Chuckle's Grading Standards

[chrisco37]

Sorry if anyone has already posted on this.....

 

It's been a long time since I checked out the "Grading Standards" link on Chuck's website, but for some reason (boredom?) I clicked on it today. Low and Behold, he has updated it since I last checked.

 

These new comments deal directly w/ the subjectiveness of grading and CGC. Check out the highlights:

 

Under the NM description: Please note: for those of you who send older books in to CGC for professional grading, we only guarantee that our NM graded books will come back with CGC grades ranging anywhere from 8.5 (VF+) to 10.0 (Gem Mint). We actually believe that all our books in our NM category are at least 9.0 (Very Fine/Near Mint) by anyone's standards, but our experience has been that CGC grading can vary dramatically from day to day. If you were to receive a grade on a book you purchased from us, after January 1, 2003, that was graded as NM that came in below 8.5, return the book to us and we will refund you your cost, plus your cost of CGC grading.

 

Under VF description: Taking into account the capricious nature of CGC grading, comics in this grade can be expected to grade out with CGC at 6.5 (Fine+) - 9.4 (Near Mint). If you receive a CGC grade of under 6.5 on any book you purchase from us, after January 1, 2003, in Very Fine, return the book to us and we will refund your purchase price, plus the cost of the CGC grading.

 

Chuck is the man! He cracks me up!

[Mushroom]

Does Chuck own any book that would grade out at 9.4.

[chrisco37]

I wondered the exact same thing.

 

Also, do you think they would pay for grading fees of books submitted under the express tier? Or just standard?

[Mushroom]

 

Whatever is cheaper.

[garthgantu]

If you were to receive a grade on a book you purchased from us, after January 1, 2003, that was graded as NM that came in below 8.5, return the book to us and we will refund you your cost, plus your cost of CGC grading.

 

Uh hunh...and how do we establish the fact that the book CGC graded was the same one you sold us, Chuck? I can see the form letter now... "Dear MH customer: we're very sorry, but the Detective Comics # 38 that you purchased from us as being in VF 8.0 condition simply can't be the same one that CGC graded as a FN- 5.5, and here's why...."

 

Taking into account the capricious nature of CGC grading, comics in this grade can be expected to grade out with CGC at 6.5 (Fine+) - 9.4 (Near Mint). If you receive a CGC grade of under 6.5 on any book you purchase from us, after January 1, 2003, in Very Fine, return the book to us and we will refund your purchase price, plus the cost of the CGC grading.

 

And how many books graded as VF by Chuck and his seeing-eye-dog staff have EVER come back from CGC as NM 9.4 ? I'm kinda surprised Chuck doesn't include a disclaimer in mousetype that reads "should you somehow luck out and have a book that we sold to you as VF come back from CGC as a NM 9.4, we reserve the right to bill you for the difference between the amount you paid and the latest sale price of said book in CGC NM 9.4, as recorded in the GPAnalysis data reports."

[rob_react]

"Our grading isn't bad or inconsistent, CGC's is."

 

That's the message here.

[garthgantu]

Rob: Agreed, that's the bottom line message... and I wonder how it would play with the majority of comic book collectors - if they saw the statement, which I'm guessing most visitors to MH's website do not. CGC is obviously rising in prominence and becoming more of a standard (our occasional "a-ha's" on this board notwithstanding), so you'd think it would be prudent to couch your claims more diplomatically...but again, this seems like CYA stuff for Chuck. Still, with MH's grading, I would expect this little "clause" to come into play on a regular basis...