Does CGC mark down a minor flaw that could have been corrected by pressing more than they used to? 3 3

[kcm54]

NCB bends, particularly.  I just got a few books back that looked like 9.8, but it seems that there were some tiny spine indentations that would obviously go away with pressing.  More grader's notes would have been helpful.

[theCapraAegagrus]

Based on their backlog, I doubt it.

[buttock]

On 10/1/2021 at 12:28 AM, kcm54 said:

NCB bends, particularly.  I just got a few books back that looked like 9.8, but it seems that there were some tiny spine indentations that would obviously go away with pressing.  More grader's notes would have been helpful.

It depends on what time frame you're considering, but IMO yes.  They prefer books that have been absolutely pancaked over those that haven't.  

[The Lions Den]

On 10/1/2021 at 2:28 AM, kcm54 said:

NCB bends, particularly.  I just got a few books back that looked like 9.8, but it seems that there were some tiny spine indentations that would obviously go away with pressing.  More grader's notes would have been helpful.

What grades did they receive?  

[FFB]

On 10/1/2021 at 11:13 AM, buttock said:

It depends on what time frame you're considering, but IMO yes.  They prefer books that have been absolutely pancaked over those that haven't.  

I don't think they mark it down so much as they probably say to themselves, "Dang, this is exactly the kind of stuff we get rid of at CCS and that tons of other pressers can get rid of.  WTF?  Ok, but it's still a nice book with a few NCB spine tics and a couple NCB finger bends and a very slightly soft spine corner, so I'll say 9.4."  That's probably the biggest difference in how they view it now vs. 15 years ago.   

 

[buttock]

On 10/3/2021 at 1:36 AM, FFB said:

I don't think they mark it down so much as they probably say to themselves, "Dang, this is exactly the kind of stuff we get rid of at CCS and that tons of other pressers can get rid of.  WTF?  Ok, but it's still a nice book with a few NCB spine tics and a couple NCB finger bends and a very slightly soft spine corner, so I'll say 9.4."  That's probably the biggest difference in how they view it now vs. 15 years ago.   

 

At some point every grader will start to think that pressed books are how HG books should look.  The idea of the strictly graded 1st gen label is silly now.  Those books were given leeway for pressable defects.  Send them in now in the same condition and they'll be dinged heavily.  It's a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy.  

[lostboys]

Yep. Press or else...

[FFB]

On 10/3/2021 at 3:34 PM, buttock said:

At some point every grader will start to think that pressed books are how HG books should look.  The idea of the strictly graded 1st gen label is silly now.  Those books were given leeway for pressable defects.  Send them in now in the same condition and they'll be dinged heavily.  It's a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy.  

I have a red (Modern) label 9.4 that definitely looks like a pretty soft 9.4 based on today's standards, so maybe there is something to that.  But I've also seen plenty of newer label books, including a new label X-Men 94 CGC 8.5 that a friend of mine cracked open the other day, that was obviously not pressed and was a pretty soft 8.5.  I was fairly surprised it didn't get dinged more for the NCB bends on the cover.  

[lou_fine]

If the rumours are true about how far backed up CGC is in terms of their grading due in large part to the rather crazy prices that books are fetching nowadays, my bet is that this time period is not going to be the best for grading accuracy and consistency. 

Especially when they are in such a rush and apparently short staffed at the same time, as a lot of vacant job positions including key ones auch as vintage comic book grader(s) continues to go unfilled. 

[lou_fine]

On 10/3/2021 at 3:34 PM, buttock said:

The idea of the strictly graded 1st gen label is silly now.  Those books were given leeway for pressable defects.  Send them in now in the same condition and they'll be dinged heavily.

 

On 10/4/2021 at 6:43 AM, lostboys said:

Yep. Press or else...

Well, it is a business after all, and NCB's are pretty much a license for them to print money.  

I think pretty much everybody here saw this coming when CCG bought out Matt Nelson's Classics Incorporated and turned it into CCS as one of their subsidary companies in conjunction with CGC.  What some here would call a conflict of interest, I am sure is really viewed by them as nothing more than the realization of business synergies on their part.  

[grendelbo]

Yes.

[Tony S]

my opinion is it has nothing to do with pressing. CGC is just very strict right now - especially on on moderns and even more especially on the 9.8 grade. 

[namisgr]

On 10/3/2021 at 6:34 PM, buttock said:

At some point every grader will start to think that pressed books are how HG books should look.  The idea of the strictly graded 1st gen label is silly now.  Those books were given leeway for pressable defects.  Send them in now in the same condition and they'll be dinged heavily.  It's a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy.  

Good points.

There's also been 20 years of selection bias, and I think the population of old label comics is very different now than it used to be back in the 2000s.  By now a very high proportion of the old label comics that were undergraded or hammered for pressable defects have been cracked, pressed, and resubmitted.  What's left is a pool of old label slabs that overwhelmingly lack the potential to be upgraded, including the subset that may have been softly graded to begin with.  Being averse to pressing, I looked for upgrades from straight resubmissions, and remember fondly my ASM14 in a 9.0 old label that I thought had been strictly graded receiving a 9.4 along with its new label.

Old label goodness used to be real, and was exploited for years by dealers, flippers, and collectors alike.  But not any more with what's left in an old label slab in 2021.  The population has been depleted of most of its 'potential'.

Edited October 6, 2021 by namisgr

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

On 10/5/2021 at 10:26 PM, Tony S said:

my opinion is it has nothing to do with pressing. CGC is just very strict right now - especially on on moderns and even more especially on the 9.8 grade. 

Do you Promise?

[buttock]

On 10/6/2021 at 4:06 AM, namisgr said:

Good points.

There's also been 20 years of selection bias, and I think the population of old label comics is very different now than it used to be back in the 2000s.  By now a very high proportion of the old label comics that were undergraded or hammered for pressable defects have been cracked, pressed, and resubmitted.  What's left is a pool of old label slabs that overwhelmingly lack the potential to be upgraded, including the subset that may have been softly graded to begin with.  Being averse to pressing, I looked for upgrades from straight resubmissions, and remember fondly my ASM14 in a 9.0 old label that I thought had been strictly graded receiving a 9.4 along with its new label.

Old label goodness used to be real, and was exploited for years by dealers, flippers, and collectors alike.  But not any more with what's left in an old label slab in 2021.  The population has been depleted of most of its 'potential'.

You're probably right.  Then there are the dummies like me who never bother to resubmit, reholder, or CPR.  

[justafan]

The only exceptions might be OO-OS (Original Owner Original Submitter) pre-CCS buyout and before when pressing was not as common/convenient, old labels that havent seen the light of day since they were first submitted. I.e. never been sold/resold. Finding and discerning those will b just as difficult as finding a good CPR candidate now a days.

[joeypost]

Who is the acting president of CGC?

[grendelbo]

On 10/7/2021 at 4:04 PM, joeypost said:

Who is the acting president of CGC?

Winnah.

[Tony S]

On 10/7/2021 at 5:04 PM, joeypost said:

Who is the acting president of CGC?

Who said he's acting??