Dismayed 1 1

[Kimmie6]

New here. 
Sent in Black Knight #1 for pressing/cleaning/grading. Received it back with a 4 grade. 
Grader notes:

creasing to cover

spine stress lines to cover

staple tears

 

Blue Bolt #110 received the same grade  

Graders notes:

staple detached bottom of front cover

creasing to cover

light cover tanning

light staining to cover

spine splits to cover

spine stress lines to cover 

 

My confusion lies within the conundrum of how do these two books have the same grade when one obviously has more defects?

 

I am not whining  Simply trying to learn and understand how alL of this works 

 

Please be kind in your replies  

 

 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 10/20/2023 at 4:57 PM, Kimmie6 said:

My confusion lies within the conundrum of how do these two books have the same grade when one obviously has more defects?

Kimmie, I don't think your books are that far away from a 4.0 grade for you to be overly concerned. CGC may have listed more defects on one than the other, but that doesn't mean those are the only defects. They're just what the grader chose to list. Also, it's not the number of defects that determines a grade, comparatively, but the amalgamation of them. Some are worse than others. So I can see why you have asked the question, but I think both books are in the 4.0 territory from what I can see. If one looked significantly better than the other, I'd be with you. But both books look 4.0ish. Try not to set too much stall by the defects CGC do or do not list. They're by no means definitive.

Nice books, by the way.

[marvelmaniac]

First, grading is subjective, there is no black and white to grading, only lots of gray areas, hence CGC has the books looked at by more than one grader, also, you are not the first and will not be the last to complain about an assigned grade.

Comic books are graded in their entirety, an accumulation of defects, not just one defect, in lower grade books that defect may be allowed and will not lower the grade any more than it is, however, one defect on a higher grade book could lower the book by 1-2 points or more, depending on the grade and defect.

Just out of curiosity, were these books posted in the https://boards.cgccomics.com/forum/42-hey-buddy-can-you-spare-a-grade/ at any time, if so, what was the groups consensus on the grade?

If you have looked at any posts in the above section you will see that folks are not always in agreement on grading, I tend to be conservative regardless of how CGC see's it and when on the fence, I always go lower.

Learning to grade can be challenging but with lots of practice/patience you can become somewhat prolific at grading, (nobody will ever agree with you 100% of the time) there are numerous aids to help. You can purchase the Overstreet Grading Guide or the new CGC Grading Guide, you can assign a grade to a book then post the book in the "spare a grade" section and see if folks agree with your assessment, I give detailed explanations of the defects when I post with an explanation of how I reached that conclusion of grade.

https://comics.ha.com/tutorial/comics-grading.s?show=comicdefinitions

There are also videos from CGC that explain some defects and how they may affect the grade of the book.

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=575236831&sxsrf=AM9HkKm9epJcgDgUh1ykFjDvqQxLWtQqfA:1697821431149&q=cgc+insider+videos&tbm=vid&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiima7ajYWCAxVzGVkFHXBMBu0Q0pQJegQIDBAB&biw=1280&bih=563&dpr=1.5

[Kimmie6]

I have never posted any of my comics anywhere. This would actually be the first time anyone has seen any of them in any forum. I sent a large amount of them in for grading. Many more are just ok so i have kept those home. These are just two that I thought should possibly be higher, so far. 😀 Most of what I sent in are 5.5 and below so far. There is one 7 in there. They still have about 50 more to grade. 
 

Which is why I was looking for a “schooling” if you will. I have watched videos on vintage comics but only general topics on them. I imagine I will start selling some but not sure at this point. They were my Dads. 
 

I will look up the videos you shared. 

[Yorick]

Those are very presentable copies.  Many of the books in my collection are around the same grade.  For a comic to be in the higher grade ranges, they can't have any edge tearing or fold lines.  Most books that were read and loved will fall within the 4.0 - 5.0 grade range.

Before sending any more to be graded, perhaps post pictures in the thread that MarvelManiac linked so that you'll better be able to assess whether the cost of grading is worth it for you.

[Kimmie6]

Well he did love his comic books as a boy. Which is why he kept every single one of them.

 

It is too late, I sent in a ton because someone told me to. I still have about 350 more that I won't send in. It is too expensive. But if I change my mind I will definitely will post here before I ship anything. I know so little about all of this and without my Dad's guidance, challenging to say the least. Thank you for that suggestion, I would not have posted if you had not suggested it for the next batch. But I don't think there will be a next batch. 

[LDarkseid1]

On 10/20/2023 at 11:24 AM, Kimmie6 said:

Well he did love his comic books as a boy. Which is why he kept every single one of them.

 

It is too late, I sent in a ton because someone told me to. I still have about 350 more that I won't send in. It is too expensive. But if I change my mind I will definitely will post here before I ship anything. I know so little about all of this and without my Dad's guidance, challenging to say the least. Thank you for that suggestion, I would not have posted if you had not suggested it for the next batch. But I don't think there will be a next batch. 

If you’re just looking to sell the remaining 350 reach out to an auction house. Comiclink, Comicconnect and Heritage are good options. They’ll pay for all the grading fees, and will simply subtract the cost out of what they sell for at auction. Also you get 15% off grading using them, making it cheaper as well than if you submitted yourself.

Edited October 21, 2023 by LDarkseid1

[Get Marwood & I]

On 10/21/2023 at 9:30 AM, LDarkseid1 said:

If you’re just looking to sell the remaining 350 reach out to an auction house. Comiclink, Comicconnect and Heritage are good options. They’ll pay for all the grading fees, and will simply subtract the cost out of what they sell for at auction. Also you get 15% off grading using them, making it cheaper as well than if you submitted yourself.

Happy Birthday!

[trademarkcomics]

On 10/20/2023 at 8:57 AM, Kimmie6 said:

New here. 
Sent in Black Knight #1 for pressing/cleaning/grading. Received it back with a 4 grade. 
Grader notes:

creasing to cover

spine stress lines to cover

staple tears

 

Blue Bolt #110 received the same grade  

Graders notes:

staple detached bottom of front cover

creasing to cover

light cover tanning

light staining to cover

spine splits to cover

spine stress lines to cover 

 

My confusion lies within the conundrum of how do these two books have the same grade when one obviously has more defects?

 

I am not whining  Simply trying to learn and understand how alL of this works 

 

Please be kind in your replies  

 

 

The BK #1 is a black cover which shows more wear. Of the two, even with more defects, the BB #110 presents better(It would have looked even nicer if the small edge tear had been unfolded before it was encased) . Comics grading is a very superficial art. It's all about how it looks. There are no concepts like "inner beauty" in grading comics. Ugly is ugly and pretty is pretty. Regardless of the amount of different defects or their severity, those books are simply on the precipice of looking ugly...hence the 4.0 grade. 

Still, I would rather have a 4.0 that has general reading wear but looks solid like those two over an otherwise high grade copy with a corner piece missing or writing on the cover that drops it to 4.0. Nice books!

[The Lions Den]

On 10/20/2023 at 2:24 PM, Kimmie6 said:

Well he did love his comic books as a boy. Which is why he kept every single one of them.

 

It is too late, I sent in a ton because someone told me to. I still have about 350 more that I won't send in. It is too expensive. But if I change my mind I will definitely will post here before I ship anything. I know so little about all of this and without my Dad's guidance, challenging to say the least. Thank you for that suggestion, I would not have posted if you had not suggested it for the next batch. But I don't think there will be a next batch. 

To simplify things, here are some general guidelines to keep in mind when grading books: 

Near Mint range = looks brand new or close to it.

Very Fine range = looks like new, but on close inspection you can see some light wear.

Fine range = has obviously been handled, but with some care. 

Very Good range = the average used comic book; still OK but showing signs of being handled numerous times.

Good range = a well-read comic book with moderate to heavy wear; often has a wide range of defects.

Poor to Fair = a book with heavy wear and tear, missing pieces, etc. Bottom of the barrel. 

I would also suggest you pick up the CGC grading guide, which is not only very good reading but has full color pictures throughout. 

Good luck and thanks for posting!