Fingerprints on graders notes....

[GACollectibles]

I've quite a few books in with CGC right now.

Though they have not been marked shipped yet (so no grades) they are marked graded and I can see the graders notes.

 

I was calling since 2006 getting graders notes and I never once personally heard "fingerprints" mentioned.

Right now though, I have 7 books in with them that have "fingerprints" written in the notes with various places they are on each book.

What the heck - have my books all been groped and fondeled?!?!

 

What's odd is each book listed is about as different from the other as can be. Different sellers, Genres, Ages, Presumed grades.

I don't recall personally having any one night stands with any of these books prior to shipping.

 

Btw, CGC I'm grateful for you guys having free grader once again.

 

Did you read all the way to the right of those notes? Does it say "Cheetos" in parenthesis?

[BlowUpTheMoon]

I am still flustered that so many of my pressed submissions have bends and dents in the graders notes.

 

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[N/A]

I am still flustered that so many of my pressed submissions have bends and dents in the graders notes.

 

 

Yup! I pay one department to press the book and another department to tell me it has bends and dents. Awesome!

[Buzzetta]

I don't know what to think it seems CGC is changing things as the go along which in some cases is good others its bad. Honestly the should have mapped out the criteria a long time ago and stuck to it. Say what you want about Overstreet but they are consistant.

 

 

I guess he's assuming that fingerprints affecting grades is a new thing. The transparency will certainly help us understand some of CGC's thinking. Are you on vacation?

 

I have a couple of SS Bone books from 3-4 years ago that got knocked down due to fingerprints - I've also seen it happen to various black-cover indies (Crow #1s, Next Men #21s, etc) over the years. I guess I'm puzzled as to why he thinks this is a sudden change for CGC :shrug:

 

No vacation for me this year - heading to Israel on Thursday.

 

1 - Safe travels

 

2 - were the SS Bone books due to fingerprints combined with ink smears from the artist's signing? I only ask because the fingerprints thing has me a bit astonished. I mean if I wanted I am sure I could find the fingerprints of anyone who handled the books from the past 60-70 years. Do you have an idea through your experience as to what constitutes a heavy enough fingerprint on a book that lowers the grade?

[dupont2005]

I have some black and white comics with a bad black inky fingerprint smudge here and there. Or a spot missing some ink on a dark area. It's not super common but I've seen it.

 

Black covers it can be really bad, and you should be able to take a look at it and say "Oh yeah, that's what they're talking about."

[Ryan.]

Back cover of Bone 1. Brutal.

[bababooey]

via Imgflip Meme Maker

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[BarryAllen]

[VintageComics]

Fingerprints have always been noted on grader's notes when they catch them (and affect the grade - obviously they may not be noted on low grade books).

 

Personally, I think they have some new graders in the room and are catching more defects than they used to.

 

CCS pressed books coming back with dings and bends? Now that is both unfortunate and shouldn't happen (if indeed it is).

 

 

[seanfingh]

What type of books are getting this though ? Silver age books would not retain fingerprints in the same way that modern slick covers would.

 

The whole gambit.

2 modern

2 copper

2 silver

1 golden

 

http://grammarist.com/usage/gambit/

[N/A]

Fingerprints have always been noted on grader's notes when they catch them (and affect the grade - obviously they may not be noted on low grade books).

 

Personally, I think they have some new graders in the room and are catching more defects than they used to.

 

CCS pressed books coming back with dings and bends? Now that is both unfortunate and shouldn't happen (if indeed it is).

 

 

Numerous examples where I could provide the CCS # and CGC #.

[Mark 1]

Perhaps there are some dings and dents that a press just won't fix?

 

Not all bends, creases and dings can be pressed out

[Bomber-Bob]

Perhaps there are some dings and dents that a press just won't fix?

 

Not all bends, creases and dings can be pressed out

 

That's what I was thinking. Unless you want to apply so much heat the covers start shrinking.

[mschmidt]

I don't know what to think it seems CGC is changing things as the go along which in some cases is good others its bad. Honestly the should have mapped out the criteria a long time ago and stuck to it. Say what you want about Overstreet but they are consistant.

 

 

I guess he's assuming that fingerprints affecting grades is a new thing. The transparency will certainly help us understand some of CGC's thinking. Are you on vacation?

 

I have a couple of SS Bone books from 3-4 years ago that got knocked down due to fingerprints - I've also seen it happen to various black-cover indies (Crow #1s, Next Men #21s, etc) over the years. I guess I'm puzzled as to why he thinks this is a sudden change for CGC :shrug:

 

No vacation for me this year - heading to Israel on Thursday.

 

1 - Safe travels

 

2 - were the SS Bone books due to fingerprints combined with ink smears from the artist's signing? I only ask because the fingerprints thing has me a bit astonished. I mean if I wanted I am sure I could find the fingerprints of anyone who handled the books from the past 60-70 years. Do you have an idea through your experience as to what constitutes a heavy enough fingerprint on a book that lowers the grade?

 

Thanks!

 

The Bone books just had fingerprints on the back from handling - the glossy black back cover on those books soak up prints like a sponge, unfortunately. I've seen 9.8 books drop down to 9.2/9.4 because of it.

[Icculus308win]

CCS pressed books coming back with dings and bends? Now that is both unfortunate and shouldn't happen (if indeed it is).

 

 

Quite a few of my books list this too. And yes, they came from straight from Matt....

Hoping they are INDEED the dings and bends that are not able to be undone.

[Icculus308win]

What type of books are getting this though ? Silver age books would not retain fingerprints in the same way that modern slick covers would.

 

The whole gambit.

2 modern

2 copper

2 silver

1 golden

 

http://grammarist.com/usage/gambit/

 

 

The new GAMBIT definitions suck.

I like the old ones.

[RockMyAmadeus]

 

That's what I was thinking. Unless you want to apply so much heat the covers start shrinking.

 

As I've said before, good pressing is an artform as much as a science.

 

Not everything comes out.

 

And, as we've discussed, stuff comes back, because paper fiber has a "memory."

 

The presser has to fight not only existing defects, but new defects ("butterfly/flaring", "cockling", "waviness") that the process introduces.

 

It's not...by any stretch of the imagination...as easy as it sounds.

[dupont2005]

Perhaps there are some dings and dents that a press just won't fix?

 

Not all bends, creases and dings can be pressed out

I had a comic pressed. It was a Fantasy Quarterly #1 that must have been in beautiful NM condition at the time of purchase. I bought it off the Goodwill website though, not eBay. I had bought from Goodwill before, and knew the shipping would be poor, but I got the comic for $15 so it was worth a shot. It arrived with the gnarliest ding on the top left corner, spine folded like an accordion. It was actually difficult to open and read with this ding. So I had it pressed. The corner is still obviously dinged, but much less so than it was. Easy to open and flip through now.