harvust Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 Hi! I just did my first submission to CGC and included my Saga #1 1st print. Being completely new to comics grading I sent it off thinking it looked great and didn't pay for the additional pressing. I just got access to my grades and see that Saga came in at a 7.0 with the following notes. light spine stress lines to cover moderate bends to cover moderate creasing to cover In my naivety I was expecting this to be a 9+ book without any extra steps, and I'm having some real regret for not paying for pressing. I know I could pay to have the whole process done again and include pressing, but would that be worth it? A press *should* get rid of the grading notes above correct? (outside of the spine stress). Is it possible for a 7 to jump to a 9+ with pressing. FWIW I was planning on keeping this as part of my personal collection - possibly displayed on the wall - I'm a bit less enthusiastic now that it's only a 7. Thanks for any insight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revat Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 It all depends. Comics can jump that much depending on defects, but pictures would help but for the amount of time and money put in to pressing and regrading and shipping there and back, etc, maybe consider just buying a cgc 9.0-9.4 that’s already graded? Research and compare prices. Point Five 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvust Posted September 12, 2023 Author Share Posted September 12, 2023 On 9/12/2023 at 11:49 AM, revat said: It all depends. Comics can jump that much depending on defects, but pictures would help but for the amount of time and money put in to pressing and regrading and shipping there and back, etc, maybe consider just buying a cgc 9.0-9.4 that’s already graded? Research and compare prices. Thanks, that's what I'm doing now. I feel real dumb for not spending the $15 to get it pressed - but I suppose this lesson is invaluable so at least I have that going for me 🥲. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cman429 Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 First time I ever submitted to CGC I did the same thing. My book looked mint and I thought the pressing thing was a goofy extra. I got a 7.5. I resubbed it, got it pressed, and it came back 9.2. My latest Comicon about 6 months ago, I submitted two 8.5 that got pressed to 9.6s. Is that always the case? No. Maybe I’ve been lucky. And I’ve gotten plenty of books pressed that came back the same grade or even a couple times came back lower. But in general I think it’s worth it as long as the defects are pressable. Don’t feel bad. This whole thing is a learning process. Basically if you’re new to the whole CGC thing, you gotta realize you’re probably not as good at grading as you think you are Point Five 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzutak Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 On 9/12/2023 at 8:13 AM, harvust said: A press *should* get rid of the grading notes above correct? I would NEVER make an assessment of what a well-executed pressing could accomplish merely by reading a book's CGC Grader Notes. A visual examination of the book is mandatory (unless, of course, you're content with a 50-50 "coin flip" type proposition). Has anyone else noticed how seldom pics accompany posts these days, in spite of the fact that most folks have a smartphone glued to their palm 24-7. grendelbo and BlowUpTheMoon 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvust Posted September 12, 2023 Author Share Posted September 12, 2023 On 9/12/2023 at 2:27 PM, zzutak said: I would NEVER make an assessment of what a well-executed pressing could accomplish merely by reading a book's CGC Grader Notes. A visual examination of the book is mandatory (unless, of course, you're content with a 50-50 "coin flip" type proposition). Has anyone else noticed how seldom pics accompany posts these days, in spite of the fact that most folks have a smartphone glued to their palm 24-7. Apologies! I didn't take any high-quality pics before sending it off to CGC. Is that something I should get in the practice of? I'll be sure to upload some pictures as soon as the comic is back in my possession. It just shipped out today from FL. Thanks for your input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzutak Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 On 9/12/2023 at 11:37 AM, harvust said: I didn't take any high-quality pics before sending it off to CGC. Is that something I should get in the practice of? Absolutely! Around my house, no collectible EVER gets packaged for shipping ANYWHERE without first getting photographed or scanned. Chaz G., crazyhips, Lazyboy and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMyAmadeus Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 Cog 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pirog Posted September 12, 2023 Share Posted September 12, 2023 On 9/12/2023 at 3:58 PM, RockMyAmadeus said: yeah nice example...I use to send all modern comics in without the pressing option and did pretty well until something changed (about year ago) and was getting 9.2-9.4's on what i though were 9.6-9.8...I then experimented with getting all my submissions pressed and I have noticed it does in fact help and in a good number of times helps alot as in your mutant example Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvust Posted September 12, 2023 Author Share Posted September 12, 2023 On 9/12/2023 at 3:58 PM, RockMyAmadeus said: On 9/12/2023 at 4:20 PM, pirog said: yeah nice example...I use to send all modern comics in without the pressing option and did pretty well until something changed (about year ago) and was getting 9.2-9.4's on what i though were 9.6-9.8...I then experimented with getting all my submissions pressed and I have noticed it does in fact help and in a good number of times helps alot as in your mutant example Great example and thanks for the feedback! I guess now all that's left is to do the math and see if it makes more sense to sell the 7.0 as is and try to buy in to a 9+ or just spend the $65 to turn the one in hand right back around. Thanks for all the great info everyone! pirog 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAR1979 Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 On 9/12/2023 at 4:31 PM, harvust said: Great example and thanks for the feedback! I guess now all that's left is to do the math and see if it makes more sense to sell the 7.0 as is and try to buy in to a 9+ or just spend the $65 to turn the one in hand right back around. Thanks for all the great info everyone! Use a 3rd party presser RockMyAmadeus and crazyhips 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbcn Posted September 13, 2023 Share Posted September 13, 2023 I’d resubmit or go to a 3rd party. I did the exact same (twice, actually) - thought a book was in nm/m & I sent it in for grading, only to have and it come back an 8.0 - resubmitted for pressing at CGC and came back a 9.8! Ymmv… But yeah - for the $15/20 it seems like a no brainer to have it get slabbed in as good condition as possible… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the blob Posted September 14, 2023 Share Posted September 14, 2023 On 9/12/2023 at 4:31 PM, harvust said: Great example and thanks for the feedback! I guess now all that's left is to do the math and see if it makes more sense to sell the 7.0 as is and try to buy in to a 9+ or just spend the $65 to turn the one in hand right back around. Thanks for all the great info everyone! I suspect that RMA pressed that book himself, which is why he posted it? RockMyAmadeus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvust Posted September 15, 2023 Author Share Posted September 15, 2023 Wow everyone! Now that I have the book back in my possession it is CRAZY how many defect I can clearly see now that I've actually been looking into grading and studying examples of the 0.5-9.8 spectrum. Here are the images as promised but even with the things my untrained eye can see (marked on the photos) this clearly isn't the 9.8 book I was dreaming of. That being said, what do you think a press could do for the number given the marks I have (and haven't) showcased? Again thanks for everyone's help with this. This has been a really great learning experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
