How Is This a 7.5? 3 3

[Happy Noodle Boy]

So I checked the CGC graders notes and they say "finger bends on cover, light creasing to cover, spine stress lines" and that's fair enough. But when I look at this book--and I know the pics aren't great, but still--it looks like CGC went too hard on it. Looks like an 8.0 all day to me, at least--but then, I'm not a grader. What do you guys think? Am I missing something?

 

 

 

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by Mark Warren

[Roger66]

Those notes IMO are fair for a 7.5. It could also be a candidate for a press too in which case you might hit an 8.0+. There is IMO a world of difference between looking at a comic through a case vs holding it raw in hand in order to carefully determine what issues and deficits it has. It is also possible if you cracked this out and resubmitted it 'as is' it could come back an 8.0 or maybe even a 7.0 - as grading despite the uber-professionals involved has a subjectiveness to it.  What you also might be 'missing' is experience born of time and trials.  

[The Lions Den]

Do you happen to know which tier this book went through? 

[scburdet]

2nd that the case can hide things, especially in photos. Graders' notes don't have to detail everything, and often don't. I see some white spots around the BRFC that aren't mentioned for example. Also 2nd that whatever the grade on the corner is, different graders in different days might weigh things different. A 7.5 could be assigned an 8.0 or a 7.0. All grades are representative of some average outcome.

[LowGradeBronze]

Im assuming from the notes you didn't have it pressed first.....

[Happy Noodle Boy]

It's actually not my book, I saw it on ebay. Finger bends, I assume, wouldn't be visible in the pics. Maybe light creases wouldn't be visible either. But as a person who cracks books out of their cases, the numerical grade doesn't matter to me anyway. I was just wondering if there was something in the pics I was missing, as my eyesight is the eyesight of a 54 year old man. To me it's a great-looking example of the book that I'd be proud to own, and it presents better than a lot of 8.5's and 9.0's I've seen. 

[grendelbo]

A couple of years back I found a real nice-looking What If? 10 on ebay. It was a 7.5 and cheap. I bought it and received it and still didn't understand the grade {this was before grader's notes were free and $5 is beer money). I cracked the slab and could only then see the numerous crease and bends and ticks on both covers. Looking now at the grader's notes, CGC called them light. I would call them moderate but then again none of them broke color. I pressed the book and now it's probably a 9.0/9.2.

[Happy Noodle Boy]

On 2/22/2023 at 7:07 PM, grendelbo said:

A couple of years back I found a real nice-looking What If? 10 on ebay. It was a 7.5 and cheap. I bought it and received it and still didn't understand the grade {this was before grader's notes were free and $5 is beer money). I cracked the slab and could only then see the numerous crease and bends and ticks on both covers. Looking now at the grader's notes, CGC called them light. I would call them moderate but then again none of them broke color. I pressed the book and now it's probably a 9.0/9.2.

If I bought this I would definitely be willing to have it pressed, I guess my question is, judging from what you can see in the pictures, is this a book that would do really well with a press? I've never had a book pressed before, and though I can't see the finger bends and creases the graders notes mentioned, they must be there somewhere. And for all the people who regularly have books pressed, who are the best, most reliable pressers out there? Or to put it another way, which presser would you trust your $1500 book to?

[grendelbo]

On 2/22/2023 at 5:29 PM, Mark Warren said:

guess my question is, judging from what you can see in the pictures, is this a book that would do really well with a press?

Based on the grader's notes and what can I can see through the slab, I say it would be a good candidate for a pressing with a likely grade bump or two.

On 2/22/2023 at 5:29 PM, Mark Warren said:

which presser would you trust your $1500 book to?

Although I have not used him personally, @joeyposthas a terrific reputation on these boards.

 

[Happy Noodle Boy]

On 2/22/2023 at 7:55 PM, grendelbo said:

Based on the grader's notes and what can I can see through the slab, I say it would be a good candidate for a pressing with a likely grade bump or two.

Although I have not used him personally, @joeyposthas a terrific reputation on these boards.

 

Thanks for the recommendation!

[mephistopheles]

Books looks like a solid 8+ in the case. After watching this video, I would take grader's notes with a grain of salt. 

 

[LowGradeBronze]

On 2/22/2023 at 8:23 PM, Mark Warren said:

It's actually not my book, I saw it on ebay. Finger bends, I assume, wouldn't be visible in the pics. Maybe light creases wouldn't be visible either. But as a person who cracks books out of their cases, the numerical grade doesn't matter to me anyway. I was just wondering if there was something in the pics I was missing, as my eyesight is the eyesight of a 54 year old man. To me it's a great-looking example of the book that I'd be proud to own, and it presents better than a lot of 8.5's and 9.0's I've seen. 

Then I think this could go in your favour. A chance to buy it at a 7.5 price, but it looks nicer.