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Subjectivity of Grading and Deciding what to Accept

Started by C3Galaxia-migration,

56 posts in this topic

C3Galaxia-migration

C3Galaxia-migration

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Hi Guys,

 

After 10 years of comic collecting I consider myself to have developed a fairly keen eye in spotting comic defects and have frequently studied various CGC scans I have seen and have read much literature on what makes a certain comic book grade, including these boards. I just got the Overstreet 2003 Grading Guide and this has helped me to refine my grading a little further. After reading most of this book I am beginning to feel like I was grading too harsh, but I am still having a big problem: How much is minor, moderate and severe when it comes to defects like corner abrasion, blunting, dings, surface impacts, etc. How do I know if what I consider a minor abrasion is not someone elses moderate abrasion? Also, what makes a spine stress mark imperceptible? If you can't see any of the defects from a foot away would this qualify the defects as being almost imperceptible? Are slight corner tears less than 1/8th of an inch slight? I look at a lot of my comics and say to myself, "This comic has much better eye appeal than a lot of these higher graded comics in these pictures." But, usually I find a defect that may be keeping the book from a desired level, but I am not sure how to quantify the seriousness of the defect. confused.gif

 

Because I have grown so picky and anal about my grading I am finding that it is difficult in finding anything over 15 years old that rates over NM-. Savannah, GA isn't the biggest city for the comic book collecting hobby and finding good quality back issues is difficult in the two shops down here. mad.gif

 

I feel like I am on the verge of lowering my standards by mylaring comics that are 15-20 years old that only rate from 8.5 to 9.2. Is this a bad thing? I guess I haven't totally found what I am willing to accept as "my best version" of this comic. Maybe it's all about the continous upgrade... Never finding perfection... frown.gif Has anyone else felt my pain?

 

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C3Galaxia-migration

C3Galaxia-migration

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hehe... laugh.gif less than 5 minutes and I get a response... I read that thread about the comic that was graded a 7.0. From the front cover I graded that a 9.0....

 

But this is just the thing I am concerned about... what if the only stuff on my comics are slight foxing but really turns out to be some form of soiling? Are they the same? Is foxing a type of soiling?

 

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C3Galaxia-migration

C3Galaxia-migration

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Darn it... the only way I learn is by example...

 

I have a white comic with a slight gray line that has formed along the spine from being in the comic bag for soo long... would this be some sort of mold or just the result of a chemical reaction that causes soiling? I am thinking soiling...

 

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

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What do you consider high grade? And is that question relevent to a time period?

 

I think Murph hit it pretty well, especially for the Golden Age. Sure, there are NM GA's around, but F/VF and above I would certainly consider an HG book.

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C3Galaxia-migration

C3Galaxia-migration

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Well as of now for Moderns (1980+) I consider high-grade being 9.0 and up... I thought I heard that a lot of people consider anything higher to be "very high grade."

 

I haven't collected any Silver Age or Gold Age... so I don't really have any comment on those eras.

 

hehe... I guess whatever floats your boat...

 

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C3Galaxia-migration

C3Galaxia-migration

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Well let me be more concise... comics from the 80s are getting harder and harder to find in NM+ or better condition. All these back issues that collectors have kept have been kept in poly bags for years... degrading.. having their corners blunted and abraided and no telling what is happening to the comic pages... maybe it is just the area I am in...

 

I don't think comics from the 80s should be in the same category as 90s+ because the process has improved greatly...

 

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C3Galaxia-migration

C3Galaxia-migration

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Well here is an example of my fustration:

 

On page 184 of the Overstreet 2003 Grading Guide is a Gen13 #1 that is graded 9.2. The way I have been grading lately this comic would have gotten a 9.0 at best. This comic has at least 4 obvious stress marks along the spine... an abraided corner... blunting and a color speck...that's 4 defects. I didn't think color breaking stress marks made the 9.0 range...

 

Also, page 176 there is a Weird Comics issue with a small spine tear, minor chipping, abraided corner, small blunting and 1/8" bend...5 defects... also graded 9.2.

 

There is a 9.4 even with a minor spine tear...

 

I think I am grading tears to heavily... along with spine stresses...

 

I don't want to mylar anything from the 80s that isn't at least 9.0.... and in some rare cases at that (i.e. comics that are just hard to find in good condition like Transformers 60-80).

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fantastic_four

fantastic_four

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How much is minor, moderate and severe when it comes to defects like corner abrasion, blunting, dings, surface impacts, etc. How do I know if what I consider a minor abrasion is not someone elses moderate abrasion?
Read pages 126 to 128 in the new grading guide and post again if you have any questions (the truly inquisitive graders out there should still have issues after reading those standardized definitions of the qualitative descriptions).

 

Also, what makes a spine stress mark imperceptible? If you can't see any of the defects from a foot away would this qualify the defects as being almost imperceptible?
To me the most imperceptible spine stress marks are those which are 1/8" or less and don't break color. Anything else is perceptible.

 

Savannah, GA isn't the biggest city for the comic book collecting hobby and finding good quality back issues is difficult in the two shops down here.
I went on vacation down there year before last, and you're right, your comic shops stink for back issues. tongue.gif

 

I feel like I am on the verge of lowering my standards by mylaring comics that are 15-20 years old that only rate from 8.5 to 9.2. Is this a bad thing?
I use 2-mil Mylites double-bagged into 4-mil Mylar on comics worth more than $20, and only 2-mil Mylites on anything worth less. The only standard you're lowering by mylaring cheapie comics is your standard for frugality; if you like, look at it as "raising" your conservation standards across the board.

 

I guess I haven't totally found what I am willing to accept as "my best version" of this comic. Maybe it's all about the continous upgrade... Never finding perfection...
Welcome to the CGC Forums, also known as "Nitpickers' Anonymous." For most of the people who read this board, the hunt for comics is just as much if not more fun than owning them.
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fantastic_four

fantastic_four

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On page 184 of the Overstreet 2003 Grading Guide is a Gen13 #1 that is graded 9.2. The way I have been grading lately this comic would have gotten a 9.0 at best. This comic has at least 4 obvious stress marks along the spine... an abraided corner... blunting and a color speck...that's 4 defects. I didn't think color breaking stress marks made the 9.0 range...
I tend to agree, this one should've been a 9.0. However, I also think the Overstreet 25-notch scale is too ambitious; it should have less notches. Even the very best graders often disagree by at least 1/4 of a grade, with the various CGC graders included in that margin of error on any particular slabbed comic they look at. This indicates to me that the grading scale is still too ambitious, even after the simplification from the 100-point ONE scale introduced in the 1992 Overstreet Grading Guide. Perhaps the scale should be 10 or 15 notches until the grading descriptions get even more precise than they are as of the newest grading guide.

 

Also, page 176 there is a Weird Comics issue with a small spine tear, minor chipping, abraided corner, small blunting and 1/8" bend...5 defects... also graded 9.2.
I think this comic is very well-graded at 9.2 since each defect is very minor. However, you're right in that this example contradicts the chart on page 126 which indicates that a NM- 9.2 comic would have no more than 4 defects.

 

I don't want to mylar anything from the 80s that isn't at least 9.0.... and in some rare cases at that (i.e. comics that are just hard to find in good condition like Transformers 60-80).
Yea, I don't Mylar or Mylite anything worth under $1 either.
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C3Galaxia-migration

C3Galaxia-migration

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Thanks fantastic_four,

 

I have reread pages 126-129 and it does make things a little clearer... I just need to sit down with a pencil, paper and ruler and grade a single comic and write down everything I find... I think if I do this for a while it will help big time...

 

Some of the qualitative issues I might have problems with are spine stress on white spines versus spine stress on black spines, the whole "eye appeal" idea ... etc..

 

What may have good "eye appeal" to me may look aweful to you...

 

And you are right! "look at it as "raising" your conservation standards across the board." even if it means mylaring an 8.5 that is only worth 5 bucks in NM? Who knows... 20 years from now that 8.5 modern cheapie may be an 8.5 investment...

 

And BTW, the hunt is what makes this hobby so fun... unless your comic shop doesn't order anything your looking for! mad.gif

 

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Guest

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It sounds like we are in the same boat brother. We both collect "Fringe Comics" like Transformers and GI JOE that some how get lumped into the MODERN catergorie,even though they are sometimes harder to find then some Bronze comics in super high grade condition. I agree with Murph though about most moderns needing to be at least a 9.6 to even be looked at by most of todays picky collectors. 9.4s of Joes just dont sell...its that simple. Ive looked for so long to find 9.6-9.8 worthy books but Ive only managed to find a handful in 5 YEARS!!! I understand your pain.....Transformers are just as hard to find in high grade. The search continues...... smirk.gif

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