UPDATE! HARDCOVER NOW AVAILABLE! Pre-Order Your Copy of ‘The Official CGC Guide to Grading. 10 10

[Domo Arigato]

On 10/3/2022 at 8:58 PM, ak47po said:

Excerpt from new grading guide.

 

Quick question regarding this page.

It says "One very small printer tear or Marvel tear is also allowed...".

What is a Marvel tear?  Are they talking about Pre-Marvel chipping?

 

Edited October 5, 2022 by Domo Arigato

[Sigur Ros]

On 10/5/2022 at 6:46 PM, Domo Arigato said:

What is a Marvel tear?  

It's a tear that's been way overdone with about 3 too many sequels and a couple spin-offs.

[SpineTic]

On 10/5/2022 at 7:35 PM, Sigur Ros said:

It's a tear that's been way overdone with about 3 too many sequels and a couple spin-offs.

 

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 10/5/2022 at 6:46 PM, Domo Arigato said:

Quick question regarding this page.

It says "One very small printer tear or Marvel tear is also allowed...".

What is a Marvel tear?  Are they talking about Pre-Marvel chipping?

 

Printer tears along the edges. Pretty silly that they say 1 is allowed in 9.8

I bought a Byrne x-book that was advertised as 9.8. When I got it,  I noticed it had several printer tears along the top edge.  I figured there’s no way CGC would allow that in 9.8 so I returned it.

Seller submitted it &.....9.8

 

[Krydel4]

On 10/3/2022 at 6:58 PM, ak47po said:

Excerpt from new grading guide.

 

So what I'm getting is that you soften your standards and grade by the age of the book. As I get older, I wish this was true for real life. Maybe I should submit myself.

[lou_fine]

On 10/5/2022 at 3:44 PM, shadroch said:

I'll wait and see how it is before forking over a dime. I hope it is the single most useful text on collecting and grading ever published, but I'm dubious. 

Hate to be the bearer of bad news here.......but around the 8-minute mark of that video, Matt states that the book was about 6 years in the making, with the writing for it completed about 18 months ago.    

Then came the Promise Collection after that, which probably means the book is already out-of-date, especially since grading is an ever changing and ongoing process.  

Edited October 6, 2022 by lou_fine

[darkstar]

On 10/5/2022 at 5:46 PM, Domo Arigato said:

Quick question regarding this page.

It says "One very small printer tear or Marvel tear is also allowed...".

What is a Marvel tear?  Are they talking about Pre-Marvel chipping?

 

I think a Marvel tear is like the ones you see on the bottom edge of this ASM 361 - a super common production flaw for this book. 

 

[Sigur Ros]

On 10/6/2022 at 3:25 AM, lou_fine said:

Then came the Promise Collection after that, which probably means the book is already out-of-date, especially since grading is an ever changing and ongoing process.  

Lol, Yeah.. I think they'd like to put that Promise Collection fiasco behind them.

[SpineTic]

CGC how many were sold at New York Comic Con ?

[DWL]

On 10/3/2022 at 8:58 PM, ak47po said:

Excerpt from new grading guide.

 

 

Hum, as the character Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory might say, “fascinating.”

Based upon reading just that one page posted as an example, I doubt very highly I will buy this book as the language is too vague to be useful.  Want examples, try these:

“Cream to off-white page quality is, with rare exception, not allowed in this grade”.  What are the exceptions?  And what specific criteria are you using for page quality, an Owl card?  Knowing these details would be useful and helpful.

“Slight rippling to the cover from printing is also acceptable within limits, another common flaw found on modern comics” (emphasis added).  What does “within limits” mean, and whom is determining what is and what is not within the limit threshold?  Is there a set criteria for what is defined as within and outside the limits allowed?  If so, state them clearly so that decisions made are consistent and defensible. 

“If an entire print run of a new issue exhibits a minor printing defect that would not normally be accepted in 9.8, CGC will sometimes create a grading curve for that particular issue.”  Fascinating.  This leads to several questions.  When is it determined or acknowledged that a printing error has affected an entire print run?  Only after the first initial books from that issue have been submitted or is knowledge of the printing issue known before any issues from that run are graded?  And how is this error affecting an entire print run communicated to graders?  Another fascinating question is that statement “… CGC will sometimes create a grading curve …”.  Again, fascinating.  What is involved in creating a “grading curve” and when such a curve is created, is that information communicated to the general public who may be submitting or thinking of submitting that particular issue? 

“Golden Age comics are also allowed to exhibit thin and very light dust shadows or very minor cover tanning.  Small, unobtrusive date stamps and store stamps, as well as minor writing are sometimes allowed.”  Well, the language here could not be less vague.  What, specifically, defines a “thin and very light dust shadow”?   How, or whom, is deciding whether a date stamp is or is not “obtrusive”?  And since this is a guide, could you please define what is the difference between “minor” and other writing on the cover?  It would seem a definition of something of this nature would need to be clearly outlined to ensure there is consistency in the grade(s) provided.  And these are as the book notes, “sometimes allowed”.  For the sake of professionalism and consistency, could you provide detailed examples of what criteria are used to make the decision as to whether these defects will or will not be allowed?  To say they are “sometimes allowed” is, well, essentially useless. 

Anyway, those are my two cents based on reading only one page as posted.  Perhaps my questions are answered elsewhere in the book?  But hey, buy the book if you want, to each his / her own. 

Edited October 10, 2022 by DWL

[Krismusic]

Anyone get a copy and have any quick reviews on if it’s worth it or not? 

[Semicentennial]

It doesn't even seem like it's available yet on their website.  

[Buzzetta]

On 10/10/2022 at 1:01 PM, Krismusic said:

Anyone get a copy and have any quick reviews on if it’s worth it or not? 

I bought a copy at NYCC but only paged through it.   I will try to take a closer look at it later on this week.  It is a lot bigger and provides more pictures for examples than I expected. 

Edited October 11, 2022 by Buzzetta

[FineCollector]

On 10/10/2022 at 8:20 PM, Buzzetta said:

I bought a copy at NYCC but only paged through it.   I will try to take a closer look at it later on this week.  It is a lot bigger and provides more pictures for examples than I expected. 

Given the description earlier, it sounds like we need three different grading guides... Hopefully they don't overdo it with pictures of 9.8s, and put some effort into the lower grades.

[Krydel4]

On 10/10/2022 at 9:32 AM, DWL said:

 

Hum, as the character Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory might say, “fascinating.”

Based upon reading just that one page posted as an example, I doubt very highly I will buy this book as the language is too vague to be useful.  Want examples, try these:

“Cream to off-white page quality is, with rare exception, not allowed in this grade”.  What are the exceptions?  And what specific criteria are you using for page quality, an Owl card?  Knowing these details would be useful and helpful.

“Slight rippling to the cover from printing is also acceptable within limits, another common flaw found on modern comics” (emphasis added).  What does “within limits” mean, and whom is determining what is and what is not within the limit threshold?  Is there a set criteria for what is defined as within and outside the limits allowed?  If so, state them clearly so that decisions made are consistent and defensible. 

“If an entire print run of a new issue exhibits a minor printing defect that would not normally be accepted in 9.8, CGC will sometimes create a grading curve for that particular issue.”  Fascinating.  This leads to several questions.  When is it determined or acknowledged that a printing error has affected an entire print run?  Only after the first initial books from that issue have been submitted or is knowledge of the printing issue known before any issues from that run are graded?  And how is this error affecting an entire print run communicated to graders?  Another fascinating question is that statement “… CGC will sometimes create a grading curve …”.  Again, fascinating.  What is involved in creating a “grading curve” and when such a curve is created, is that information communicated to the general public who may be submitting or thinking of submitting that particular issue? 

“Golden Age comics are also allowed to exhibit thin and very light dust shadows or very minor cover tanning.  Small, unobtrusive date stamps and store stamps, as well as minor writing are sometimes allowed.”  Well, the language here could not be less vague.  What, specifically, defines a “thin and very light dust shadow”?   How, or whom, is deciding whether a date stamp is or is not “obtrusive”?  And since this is a guide, could you please define what is the difference between “minor” and other writing on the cover?  It would seem a definition of something of this nature would need to be clearly outlined to ensure there is consistency in the grade(s) provided.  And these are as the book notes, “sometimes allowed”.  For the sake of professionalism and consistency, could you provide detailed examples of what criteria are used to make the decision as to whether these defects will or will not be allowed?  To say they are “sometimes allowed” is, well, essentially useless. 

Anyway, those are my two cents based on reading only one page as posted.  Perhaps my questions are answered elsewhere in the book?  But hey, buy the book if you want, to each his / her own. 

It seems like CGC is writing their outs for how grades can be perceived by the buyers. This isn't high-school, I don't want books graded on a curve. I know grading can be subjective, but based upon my history as a buyer and seller and dealing with reputable dealers there is a consistency and a black and whiteness in their grading that comes from experience. It does seem it much more vague than Overstreet. I'm interested to see the opinions of a comparison between both guides.

[jokiing]

On 10/5/2022 at 3:46 PM, Domo Arigato said:

Quick question regarding this page.

It says "One very small printer tear or Marvel tear is also allowed...".

What is a Marvel tear?  Are they talking about Pre-Marvel chipping?

 

Here is an example of the Wolverine Limited #1 Marvel tear... Confirmed by CGC graders.... Wonder if this example made it into the book?

Edited October 11, 2022 by jokiing

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 10/11/2022 at 12:02 AM, jokiing said:

Here is an example of the Wolverine Limited #1 Marvel tear... Confirmed by CGC graders.... Wonder if this example made it into the book?

Does it say marvel tear or piece missing? I’m thinking the piece was there when they graded it.  Did you submit the book?

[comicginger1789]

On 10/10/2022 at 12:32 PM, DWL said:

 

“Golden Age comics are also allowed to exhibit thin and very light dust shadows or very minor cover tanning.  Small, unobtrusive date stamps and store stamps, as well as minor writing are sometimes allowed.”  Well, the language here could not be less vague.  What, specifically, defines a “thin and very light dust shadow”?   How, or whom, is deciding whether a date stamp is or is not “obtrusive”?  And since this is a guide, could you please define what is the difference between “minor” and other writing on the cover?  It would seem a definition of something of this nature would need to be clearly outlined to ensure there is consistency in the grade(s) provided.  And these are as the book notes, “sometimes allowed”.  For the sake of professionalism and consistency, could you provide detailed examples of what criteria are used to make the decision as to whether these defects will or will not be allowed?  To say they are “sometimes allowed” is, well, essentially useless. 

Anyway, those are my two cents based on reading only one page as posted.  Perhaps my questions are answered elsewhere in the book?  But hey, buy the book if you want, to each his / her own. 

 

I've seen some high grade GA books with at least a half inch thick, if not slightly more, dust shadow.

As for minor writing, if little Richard Harden writes his name neatly along the top edge or even abbreviates it RH somewhere on the cover, I am sure it passes. If he scrawls MR. HARDEN across the artwork, well that would not. Like the entire act of grading, it is subjective. Their definition of minor differs from mine and differs from someone else.

[shadroch]

On 10/11/2022 at 6:06 AM, comicginger1789 said:

 

I've seen some high grade GA books with at least a half inch thick, if not slightly more, dust shadow.

As for minor writing, if little Richard Harden writes his name neatly along the top edge or even abbreviates it RH somewhere on the cover, I am sure it passes. If he scrawls MR. HARDEN across the artwork, well that would not. Like the entire act of grading, it is subjective. Their definition of minor differs from mine and differs from someone else.

I had an Avengers 1 that someone had circled every head and written names like Billy and Steve across the faces.  MCS called it a 2.0. I submitted it and it came back as a 4.0, writing on cover.  It didn't sell for much more than a 3.0, but the blind mice who graded it called it a 4.0.

[comicginger1789]

On 10/11/2022 at 11:15 AM, shadroch said:

I had an Avengers 1 that someone had circled every head and written names like Billy and Steve across the faces.  MCS called it a 2.0. I submitted it and it came back as a 4.0, writing on cover.  It didn't sell for much more than a 3.0, but the blind mice who graded it called it a 4.0.

Yeah they have been generous at times with the writing on the cover. 2.5-3.0 for writing/scribbles that clearly damage the artwork seems fair. 4 seems very high.