When grading a Pedigree book does the grader know...

[RedRaven]

When grading a Pedigree book does the grader know that it is a pedigree copy??

I'm asking in that it I can imagine myself sitting down to grade say , a Gaines file copy, and being predisposed to grade up due to the impressive examples that have come from that run. Seems like it would be easy to unintentionally bias oneself toward overgrading an issue from certain pedigrees.

 

Just curious....

[Stout1]

In my opinion, it shouldnt matter where the book came from. Condition is condition. A Stan Lee 7.0 book is a 7.0 book It shouldnt get a extra 2.0 just because he owned it. But it will usually get a much softer grade than another book of the same title.....

[sckao]

When grading a Pedigree book does the grader know that it is a pedigree copy??

I'm asking in that it I can imagine myself sitting down to grade say , a Gaines file copy, and being predisposed to grade up due to the impressive examples that have come from that run. Seems like it would be easy to unintentionally bias oneself toward overgrading an issue from certain pedigrees.

 

Just curious....

 

Mark Haspel probably sees all pedigreed comics or comics that look like they could belong to a pedigree. So he's probably guaranteed to be one of the graders.

 

 

From the CGC Website:

Mark Haspel, Senior Grader

Mark is formerly a comics dealer in south Florida with a nationwide clientele and a graduate of the University of Florida. As a dealer, he was involved in the discovery of the now famous Spokane collection and held numerous auctions under the company name Comics on Parade, Inc. He is a grading advisor to the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide and has consulted on grading for Sotheby's. Mark is one of the top experts on pedigree comics in the business. With a national reputation, built in part through being a fixture at most national Comics Conventions, his broad experience ranging from gold and silver all the way to Modern books, gives him the type of in-depth market knowledge perfectly suited for the CGC grading team.

[namisgr]

While we're at it, do the graders know the identity of the book's owner? Or, alternatively, does the title of a book impact the way it is graded? Although I am sure that preferential treatment would not be given consciously to any submitter or particular title, the potential still might exist for subconscious bias.

 

At the moment, I am curious about grading of the Pacific Coast pedigree. The entire collection has been treated with great favor by CGC, owing to the extraordinary structural preservation of nearly all of the books. I am struck, however, that there are numerous mid-1960's Spiderman books from the collection that received 9.8 grades, a phenomenon that, from what I know, is not seen with Fantastic Four, JIM, or other major Marvel titles. Are the 1965 Spidey's really of superior grade compared to the other Marvel titles? Was the title graded during a period of "leniency" at CGC? Did the identity of the submitter factor in any way into the grading?

 

Opinions?

[Red Hook]

The books are graded blind...ie the name of the submitter is not known to the grader. Check out CGC's FAQ....

 

Question: When I submit my books, what assurances can you offer with regard to confidentiality and anonymity for my books?

 

Answer: CGC will discuss the details of each transaction only with the original submitter, in order to provide complete confidentiality for all parties. CGC will not release any information concerning the certification of your comics without permission. As part of CGC's internal processes, complete anonymity is ensured by a system of internal checks and balances, anonymous bar coding of submissions, and a separate Receiving department that does not convey any information about the submitter to the graders. The result is that a submitter's comic is completely anonymous to CGC graders.

[Red Hook]

Although.....upon reflection....if a huge group of books came in as a pedigree submission, I think it would be hard not to be aware of the submitter in that specific case.

 

As to your other question, I haven't the slightest idea.

[FFB]

Although.....upon reflection....if a huge group of books came in as a pedigree submission, I think it would be hard not to be aware of the submitter in that specific case.

 

As to your other question, I haven't the slightest idea.

 

Brad:

 

What you just posted re the FAQ is exactly what Steve Borock said when I asked him the question at WonderCon. I also asked whether they know who the owner is when a pedigree collection comes in. The answer I got was that they have so many comics that they don't know whose books they are.

 

On many books, I believe them when they say this. But if the Edgar Church Action #1 ever came in to be graded, you and I both know that CGC would both recognize the book and would know who owned it. They'd have to be dense not to know, and they are anything but dense. The same goes with any other big ticket book that has identifying pedigree markings, such as the Edgar Church Cap. #1.

 

Having said that, I still think they'd give it the grade it deserved without any bump considering the identity of the owner. A lot of CGC's credibility comes from grading consistently and a grade bump on a book like the Edgar Church Action #1 would result in so much negative publicity that any benefit they might get in the form of increased submissions by the book's owner would be offset by the beating they'd take in the marketplace from bad publicity. And really -- does it make any difference in the value of the Edgar Church Action #1 whether it grades at 9.4 or 9.2? I don't think it would.