What are your thoughts on Checking Copies - should CGC acknowledge them? (POLL - CGC WILL BE SENT RESULTS, PLEASE VOTE!) 3 3

[Sauce Dog]

@CGC Mike just wanted to loop you in on this little poll I've started and would very much appreciate any help/suggestions/insights you might have, as I feel at this point it is clear there is at least some desire by us crusty collectors to have CGC start reconsidering their position on Checking Copies  

[CGC Mike]

On 7/10/2022 at 5:49 PM, Sauce Dog said:

@CGC Mike just wanted to loop you in on this little poll I've started and would very much appreciate any help/suggestions/insights you might have, as I feel at this point it is clear there is at least some desire by us crusty collectors to have CGC start reconsidering their position on Checking Copies  

Let me know when the poll is over.  I will be more than happy to share the results and the text in this thread with upper management.  

[jimbo_7071]

The check marks throughout the book are a turn off for me, but I think that the "Checking Copy" notation should be added to the label. The information is of interest to collectors, and it wouldn't hurt anything to include it.

[Robot Man]

I don’t know why it matters since it is often quite clearly stamped on many covers. Many file copies have no markings at all and can be noted as such.

There are people who don’t like their books “defaced”. Within reason, I don’t mind a small single name or well placed stamp. It is part of the book’s history. Adds character.

Is the reason, the usual?  $$$… 

[Robot Man]

On 7/12/2022 at 10:59 AM, jimbo_7071 said:

The check marks throughout the book are a turn off for me, but I think that the "Checking Copy" notation should be added to the label. The information is of interest to collectors, and it wouldn't hurt anything to include it.

Are Cosmic Aeroplane books “checking copies”? 

I have a bunch of them and love them all. 

[jimbo_7071]

On 7/13/2022 at 10:58 AM, Robot Man said:

Are Cosmic Aeroplane books “checking copies”? 

I have a bunch of them and love them all. 

I have one. It does have a check on the front cover; I don't know how many checks there are throughout the book.

I don't think that you'll see large, obtrusive checks like you see in the "Adventure Stamp Page" example from the initial post. I vaguely remember seeing pictures of some Cosmic Aeroplane interiors, and I don't remember them looking that marked up.

[jimbo_7071]

On 6/13/2022 at 7:09 PM, telerites said:

It does have some provenance being checking copy and it certainly wouldn't bother me. I have the same feeling about Library of Congress copies.  I like stamps or designations (pedigree and such), even store stamps (as long as they are not too big like Bonnett's but I have several Bonnett's), even date stamps are cool to me. I know the thread isn't my party but here is a Library of Congress book I have.  Being an owner tends to give some bias with label designation being obvious like it is stamped on the cover where anyone could see, I am really don't care if it is noted on the label.

 

Forgive my ignorance on this issue, but how did Library of Congress copies get into the market? Aren't those usually retained by the Library of Congress? I hope they weren't stolen.

[Sauce Dog]

On 7/13/2022 at 10:55 AM, Robot Man said:

I don’t know why it matters since it is often quite clearly stamped on many covers. Many file copies have no markings at all and can be noted as such.

There are people who don’t like their books “defaced”. Within reason, I don’t mind a small single name or well placed stamp. It is part of the book’s history. Adds character.

Is the reason, the usual?  $$$… 

Sure, most of the time it is obvious by looking at it but since these are parts of the book's history as you say (literally how it was made) I feel recognizing it helps bring attention to it more than simply leaving it as is (for example, when I post books online to other social channels with pedigree notations or file copy notes on the CGC label I always get comments asking about those notations and wanting more info, but when the CGC note lacks those items yet they are clear file copies or pedigrees with obvious markings on the covers no one is commenting asking about what they mean. CGC recognition does drive interest in the hobby.)

There isn't any monetary value to this for me personally, as all checking copies are honestly often low grade and never have sold for anything different than their universal counterparts (in some cases for much less due to the very obtrusive markings). I feel it's more about tracking (in such things as GPA which would label the sale as they do file/pedigree books) which over time will help figure out which books have surviving checking copies and perhaps help count exactly how common/rare they might be in the wild.

[telerites]

On 7/13/2022 at 10:56 AM, jimbo_7071 said:

Forgive my ignorance on this issue, but how did Library of Congress copies get into the market? Aren't those usually retained by the Library of Congress? I hope they weren't stolen.

I have no clue on this.  If you at HA archives, there are a handful including pulps - some with the LoC paperwork included.

https://comics.ha.com/c/search-results.zx?N=52+790+231&Ntk=SI_Titles&Nty=1&Ntt=library+of+congress&limitTo=all

[Robot Man]

On 7/13/2022 at 8:51 AM, jimbo_7071 said:

I have one. It does have a check on the front cover; I don't know how many checks there are throughout the book.

I don't think that you'll see large, obtrusive checks like you see in the "Adventure Stamp Page" example from the initial post. I vaguely remember seeing pictures of some Cosmic Aeroplane interiors, and I don't remember them looking that marked up.

Cosmic Airplane copy and fairly typical. 

[Robot Man]

A Crowley Checking copy. How could anyone have any doubt? Not to mention it comes with this. 

[Sauce Dog]

On 7/13/2022 at 8:02 PM, Robot Man said:

Cosmic Airplane copy and fairly typical. 

Neat, thanks for posting an interior shot of those.

At first glance it feels like these were specifically printer proofs for the publisher, rather than checking copies for advertisers or editors (as it seems they are confirming panel/page layouts and color specs - not ad/copy placement), but were these marks not placed by the store rather than publisher (or did Cosmic Airplane obtain these books with the markings on them already)? Are the checks on any other non-story pages (such as text stories or ad pages)?

Edited July 14, 2022 by Sauce Dog

[Robot Man]

On 7/14/2022 at 6:57 AM, Sauce Dog said:

Neat, thanks for posting an interior shot of those.

At first glance it feels like these were specifically printer proofs for the publisher, rather than checking copies for advertisers or editors (as it seems they are confirming panel/page layouts and color specs - not ad/copy placement), but were these marks not placed by the store rather than publisher (or did Cosmic Airplane obtain these books with the markings on them already)? Are the checks on any other non-story pages (such as text stories or ad pages)?

This collection was originally put together by an art teacher. The checks were panels he wanted his students to draw. The checks have nothing to do with the subject this thread was aimed at. I only posted this because it was mentioned. 

[Sauce Dog]

On 7/14/2022 at 10:36 AM, Robot Man said:

This collection was originally put together by an art teacher. The checks were panels he wanted his students to draw. The checks have nothing to do with the subject this thread was aimed at. I only posted this because it was mentioned. 

Thanks for the clarification, it's a very neat story behind it (and I honestly I prefer books, especially pedigrees, that have a clear markings on them - especially ones as extensive as this!)

[Robot Man]

On 7/14/2022 at 9:21 AM, Sauce Dog said:

Thanks for the clarification, it's a very neat story behind it (and I honestly I prefer books, especially pedigrees, that have a clear markings on them - especially ones as extensive as this!)

I’m in that camp as well. Unmarked pedigree books just don’t have the same emotions to me. Something about seeing “Larson” on a cover or opening a Crippen book and seeing that cool code or the checks found inside a random “in the wild” Cosmic Aeroplane find really let me connect with the rich history of this hobby. 

[Sqeggs]

On 6/13/2022 at 2:48 PM, MrBedrock said:

Seems redundant since they already have a huge stamp on the front cover.

Sort of like the ridiculousness of putting "Tarzan" on this label...

 

And yet ignores the fact that this is the first appearance of a lion in comics! 

[Sauce Dog]

On 7/14/2022 at 11:15 PM, Sqeggs said:

And yet ignores the fact that this is the first appearance of a lion in comics! 

Is that true, or are you lion?

[Sauce Dog]

@CGC Mike I think now is a good time to just call this poll: 44 total votes, with 34 of them supporting the recognition of Checking Copies (either as their own unique notation "Checking Copy" or by grouping them in with the existing "File Copy" notation).

I appreciate you taking the time to pass it along, as well as all those at CGC taking the time to consider this request.

 

[CGC Mike]

On 8/1/2022 at 1:59 PM, Sauce Dog said:

@CGC Mike I think now is a good time to just call this poll: 44 total votes, with 34 of them supporting the recognition of Checking Copies (either as their own unique notation "Checking Copy" or by grouping them in with the existing "File Copy" notation).

I appreciate you taking the time to pass it along, as well as all those at CGC taking the time to consider this request.

 

I have passed this along to management.  

[path4play]

I have a few, but they are all covers only.  I've always thought of them as the same as "File Copies." 

Therefore, I'd assume they should be recognized same as a File Copy would.  That's my "day late and dollar short" - 2 cents worth.

Edited August 2, 2022 by path4play