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Results Of My Grading Comparison Test Between CGC and PGX

Started by dekeuk,

Do you think PGX screens tougher than CGC on post-1977 books?   

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  1. 1. Do you think PGX screens tougher than CGC on post-1977 books?

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47 posts in this topic

dekeuk

dekeuk

Posted
Posted

 

It has long been rumored PGX grades tougher than CGC, especially on modern comics. After running a test of 10 identical comics sent to both companies, the results are overwhelming:

 

PGX grades much tougher than CGC

 

The first stage of my test involved sending PGX 110 Amazing Spiderman comics to be pre-screened at various grade levels ranging from 9.2 to 9.8, in ages ranging from 1977 to 1995 (note - PGX allows you to select an individual pre-screen grade for each issue, unlike CGC who allows only one pre-screen grade for all issues)

 

They came back from PGX with 35 encased and 75 failing the pre-screen test. I was expecting about half to fail the test, so I was surprised when 2/3 of them failed.

 

Next I looked through the 75 failed comics and picked out the ones I thought were the most obvious examples of PGX setting their standards artifically high. I picked out 10 comics from these 75 failures to be sent to CGC to be slabbed, choosing a variety of ages.

 

They came back from CGC today. Here are the results:

 

ASM #189 CGC 9.2 (failed a PGX 9.2 prescreen)

 

ASM #192 CGC 9.4 (failed a PGX 9.2 prescreen)

 

ASM #194 CGC 9.2 (failed a PGX 9.2 prescreen)

 

ASM #218 CGC 9.2 (failed a PGX 9.4 prescreen)

 

ASM #239 CGC 9.6 (failed a PGX 9.4 prescreen)

 

ASM #260 CGC 9.2 (failed a PGX 9.6 prescreen)

 

ASM #298 CGC 8.5 (failed a PGX 9.2 prescreen)

 

ASM #344 CGC 9.6 (failed a PGX 9.8 prescreen)

 

ASM #388 CGC 9.6 (failed a PGX 9.8 prescreen)

 

 

Conclusions:

 

PGX graded tougher than CGC on 5 of the 10 issues, those being ASM #189, 192, 194, 239 and 273. In two cases the grades were AT LEAST 2 levels higher with CGC on ASM #192 and 239.

 

If anyone has similar stories of grading tests between PGX and CGC, please post them.

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nik

nik

Posted
Posted

Sure, I had a Silver Surfer 16 that was slabbed by PGX at a 9.2, came back a plod

from CGC 9.6.

 

I had a Journey Into Mystery #125 that was graded 9.0 by PGX, came back 7.5 from CGC confused-smiley-013.gif

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BassGMan

BassGMan

Posted
Posted

obvious examples of PGX setting their standards artifically high.

 

Interesting results. Thanks for taking the time to post them. I'm just curious about your above quote. What do you mean by that? What is artificially high? As compared to what? Your statement implies that they are grading more strict than even they know they should. CGC is not the set standard for all grading, CGC's grading is just CGC's grading. PGX's standard is their own as well. Neither is right or wrong, however you may prefer one over the other. Personally, I like a combination of both.

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dekeuk

dekeuk

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obvious examples of PGX setting their standards artifically high.

 

Interesting results. Thanks for taking the time to post them. I'm just curious about your above quote. What do you mean by that? What is artificially high? As compared to what?

 

 

I mean in comparison to the standard established by Overstreet 35 years ago. I think CGC is closer to Overstreet definitions than PGX. It seems PGX has set the bar even higher than Oversteet on modern comics. When I send a seemingly perfect copy to PGX and it can't even pass a 9.6 pre-screening test, something seems wrong with that.

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BassGMan

BassGMan

Posted
Posted

obvious examples of PGX setting their standards artifically high.

 

Interesting results. Thanks for taking the time to post them. I'm just curious about your above quote. What do you mean by that? What is artificially high? As compared to what?

 

 

I mean in comparison to the standard established by Overstreet 35 years ago. I think CGC is closer to Overstreet definitions than PGX. It seems PGX has set the bar even higher than Oversteet on modern comics. When I send a seemingly perfect copy to PGX and it can't even pass a 9.6 pre-screening test, something seems wrong with that.

 

Oh, I agree with that completely. That is why I do not send any high grade modern comics to PGX anymore. I think they are just too tough, not wrong, just tough. Regarding Overstreet standards, that is always open to interpretation. Ten people can read the Overstreet grading notes, grade the same books, and all come up with ten different grades. Just like Overstreet comic values, it is just a guide and a tool, not hardfast rules.

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KingOfRulers

KingOfRulers

Posted
Posted

Nice experiment. Certainly not grand enough to make a "general" conclusion on anything, but even so a nice step in finding the answer. One thing I'd like to say is that even if they are tougher, is that necessarily a good thing? At first I thought they were too liberal (CGG days). Now I think they are too strict. I like their slab better and most things about their service...but I don't like their grading. I think having an "accurate" grading service is better than a strict or liberal one.

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toro

toro

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8 books 1 gold 1 bronze the rest silver age

 

-----------------------------------PGX grade-----------------------------CGC grade

JIM 117-----------------------------7.5------------------------------------------8.5

ASM #64---------------------------9.0-------------------------------------------9.4

Adventure 327?------------------8.5-------------------------------------------9.4

House of Mystery 166-----------8.5-------------------------------------------9.4

House of Mystery 171-----------9.0-------------------------------------------9.4

Avengers 53----------------------8.5-------------------------------------------8.5

Iron Fist 14-----------------------8.5-------------------------------------------9.2

All American 41-----------------2.5-------------------------------------------3.0 (that one is sort of splitting hairs when you get that low in grade)

 

 

Of course I cherry picked the PGX books, if they looked better to me I sent them to CGC, if they looked on the money I kept them as PGX books.

 

Also for the heck of it I resubbed an old label CGC Avengers #17 in 9.2 that looked like a 9.4 it came back as a CGC 9.0 AUUUGGH!

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Scheradon

Scheradon

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Posted
So, what would be the CGC grade on this book ?

 

0gsx1a.jpg

 

893scratchchin-thumb.gif

 

9.8 of coarse makepoint.gif

 

That's one nice book. Did you submit that yourself and if so, why the decision to go with PGX over CGC since CGC generally has a higher resale value?

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Psiknight

Psiknight

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I'm still not convinced that the staff at PGX can catch all restoration...at least they miss it far more than CGC.

 

Based on what evidence.......

 

Personally, I've had two books submitted to CGC that were PGX blue labels (1st book PGX 4.0, CGC 4.0 Mod Am; 2nd book PGX 5.0, CGC 4.5 Slight Am) that came back with moderate amateur and slight amateur restoration. I was initially hoping to get them in a higher grade, and I've known quite a few people that have had similar results. I've not read or heard anything from them that has told me that they have taken any steps to "beef up" their resto checks. Granted, it's not a huge sample but I'm still not convinced. frown.gif

 

The other problem I've seen quite frequently is their page quality. They are way too liberal with "white" and "off white" page denotations, IMO. Both of those resto books I received had "white pages" per PGX and one came back "off white" and the other "off white to white" from CGC. Not a huge difference, but a difference nonetheless.

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osborn_fr

osborn_fr

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9.8 of coarse makepoint.gif

 

That's one nice book. Did you submit that yourself and if so, why the decision to go with PGX over CGC since CGC generally has a higher resale value?

 

Unfortunately, that's not my book.

It's currently on Ebay.

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dekeuk

dekeuk

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9.8 of coarse makepoint.gif

 

That's one nice book. Did you submit that yourself and if so, why the decision to go with PGX over CGC since CGC generally has a higher resale value?

 

Unfortunately, that's not my book.

It's currently on Ebay.

 

It's on ebay for $25,000. The exact same book sold last summer on ebay for about $9500. Nice to see the new owner is not being too greedy.

 

As for PGX giving this a 9.9, well, I never said they did not give away 9.8 and 10 grades. About 10 of my Spidermans received 9.8, but I could not see any difference between what they grades a 9.6 and what they graded a 9.8 on my order. And I could not see a single defect on all the 9.8 pre-screens they rejected. Maybe it was something they saw on the interior pages in those cases.

 

I am still convinced PGX grades MUCH tougher than CGC on modern comics, at least one grade level in most cases when you get into the 9.0 to 9.4 range it seems.

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