If you were Steve Borock, What would you do?

[garthgantu]

All good suggestions Garth!

 

deaf ears however?

 

Thanks, David... yes, I'm sure that CGC still views this forum as a venting place rather than a source of good ideas, even if they are in the throes of implementing the scanning process that was proposed well over a year ago on these boards.

 

The serial number idea will eventually be utilized too, I believe - if not by CGC than by a competitor. Think about it - if you wanted to steal marketshare from CGC, the first thing you'd do is devise an airtight grading/resto detection process, and the serial number step would effectively ensure that you knew the exact provenance of any book being resubbed. You'd still have to figure out how to detect the latest resto processes, but that's always going to be the case. With the combination of the serial numbers and scans of every book, you'd be able to identify those new resto procedures quickly. You'd be in a position to say "every CGC book is suspect, not only because of their failure to implement new resto detection procedures and technologies, but because their lack of disclosure means you as a buyer have no real idea when a given resto process first came to CGC's attention, or when CGC first figured out how to consistently spot it."

 

CGC is too busy counting the money coming in to worry about whether the gravy train might be derailed by their lack of responsiveness to changing market conditions. CGC prefers to try to manipulate the market (as in Wizard 9.5s, etc.) rather than equip itself to react to manipulation coming from other sources. And this can work - if you're a monopoly, you can manipulate your market pretty easily, creating new revenue sources for yourself and new hurdles for any erstwhile competitors.

 

I wonder whether another grading firm will materialize anytime soon? The time is right, that's for sure.

[mica]

- if not by CGC than by a competitor. Think about it - if you wanted to steal marketshare from CGC, the first thing you'd do is devise an airtight grading/resto detection process, and the serial number step would effectively ensure that you knew the exact provenance of any book being resubbed.

Interesting.

[drbanner]

- if not by CGC than by a competitor. Think about it - if you wanted to steal marketshare from CGC, the first thing you'd do is devise an airtight grading/resto detection process, and the serial number step would effectively ensure that you knew the exact provenance of any book being resubbed.

Interesting.

I suspect the window for a competitor to CGC to emerge has closed. There was a large turnover of quality books that came out of long-time collectors' collections in 2001-2003, but since then, I have not seen the same influx. A competitor would not be harvesting "green fields" of primo raw books like CGC did, and unless prices spike again, there would be no impetus for guys that bought CGC books at the top to have their books re-slabbed by another company.

 

Anyhow, I sure hope everyone was able to snag some of those great books back then (I'm specifically referring to GA books as the census for Bronze and late Silver remains dynamic), and boy do I wish I had picked up some more of those books b/c the selection since then has not been near as good.

[jimm94]

 

- incorporate a system by which every book submitted to CGC has a serial number stamped somewhere inside. This serial number would be stamped in ink that's only visible under UV light or etc., so as not to harm the aesthetic qualities of the book. Each such stamp would be in the same place, so checking to see if a book is a resub becomes a 5-second process. If the book in question IS a resub, and is not acknowledged as such by the submitter, CGC can then search its dbase for both visual and text-based info pertaining to the book in question.

 

 

I think marking books in any way is an absolutely horrible idea. Let's take a collectible that we're obsessed with keeping as "pure" as possible, and add an invisible mark to it that could possibly affect the page quality in the future? I don't think so.

[divad]

 

- incorporate a system by which every book submitted to CGC has a serial number stamped somewhere inside. This serial number would be stamped in ink that's only visible under UV light or etc., so as not to harm the aesthetic qualities of the book. Each such stamp would be in the same place, so checking to see if a book is a resub becomes a 5-second process. If the book in question IS a resub, and is not acknowledged as such by the submitter, CGC can then search its dbase for both visual and text-based info pertaining to the book in question.

 

 

I think marking books in any way is an absolutely horrible idea. Let's take a collectible that we're obsessed with keeping as "pure" as possible, and add an invisible mark to it that could possibly affect the page quality in the future? I don't think so.

 

I don't think it's that

[jimm94]

It wouldn't make any difference in my mid-grade POS of a comic collection, but I don't think it would fly with the BSD crowd. I just don't see people being willing to have an invisible mark placed in their uber high-grade gems.

[otherworldsj33]

The window has closed for competition? Exactly what percentage of "meaningful" books have been graded so far?

[supapimp]

"Re: If you were Steve Borock, What would you do?"

 

listen to the dead whilst drinking a glass of red wine, dirty martini, or single malt scotch.

[Scheradon]

 

- incorporate a system by which every book submitted to CGC has a serial number stamped somewhere inside. This serial number would be stamped in ink that's only visible under UV light or etc., so as not to harm the aesthetic qualities of the book. Each such stamp would be in the same place, so checking to see if a book is a resub becomes a 5-second process. If the book in question IS a resub, and is not acknowledged as such by the submitter, CGC can then search its dbase for both visual and text-based info pertaining to the book in question.

 

 

I think marking books in any way is an absolutely horrible idea. Let's take a collectible that we're obsessed with keeping as "pure" as possible, and add an invisible mark to it that could possibly affect the page quality in the future? I don't think so.

 

Depends on the type of invisible mark. Many certified HG diamonds now come with a micro engraved cert. # on them and it hasn't hurt the HG diamond sales (in fact it's boosted them). May be a micro-sized invisible ink # could be done. I don't know as it's not an expertise of mine, but it's a worthy idea for discussing.

[Ron_Nasty]

Jason & Hammer.

 

sounds like a law firm.

 

Sounds more like a WWF tag-team.

 

Jason - trims with the chainsaw

Hammer - sets in the staples

[jbud73]

Jason & Hammer.

 

sounds like a law firm.

 

Sounds more like a WWF tag-team.

 

Jason - trims with the chainsaw

Hammer - sets in the staples

 

[The Black Hand ®]

Back when I was a kid I had my own way of coding my books, in fact the first book I coded was an Action # 3. I turned to near the middle of the book and at the margin near the spine I wrote my name and address in ball point pen. This drove the person I traded the book to crazy a month later when he discovered it. Serves him right after the way he conned me, a young kid, out of that book.

[Shield]

Back when I was a kid I had my own way of coding my books, in fact the first book I coded was an Action # 3. I turned to near the middle of the book and at the margin near the spine I wrote my name and address in ball point pen. This drove the person I traded the book to crazy a month later when he discovered it. Serves him right after the way he conned me, a young kid, out of that book.

 

Didn't you put some sort of a "hair" in a Top-Notch #27 you sold me?

 

Is your wife still at her fudge packing party?

[Shield]

Sorry Vince, but I have to let everyone in on the joke.

 

Vince sent me this email tonight, an instant classic!

 

"Shawn------So my wife is one of those very innocent, totally honest types and a bit naive at times when it comes to sexual innuendos. Over the holidays the nurses at her hospital get together and make fudge and package it up for gifts and raffle prizes etc. The reason I'm aware of this is because on the calendar it said "Fudge Packing Party" . I immediately thought of Brokeback Cowboy of course. So I aked my wife what was going on that day and she sweetly said she was going to a fudge packing party at Shelly's house. She just about died when I told her what it meant, but being a nurse she got a great laugh out of it.(It's hard to phaze a nurse, they've seen about everything) but doesn't look at fudge quite the same way anymore."

[The Black Hand ®]

She blushes when I remind her of that and then says something like"Oh you guys are just so silly with all your slang talk" giggling away. It must be nice to be pure and wholesome in a good kinda way. I lost that so many years ago that it's just good to be around it.

[Scheradon]

We're all so corrupted anymore

[tth2]

the loudest opponents to the model all yell in his own backyard (keep your friends close to you........keep your enemies closer)

Mushroom, old boy, you've nailed it on the head. In addition to the point you made, I would say that these boards have become the opiate of the masses.

[tth2]

 

- incorporate a system by which every book submitted to CGC has a serial number stamped somewhere inside. This serial number would be stamped in ink that's only visible under UV light or etc., so as not to harm the aesthetic qualities of the book. Each such stamp would be in the same place, so checking to see if a book is a resub becomes a 5-second process. If the book in question IS a resub, and is not acknowledged as such by the submitter, CGC can then search its dbase for both visual and text-based info pertaining to the book in question.

 

 

I think marking books in any way is an absolutely horrible idea. Let's take a collectible that we're obsessed with keeping as "pure" as possible, and add an invisible mark to it that could possibly affect the page quality in the future? I don't think so.

Jim, I used to think this way too, but reality has set in and I see no other way for CGC to cost-efficiently determine whether a book is being resubbed. The minimal risk that this small stamp would damage a book (it's not like that writing on those Church or Larson books, or stamps on those Reilly books, damaged them too badly, right?) is significantly outweighed by the benefit that would come from shutting down the crack & resub game.

 

Of course, this begs the question as to whether CGC and their overlords are interested in stopping books from being resubbed, and the answer at this time of course is "NO".

[october]

the loudest opponents to the model all yell in his own backyard (keep your friends close to you........keep your enemies closer)

Mushroom, old boy, you've nailed it on the head. In addition to the point you made, I would say that these boards have become the opiate of the masses.

 

(Almost) quoting Marx? I didn't know you were that kind of Chinese!

[tth2]

the loudest opponents to the model all yell in his own backyard (keep your friends close to you........keep your enemies closer)

Mushroom, old boy, you've nailed it on the head. In addition to the point you made, I would say that these boards have become the opiate of the masses.

 

(Almost) quoting Marx? I didn't know you were that kind of Chinese!

Hong Kong belongs to China now.