To CGC or not to CGC

[mcox156-migration]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm curious how everyone determines if a comic should be sent in for CGC or not? CGC seems to me to cost a lot and it's a gamble that you might pay more for it to be rated than what the comic may be worth.

 

What guidelines do you have for comics if your going to have them rated?

 

Thanks,

[comic_lot]

I wouldn't send in any book published after 1975. For silver age and early bronze key issues, I use a rough cut off of what I consider a VF book, 8.0. I would send in a lower grade key, like early Spider-man, FF, etc., possibly as low as fine, 6.0. For golden age I would submit just about any major title in VG or better, e.g. Timelys, Detectives, Actions etc. I only send in books I intend to sell, as I think you'll do better selling a graded, more valuable book.

[rjpb]

Even lower grade SA worth more than $200 - $300 may be worth sending in if your planning on selling - depends on the book and your reputation as a seller.

 

For GA, I wouldn't slab VG books for resale unless they were worth more than $300-$400.

[jimjum12]

I think it's a good idea to slab anything high grade and worth more than $500 for the simple fact that leaving them raw almost guarantees deterioration.You can always keep a raw "reader".GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[Comicdey]

I'm still trying to figure this one out myself.

[mcox156-migration]

I see on Ebay people are having comics rated then selling them for only $20 because that is what they are worth. It seems like a big waste to me.

[comicdonna]

I collect GA, and I get all my books slabbed. They generally range from a $200 to $500 Value. It depends on your personal taste. If you are keeping them, and like to take them out of the mylar from time to time, then it doesn't make much sense to slab. I purchase mine raw, flip through them 2 or 3 times, and then get them slabbed. If you are planning on reselling, then I would get anything over a $250 value slabbed.

[mcox156-migration]

Isn't it expensive to have it done?

[comicdonna]

It costs $99 to join the collector's society, for a 1 year membership. With that, you get 3 free grading coupons. You can get economy grading, if you don't mind waiting longer for your books, which I think is $39 each, plus the cost for CGC to return your books.

 

What kind of books do you have?

[Pirate]

slab if you will sell, put in nice mylar is you are going to keep. On the other hand i try and buy silver cgc just because i stink at resto checking.

[Aces]

My rule of thumb is "Is it worth ~$200?" then consider slabbing it.

Exceptions would be HG that has a shot at 9.6/9.8 and the muti-guide those bring.

[lizards2]

Here are a couple good examples of what not to slab:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ARMY-at-WAR-SGT-ROCK...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/THE-FRIENDLY-GHOST-C...1QQcmdZViewItem

[comic_lot]

Here are a couple good examples of what not to slab:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ARMY-at-WAR-SGT-ROCK...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/THE-FRIENDLY-GHOST-C...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Two very good examples. Those books may be worth a $1.00 each to someone, and it cost 29.00 to have each of them slabbed.

 

Welcome to the Boards!

[lizards2]

Thanks for the welcome.

 

I wonder if the person sleeps better at night knowing that at least the Sgt. Rock hasn't been restored?

[mcox156-migration]

It costs $99 to join the collector's society, for a 1 year membership. With that, you get 3 free grading coupons. You can get economy grading, if you don't mind waiting longer for your books, which I think is $39 each, plus the cost for CGC to return your books.

 

What kind of books do you have?

 

I really don't have any of much value. Most of everything I have is from the 1980s or newer. I do have a Daredevil #158 but I bought it CGC at 9.2. I really just buy current stuff to read them. I can't afford the older stuff.

[comicdonna]

It costs $99 to join the collector's society, for a 1 year membership. With that, you get 3 free grading coupons. You can get economy grading, if you don't mind waiting longer for your books, which I think is $39 each, plus the cost for CGC to return your books.

 

What kind of books do you have?

 

I really don't have any of much value. Most of everything I have is from the 1980s or newer. I do have a Daredevil #158 but I bought it CGC at 9.2. I really just buy current stuff to read them. I can't afford the older stuff.

I would not go to the expense of getting them slabbed.

[The Paper Monster-migratio]

I'm still pretty new at this, but it seems to me that it's just simple math. Consider that a raw comic sells on eBay for about 50% of book value, and that, using CGC economy grading as an example, which costs about $40 with shipping and all that jazz included, it wouldn't make sense to get a comic book slabbed it it were worth two times the expense of getting it graded. Why spend $40 to sell a book for $80, thereby making a $40 profit, when you can just sell it raw for $40?

 

It seems to me that you want to shoot higher than that, and only slab comics that will fetch a price, say, three times higher than the cost to slab them.

 

Check out the link in my signature for another example of a comic that probably should not have been slabbed. I could have sold it raw and made about $25-30. As it is, I'll be lucky to net $10-20.

[Jarren]

PGX maybe?? cheaper

[chuxtuff]

I would add that any "rare" book would be a candidate for slabbing. I have a VF/NM copy of (DC) Larry Harmon's Laurel & Hardy one shot from 1972 that I would think would be a good candidate as it's a "low print run" comic that will SURELY go up in value through the years, whether I keep it or not. Personally, I'm more inclined to CGC grade a comic book for preservation reasons versus adding value, though both are obvious reasons for getting them professionally graded.

Also, I purchased my first CGC graded book today on Ebay, a 7.0 copy of Captain America #100, that I made an offer on that was readily accepted (which reminds me....IF there's a Buy It Now price and a Make an Offer choice, of course, I'm going lower and make an offer. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. This time it did :-) ) While it's not a 9.4 NM copy, nonetheless it will compliment that above average run of silver age Captain America comics that I decided to keep. It's just 1 less book that I'll have to grade sometime in the future.

[thedarkknight]

A good general rule for me is not to grade comics I want to keep. If it is rare golden age or very high grade that I want to sell; CGC will get me a better price.