CGC Grading Prices

[bandwidth_bandit]

I thought that would be a better way at first but new graded comics are marked up considerably on eBay and elsewhere. If I could get 10 books graded at $16.00 a book it would beat paying $25.00 a book for a graded copy that would need to be resleaved in 7 years also.

 

I am not trying to be a pain here I am just trying to sort all this out. I am sort of counting on the fact that when my son is 40 the books will be worth considerably more then if they remain in NM condition.

 

Am I way off base here?

[TiQuinn]

That is what I thought by reading the price list and I appreciate the response. I think I have it now. The best way I can tell to grade the modern books is mail them in using their modern service. It's about $16.00 a comic depending upon quantity. That is how I understand it anyway and I think I have it right?

 

Yes, that's right. There may be extra charges depending on how you ship them, such as through one of their internet partners. I'm sure some methods are cheaper than others.

[djpinkpanther67]

I thought that would be a better way at first but new graded comics are marked up considerably on eBay and elsewhere. If I could get 10 books graded at $16.00 a book it would beat paying $25.00 a book for a graded copy that would need to be resleaved in 7 years also.

 

I am not trying to be a pain here I am just trying to sort all this out. I am sort of counting on the fact that when my son is 40 the books will be worth considerably more then if they remain in NM condition.

 

Am I way off base here?

But $25 for a 9.6 or a 9.8 will be MORE cost effective in the long run, even for re-slab, as it makes for better resale value in the event you or your son ever want to sell them

[bandwidth_bandit]

Great... that means I am starting to catch on a little. I have been burned a few times on eBay and I don't know a thing about grading. Rather than having the whole collection done I thought I would do some of the NM ones (even though they are not at all rare now) and hopefully when my son is older they will be a lot more rare then.

 

I wish I would have saved all my comics from when I was a young boy because I had a huge collection of Spider books then that would be worth a considerable amount today, but we live and learn. For a guy like me collecting Spidey is fun for now and maybe profitable for my kid later.

[TiQuinn]

I thought that would be a better way at first but new graded comics are marked up considerably on eBay and elsewhere. If I could get 10 books graded at $16.00 a book it would beat paying $25.00 a book for a graded copy that would need to be resleaved in 7 years also.

 

I am not trying to be a pain here I am just trying to sort all this out. I am sort of counting on the fact that when my son is 40 the books will be worth considerably more then if they remain in NM condition.

 

Am I way off base here?

 

The question is whether the outlay for the grading is really worthwhile at this point. My personal opinion is that you can keep the books in near mint condition for far cheaper than submitting through CGC. Whether or not the books will be worth more in 30+ years is also a crapshoot. If you look back at books from the 80s, most have appreciated according to Overstreet, but the market to buy them is not necessarily there, and if you were to have them graded at $16 a piece, you'd likely wipe out what profit there is.

[toro]

I only collect Spiderman and my books are not really unique at all. I am doing it just because I like reading them and to save for my 7 y/old. Maybe by the time he grows old they will be worth something. For me it's just entertainment.

You would be better off either opening a 529 college savings plan for him, or opening a Roth IRA for yourself and then giving him the money when you retire. The chances of any modern, 2004 and newer ever becoming worth big bucks are aren't all that good, maybe a better investment then lottery tickets, but not by much.

 

Now if you took the money you would spend on slabbing these moderns and put them into a nice Gold/Silver or Bronze age, now you are talking a different story.

 

But that is just my take on it.

[bandwidth_bandit]

If you look back at books from the 80s, most have appreciated according to Overstreet, but the market to buy them is not necessarily there, and if you were to have them graded at $16 a piece, you'd likely wipe out what profit there is.

 

This is true but like I said before if you look back to the 60's that would give you more of a profit margin to play with. Also, if you go back that far and work with complete sets (including variants) then $500 now doesn't seem like a ton of money to me.

 

However, if the value of the book remains relatively the same whether it is in a mylar sleave or a CGC graded cover then I agree with you. Grading would not be worth it. So I guess the moral of the story is get the sleaves (already have them) some back boards (got them too) and a storage box (go figure got it too) and store them in the office closet (away from prying 7 y/o hands) and save them till I die.

 

This sound like a plan to you guys?

[djpinkpanther67]

All the money you spend on slabbing the newer ones could be spent instead on some nice HG Silver Age issues that will most definitely keep RSV over the next 20-30 years, or better yet a college fund

[bandwidth_bandit]

Now if you took the money you would spend on slabbing these moderns and put them into a nice Gold/Silver or Bronze age, now you are talking a different story.

 

But that is just my take on it.

 

That is sort of the way I figure it too. As far as the Roth goes I agree, but I am not really planning for his future. I have learned to stay sane, in this world you need a hobbie or something to do for fun. I just want to pass this off to him as a hobby. Who knows maybe when he is old he can pass them on to his children.

[Sal]

Great... that means I am starting to catch on a little. I have been burned a few times on eBay and I don't know a thing about grading. Rather than having the whole collection done I thought I would do some of the NM ones (even though they are not at all rare now) and hopefully when my son is older they will be a lot more rare then.

 

I wish I would have saved all my comics from when I was a young boy because I had a huge collection of Spider books then that would be worth a considerable amount today, but we live and learn. For a guy like me collecting Spidey is fun for now and maybe profitable for my kid later.

 

before you spend another dime, you need to find a copy of the Overstreet Grading Guide, 2nd Ed., and read it cover to cover. going into this particular hobby without knowing "a thing about grading" is a recipe for overspending on a couple orders of magnitude. no need to go into the thing completely blind if you don't have to!

 

i love the fact that you're interested in getting your son into comics, but unless you enjoy throwing money away, you should get a bit of education first. the hobby's a lot different now than it used to be in many ways...

[Warlord]

Now if you took the money you would spend on slabbing these moderns and put them into a nice Gold/Silver or Bronze age, now you are talking a different story.

 

But that is just my take on it.

 

That is sort of the way I figure it too. As far as the Roth goes I agree, but I am not really planning for his future. I have learned to stay sane, in this world you need a hobbie or something to do for fun. I just want to pass this off to him as a hobby. Who knows maybe when he is old he can pass them on to his children.

 

Don't think anyone has advised you yet, but there are a number of CGC charter member websites where you can submit your comics to CGC and get a 20% or so discount!. HeritageComics.com for instance. There are others...

[bandwidth_bandit]

I actually have an older copy of Overstreet guide and I have went through it. Of course grading is subjective as you know. CGC seems to be the trusted authority on grading and I have learned a lot from this forum in the past few hours (my thanks to all who have educated me).

 

I try not to pay any more than face value for newer books and I always check the Overstreet guide on the older ones (before I dive off the deep end). However I have learned what some people call FINE and VERY FINE is not necessarily what I would call it. Especially wheelers and dealers on eBay.

 

Would you agree?

[bandwidth_bandit]

Don't think anyone has advised you yet, but there are a number of CGC charter member websites where you can submit your comics to CGC and get a 20% or so discount!. HeritageComics.com for instance. There are others...

 

Someone mentioned it and I also have been reading CGC's site. Thanks for the insite, I appreciate it. However, I didn't realize they discount them.

[Sal]

I actually have an older copy of Overstreet guide and I have went through it. Of course grading is subjective as you know. CGC seems to be the trusted authority on grading and I have learned a lot from this forum in the past few hours (my thanks to all who have educated me).

 

I try not to pay any more than face value for newer books and I always check the Overstreet guide on the older ones (before I dive off the deep end). However I have learned what some people call FINE and VERY FINE is not necessarily what I would call it. Especially wheelers and dealers on eBay.

 

Would you agree?

 

i think anyone who's spent more than 2 dollars on eBay would agree with you. there's a reason the term "eBay grade" exists.

 

 

look, my advice is this; CGC is great for a specific purpose; assigning 3rd party grades to books for the purpose of selling. a CGC grade adds liquidity to an already-liquid (i.e., likely to sell) book. grading books that have no real juice in the marketplace is an entirely all too common way of throwing good money after bad.

 

if you have books that you think would be pretty easy to sell with little to no effort, then those books you should consider getting slabbed. books that have sentimental value, or are common in the market, and don't sell unless in the upper stratosphere of graded examples, should be placed in Mylar sleeves with backing boards. to do anything else would be an extreme waste of money

[bandwidth_bandit]

i think anyone who's spent more than 2 dollars on eBay would agree with you. there's a reason the term "eBay grade" exists.

 

look, my advice is this; CGC is great for a specific purpose; assigning 3rd party grades to books for the purpose of selling. a CGC grade adds liquidity to an already-liquid (i.e., likely to sell) book. grading books that have no real juice in the marketplace is an entirely all too common way of throwing good money after bad.

 

if you have books that you think would be pretty easy to sell with little to no effort, then those books you should consider getting slabbed. books that have sentimental value, or are common in the market, and don't sell unless in the upper stratosphere of graded examples, should be placed in Mylar sleeves with backing boards. to do anything else would be an extreme waste of money

 

Thanks for the advice and I have pretty much concluded the same thing after all the posts I have read on this site today. I am very happy I joined this forum yesterday. It's amazing how much help I have gotten from the people here already and I look forward to interacting more in the future. All the advise I got is good advice and insightfull.

[october]

i think anyone who's spent more than 2 dollars on eBay would agree with you. there's a reason the term "eBay grade" exists.

 

look, my advice is this; CGC is great for a specific purpose; assigning 3rd party grades to books for the purpose of selling. a CGC grade adds liquidity to an already-liquid (i.e., likely to sell) book. grading books that have no real juice in the marketplace is an entirely all too common way of throwing good money after bad.

 

if you have books that you think would be pretty easy to sell with little to no effort, then those books you should consider getting slabbed. books that have sentimental value, or are common in the market, and don't sell unless in the upper stratosphere of graded examples, should be placed in Mylar sleeves with backing boards. to do anything else would be an extreme waste of money

 

Thanks for the advice and I have pretty much concluded the same thing after all the posts I have read on this site today. I am very happy I joined this forum yesterday. It's amazing how much help I have gotten from the people here already and I look forward to interacting more in the future. All the advise I got is good advice and insightfull.

 

Sal's advice is good.

 

You should also post large scans of a few of the books you are talking about and let us go over the grading with you.

[bandwidth_bandit]

You should also post large scans of a few of the books you are talking about and let us go over the grading with you.

 

I have posted a scan I would love your opinion on. It has nothing to do with this discussion it's just an old book I wonder if I should keep or not. It's in the "Two Horrible Books" post of this same forum.

[hurst-migration]

Where can you find a CGC grader? or do you have to send them away? how does this process work?

[divad]

Where can you find a CGC grader? or do you have to send them away? how does this process work?

 

You can generally find one hanging out at the local watering hole . . . I have to send them away all the time (but they keep coming back!)

[lastyle7]

I thought that would be a better way at first but new graded comics are marked up considerably on eBay and elsewhere. If I could get 10 books graded at $16.00 a book it would beat paying $25.00 a book for a graded copy that would need to be resleaved in 7 years also.

 

I am not trying to be a pain here I am just trying to sort all this out. I am sort of counting on the fact that when my son is 40 the books will be worth considerably more then if they remain in NM condition.

 

Am I way off base here?

 

, Joker!!