"U" next to issue number and slab questions 0

[wildgrind]

Hey all,

A few questions and hopefully I can get some clarification. I am new to comic book collecting, but so far having a great time and love the helpfulness in the community. I was looking at an online auction and noticed "Web of Spider-Man (1985 1st Series) 119U CGC 9.8" Not Polybagged

My question here is, (1) what does the "U' next to the 119 mean? I have never seen that before and wasn't sure if there is an issue with out the "U". (2) If there are just standard issues without the "U" (Or other letters) do they hold more value?

Additionally, (3) why does it say not polybagged? (4) Does that make a difference regarding the value of the comic and is polybagged vs. non-polybagged an influence to your decision on buying slabbed comic books (Yes, I know the answers will be subjective, but I want to hear what people have to say).

Lastly, one of the comics I am looking at says next to the description "Slab: Scuffing to inner well of case". Again, I am sure this is subjective and people will say it depends on what the owner wants or as long as the comic is not damaged then you'll be fine, etc. I would ideally like to know if bidding on items such as this are worthwhile since you are already aware there is some sort of defect with the item (i.e. scuffing to inner well of case). If you are aware of a defect, is it better to try and still secure that item or hope for one in better condition later on down the road (I know this is a difficult question to even begin to answer). Also, my understanding is that CGC would replace the slab (at a cost), but would the comic need to be regraded. 

Just a newbie trying to navigate through this new adventure!

Thoughts, comments, and suggestions are all welcome! Thank you!

[shadroch]

That book was originally distributed in a plastic bag and came with a few goodies.  If it is in the original bag, it would be 119P. When it is just the raw book, taken from the bag and without whatever goodies it came with, it is 119U.

Different dealers and auction houses may use slightly different codes for these.

Normally, a bag that came polybagged loses value when it is opened, but since CGC doesn't grade polybagged books, you can't get a 9.8 pollybagged copy. The question is will a CGC 9.8 book be worth more than the original pollybagged version. I can't answer that.

In most cases, you can simply get a scruffed up slab re-slabbed without it being regraded, but CGC reserves the right to regrade if the book itself was damaged.

Edited January 2, 2021 by shadroch

[Get Marwood & I]

48 minutes ago, wildgrind said:

Hey all,

A few questions and hopefully I can get some clarification. I am new to comic book collecting, but so far having a great time and love the helpfulness in the community. I was looking at an online auction and noticed "Web of Spider-Man (1985 1st Series) 119U CGC 9.8" Not Polybagged

My question here is, (1) what does the "U' next to the 119 mean? I have never seen that before and wasn't sure if there is an issue with out the "U". (2) If there are just standard issues without the "U" (Or other letters) do they hold more value?

Additionally, (3) why does it say not polybagged? (4) Does that make a difference regarding the value of the comic and is polybagged vs. non-polybagged an influence to your decision on buying slabbed comic books (Yes, I know the answers will be subjective, but I want to hear what people have to say).

Hello Wildgrind, and welcome to the forum

Web of Spider-Man #119 can be purchased as a Direct Edition, Newsstand Edition or a Polybagged Edition (which has two comics in the bag, Web #119 and a Marvel Milestone reprint of ASM #150):

    
           Direct Edition                        Newsstand Edition              Polybagged Copy

The 'U' you refer to is almost certainly being used in the eBay auction to signify that the comic in the lot in question is 'unbagged', i.e. it is not the polybagged edition. Some online sellers will do things like that to give the buyer a clue as to the edition type, especially where no image of the comic is present (a 'P' would indicate the Polybag is present for example).

In respect of value, most sellers are fairly indifferent when it comes to Direct Editions vs Newsstand Editions. But some collectors seek the newsstand editions and may pay a premium to secure them due to their comparative scarcity around this period (have a check of eBay copies for Web #119 and you'll see the Directs outweigh the Newsstands by some margin).

The Polybagged version will appeal to certain collectors too, especially those we call 'completists', i.e. collectors who have to have every type of the same comic. I was once a Spidey completist, and I owned all three versions of this comic.

Only you can decide what you want to collect, what appeals to you, and how much you are prepared to pay for items which are comparatively harder to find.

In respect of slabbing, CGC do not slab comics in their polybags - if you send one in, they will remove it from the polybag before slabbing it. So you will never see a polybagged comic in a CGC slab. 

Quote

Lastly, one of the comics I am looking at says next to the description "Slab: Scuffing to inner well of case". Again, I am sure this is subjective and people will say it depends on what the owner wants or as long as the comic is not damaged then you'll be fine, etc. I would ideally like to know if bidding on items such as this are worthwhile since you are already aware there is some sort of defect with the item (i.e. scuffing to inner well of case). If you are aware of a defect, is it better to try and still secure that item or hope for one in better condition later on down the road (I know this is a difficult question to even begin to answer). Also, my understanding is that CGC would replace the slab (at a cost), but would the comic need to be regraded. 

Just a newbie trying to navigate through this new adventure!

Thoughts, comments, and suggestions are all welcome! Thank you!

If a slabbed book has scuffing to the inner well that, by definition, is CGC's fault if the case hasn't been tampered with. You can't scratch the inside yourself, only the outside, so that damage would have happened while CGC were encapsulating the comic. Some collectors are rightly fussy about scratches and scuffs on slabs as the cases are meant to showcase the comic, not detract from them. So if scuffing bothers you, look for an unscuffed copy. 

I don't know if CGC will reholder a slab which has inner scuffing for free if you are not the original owner - you'll have to give them a call on that - but they certainly can reholder a comic without having to regrade it if the comic itself shows no sign of post-slabbing damage. They just replace the case.

Hope that helps 

[Get Marwood & I]

There you go @wildgrind, you've got two answers - Shadroch snuck in while I was typing 

[wildgrind]

I truly appreciate the amazing clarification and insight. Like I said previously, I am quite new to all of this so any help is truly appreciated! This community has been remarkable!

[wildgrind]

Hey! I have another question that I hope I could get answered. I’m looking at “Spider-Man (1990) 1AU”

 

I was wondering what the “A” is. The descriptor says the comic is the “unbagged” edition which is the “U” that was explained earlier in the post, but not sure what the “A” stands for.

 

Additionally, I see the same comic listed as 1Silver, which has a clarifier of silver edition. I suppose that’s just an additional variation of that specific comic with just a different cover?

 

I also saw a few Marvel Zombies comics that say 4A, 5A, etc. Do those “A”s mean the same thing that the Spider-Man 1AU mean? 

Any feedback is appreciated!!

[steveinthecity]

The “A” is the edition without a barcode. “AP” is polybagged with no barcode, “AU” is bagged, no barcode

The “B” for this issue is the version with a barcode with the “P” and “A” referring to bagged and unbagged respectively.

Yes, the “1Silver” is a different colored version of the cover.

For the Marvel Zombies, the letter refers to the different printing and different cover variant. The letters don’t always mean the same thing from comic to comic, but are assigned sequentially to differentiate between different covers that may share the same issue number or are exclusives made for Dynamic Forces, NY ComicCon, etc.   An example to look at is Archie(2015).  The first issue has 32 different covers and there’s only 26 letters in the alphabet, so there’s further descriptors on several books(there’s a “1B” and a “1BAM” for instance, and neither was polybagged).

 

Hope I didn’t confuse things.  It’s just different ways to denote multiple versions of the same issue number.  

Edited January 13, 2021 by steveinthecity
clarity?

[shadroch]

What he said. 

[Get Marwood & I]

2 hours ago, steveinthecity said:

It’s just different ways to denote multiple versions of the same issue number.  

Spot on Steve