Is there a medium grade CGC to go after if 9's aren't an option? 2 2

[KCode98]

When collecting a silver age, is there any unofficial agreed on grade that is a "good idea" to go after if 9.8-8 aren't an option?

I know higher the better but just curious if for say, 6.0 is usually a good idea. If what I'm trying to get across makes sense at all...

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

Price it usually the biggest determining factor.  That aside. Lower grades have seen huge gains in the last few years. Outside of that buy the book not the label. Collector's usually go after very good presenting books. I.e. a CGC 1.8 that most of the defects are on the back so it looks better .

Another way some will try to determine is using the CGC census and go above the statistical average.  For example say there are 400 copies of a book graded on the census.  The largest number of those are in CGC 7.0 at say 100 and the majority of the 400 total fall below that 7.0 some will go for at least a 7.0 or higher say 7.5+ so they are at or above that average. 

Good luck!

[Terry E. Gibbs]

It really depends on what you can afford, what you are willing to spend on a  book. As "onlyweakness..."said lower grades (1.8-3.0) on super keys keep climbing, squeezing mid grades 4.50 to 6.50, and then they start taking huge jumps after that. I find pricing on lower grades more consistent, with a narrower band. You can get some very big differences between top sale and second top sale on high grades. Many big collectors just will not go for a nice mid grade book even if it is almost half the price of the book they are chasing at 1.0 higher. On certain days if two of them are chasing the one book it can blow the expected price away, which may settle down later. Talking about books with maybe 10-12 copies of 8.0 or higher.

[MattTheDuck]

It's a good question and one I'm sort of dealing with.  I've set an 8.5 "floor" for Silver Age, but am actively seeking higher-graded books if they are available/affordable.  For higher-dollar books, you're almost forced to either consider lower grades OR try to find them raw in the wild.  That's basically what I'm doing.  I think the advice above to buy the highest grade/best presenting book you can comfortably afford is very good advice.

Remember, no matter the current price trends are, there's no certainty they will continue in the future.

[frozentundraguy]

I have found that the bar can be even lower for pre 1960 Atlas books. Some of these books have far fewer than 100 graded and are tough to locate above 5.0. Of course it also depends on how much one can afford to spend and how long you are prepared to wait.