What condition is not worth sending into be graded 1 1

[UncleCharlie]

my collection is from 1962 -1966. Should all of it be sent for grading ?  A few have minor creases, tears & folds. Some have major ones.

Do I keep the major & send the minor ? 

[KCOComics]

 

It will really depend on the books. 

Is your goal to sell them all? If so, I would research their value in the assumed grade and make a cut off point your comfortable with. For example - all books worth over $500 should be graded. 

A book like Amazing Fantasy 15 will be worth grading in any condition. Even coverless copies and single pages can fetch a good amount. Funny Animal Books and DC run fillers, likely aren't worth grading. A lot of marvels could be, depending on condition and issue. 

 

Good luck! 

 

[revat]

Believe it or not it matters on the book because every book is worth a different amount based on the content and rarity of the book.  
 

and believe it or not everyone has their own personal subjective criteria for submission criteria. 
 

so without knowing more about your books and your submission value criteria, it is impossible to help you
 

 

[UncleCharlie]

Thank you for your reply.

Since I'm new at this, my thought is sell the ones that come back with low grades ( since CGC grades are valued well above the cost).

Keep the higher ones for the grandkids. They will be preserved & may increase in value for them. The books are X-Men, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Spiderman, Thor & Iron Man.

All opinions are greatly appreciated.

 

 

[Artboy99]

my answer is: it depends on the book.

You need to have an understanding of what the book can possibly sell for once you have paid for the grading costs and shipping.

What can you get selling the book without grading versus what you can get if it is graded.

[zzutak]

On 5/18/2024 at 2:30 PM, UncleCharlie said:

my collection is from 1962 -1966.

Sounds like you were born in/around 1954 and are now about 70 years old.  It also sounds like you know very little about the current marketplace (otherwise, you would have listed specific publishers and/or titles in your original post).  Hence, I suggest you begin learning a bit about how comics are currently valued.  Two references you may find useful: (1) the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide (53rd Edition); and (2) The Official CGC Guide to Grading Comics (1st Edition).

Based on the few details you've provided, it sounds like your comics are generally in the 2.0 GD-ish (major creases/fold/tears) to 5.0 VG/FN-ish (minor creases/fold/tears) range.  When you factor in the cost of packaging/shipping/return-shipping/insurance, CGC certification/encapsulation will run a minimum of about $50/book.  Although it's true that even the low-grade specimens will be "valued well above" their original cost (12 cents), that's not the comparison you should be making.  As Artboy has noted, you should be asking, "Is the cost of certification greater than the increase in market value associated with said certification?" (unless, of course, you don't mind losing money on many/most submissions).

On 5/20/2024 at 5:18 AM, UncleCharlie said:

They will be preserved

Interested in "preserving" your books for eventual transfer to your heirs?  Consider placing them in Mylar sleeves with acid-free backing boards, then storing them in a cool, dry location (protected from insects, rodents, leaks/pipe-bursts, curious children, and thieves).  Acid-free archival storage boxes are also readily available from companies such as Lineco and Talas.  If it's good enough for the Library of Congress, it's good enough for you and me.

Good luck. 

[revat]

very generally, there is a service called GPA Analysis where you can look up the 'sold' history of CGC books.  You can use that for research, and compare those against raw comic sales on ebay.  If you after taking into account grading costs it makes sense to your personal situation, that's where I'd start.

[BlowUpTheMoon]

On 5/20/2024 at 8:18 AM, UncleCharlie said:

The books are X-Men, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Spiderman, Thor & Iron Man.

Show some examples... 

[comicginger1789]

I would share some examples of pictures to allow for a better idea. If you have ASM 1, even a low grade copy is worth grading due to the value it has. But if you have something like avengers 12 in lower grade, well it’s still a cool book but not as valuable and likely not worth spending the time to grade. Same could be said for issues of Daredevil in the teens and twenties issue wise. 

[thehumantorch]

On 5/20/2024 at 6:18 AM, UncleCharlie said:

Thank you for your reply.

Since I'm new at this, my thought is sell the ones that come back with low grades ( since CGC grades are valued well above the cost).

Keep the higher ones for the grandkids. They will be preserved & may increase in value for them. The books are X-Men, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Spiderman, Thor & Iron Man.

All opinions are greatly appreciated.

 

 

Welcome to the boards.

If you pick out 25 books it'll cost you about $40 per book for grading plus about $15 for pressing - if you choose to go that route - and postage.  Expect it to cost you close to $60 per book to get pressed and graded. 

I'd suggest you only send in books that the grading cost will be more than compensated for by the increase in value from raw to graded.  My arbitrary number is the book has to be worth at least $200 after grading.  Anything that doesn't make the cut will still look great in a nice bag and board and if you want to protect them further a nice top loader.

If you're new to CGC I'd suggest that you put up some of your books in the grading forum.  The graders there are quite accurate and experienced with CGC grading standards and will help you understand CGC grading.  One book per thread and give us front and back pictures and closeups of the spine etc.

https://boards.cgccomics.com/forum/42-hey-buddy-can-you-spare-a-grade/

Once you have some grading feedback go to ebay and get some approximate values for your books.

 

 

 

[LowGradeBronze]

Hi, what you haven't mentioned is how many books you have. If it's hundreds or more, then you will want to be quite choosy about which books you have graded. Also, if there are no keys (highly sought after, or significant issues) then the cost is almost certainly more than the value per book to have them graded. Let's say you have 50 to a hundred average books in low-ish grades (good to very good,) chances are they will display well in bags/mylars with backing boards and be much more fun for other family members to enjoy in their raw state, rather than locked away in plastic cases where the art and smell can no longer be enjoyed. (And yes I did say smell )

[revat]

On the other hand, if you can afford it and you don't really feel like taking the time to do real research, just get them all graded.  Toss some money into the economy, don't just sit on it, spread it around.

[Semicentennial]

On 5/20/2024 at 5:18 AM, UncleCharlie said:

 

Since I'm new at this, my thought is sell the ones that come back with low grades ( since CGC grades are valued well above the cost).

 

This isn't always the case especially if it's a low grade non-key Daredevil, Thor, and Iron Man.  You may do well with the X-men and ASM books regardless of which issues, but the higher the issue number plus the number of major defects, the less likely you'll recover your grading and pressing expenses.    

[Gaard]

I go by the following formula...

If A > than B + C, it gets graded.

A = the FMV of the graded comic (minus any costs associated with selling it ...  postage, venue costs, etc.)

B = the cost of the comic (plus any postage)

C = total cost of grading & pressing (plus all postage)

[DougC]

So i'm going to give a different perspective based on the following:

On 5/20/2024 at 7:18 AM, UncleCharlie said:

Keep the higher ones for the grandkids. They will be preserved & may increase in value for them.

You are likely in a much better financial position than your grandkids will be for the next 10-15 years; a graded book is easier to sell than a raw book, so do some very basic research and grade pretty much everything if they are all 62-66. This is the easiest solution for both you and your grand children whom are very likely to just sell them immediately, it shifts the burden of cost to yourself (as you are able to bear it) and they see all the profit.

This brings my only question, do any of your grand children even like comic books? If not you could just sell the collection and place the money in a trust for them to split as the items are not sentimental (to them) and may be complicated to sell (they could be taken advantage of).