Heritage Marvel Comics 1 CGC 9.0 161K???

[adamstrange]

Buy more comics with Adam Strange.

 

[october]

Buy more comics with Adam Strange.

 

 

Actually, I have had my eye on Strange Adventures 217.

[esquirecomics]

I certainly trust CGC to at least be able to tell me whether there is a defect inside the book. I have never once heard or read on these boards that CGC has missed problems from within the book itself, i.e., a tear, coupon missing, etc. And though this is certainly a possibility the odds of this occurring, I would submit, are very, very low and I am definitely willing to assume that risk.

 

An example of a missed interior defect was pointed out to me by another forumite.

 

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/sho...part=1&vc=1

 

I am not surprised, nor concerned, by this example. I am sure there are others. But I do feel confident enough, based on available evidence, to believe that CGC painstakingly reviews those books of significant value (and no doubt all others that generally fall below) to ensure all pages are present.

[skybolt]

Or is it that we're pointing out things that you don't want to see?

 

Bingo. When you reveal out flaws in a system that people have spent years and thousands of dollars buying into, you are going to get a lot of backlash. I have noticed it especially in Delekkerste's case. It's a shame when people are flamed for voicing negative (or objective) viewpoints because all that really does is stifle worthwhile discussion. How much value would a conversation on here have if everyone just slapped each other on the backs in regards to their purchases? Personally, I wecome criticisms of my buying habits, I find them interesting. It's how I learn and how I will ultimately become a smarter buyer.

 

I avoid criticizing people's buying habits unless I understand what their goals are. My point was that people waste money on any number of silly things and comics aren't much different. If you've got no job, and a wife and kids dependent on you and you're trying to make a killing buying comics, then I'll be the first to opine that it might not be a good strategy. Happily, I don't think that everyone on the boards fits that profile.

 

I am just pointing out that people with a large stake in something (be it comics or otherwise) are often unreceptive to criticism, valid or not. Not only that, they often take it as a personal slight.

 

As for tone, people tend to get caught up in the moment and posts can end up being a little less diplomatic then they should be. I have definitely been guilty of this in the past. I guess I would just chalk it up to passion and a need for brevity. It can get pretty old qualifying every single point.

 

In the end, I post things I would like to hear myself. Regardless of my goals, if I am overpaying for a book, I want to hear about it. If people think my money and my time would be better spent chasing a "better" title, I want to hear about it. If I can get better looking books for less money elsewhere, I want to hear about it. Honestly, I like criticism. It has saved me a lot of time and money in the past.

 

That's my bo..................oh, wait a second, that's someone elses line. Sorry.

 

Good post!

[skybolt]

I certainly trust CGC to at least be able to tell me whether there is a defect inside the book. I have never once heard or read on these boards that CGC has missed problems from within the book itself, i.e., a tear, coupon missing, etc. And though this is certainly a possibility the odds of this occurring, I would submit, are very, very low and I am definitely willing to assume that risk.

 

An example of a missed interior defect was pointed out to me by another forumite.

 

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/sho...part=1&vc=1

 

I am not surprised, nor concerned, by this example. I am sure there are others. But I do feel confident enough, based on available evidence, to believe that CGC painstakingly reviews those books of significant value (and no doubt all others that generally fall below) to ensure all pages are present.

 

This is a little off topic, but as long as we're discussing CGC grading, I just wanted to mention that the page quality is sometimes factored into the final grade as well. For instance, I purchased a GA book that was graded as VF by the dealer. Since the book had no visible flaws on the front and back covers, I agreed with the grade. However, since the book came back with brittle pages it was downgraded to 4.0. The only problem I have with this scenario is that most buyers would think that the brittle pages are in addition to the book being a 4.0, which is not the case. So I wonder when CGC starts to downgrade for page quality...........Light Tan, slightly brittle pages, etc.?

[rjpb]

I know I factor in page quality to some degree when grading - even on low grade books. If I have a comic that looks like a 2.0, but has off-white to white pages, I'm likely to call it a 2.5, conversely if I have a book that looks like an 8.0 structurally, but has tanned pages, I'll probably knock it down to the 6.0-7.0 range. A book's grade is the sum total of all it's flaws and plusses. Often it's a gut feeling, but everything from structure, eye-appeal, page quality, gloss and color, printing defects, centering, suppleness, tape, stamps, writing, even smell should be at least considered when grading a book. Sometimes it's easier to give a comic an "otherwise" or "qualified" grade, than just picking a number, and I'll be the first to admit I don't have a firm set of criteria for a given grade- but then I don't think CGC does either.

[goldust40]

I'll be the first to admit I don't have a firm set of criteria for a given grade- but then I don't think CGC does either.

 

Very good post - a lot of grading (whilst trying to avoid qualifiers) involves a certain amount of instinctive appraisal. And yes, CGC's criteria is presumably not set in stone for this very reason.

[heartened]

I know I factor in page quality to some degree when grading - even on low grade books. If I have a comic that looks like a 2.0, but has off-white to white pages, I'm likely to call it a 2.5, conversely if I have a book that looks like an 8.0 structurally, but has tanned pages, I'll probably knock it down to the 6.0-7.0 range. A book's grade is the sum total of all it's flaws and plusses. Often it's a gut feeling, but everything from structure, eye-appeal, page quality, gloss and color, printing defects, centering, suppleness, tape, stamps, writing, even smell should be at least considered when grading a book. Sometimes it's easier to give a comic an "otherwise" or "qualified" grade, than just picking a number, and I'll be the first to admit I don't have a firm set of criteria for a given grade- but then I don't think CGC does either.

 

Only recently (last 10 years?) have we given two grades to a comic:

 

1. structural defects

2. page quality

 

In the past, the two criteria were merged together to get an overall grade.

[PedigreeMan]

I bought several books north of $1k in the pre-CGC days, and felt comfortable enough with my ability to detect restoration to do it. I did end up getting those books slabbed, and they all came back as unrestored, blue labels. I've also plopped down $1k+ on a slabbed book or two since CGC's inception, and at this point I would not buy such an expensive book without it being slabbed...

 

Banner,

 

I'm curious as to what changed your attitude on buying raw, especially if your grading and restoration detection skills are verifiably top notch? What is CGC providing you that you don't already have?

 

Alan

[tth2]

Only recently (last 10 years?) have we given two grades to a comic:

 

1. structural defects

2. page quality

 

In the past, the two criteria were merged together to get an overall grade.

Yeah, mid-90s sounds about right. PCE was the first dealer I remember that prominently broke out the structural grade and the OWL rating for the pages.

[Rip]

Classic

 

http://forum.stlcomics.com/viewtopic.php?t=2150

[delekkerste]

As an aside, Gene hasn't been on the boards lately because he's on vacation. How do I know this? Because he passed through Hong Kong last week and came over to Casa Tim for an afternoon, where we hung out and shot the sh-it. He's probably leaving Vietnam as I speak and heading to Korea.

 

Do we have proof he was alive when he left.

 

S.O.S. S.O.S S.O.S.

 

I've been tied up in Tim's basement next to a stack of 1960s DCs for the past 10 days. All I said was that I thought that Silver Age DCs were unreadable dreck and the guy totally flipped out on me. The guy is nuts, I tell you, nuts!! I managed to chew off enough of my own flesh to wriggle a hand free and type this message. Please call the Hong Kong authorities immediately!

 

Just kidding...it was definitely cool to meet Tim in person and hopefully we'll see him on this side of the world at the 2006 SDCC Forum Dinner.