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I think I might actually have a 9.9...
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Started by Timed,

28 posts in this topic

Timed

Timed

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Posted (edited)

Before I start, I am aware of the saying "never expect a 9.9, or even a 9.8". I have been submitting for years, and have learned to be conservative on estimates so as to not be disappointed on results.

Now, I am not trying to delude myself, but I have stumbled across a 1980's book that is genuinely the most gorgeous copy of the book I have ever seen. I have submitted this issue many times before, with a bunch coming back as 9.8, but on those 9.8's there was always at least one defect if you looked hard enough. On this copy though, there is none. No ticks (not even non color breaking), extremely sharp corners, no marvel chipping, vivid colors, tight staples with no rust... not even any bindery tears on top or bottom. And yes I used a magnifying glass as well, just because I wanted to make sure that my eyes were not deceiving me. I have never been amazed by a book so much that I can say, it looks even better than most moderns I have handled.

The question I have is, is there any way or path on giving this the best chance at a 9.9? I would even be willing to submit it in the UV tier, if that meant the graders scrutinize every single millimeter closely. Heck, I would even hand deliver it to Matt Nelson for a fee just so he can take a close look :roflmao:

Just wanted to write about my thoughts, even though I know it will just probably come back a 9.8... lol.

Edited by Timed
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ADAMANTIUM

ADAMANTIUM

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Since you didn't mention the specific book, my suggestion is look at the census to see if it has a 9.9 or 10 already? 

Just in case there is and it's possible that if so, imo, they have a frame of reference. :)

Hope it goes well for you!  :cheers:

 

Edited by ADAMANTIUM
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Timed

Timed

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On 11/8/2023 at 7:44 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

Since you didn't mention the specific book, my suggestion is look at the census to see if it has a 9.9 or 10 already? 

Just in case there is and it's possible that if so, imo, and if one has been established,  they have references. :)

Hope it goes well for you!  :cheers:

 

Yes, it has 9.9s, but no 10. I didn't mention the name as I didn't want any bias one way or the other (it's too cheap, don't even bother trying/it's so expensive, is that why you want a 9.9?!)

I compared it to a few 9.9s and it looked just as good if not better - I noticed a tick on one 9.9, and slight bindery tearing on another.

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VintageComics

VintageComics

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I submit many vintage books in the hopes of a 9.9 regularly. I've gotten 6 or 7 ever in 20 years of submitting. 

Moderns are much easier, though as the production quality is much higher,but vintage stuff is near impossible. You can submit what you think is a perfect book and it still won't get it 99.99% of the time. 

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Timed

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On 11/8/2023 at 8:02 PM, Lightning55 said:

Still waiting for my first 9.9, after about 2,000 tries.  But I probably never had a book that was a "contender". 

I have no advice to give, just hopes that you get the 9.9, or better!

I understand that, I have never actually looked at a book and thought it could be a contender until now.

On 11/8/2023 at 8:12 PM, VintageComics said:

I submit many vintage books in the hopes of a 9.9 regularly. I've gotten 6 or 7 ever in 20 years of submitting. 

Moderns are much easier, though as the production quality is much higher,but vintage stuff is near impossible. You can submit what you think is a perfect book and it still won't get it 99.99% of the time. 

Yeah, figures.

One thing I am wondering, does anyone know if Unlimited Value graders spend more time looking at each book? 

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Axelrod

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The cynic in me says you have no chance.  They don't actually give out 9.9s and 10s based on the quality of the book.  They give them out on a predetermined basis to keep a particular ratio, just using whatever might be the best looking copy of said book they have round at the appropriate time (and, also, for special prominent members of the collecting community, who pay them....)

I jest.  lol

:whistle:

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Tom789

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On 11/8/2023 at 5:34 PM, Timed said:

Before I start, I am aware of the saying "never expect a 9.9, or even a 9.8". I have been submitting for years, and have learned to be conservative on estimates so as to not be disappointed on results.

Now, I am not trying to delude myself, but I have stumbled across a 1980's book that is genuinely the most gorgeous copy of the book I have ever seen. I have submitted this issue many times before, with a bunch coming back as 9.8, but on those 9.8's there was always at least one defect if you looked hard enough. On this copy though, there is none. No ticks (not even non color breaking), extremely sharp corners, no marvel chipping, vivid colors, tight staples with no rust... not even any bindery tears on top or bottom. And yes I used a magnifying glass as well, just because I wanted to make sure that my eyes were not deceiving me. I have never been amazed by a book so much that I can say, it looks even better than most moderns I have handled.

The question I have is, is there any way or path on giving this the best chance at a 9.9? I would even be willing to submit it in the UV tier, if that meant the graders scrutinize every single millimeter closely. Heck, I would even hand deliver it to Matt Nelson for a fee just so he can take a close look :roflmao:

Just wanted to write about my thoughts, even though I know it will just probably come back a 9.8... lol.

A few things you didn't mention that might count.  The book has to be well centered and pages have to be off-white to white or better.  Also, no ink issues such as blotches, smears, transfers, missing ink etc.  Full gloss required.

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Timed

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On 11/8/2023 at 9:01 PM, Axelrod said:

The cynic in me says you have no chance.  They don't actually give out 9.9s and 10s based on the quality of the book.  They give them out on a predetermined basis to keep a particular ratio, just using whatever might be the best looking copy of said book they have round at the appropriate time (and, also, for special prominent members of the collecting community, who pay them....)

I jest.  lol

:whistle:

Honestly agreed.

On 11/8/2023 at 9:11 PM, DougC said:

Congratulations on your new CGC 9.6 book you will receive....:jokealert:

LOL probably not even a joke!

On 11/8/2023 at 9:15 PM, Tom789 said:

A few things you didn't mention that might count.  The book has to be well centered and pages have to be off-white to white or better.  Also, no ink issues such as blotches, smears, transfers, missing ink etc.  Full gloss required.

True, those are issues that are important as well. The book has a miswrap that is less than 1/8th of an inch, which seems to be acceptable in 9.9s. White pages and no ink issues, with gloss. I suppose then, one could say that the slight miswrap may be the defect that breaks the camels back and disqualifies it, even though I have seen 9.9s with miswraps...

Edited by Timed
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VintageComics

VintageComics

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On 11/8/2023 at 10:15 PM, Tom789 said:

A few things you didn't mention that might count.  The book has to be well centered and pages have to be off-white to white or better.  Also, no ink issues such as blotches, smears, transfers, missing ink etc.  Full gloss required.

If the book has a microspeck of ink missing anywhere, or any fuzz anywhere, it's not getting a 9.9.

They literally are looking for a perfect book.

And that's just one thing. If you're not comfortable identifying micro-specs the rest won't even matter. 

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Nschenks

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No personal experience for me here, as I haven’t come across a book I’ve thought had even a remote chance at 9.9 (and I deal primarily with high-grade late bronze/copper stuff), but I’ve often thought about what I would do if I did. I think best thing might be just to sub it solo. Maybe it won’t make a difference, but mayyyybe they just spend that extra few seconds to take a closer look.

I don’t know if subbing high value will make a difference, since I’m not sure the graders are different for different tiers (and may not even pay attention to what tier it is). I always sub modern even when I have a 9.8 candidate, and whenever I’ve been bumped up—which rarely ever happens—it has occurred before grading.

Hope this helps, and good luck! Getting a 9.9 back would be sweet indeed. Super curious to know what book it is, but totally understand if you wanna keep that to yourself.

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Gaard

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On 11/8/2023 at 8:34 PM, Timed said:

The question I have is, is there any way or path on giving this the best chance at a 9.9?

It might might possibly maybe kinda depend on which grader(s) you get. (shrug)

I've often wondered if CGC can tell, via the certification number, who graded which slab (any slab ... could've been graded yesterday, could've been graded 10 years ago)

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Tec-Tac-Toe

Tec-Tac-Toe

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On a five comic book modern submission of the same "crop" book, three of cover A and two of cover B, I received three 9.9 (two of cover A and, of course, one of cover B) when there are a great many 10 for each cover of said crop; CGC did not "give me" one 10 on my "corn" but did give two 9.8 on it.

Those are the only 9.9 grades that CGC has granted me. "Thank you," CGC. :violin:

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BigLeagueCHEW

BigLeagueCHEW

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On 11/8/2023 at 5:34 PM, Timed said:

Before I start, I am aware of the saying "never expect a 9.9, or even a 9.8". I have been submitting for years, and have learned to be conservative on estimates so as to not be disappointed on results.

Now, I am not trying to delude myself, but I have stumbled across a 1980's book that is genuinely the most gorgeous copy of the book I have ever seen. I have submitted this issue many times before, with a bunch coming back as 9.8, but on those 9.8's there was always at least one defect if you looked hard enough. On this copy though, there is none. No ticks (not even non color breaking), extremely sharp corners, no marvel chipping, vivid colors, tight staples with no rust... not even any bindery tears on top or bottom. And yes I used a magnifying glass as well, just because I wanted to make sure that my eyes were not deceiving me. I have never been amazed by a book so much that I can say, it looks even better than most moderns I have handled.

The question I have is, is there any way or path on giving this the best chance at a 9.9? I would even be willing to submit it in the UV tier, if that meant the graders scrutinize every single millimeter closely. Heck, I would even hand deliver it to Matt Nelson for a fee just so he can take a close look :roflmao:

Just wanted to write about my thoughts, even though I know it will just probably come back a 9.8... lol.

No one knows what a 9.9 or 10.0 in the eye's of CGG. The only thing I can think of is either the front or back cover is cut precise and the other not, giving it a 9.9 Mint. As for a CGC 10.0 both front and back cover are perfectly cut and calls for a GEM Mint. Including no flaws as you discussed. Don't be surprised if it comes back a 9.8.

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valiantman

valiantman

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CGC 9.9 and 10 are almost "common" when it comes to later 1980s books that are squarebound with a cardstock cover (like Killing Joke) or a special type of "thicker" cover like Venom Lethal Protector #1 or chromium from the 1990s, and CGC 9.9s are basically "very common" when it comes to those special thicker and chromium covers after the 1990s.  Any book with 10,000+ submissions since 1990 is also likely to have several 9.9s and 10s, but they aren't a high percentage of that book's submissions.

Some books since 2000 are so common in 9.9 (or higher), it's not even worth having them CGC graded at 9.8 or lower. (Batman: Damned #1, for example)

Otherwise, regular "floppy" paper covers (since 1980 and before about 2005) don't result in CGC 9.9 or CGC 10 much more than 1-in-300 submissions for NM or higher... and it's probably close to 1-out-of-100 CGC 9.8s which every submitter out of 100 probably hoped they would get a 9.9... and 99 of them were wrong about 9.9 (but they did get a 9.8).

Edited by valiantman
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