Commentary - CGC Should Change Its Name To "Comics Grading, LLC"

[greggy]

[esquirecomics]

Exactly.

[PovertyRow]

I still say pressing is a bigger issue and deserves a lot more press than the trimming issue. Few can trim to avoid detection. Many can press to avoid detection. Interesting thing: in some circles trimming is NOT considered restoration as it does not bring a book back to original condition., and pressing is not considered restoration because it does not add anything to a book. But both pressing and trimming sure as hell improve the appearance and the upgradability if done right.

 

See. You are delusional. Must be drinking too much Annisette.

 

You quoted yourself. I have not drunk ENOUGH anisette!

 

I quoted myself quoting you! Geez, I feel like Greggy or Darth now.

 

My thread has spiraled into [embarrassing lack of self control]!

 

See? You didn;t go back far enough to quote me after quoting me. I quote:

 

I still say pressing is a bigger issue and deserves a lot more press than the trimming issue. Few can trim to avoid detection. Many can press to avoid detection. Interesting thing: in some circles trimming is NOT considered restoration as it does not bring a book back to original condition., and pressing is not considered restoration because it does not add anything to a book. But both pressing sure as hell improve the appearance and the upgradability if done right.

::edited as I forgot to finish the pressing/trimming thing::

 

::edited to remove "and trimming" thanks to he who will be unnamed::

[The Brain]

HELLO AND WELCOME BACK TO THE BOARDS!!!!!

 

PS: Well said.

[Deathlok]

HELLO AND WELCOME BACK TO THE BOARDS!!!!!

 

PS: Well said.

 

Did the bar just let you out?

[greggy]

HELLO AND WELCOME BACK TO THE BOARDS!!!!!

 

PS: Well said.

 

Did the bar just let you out?

[The Brain]

HELLO AND WELCOME BACK TO THE BOARDS!!!!!

 

PS: Well said.

 

Did the bar just let you out?

 

People that know me Rick, know that I DO NOT DRINK, just thought that between all the banter, I would extend

 

a welcome to a member, as a way of being civil.

[esquirecomics]

I surrender.

[Deathlok]

HELLO AND WELCOME BACK TO THE BOARDS!!!!!

 

PS: Well said.

 

Did the bar just let you out?

 

People that know me Rick, know that I DO NOT DRINK, just thought that between all the banter, I would extend

 

a welcome to a member, as a way of being civil.

 

Oh okay, well that's all right then.

 

Remind me to buy you a beer at Wondercon next year.

[greggy]

HELLO AND WELCOME BACK TO THE BOARDS!!!!!

 

PS: Well said.

 

Did the bar just let you out?

 

People that know me Rick, know that I DO NOT DRINK, just thought that between all the banter, I would extend

 

a welcome to a member, as a way of being civil.

 

Oh okay, well that's all right then.

 

Remind me to buy you a beer at Wondercon next year.

[The Brain]

HELLO AND WELCOME BACK TO THE BOARDS!!!!!

 

PS: Well said.

 

Did the bar just let you out?

 

People that know me Rick, know that I DO NOT DRINK, just thought that between all the banter, I would extend

 

a welcome to a member, as a way of being civil.

 

Oh okay, well that's all right then.

 

Remind me to buy you a beer at Wondercon next year.

 

You make WonderCon Feb 10-12 2006 THE FIRST BEER IS MY TREAT.

[Deathlok]

HELLO AND WELCOME BACK TO THE BOARDS!!!!!

 

PS: Well said.

 

Did the bar just let you out?

 

People that know me Rick, know that I DO NOT DRINK, just thought that between all the banter, I would extend

 

a welcome to a member, as a way of being civil.

 

Oh okay, well that's all right then.

 

Remind me to buy you a beer at Wondercon next year.

 

You make WonderCon Feb 10-12 2006 THE FIRST BEER IS MY TREAT.

 

Depends on whether FFB lets me crash at his place or not.

[greggy]

HELLO AND WELCOME BACK TO THE BOARDS!!!!!

 

PS: Well said.

 

Did the bar just let you out?

 

People that know me Rick, know that I DO NOT DRINK, just thought that between all the banter, I would extend

 

a welcome to a member, as a way of being civil.

 

Oh okay, well that's all right then.

 

Remind me to buy you a beer at Wondercon next year.

 

You make WonderCon Feb 10-12 2006 THE FIRST BEER IS MY TREAT.

 

Depends on whether FFB lets me crash at his place or not.

[The Brain]

HELLO AND WELCOME BACK TO THE BOARDS!!!!!

 

PS: Well said.

 

Did the bar just let you out?

 

People that know me Rick, know that I DO NOT DRINK, just thought that between all the banter, I would extend

 

a welcome to a member, as a way of being civil.

 

Oh okay, well that's all right then.

 

Remind me to buy you a beer at Wondercon next year.

 

You make WonderCon Feb 10-12 2006 THE FIRST BEER IS MY TREAT.

 

Depends on whether FFB lets me crash at his place or not.

............... ............ .............. ............ HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE

 

 

 

 

NIGHT ALL..............................

[FFB]

Hey Glenn, welcome back!

[FFB]

HELLO AND WELCOME BACK TO THE BOARDS!!!!!

 

PS: Well said.

 

Did the bar just let you out?

 

People that know me Rick, know that I DO NOT DRINK, just thought that between all the banter, I would extend

 

a welcome to a member, as a way of being civil.

 

Oh okay, well that's all right then.

 

Remind me to buy you a beer at Wondercon next year.

 

You make WonderCon Feb 10-12 2006 THE FIRST BEER IS MY TREAT.

 

Depends on whether FFB lets me crash at his place or not.

 

[Timulty]

I thought it was liqueur? Besides Amaretto or Midori is much tastier. Though I can see the appeal of Angelique or Ouzo.

[Darthdiesel]

Hey Glenn, welcome back!

 

Great post Glenn!

[Stronguy]

Stop trying to make sense, Glenn. No one around here likes a guy with a level head. Either come up with some conspiracy or get the heck off the board. Geeesh!

[esquirecomics]

This particular thread, questioning the "guarantees" provided by CGC, I find particularly troubling as it implies that not only does CGC not actually guarantee anything, it promotes the idea that it guarantees that which it does not.

 

Glenn, I had not seen your original post on my thread or else I would have unquestionably responded directly to your comments. As you noted, disappointedly, there are some users on this board who seem to relish the opportunity of turning very serious discussions into childish gibberish. Unfortunately they began to do so in response to my commentary which is why I missed your post. Ironically it is some of those users who seem to have rallied around in support of your post.

 

First, I appreciate your substantive comments and your effort to continue my discussion in an intellectual manner. This is the type of discussion I hoped to engender with my posting, whether it be in support or contradictory to what I wrote.

 

That being said, with respect to your comments specifically in response to my posting I could not disagree more with what you wrote. Interestingly, there is a great deal that we do seem to agree on, particularly from what you wrote in your follow-up posts later on in this thread. I don't have a lot of time to continue this post now, so let me just hit some highlights and I will be more than willing to return to the discussion.

 

With all due respect, I view your discussion of the CGC guarantee as elementary in thought. You have described a guaranty that guarantees nothing of substance. Any comic book dealer provides the exact guarantee, other than encapsulating the book in a plastic holder, as CGC does. But dealers will provide much more and, generally, though I am sure there are exceptions, will stand by their grading and restoration detection. What CGC has done is shifted that burden back to the dealer/seller without due regard. Indeed, they have increased the burden on sellers because we have no ability to verify the interior contents of the book as being what CGC states without ruining the reason why the book is in the CGC holder to begin with.

 

The problem with CGC is that it holds itself out to be an expert. An expert in grading, which is subjective, and an expert in restoration detection, which should not be subjective. Yet it will not stand by its work. This is unacceptable.

 

Now, you and others, if you desire, can say all you want about my alleged motives, and criticize me for being critical of CGC, but you have little basis to do so given the involvement I maintain with CGC books. I sell them. I buy them. I collect them. I have not in any way pulled back on the amount of money I am willing to spend on them, and I can tell you that the amount is a lot. I have a great deal of money invested in CGC.

 

I have no desire for CGC as a company to be harmed. I have no desire for the CGC market to go down. I like CGC. I like the people who work there. And I want it to become better than it is now, which is why I am so critical of certain policies.

 

My posting said nothing of the utility of CGC. The utility is clearly there. Is it as good as you painted. I don't think so, but that is certainly open for interpretation. Nor is the question is our world better now with CGC than it was before CGC. I am sure many Germans thought 1933 was a darn good year - certainly better than the preceding ones - and we know what happened after. While I am by no means drawing that specific analogy of course, my premise is that just because CGC has moved the ball forward doesn't mean we accept every step it takes.

 

With respect to the PCS/CGC issue, your used car dealer analogy is off. My father is a used car dealer. I've worked in the business. They provide guaranties on their work. They warranty their services and sales. As do many if not most businesses that provide a type of service similar to that performed by CGC. Yet CGC declines to do so.

 

I don't need to discredit the word guaranty in CGC. They are doing just fine themselves. I stand by my assessment that the "guaranty" in CGC is nothing but an attempt to portray an image that simply does not exist.

 

You and I do, however, fully agree on the issue of forthcoming disclosure, and I hope we can join forces to further that objective.