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

[Poekaymon]

1. eBay is fine.

2. Don't buy anything with the intention of "flipping" it.

 

[Finhead]

My Comic Shop is a great place to buy and IMO  there grading of there raw books is solid if not too strict, so you know your getting the grade or better.

[KCode98]

On 1/12/2022 at 3:43 PM, Poekaymon said:

1. eBay is fine.

2. Don't buy anything with the intention of "flipping" it.

 

No I'm not looking at buying and selling. Just really picking up collecting where I left off. Only now as an adult I have to classify it as "investing" so the wife stays off my trail. 

[KCode98]

I'm going to start researching it but if anyone can guide me to this answer...What does the Go-Collect rating mean? For example if Go-Collect has the 9.8 CGC rated as "219 top 34.6%" how do you read that? I'm assuming 219 so far have been rated a 9.8, that is clear. But how do you take that information and turn it into a valuable tool to know if it is a good "investment" or not? 

[chrisco37]

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?

Might be that some sellers just get more than others.  In 9.8, books are going to look basically perfect.  If there were 2 books, both graded 9.8, I’d see if one was centered better.  Is one miscut?  That’s really the only difference you’re going to see on that grade.  Whereas 2 books in 6.0 could look completely different but still have the same grade.

But, I’ll suggest what i always do when someone comes here asking about 9.8’s.  Buy a 9.6 for half the price.  You won’t be able to tell the difference if you cover up the number on the label.  
 

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 1/12/2022 at 4:31 PM, KCode98 said:

I'm going to start researching it but if anyone can guide me to this answer...What does the Go-Collect rating mean? For example if Go-Collect has the 9.8 CGC rated as "219 top 34.6%" how do you read that? I'm assuming 219 so far have been rated a 9.8, that is clear. But how do you take that information and turn it into a valuable tool to know if it is a good "investment" or not? 

Use this instead

 

comics.gpanalysis.com

[dupont2005]

On 1/12/2022 at 7:30 AM, The bard said:

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. 

If I buy a modern floppy I’ve spent more than 2% of my portfolio 

[William-James88]

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?

I would say centering and sharp corners. Look especially at the corner in the upper and lower binding side, they tend to show the inner threads of the paper (white fluff). That's allowed at 9.8, and some comics have it more than others. 

You are coming at a good time. A lot of money is being spent on silver age and I think the best version of your favourite comics from the bronze age is a fun way to invest in something you love. Way more fun than stocks.

[William-James88]

On 1/12/2022 at 8:05 PM, dupont2005 said:

If I buy a modern floppy I’ve spent more than 2% of my portfolio 

something tells me a member of the dupont family would have quite a nice portfolio ;)

[Axelrod]

On 1/12/2022 at 4:31 PM, KCode98 said:

I'm going to start researching it but if anyone can guide me to this answer...What does the Go-Collect rating mean? For example if Go-Collect has the 9.8 CGC rated as "219 top 34.6%" how do you read that? I'm assuming 219 so far have been rated a 9.8, that is clear. But how do you take that information and turn it into a valuable tool to know if it is a good "investment" or not? 

Some people think that unless the book is in the top X% of graded books then it isn't a good investment (because, I guess, of the amount of books that are higher graded).  I can't remember what that X% is, and it's probably different for different people anyway.  But certainly for a lot of modern books at least, where the X% is slanted heavily towards the top, the only significant "value" is going to be in the 9.8 grade because of how many there are.  

[Lord Gemini]

On 1/12/2022 at 10:46 PM, William-James88 said:

I would say centering and sharp corners. Look especially at the corner in the upper and lower binding side, they tend to show the inner threads of the paper (white fluff). That's allowed at 9.8, and some comics have it more than others. 

You are coming at a good time. A lot of money is being spent on silver age and I think the best version of your favourite comics from the bronze age is a fun way to invest in something you love. Way more fun than stocks.

Centering is kind of important to me, but sharp corners not as much (unless it's really bad). Color-breaking spine ticks and color rub really bother me though. One is less likely to see those on an 9.8 though. I do see that stuff on 9.6's often.

[valiantman]

On 1/12/2022 at 3:31 PM, KCode98 said:

I'm going to start researching it but if anyone can guide me to this answer...What does the Go-Collect rating mean? For example if Go-Collect has the 9.8 CGC rated as "219 top 34.6%" how do you read that? I'm assuming 219 so far have been rated a 9.8, that is clear. But how do you take that information and turn it into a valuable tool to know if it is a good "investment" or not? 

I think knowing that 219 have been graded CGC 9.8 (regardless of the price) tells you that you should see the book for sale fairly often.  As a general rule (though not carved in stone), expect 10% of the CGC Census to come to market each year.  That would be 22 copies in a year, or about 2 copies per month.  Knowing that you can pass on a book and probably find another one for sale in a month or two is good information to have.

The 34.6% CGC 9.8 is a good indicator that the book probably isn't worth submitting in lower grades yet.  Since one-in-three has been graded CGC 9.8, it's likely that submitters are only submitting their best copies and there's probably very little profit to be made after paying for the CGC grading fees if the book is 9.4 or less.

As far as knowing what to pay, @THE_BEYONDER has it right.  Pay for comics.gpanalysis.com if you plan to spend more than $50 per month or if you want to do a lot of research before you start buying. 

You'll most likely save the cost of the GPAnalysis monthly subscription just by knowing what others have paid and not overpaying yourself.

[jcjames]

9.8 BA books (especially keys like IH181, ASM129,BAT251 etc) make relatively BAD "investments" compared to the same books in grades like 9.4 or 8.0 (which also usually present very well). I think @valiantman can show specific data, but over the past, say 15 years, upper-midgrade BA keys appreciate in value 2x, 3x, 5x or more higher than 9.8s of the same key books. This effect carries even through the lesser keys as well. 

If you're chasing 9.8s for "investments", you're blowing a lot of money - with that same amount of money you'd spend on your favorite 9.8 BA keys, you can buy several great-looking 8.x-9.x graded copies of those same books, hold them for 5-10 years, and then sell a couple for better investment "profit" percentage than you'd get with 9.8s - AND still keep one or two as part of your collection. 

Another point, as far as investments, it's hard to sell collectibles that are really meaningful to you, that have personal sentimental value to you. At current price averages, you could buy 1 copy of IH181 9.8 for about ~$85K, or with that same money you could buy 2 copies at 9.6 (with ~$20K left over) or you could by 4 copies at 9.4 (with ~$5K left over). So in 5, 10 or 20 years when it comes time to sell, those lower graded copies will have appreciated in value greater than the 9.8 would - AND you could sell some of them and still keep a copy for your personal attachment. 

In short, don't get emotionally attached to your "investments". It's harder to sell that one prized 9.8 copy of IH181 and be left with none, than it is to sell one or two of your lower grade (9.x-8.x) copies, for a higher % profit than the 9.8 would give, AND still keep a copy for yourself. 

 

 

Edited January 13, 2022 by jcjames