Next Submission

[namisgr]

Nice books, Nikos, and excellent prognosticating, too! Congrats especially on the Hulk grade.

 

My express subs from my Society membership are now in Sarasota. As they are 3 of my biggest ticket raw books, I'm anxiously awaiting their fate. Here is one of them, purchased about 10 years ago. It was graded NM- at the time by a relatively tight grading dealer, and I'm predicting a 9.0 - what do you all think?

 

 

[Aces]

Uhm dude...

 

You might have a 9.4 there.

 

[DiceX]

I'm thinking the bottom edge was trimmed.

Just a hunch.

[namisgr]

I'm thinking the bottom edge was trimmed.

 

What do you see with the bottom edge that makes you think so, Dice?

[DiceX]

The blemish on the bottom right corner makes me question it.

It looks odd for that to be a factory edge.

It's like the blemish is cut in half, if you understand what I mean.

 

Would it be possible to get a larger scan of that corner?

[sfilosa]

Hey Bob:

 

I think the Hulk is structurally a 9.4. Have zero idea if it's been trimmed or not. I do think if the very slight tanning around the edges is also prevalent in the interior then your grade of 9.0 might be correct.

 

Good luck as that is a beauty.

 

What else did you submit?

[DiceX]

BTW, Bob...

Don't think I'm hating on your comic.

I think it's friggin awesome.

I just saw something that looked odd to me.

 

I hope there's nothing to it. I wish you the best on the submission.

[namisgr]

Hey Bob:

 

I think the Hulk is structurally a 9.4. Have zero idea if it's been trimmed or not. I do think if the very slight tanning around the edges is also prevalent in the interior then your grade of 9.0 might be correct.

 

Good luck as that is a beauty.

 

What else did you submit?

 

The book has a small color fleck missing from the spine and a spine stress and very minor corner blunting that keep it from NM. There is no interior edge tanning at all, but the LRC has a small smudge and the back cover a stain near the middle of the spine the width of a dime. I suspect these latter defects will keep it below 9.2. I also think CGC has entered a phase of being especially strict/harsh - the numbers will tell.

 

My other two free express submissions are ST 110 and FF 5. I'll post cover scans and ask for everyone's thoughts on the grades over the next week.

[sfilosa]

The book has a small color fleck missing from the spine and a spine stress and very minor corner blunting that keep it from NM.

 

I would disagree that these three flaws would automatically preclude a NM.

 

I own maybe 30-40 SA CGC 9.6 books and almost everyone one of them has flaws that I can see. Of course they are extremely minor, but they are there. Once again, it's because the rest of the book is perfect which is apparently why CGC still gave the books 9.6's.

 

I'm not saying the book is a NM, I'm just saying from what I can see of the flaws, I think it could still be NM. Yes, the smudge will probably drop the grade as will the very light tanning.

 

Let's see scans of the ST #110 and FF#5.

[namisgr]

Here is my Strange Tales 110 submitted late last week. Another book purchased a decade ago (from the same dealer as the Hulk 5, and several other books in my collection that are now encapsulated), and the first Master of the Mystic Arts. Essentially all the problems are with the spine. The book has great colors and the pages are OW/W with a shot at W. I think it is in the 9.0 range, and I'll know what CGC thinks in about a month.

 

 

[nik]

That Hulk book is very sweet, and outside of the trimming aspect(which I cant tell), I see no reason why this book would not grade out at a 9.2.

[Aces]

I think that ST 110 is a 9.2!

 

 

If they come back 9.4 and 9.2 do I get one of them for being right?

 

[namisgr]

I think that ST 110 is a 9.2!

 

 

If they come back 9.4 and 9.2 do I get one of them for being right?

 

 

Man, I hope you're right, but I've found CGC to be more harsh with grading than any dealer from whom I've ever purchased books.

 

Would you settle for kudos and salutations for your astute grading skills?

[divad]

I think that ST 110 is a 9.2!

 

On the assumption that there is also light wear associated with the dirt along the spine on the back cover, I think you are looking at an 8.5, perhaps an 8.0, depending on structure and PQ concerns that books from the early to mid-60's often have, which do not translate in scans very well.

[divad]

That Hulk book is very sweet, and outside of the trimming aspect(which I cant tell), I see no reason why this book would not grade out at a 9.2.

 

Sweet copy, but they don't just hand out the high grades for Hulk #1-6

 

 

I'll go with a 9.0

[sfilosa]

Based on the scan of the Strange Tales #110 I say you have a really shot at a 9.2. A little too much wear for a 9.4.

 

Once you get the books back, if the grades come in even a touch lower then what you thought, please call for the graders notes. It is truly amazing what defects CGC picks up on (i.e. like non color breaking creases, or even fingerprint markers that can't be seen in the scan). My point being, that it's not that CGC downgrades certain defects more then other people, it's they see defects that other don't (or can't see from a scan).

 

Good luck, and so fa,r both books look beautiful.

 

[namisgr]

Here is the third book being graded using my free express coupon. This was purchased 4 years ago from a tight-grading dealer as a VF. When looking through the interior, I noticed the two pieces of microchamber paper. The dealer readily admitted the book had been slabbed as a 7.5 and then cracked out. As you can see, in addition to the slight wear on the spine and top edge, the book has a very light LR corner crease on the front cover.

 

This book is certainly one of my most favorite and prized Marvels. What do you all think it will grade at this time?

 

 

[sfilosa]

I believe 7.5 is the best grade that book could get. The overhang on the back is very rough. Plus, what's the page quality as it seems that there is some tanning on the back cover.

 

If you hadn't said anything, I would have gone with 7.0.

 

Still a great book, and one that is not in my collection.

[namisgr]

I appreciate your appraisals, Steve.

 

My only additional comment is that none of the three books suffer from any edge tanning or significant back cover soiling. When my scans are brightened in Photoshop to recapture the appearances of the books, the back covers frequently develop a splotchiness that is not representative of the book. Seen this with some of the Heritage scans as well. Gotta spring for a new scanner soon.

[Aces]

I believe 7.5 is the best grade that book could get. The overhang on the back is very rough. Plus, what's the page quality as it seems that there is some tanning on the back cover.

 

If you hadn't said anything, I would have gone with 7.0.

 

Still a great book, and one that is not in my collection.

 

Probably gets another 7.5 but the front has 8.5 eye-appeal.