Disappointed - Feedback

[Lora]

I finally bit the bullet purchased a CGC membership and sent in some comics to get graded.

 

X-Men #101. I got this at a flea market for $60 and it ended up CGC'ing at a 6.0. I was sure the comic was in much better shape than that.

 

Battlestar Galatica #1 (1979) - this was given to me when I was a kid. I read it a lot and beat the out of it. Cost me nothing. CGC grade: 5.0

 

Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man #1 (1976) - I bought this at a flea market for $35. Graded at 6.0 - once again I was sure the grade would be better.

 

Hobbit #1 (1989) - I bought this when I was a kid, so it was probably $6.00. CGC Grade: 9.0

_________________________

 

My question is, did I screw myself over having the first 3 graded at all? I feel like I didn't get what I paid for out of these comics (not in the grading, but in the original cost). I have no intention of selling them. I just wanted something nice to frame and put on my gaming room wall.

[yoddler]

WTTB! (2011!)

 

It takes a loooong time to get proficient at grading. I'm not there and probably won't be for several more years. If ever!!!

 

The PGM thread is great for learning, and you can "pre-grade" your comics there before deciding to send them in.

 

I have a stack of books I thought were going to grade higher than they did. I chalk those up to the price of learning the hobby.

[Mayor006]

First off welcome to the boards!

 

Now to answer your question, if these are just to put on your gaming room wall, and you picked your four favorite books then nope, you did just fine. A lot of people will pick the most expensive books they own to send in with the coupon because it is an inexpensive way of getting some bigger books done. Makes sense. But, it's your coupon and your books. If you want to use it on books that remind you of your childhood that's what it's for. The memories are worth more than the books. :thumbsup:

 

Don't beat yourself up over the grades too much if you don't plan on selling them.

[DrWatson]

The short answer is yes.

[Lora]

Thanks for the Welcome Mayor006!

 

I did just send in another one today. Infinity Gauntlet #1 (1991).

You know, I did just send them in, to send them in. My goal is to submit one comic per pay. Just to get them preserved. I'm not a very good collector - I really have beaten the out most all my comics.

 

I guess I just feel like I overpaid for the comics I bought and I kinda want to throttle the seller (and myself).

[Lora]

The short answer is yes.

 

Yeah. Could have used a little more upbeat feedback though.

[Lora]

WTTB! (2011!)

 

It takes a loooong time to get proficient at grading. I'm not there and probably won't be for several more years. If ever!!!

 

The PGM thread is great for learning, and you can "pre-grade" your comics there before deciding to send them in.

 

I have a stack of books I thought were going to grade higher than they did. I chalk those up to the price of learning the hobby.

 

Thanks Yoddler. That makes me feel better!

[yoddler]

WTTB! (2011!)

 

It takes a loooong time to get proficient at grading. I'm not there and probably won't be for several more years. If ever!!!

 

The PGM thread is great for learning, and you can "pre-grade" your comics there before deciding to send them in.

 

I have a stack of books I thought were going to grade higher than they did. I chalk those up to the price of learning the hobby.

 

Thanks Yoddler. That makes me feel better!

 

[JazzMan]

We all go through it. There's been very few people on here that have not been disappointed with their first submission and discovered that their collection is many times not slab-worthy. With time you either accept the fact that you like comics to read and forget encapsulation, and probably take better care of them, or you become anal-retentive and think every book you buy will be CGC graded. Most people are a combination. These boards are a good place to learn how to grade and there are tools out there that give you an idea of what the market value is of a given book - use everything you have at your disposal. With time, you won't be surprised much with your submissions.

 

[TC33]

Those are probably some of the last books I would ever consider for grading? Typically with grading coupons good for books worth up to $1K to $2K, you try to submit books worth in that range, not worth $5. (far less than the cost of grading) Was this a grading experiment with no intention of getting anything out of the grading cost?

 

I do agree that sometimes, not always, CGC tends to under grade more on books in the FN range(5.5-6.5) that many would more likely call FN/VF or better. Additionally, I think 9.2 to 9.6 books sometimes get overgraded 1/2 grade or so as they "sometimes" have obvious defects that I would not expect to see in a book above 8.5/9.0, especially since 9.2 and especially 9.6 books often demand price premiums. Granted, with as many books as they grade, there will always be some grading discrepancies that seem to slip through, those are just the grades where I see a few more than I would like to see.

[Balham's Finest]

My goal is to submit one comic per pay. Just to get them preserved. I'm not a very good collector - I really have beaten the out most all my comics.

 

You do NOT need to slab books to preserve them. Just buy good quality bags and boards.

 

Also, if you've beaten the out of them, what exactly are you preserving them against?

 

Seriously, if you send in one book a day of the type/condition you've mentioned so far, you'll be wasting a lot of money.

[Lora]

Also, if you've beaten the out of them, what exactly are you preserving them against?

 

Seriously, if you send in one book a day of the type/condition you've mentioned so far, you'll be wasting a lot of money.

 

I'm preserving them against my dog and the comics I am sending in are the ones I care about and want graded. If they look really beat up, I won't send them in.

 

The CGC cost isn't really a big deal to me, honestly. The only thing I was mad at was the original costs of what I purchased. Most all my comics were purchased at their cost price a long time ago.

 

Is everyone mean on these forums? Wow.

[yoddler]

Also, if you've beaten the out of them, what exactly are you preserving them against?

 

Seriously, if you send in one book a day of the type/condition you've mentioned so far, you'll be wasting a lot of money.

 

I'm preserving them against my dog.

 

The CGC cost isn't really a big deal to me, honestly. The only thing I was mad at was the original costs of what I purchased. Most all my comics were purchased at their cost price a long time ago.

 

Is everyone mean on these forums? Wow.

 

The short answer is yes.

 

Actually, everyone's been pretty nice so far!

[Lora]

Those are probably some of the last books I would ever consider for grading? Typically with grading coupons good for books worth up to $1K to $2K, you try to submit books worth in that range, not worth $5. (far less than the cost of grading) Was this a grading experiment with no intention of getting anything out of the grading cost?

 

Yeah. It was just a test. I really don't have a CLUE what I have. I would really need to go through my collection and price everything out. Which I haven't done. Ever. I do not own anything worth $2,000 though. I'm certain of that. The oldest comics I have are of the Original Dark Phoenix Saga.

 

I wasn't disappointed in the grading experience. That was great! I want to do most all my books. I was disappointed in what I originally paid for the books. the #101 and the #1 Peter Parker comic. I'm happy with my Battlestar and Hobbit. I was just posting for feedback and I feel like I was attacked, not by you and some people were really nice, but wow!

[Lora]

 

The short answer is yes.

 

Actually, everyone's been pretty nice so far!

 

ROFL! Guess I need thicker skin!

Noted.

[Dr. Balls]

My first sub came back very similar. I was thinking I was subbing 9.4/9.8s on Bronze Age books, and they came back 9.0s at best. It takes practice and immersion into grading to become proficient at estimating what it's going to grade out at.

 

Welcome!

[Mark 1]

The short answer is yes.

 

[Mark 1]

Don't beat yourself up about it. It's happened to most of us.

 

If you don't plan on selling them, then you did just fine because they are now protected treasures from your childhood.

 

Enjoy them and welcome to the forum.

 

 

[Darkowl]

I think a lot of people know the feeling of submitting a book to CGC only to receive a lower grade than expected. I sent in my Walking Dead 1, and I kid you not, that book was absolutely flawless, and when I say flawless I mean FLAWLESS! Anyways, it came back at a 9.8. A pretty good grade nonetheless, but I have seen plenty of 9.8's that didn't even come close to mine. CGC has an actual grading process involving more than one grader, and it's very possible that their methods enable them to detect defects a lot better than the average collector can...at least I hope that's the case.

 

But to answer your question, If you just wanted something to nice to frame on your wall, then I don't think you screwed yourself over at all.

[HighRadArt]

My first sub came back very similar. I was thinking I was subbing 9.4/9.8s on Bronze Age books, and they came back 9.0s at best. It takes practice and immersion into grading to become proficient at estimating what it's going to grade out at.

 

Welcome!

 

My first sub included an ASM 129 and Silver Surfer #1. They were both a straight sub and a press would have helped immensly. At the time I knew nothing about pressing and was really disappointed with grades when I got them back. I also had a book come back recently that was also dissappointing and after getting the graders notes, found the tiny stain on the back that dropped the grade. It's a continuous learning process so don't get discouraged. Also, decide on a grade and put the book under the please grade my section and learn from the comments Best of luck.