Do any of you remove your comics from the slabs to make more space? 4 4

[lizards2]

G.I. Combat 108 CGC 8.5 pages

Old slab version. Supposedly an 8.5 with CROW pages.  Despite being an old, easy to open slab, it was a biotch that was welded extremely well – toughest slab to crack of the evening. I would call it 8.5 with OW/W pages, no worse pages than the Adventure above. If you look at the back, you can see the sun shadows that reduce the grade..., I assume – the books has 9.0/9.2 structure, but those shadows cack the grade (?) I only had a VG copy of this book, so decision to crack was a good one.

 

Existing copy VG? What have I got to lose!

Old version slabs, spread the bottom with a screwdriver, and work towards the bottom posts to break them.

Deliver the goods.

Clip the top, and remove the label.

Clip the open edge.

Get artsy and change to black and white. Not knowing how it happened. Might have been the mushrooms, man. Peel that inner well, while your inner well is peeled.

Ooooh..., 

Yeah - dust shadows of Biblical proportions..., 

Ensconced in the M2 with Fullback.

Remember kids - tape is a no no around comics. Only use 3M Post-It Flags.

White out that nasty VG from your inventory sheet.

Replace it with a nice VF+ 8.5!  

 

[lizards2]

 

[lizards2]

Superboy 129 CGC 9.4 OW/W pages

New slab version, very thick and heavy due to the “annual” or “eighty-page giant” size. My existing copy was a VF-, so I’m excited to upgrade. Bottom entry and exit again – only way to do those new slabs. Break the bottom seal and work towards the posts, then up the sides of the outer well. I had to cut the inner well on the spine side through the adjustment thingee, because there was no frickin’ cushion on the open edge.  Jeebus! My grade, 9.4 with white pages.

Dust shadow at top edge.

👍

Jeebus - another trip into B&W land.

delivering..., 

Tamping the label down between the M2 and the halfback.

Don't forget to update your inventory sheet, or you'll be doing this again, and saying W T F???

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by lizards2

[lizards2]

Superboy 207 CGC 9.4 OW/W pages

Wavy label, old outer well. Easiest CGC slab of the evening to open. Nice spine, but look at the LRFC – could not see that until it was out of the inner well. My grade 9.2, pages OW. Did not have one of these in inventory, so no regerts. Will probably never see a better one.

Still don't know what is going on with the random switches between color and B&W..., 

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by lizards2

[lizards2]

Sea Devils 17 CGC 9.2 OW pages

OK – Full Disclosure - I chickened out on this one. I need to check grader’s notes, as I have a VF+ raw copy in inventory, which might be a better copy. New case, so beware.

I cracked out a Silver Age JLA #76 CGC 9.2 out of a new case, and it was in worse condition than my existing CGC 8.5. I had my CGC 8.5 logged in as a 9.0 – the CGC 9.2 is a very fugly 8.5/9.0 or so? Proceed with caution.

Will try to come back later and edit this with what I could figure out.

[lizards2]

Showcase 68 CGC 9.4 OW/W pages

Didn’t have a copy, so crack this sucker out. Here goes…,
Old case, easy to open. Plausible 9.4, with a shot at 9.2 -  with white pages!!!!

 

Encased in sweet M2 with Fullback!

[lizards2]

Green Lantern 74 CGC 9.4 white pages

I took this out of the outer bag, and looks like a 9.2 due to spine tics. New case, so beware! However, I don’t have copy, so might as well crack it out. New case, so I have to go in thru the bottom, and again, have to cut the inner well spine side – as there is no space on that outer edge. Nervous. As I got through the outer well, you could definitely see that the books is 9.2 at best. And no, I did not make those spine tics worse in the deslabbing process.

spine tics visible

Cracking

Delivering through the breach

cutting the inner well

peeling inner well

Spine tics - oh my....,  

[lizards2]

Showcase 36 9.0 OW/W pages

My only copy – this had “puddling” on the back of the inner well, which refused to be photographed by my cell phone. I was worried about this book when it first came in, as I had seen that recent “puddling” post where the inner well had actually damaged the back cover of the comic. So, I needed to get it out of the slab before it was possibly damaged more, if that makes any sense.

The “puddle” was about a 3” x 4” on the back, centering the rifle. I could see before I cracked this out of even the outer well, that 9.0 was probably a gift grade, due to the spine damage. It had enough cushion on the open edge to cut that side of this one.  Luckily, no back cover “puddle” damage from encapsulation on this one. A nice 8.5+/9.0- with OW pages.

 

[lizards2]

Atom 27 PGX 9.2 OW/W pages

I have an existing VF copy. Look at that gaping clam on the side! But after breaking the bottom corners, one post is intact, and the other is broken. Plenty of scissor room on the inner well. It took a lot of work to cut the label off the inner well – they seal those suckers in real good. My grade, 9.0 OW/W pages. Spine tics, light crease to open edge FC.

 

 

[lizards2]

Wonder Woman 218 CGC 9.4 white pages

If I hold the case just right to the light, I can see spine tics that make me think 9.2 or 9.2+. Again, I don’t have a copy of this issue, so might as well crack it out. New case – apropos rear entry – two bottom posts, no breaky. Time to slip in the 6.5 inner well….,

Ample cutting room on inner well. And now, with the outer well gone, you can see it is definitely 9.2 at best, 9.0 at worst – couldn’t see all that damage through the outer well. This book also had a huge “puddling” on the back of the inner well, but luckily, no more damage to the book itself. I’m calling the page quality OW, and logging it in as a 9.2, which is a lie to myself. White pages my @zz. 9.4 my @zz. But, OK, probably not see a better copy, since I’m almost 61, and could die at any time.

 

 

 

 

[lizards2]

The aftermath

[lizards2]

Grist for the Landfill. Thanks for your environmental concern!

[MetalPSI]

On 2/8/2022 at 1:10 AM, lizards2 said:

Showcase 36 9.0 OW/W pages

My only copy – this had “puddling” on the back of the inner well, which refused to be photographed by my cell phone. I was worried about this book when it first came in, as I had seen that recent “puddling” post where the inner well had actually damaged the back cover of the comic. So, I needed to get it out of the slab before it was possibly damaged more, if that makes any sense.

The “puddle” was about a 3” x 4” on the back, centering the rifle. I could see before I cracked this out of even the outer well, that 9.0 was probably a gift grade, due to the spine damage. It had enough cushion on the open edge to cut that side of this one.  Luckily, no back cover “puddle” damage from encapsulation on this one. A nice 8.5+/9.0- with OW pages.

 

I have a few books with puddling, not overly concerned with them, but will be pressing if I see issues

[shadroch]

I don't get it.  Why waste time and money buying slabbed books when you obviously don't agree with their grades on most books. Why not save money and buy them raw?

[William-James88]

On 2/8/2022 at 10:10 AM, shadroch said:

I don't get it.  Why waste time and money buying slabbed books when you obviously don't agree with their grades on most books. Why not save money and buy them raw?

I can answer from my experience. When it comes to the books I am looking for, I don't have the option to buy them raw due to their rarity and where I buy. There are rare GA books that are still rather inexpensive and for them to be sold on Mycomicshop, they must be slabbed since otherwise, they won't accept them for consignment.

I don't know if you have to slab for comiclink as well but that's where I see slabbed books sell for less than the price of slabbing. 

Anyways, with comiclink, there is a book that I would 100% have bought raw and yet I can't find it anywhere. So buying it slabbed is my only option.

Also, your question assumes slabbed books cost more than raw books, which isn't the case. I think even @lizards2 said it where we often see a raw book go for more than a slabbed book since the slabbed book seals the grade/value. You could have a raw book on e-bay said to be high grade (9.4) and a slabbed book that is 9.4. And the raw book could go for more since there's a chance that it's more than a 9.4 (and of course, a chance that it's less). We see that phenomenon happen in mid grade SA keys as well. 

TL DR: I wish I could buy all my books raw and that they all cost less than CGC graded copies but that alas is not the reality

Edited February 8, 2022 by William-James88

[William-James88]

@lizards2 my most valuable lesson here was the one about the tape. I don't use that post it stuff, but I will now. 

 

PS: And yes, I do wish I had known earlier

Edited February 8, 2022 by William-James88

[shadroch]

Can you give some examples of rare GA books MCS won't take on consignment unless they are slabbed? That is something I have not ran across.

[William-James88]

On 2/8/2022 at 11:08 AM, shadroch said:

Can you give some examples of rare GA books MCS won't take on consignment unless they are slabbed? That is something I have not ran across.

Sure, it's any GA book worth less than $50 (or around that price). You can look in their consignment form, choose a Fawcett book at random for instance and see which grades they are willing to consign. If they are unwilling to consign them raw, then you have to get it slabbed to sell. As a specific example, someone had remaindered copies and they could only sell them slabbed. I had posted them on these boards when I first saw them but can't find the post at the moment.

Now here's another example to show you why I would buy slabbed even though I'd rather buy raw.

In this case, buying the same book slabbed in a higher grade was 50% cheaper (and yeah, I was the one who bought that slabbed book).

 

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by William-James88

[Number 6]

On 2/8/2022 at 7:10 AM, shadroch said:

I don't get it.  Why waste time and money buying slabbed books when you obviously don't agree with their grades on most books. Why not save money and buy them raw?

This assumes that buying a comic slabbed always comes with a premium and that raw is cheaper. 
 

And even if the book in question isn’t cheaper than a raw, if it’s a copy that appeals to me and I feel it’s the best copy for me that’s available at that moment why should I let it go just because of an after-market plastic holder?

 

This isn’t like ripping vintage action figures off their factory blister cards or something. 
 

 

I gather from some of the comments made that I’m expected to just let these books just go by because I only want the book, not a slabbed copy. 

[William-James88]

On 2/8/2022 at 2:37 PM, Number 6 said:

I gather from some of the comments made that I’m expected to just let these books just go by because I only want the book, not a slabbed copy. 

Then extrapolate that to GA books which may not even have an unslabbed option go up on the market within a year's time.

By the way, excellent examples of book that have no business in a holder and congrats on that Star Trek!