Tampered CGC Slab from ebay? Opinions...photos included 2 2

[thecomicsdude]

Hello all, I just received this slab from an ebay purchase and I noticed immediately a few things (see photos).

Are these signs that this CGC slab has been tampered with? I reached out to the seller, and he was telling he received a few from CGC like this.

The one thing that drew my attention was the upper right corner with a slight bulge so when I run my finger across the top it has a slight opening (not completely open where there's air, but there's unevenness). 

I'm new to comics, but very new to CGC slab purchasing. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Edited September 19, 2023 by thecomicsdude
Clarification for the description

[Lightning55]

It's completely normal.

If it's worth less than $1000, no one is going to take the trouble to try to tamper with the case. Which is just about impossible to do anyway.

[greggy]

@BlowUpTheMoon

[Cman429]

Just search the CGC registry for your certification number (scan the bar code on the label). If it comes up Secret Wars 1 9.4, you have your answer. 

[Lightning55]

On 9/19/2023 at 4:15 AM, Cman429 said:

Just search the CGC registry for your certification number (scan the bar code on the label). If it comes up Secret Wars 1 9.4, you have your answer. 

That just tells you that such a book existed at the time it was graded. It doesn't prove that the book in the slab today is the one that there at that time. Theoretically it could have been tampered with and swapped out. So only a first step, at best.

Not saying that happened here, 99.99% chance it's legit. There is no monetary incentive to mess with this particular book.

Just saying that looking up the number has little to do with it, and should give the owner limited comfort. There is much more to it than that.

[thecomicsdude]

Thanks @Lightning55 - I was thinking the same thing. I did look it up and it does exist.

Gotcha, so you can't tamper with the slab, once you open it the whole thing breaks? Is that how I understood your statement? Does this devalue the CGC grading or make it questionable?

 

Edited September 19, 2023 by thecomicsdude

[Cman429]

See I figured the easiest way to “tamper” with a slab would be to get a fistful of discarded CGC labels, then take a 9.8 and transpose it on top of an already existing 5.0. The idea of cracking a slab and entirely swapping one copy for another seemed far fetched. Maybe because every time I’ve cracked a slab, intentionally or unintentionally, the case shattered like an eggshell and I couldn’t imagine repairing the catastrophic damage you’d need to swap a full book as opposed to just the label.

Anyway good luck. 

[Lightning55]

The slabs are "tamper-evident". They are sonically welded at the corners, and some seams, it can vary depending upon when they were produced. If you try to open them, they will crack and split.

In your photos 1, 4, and 5, you are pointing out the seal of the inner capsule, which looks a bit milky here. That happens sometimes, probably in the sealer a little too long and they "cooked" the weld. The plastic has to heat up to seal, and with a little too much heat will look like that. 

The corners in the other 2 photos look normal to me, and I have submitted over 2,000 slabs.

The typical reason a person would tamper with a slab is to substitute a poor quality comic for a much better one. As a 9.4, your comic should look pretty nice. If it looks like a low grade comic trying to be passed off as high grade comic, that is the real tipoff to be suspicious. If it looks to be anywhere near a 9.4, it is the comic that was originally graded. 

To put a low grade comic in there isn't worth the trouble. You could buy another raw 9.4 for cheap money, $25-$50. Why try to magically open a sealed case without damaging it, open the sealed inner capsule, put a low grade copy into the inner capsule, then back into the case, then try to reseal everything without leaving a trace of evidence? Just to get your 9.4 back. Doesn't make any sense.

A Hulk 181 worth 10's of thousands of dollars? Yes, could be worth the trouble if you could pull it off.

[thecomicsdude]

Appreciate it guys! This is definitely helps.