To CGC Grade or Not to CGC Grade - That is the Question???

[bandwidth_bandit]

According to Comicspriceguide.com my comics are worth twice as much in the same condition IF they are CGC graded. Is this correct? Are the comics worth more by having them CGC graded?

[Mad Dog]

No... generally speaking no....

 

the higher grades, generally command a small premium (normally only 9.2) and the older/rarer the books may get premium prices may extend down to 8.0-9.0. Key SA and GA books may also command a premium in lower grades than normal, depending on the relative scarcity in grade. Obviously Uber grades like 9.4+ goes for multiples as prices are not even listed in the guide anymore

[nik]

Depends on the comic and grade

[bandwidth_bandit]

No... generally speaking no....

 

the higher grades, generally command a small premium (normally only 9.2) and the older/rarer the books may get premium prices may extend down to 8.0-9.0. Key SA and GA books may also command a premium in lower grades than normal, depending on the relative scarcity in grade. Obviously Uber grades like 9.4+ goes for multiples as prices are not even listed in the guide anymore

 

Well I am now more confused than ever, EEEEEEEK!! This is what I saw on the site. These are brand new modern day comics and here is what the site says for the value.

 

• 
   
  Issue # ------- 9.4 Value ---------- 9.4 CGC Graded
  # 1 --------------$2.50-----------------$5.00
  # 2 --------------$2.50-----------------$5.00
  # 3 --------------$2.50 ----------------$5.00
  # 4 --------------$2.50-----------------$5.00
   
  

Can you try to explain it again in English so us common folks can understand?

[Mad Dog]

No... generally speaking no....

 

the higher grades, generally command a small premium (normally only 9.2) and the older/rarer the books may get premium prices may extend down to 8.0-9.0. Key SA and GA books may also command a premium in lower grades than normal, depending on the relative scarcity in grade. Obviously Uber grades like 9.4+ goes for multiples as prices are not even listed in the guide anymore

 

Well I am now more confused than ever, EEEEEEEK!! This is what I saw on the site. These are brand new modern day comics and here is what the site says for the value.

 

• 
   
  Issue # ------- 9.4 Value ---------- 9.4 CGC Graded
  # 1 --------------$2.50-----------------$5.00
  # 2 --------------$2.50-----------------$5.00
  # 3 --------------$2.50 ----------------$5.00
  # 4 --------------$2.50-----------------$5.00
   
  

Can you try to explain it again in English so us common folks can understand?

 

Well what i can say is, dont slab moderns with a 9.4 guide value slabbed of 5 bucks! that will give you a 25-30 dollar loss!!

 

I see what you mean now, many dont have faith in raw 9.4-9.6 books and those willl therefore go for significantly less than a slabbed copy. For instance I have a couple of slabbed 9.8 Byrne X-men from the BA, take 130 for instance which i payed 350 bucks for. If one was for sale raw advertised as 9.8 i doubt it could fetch more than 50-60 dollars as the market dont have faith that CGC will give it 9.8 as well as we are talking nitty gritty details here... and given the huge price drop from 9.8 - to 9.6 buyers will make sure they still get a good deal even if it only gets in a 9.6 slab.

 

I dont know if that make it more clear, i dont know anything more about moderns if that is what you are looking for. My general warning is thus only that dont be fooled and think all books are worth double in same grade if slabbed. I recently sold a couple of Uber commen X-men from the 80'ies in 9.6 slabs for around guide of 9.2 and for less than the grading fee....

[bandwidth_bandit]

No... generally speaking no....

 

the higher grades, generally command a small premium (normally only 9.2) and the older/rarer the books may get premium prices may extend down to 8.0-9.0. Key SA and GA books may also command a premium in lower grades than normal, depending on the relative scarcity in grade. Obviously Uber grades like 9.4+ goes for multiples as prices are not even listed in the guide anymore

 

Well I am now more confused than ever, EEEEEEEK!! This is what I saw on the site. These are brand new modern day comics and here is what the site says for the value.

 

• 
   
  Issue # ------- 9.4 Value ---------- 9.4 CGC Graded
  # 1 --------------$2.50-----------------$5.00
  # 2 --------------$2.50-----------------$5.00
  # 3 --------------$2.50 ----------------$5.00
  # 4 --------------$2.50-----------------$5.00
   
  

Can you try to explain it again in English so us common folks can understand?

 

Well what i can say is, dont slab moderns with a 9.4 guide value slabbed of 5 bucks! that will give you a 25-30 dollar loss!!

 

I see what you mean now, many dont have faith in raw 9.4-9.6 books and those willl therefore go for significantly less than a slabbed copy. For instance I have a couple of slabbed 9.8 Byrne X-men from the BA, take 130 for instance which i payed 350 bucks for. If one was for sale raw advertised as 9.8 i doubt it could fetch more than 50-60 dollars as the market dont have faith that CGC will give it 9.8 as well as we are talking nitty gritty details here... and given the huge price drop from 9.8 - to 9.6 buyers will make sure they still get a good deal even if it only gets in a 9.6 slab.

 

I dont know if that make it more clear, i dont know anything more about moderns if that is what you are looking for. My general warning is thus only that dont be fooled and think all books are worth double in same grade if slabbed. I recently sold a couple of Uber commen X-men from the 80'ies in 9.6 slabs for around guide of 9.2 and for less than the grading fee....

 

Yes actually I think I finally have it... kind of makes it tough to determine what the fair market value is for your comic collection without the CGC grade especially if it is a modern one. Also, I noticed there is an ASM #2 in another forum beat to death, can't be more than a 2.0 if that and someone wants $125.00 for that one. The same website values a ASM #2 beat to death at less than $125.00. I would say it's worth about $40.00 in poor condition. So I say again makes it difficult to determine the exact value of your collection without going with a CGC grade (whether expensive or no).

[evilsly]

The rarity/desirability of an item makes far more difference to a price than whether slabbed or not.

 

Spider-man 2 is highly desirable in any grade (I want a 5.0-6.0 and realise I'll have to pay heavily for it), in fact I believe this book is generally considered much rarer than #1.

[bandwidth_bandit]

The rarity/desirability of an item makes far more difference to a price than whether slabbed or not.

 

Spider-man 2 is highly desirable in any grade (I want a 5.0-6.0 and realise I'll have to pay heavily for it), in fact I believe this book is generally considered much rarer than #1.

 

So as far as value goes the market pretty much determines what a comic is worth rather than the grade? The grade (I guess) is just a guide to use in determining the profitability of a comic....if that makes any sense at all?

[joeypost]

According to Comicspriceguide.com my comics are worth twice as much in the same condition IF they are CGC graded. Is this correct? Are the comics worth more by having them CGC graded?

 

What era books are we talking about here? Obviously a book worth $10 raw would not be worth slabbing since the cost of the slab and shipping would be more than what you could sell the book for.

 

The value comes in when it is a hot book (say ASM #300) and it comes back 9.6 or 9.8. Then it would be multiples of guide. If it was a copy of Astonishing X-men #9 you would not get back your slabbing fee's.

[bandwidth_bandit]

If it was a copy of Astonishing X-men #9 you would not get back your slabbing fee's.

 

Okay here we go again with grading value as opposed to market value. True a modern comic would not be worth what it took to get it graded now but in 196x ASM comics would not have been worth slabbing then either. I think the value here is not only determined by market price but the collector as well. If the collector slabs comics now (when others decide it's not worth it) then in 40 years they could be more rare. Then what would the slab be worth? Far more 40 years from now than they are today. Of course you have to add in the cost of reslabbing every 7 years or so. [yep I know you think I'm smoking something]

[divad]

According to Comicspriceguide.com my comics are worth twice as much in the same condition IF they are CGC graded. Is this correct? Are the comics worth more by having them CGC graded?

 

No one here uses Comicspriceguide.com So what they say is irrelevant.

[bandwidth_bandit]

According to Comicspriceguide.com my comics are worth twice as much in the same condition IF they are CGC graded. Is this correct? Are the comics worth more by having them CGC graded?

 

No one here uses Comicspriceguide.com So what they say is irrelevant.

 

Someone from this board gave me the link...or at least this is where I got it. But I was simply curious when I ran across their chart. Since I am new I am trying to get a handle on all this grading, slabbing, and bagging... oh yes let's not forget boarding

[the blob]

what's the point of slabbing now if you plan on sitting on the book for 40 years? you're locking up a huge amount of money in the slab. If let's say, conservatively, you double your money every ten years with relatively stable investments, the $20 you spend on a slab now could be $320 in 40 years and that's just the money spent on plastic, not the comic. And that's not even counting re-slabbing every 7-10 years. I don't want to try and do the math on the wasted money on that exercise.

 

there are better archival products than the CGC case out there and when you ship stuff off, etc., you run the risk of it getting damaged.

 

sure, you might say "but I'm locking my 9.8 in now, it might not be a 9.8 in 40 years..." yes, that's true, but the comic in that slab will likely not be a 9.8 in 40 years anyway, just the lable, and I think people will wise up to this over the next 40 years.

 

Slabbing now is for if you REALLY like the way a slab looks, resto check, and if you plan on reselling in not that long, it makes it easier for you to do a quick turn around. Perhaps it might be useful for insurance evaluation purposes, but I can think of cheaper methods.

 

In any even, modern junk that's "worth" $2.50 according to cpg.com is unlikely to be worth more than that in the long term and it will be high grade then too.

 

it used to be that encapsulating new books and getting back 9.6 - 9.8 and getting back 9.4s for 15-20 year old books could make you your slab fee back and sometimes more, but that is no longer the case for the bulk of books out there. Honestly, I don't know if your generic mainstream marvel from 1984 let's say some dull issue of Hulk or Captain America will make back its slab fee if only a 9.4.

 

oh yeah, and cpg.com is nonsense.

 

As for the ASM 2, that ain't a $40 book. Will he get $125, I dunno, but on stuff like that, where many people want A copy, you will often find that beaters do very well vs. guide because the average collector can't afford a $400-$500 VG copy and even a 2.0 might be out of their budget.

[bandwidth_bandit]

what's the point of slabbing now if you plan on sitting on the book for 40 years? you're locking up a huge amount of money in the slab. If let's say, conservatively, you double your money every ten years with relatively stable investments, the $20 you spend on a slab now could be $320 in 40 years and that's just the money spent on plastic, not the comic. And that's not even counting re-slabbing every 7-10 years. I don't want to try and do the math on the wasted money on that exercise.

 

there are better archival products than the CGC case out there and when you ship stuff off, etc., you run the risk of it getting damaged.

 

sure, you might say "but I'm locking my 9.8 in now, it might not be a 9.8 in 40 years..." yes, that's true, but the comic in that slab will likely not be a 9.8 in 40 years anyway, just the lable, and I think people will wise up to this over the next 40 years.

 

Slabbing now is for if you REALLY like the way a slab looks, resto check, and if you plan on reselling in not that long, it makes it easier for you to do a quick turn around. Perhaps it might be useful for insurance evaluation purposes, but I can think of cheaper methods.

 

In any even, modern junk that's "worth" $2.50 according to cpg.com is unlikely to be worth more than that in the long term and it will be high grade then too.

 

it used to be that encapsulating new books and getting back 9.6 - 9.8 and getting back 9.4s for 15-20 year old books could make you your slab fee back and sometimes more, but that is no longer the case for the bulk of books out there. Honestly, I don't know if your generic mainstream marvel from 1984 let's say some dull issue of Hulk or Captain America will make back its slab fee if only a 9.4.

 

oh yeah, and cpg.com is nonsense.

 

As for the ASM 2, that ain't a $40 book. Will he get $125, I dunno, but on stuff like that, where many people want A copy, you will often find that beaters do very well vs. guide because the average collector can't afford a $400-$500 VG copy and even a 2.0 might be out of their budget.

 

Very well said and kind of gives me some more insight into the collectors game. I collect comics for the shear joy of reading them. I have always like Spider-man and have been reading since I was a kid. Had a been a wise kid and held on to my comics when I was small I would have had a fantastic and pretty profitable collection today. Instead I am spending my time just trying to pick up issues to read and have fun doing it.

 

I am a true Spidey fan and whether I never own ASM #1 (I got a reprint like most other people) I will still enjoy reading them for a long while to come (unless of course I die tomorrow and then, well, that's another story).

[Sid]

If you're into reading the books you own, why slab em?

[bandwidth_bandit]

If you're into reading the books you own, why slab em?

 

A good question that deserves a good answer - just don't have one ...

[Mad Dog]

If you're into reading the books you own, why slab em?

 

A good question that deserves a good answer - just don't have one ...

 

If you dont know why but just feel a casual need to waiste 50 dollar a month i can PM you my paypal and you can send me your money and save time not having to do the packing...

[bandwidth_bandit]

If you're into reading the books you own, why slab em?

 

A good question that deserves a good answer - just don't have one ...

 

If you dont know why but just feel a casual need to waiste 50 dollar a month i can PM you my paypal and you can send me your money and save time not having to do the packing...

 

Yeah and keep wishing, right ..

[Sid]

If you're into reading the books you own, why slab em?

 

A good question that deserves a good answer - just don't have one ...

 

I think I do understand where you are coming from though. Value of the books is a big factor in the hobby, and obviously with the CGC surge it's very tempting to want to slab every book to grab the extra premium. Of course, you need to consider like I did of why you are collecting comic books. Comic books are a great investment, or appear to be, for the future given you can shill out some major amount of dollars or get very lucky. I enjoy reading the books and holding them more then I do just looking at them. If I wanted to just gaze at the covers I can just browse the GA forums all day and get my 'fix' and forget putting money on them all together. To me, it's about the smell, the feel and mostly the sense of history while reading the books.

[bandwidth_bandit]

If you're into reading the books you own, why slab em?

 

A good question that deserves a good answer - just don't have one ...

 

I think I do understand where you are coming from though. Value of the books is a big factor in the hobby, and obviously with the CGC surge it's very tempting to want to slab every book to grab the extra premium. Of course, you need to consider like I did of why you are collecting comic books. Comic books are a great investment, or appear to be, for the future given you can shill out some major amount of dollars or get very lucky. I enjoy reading the books and holding them more then I do just looking at them. If I wanted to just gaze at the covers I can just browse the GA forums all day and get my 'fix' and forget putting money on them all together. To me, it's about the smell, the feel and mostly the sense of history while reading the books.

 

Amen and Amen!!