Grading shenanigans at CGC? 9 9

[RockMyAmadeus]

[RockMyAmadeus]

On 10/18/2024 at 11:26 PM, RockMyAmadeus said:

[Stefan_W]

On 10/19/2024 at 10:51 AM, Gaard said:

@Stefan_W I read this statement a couple of days ago "10's & 9.9's increased dramatically even as the monthly submissions decreased "

I just read this by you a few minutes ago "9.9s are being awarded a bit more often."

I'm going to try to think like you more often. You seem to have a 'glass half full' mentality.

I try to take into account that very few are awarded to begin with so the increase in the raw number of 9.9s and 10s awarded is not a seismic shift as far as I can tell. The rise is there for sure, but I still dont expect to see them often.  

[Dr. Balls]

I believe RMA can grade like an MFer. I also think he can see what makes a 9.9.

BUT, he's ONE GUY with that level of expertise. Am I to believe that suddenly CGC has hired RMA-level graders all working RIGHT NOW and that's why we suddenly have an output of 9.9s coming out?

If this were truly the case, it'd be a Renaissance-level explosion of grading ability that is inexplicably laser-focused to this time period - and will be talked about for all of history.

[Silver Surfer]

Wonder if we will see more questionable 9.8’s so as to distract from all the 9.9’s they are giving out. 

[Timed]

On 10/19/2024 at 10:32 AM, shadroch said:

CGC is releasing 9.9s into the wild, while keeping the census number low by accidently listing them as 9.8s.  Their census is as trustworthy as their management. 

Do you mean, "accidentally"? 

[HotKey]

I bet CGC starts randomizing certification numbers before too long to prevent people digging up more info like this in the future.

It will be called an enhanced security measure.

[bc]

On 10/19/2024 at 12:41 PM, HotKey said:

I bet CGC starts randomizing certification numbers before too long to prevent people digging up more info like this in the future.

It will be called an enhanced security measure.

That would require a seismic shift in their software, internal processes and customer experience.

They don't care that we can see the info as long as subs keep coming in.

-bc

[RockMyAmadeus]

On 10/19/2024 at 9:29 AM, Dr. Balls said:

BUT, he's ONE GUY with that level of expertise.

[COI]

On 10/19/2024 at 10:22 AM, Stefan_W said:

After having north of a thousand books that got 9.8s without a single higher grade I was more than ok with the news that 9.9s are being awarded a bit more often.

Not directed at you specifically, but I've heard this said a number of times, and it's baffling to me.

Being "okay" with it means that everyone playing with 9.9s - whether you're a submitter or the collector buying these books at astronomical premiums - is okay with the arbitrary nature of 9.9s and 10.0s, because the decision to grade more 9.9s either means that grading standards are being changed arbitrarily, or that the standards for 9.9s and 10.0s were never there in the first place and they're just upping the odds of the lottery.

This is very much a "play stupid games, win stupid prizes" for anyone either spending massive amounts of time and money trying to transform 9.8s into 9.9s, or shelling out 10x+ to buy a 9.9 over a 9.8. It therefore becomes very silly to all of a sudden cry foul about shenanigans on any particular submission when the entire game is predicated on shenanigans. 

[0r0d]

On 10/19/2024 at 9:32 AM, Silver Surfer said:

Wonder if we will see more questionable 9.8’s so as to distract from all the 9.9’s they are giving out. 

I have a 9.8 with a 1/4" color-breaking spine tick that CGC says is "acceptable" in a 9.8.  

Is it a coincidence that they're now pushing 9.9s like this, while claiming that spine damaged banana books that would never before be a 9.8 are now "acceptable" in that grade?

[Silver Surfer]

There is a tough BA book in 9.8 currently at auction with a glaring mid page spine tick. Either the damage is post slabbing or it’s a gift grade. 

[Stefan_W]

On 10/19/2024 at 1:24 PM, COI said:

Not directed at you specifically, but I've heard this said a number of times, and it's baffling to me.

Being "okay" with it means that everyone playing with 9.9s - whether you're a submitter or the collector buying these books at astronomical premiums - is okay with the arbitrary nature of 9.9s and 10.0s, because the decision to grade more 9.9s either means that grading standards are being changed arbitrarily, or that the standards for 9.9s and 10.0s were never there in the first place and they're just upping the odds of the lottery.

This is very much a "play stupid games, win stupid prizes" for anyone either spending massive amounts of time and money trying to transform 9.8s into 9.9s, or shelling out 10x+ to buy a 9.9 over a 9.8. It therefore becomes very silly to all of a sudden cry foul about shenanigans on any particular submission when the entire game is predicated on shenanigans. 

I hear your point, which is reasonable, but I dont see it that way.

In my mind the reduction in 9.9s and 10s was limited to around the pandemic years. My guess at the time was that they hired a bunch of new graders as they were getting massive amounts of books in, and the graders may have been told that a clean copy is a 9.8. Regardless, the dip in 9.9s and 10s is the part that was arbitrary, and the current rise is more in keeping with what should have been happening all along. 

So in my view this is correcting an error, not some type of arbitrary standard. 

Edited Saturday at 05:54 PM by Stefan_W

[BlackOut21]

Who plays the base?

On 10/19/2024 at 11:59 AM, RockMyAmadeus said:

 

[lou_fine]

On 10/16/2024 at 5:39 PM, spidermanbeyond said:

How many of us have submitted thousands of books and never get even one 9.9? 

Yes, but this is before CGC introduced their 9.9 grading program business agenda to entice label chasers to resumbit their books in order to to help bump up the CCG ownership group's top and bottom lines. 

 

On 10/16/2024 at 5:39 PM, spidermanbeyond said:

This guy gets 12 in one submission?

Someone higher up needs to look into this and this submission.

Most definitely, as this employee clearly made a mistake and needs a good talking to as less than a 50% successful resubmission rate will certainly NOT encourage enough holders of CGC 9.8 books to resubmit them for a potential upgrade to CGC 9.9.   

Being the cheapo that I am, I am just going to skip this whole step and wait until they introduce their CGC 10.0 grading business agenda.  

Seriously though, like I said on the first day that the program was introduced, if anybody here didn't see this sudden but totally expected grading explosion of CGC 9.9's taking place must have been drinking way too much of the CGC juice.   

Edited Saturday at 06:27 PM by lou_fine

[Gaard]

I would ask that a representative of CGC please please please take five minutes of their time and explain this to us.

[LordRahl]

On 10/19/2024 at 1:26 AM, WernerVonDoom said:

It doesn't matter how or why, it just matters that they've been doing it for 25 years. To suddenly switch now 1) hurts the brand, 2) lowers values of books graded in 2024 or later, and 3) just a bad idea after back to back scandals they need to recover from.

I have to disagree with this. As RMA so eloquently said... if a book deserves a 9.9 or 10, it should get it. The fact that they have made a mistake for 25 years, consciously or not does not mean that they need to keep perpetuating that same mistake. It should never have been done to begin with and the fact that they are now rectifying it should be considered a good thing. I guarantee you that I have submitted books that were 9.9s and 10s, some of them were Secret Wars 8's pulled out of an unopened case, which is why I scoff at the conspiracy theories in this thread about that very book. I know those books were perfect but they got just the standard 9.8. It sucks that I lost out then, it sucks that I now feel like I could have just waited and would now probably get the grade they deserved but it sucks less than continuing to see perfect books get only a 9.8 just because CGC is too lazy to grade properly.

[LordRahl]

On 10/19/2024 at 9:29 AM, Dr. Balls said:

I believe RMA can grade like an MFer. I also think he can see what makes a 9.9.

BUT, he's ONE GUY with that level of expertise. Am I to believe that suddenly CGC has hired RMA-level graders all working RIGHT NOW and that's why we suddenly have an output of 9.9s coming out?

If this were truly the case, it'd be a Renaissance-level explosion of grading ability that is inexplicably laser-focused to this time period - and will be talked about for all of history.

This is a joke right? All due respect to RMA but you really think he's the only person on earth that can spot the difference between a 9.9 and a 9.8?

Edited Saturday at 07:26 PM by LordRahl
typo

[RockMyAmadeus]

On 10/19/2024 at 12:22 PM, LordRahl said:

This is a joke right? All dues respect to RMA but you really think he's the only person on earth that can spot the difference between a 9.9 and a 9.8?

[RockMyAmadeus]

On 10/19/2024 at 12:17 PM, LordRahl said:

It sucks that I lost out then, it sucks that I now feel like I could have just waited and would now probably get the grade they deserved but it sucks less than continuing to see perfect books get only a 9.8 just because CGC is too lazy to grade properly.