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I Paid $1,200 for a 9.6 in a 9.8 Slab =(
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Started by Drake Dragoon,

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Drake Dragoon

Drake Dragoon

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Posted

I just paid $1,200 for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Comic Issue #4 1st Series that was freshly graded as a 9.8 by CGC in 4/21.

But once it arrived, I immediately noticed that it has an obvious spine crease and some piece of cardboard paper floating around inside the sealed slab.

It's basically a $400 comic that's been slabbed as a 9.8. And as a serious collector, I feel like I just got ripped off BIG TIME!

I can't blame the eBay seller since the slab doesn't appear to have been tampered with. But I can't, in good conscience, resell this comic as NM+ 9.8, despite the horribly wrong grade on this slab claiming it's a 9.8.

What can I do about this? Grading a book at a 9.8 in this condition is wrong! Buyers are getting ripped off. (me)

I'm supposed to trust the grading when I see that CGC graded the book. That's why I pay a premium for graded slabs.

If I pay top dollar for a 9.8, it should actually be a 9.8.

And if having a spine crease can still pass as a 9.8. then I have a LOT more un-slabbed 9.8's in my collection than I thought.

CGC Lookup #3741199004

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KCOComics

KCOComics

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On 7/23/2021 at 5:28 PM, Drake Dragoon said:

I just paid $1,200 for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Comic Issue #4 1st Series that was freshly graded as a 9.8 by CGC in 4/21.

But once it arrived, I immediately noticed that it has an obvious spine crease and some piece of cardboard paper floating around inside the sealed slab.

It's basically a $400 comic that's been slabbed as a 9.8. And as a serious collector, I feel like I just got ripped off BIG TIME!

I can't blame the eBay seller since the slab doesn't appear to have been tampered with. But I can't, in good conscience, resell this comic as NM+ 9.8, despite the horribly wrong grade on this slab claiming it's a 9.8.

What can I do about this? Grading a book at a 9.8 in this condition is wrong! Buyers are getting ripped off. (me)

I'm supposed to trust the grading when I see that CGC graded the book. That's why I pay a premium for graded slabs.

If I pay top dollar for a 9.8, it should actually be a 9.8.

And if having a spine crease can still pass as a 9.8. then I have a LOT more un-slabbed 9.8's in my collection than I thought.

CGC Lookup #3741199004

I've seen small spine tics pass as a 9.8 as long as everything else is flawless. Perfect corners and so on. 

Pictures would help. 

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Jeffro.

Jeffro.

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Posted (edited)
On 7/28/2021 at 11:43 AM, Funnybooks said:

Pics of front and back?

I'm assuming it's this one

https://www.ebay.com/itm/402999866185?hash=item5dd4a9f349%3Ag%3AbHQAAOSwiYJg8wSr&nma=true&si=8khn%2B3XRw%2FZ%2FCK52l2pUnzMjlWw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Edited by Jeffro.
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On 7/23/2021 at 5:28 PM, Drake Dragoon said:

I just paid $1,200 for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Comic Issue #4 1st Series that was freshly graded as a 9.8 by CGC in 4/21.

But once it arrived, I immediately noticed that it has an obvious spine crease and some piece of cardboard paper floating around inside the sealed slab.

It's basically a $400 comic that's been slabbed as a 9.8. And as a serious collector, I feel like I just got ripped off BIG TIME!

I can't blame the eBay seller since the slab doesn't appear to have been tampered with. But I can't, in good conscience, resell this comic as NM+ 9.8, despite the horribly wrong grade on this slab claiming it's a 9.8.

What can I do about this? Grading a book at a 9.8 in this condition is wrong! Buyers are getting ripped off. (me)

I'm supposed to trust the grading when I see that CGC graded the book. That's why I pay a premium for graded slabs.

If I pay top dollar for a 9.8, it should actually be a 9.8.

And if having a spine crease can still pass as a 9.8. then I have a LOT more un-slabbed 9.8's in my collection than I thought.

CGC Lookup #3741199004

It can be frustrating to receive a book that doesn't look as nice in hand. I'd suggest always asking for better scans before buying if you have any doubts or concerns that the book might have defects that you just might not be able to make out in their pics. There have been plenty of 9.8 books that had no business passing as even 9.6 copies. There's at least one thread on the forums that show some serious flaws that many high grade books have been given in recent times. As far as selling to someone else, Its nice to hear that you wouldn't want to pass that on to someone else without pointing these things out, since there are more people out there that do some shady selling. As long as you post the book and point out things like "small spine ticks" or what ever minor flaws it has and you provide good pics, then you've done your job and its now in the hands of the buyer to be responsible and make sure they pay attention to what they are buying. There are several good sellers here on the boards and there are quite a few dealers out there that are very honest when it comes to their products being sold. Bob Storms from Highgradecomics and Greg Reece from Reececomics.com come to mind. A good example of that is, Reece always points out when a book has been pressed before grading and a lot of buyers find that to be relevant information. Bob Storms always makes buyers aware of any writing, tears or date stamps if it applies to said book and is as honest as they come. Perhaps sell that copy with a good description and buy one that you feel better about. 2c

Good luck with it though and welcome to the boards. 

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Asmodean

Asmodean

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If you can provide pictures that would be great so we can see.
 

However I would echo what some have already said, 9.8 is not perfect and a book can still have very minor flaws as 9.8

I can understand the expectation some people have of a 9.8 equaling perfection, but that just not the case. I blame CGC mostly for that perception since 9.9 and 10.0 seems to be almost like fairy dust and some times the difference between a 9.6/9.8/9.9/10.0 are so minute as to seem almost illusory.

 

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Funnybooks

Funnybooks

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On 7/28/2021 at 12:43 PM, Jeffro. said:

I'm assuming it's this one

https://www.ebay.com/itm/402999866185?hash=item5dd4a9f349%3Ag%3AbHQAAOSwiYJg8wSr&nma=true&si=8khn%2B3XRw%2FZ%2FCK52l2pUnzMjlWw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

If this is indeed the copy you purchased, I can see the “defects” along the spine to which you refer. They “seem” non color breaking and by definition, a 9.8 can display up to 2 very minor imperfections, which this copy appears to display. The picture quality is quite good. 

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Asmodean

Asmodean

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On 7/28/2021 at 12:55 PM, Funnybooks said:

If this is indeed the copy you purchased, I can see the “defects” along the spine to which you refer. They “seem” non color breaking and by definition, a 9.8 can display up to 2 very minor imperfections, which this copy appears to display. The picture quality is quite good. 

Totally Agree.

If that is the copy it looks like a 9.8.

To be fair to you I can understand if you think it's not to the standard you want... But you should follow the adage "Buy the book not the grade"

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Funnybooks

Funnybooks

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Posted (edited)
On 7/28/2021 at 1:06 PM, Asmodean said:

Totally Agree.

If that is the copy it looks like a 9.8.

To be fair to you I can understand if you think it's not to the standard you want... But you should follow the adage "Buy the book not the grade"

I believe this is a very fair assessment. Grading is also very much subject to individual scrutiny What may bother you may be completely innocuous to someone else. Case in point, when I look at a book prior to making a purchase, the spine is the first place I look. Spine defects bother me more than defects along the corners or edges. I would rather have a small tear, blunted corners or a piece out than a spine that looks like it’s been trampled all over. Your mileage may vary. You can always reach out to the seller but I don’t see any recourse other than to crack the book and press it and risk a regrade or resell it on eBay with a description…you may be surprised that many collectors will pick this copy up even with the imperfections. And get yourself another copy. Good luck

Edited by Funnybooks
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Hulksdaddy1

Hulksdaddy1

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On 7/28/2021 at 12:43 PM, Jeffro. said:

I'm assuming it's this one

https://www.ebay.com/itm/402999866185?hash=item5dd4a9f349%3Ag%3AbHQAAOSwiYJg8wSr&nma=true&si=8khn%2B3XRw%2FZ%2FCK52l2pUnzMjlWw%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

If that is it, it's a 9.8 all day. That little piece of carboard might be able to be fished out.

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