Do you crack slabs for books staying in your PC? 3 3

[Venomous72]

Sometimes I get the itch…they look so much better in some Mylar…

Most of my ASM books are raw.  I have two slabbed (14 and 3).  It bothers me.  I want to release them to be with their ASM brothers.

But cracking books is stressful.  

This is a first world problem.

[Pitboss]

 

[VintageComics]

On 2/15/2022 at 9:31 PM, Venomous72 said:

Sometimes I get the itch…they look so much better in some Mylar…

Most of my ASM books are raw.  I have two slabbed (14 and 3).  It bothers me.  I want to release them to be with their ASM brothers.

But cracking books is stressful.  

This is a first world problem.

Yes. Almost all of them except the most expensive ones were always cracked out. 

And I actually would open them up and flip through them. 

[theCapraAegagrus]

As long as they're not Signature Series.

[D84]

On 2/15/2022 at 11:50 PM, VintageComics said:

Yes. Almost all of them except the most expensive ones were always cracked out. 

And I actually would open them up and flip through them. 

Even my most expensive ones. 

It's a great tool for buying and selling, but if it's something you plan to never sell, set that baby free!

[musicmeta]

I've never cracked one out.   I'm afraid I'll damage my 'Tec 27 9.8 blue label.  I'm afraid I'll damage the books so in the slabs they stay for now.  I don't mind. 

[Dave2739]

On 2/16/2022 at 10:18 AM, musicmeta said:

I've never cracked one out.   I'm afraid I'll damage my 'Tec 27 9.8 blue label.  I'm afraid I'll damage the books so in the slabs they stay for now.  I don't mind. 

I've never cracked one out but I've definitely cracked one off.                           

[Robot Man]

I did one today. I had to. It was a prisioner of a slab from a company in the upper Northwest.

I rarely buy or keep slabbed books. I have cracked out quite a few. Occasionally, I keep books slabbed if they are super expensive or I buy them for the cover only.

I currently have maybe 25. I don’t really enjoy them much. Such a one dimensial experience. Look at the cover and put it aside.

They are much prettier in a shiny Mylar and I can pull them out and enjoy them whenever I want. 

[VintageComics]

On 2/16/2022 at 9:56 AM, D84 said:

Even my most expensive ones. 

It's a great tool for buying and selling, but if it's something you plan to never sell, set that baby free!

I just didn't want to have to pay for the regrading cost of any BIG books and wanted to keep them liquid in case of an emergency, otherwise I'd have cracked them all,

[silverseeker]

I've cracked books out of 50-100 slabs over the years, and only recently started to keep a fewer higher-dollar books slabbed...

[D84]

On 2/16/2022 at 3:34 PM, VintageComics said:

I just didn't want to have to pay for the regrading cost of any BIG books and wanted to keep them liquid in case of an emergency, otherwise I'd have cracked them all,

That's a fair point.

I've got other assets/investments for emergency liquidity, but I know not everyone is in that position.

[Lord Gemini]

I have yet to understand the motivation to crack slabs other than getting the books regraded or signed. That's just me though.

[JJ-4]

On 2/17/2022 at 8:24 AM, Lord Gemini said:

I have yet to understand the motivation to crack slabs other than getting the books regraded or signed. That's just me though.

There is just something about holding the book in your hands.  Feel, smell, and well actually being able to read the book.  Probably the difference between being a comic collector and a comic investor (yes, you can be both but this is just a general rule).

Edited February 17, 2022 by JJ-4

[Robot Man]

Here is one I cracked yesterday. Just didn’t seem right having it encased in a plastic tomb…

[MetalPSI]

I have yet to buy mylars, considering my collection is mostly late copper, early modern 

So in slabs they will stay, especially since a large portion are SS books

[Lord Gemini]

On 2/17/2022 at 9:41 AM, JJ-4 said:

There is just something about holding the book in your hands.  Feel, smell, and well actually being able to read the book.  Probably the difference between being a comic collector and a comic investor (yes, you can be both but this is just a general rule).

I can get a lower grade copy for that though. If I'm buying a slab, I'm generally trying to get the highest grade I can afford.

[badback83]

Personally, I don’t crack books.  Yes, I would love to read/handle my copy of AF 15.  But, I have read reprints.  I have read a ton of other “big books” in all their raw glory, Hulk 1, Showcase 4 etc.  

I don’t see the point that if it’s already CGC graded, why I’d crack it.  I wouldn’t want to spend the extra coin to get something re-graded, like my AF 15.

[Larryw7]

On 2/17/2022 at 10:41 AM, JJ-4 said:

There is just something about holding the book in your hands.  Feel, smell, and well actually being able to read the book.  Probably the difference between being a comic collector and a comic investor (yes, you can be both but this is just a general rule).

They're books, and were created to be read and enjoyed. I have very few books in slabs, except for a few that I'm ambivalent about.

[VintageComics]

On 2/17/2022 at 10:24 AM, Lord Gemini said:

I have yet to understand the motivation to crack slabs other than getting the books regraded or signed. That's just me though.

I have yet to understand why anyone wouldn't want to crack their slabs. Even if I didn't do it out of fear, I'd still be tempted to do it.

Most of us grew up reading comics and love of comics came from holding them, smelling them, flipping the pages, moving back in time....there was NO fun leaving our comics in comic bags and boards. The fun came from pulling them out and handling them. 

On 2/17/2022 at 11:58 AM, Lord Gemini said:

I can get a lower grade copy for that though. If I'm buying a slab, I'm generally trying to get the highest grade I can afford.

Some people are OK with reprints or low grade copies, but many of us want high grade copies. I personally have always been a high grade collector and nothing beats holding the original in your hand. 

[Randall Ries]

Virtually all the books that are classic, vintage, noteworthy have been reprinted in some form or another. So, I buy the original, keep it slabbed and read the reprints. If I buy graded and slabbed, it's because I wanted the book that way. Retired and protected. There are plenty of books like that which are raw and easy to find in decent shape. It doesn't make sense (to me at least) to buy an already slabbed book just to "liberate" it and then "flip" through it or read it. I wouldn't bust out an SS book for certain.