Attic find! Superman 1 (V2) 9.9 with a “modern grade” label 0

[LDarkseid1]

28 minutes ago, valiantman said:

The only reason it should have been removed from the CGC Census is that the label was sent back to CGC (and the book was de-slabbed).  I'm wondering, though, if there weren't some records entered as "test data" that made it into the data files of the CGC Census before that test data was deleted later.

One example that I know occurred was for Adventures of Superman #500 (the white bag edition, Reign of the Supermen) where the database showed 20 copies graded as CGC 0.5, which would make no sense because the book was basically worthless in 2003 (and pretty close to worthless today).  No one would submit 20 copies that grade CGC 0.5 for that book, but it was on the CGC Census in 2003. 

http://www.cgcdata.com/cgc/search/comicid/1646

I asked CGC about those when I found that recorded back in 2003 and I was told that CGC had created "sample slabs" to show off the product with random books in them (and random grades) but they entered them in the database as Adventures of Superman #500 CGC 0.5 because that's the kind of book they never expected anyone to submit... so it was "test data" that represented "sample slabs".  

I own one of those:

You can see what the book is --- Superman #78 CGC 9.8, but the CGC serial number points to Adventures of Superman #500 CGC 0.0.

https://www.cgccomics.com/certlookup/0010955001/

Since CGC 0.0 isn't a grade, these were reported as CGC 0.5 in the 2003 CGC Census.  The fun part is that the book is clearly from 1999-2001 based on the old red label, but the CGC Grade Date currently shows March 2012... so that particular test record has been altered/edited/tested again to have 2012 entered as the grading date.  It's possible it was part of a database update or an accident, since the "next" serial number in that series doesn't have a grade date at all. 

https://www.cgccomics.com/certlookup/0010955002/

Long story short, I think the CGC 10.0 Superman #1 (1987) could have been an actual copy that was de-slabbed and the CGC label returned, or it could have just been a "test record" in the CGC database that was deleted later (with or without an accompanying CGC sample slab of some other/unknown book out in the world).

Interesting, yeah could definitely be the case. There’s nothing I could think of, even back then that would persuade someone to resubmit a 10.0. So maybe a test sample makes sense. I mean only conceivable reason would maybe be to add signatures, but even then would be such an immense risk.

[valiantman]

9 minutes ago, LDarkseid1 said:

There’s nothing I could think of, even back then that would persuade someone to resubmit a 10.0. So maybe a test sample makes sense. I mean only conceivable reason would maybe be to add signatures, but even then would be such an immense risk.

I think one of the original ideas for CGC was to consider them only "temporarily" slabbed for the purpose of an agreed condition for a book being sold/shipped and to de-slab them once they reached their destination. Before CGC, buying comics online always meant buying raw books that someone else had graded and receiving it into your (raw) collection, usually with a new bag/board, and deciding if it was correctly graded in your opinion.  Once CGC came around, you could buy comics online that CGC had graded (rather than the seller's opinion of his own book).  I think CGC and a lot of dealers were thinking the CGC slab would just be an "extra packaging" that people would discard when they threw away the shipping box and the styrofoam, and the buyers would put the comics into their collections with new bags/boards just like every other comic they bought.

Edited January 4, 2021 by valiantman

[LDarkseid1]

8 minutes ago, valiantman said:

I think one of the original ideas for CGC was to consider them only "temporarily" slabbed for the purpose of an agreed condition for a book being sold/shipped and to de-slab them once they reached their destination. Before CGC, buying comics online always meant buying raw books that someone else had graded and receiving it into your (raw) collection, usually with a new bag/board, and deciding if it was correctly graded in your opinion.  Once CGC came around, you could buy comics online that CGC had graded (rather than the seller's opinion of his own book).  I think CGC and a lot of dealers were thinking the CGC slab would just be an "extra packaging" that people would discard when they threw away the shipping box and the styrofoam, and the buyers would put the comics into their collections with new bags/boards just like every other comic they bought.

Wow, didn’t know that.

[valiantman]

9 minutes ago, LDarkseid1 said:

18 minutes ago, valiantman said:

I think one of the original ideas for CGC was to consider them only "temporarily" slabbed for the purpose of an agreed condition for a book being sold/shipped and to de-slab them once they reached their destination. Before CGC, buying comics online always meant buying raw books that someone else had graded and receiving it into your (raw) collection, usually with a new bag/board, and deciding if it was correctly graded in your opinion.  Once CGC came around, you could buy comics online that CGC had graded (rather than the seller's opinion of his own book).  I think CGC and a lot of dealers were thinking the CGC slab would just be an "extra packaging" that people would discard when they threw away the shipping box and the styrofoam, and the buyers would put the comics into their collections with new bags/boards just like every other comic they bought.

Wow, didn’t know that.

There was also an idea that the white paper included by CGC (inside the cover) to soak up acid from the pages would need to be replaced within 7 years, so I think that also caused people to just open the slabs when they bought them and use mylar/boards that wouldn't need to be replaced.