New collector, trying to understand the differences in same CGC grading 1 1

[KCode98]

Well I grew up in the late 80's and early 90's. In 1994 I bought my first comic, Amazing Spider-man 387 from Eckerd Drug Store. That launched me directly into some of the best and hottest comic buying times of all time IMO. Maybe it is because it was my youth but there was really no internet yet, comic conventions were HOT, and if you wanted a collectible item you had to go find it yourself. 

I remember cruising KB Toys and Toys-R-US weekly for comic action figures I needed. 

Going to the comic shops and flipping through all of their boxes of comics and awing at the wall of high end ones. I can't tell you how many nice Hulk 181s went in and out of my hands. But at the time $350 was a lot of money. 

 

So here I am, in my late 30's and I want to start investing in my first passion. I have every single one of my old comics and plan to send a good bit off to get graded. But I also would like to get into some 9.8 CGC copies of my favorite ones as my youth, mainly the bronze age comics. 

 

But my question is within the 9.8s I see some cost more, some are more sought after, and some are "stay away". What are some of the things to look for in a hand full of the same comic in 9.8 grading and what would make you choose one over the others?

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 1/12/2022 at 9:14 AM, KCode98 said:

So here I am, in my late 30's and I want to start investing in my first passion. I have every single one of my old comics and plan to send a good bit off to get graded. But I also would like to get into some 9.8 CGC copies of my favorite ones as my youth, mainly the bronze age comics.

But my question is within the 9.8s I see some cost more, some are more sought after, and some are "stay away". What are some of the things to look for in a hand full of the same comic in 9.8 grading and what would make you choose one over the others?

: Don't "invest" in comic books. With that out of the way...

It's supply and demand. If you're looking at the same exact issue (as your question implies), some sellers may be out of touch and listing at a price higher than the market demands, and others may be looking to sell quick by undercutting the market average.

There are also examples of issues being over-graded, which is why you buy the book, not the label. If you're looking at different issues in the same grade, well, there are multitudes of factors at play there. First appearances, cover art, etc.

[The bard]

I wouldn’t say don’t “invest” in comic books (or other collectibles), but I would say keep it to no more than 2% of your portfolio and understand how transaction cost and taxes will effect any “profit” should you sell. 
 

Also, check with your homeowners insurance to see how (if) they cover collectibles before getting anything even remotely expensive. 

[KCode98]

On 1/12/2022 at 9:41 AM, theCapraAegagrus said:

 

There are also examples of issues being over-graded, which is why you buy the book, not the label. If you're looking at different issues in the same grade, well, there are multitudes of factors at play there. First appearances, cover art, etc.

I'm strictly asking the same book, same grade, are they all the same or is there things to look for? A great example is a thread I just read here had a nicely graded early Avenger book but someone commented that it looked "pressed" or "overly pressed, hard pass". Now I know from reading in the past that a lot of people press and do things to books before sending to CGC to help grade the book better. Is the way the cover lays in the frame an impacting figure on the overall value? 

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 1/12/2022 at 9:14 AM, KCode98 said:

 

 

But my question is within the 9.8s I see some cost more, some are more sought after, and some are "stay away". What are some of the things to look for in a hand full of the same comic in 9.8 grading and what would make you choose one over the others?

If I’m buying a 9.8, I don’t want to be able to see any defects from the scans.   I understand that 9.8s aren’t perfect, but at that price level....it should present like it is.

Always look for signs of SCS (post-slabbing damage)as well.

Edited January 12, 2022 by THE_BEYONDER

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 1/12/2022 at 10:39 AM, KCode98 said:

I'm strictly asking the same book, same grade, are they all the same or is there things to look for? A great example is a thread I just read here had a nicely graded early Avenger book but someone commented that it looked "pressed" or "overly pressed, hard pass". Now I know from reading in the past that a lot of people press and do things to books before sending to CGC to help grade the book better. Is the way the cover lays in the frame an impacting figure on the overall value? 

I am assuming that you've handled comics fresh off the shelf. There's a sort of natural bowing from the spine-out. If a comic lays completely flat, that can be a clear indicator of pressing. There are people that don't want the 'natural' state of a comic being altered. Most collectors put their money where their mouth is. Not all 9.8s are created equal, as there are MFG defects including uneven cuts, mis-wraps, printing errors, etc.

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 1/12/2022 at 10:45 AM, theCapraAegagrus said:

I am assuming that you've handled comics fresh off the shelf. There's a sort of natural bowing from the spine-out. If a comic lays completely flat, that can be a clear indicator of pressing. There are people that don't want the 'natural' state of a comic being altered. Most collectors put their money where their mouth is. Not all 9.8s are created equal, as there are MFG defects including uneven cuts, mis-wraps, printing errors, etc.

I spent a week pre-screening a massive copper age collection.  It was so nice to see minty copies with plump spines.

[Ride the Tiger]

With older books you also take into consideration the page quality. Many collectors prefer White pages to Off White.

 

Also the way the comic is cut is a big factor. A 9.8 with slight miswrap isn't as sought after as a 9.8 perfectly centered.

[shadroch]

You need to understand that many comic sellers have no business sense and have no idea how to price their wares. Different sellers will have different amounts of time and money invested in the same book and grade. Some sellers are doing it for a living and need to make a profit and others are cleaning out their closets. Buying from the second can  get you a few books cheap, but buying from the first one might lead to a long term relationship  that benefits both of you. 

Every book has flaws. A 9.8 means it has a minor flaw. Some minor flaws are easier to spot and may annoy one person more than another.

[KCode98]

Where do you guys find the best places to get your higher end graded books? I'd imagine surfing eBay would end up costing you quite a bit more than other options... 

[shadroch]

I haven't bought a book off ebay in at least six years. 

[KCode98]

On 1/12/2022 at 1:15 PM, shadroch said:

I haven't bought a book off ebay in at least six years. 

Well this is where I'm catching up compared to most of you guys. Any advice?

[miraclemet]

On 1/12/2022 at 1:21 PM, KCode98 said:

Well this is where I'm catching up compared to most of you guys. Any advice?

Here. Literally right here. In the CGC message board marketplace. 

https://boards.cgccomics.com/forum/63-comics-market-forum-only-selling-area/

 

Best place in the world to buy and sell. 

[miraclemet]

The prevalent auction houses are also fine, but you're often paying market highs for books you want, but it's an auction so the market is setting the price as oppose to trying to reason with someone over their astronomically overpriced BIN price. 

Auction houses worth checking out: Heritage Auctions, ComicLink, ComicConnect (these are the top 3) also Hakes has less frequent auctions, but some good stuff when they do (they do all collectibles, not just comics). 

Collect what you love and you'll never be unhappy. 

[shadroch]

On 1/12/2022 at 11:21 AM, KCode98 said:

Well this is where I'm catching up compared to most of you guys. Any advice?

 Support a local shop if possible. 

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 1/12/2022 at 1:26 PM, miraclemet said:

Collect what you love and you'll never be unhappy. 

This is the most sound piece of advice that will be posted.

[LudaToke]

I have purchased books off ebay without any issues.  It can be costly if you don't do your research.  Find something you like and find it for a price that you are comfortable with.

Having said that, some of the best books I have purchased for the best prices have been raw books from Local Comic Shops that I frequent.  I frequent 3 shops that are close to my house and built relationships with the staff so that they know what I like and what I'm looking for.  This has resulted in them showing me books I would have never otherwise seen. 

Edited January 12, 2022 by LudaToke

[KCode98]

On 1/12/2022 at 1:27 PM, shadroch said:

 Support a local shop if possible. 

All have dried up. Every shop has closed and even my old favorite comic shop was completely demolished. There is one still around that I never went to but when I went inside it was mainly board games and some new comics. Not really any old ones... 

[lizards2]

On 1/12/2022 at 10:09 AM, KCode98 said:

Where do you guys find the best places to get your higher end graded books? I'd imagine surfing eBay would end up costing you quite a bit more than other options... 

You can get stuff cheap on eBay auctions, if you are persistent and refuse any urge to overbid. Same with clink, although, not so much in the past 6 months.

[Math Teacher]

On 1/12/2022 at 12:09 PM, KCode98 said:

Where do you guys find the best places to get your higher end graded books? I'd imagine surfing eBay would end up costing you quite a bit more than other options... 

I buy from several sources: Ebay, Instagram, dealers that I trust, and fellow board members. I would say the majority of the books I have purchased come from Ebay and dealers. I am loathe to buy a book ungraded, especially from Ebay, where my idea of VG is the same as the seller's idea of NM. Now there are some dealers that I am quite confident in buying a raw book, because I believe they are strict graders (MyComicShop comes to mind). There are other dealers whose grading is inflated (Metropolis Comics, as an example), and I will not buy a raw book from them. In general, I am comfortable with buying a slab from any of the sources I listed above.

Right now, I am trying to expand my collection to include GA books. When I buy these books, I am basically looking for reader copies. I don't want high-grade copies because: 1) they are TOO expensive and 2) I don't have to worry about damage when I read them. I would like to upgrade some of the SA books in my collection, but, to be honest, I am perfectly satisfied with my FF #1 2.5 or my XM #1 3.0, as it is more important to me that I own that particular book than it is to have it in high grade. I would rather use my money to buy a book that I don't have (such as Adventure Comics #247) than to buy a higher grade copy of a book I already own. With keys, 4.5 - 5.0 is my sweet spot. I just can't stomach the idea of paying $28,000 for a 4.5 copy of FF #1. $28,000 was more than we paid for our first house! My two greatest expenditures for books was approximately $15,000 for my AF #15 and $14,000 for my SC #4. I am just not comfortable with spending more than that for a comic book. If I had $10,000 to spend, I would much rather use it to buy a copy of Detective Comics #140 (first Riddler) or Detective Comics #168 (origin of the Joker) or a Captain America #1 - #10  than to try to sell my FF #1 and use the additional $10,000 to pay for an upgrade.