Bronze Age CGC 9.2. Is it enough?

[october]

I can KICK myself in the head three times as I bought a Bronze Batman lot from him with a #227 that he graded at VF- that I know was a VF+ or VF/NM but I stupidly sold it recently at a convention for about $75.

 

 

GAH! Rob or I would have given you more for sure! Why didn't you try and sell it on here, that book is always in high demand.

 

 

Later this year I'll get to the BA horror and should be able to fill some holes for you guys looking for 7.0 to 9.2 books.

 

LMK

[sfilosa]

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Personally, I think label chasing is not because the collector needing the 9.X copy is anal, but because the differences between grades are completely arbitrary.

 

 

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People that chase labels aren't collecting comics anymore but rather are collecting CGC slabs. They are chasing a number. The "I'm only collecting a 9.X run on a title" crowd should stop deluding themselves and stop calling themselves "comic" collectors. "Label Whores" is a more apt description.

 

Jim

 

 

So everyone should drive the cheapest car that gets them from point A to B. Or own the smallest house, with no extra features, because really, who needs that extra room Or take a nice vacation to a resort in the islands, when they can stay at home and go to the pool......

 

Remember, to each his own.

 

I collected HG, because I could already afford a complete Silver-Age Marvel set in Low grade and I would have exactly what many other collectors / dealers have.

 

To me, buying low grade or modern books isn't so much COLLECTING as it is ACCUMULATING. To me Collecting, means hunting down some item that IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE.

 

No problem with accumulators ...... once again to each his own.

 

All that said, I absolutely agree that it's crazy to pay extra dollars for a 9.4 if you can get a 9.2 that you feel looks just as nice. Of course, I do it so sometimes I'm

[sterlingcomics]

To me, buying low grade or modern books isn't so much COLLECTING as it is ACCUMULATING. To me Collecting, means hunting down some item that IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE.

 

Nicely said!

 

All that said, I absolutely agree that it's crazy to pay extra dollars for a 9.4 if you can get a 9.2 that you feel looks just as nice. Of course, I do it so sometimes I'm

 

Add me to the list. I always buy the book before the label; hence I have many 9.0 books that IMHO looks much better, for a better price. There's also something to be said for having a sick copy that rocks!

[Rob]

Does sick = good? I can't keep up with the latest phrases.

[Rob]

To me, buying low grade or modern books isn't so much COLLECTING as it is ACCUMULATING. To me Collecting, means hunting down some item that IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE.

 

Well, I think it comes down to what each person can afford, or is comfortable with spending. I'm sure there are collectors out there with HG copies of Detective 27 and Action 1 that think $1000 HG silver/bronze comics are merely an accumulation of "junk". If someone has a comic budget of $1000/yr, he probably doesn't want to limit himself to 1 book (or maybe even 5 books) per year. So he'll decided to buy $50-$100 9.0's, and he can "accumulate" 10 or 20 comics per year.

[drbanner]

To me, buying low grade or modern books isn't so much COLLECTING as it is ACCUMULATING. To me Collecting, means hunting down some item that IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE.

 

Nicely said!

 

All that said, I absolutely agree that it's crazy to pay extra dollars for a 9.4 if you can get a 9.2 that you feel looks just as nice. Of course, I do it so sometimes I'm

 

Add me to the list. I always buy the book before the label; hence I have many 9.0 books that IMHO looks much better, for a better price. There's also something to be said for having a sick copy that rocks!

 

Exactly, I highly prefer nice looking books (aka "high grade", regardless of the CGC label) because, for the most part, these days I'm a cover collector. If I was collecting the stories I could really care less about the quality of the cover condition, but since I'm not, I want an unblemished cover.

 

What sfilosa said about the thrill of the chase also applies, there's a plethora of mid-grade bronze in every dealers boxes - where's the fun in that? The challenge lies in finding pristine looking books. Every once in a while I go through my collection and try to thin it out, sell a few here to buy a few there, and while there's no one factor that puts a book in the sell pile, lately I've been looking at it this way: if I could easily replace this book in the next six months to a year for the price I could sell it for today, it's gone. So...low-mid grade books (for bronze, say 9.0 and below) and common high-grade books were the first to go!

[drbanner]

To me, buying low grade or modern books isn't so much COLLECTING as it is ACCUMULATING. To me Collecting, means hunting down some item that IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE.

 

Well, I think it comes down to what each person can afford, or is comfortable with spending. I'm sure there are collectors out there with HG copies of Detective 27 and Action 1 that think $1000 HG silver/bronze comics are merely an accumulation of "junk". If someone has a comic budget of $1000/yr, he probably doesn't want to limit himself to 1 book (or maybe even 5 books) per year. So he'll decided to buy $50-$100 9.0's, and he can "accumulate" 10 or 20 comics per year.

 

Yes...budget is also important which is why most of my Marvel SA keys are in the VG range, with a few below and a few above.

[awe4one]

I collected HG, because I could already afford a complete Silver-Age Marvel set in Low grade and I would have exactly what many other collectors / dealers have.

 

Your collecting criteria is a fool's errand. Unless you collect the most obscure GA comics, there is going to be others, and in the case of Marvel SA, many others, that have the same or superior collections. You're still going to have the same collection as many other collector/dealers...

 

To me, buying low grade or modern books isn't so much COLLECTING as it is ACCUMULATING. To me Collecting, means hunting down some item that IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE.

 

Collecting comics is just that...collecting comics regardless of age or condition. The collector mentality of "the only comics worth collecting are the ones I'm interested in" is part of the problem and a very narrowminded and bullsh1t opinion at that.

 

Collecting slabs numbers isn't collecting comics anymore. It's collecting someone else's opinion of a comic. The comic has become secondary to the label. That's not comic collecting. It's collecting manufactured collectibles and you've been sucked in to the hype. Might as well start collecting the same satin bedsheets from Saks and K-Mart. Both serve the same purpose...the only difference is you can't brag about the sheet label from K-Mart...

 

Jim

[drbanner]

Your collecting criteria is a fool's errand. The collector mentality of "the only comics worth collecting are the ones I'm interested in" is part of the problem and a very narrowminded and bullsh1t opinion at that. Collecting slabs numbers isn't collecting comics anymore. That's not comic collecting.

 

[awe4one]

Your collecting criteria is a fool's errand. The collector mentality of "the only comics worth collecting are the ones I'm interested in" is part of the problem and a very narrowminded and bullsh1t opinion at that. Collecting slabs numbers isn't collecting comics anymore. That's not comic collecting.

 

 

It would seem to be a contradiction but it's not...

 

There's comics collecting and there's slab number collecting. In the former, the comic is the primary collecting focus. In the latter, you're collecting an opinion.

 

Jim

[drbanner]

Your collecting criteria is a fool's errand. The collector mentality of "the only comics worth collecting are the ones I'm interested in" is part of the problem and a very narrowminded and bullsh1t opinion at that. Collecting slabs numbers isn't collecting comics anymore. That's not comic collecting.

 

 

It would seem to be a contradiction but it's not...

 

There's comics collecting and there's slab number collecting. In the former, the comic is the primary collecting focus. In the latter, you're collecting an opinion.

 

Jim

 

Well, Steve did say he sometimes slums into the 9.2 range if he can get a 9.2 that looks just as nice as a 9.4.

 

Seriously though, if you're a high-grade early Marvel SA collector (or expensive books of any age really), slabbed is the only way to go for multiple reasons (the fear of buying restored and overgraded books, and the fact that there are few respectable dealers that are going to sell high-grade early Marvel SA raw anymore anyway). So for them, it's either slabbed, or it's hammer-time...

 

Since you collect late silver/early bronze, you have good choices (raw) not really available to high grade early Marvel SA collectors.

[awe4one]

Seriously though, if you're a high-grade early Marvel SA collector (or expensive books of any age really), slabbed is the only way to go for multiple reasons (the fear of buying restored and overgraded books, and the fact that there are few respectable dealers that are going to sell high-grade early Marvel SA raw anymore anyway). So for them, it's either slabbed, or it's hammer-time...

 

Since you collect late silver/early bronze, you have good choices (raw) not really available to high grade early Marvel SA collectors.

 

I realize that...and don't have a problem with collecting slabs per se. It's the mentality of "I only collect slabbed 9.X or higher" that I have an issue with. Again, at that point the comics have become secondary to the number on the slab...

 

Jim

[BassGMan]

Although I don't like Jim's harsh delivery, I don't think he is saying simply buying slabbed comics is a fool's game, but moreso the attitude of "only buying 9.6s" for example. I don't think anybody has a problem with a buyer simply buying a slabbed book here or there, but to have the attitude of 9.6 or it's crapp, I think THAT would be a problem.

[BassGMan]

Oops, you reiterated yourself faster than I could.

[Rob]

I think it comes down to scarcity. In ALL collections (comics, coins, etc), the value and demand of something is usually related to its availability. Sure, the difference between a 9.2 and a 9.4 may only be a single 1/16" stress line, and may be $400 more. But that's why condition is key in collecting. The item itself isn't rare, but one without noticeable flaws may be.

 

But to say that everyone should strive to collect a certain echelon isn't what this hobby is about. That's a decision each person needs to make for themselves. I can't afford $10,000 comics (well, it would put a damper on other things), so I don't buy any. But maybe, later on in life, I might decide my collection has turned into an accumulation, and try to consoilidate a collection of dozens of 9.0's into fewer 9.6's.

[october]

Quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Personally, I think label chasing is not because the collector needing the 9.X copy is anal, but because the differences between grades are completely arbitrary.

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

People that chase labels aren't collecting comics anymore but rather are collecting CGC slabs. They are chasing a number. The "I'm only collecting a 9.X run on a title" crowd should stop deluding themselves and stop calling themselves "comic" collectors. "Label Whores" is a more apt description.

 

Jim

 

 

So everyone should drive the cheapest car that gets them from point A to B. Or own the smallest house, with no extra features, because really, who needs that extra room Or take a nice vacation to a resort in the islands, when they can stay at home and go to the pool......

 

Remember, to each his own.

 

I collected HG, because I could already afford a complete Silver-Age Marvel set in Low grade and I would have exactly what many other collectors / dealers have.

 

To me, buying low grade or modern books isn't so much COLLECTING as it is ACCUMULATING. To me Collecting, means hunting down some item that IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE.

 

No problem with accumulators ...... once again to each his own.

 

All that said, I absolutely agree that it's crazy to pay extra dollars for a 9.4 if you can get a 9.2 that you feel looks just as nice. Of course, I do it so sometimes I'm

 

You are missing my point (I can't speak for Jim though). I have no problem with chasing HG, or not settling for less than a 9.2 or whatever grade floats your boat. I am just saying that the multiples paid by people for a so called "9.2" versus a so called "9.4" is not a distiction supported by reality. CGC grades are subjective and, in some cases, totally arbitrary. Yet many collectors take their little numbers on plastic as gospel and pay rediculous sums based on it. The resub game alone should be enough to tell you that graded comics are nothing to hang your proverbial hat on. I will not even get into the lack of published grading criteria. For BA and MA collectors especially, slabs are just not realistically priced at all. Talk about market bubbles...

 

I do have to say that I don't agree with people who require a certain CGC number in order to buy. You all claim that you "buy the book" and not the slab, but then you turn around and say that any 9.2 is not acceptable. That, my friends, is collecting pieces of plastic, not comics.

[sfilosa]

Collecting slabs numbers isn't collecting comics anymore. It's collecting someone else's opinion of a comic. The comic has become secondary to the label. That's not comic collecting. It's collecting manufactured collectibles and you've been sucked in to the hype. Might as well start collecting the same satin bedsheets from Saks and K-Mart. Both serve the same purpose...the only difference is you can't brag about the sheet label from K-Mart...

 

 

So many points to address, so little time.

 

1) The comic is NOT secondary to the Label. I collect the books I WANT, in the MINIMUM GRADE that I want and I use CGC to tell me THEIR OPINION of the GRADE. This way, I'm usually not dissappointed, and when it comes time to sell (if need be), I can sell EXACTLY what I bought (not something less then I bought).

 

2) Picking a minimum grade like 9.0 is like saying I will only buy VF/NM from CBG 10 years ago. EVERY High Grade collector has minimum grades, at least in their mind. Do I bend that grade if the need arises, absolutely. BUT I HAVE TO DEFINE HIGH GRADE, to myself, or I would be buying every book that I want when it's priced reasonably and then I wouldn't be a HG COLLECTOR.

 

Nuff said for now.

[sterlingcomics]

[october]

I guess the real test is that if your minimum grade is 9.0, would you buy a slabbed 9.0 you felt was nicer than the assigned grade, or would you pass simply because the label says VF/NM?

[Fan4Fan]

Collecting slabs numbers isn't collecting comics anymore. It's collecting someone else's opinion of a comic. The comic has become secondary to the label. That's not comic collecting. It's collecting manufactured collectibles and you've been sucked in to the hype. Might as well start collecting the same satin bedsheets from Saks and K-Mart. Both serve the same purpose...the only difference is you can't brag about the sheet label from K-Mart...

 

 

So many points to address, so little time.

 

1) The comic is NOT secondary to the Label. I collect the books I WANT, in the MINIMUM GRADE that I want and I use CGC to tell me THEIR OPINION of the GRADE. This way, I'm usually not dissappointed, and when it comes time to sell (if need be), I can sell EXACTLY what I bought (not something less then I bought).

 

2) Picking a minimum grade like 9.0 is like saying I will only buy VF/NM from CBG 10 years ago. EVERY High Grade collector has minimum grades, at least in their mind. Do I bend that grade if the need arises, absolutely. BUT I HAVE TO DEFINE HIGH GRADE, to myself, or I would be buying every book that I want when it's priced reasonably and then I wouldn't be a HG COLLECTOR.

 

Nuff said for now.

 

Which is all fine, but sometimes your opinion comes across as being that all of us other blokes that don't collect 9.2 or above (or whatever) are just collecting worthless junk.

 

... which we may be.

 

However, it can be just as much of an adventure to find what we like for prices we can afford as it can be to find the HG stuff.

 

Thanks,

Fan4Fan