (if not better) than most, and so having cgc's grade is nice, but it doesn't affect the value (or price I pay/sell) a book for ...

 

so, for me, I value the slabbing at 10% max (mainly resto check fee)

[october]

I guess because I deal in mid grade or restored golden age mainly, I see "no" value increase in slabbing... I only slab for resto piece of mind... I feel I can grade as well (if not better) than most, and so having cgc's grade is nice, but it doesn't affect the value (or price I pay/sell) a book for ...

 

so, for me, I value the slabbing at 10% max (mainly resto check fee)

 

That makes sense for mid grade golden age. I too see little value in slabbing that sort of book....which is why I feel comfortable deslabbing every golden age book I get. I know from personal experience that resale value doesn't get hurt a bit with the book out of the slab.

 

I guess I was thinking more along the lines of 9.4-9.8 silver and bronze, where getting the same price for a raw 9.6 as its slabbed counterpart is challenging to say the least.

[RockMyAmadeus]

my philosophy is only slab if the slabbing cost is not more than 10% of the value...

 

so, if your book is worth $300, then spending $30 to slab is fine..

 

if your book is worth $100, then I wouldn't put 30% cost ($30) into slabbing

 

That makes sense to me, thanks..

 

Consider this though...

 

A run of TOS 39 - 99 all slabbed...does this have more appeal to collectors? And, a book that is worth $20 raw once slabbed is now worth $50 because it is slabbed.

 

In some ways do you recoup the value by having the book slabbed?

 

This is meant more for debate than anything else. I just happen to see so many slabbed books that of course you wonder why the money was spent to do it...

I think we have seen many times that a $20 book is still worth $20, whether slabbed or not... I am not sure I have ever seen an example of a $20 book worth $50 just because it is slabbed

 

You see it all the time...in Bronze, Copper, and Modern...but usually those are $2 books, not $20 books.

 

[DarkKnightReturns]

I wonder when slabbing moderns will slow down.

 

Question : If I have a brand new modern ASM CGC 9.8 and I buy it for $35 what is it worth if I take it out of the slab ?

 

I think that is a good way to figure out what to slab and what not to slab.

[Mark 1]

I wonder when slabbing moderns will slow down.

 

Question : If I have a brand new modern ASM CGC 9.8 and I buy it for $35 what is it worth if I take it out of the slab ?

 

I think that is a good way to figure out what to slab and what not to slab.

 

Interestingly the moderns don't seem to be slowing down yet. I can't fathom the idea of spending more money on a raw modern variant cover...so the idea of spending hundreds (or more) for a modern slabbed book is insanity IMHO.

 

Example...I'd like to get a War Machine Iron Man (I believe a modern book) but I won't spend what they are listed for...

 

Like

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Iron-Man-282-CGC-9-8-1992-1st-War-Machine-Full-App-/300439857715?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45f39c6a33#ht_583wt_913

 

 

[G.A.tor]

I guess because I deal in mid grade or restored golden age mainly, I see "no" value increase in slabbing... I only slab for resto piece of mind... I feel I can grade as well (if not better) than most, and so having cgc's grade is nice, but it doesn't affect the value (or price I pay/sell) a book for ...

 

so, for me, I value the slabbing at 10% max (mainly resto check fee)

 

That makes sense for mid grade golden age. I too see little value in slabbing that sort of book....which is why I feel comfortable deslabbing every golden age book I get. I know from personal experience that resale value doesn't get hurt a bit with the book out of the slab.

 

I guess I was thinking more along the lines of 9.4-9.8 silver and bronze, where getting the same price for a raw 9.6 as its slabbed counterpart is challenging to say the least.

I hear where you are coming from... but, i would also counter that if you are a known "grader", that you can sell raw SA for the same price as a cgc book, sans grading fees... in fact, how many times have we seen in the market place, "I would pay gpa less grading fees for a raw X.X from X"....

 

Nik used to buy a ton of raw SA from me, and pay my price because he knew 1) that I was often .5 under cgc, and 2) there was value there and some potential still, but worse case scenario he was getting the book as advertised!

 

but in the OP question, he seems to have low/mid grade silver, so there is virtually no reason to slab, from a value added perspective...that is also why I think my 10% max applies to his collection too (thumbs u