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ace/ Accurate Comic Evaluators slabs

Started by dopy02,

10 posts in this topic

testinadical-migration

testinadical-migration

Posted
Posted

ACE is just a dealer who slabs his own comics and then sells them - or something close to that:

Ace has been around since at least the summer of 2004.

 

IronManiac interviewed him a while ago:

 

http://stlcomics.com/columns/ironslab/V/

 

Royal Maxey is the head of Accurate Comic Evaluators or ACE, a comic book grading

and encapsulation company located in San Antonio, Texas.

 

ACE comic book grading is a relative new comer in the ever-expanding Professionally

Graded comic book market. I recently conducted an interview with Royal to discuss

ACE comic grading and the professional comic book grading market in general.

 

ERIK GARMANY: What made you decide to start your own grading company?

 

ROYAL MAXEY: I had talked about this with a few friends for quite awhile. I was primarily interested in creating something different, more geared towards the "every man". It seemed the only options for getting a book graded were to sign up for a yearly commitment or turn my books over to someone so they in turn could turn it over to someone. It seemed to be a convoluted system in place, instead of a streamlined endeavor. In other words, choices were very limited and I thought I could do something to provide a service which was faster, cheaper, easier, and much more convenient. Besides is there any business cooler than this to get into!

 

EG: What do you think sets your grading service apart from the competition out there?

 

RM: When we set up our business concept we were thinking strictly outside the box. We wanted to make sure people would not think we were an imitation of an existing company, but instead let us stand on our own practices. Our pricing polices is one of our main differences. Instead of basing the cost of the service on the age of the book or its value, it is based on the speed you want the service conducted. In other words why should I pay more for an older book to be graded when I am conducting the exact same service? We also do not use a well in our mylar to prevent any slab damage from shipping and handling. The pressure of the mylar holds the book firmly in place without placing stresses on it. Additionally, we offer a service called "No Grade" in which we simply encapsulate your book with no grade distinction. Not only is this extremely affordable, but it gives customers a way to protect or display some of their favorites regardless of the grade. There are numerous other differences, but hey I don't want to put you to sleep!

 

EG: What methods do you use for restoration detection and who is your restoration

detection expert?

 

RM: We have all spent time researching and developing our restoration detection skills.

We focus on the core restoration methods such as page coloring, page replacement, and washing. However we also use different lighting such as ultra violet and magnifying

techniques to help detect alterations. I must say we do not claim to be expert restoration

detectives, but we do discover common and amateur attempts.

 

EG: Why do you use a 9-point differential between the 9.0 and 9.9?

 

RM: We put our minds together on this and with our years of evaluation experience

decided to expand upon Overstreet's listing. The question is what the difference between a 9.6 is. and a 9.5, etc. The primary factor that will move a book down one level is the amount of discrepancies. For example, a 9.6 can only have certain type of discrepancies and a certain quantity of these discrepancies; however a 9.4 can have slightly worse discrepancies. Is it fair to move a book all the way down to a 9.4, just because it may have couple extra of the 9.6 type of discrepancies? So the answer is to move it into the 9.5 category. This means this book doesn't have as serious problems as a 9.4, but instead has one or 2 additional discrepancies of the 9.6 variety. We wanted the option to recognize a book for its merits versus penalizing it."

 

EG: Why do you use a 9-point differential between the 9.0 and 9.9?

 

RM: We put our minds together on this and with our years of evaluation experience

decided to expand upon Overstreet's listing. The question is what the difference between a 9.6 is. and a 9.5, etc. The primary factor that will move a book down one level is the amount of discrepancies. For example, a 9.6 can only have certain type of discrepancies and a certain quantity of these discrepancies; however a 9.4 can have slightly worse discrepancies. Is it fair to move a book all the way down to a 9.4, just because it may have a couple extra of the 9.6 type of discrepancies? So the answer is to move it into the 9.5 category. This means this book doesn't have as serious problems as a 9.4, but instead has one or 2 additional discrepancies of the 9.6 variety. We wanted the option to recognize a book for its merits versus penalizing it.

 

EG: Slab-Damage is a very big issue on the STL Comics Forums, has your holder been tested for the dreaded slab-damage (SCS)?

 

RM: We spent over a year manufacturing and developing our product. We debated long and hard over the "slabbing" process. Probably our best choice was to use a 10 mil archival quality Mylar without a well. What this does for us is prevent any well damage from the book shifting around. Instead the pressure from the Mylar holds the book in place without placing stresses on the corners or edges. If excessive shaking occurs the book will slightly move from its position but again, it does not damage the book in any manner. The book can be shifted back in its place simply by tapping the side of the case.

 

EG: What is your personal opinion on pressing books prior to grading submittal? Since it can not be reliably detected, do you considering pressing restoration?

 

RM: Restoration is such a controversial subject. Exactly how much can an owner do to a book before it's even considered restoration and does it even matter? The purists certainly believe any altering of a book from its original condition would call it restoration, while the other side wouldn't. Personally, I don't believe pressing a book is cause for alarm. Actually if you think about it…the majority of books out there are pressed in some manner. Meaning that most enthusiasts bag and board their books and store in long boxes; the storage of the books in the longs will press out spines over time.

 

 

Here's an "interview" from earlier this year:

 

This week we have a new interview with DAVE, a representative of the ACE slabbing

company. I’ve been looking forward to this for quite some time.

 

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO START YOUR OWN GRADING COMPANY?

 

I had talked about this with a few friends for quite awhile. I was primarily interested in

creating something different, more geared towards the "every man". It seemed the only

options for getting a book graded were to sign up for a yearly commitment or turn my

books over to someone so they in turn could turn it over to someone. It seemed to be a

convoluted system in place, instead of a streamlined endeavor. In other words, choices

were very limited and I thought I could do something to provide a service which was ter,

cheaper, easier, and much more convenient. Besides is there any business cooler than this to get into!

 

HOW LONG HAS ACE BEEN IN BUSINESS?

 

We have been around for about 3 years now.

 

HOW MANY EMPLOYEES DOES ACE HAVE?

 

We have three folks!

 

HAVE CHANGES BEEN MADE, OR ARE CHANGES PLANNED, FOR ACE'S CONTAINER?

 

There are no plans to change the current case. It was in design for well over a year.

 

PLEASE PROVIDE US WITH ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON THE ACE CONTAINERS.

 

First the books are sealed in 10 mil archival quality mylar, with the label fastened to the

exterior of the mylar. This prevents someone from opening a case and removing the

label and possibly using it on another item. The case is sealed on all four corners and

has two additional seals on each side. This is to prevent someone from simply breaking a corner and being able to remove the entire book like some competitors. In other words we looked at security as one of our primary factors in it's design. While all cases are able to be breached and tampered with, we tried to make it just a little harder.

 

DOES ACE BELONG TO ANY COMIC BOOK-RELATED ORGANIZATIONS?

 

At this time no. It certainly is within the realm to do so in the future, but we are taking it s

low and one day at a time.

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