9.8 vs other grades 4 4

[valiantman]

On 3/16/2023 at 12:20 PM, xriddx said:

Got it.  Yeah I suppose it depends how obsessed one is with that 'higher' grade copy.  Then bringing in saving money vs TIME.  Totally makes sense if youre seeking that 'finality' got it thanks man.  Then here's that 'scarcity' element if you've found the 'grail' in that comic then you're 'finally' done.  

I guess for me I'd rather just have MORE comics than have 'LESS' 9.8s.

But I'm understanding that some people really just value these and drive the price up of those limited 9.8s

thanks everyone for taking the time above. This forum board is priceless as I really don't have any friends who are obsessed w comics like me

I have a particularly "favorite" comic which I have been buying once or twice a year, already CGC slabbed, for over 20 years.

I have 2 CGC 9.8s, 12 CGC 9.6s, 14 CGC 9.4s, 2 CGC 9.2s, 1 CGC 8.0, and a Signature Series CGC 9.6.

If I lived by the "9.8 only" mindset, the same amount of money I've spent might have bought about 6 CGC 9.8s... instead of having 30 slabbed copies at CGC 9.4 or higher.

I think CGC 9.8 is a good plan for people who are "one and done", but there's a ton of satisfaction in owning a giant stack of NM copies of a favorite book, vs. just one 9.8 of this, one 9.8 of that, etc.

[xriddx]

On 3/16/2023 at 12:18 PM, valiantman said:

I have a particularly "favorite" comic which I have been buying once or twice a year, already CGC slabbed, for over 20 years.

I have 2 CGC 9.8s, 12 CGC 9.6s, 14 CGC 9.4s, 2 CGC 9.2s, 1 CGC 8.0, and a Signature Series CGC 9.6.

If I lived by the "9.8 only" mindset, the same amount of money I've spent might have bought about 6 CGC 9.8s... instead of having 30 slabbed copies at CGC 9.4 or higher.

I think CGC 9.8 is a good plan for people who are "one and done", but there's a ton of satisfaction in owning a giant stack of NM copies of a favorite book, vs. just one 9.8 of this, one 9.8 of that, etc.

This makes sense.  I may do the same for my fav! Stacking the same copy also would make me feel less sadness if I ever did sell one of them.

[paqart]

On 3/16/2023 at 1:20 PM, xriddx said:

 

Got it.  Yeah I suppose it depends how obsessed one is with that 'higher' grade copy.  Then bringing in saving money vs TIME.  Totally makes sense if youre seeking that 'finality' got it thanks man.  Then here's that 'scarcity' element if you've found the 'grail' in that comic then you're 'finally' done.  

I normally go for comics in the 9.2-9.6 range. My 9.8's are either lucky breaks when I submit to CGC or a good price that I would have paid for a slabbed 9.4 or 9.6. The 9.8 premium isn't worth it to me for the difference in presentation quality but I'm happy to accept the premium as a seller.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, my passion is Golden Age and Silver Age comics. These are almost never in 9.8 (with a few notable exceptions). For GA, I am very happy with a 7.0-7.5, and Silver Age, I target 8.0-8.5. This, by the way, is partly because I agree with @valiantman regarding the relative value of the grade vs the dollars required to buy it. Namely, that the number of dollars required to buy 8.0's vs the same number of dollars spent on higher grade books yields more ROI. 

I just bought a comic for my collection that I've always wanted, Strange Tales #135, PGX grade of 8.0. I was very happy with the purchase until it arrived today and saw it said "restored grade, Slight cover trim, minor color touch". I'm so used to the CGC labels that I didn't notice the note on the PGX label. I'm still glad to have it but normally, I won't buy anything that has been restored. The odd thing is that I can't find any sign of the restorations noted on the label. I even put on two pairs of glasses to look it over very closely and still can't find the "minor color touch" or the "slight cover trim". I went back to look at the original listing, which I wish I'd read more carefully, and see that the seller did note that it was restored. He also wrote that he examined the comic in an effort to find the restoration and couldn't find it either.

I'm tempted to break it out of the holder and send it to CGC for re-grading on the possibility that it isn't retouched but got that label erroneously. 

Edited March 16, 2023 by paqart

[valiantman]

On 3/16/2023 at 2:20 PM, xriddx said:

This makes sense.  I may do the same for my fav! Stacking the same copy also would make me feel less sadness if I ever did sell one of them.

Exactly! When you've got a favorite book, and you decide that you want "one 9.8", then you either have to hold it forever, or you have to sell your only copy.

Neither is as good an option, for me, as having a dozen of a favorite book. Going from 12 copies down to 10 copies might be helpful if I need a little cash, while going from 12 down to 10 doesn't "hurt" my "collector pride" one bit.

Edited March 16, 2023 by valiantman

[badback83]

When I got back into collecting 15 years ago, I quickly learned that I was going to have to settle for mid-low grade books.  I was immediately drawn to high grade bronze, which turned into high grade silver.  Collecting high grade just wasn’t in the cards for me because of budgetary restrictions.  I settled on nice VG - F copies for silver and Fine or better for bronze.  I ended up with a collection that I was very happy with for many years.  

[D2]

On 3/16/2023 at 1:22 PM, lostboys said:

I love 9.6s that have zero visible flaws.

I had great success finding them in 2019 / 2020.

I put together a gorgeous Walking Dead run of issues 1 - 10 & 19... most in 9.6 / 9.8 and they all look flawless to the naked eye.

The past few years, not so much.

In fact, Im finding it hard to even find a 9.8 without flaws these days.

I tried buying older slabs but many of the books in the old slabs have SCS.

 

 

 

 

I love seeing 9.8s with visible flaws, because then I know I got lucky with my grade. 

[Aman619]

if you buy slabbed comics with the awareness of someday trying to sell them, higher grades generally hold or increase in value. For Moderns, there is no greater assurance of a decent chance of getting your money back someday than buying a 9.8.  They arent ridiculously expensive and you can be sure you made the best decision you could to ensure a positive return.  Except:   if the book WAS hot when you bought it and the movie tanked, (etc).  or not that many people ever really caught onto it and just dont want to buy it

[grendel013]

It took me 20 years to put together a CGC universal 9.8 white page set of the original 1983 Grendel including his first appearance in Primer #2. I have a second set all 9.6 because I didn't want to sell/trade them as I upgraded. Also because I was considering I may eventually sell the 9.8s if I couldn't complete the set. It's nice having both sets. I'm not gonna lie. 

[lostboys]

On 3/16/2023 at 4:07 PM, D2 said:

I love seeing 9.8s with visible flaws, because then I know I got lucky with my grade. 

 

I have one 9.8 that I submitted myself ...I was only hoping for a 9.6 because It has a color break on the spine.

Its dead to me.

Edited March 17, 2023 by lostboys

[Parabellum]

A large portion of my collection is 9.8’s or higher.  The books that are graded lower is because either I couldn’t afford a 9.8 or finding a 9.8 copy wasn’t worth it to me.  Keep in mind my focus is Copper to early modern age so the price point for a 9.8 is significantly lower than GA/SA/BA.  Plus, anything below 9.8 in 99% of that era do not retain value and are harder to sell if that time comes.

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 3/15/2023 at 7:36 PM, D2 said:

For resale? Modern and in many cases, Bronze? 
 

9.8

 

Edit: others will dispute it, others will deny, but in dark times, a 9.8 will always sell over its counterparts. 

I don’t know.  In dark times, that 9.8 is going to take a much larger hit than the exponentially cheaper grades below it.   Rather have my 9.6 drop from $1000-$100, than my 9.8 drop from $10,000-$1000

 

[rexinnih]

Pretty much what's been stated. For modern, my target is 9.8 and love when I get them as most were purchased from the LCS in my collecting days. If I do buy something now, I try to get 9.8s. Again for modern. Don't aspire to have any of my Copper, Silver in 9.8 but happy when they get a good grade. 

[valiantman]

On 3/17/2023 at 10:36 AM, THE_BEYONDER said:

I don’t know.  In dark times, that 9.8 is going to take a much larger hit than the exponentially cheaper grades below it.   Rather have my 9.6 drop from $1000-$100, than my 9.8 drop from $10,000-$1000

 

Unless you have 10 copies at CGC 9.6 that drop from $1,000 each down to $100 each... that's the same loss as a single CGC 9.8 dropping from $10,000 to $1,000...

... or is it?

The 10 copies at CGC 9.6 that drop from $1,000 each down to $100 each might be 10 different books, in which case, you'll have a lot more to view and enjoy than the single CGC 9.8, even if the value lost is identical.

So, another win for the CGC 9.6s. 

(... but 20 copies at CGC 9.4 that drop from $500 each down to $50 each could even be more nice comics to view when you're crying about lost values.) 

Edited March 17, 2023 by valiantman

[D2]

On 3/17/2023 at 10:44 AM, lostboys said:

 

I have one 9.8 that I submitted myself ...I was only hoping for a 9.6 because It has a color break on the spine.

Its dead to me.

but the benefit is you can sell it to someone who wants that '9.8' grail, and then buy one at equal or if lucky, less price, and get a visual stunner you can appreciate

edit: sorry, I thought this was a dating chat forum...

Edited March 17, 2023 by D2

[Brock]

On 3/17/2023 at 11:36 AM, THE_BEYONDER said:

I don’t know.  In dark times, that 9.8 is going to take a much larger hit than the exponentially cheaper grades below it.   Rather have my 9.6 drop from $1000-$100, than my 9.8 drop from $10,000-$1000

 

On 3/17/2023 at 12:46 PM, valiantman said:

Unless you have 10 copies at CGC 9.6 that drop from $1,000 each down to $100 each... that's the same loss as a single CGC 9.8 dropping from $10,000 to $1,000...

... or is it?

The 10 copies at CGC 9.6 that drop from $1,000 each down to $100 each might be 10 different books, in which case, you'll have a lot more to view and enjoy than the single CGC 9.8, even if the value lost is identical.

So, another win for the CGC 9.6s. 

(... but 20 copies at CGC 9.4 that drop from $500 each down to $50 each could even be more nice comics to view when you're crying about lost values.) 

The fault (?) in the logic here is that eventually you are arguing for holding 1,000 books in CGC 1.0 which will only drop from $10 to $1. Everybody's collecting goals are different, but at some point the logic of "less is more" collapses...

[valiantman]

On 3/19/2023 at 4:37 PM, Brock said:

 

The fault (?) in the logic here is that eventually you are arguing for holding 1,000 books in CGC 1.0 which will only drop from $10 to $1. Everybody's collecting goals are different, but at some point the logic of "less is more" collapses...

No, because my logic is based on actual selling prices. There are no 1,000 books in CGC 1.0 which can be purchased for $10 each.

This was written using actual pricing: https://comics.gpanalysis.com/news/2021/investing-in-cgc-grade-comics-is-higher-grade-better

 

[Brock]

On 3/19/2023 at 8:06 PM, valiantman said:

No, because my logic is based on actual selling prices. There are no 1,000 books in CGC 1.0 which can be purchased for $10 each.

How about a 9.2 for $4.25?

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/165840922343?hash=item269ce3a6e7:g:DdwAAOSwU4xjn7pn&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA0DCVgMekX0dXjstlf7p4nnSGJvHWwOLZ%2FXyGIs2tS1Ea%2FopEU8eMsoCTbjxwl6m%2FXFE7dkS3qx0qmdNWqS1OOb6wgT3rVVef6y7dd2Xl4Ky1KfnONM0%2B3qRBz6SRUjoObGUiVhTguTjTiw4yLc35tiT3Ouz4RKSKeG7R28QdfJ%2B%2FcvOITXe7K3Y0PIbU0XeSPtfMGuuvniZejeRYYx1F5r0cy4ZAc1Ac3d0FIWQfYHF9b0lHSHYGktiDgUZoimmTEsRAkVll0EyBqh97pn8HRE8%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR46J4MffYQ

Or a 9.8 for less than $10?

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/325569710426?hash=item4bcd77895a:g:0ZcAAOSwy9hj4Cln&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA0GpDawSjS1spLyeU9dRjPtVKyfxXD4lbdFtT%2Bij%2F3xKWsFWaeuTl%2B87ZBHMsHtDcK9HUXvp49VSfmiF4pSRs7neOBQGY5Ck5Z%2FK3kMa9LCK32UnUVlN%2FxY243QiaxCuR6ZAf%2F1lYM4AYxH7KPmOUeJVWxRFnxxBGB9wC0B05YrEPSnqk7k7%2BKdO6roqh%2Bey%2BYYg%2B14Ux7P9YgvlIFk429W0JctlnhqfoYsra%2Fgm1RXYQ5bXd%2FOLbHwrlcefrQ62Do68Kuh68EachUIOVbl8f%2FE8%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR5CJ4MffYQ

I’m mostly having fun here, but I have a pathological tendency to poke away at grand theories of market behaviour.

 

[valiantman]

On 3/19/2023 at 7:54 PM, Brock said:

I’m mostly having fun here, but I have a pathological tendency to poke away at grand theories of market behaviour.

Oh, I recognized that.

[THE_BEYONDER]

Edited March 20, 2023 by THE_BEYONDER

[lou_fine]

On 3/15/2023 at 8:27 AM, seanlinc said:

What I really don't get is the vast price difference between 9.8s and 9.6s as you could slap a 9.8 on a 9.6 or viceversa and 90% of collectors couldn't tell the difference. 

Oh wow, 90%......................if that's really the case with you, then you are more than fully qualified to get a job with CGC as a grader.