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Certified Collectibles Group (CCG) Acquires Classics Incorporated
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Started by bgraves-migration,

1,496 posts in this topic

DiceX

DiceX

Posted
Posted

The good = Your pressed books don't have to be mailed from Matt to CGC.

The bad = CGC just blew the money they were saving up to hire new graders.

The ugly = Turnaround times are never going to get better.

 

 

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DiceX

DiceX

Posted
Posted

Also, didn't this already happen about 5 or 6 years ago then CGC backed out because they realized how bad it looked?

I may have dreamed that.

 

 

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I like pie

I like pie

Posted
Posted
Anyone know if the employee's moving from Classics to CGC could possibly be qualified to be new graders for CGC?

 

Because that wouldn't be a conflict of interest? Having the guys restoring or pressing the books also grading them?

 

I get the impression that although it will be one company, the grading and resto will be like two different departments. If Classics has people that are qualified to grade, maybe thats part of the plan to decrease gradding/slabbing time (shrug)

 

I'm able to give anyone the benefit of the doubt, which I know can be difficult but do you guys really think all these individuals working for these companies are so shady, they would commit fraud? Even if that's the plan, it wouldn't last long as eventually someone will refuse to be involved in it and it will leak out.

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ComicConnoisseur

ComicConnoisseur

Posted
Posted (edited)
Well this should cut down the waiting times.....

In house pressing and restoration creates a huge ethical vacuum - and doubts in peoples minds about their grades.

This changes everything.

 

Very interesting as a business proposition, in that now the question will inevitably be asked whether CGC gave a "home team" grade to a book which its sister company restored and/or pressed. This would seem to open the door to a legitimate competitor (i.e., not PGX) which did purely grading. Be interesting to see if someone sees that opportunity and pursues it.

 

As a matter of curiosity I did a very quick and superficial search to see whether Sotheby's or Christie's auction houses did restoration or conservation along with their appraisal and sales functions. If they do they're hiding it pretty well on their websites (like I said, I did not look very deeply). This would seem to indicate that a firm whose primary business is grading (and therefore implicitly offering opinions on value) might not be the best candidate to offer resto and conservation services.

 

Will be fascinating to see how this plays out in the marketplace over the coming years.

My outside the box thinking is this now levels the playing field. The people who pressed behind the scenes won`t have a big advantage anymore.

Pressing has now gone mainstream.

2c

Edited by ComicConnoisseur
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mintcollector

mintcollector

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Posted

I seriously still have yet to understand why this is such a big deal; when applied solely to the 'pressing' of comic books. I honestly do not think I ever will, as NGC (also owned the Certified Collector's Group) owns NCS (see the link below). Coin collectors are not 'up in arms' and this company has been around for years. The conservation of coins is accepted if done right; though 'dipping' remains high controversial, as does unnatural 'toning.'

 

http://www.ncscoin.com (link to a coin conservation company owned by the same company who own NGC; i.e. the Certified Collectibles Group).

 

Being active and knowledgeable in all aspects in the antiques and collectibles fields, I can assure you that what goes on in other collecting fields is a lot worse. If the forum would like, I will gladly name some of these issues to compare. Someone earlier on in this thread asked if auction houses are directly involved in both conservation and restoration. Knowing some well respected people in the antiques field I will NOT state direct names or companies. That being said, I can say with certainty that what goes on in those fields is ten times worse.

 

You are aware we can now manufacture a two hundred year old chair (worth close to $100,000); from parts bought at your local Home Depot; age it and 'possibly vet' the item through a major auction house and no one says a word. I use the term 'possibly' only to give the auction company or the consignor the benefit of the doubt. Take an original comic book and 'press' out a corner ding; and part of the forum is ready and waiting with pitch forks drawn. Allow a grading company to further its own interests and investment; and conspiracy theories about the collapse of graded comic books unite. This will have almost ZERO (if any) impact on the market as a whole. I have been through something to this affect in a multitude of other collecting fileds and all are still going strong; many I invested in at times of doubt and I have made a significant amount of money in return. Very few markets truly died, unless it was due to actual fakes being reproduced and brought to market, and most of these markets only just 'slowed down' only to flourish again as new ways to detect those 'fakes' (i.e. repos) were discovered.

 

While I understand that this seems to be a 'hot button' issue; at the end of the day if I thought about everything that went on in the antiques and collectibles market that everyone diisagreed with, there would not be a market left.

 

In conclusion, it is my exposure to the full view of the antiques and collectibles market that allows me to have this view. While I do not know that many other highly knowledgeable antique collectors and dealers on this forum, I would like to hear their view. I would also like to hear the views of some of those active (much like myself) in the coin collecting fields as well.

 

I also encourage (and have been advocating this for some time) that my fellow comic book collectors take a broader view of the collecting market and read the book 'Killer Stuff and Tons of Money.' This book not only talks about the comic book collecting field, but it also showcases what happens in both the broader view of the antiques/collectibles markets, and the auction circuit as well. This will help answer a lot of questions and also help most of my fellow collectors understand that to me; this is just another Friday!

 

Just my opinion...

 

Respectfully yours,

 

'mint'

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The-Collector

The-Collector

Posted
Posted
This topic is going to go on and on and on because it's a hobby-wide concern. The one, single, reputable company who had a majority stake in grading impartiality has just butted themselves in front of everyone on this board.

 

Collectors have short memories and long addictions, so there will be little if any actual fallout beyond this thread.

 

+1

 

The apocalypse is not coming.

 

 

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mintcollector

mintcollector

Posted
Posted (edited)
I think what CaptainofIndustry said the other day holds true today more than ever:

 

Collecting is at its most enjoyable when you're least informed.

 

 

Collecting is at its most enjoyable when you're least informed.

 

-Captainofindustry

 

Quite possibly one of the best statements I heard in awhile and well worth remembering...not to mention repeating.

 

'mint'

 

edited to add credit to the original author of the quote...

Edited by mintcollector
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ComicConnoisseur

ComicConnoisseur

Posted
Posted
I'm so glad CGC has enough money to invest in buying a resto and pressing company like CI but they don't have money to spend on fixing their horrible turn around times.

 

Sickening quite frankly.

 

And to think the whole argument of not being able to detect pressing is now out the window. They will know exactly which books are pressed or not and don't care anyway.

I wonder if CGC will disclose pressing?

and

Why do people press modern comic books when 95 percent of them are near-mint anyways?

hm

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