Universal 8.5 with a detached centerfold. Should this have been a green label? 3 3

[Automatic_Comics]

I just saw this book sell on Heritage and I was very surprised by the grade. It has a detached centerfold but got an 8.5 universal label. My understanding has been that a 7.0 is the highest grade a book with a detached centerfold can achieve. Is it possible this should have been a green label? Or have others seen a detached centerfold receive a grade this high?

 The book looks nice, but when you zoom in, it appears there's a small tear on the bottom edge below the "old witch" and there are a few spine ticks/etc.

Edited May 10, 2021 by tprotpro

[Lightning55]

Maybe it is supposed to be Green, but they slabbed it in Blue by mistake.  You can look up the cert. no. to find out.  Too small to read in your example.

[Tony S]

As various defects go - a detached centerfold seems on the minor side to me. Others may feel differently. But clearly CGC with this book believed 8.5 was the grade. 

I could make out the certification number. It is a universal grade. It was not supposed to be a green label. 

https://www.cgccomics.com/certlookup/1239659013/
 

[theCapraAegagrus]

Over-graded IMO.

[Automatic_Comics]

On 5/10/2021 at 1:50 AM, Tony S said:

As various defects go - a detached centerfold seems on the minor side to me. Others may feel differently. But clearly CGC with this book believed 8.5 was the grade. 

I could make out the certification number. It is a universal grade. It was not supposed to be a green label. 

https://www.cgccomics.com/certlookup/1239659013/
 

I've seen  similar mistakes in the past. So I wouldn't necessarily assume it was meant to be a blue label 8.5. I saw a blue label 9.4 (I believe it was 9.2-9.6), Very Gary unboxed it live on his channel) Ms Marvel 1 with a detached bottom staple. It clearly was supposed to be green since you'll never get that high of a grade with a detached bottom staple on the cover. Which is why I'm asking if anyone has any actual examples of a blue label detached centerfold grading this high. Or if someone from CGC can chime in.

[Automatic_Comics]

On 5/10/2021 at 12:39 AM, Lightning55 said:

Maybe it is supposed to be Green, but they slabbed it in Blue by mistake.  You can look up the cert. no. to find out.  Too small to read in your example.

I looked up the cert. It's certed as universal. But I don't think that really confirms anything.

You can see the book here for a higher res pic:

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/horror/vault-of-horror-19-ec-1951-cgc-vf-85-cream-to-off-white-pages/a/122119-13519.s?

[MatterEaterLad]

*puts on tinfoil hat*

Remember a few years ago there was an unscrupulous grading agency that was giving inflated grades to collectibles and then selling them through a 3rd party?

PGX? 

No, that was the co-owner of Heritage. 

Okay, PGX probably did it too, but the co-owner of Heritage created a coin grading agency that was actually shut down by the FTC because he was overgrading his own collectibles and selling them at auction. He's also co-owner of CGC. That glaring conflict-of-interest and track record of fraud is why I'm always leery of stuff like this on auction at Heritage.

*removes tinfoil hat*

Edited May 11, 2021 by MatterEaterLad

[Randall Ries]

51 minutes ago, MatterEaterLad said:

there was an unscrupulous grading agency that was giving inflated grades to collectibles and then selling them through a 3rd party?

the co-owner of Heritage. 

the co-owner of Heritage created a coin grading agency that was actually shut down by the FTC because he was overgrading his own collectibles and selling them at auction. He's also co-owner of CGC.

 

glaring conflict-of-interest and track record of fraud

Fun stuff.