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Newbie question - which should I get graded?
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Started by stephenlev,

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stephenlev

stephenlev

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Hi! I'm brand-new here. I bought comics for a few years until 91, read them once, put them in a box, and didn't open that box until last week.

After doing some googling, out of my two boxes of comics, here are the ones that maybe are worth something. 

Which, if any, of these do you think are worth grading (they look to me to be in fantastic shape, but what do I know?) 

Thinking of joining at the $150 tier and then using my $150 credit to get at least 6 of these graded, at least to start)

IMG_7089.JPG

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ExNihilo

ExNihilo

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It's less a question of "What should I get graded?" and more a question of "Why should I get something graded?".

What is the purpose of getting something graded?  Once you understand or develop a rationale as to why something is worthy of the cost of grading, then the answer of "what" becomes clear.  Otherwise it's just a bunch of internet strangers telling you how to spend your money.

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stephenlev

stephenlev

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On 7/26/2022 at 12:48 PM, ExNihilo said:

It's less a question of "What should I get graded?" and more a question of "Why should I get something graded?".

What is the purpose of getting something graded?  Once you understand or develop a rationale as to why something is worthy of the cost of grading, then the answer of "what" becomes clear.  Otherwise it's just a bunch of internet strangers telling you how to spend your money.

Mostly for money, kind of to see what I have my hands on, might keep a few as a souvenir of my comic-reading days. But I also think it'd be super-fun to hear some internet strangers (who know more than I do) tell me how to spend my money. If I got 6 graded, sold four on eBay and kept two for posterity, that would hopefully pay for itself, and be kind of fun, too.  

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ExNihilo

ExNihilo

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On 7/26/2022 at 10:11 AM, stephenlev said:

Mostly for money, kind of to see what I have my hands on, might keep a few as a souvenir of my comic-reading days. But I also think it'd be super-fun to hear some internet strangers (who know more than I do) tell me how to spend my money. If I got 6 graded, sold four on eBay and kept two for posterity, that would hopefully pay for itself, and be kind of fun, too.  

My personal opinion (and bear in mind everyone is going to have different reasons), but I like graded books because it helps establish value for any inheritors of my estate without me having to worry that they'll get ripped off.  It's very easy to find a comp of a book when a guaranty company has verified the condition.  Far easier than if my inheritors had to go through my entire collection, identify keys, reprints, facsimiles, condition, etc.  That said, with the exception of signed books, I only send in books where the expense of grading doesn't otherwise cost more than the current value of the book at a certain grade.  So sending in dollar books would be an obvious waste of money.  The cost of grading just starts to become too much so I've set my limit somewhere around $500.  Anything worth less than that and I'm satisfied just putting them in mylar/fullbacks for the time being.

I guess what I'm saying is, your next step would be to look up sold listings to see how much your books are worth.

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stephenlev

stephenlev

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On 7/26/2022 at 1:17 PM, ExNihilo said:

The cost of grading just starts to become too much so I've set my limit somewhere around $500.

Let's say I'm going to sell that Thor. Looks like raw it would maybe get $140 on eBay, but if I grade it and it got a 9.6 it could get up to $300, and if it got 9.8, much more than that. If grading only costs $25, isn't that worth it for some of these?

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revat

revat

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Everyone has different rate of return that are preferred, totally subjective. 
 

treat it like business, think about what information you need, and think about how to get that info, try to find the info.  If, after making a good faith effort to find that info, come back and ask specific questions.

you can start with the Cgc website for submission and shipping prices then looking at sold prices on eBay.  
 

of course, it will depend on the grades of the comics.  If you need help with grading, there is a subforum in these boards to solicit help. Dig around you’ll find it

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stephenlev

stephenlev

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On 7/26/2022 at 1:25 PM, revat said:

come back and ask specific questions.

Thanks! I've poked around on eBay and compared prices, I've watched videos and read the forum about grading and how it works, how long it takes and the costs. I'd still love to hear the totally subjective opinion of some random folks on here about what six books they'd grade if they were me, but if that's not fun for people, no worries and thanks!

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ExNihilo

ExNihilo

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On 7/26/2022 at 10:24 AM, stephenlev said:

Let's say I'm going to sell that Thor. Looks like raw it would maybe get $140 on eBay, but if I grade it and it got a 9.6 it could get up to $300, and if it got 9.8, much more than that. If grading only costs $25, isn't that worth it for some of these?

I'll just say this, when you first start, books you think are a 9.8 will never return a 9.8.

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thehumantorch

thehumantorch

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On 7/26/2022 at 11:29 AM, stephenlev said:

Thanks! I've poked around on eBay and compared prices, I've watched videos and read the forum about grading and how it works, how long it takes and the costs. I'd still love to hear the totally subjective opinion of some random folks on here about what six books they'd grade if they were me, but if that's not fun for people, no worries and thanks!

Post a few in the grading forum so you can get some grading feedback.  Please take good pics of the front and back covers.

If I had to pick books to grade I'd pick the Wolverine 1 mini, Thor 337, and the Hulk.  They are all easy to sell and iconic books from that era.

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Galen130

Galen130

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On 7/26/2022 at 10:48 AM, ExNihilo said:

It's less a question of "What should I get graded?" and more a question of "Why should I get something graded?".

What is the purpose of getting something graded?  Once you understand or develop a rationale as to why something is worthy of the cost of grading, then the answer of "what" becomes clear.  Otherwise it's just a bunch of internet strangers telling you how to spend your money.

Or ‘Should I get these graded’.  I think we all know what I mean… :shy:

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stephenlev

stephenlev

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On 7/26/2022 at 2:07 PM, theCapraAegagrus said:

At first glance, 7 of them would be candidates depending on their condition. It's tough to know if it's "worth it" to slab without knowing what grade range they could realistically attain.

Okay, now I'm curious, what would your 7 be?

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theCapraAegagrus

theCapraAegagrus

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On 7/26/2022 at 2:29 PM, stephenlev said:

Okay, now I'm curious, what would your 7 be?

Assuming that my memory hasn't failed me, as far as 'value' goes: Thor, Watchmen, The Killing Joke, Wolverine (LS), Hulk, and the 2 Sandman. I could be wrong and I'm sure someone will tell me.

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The_Endless

The_Endless

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condition is everything in this.....if they are in very very high grade I would consider slabbing them.....otherwise I would keep them raw since the cost of grading might not be worth it....I would put them in the following order assuming the same grade for all...Watchmen, Xmen 142, Thor 337, Sandman 1, Wolverine #1 (mini), Hulk 340, Sandman 8....

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