Another Submitting Success!! posted by bagofleas

[CSJournals-migration]

Some work out and some don't.

 

When it comes to grading, I am very strict and tend to undergrade books. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised by an unpredicted 9.8 than be sure of the grade and wind up disappointed.

 

I've had plenty of books that I hoped were 9.8 but secretly thought might wind up 9.6, but getting a signature on it made it worth the gamble. In most cases I get the 9.8 but in some cases the books match my secret certainty.

 

I seem to be mostly in my element with Copper Age books and graphic novels. No surprise since this is the era that made up the bulk of my original collecting days with my dad. Bronze Age is a little tougher for me, but for some reason I seem to be pretty close or right on the money with Silver Age books, which is odd considering I never owned very many of them in my collecting lifetime.

 

But don't ever ask me to accurately grade a raw squarebound annual. Sheesh, I just can't seem to be accurate on those for some reason.

 

Anyway, I have a few invoices that finally went shipped/safe over the weekend and among the books on them was a copy of What If? #39.

 

I picked this book up from a dealer at Supercon 2013 in Miami last year. A quick look told me it was 9.8 material, so for $5 I got it. Later on, when I really looked it over more carefully, I wasn't so sure anymore, and the pages appeared to me as Off White/White. So I put this book down as 9.6 with an upside of 9.8.

 

I held onto it for a full year until I saw that Ron Wilson was a guest at Tampa Bay CC 2014. I was already planning on cracking my Masters of the Universe #4 for him to sign, but I don't like having just one book for an individual to sign most of the time, so I took my raw What If? #39 along as well for Ron to sign.

 

I got the MOTU back already since it wasn't pressed, but I had this one pressed to give it a better chance, so it took a little longer. But now it is back and I can see how my grading prowess held up. I had prepared myself to accept 9.6 OW/W. The result?

 

What If? #39 - SS 9.8 WP signed by Ron Wilson

 

Wow! As I said, I would so much rather be surprised by a higher grade than expected instead of disappointed by a lower grade. This one not only surpassed the grade I had prepared myself for, but the page quality also surpassed it!

 

It is now an OAK, being the single highest SS copy!

 

See more journals by bagofleas

[mzhammer]

I just had the same experience with MGN 4 -

just graded 9.8 White, was thinking it was a 9.6.

Love me a pleasant surprise!

[BooZeR]

Great story!

 

I'm glad it worked out for you. Congrats!

 

I'm the same way with being very strict with my own grading. Very rarely has a book come back lower than expected, but its always nice when my self-graded 9.4s and 9.6s come back a 9.8!

[bagofleas]

I just had the same experience with MGN 4 -

just graded 9.8 White, was thinking it was a 9.6.

Love me a pleasant surprise!

 

Oh yeah, that's a wonderful surprise! I graded a raw copy of that for Shivabali at 9.6 and was right on the money, but it sure would have been a pleasant surprise if it had done what yours did!

[SW3D]

That book looks awesome with a most intriguing story.

 

Can you tell us who wins the fight?

 

I imagine, to make it fair, Thor has been stripped of his powers... and if that's the case, I give the victory to my favorite Cimmerian.

 

Congrats!

 

SW3D

[surfer99]

Ron Wilson? As in Ron Wilson, bus driver...of Sky High fame?

 

Congrats man.

 

 

[Tnerb]

C'mon, you have to show off the other books you got back. I am so hesitant on sending books in I don't. At the moment I just don't have the extra funds that I would rather go after my birthday books right now. Eventually my CGC pile will start making their way to CGC...eventually...

[vane]

Great Book!!!!!!!!

 

I'm always been a huge Thor fan. When I seen this book years ago I said to myself "I got to read it". I found it really interesting Crom said to Thor that his kind is from another Age. That tells me Conan is much older than Thor.

 

Once again Great book!