Mokiguy Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 I only collect raw comics that I will never have graded, but for my own collection and data base, I try to grade them as accurately as I am able. So my question is if the same imperfection were on front or back, are they looked at as the same or is more weight given to it if it's on the front vs the back. And if so, how much. For instance a small 1/8" chip out of the edge, same front and back? 4 or 5 color breaking spine creases, same front and back? Staple wear shows worse on the back than the front, does that matter or is it all the same? I would think that front cover wear would be more heavily scrutinized along with the accompanying grade reductions than the rear, but I don't know and that's why I am asking. Thanks ........ The Lions Den 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvelmaniac Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 Technically the front cover and rear cover should be treated equally, however, there are lots of gray areas in grading and this is probably/definitely one of them. Personally when I grade a book, it is in it's entirety, how much I lower a grade on a generally higher grade book with defects on the rear cover only that do not fit into the grade the book would receive for the front cover depends on the defect and the severity of the defect, basically this is done on a book by book basis, there is no golden rule set in stone.(Basically holds true for all grading, even CGC is not 100% consistent in their grading). You stated this info was more for your personal benefit, when I graded my books, if there was an issue such as rear cover defects but not front cover defects I wrote down my own graders notes and graded the book as it sits noting the defects that caused the drop in grade, and what the grade would have been if that particular defect was not present. There have been a few threads opened on this site pertaining to this question and none have a definitive answer, CGC is not apparently not divulging info on how they feel about this, (is it mentioned in their new grading guide?) just like anything that goes to CGC it would probably depend on individual perception, what mood the grader is in that day, and how far behind they are. If you look at the grading standards in lower grade books some allow more defects on the rear and others do not. Mentions of the back cover in the grading standards, as you can see, once you get past GD 2.0 there is no more mention about the rear cover, this tells me that a rear cover defect in the grades from VG/FN 5.0 to NM 9.4 will all be downgraded accordingly for a rear cover only defect, the issue then becomes how much of a downgrade? FR 1.0 - Books in this condition generally have all pages and most of the covers, although there may be up to 1/4 of the front cover missing or no back cover, FR/GD 1.5 - Up to 1/10 of the back cover may be missing. GD 2.0 - The largest piece allowed missing from the front or back cover is usually a 1/2" triangle or a 1/4" square, GD/VG 3.0 - A triangle from 1/4" to 1/2" can be missing out of the corner or edge; a missing 1/8" to 1/4" square is also acceptable. VG 4.0 - As much as a 1/4" triangle can be missing out of the corner or edge; a missing 1/8" square is also acceptable. The Lions Den 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom789 Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 On 1/26/2024 at 8:50 AM, marvelmaniac said: (is it mentioned in their new grading guide?) The guide does provide at least one example that I've remembered. A 1" color-breaking corner crease on the front cover maxes the grade out at 8.0, while the same defect on the back cover maxes out at 8.5. marvelmaniac and The Lions Den 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvelmaniac Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 On 1/27/2024 at 8:00 PM, Tom789 said: The guide does provide at least one example that I've remembered. A 1" color-breaking corner crease on the front cover maxes the grade out at 8.0, while the same defect on the back cover maxes out at 8.5. So...Is the CGC Grading Guide more specific about defects and how they affect the grade as opposed to Overstreet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadroch Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 Why would anyone apply CGC standards to raw books? If you aren't going to use a company, why bother about what they might or might not do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom789 Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 On 1/28/2024 at 9:05 AM, marvelmaniac said: So...Is the CGC Grading Guide more specific about defects and how they affect the grade as opposed to Overstreet? I haven't looked at Overstreet's guide comprehensively in over 35 years - just got back into the hobby. CGC's guide is specific in some areas, but very vague in others, such as stains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvelmaniac Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 On 1/28/2024 at 7:33 PM, Tom789 said: I haven't looked at Overstreet's guide comprehensively in over 35 years - just got back into the hobby. CGC's guide is specific in some areas, but very vague in others, such as stains. Unfortunately, being vague in grading is the standard, the wording used in defining a defect is, for the most part non-specific leaving it up to the individual grader to interpret the actual meaning. They do give you more specific detail when talking about creases/pieces missing since they sometimes mention and actual size allowed. Examples...Imperceptible, Almost Imperceptible, Nearly Imperceptible, Insignificant, Subtle, Slight, Slightest, Small, Minor, etc. Tom789 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mokiguy Posted January 30 Author Share Posted January 30 On 1/28/2024 at 9:34 AM, shadroch said: Why would anyone apply CGC standards to raw books? If you aren't going to use a company, why bother about what they might or might not do? I imagine it's sort of like asking, why would anyone worry about how much tread is left on your tires, when you aren't planning on going to the tire shop anyway. If you aren't going to get new tires, why care about the tread on the ones you have. And I didn't say anything about CGC standards anyway ......... just standards. I mean without something or someones standards, how could you grade anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadroch Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 On 1/30/2024 at 8:45 AM, Mokiguy said: I imagine it's sort of like asking, why would anyone worry about how much tread is left on your tires, when you aren't planning on going to the tire shop anyway. If you aren't going to get new tires, why care about the tread on the ones you have. And I didn't say anything about CGC standards anyway ......... just standards. I mean without something or someones standards, how could you grade anything? CGC started up in the late 1990s. The hobby has had standards since the 1960s, at the latest. CGC uses standards different from the hobby and, as far as I know, has never published them. On the other hand, Overstreet has a couple of million copies available. Applying CGC standards to raw books is an exercise in futility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
