Anyone can grade A comic book.

[Tnerb]

It's easy to have a single comic book placed in front of you, look at the front cover and then the rear, peruse the inside and grade it, but what about hundreds?

 

My first day was somewhat easy. I won't get into that. If you read yesterday's journal you'll already know that I am attempting to land a dream job, Instead I'll talk about how great sixty eight degrees feels in Florida compared to the eighteen degrees I left in Philadelphia.

 

Last year at ECCC I had the distinct pleasure to dine with Ronnylama and other boardies from the chat boards and registry, Steve Borock amongst them. It has always been a rare occurrence when I can geek out.

 

At Philadelphia Wizard World I did the same thing. This time with Matt Nelson sitting among us. Last night was the coup de grace. I was sitting among four others that quite possibly graded my New Mutants 15 and my Amazing Spider-Man 129 and I have to say it was great being among their company.

 

But can I do it? Yes, I can grade a comic book. The question is can I grade hundreds all day long.

 

 

Thanks for Reading

 

Tnerb.

 

 

Editors note. This was written six am Wednesday morning.(1-29-14)

 

See more journals by Tnerb

[Alawson453]

Yes you can.

[bagofleas]

I agree. Like in any business, it can get tedious at times, but if you love the work, and have a deep appreciation of both the product and people you work with, it can be very rewarding.

 

I look forward to the news regarding the final results, big brother!!

[Jeffro.]

But can I do it? Yes, I can grade a comic book. The question is can I grade hundreds all day long.

 

That really is the big question. Almost all of the grading advice I've ever read said pretty much the same thing. And that thing was, "don't try to grade hundreds of books at once. Do it in smaller chunks to minimize grading burnout" or something to that effect.

 

Does CGC build multiple breaks into their grader's schedules?

 

I know everyone is different. I'm sure there are folks that can just plow through dozens of books and stay accurate. I know that when I try to do it, I get to about 20 or 30 in a have to take a break. Grading fatigue starts to set in.

[kaholo1256]

I would say let the new wave of love towards a passion be what you ride in on. Coming into it I can see you kicking out book after book as if it were childs play but then coming November is when that intestinal fortitude kicks in on whether you can drive through those huge stacks we are adding to daily. that would be the true test of wills.

 

Asking me, hell you started the 30 for 30 addiction. You are the one who can easily go through a COn and gain multiple sig's on ton's of books...your freaking "TNERB" and if anyone can do it you certainly can.

 

Oh and I'm sorry if in the coming days you receive 50 more piled onto your work station by a single X-Force fan... My bad...

[n2wdw]

Tnerb - I don't know you and I should probably mind my own business as your post is about real life not just collecting comics

 

But I guess I'll just offer that sometimes when you take a job in your hobby, it may eventually feel like less than a hobby and more like a job

 

On the other hand if you're looking for another job anyway, this could be a fun way to spend some time

[revat]

Its easier to grade hundreds all day long if you're GETTING PAID, and your livelihood depends on it.

[bagofleas]

I agree with Kaholo.

 

You ARE freaking TNERB!! And you most definitely have the drive and persistence to do this job.

 

You are just like your little brother after all!!!

 

(thumbs u

[HighRadArt]

I agree as Revat commented that your salary will also go a long ways toward "can I grade hundreds of books?" Also, I enjoyed meeting you at the ECCC dinner as well and look forward to this years show.

[mzhammer]

Some people say, do what you love for a living and it will never feel like a job. Others say you might burn out and lose the love of it if you do it for a living.... You'll never know unless you give it s shot!!!!

 

I think you'll find that that both are true at times. Starting out it will be exciting and the days will fly by in sheer adrenaline and maybe after some time, you might find yourself burning out, but then Superman #1 lands on your desk and all that goes out the window!

 

Best advice I can give is to simply remember to recharge the batteries, take that vacation time when it's needed. When it's something you love, you'll come back fresh and ready!

[meshuggah]

Some people say, do what you love for a living and it will never feel like a job. Others say you might burn out and lose the love of it if you do it for a living.... You'll never know unless you give it s shot!!!!

 

Exactly. If you do get burned out you can always find something else to do, like you're doing right now. But the chance that you could love it should be well worth the risk.

[HighRadArt]

If you decide its the right choice, please take pictures and give a full report. Some openess as to the inner workings would be very interesting.

[Alawson453]

I believe my "yes you can" needs a little explaining. Tnerb I have no doubt you will be great at this new job, however don't sell the art of grading short. Not everyone can grade just one comic properly and objectively. There are many so called dealers that have not come around to the 10 point grading system which pays more attention to the detailed faults of a comic.

 

Good, Very Good, Fine, Very Fine, Near Mint and Mint are the only definitions you will get with some grading for a comic you may be looking to purchase off one of the internet sites or a mail order catalog.

 

Lots of sellers on E-bay use the cop-out "they are not a professional grader" to avoid having to actually assign a grade to a book. They will usually ask that you make a determination by the pictures they have supplied. That's not fair to the eventual buyer at all.

 

In most cases it's pretty easy to grade modern age books, books printed in prestige format or on super high quality paper, but the real talent comes when you

have to assign grades to a group of books that have been stashed away in someones basement for the last 40-50 years totally unprotected (no bags or boards). This is when you can't just blow through a stack of 50-100 books and assign a grade.

 

Keep in mind everyone that CGC graders require training because most people are conditioned to grade using the overstreet guidlines, which is not always the case with CGC. There is a lot more scrutiny and there should be. I would much rather have a comic graded to harsh than not and question the companies integrity.

 

So with all this in mind Tnerb my friend, I admire your decision even more to take on such an important and demanding role in the future of our hobby. Who knows you could ultimately be responsible for grading one of the most valuable comics in history

 

Good Luck Again,

 

Dre

[surfer99]

I just want to say that you have my support, and that of everyone here my friend. What's been said is very true...you will have times you're burnt out, you will have times you're having a blast, but this is the same with any job. Wouldn't you rather be experiencing these things GRADING comics though, more than anything else?? I know the answer is YES, so best of luck again!!

 

 

 

[shadroch]

I can't imagine grading hundreds of books every day , and then going home to enjoy grading my newest books. Something would have to give.

[slym2none]

But can I do it? Yes, I can grade a comic book. The question is can I grade hundreds all day long.

 

That really is the big question. Almost all of the grading advice I've ever read said pretty much the same thing. And that thing was, "don't try to grade hundreds of books at once. Do it in smaller chunks to minimize grading burnout" or something to that effect.

 

Does CGC build multiple breaks into their grader's schedules?

 

I know everyone is different. I'm sure there are folks that can just plow through dozens of books and stay accurate. I know that when I try to do it, I get to about 20 or 30 in a have to take a break. Grading fatigue starts to set in.

 

I scan & grade at the same time (don't have to take the book out of the bag more than once this way) and at first I hated doing more than 5-6 books, now I can easily do 20 or so at a time - but that's about it. As you say, "grading fatigue" sets in.

 

 

 

-slym