Bought a CGC 9.8 but... 0

[Mercury Man]

5 hours ago, AndyFish said:

9.8 is a 10.0 with flaws.

Or a 9.9 with flaws         

[Chudders]

As a relative newbie, I have to say I don't expect 9.8s to be perfect.  I get there are two higher grades : )  I have made efforts to educate myself, but it's not easy in a world of conflicting views.

What is difficult for me is trying to determine some semblance of what the rules and guidelines are. I have familiarised myself with the Overstreet Guide and examples, which I found to be really helpful.  However, I appreciate CGC does not use the OS Guide. 

The 9.8 book I received is a good case in point.  Most of what I have read and understood before would lead me to believe the three faults I found would leave 9.8 beyond the reach of the book.  Experienced people on this one thread have given different opinions.  I have also asked in other circles and received some strongly asserted feedback, that doesn't align with some of the suggestions on here.

When I look at books I own, a lot of my 9.8s are almost perfect.  I have an ASM Dell'Otto Virgin Variant that looks just as crisp and free of problems as my 9,8s, but received a 9.6.  Yet, I receive a 9.8 with two colour-breaking spine stresses and a tiny corner crease and it achieves 9.8?  It seems to me that at the highest grades there is not an enormous level of consistency and not a great deal of consensus...

Interestingly, the seller had kindly agreed to accept a return and believes some damage must have occurred during shipping (the box did arrive battered and bruised)...so maybe he agrees it doesn't meet 9.8 standards anymore?

As some general feedback to the forum (based on some of the posts I read, not just this one), there are some really helpful and supportive people -  and I really appreciate how they freely give their time to assist us learners.  There are others who seem to come from a 'look at this insufficiently_thoughtful_person's post' perspective, which is a bit off-putting.  This is the Newbie's area of the board and some of us are trying to learn the ropes...do cut us a bit of slack...grading seems to be art rather than science.

Thanks and peace to all.