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

[lizards2]

On 2/9/2022 at 8:38 AM, The Meta said:

On 2/9/2022 at 7:48 AM, lizards2 said:

I would have to include that 95% of the people that submit books couldn't grade their way out of a wet paper bag. Even CGC seems to be struggling with grading as of late.

Grading is difficult, especially if you don't know what to look for

I can grade by the old system, but for a point system I can be out a full point either way

Generally, I've done well with my submissions, but there have been some real head scratchers

I understand. I currently only have one room in the house where I can see well enough to grade. I think proper lighting is the first step. And, I'm not even sure that would help some with declining vision.

And then there is experience - I'm at about 50 years in the hobby now. I pretty much stick to my system, which isn't necessarily CGCs, but is on par with Crassus, October, Roy and others. At least them I can figure out - not nearly as mysterious as CGC. Although, I have to say, deslabbing a lot of CGC books keeps me on my toes.

When I sell, I try to describe the flaws so that people will know how I got to the grade, and not purchase if they disagree.  

[MetalPSI]

On 2/9/2022 at 10:08 AM, lizards2 said:

I understand. I currently only have one room in the house where I can see well enough to grade. I think proper lighting is the first step. And, I'm not even sure that would help some with declining vision.

And then there is experience - I'm at about 50 years in the hobby now. I pretty much stick to my system, which isn't necessarily CGCs, but is on par with Crassus, October, Roy and others. At least them I can figure out - not nearly as mysterious as CGC. Although, I have to say, deslabbing a lot of CGC books keeps me on my toes.

When I sell, I try to describe the flaws so that people will know how I got to the grade, and not purchase if they disagree.  

This is the best anyone can hope for, always keeping in mind, grading is subjective 

I think the oldest book in my collection is Xmen 12 and its CGC graded

I want to get further into the silver era, but it takes a keen eye 

[lizards2]

On 2/9/2022 at 9:15 AM, The Meta said:

On 2/9/2022 at 9:08 AM, lizards2 said:

I understand. I currently only have one room in the house where I can see well enough to grade. I think proper lighting is the first step. And, I'm not even sure that would help some with declining vision.

And then there is experience - I'm at about 50 years in the hobby now. I pretty much stick to my system, which isn't necessarily CGCs, but is on par with Crassus, October, Roy and others. At least them I can figure out - not nearly as mysterious as CGC. Although, I have to say, deslabbing a lot of CGC books keeps me on my toes.

When I sell, I try to describe the flaws so that people will know how I got to the grade, and not purchase if they disagree.  

This is the best anyone can hope for, always keeping in mind, grading is subjective 

I think the oldest book in my collection is Xmen 12 and its CGC graded

I want to get further into the silver era, but it takes a keen eye 

Yeah - with the values these days, it would scare the beejeezus out of me to be buying expensive books without that background in the hobby. Too many bad or inexperienced graders out there, as well as too many crooks.

[greggy]

On 2/7/2022 at 11:45 PM, lizards2 said:

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..., 

 

 

 

You had a chance with my copy

[lizards2]

On 2/9/2022 at 9:50 AM, greggy said:

You had a chance with my copy

Yeah - with those upper corners - probably wouldn't be more than a 9.2?

Interesting scuff in the hanging wang area though.

[William-James88]

On 2/9/2022 at 12:58 PM, lizards2 said:

Yeah - with those upper corners - probably wouldn't be more than a 9.2?

Interesting scuff in the hanging wang area though.

yeah, I knew you'd mention those upper corners. While it is a 9.8 according to CGC, I get that your grading system can differ (for instance, taking manufacturing defects into account). My grading method is more or less overstreet. It's not far from CGC but we will differ on the strictness of a defect. Like no matter how nice overall a comic is, if it has a lengthwide crease, it's a 4.0. Same thing with a detached cover, or staple. 

Basically, I aint gonna pay 7.0 prices for a 7.0 slab of a comic with a detached cover.

But then again, at the same time, if there are multiple defects that one would allow at 4.0, then it will stay a 4.0. Like if the comic looks like a 4.0 (due to water damage), and is also detached at the 1 staple, that wouldn't lower the grade. 

So basically it makes VG becomes my defacto grade for what I collect (which is GA) since that's where most issues are allowed. It's easy to get there and it takes more severe issues to go lower.

Edited February 9, 2022 by William-James88

[lizards2]

On 2/9/2022 at 10:02 AM, William-James88 said:

On 2/9/2022 at 9:58 AM, lizards2 said:

Yeah - with those upper corners - probably wouldn't be more than a 9.2?

Interesting scuff in the hanging wang area though.

yeah, I knew you'd mention those upper corners. While it is a 9.8 according to CGC, I get that your grading system can differ (for instance, taking manufacturing defects into account). My grading method is more or less overstreet. It's not far from CGC but we will differ on the strictness of a defect. Like no matter how nice overall a comic is, if it has a lengthwide crease, it's a 4.0. Same thing with a detached cover, or staple. 

Basically, I aint gonna pay 7.0 prices for a 7.0 slab of a comic with a detached cover.

But then again, at the same time, if there are multiple defects that one would allow at 4.0, then it will stay a 4.0. Like if the comic looks like a 4.0 (due to water damage), and is also detached at the 1 staple, that wouldn't lower the grade. 

So basically it makes VG becomes my defacto grade for what I collect (which is GA) since that's where most issues are allowed. It's easy to get there and it takes more severe issues to go lower.

I've got a CGC 9.4 SA Adventure with a 1/4" hard corner crease that I couldn't see in the eBay listing - basically it is hidden by well edge. What the?  I'm not busting that one out - Can't wait to find a real VFNM or better copy, and unload the CGC copy. I have adjusted my grading system to allow that type of a defect up to 9.2, due to CGC. In the old days, it was a guaranteed VG.

I purchased a CGC 7.5 SA Green Lantern 13, and that sucker had a detached lower staple - what the? Was if from shipping?  I finally purchased grader's notes before I sold it, and sure enough, "lower staple detached".

I'm down to almost always checking grader's notes prior to CGC purchases now.

[MetalPSI]

On 2/9/2022 at 11:26 AM, lizards2 said:

I've got a CGC 9.4 SA Adventure with a 1/4" hard corner crease that I couldn't see in the eBay listing - basically it is hidden by well edge. What the?  I'm not busting that one out - Can't wait to find a real VFNM or better copy, and unload the CGC copy. I have adjusted my grading system to allow that type of a defect up to 9.2, due to CGC. In the old days, it was a guaranteed VG.

I purchased a CGC 7.5 SA Green Lantern 13, and that sucker had a detached lower staple - what the? Was if from shipping?  I finally purchased grader's notes before I sold it, and sure enough, "lower staple detached".

I'm down to almost always checking grader's notes prior to CGC purchases now.

Sad that this needs to be done

A good lesson, thanks for sharing that

[lostboys]

just stack them to the ceiling.

 

Whats the worst that could happen? 

 

 

[William-James88]

On 2/9/2022 at 1:26 PM, lizards2 said:

I purchased a CGC 7.5 SA Green Lantern 13, and that sucker had a detached lower staple - what the? Was if from shipping?  I finally purchased grader's notes before I sold it, and sure enough, "lower staple detached".

I'm down to almost always checking grader's notes prior to CGC purchases now.

Yeah that carp pisses me off. I don't care how nice a book is, if the staple is detached, the book is far from being of the same integrity as it was when first released (which is the whole point of this grading system). Now does that mean that particular 4.0 slab could sell for as high as a 5.0 or even 7.0? Sure, no one is limiting what you can charge for a book and if someone is willing to pay that, fine. But changing the rules of grading to accommodate for an otherwise great looking book is nonsense. Especially when green labels are made for exactly that. 

On 2/9/2022 at 9:39 AM, D2 said:

Good video

You’re not wrong. Any modern at a 9.2 and below should be cracked, or better yet, not sent to be graded. 

Thanks! And yeah, depending the book, could go as high as a 9.8.

Like check these out. They are variants, nice ones too, but the 9.8s sold for $30 which I think still has them sold at a loss when taking into consideration all the costs associated with grading and the comission on Comiclink. . So even at the chance of getting a 9.8, this seller could have just sold them for $15 raw and made waaaay more money and not add to the pile of worthless junk being sent to CGC, slowing down the process for no reason. It really is wasteful, for everyone.

Edited February 9, 2022 by William-James88

[lizards2]

On 2/9/2022 at 1:03 PM, William-James88 said:

On 2/9/2022 at 10:26 AM, lizards2 said:

I purchased a CGC 7.5 SA Green Lantern 13, and that sucker had a detached lower staple - what the? Was if from shipping?  I finally purchased grader's notes before I sold it, and sure enough, "lower staple detached".

I'm down to almost always checking grader's notes prior to CGC purchases now.

Yeah that carp pisses me off. I don't care how nice a book is, if the staple is detached, the book is far from being of the same integrity as it was when first released (which is the whole point of this grading system). Now does that mean that particular 4.0 slab could sell for as high as a 5.0 or even 7.0? Sure, no one is limiting what you can charge for a book and if someone is willing to pay that, fine. But changing the rules of grading to accommodate for an otherwise great looking book is nonsense. Especially when green labels are made for exactly that. 

Here is another one - so a 6.5 with detached top staple. No mention in grader notes. Did the staple detach happen in encapsulation, shipping, or just "gee whiz, I missed that"?  Or.., is it just that they'd never mention such an insignificant flaw on such a low grade book. I can tell you that I'm 99% sure it didn't happen in shipping, as the inner well is so tight there is nowhere for the book to move.  Oh, and maybe they could have mentioned the 1/3" spine split at the top.

I really feel like I got holding the bag on this book. And what's in the bag doesn't smell so great.

CGC Cert #

2032312002

Issue

34

Issue Date

9-10/61

Issue Year

1961

Publisher

D.C. Comics

Grade

6.5

Page Quality

OFF-WHITE TO WHITE

Grade Date

06/05/2019

Grade Category

Universal

Art Comments

Gardner Fox story
Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson
cover and art

Key Comments

Origin and 1st appearance of
the Silver Age Atom (Ray Palmer).
1st appearance of Jean Loring.

Grader Notes

multiple spine stress lines breaks color
small bend right bottom of front cover breaks color
small tear left top of spine

Title

Showcase

[silverseeker]

On 2/9/2022 at 2:14 PM, lizards2 said:

Here is another one - so a 6.5 with detached top staple. No mention in grader notes. Did the staple detach happen in encapsulation, shipping, or just "gee whiz, I missed that"?  Or.., is it just that they'd never mention such an insignificant flaw on such a low grade book. I can tell you that I'm 99% sure it didn't happen in shipping, as the inner well is so tight there is nowhere for the book to move.  Oh, and maybe they could have mentioned the 1/3" spine split at the top.

I really feel like I got holding the bag on this book. And what's in the bag doesn't smell so great.

CGC Cert #

2032312002

Issue

34

Issue Date

9-10/61

Issue Year

1961

Publisher

D.C. Comics

Grade

6.5

Page Quality

OFF-WHITE TO WHITE

Grade Date

06/05/2019

Grade Category

Universal

Art Comments

Gardner Fox story
Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson
cover and art

Key Comments

Origin and 1st appearance of
the Silver Age Atom (Ray Palmer).
1st appearance of Jean Loring.

Grader Notes

multiple spine stress lines breaks color
small bend right bottom of front cover breaks color
small tear left top of spine

Title

Showcase

I've been burned by some of these things as well over the years, and think some graders may omit defects that can be seen with the book in hand.

This works well when you can go to shows to check out CGC books, but when most purchases nowadays are made online it makes detecting these things much more difficult, if not impossible...

Edited February 10, 2022 by silverseeker
Minor tweak.

[William-James88]

On 2/9/2022 at 7:21 PM, silverseeker said:

I've been burned by some of these things as well over the years, and think some graders may omit defects that can be seen with the book in hand.

This works well when you can go to shows to check out CGC books, but when most purchases nowadays are made online it makes detecting these things much more difficult, if not impossible...

You still can't tell if the centrefold is detached in any way. I think it's worse at a show since you are in the heat of the moment with unreliable network service. At least buying online you have time to buy and check grader notes if the issue is described. 

The biggest burn I've ever seen is someone who bought a book for a pinup or something and when they removed the book from the slab, the it was missing too and it  had not been noted anywhere.

[silverseeker]

On 2/9/2022 at 4:27 PM, William-James88 said:

You still can't tell if the centrefold is detached in any way. I think it's worse at a show since you are in the heat of the moment with unreliable network service. At least buying online you have time to buy and check grader notes if the issue is described. 

The biggest burn I've ever seen is someone who bought a book for a pinup or something and when they removed the book from the slab, the it was missing too and it  had not been noted anywhere.

Yeah, there are some interior defects you're hoping the book doesn't have when you crack it out...I've been burned at least 10 times by stains and interior page tears that were not disclosed in the graders notes when I've cracked books out of their slabs.

A detached centerfold should always be noted!

[letsgrumble]

On 2/8/2022 at 3:24 AM, lizards2 said:

Grist for the Landfill. Thanks for your environmental concern!

[lou_fine]

On 2/6/2022 at 8:59 AM, shadroch said:

You can rent a 5X5 storage unit in almost any region for a couple hundred dollars a year. Surely it is more economical to use that extra space to store items than to deslab a book just to save a little space. 

Hmmmmm, a storage unit from a security point of view.........................have you never heard of the Alfred Pennyworth collection of books that were almost not to be, until the owner managed to have the luck of the angles on his side in the end?  

[lou_fine]

On 2/9/2022 at 8:38 AM, The Meta said:

I can grade by the old system, but for a point system I can be out a full point either way

Wow...........from some of the books which I have seen lately, sounds like you should be applying for a grader's job at CGC then, as you seem to be more than qualified and could help them to improve their grading game.    

[MetalPSI]

On 2/10/2022 at 12:53 AM, lou_fine said:

Wow...........from some of the books which I have seen lately, sounds like you should be applying for a grader's job at CGC then, as you seem to be more than qualified and could help them to improve their grading game.    

Hate to break it to you but this last batch and the batch I am going to post shortly I had some fantastic help

[D84]

On 2/6/2022 at 10:59 AM, shadroch said:

You can rent a 5X5 storage unit in almost any region for a couple hundred dollars a year. Surely it is more economical to use that extra space to store items than to deslab a book just to save a little space.

[lizards2]

The thing about storage units - unless they are climate controlled, comics and their pages will degrade fast.

Not good storage to be in ever-fluctuating temperatures and changing or poor humidity.