Answer from CGC.........

[Flaming_Telepath]

Does it now? And you'd know?

 

Ever heard of witness protection?

 

You know, giving somebody anonimity in exchange for the real juicy stuff?

 

Doesn't work for you?

 

Tough.

[LordRahl]

Well you're right about one thing, the "mysterious sources that wish to remain anonymous" thing is pretty lame and really lends more credibility to the opposite side.

 

Settle down, Rahl. Lending credence to EITHER side at this point (on this particular matter) is ill-advised.

 

True, true but the "mysterious sources that wish to remain anonymous" really sets off alarms in my head.

[FFB]

Well you're right about one thing, the "mysterious sources that wish to remain anonymous" thing is pretty lame and really lends more credibility to the opposite side.

 

How, exactly, does it lend credibility to the other side? I don't see anything at all suspicious about someone not wanting to reveal his sources. Journalists do that all the time. That's how they keep their sources from stopping the information flow.

[Forbush-Man]

Its now completely obvious,thanks to MKs astute reasoning,that six years ago,Steve and Chris made the decision to not PLOD NDP,simply so they could launch this new service down the road. Anyone that plans a new venture in a new market that far in advance gets my undying loyalty.First rounds on me at our next meeting,Steve. You da man!!!!

 

Are you sure you want to say that?

 

Just because they may have thought that far out into the future for a business plan? What about "The Hobby"?

[supapimp]

for the record i've known about this for about 9 months.

[shrunkenhead]

Witness protection program? Oy, what are we, on the Sopranos now?

 

"Next week on the Sopranos...a band of vicious comicgeeks breaks into the Badda Bing and swipes Tony's HG slabs. Will this foolhardy band of nerds suffer the wrath of the family's newest contract hitman, Joey Canoli aka The Presser?"

[BradleyX2]

Post deleted.

[goldust40]

Its now completely obvious,thanks to MKs astute reasoning,that six years ago,Steve and Chris made the decision to not PLOD NDP,simply so they could launch this new service down the road. Anyone that plans a new venture in a new market that far in advance gets my undying loyalty.First rounds on me at our next meeting,Steve. You da man!!!!

 

Are you sure you want to say that?

 

Just because they may have thought that far out into the future for a business plan? What about "The Hobby"?

 

I think he was being ironic.

[shrunkenhead]

True FFB, but journalists sometimes make up their sources a la Stephen Glass. Not saying this is the case here, but it happens more than you'd think.

[LordRahl]

Hmmm... Perhaps you should check into that whole witness protection stuff. They actually have to testify before being put into protection. Testify, as in testify in court, before a judge and all that. The stuff you're writing about is typical Hammer conspiracies that will be revealed in the upcoming book that will blow this hobby wide open, yada yada yada

[goldust40]

for the record i've known about this for about 9 months.

 

[WiseGuyX]

This may not have much to do with this subject but This is what whent through my mind half way through reading this thread.

 

I can't help but think of what my Father-in-law said when I asked him why don't he have his bank notes graded. He told me " that a third party may not be impartial on their grading. That some people who submit more than other may receive a more favorable grade over someone who sumbits less." I know this may sound like a crock and there are those people who would flame me for it. But this guy has one of three largest Texas National Bank note collections in the US and is a VERY successful person. I know some may not care or know about bank notes but his collection would cost more than a Action comics #1 first original print goes for

[Forbush-Man]

Its now completely obvious,thanks to MKs astute reasoning,that six years ago,Steve and Chris made the decision to not PLOD NDP,simply so they could launch this new service down the road. Anyone that plans a new venture in a new market that far in advance gets my undying loyalty.First rounds on me at our next meeting,Steve. You da man!!!!

 

Are you sure you want to say that?

 

Just because they may have thought that far out into the future for a business plan? What about "The Hobby"?

 

I think he was being ironic.

 

My bad! I sure hope so!

[LordRahl]

Yes and journalists report the truth and nothing but the truth, without omitting any facts and without bias whatsoever.

[FFB]

Hmmm... Perhaps you should check into that whole witness protection stuff. They actually have to testify before being put into protection. Testify, as in testify in court, before a judge and all that. The stuff you're writing about is typical Hammer conspiracies that will be revealed in the upcoming book that will blow this hobby wide open, yada yada yada

 

No, they have to agree to testify, but that's really beside the point. The point is that he can't reveal his sources. If this were coming from Hammer, who goes into a diabetic-like fit if he doesn't meet his weekly quota of anti-CGC posts, I'd probably question it more. But FT isn't Hammer and he certainly hasn't had any axe to grind in the past -- and then there's the fact that he leaked the early word on this before Steve posted his press release. Why would FT make this up? I'm not suggesting that anyone blindly accept what someone says when they don't have evidence to back it up (believe what you want, disbelieve what you want), but why are you adhering so firmly to the opposite ground when you don't have any evidence that supports that side either?

[goldust40]

Its now completely obvious,thanks to MKs astute reasoning,that six years ago,Steve and Chris made the decision to not PLOD NDP,simply so they could launch this new service down the road. Anyone that plans a new venture in a new market that far in advance gets my undying loyalty.First rounds on me at our next meeting,Steve. You da man!!!!

 

Are you sure you want to say that?

 

Just because they may have thought that far out into the future for a business plan? What about "The Hobby"?

 

I think he was being ironic.

 

My bad! I sure hope so!

 

[supapimp]

for the record i've known about this for about 9 months.

 

 

i'm serious, so does another old skool fourmite. as i've posted earlier in this thread...i don't give a rat's arse about this.

[goldust40]

for the record i've known about this for about 9 months.

 

 

i'm serious, so does another old skool fourmite.

 

Fair enough........but 9 months? Yowsa.

[Flaming_Telepath]

Witness protection program? Oy, what are we, on the Sopranos now?

 

"Next week on the Sopranos...a band of vicious comicgeeks breaks into the Badda Bing and swipes Tony's HG slabs. Will this foolhardy band of nerds suffer the wrath of the family's newest contract hitman, Joey Canoli aka The Presser?"

 

OK, here's an extract from an e-mail sent to a well-know boarder (who can reveal himself if he likes) on 23rd November...

 

'CGC intend launching an official pressing service on 1st March 2005. Chris will indeed be point man on this enterprise but Steve has yet to decide whether it will be in-house or loosely affilliated.

 

And if you think either purile schoolboy humour, or comparisons with Hammer, will deter me, you're mistaken.

 

I have a lot invested in this hobby/business, in financial and emotional terms, and I will not allow blinkered CGC apologists to stop me speaking out against something that I think will severely & negatively effect what I love to do.

[tth2]

He was nicer to you than I would have been. You should send him a thank you note.

 

I AGREE........ In fact, I have several books I bought from FLATINUM PLATINUM on eBay (who has no website or phone number by the way).... Here is the response I got from him regarding a refund on a pressed book:

 

Hi,

 

thanks for your email. First of all before I even begin to dignify this email with a response, it would be helpful if you tell me your name, the books you purchased from me, and the date you purchased these books. Upon hearing this information, I would like to know whose professional expertise you used to judge if the books you purchased from me were professionally pressed. Third, I would like to know what would cause you to crack the books out of the slabs after they were certified and encapsulated by the CGC. Fourth, I would like to know if the books you purchased from me had a blue universal unrestored label. Fifth I would like to know how your expert determined that professional pressing had occurred, when the books passed through the detection team at CGC who determined the books were free from restoration ( which would include any detectable professional pressing). Upon hearing this information, I will be able to judge if you are truthful or you are full of $%&*!. If you forward the information to me and it is credible, I will be able to tell if the books you purchased were purchased by me raw and encapsulated, were on consignment with me (thus were encapsulated by the owner), or were purchased slabbed (thus were encapsulated by the prior owner(s)).

 

My policy has always mirrored the rules of CGC. CGC from what I have been told does not consider undetectable professional pressing of comic books as restoration. If it can be detected, CGC will flag the book as having been unprofessionally pressed and therefore place a purple restored label on the slab of the book with the restoration notes listed on the label. Because undetectable professional pressing of comic books is not considered restoration by the CGC, it is possible that any or all of the slabbed books you have purchased from anywhere and anyone could have or may have undetectable professional pressing done to them. The key word is UNDETECTABLE, because if it was detectable, it never would have made it into a slab with a blue universal unrestored label. It would have been flagged by the CGC and included a purple restored label. If I know in fact that any book I sell has without a doubt been professionally pressed, I have no problem disclosing that information to any potential buyer. My advice to any potential buyer is to CALL THE EXPERTS AT CGC WHO IS GRADING THE BOOK AND GET ANY OR ALL NOTES TO DETERMINE IF ANYTHING WAS DONE TO THE BOOK PRIOR TO ENCAPSULATION. DON'T CALL OR ASK ME BECAUSE I DIDN'T GRADE THE BOOK. IF THERE IS ANYTHING I KNOW ABOUT THE BOOK OTHER THAN WHAT WAS DETERMINED TO EXIST OR NOT EXIST BY CGC, I HAVE NO PROBLEM DISCUSSING THAT INFORMATION WITH ANY POTENTIAL BUYER.

 

Because CGC does not consider professional UNDETECTABLE pressing of comic books as restoration, I have a standing offer of a $100,000.00 year salary to anyone who could successfully press a comic book into a higher grade which would allow it to pass through the hands of the CGC 100% of the time without the pressing being detected by the CGC. I have yet to find someone who can do this. Because I have yet to find a person who can do this, I refrain from professionally pressing any comic books. My fears are too great that any pressing done would be detected by CGC, be downgraded by the CGC because the pressing would be deemed unprofessional, or would potentially damage the book. All three of these possibilities would cause me to lose loads of money. As far as me personally professional pressing comic books in order to get a higher grade and pass through the hands of the CGC undetected, I only wish I could say yes because I would be an extremely rich man. Sadly I can't. I am stuck with buying books I feel are high grade and sending them to CGC to be encapsulated as is. If others can do it and it has been deemed allowable by the CGC, I say all the power to them.

 

In summary, if you are a new collector, I would recommend sitting down with the professionals at CGC who can give you more information about what the rules are for grading and submission of comic books through their company. Being a real estate attorney, I know you can appreciate trying to do as much research and homework on the subject as possible before ever spending one dollar on a CGC book. If what you hear is contrary to what your collecting beliefs are, I would recommend stop buying CGC books as the source of the book and how it became to be slabbed cannot be traced.

 

There is no returns allowed on any CGC graded books, as these books are professionally graded.

 

thanks,

 

Jason Ewert

 

Doesn't this sound like a point-blank denial by Jason Ewert? When I first started reading it, I thought it sounded like he was trying to dance around the issue. But later in the letter, he pretty much categorically denies doing it.