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No More Grades, Just BIG NUMBERS!

Started by joe_collector,

635 posts in this topic

joe_collector

joe_collector

Posted
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Posted
I guess this is one of those guys that doesn't like the minus sign... sumo.gif

 

Definitely, and now with that nasty alpha grade deleted, he's free to list all his 9.0-9.2 comics as NM and hook the newbies.

 

Everything is going according to plan....

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THE_BEYONDER

THE_BEYONDER

Posted
Posted
I guess this is one of those guys that doesn't like the minus sign... sumo.gif

 

Definitely, and now with that nasty alpha grade deleted, he's free to list all his 9.0-9.2 comics as NM and hook the newbies.

 

Everything is going according to plan....

 

Hmmm....... 893scratchchin-thumb.gif

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BronzeBruce13

BronzeBruce13

Posted
Posted
I guess this is one of those guys that doesn't like the minus sign... sumo.gif

 

Definitely, and now with that nasty alpha grade deleted, he's free to list all his 9.0-9.2 comics as NM and hook the newbies.

 

Everything is going according to plan....

 

That just can't be the plan Vince...

BUT Ariach just made his point very effectively. I thought sellers would not use the alpha grade anymore (title or description) with a CGC book since the label does not support an alpha/numeral comparison any longer.

 

This style of "seller promotion" and description could absolutely confuse an inexperienced bidder, but I'm not sure to what end? It surely looks problematic... the question I have is... wouldn't the buyer need to have some knowledge of what the nomenclature meant in the first place to be influenced by it?... and think it was better than the numeral? I'm honestly trying to follow my own train of thought here and I'm in a loop?

 

Can anyone describe the sceanario start to finish how a misunderstanding would transpire?

893scratchchin-thumb.gifconfused.gif

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blowout

blowout

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Posted

All except the most naive of newbie's would be aware of the NM grade and its association with the best quality books. Sellers using the numerical grade now get to call everthing from 9.0 up a NM book.

 

Translation for the newbie no defects. 893scratchchin-thumb.gif

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Joanna

Joanna

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Can anyone describe the sceanario start to finish how a misunderstanding would transpire?

893scratchchin-thumb.gifconfused.gif

 

It's all about knowing the alphas but not the numbers. Let's say Dexter has been a collector for years, but buys mostly raw books. This means he's well acquainted with alpha, but is pretty clueless about numbers. He needs this book and it's CGC'd. He doesn't know what the number represents exactly, but knows enough that 9's are high grade. The seller says 9.2 means NM. Dexter doesn't own a guide and has no idea how to get to CGC's website (it's not like you type www.cgc.com and get to the site. Nope, you get a lawyer's site instead), so he has no way to look up the parallel grade/number things. He buys the book assuming he's buying a NM comic. The auction says it's NM, the number is in the 9's -- everything looks kosher. Yet Dexter is not the proud owner of a NM book.

 

To a lot of people (not on this board, but in the general collecting population) the numbers on the book are meaningless. Only the alpha has meaning. I looked at the example and thought, "what's wrong?" I never memorized the numbers. It took another post to clue me in that maybe 9.2 equals NM- and not NM.

 

-- Joanna

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BronzeBruce13

BronzeBruce13

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Thanks Joanna... a seemingly valid concern then for long-time raw collectors entering the CGC market unaware of numeral grades.

 

One thing though... wouldn't you agree that the majority of these collectors also own an Overstreet Guide to assist with their purchases, etc? If so, wouldn't many/most absorb the alpha/numeral relationship from it? I'm just assuming most collectors own, or have owned an OS guide. You used yourself as an example.. do you have a OS guide? If yes, do you feel that raw collectors basically disassociate the numeral for some reason?... just want to understand.

 

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Joanna

Joanna

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Thanks Joanna... a seemingly valid concern then for long-time raw collectors entering the CGC market unaware of numeral grades.

 

One thing though... wouldn't you agree that the majority of these collectors also own an Overstreet Guide to assist with their purchases, etc? If so, wouldn't many/most absorb the alpha/numeral relationship from it? I'm just assuming most collectors own, or have owned an OS guide. You used yourself as an example.. do you have a OS guide? If yes, do you feel that raw collectors basically disassociate the numeral for some reason?... just want to understand.

 

Yes, I own both the Overstreet grading and price guides. I use the price guide all the time (and it lists some numbers, but I never look at them. I just look at the alpha). I realized, while glancing at the grading guide, that I didn't have the interest necessary to become a good grader, so I just list details and a big scan in all my auctions, without a grade. I think there are numbers in that guide.

 

Bottom line, I never paid any attention to the numbers, I've always been an alpha gal. When I got 2 books graded by CGC recently, I opened the box, looked at the grades and had a blank expression on my face. I ran to my computer, went to the CGC website (never even thought about Overstreet having numbers, too), messed around trying to find the chart, found it, looked up my numbers and then I knew what grade my books got. I used both the alpha and the number in both auctions, so help people like me.

 

I think I'm rather typical. On these boards, everyone is so CGC-aware, that 'collecting' seems skewed in their favor. Away from here, it's not at all. The vast majority of people buy raw books using alpha grades. By eliminating the alpha, CGC is widening the chasm between the bulk of collectors and graded books. People who only buy CGC won't be affected. Those people are a very small percentage of buyers. People who buy raw and only occasionally buy CGC will be very affected. That is the vast number of collectors out there. This is the heart of the non-alpha problem. Most collectors will feel CGC has puts a "meaningless" number on a book that is being called graded. Yet where's the grade? The real grade? I had to look it up to know the answer.

 

-- Joanna

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blowout

blowout

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I'm just assuming most collectors own, or have owned an OS guide.

 

I think you would be surprised how many collectors don't own a copy of Overstreet. It's a pretty expensive outlay for the average collector, who is more likely to rely on the latest issue of Wizard.

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BronzeBruce13

BronzeBruce13

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Thanks for the clarification Joanna...

If you are typical of the non-CGC raw collector, and most dismiss the numerals for whatever reason even while owning an OS guide... then I guess it will be a problem if these collectors want to start buying CGC books. It sounds as if they don't do a little research first they could learn an expensive lesson.

 

I was under the impression that the numeral grades were pretty well known and accepted even by non CGC collectors of all ages. I'm a bit baffled why they would be dismissed and not absorbed just from regular use of the OS guide. Maybe this is a "grade-class" issue to some degree? Could HG raw collectors be more familiar with the numeral grades than MG? and MG more aware than LG?..or do you feel this is an across the board raw issue?

 

Too bad we can't conduct a poll... as everyone here basically knows the numerals. Is there a Comic forum that's primarily non-CGC collectors that can be visited to conduct this poll? I accept your experience, but am befuddled that this would be widespread or not be affected by grade-class?

893scratchchin-thumb.gif

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