Psycho #3 1971 Skwywald Magazine...Help me Grade!

[bounty_coder]

Alright guys. I know that these don't pop up much on this thread, but us magazine guys need assistance too. I'm looking for some Golden Age pro's for help on this one, but would love to hear everyones oppinion.

 

As stated, magazines according to the Overstreet grading guide adopt criteria that is given to Golden Age books. Where Bindery corners were extremely common on magazines, nearly 80% or more had some type of bindery/abraded corner. I have seen CGC graded Magazines with lightly abraded UL & LL Corners recieve as high as 9.6 grades.

 

This copy for your observation, is a Boris masterpeice. Supple White OWL 9-10 pages. Clean whites, unread. Amazing gloss. Rich vibrant color with strong color strike. Tight and shiny staples. ZERO spine stress. And I have looked hard. Not even one kink under bright light while angled. The Spine is tight...and when I say tight I mean toight.

 

Only defects include very light abraded LL corner at 1/32" to 1/16". Lightest of color flecks at UR and LR corner that are not even measurable.

 

Book lies extremely flat with the slightest of upward curl to the right edge I assume from being in a stack. Back cover is clean with no visible defects.

 

Would love to hear oppinions and please remember when veiwing the corner pictures they are blown up by more than 150% of the actual size of the book, so any defects look bigger. Refer to my measurments for a better idea when giving technical grade. One of the crown jewels of my collection.

 

 

 

 

 

[Jayman]

Bounty, It is curious how CGC grades vs Overstreet. It seems they are much tighter in some cases I've seen, recently Nikos's Vampi # 2. I think collectors in general don't give that "Golden age curve" to mags post 1970. For comparison to your Psycho, here is my Scream # 4 graded a 9.4 by Doug Sulipa. Glossy cover, ow/w pages, clean spine with only one tiny break (by the tree just above her dress), back cover is good as front. The only other defect is a 1/32" color break on the LRFC. Mag grading is still shakey ground for me but if you agree that my copy grades as 9.4, I would grade yours in the 9.0/9.2 range due to those 3 corners. Sounds strict but this is how I've seen these mags graded.

 

 

Spine tic

 

 

 

 

[bounty_coder]

Man Jay, we have some talking to do. First off let me say the UL and LL corners on your book are awesome. Doesnt look like they have any of that all so common abraded corner that magazines generally have.

 

9.0/9.2? Wow I think that is being brutal. I have a CGC 9.4 What if #1 from the 70's and this Psycho #3 looks better than it. With zero spine stress, 1 light color fleck at URC, 1 light abraded LLC 1/32" and 1 light fuzz to ULC, that is well within 3 defects of a 9.6 NM+

 

Another thing is that Doug grades magazines like modern comics. Meaning he undergrades magazines.

 

I think that your copy is well within criteria of a 9.6 NM+. Now with that considered. Your LRC bend that breaks color is slightly worse than my URC corner that doesnt break color. While my ULC and LLC are worse than yours. Abraded corners are much more common on magazines. As I may have said before, the Highest graded Golden age book Zip #7 I believe has a LL abraded corner just as mine and has a grade of a 9.9 MT from CGC. Given that, along with 2 other corners that have defects even lighter than the "worse" abraded corner, I do not see why this would not recieve a NM+ 9.6 So what nearly evens our books is the fact that you have a color breaking spine stress, while the Psycho #3 does not. And I can see why Doug may have lent a grade of a NM 9.4 since it has 2 light color breaking qualities.

 

I dont know man, you tell me if my logic is off.

 

Now about Nikos's Vampi #2. We initially gave the book a 9.4/9.6 (and there were 3 of us). And when we saw it come back as a VF+ 8.5 we all nearly crapped our trousers. Well, do you remember the hidden secret that we did not know about? A 3" non color breaking crease to back cover along with indentations on the cover correct? Now lets think about that. So accounting a 3" non color breaking crease to back cover where do you think that should take it down to? Maybe a 8.8 or 8.9 (from our guestimation of a 9.4/9.6 with the prior UL & LL Corner Defects)? Along with those cover indentations which we have no clue without seeing them, but I can see the Logic of a 8.5 on that book after those defects popped up that we didnt know were on the book, It may have actually been a 8.6 or 8.7 grade but has to be put in the 8.5 arena. Either way that last sentance in irrelevent, just me thinking out loud. So Nikos's example only perplexed me at first, after finding out the real data, it made MUCH more sense.

 

-bounty

[Jayman]

Bounty,

First of all your Psycho # 3 IS a killer copy!

4 months ago I would have called it a 9.8! Like I said I'm still uncertain how to handle mag grading and when so, I tend to lean towards the tighter grades. Not to mention the fact that it gets fuzzy for me when venturing into the 9.4/9.6 range. Doug Sulipa does grade mags like comics but I tend to agree with this. You can give mags some slack for being oversized but not too much. You say abraded corners are much more common on magazines but the same holds true for most BA 52 and 48 pager comics as well. This is IMHO one of the criteria keeping it out of the higher grades. I posted my corners only to show that it is very hard to come by a copy of a mag without abraded corners since they are so common and that is why I nudge my copies grade slightly higer than yours. Maybe it's 'cause I really hate those darn abraded corners! BTW: My spine tic is non-color breaking if that helps.

 

And regarding the Golden Age comparison using the (much discussed Vampi # 2) example: Would having a 3" non color breaking crease on the back cover along with cover indentations take a GA book that was a 9.4/9.6 candidate down to a 8.5? I think not according to GA grading.

Any GA collectors have an opinion on this?

 

Anyway it's probably me just being to tough, I'm gonna have to look at more CGC graded mags to get a handle on their grades.

[Aces]

Presents like a 9.8 but those corners...

 

If the grading gods at CGC decide those corners problems are bindary tears then 9.6, if not then 9.2 or 9.4.