Megacon was great! posted by bagofleas

[CSJournals-migration]

Got it all done!

 

The guys who run the CGC booths at the various shows around the country really are fantadtic!

 

Mike, Molly ,Bree and all the others are fast, efficient, knowledgeable and very helpful and friendly. The fact that Megacon was an onsite convention makes it twice as hard on them, but they take it in stride, work hard and make it as enjoyable an experience as is possible under the circumstances.

 

I was literally able to get all my onsite books done at the show this year, at the last moment, and it's thanks to them and the great bunch of guys (and gals) they had doing the actual witnessing.

 

I got three magazine size books done onsite and seven regular comics done as well. Two of the comics I got done were for me and Tnerb (pic below), and I was very pleased with the results.

 

I also got a few books done after onsite was closed. These were books I found right there at the show and got signed as well, except for one, which I was just astonished to find for just $4 at a dealer. I will post a journal on that one once I get it back.

 

I got all my books done, I got sigs and sketches in my big bro's sketchbook, I got to browse through the dealers and found some real gems for my registry sets, took lots of pics of cosplayers, and met a bunch of very cool artists and bought some awesome prints.

 

The only thing I didn't do this year was go anywhere near the celebrities section, which is a change for me. Up until now I've always tried to get at least one photo op done at these shows, but this year I was so focused on the comics that I didn't even bother with them.

 

It was an fun experience this year that I felt was very productive and I look forward to the next show I can attend and talk, deal with and hang out with the guys at the CGC booth.

 

See more journals by bagofleas

[SW3D]

I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the show and accomplished your goals. I can't wait to see the mags you got graded.

 

What's the onsite process like? How are they able to grade, much less seal comics in holders in the chaos of a convention? Are they cutting corners grading in this fast-food manner? Is it expensive? Just curious to know.

 

SW3D

[bagofleas]

When they are at Megacon, they simply transport all of the onsite books back to their headquarters, since it's so close. But when they do WW Chicago, WW Philly or Baltimore, they have to take the machines and supplies with them, and once they run out of materials, they're done with onsite at those shows.

 

They also can't do onsite magazines at the other shows, only at Megacon, because the machine for doing the magazines is too difficult to transport.

 

As far as whether they "cut corners" on the grading standards or their focus during the grading process, I can't say for certain, but it HAS been a concern by many in the grading community. I have personally had some books done onsite by them that probably shouldn't have been graded at 9.8, but they DID. The two coopies of Dazzler #9 that I had signed by Bill Sienkiewicz at Megacon last year and done onsite, were a complete shock to me.

 

Tnerb has one now and I have the other, but even just looking through the casing, I could show you on my copy why 9.8 probably shouldn't have been possible with the book.

 

But anyway, back in the "old days", you could often get your onsite books done on the same day. Now it takes all three days of the show before you can typically get them back; and you have to get them done as early as possible on the first day of the show, because nowadays, they typically shut down onsite grading within the first few hours of the show.

 

Sometimes they can open it back up for an hour or so of the second day, depending on how far along they come from the first day, but that's not a guarantee. You have to be in line EAAAAARLY for the show in the first day, hit the CGC booth right away, try your best to get a witness to go with you in the chaos that ensues at the very beginning, and get as much done as possible, as fast as possible, to have any chance of getting all of your books done onsite.

 

It's tough, but ultimately, it's so worth it. Especially when you can get a new release book that came out two days prior, signed and graded, literally four days after its release!! I love being able to do that.

[surfer99]

Glad you had a good time and got so much done. Looking forward to checking out the rest of your books when you get them back. Interesting that onsite appears to be more lax in grading standards.

[bagofleas]

I can't say for certain that they are lax in any way with their grading standards when doing onsite.

 

I'm just saying that it has been a concern. For them to be able to do so many books onsite and really being able to focus on them for long enough to be completely thorough within the limited time, seems awfully daunting to me. I know what the grading process involves and I find it amazing that they get so much done in so short a time.

 

I'm thankful to them for it, because I can get books done so fast. But I often wonder how accurate they are overall with such a short turnaround time for so many books.

 

For the most part, I believe they are still very accurate, as they usually always are. But I HAVE seen an example or two in the past that indicates that once in a while they may be moving it along faster than needed to be accurate.

 

I could be totally wrong though. But I hope they never stop doing onsite, because I love them for it.