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Is there such a thing as a bad 9.6 GCG grade VS a good 9.6
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10 posts in this topic

This might be stupid but I have noticed a few comics that have been given the same grade but are I think I can see one has ore flaws, I have also heard people on youtube saying its a strong 9.0 etc when its already graded.

 

Essentially my question is , is there such a thing as a bad vs good comic in the same grade , and also does this affect the value if so.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated 

Thanks

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On 2/4/2022 at 6:59 PM, FlyJ said:

This might be stupid but I have noticed a few comics that have been given the same grade but are I think I can see one has ore flaws, I have also heard people on youtube saying its a strong 9.0 etc when its already graded.

 

Essentially my question is , is there such a thing as a bad vs good comic in the same grade , and also does this affect the value if so.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated 

Thanks

For at least a couple reasons, you'll see variations like this.

1) Grading is not an exact science.  On a given day, certain graders might grade a particular book 9.6, but on a different day they might grade it 9.4 or 9.8.  (Or, if it's a Promise book, maybe it'll get an 11. :jokealert:)

2) Defects vary.  Perhaps a 9.6 has two small nicks on the spine, visible from the front.  Perhaps another 9.6 has four or five nicks, but they are only visible from the back and the front looks flawless.  I always prefer the book with the better front cover, but that's a matter of personal preference.  

Does it affect value?  Absolutely, but not in a way that's easy to quantify.  If you want a book that presents really well for the technical grade, you may have to pay a premium.  If you are willing to settle for a book that doesn't look so great (maybe it has a production defect like a miswrap, or maybe it has more visible defects than you'd typically expect to see on a book of that grade), you might be able to get it at a discount.

Edited by SOTIcollector
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Yes - "buy the book, not the label" is a common phrase in the hobby. 

Even if a book gets a 9.6, you'll still want to look it over carefully.  I recently bought a 9.6 for my brother to match a VF+ raw copy he owned. I pulled the trigger without looking it over carefully because it was a great price, I know he was looking for it and I was afraid it would get snapped up if I didn't act. 

I was disappointed to see a big spine tic and the cover was misswrapped. His raw copy is probably a 8.0, but the colors are sharp and the centering is perfect and we both agreed it looked way better than the 9.6. 

Moral of the story, the grade is only one part of the story. Probably the biggest part in determining value, but you should look over a book carefully even if it's a high grade. 

 

 

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I ask because I recently bought a 9.6 mario bros 1 and have noticed there is a sight issue with the one of the staples, the other 9.6s seem to priced around 2-$2,500 (one from the same seller) where this one i bought was much cheaper. wondering if it was a bad purchase....will submit some pics when everything has arrived to get some opinion

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On 2/4/2022 at 6:59 PM, FlyJ said:

Essentially my question is , is there such a thing as a bad vs good comic in the same grade , and also does this affect the value if so.

 

To that question, yes BIG TIME. But not so much at the 9.4/9.6/9.8 grades since each comic is seen in a vacuum and some comics are allowed more flaws than others due to how each comic was produced. And I don't think it affects value in the higher grades, not these days where someone buys a comic just because it says 9.8 on the label. 

The big difference is in older comics. You see, CGC grades based on wear and tear, not based on how age might affect a comic. So two comics of the same grade would have the same wear and tear (we'll say they are both mid grade with some tears and some creases) but one could look much more fresh depending on the conditions it was stored in. Here is an example of how the same book could end up with different colours. The brighter book was a 6.0 and yet it sold for the price of a 8.0 due to the colours

image.thumb.png.fd7ba728bdd15ed65dc9162926f09be8.png

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On 2/5/2022 at 1:04 PM, FlyJ said:

I ask because I recently bought a 9.6 mario bros 1 and have noticed there is a sight issue with the one of the staples, the other 9.6s seem to priced around 2-$2,500 (one from the same seller) where this one i bought was much cheaper. wondering if it was a bad purchase....will submit some pics when everything has arrived to get some opinion

Comics were made cheap, it's a common producton issue. I'd say it was a smart purchase. Also, just because the others are priced as much, doesn't mean that's the price they will be sold as. Check sold listings to see how much the going rate really is for a 9.6.

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