Tales of Suspense 39 CGC 9.8

[rob_react]

Accusing CGC of taking bribes? That's not going to end well.

[entalmighty1]

That bump from 9.6 to 9.8 on this book is a difference of $200,000.00. That's a big decision for a grader to make. Had to be stressful.

 

This is when I wonder about integrity. Maybe there's a "good ole boy" network where being a dealer, or perhaps knowing someone high up at CGC helps. Maybe a fat $10,000 bribe to the right person? I hate to think this way, but we all know human nature.

 

If I sold this as a 9.6, and just saw the regrade I'd be pretty upset.

 

The difference between 9.6 and 9.8 is so small. I don't think a bribe is even necessary. Simple human judgment will put you on the top side of that equation at least 1 out of 5 times I would imagine.

[gadzukes]

That bump from 9.6 to 9.8 on this book is a difference of $200,000.00. That's a big decision for a grader to make. Had to be stressful.

 

This is when I wonder about integrity. Maybe there's a "good ole boy" network where being a dealer, or perhaps knowing someone high up at CGC helps. Maybe a fat $10,000 bribe to the right person? I hate to think this way, but we all know human nature.

 

If I sold this as a 9.6, and just saw the regrade I'd be pretty upset.

 

The difference between 9.6 and 9.8 is so small. I don't think a bribe is even necessary. Simple human judgment will put you on the top side of that equation at least 1 out of 5 times I would imagine.

 

So just keep submitting it until the 9.8 rolls around? It would cost a lot of $ to keep submitting a comic like this, and wouldn't they start to get a little suspicious seeing an ultra high TOS 39 come rolling through? But, if it finally happened..... it would be worth it.

 

 

[gadzukes]

Certainly on an historically high grade book like this the graders must have at least had a pow wow to discuss the final grade. Shouldn't a book at this level warrant a discussion? Or does the comic just go through the normal grading process?

[entalmighty1]

That bump from 9.6 to 9.8 on this book is a difference of $200,000.00. That's a big decision for a grader to make. Had to be stressful.

 

This is when I wonder about integrity. Maybe there's a "good ole boy" network where being a dealer, or perhaps knowing someone high up at CGC helps. Maybe a fat $10,000 bribe to the right person? I hate to think this way, but we all know human nature.

 

If I sold this as a 9.6, and just saw the regrade I'd be pretty upset.

 

The difference between 9.6 and 9.8 is so small. I don't think a bribe is even necessary. Simple human judgment will put you on the top side of that equation at least 1 out of 5 times I would imagine.

 

So just keep submitting it until the 9.8 rolls around? It would cost a lot of $ to keep submitting a comic like this, and wouldn't they start to get a little suspicious seeing an ultra high TOS 39 come rolling through? But, if it finally happened..... it would be worth it.

 

 

I'm guessing if you have the scratch to buy the book at 9.6, the resub fees aren't a big deal to you.

[comicquant]

That bump from 9.6 to 9.8 on this book is a difference of $200,000.00. That's a big decision for a grader to make. Had to be stressful.

 

This is when I wonder about integrity. Maybe there's a "good ole boy" network where being a dealer, or perhaps knowing someone high up at CGC helps. Maybe a fat $10,000 bribe to the right person? I hate to think this way, but we all know human nature.

 

If I sold this as a 9.6, and just saw the regrade I'd be pretty upset.

 

The difference between 9.6 and 9.8 is so small. I don't think a bribe is even necessary. Simple human judgment will put you on the top side of that equation at least 1 out of 5 times I would imagine.

 

Does anyone know when the book was previously graded? If the book was given a 9.6 when it was 40 years old, wouldn't the grader's mindset be a tad different now that they're staring at a 50+ year old book with a NM/MT appearance. Until humans are removed from the grading process these variations brought on by the human condition will happen; its unavoidable. No bribe necessary; could just boil down to being awestruck.

[namisgr]

So there's a 9.8 on the census.

 

Does anyone know when it was graded and if it was a 9.6 bumped ? Also, any ideas who owns it ?

 

I'd guess the person who put the Pacific Coast 9.6 copy up for sale.

[Gotham Kid]

So there's a 9.8 on the census.

 

Does anyone know when it was graded and if it was a 9.6 bumped ? Also, any ideas who owns it ?

 

I'd guess the person who put the Pacific Coast 9.6 copy up for sale.

 

Schmell used to own the PC 9.6, so I guess Brulato picked it up when Pedigree let go of the collection.

 

So ...

[Bomber-Bob]

That bump from 9.6 to 9.8 on this book is a difference of $200,000.00. That's a big decision for a grader to make. Had to be stressful.

Doesn't this only prove that you are just paying for a number? The book that was once a 9.6 shapeshifted into a 9.8, but nothing actually changed with the book. Suddenly it is now worth a house more than it was previously. I don't have a dog in the fight though so let the rich pay whatever they want to feel like they have the best.

 

Totally agreeing with you but would like to point out that the same thing is happening on lower grades. Why only be critical of the uber grades ? Any book that has been worked on has been shapeshifted (your term) into something it was not originally. 8.5's morphing into 9.4's is more common than you think. The people buying these 9.4's are just as gullible as the people buying the 9.8's.

[lou_fine]

 

The difference between 9.6 and 9.8 is so small. I don't think a bribe is even necessary. Simple human judgment will put you on the top side of that equation at least 1 out of 5 times I would imagine.

 

So just keep submitting it until the 9.8 rolls around? It would cost a lot of $ to keep submitting a comic like this, and wouldn't they start to get a little suspicious seeing an ultra high TOS 39 come rolling through? But, if it finally happened..... it would be worth it.

 

 

I believe this was exactly how Doug Schmell was able to get his Pacific Coast copy of X-Men 1 to eventually go from a 9.6 grade up to a 9.8 grade.

 

Submitted it countless times until he finally got lucky and it hit the magic 9.8 number.

 

Any bets that the graders knew it was the exact same book going through and also who the owner of the book was.

[Bomber-Bob]

 

I believe this was exactly how Doug Schmell was able to get his Pacific Coast copy of X-Men 1 to eventually go from a 9.6 grade up to a 9.8 grade.

 

Submitted it countless times until he finally got lucky and it hit the magic 9.8 number.

 

 

Doug's business model is to buy high grade books to resub, often multiple times. He can justify the cost with volume buys, leveraging slightly below FMV prices, and runs his own auction site. Hey, this is the state of the hobby. Do you really think most of the 9.8's out there got the grade on the first try ?

[Rip]

 

I believe this was exactly how Doug Schmell was able to get his Pacific Coast copy of X-Men 1 to eventually go from a 9.6 grade up to a 9.8 grade.

 

Submitted it countless times until he finally got lucky and it hit the magic 9.8 number.

 

 

Do you really think most of the 9.8's out there got the grade on the first try ?

 

Or most any high dollar book.

[tth2]

Do you really think most of the 9.8's out there got the grade on the first try ?

I`ve received plenty of 9.8s on first submission. I`ve never once pressed or resubbed a book.

[LordRahl]

Do you really think most of the 9.8's out there got the grade on the first try ?

I`ve received plenty of 9.8s on first submission. I`ve never once pressed or resubbed a book.

 

I completely agree. Most 9.8's DID receive a 9.8 on the first try. Sure for a 5-6 figure book, there is lots of financial incentive to resub. But a 2-3 hundred dollar book? And the vast majority of 9.8 books fall in the hundreds of dollars end of the spectrum than the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars end.

[Sqeggs]

Do you really think most of the 9.8's out there got the grade on the first try ?

I`ve received plenty of 9.8s on first submission. I`ve never once pressed or resubbed a book.

 

I completely agree. Most 9.8's DID receive a 9.8 on the first try. Sure for a 5-6 figure book, there is lots of financial incentive to resub. But a 2-3 hundred dollar book? And the vast majority of 9.8 books fall in the hundreds of dollars end of the spectrum than the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars end.

 

Are we talking SA keys and semi-keys or just all SA books?

[Silver Surfer]

That bump from 9.6 to 9.8 on this book is a difference of $200,000.00. That's a big decision for a grader to make. Had to be stressful.

 

The grader is only supposed to grade the book that is in front of them and is not supposed to know anything about the history (i.e. previous grade) of the book.

 

I seriously find it hard to believe that the graders wouldn't know who submitted such a high profile book. It would be lunch time chatter if they didn't. Certainly a submission that like that would take top priority and all hands would be on deck.

[namisgr]

Do you really think most of the 9.8's out there got the grade on the first try ?

I`ve received plenty of 9.8s on first submission. I`ve never once pressed or resubbed a book.

 

I completely agree. Most 9.8's DID receive a 9.8 on the first try. Sure for a 5-6 figure book, there is lots of financial incentive to resub. But a 2-3 hundred dollar book? And the vast majority of 9.8 books fall in the hundreds of dollars end of the spectrum than the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars end.

 

Having never received a 9.8 grade on any of hundreds of SA submissions, I'll have to accept from your experiences that I was unlucky, or just didn't have nice enough material. I do know that a few of my submissions wound up being regraded as 9.8s, presumably after having been pressed. A couple became the lone 9.8 copies in the CGC census, like my old JIM #115 from the Pacific Coast collection purchased before CGC was formed. While a handful were higher valued books worth thousands as 9.8s, a few others weren't quite as valuable.

 

Regardless, I see signs of probable pressing on so many high grade SA Marvels sporting both 9.8 grades and below that I believe it's increasingly difficult to find them in their native, unmanipulated state. A little bit of gentle cover overhang is natural in SA Marvels, but won't get you the vaunted 9.8 number on your slab unless it's been 'starched' away like an ironed shirt collar.

[otherworldsj33]

I got completely out of collecting and buying graded copies about 8 years ago. The thought of the manipulations sickens me. Took the joy of owning high grade books from me. And I had a ton of them at one time. It's all around (mostly raw) 7.0's and down for me now. I was so disgusted back then I even set fire to three higher graded Batman's.

At the time I had stated on these boards that it would harm the hobby in the long term; obviously I was wrong. I still think it is insanity to pay 200K more for a book because of such a small uptick in grade, even more so because it is based on a another man's perception on a given day.

But then again I think a lot of books are now over priced. I just can't see how this continues across the board like this for another 10 years. Still, It looks like it will. The world is going crazy.

Anyway, I got way off subject. Regardless 9.6, 9.8, the book is a beauty. It is a previlige for the owner to possess such an artifact of pop culture and Americana. Congrats to whoever owns that book and enjoy your windfall.

 

 

[01TheDude]

shame on you if you actually burned three Batman comics for any reason.

[Bomber-Bob]

Do you really think most of the 9.8's out there got the grade on the first try ?

I`ve received plenty of 9.8s on first submission. I`ve never once pressed or resubbed a book.

 

I completely agree. Most 9.8's DID receive a 9.8 on the first try. Sure for a 5-6 figure book, there is lots of financial incentive to resub. But a 2-3 hundred dollar book? And the vast majority of 9.8 books fall in the hundreds of dollars end of the spectrum than the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars end.

 

Are we talking SA keys and semi-keys or just all SA books?

 

When I made my comment, I was thinking about SA keys, like the TOS 39 of this thread.