I REGRET Grading My Key Issue Comic Books
Вставка
- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Please like this video if you enjoyed it!
USE THIS LINK TO SUPPORT THE CHANNEL
amzn.to/3WxV9YE
#cgcunboxing #comicshop #localcomicshop #newcomicbookday
#comicbooks #collection #comiccon #market #vlog #manipulation
I love getting old books out and looking at all the old advertisements…. And then burying my head into the pages and inhaling deeply. Nothing better than the smell of mildewing newsprint. Other kids were sniffing glue or paint… I was doing hardcore comic newsprint…
Yes yes yes......THIS ☝️
Slabs are ruining the hobby in my opinion!
Yes!
It went from a way to establish a verified grade for books that need it like big big books to a circus. Guys are turning in facsimile foils at my lcs because the odds of getting a 9.9 are super high. It's ridiculous.
You're not the only one.
I don’t have a big collection maybe a couple hundred books I think there’s only one I would have sent to CGC and graded. Evil Ernie #1 signed. No certificate for the signature but I bought it when it came out I’m 99% sure it’s real. But it has some value and having verified and protected might be a good idea. I might have a couple others that might be worth it, but I doubt it.
It's not really a hobby, just collecting. I have some I wanted graded but after seeing a lot of videos showing how much of a waste it is, I'm going back to just keeping them.
That's the main reason I don't want to get into slabbed books. A good mylar and acid free backing board is a good alternative
That is the way to go! Top loaders are nice too
You have to be careful on what you decide to grade, especially with modern books. Unless they're a tried-and-true key such as Batman Adventures 12 or Ultimate Fallout 4, most modern books aren't worth it in my opinion. Tried-and-true keys such as Silver-Age Amazing Spider-man and X-Men that have been around for decades are much safer bets because of their longevity. Anyway, good video and thanks for sharing.
Thanks for always watching buddy
I’m starting to grade to make it easier on family when I’m not around
Me to
That’s what I was doing
I try to have reader copies of my graded books just so I can read them, look through them, etc. I have a few books off to the side right now ready to be sent out for grading, but I'm not in a hurry, mostly because I don't have any reader copies available and I still like paging through them.
Also, no shame in 9.6 grades - those are still NM books, you just don't get the premium on the sale side. Sucks for the seller, great for the buyer
My only regret about getting my books graded was not knowing/understanding the value of cleaning and pressing books before getting them graded. I have wasted countless amounts of money with CGC getting my books graded, only to have to crack them out years later to be pressed and cleaned and resubmitted for regrading. Lots of dollars down the drain. Lots of money can be spent needlessly on this hobby, and if you have been in the hobby long enough, there is always some story of regret to tell.
yea alot of ppls regrets come from jumping into this hobby too deep right away instead of gradually collecting and learning. Especially with all the social media / youtube type stuff, ppl want to start in the hobby and go straight to buying slabs and stuff. Its almost ALWAYS gonna end up with tons of mistakes being made. Also, imo, slabbing books just to collect its literally throwing away tons of money for no reason if you think logically about it. It might look cool or whatever but slabbing is 100% useless for personal collections and there are way cheaper ways for displaying them if thats the excuse ppl use for slabbing personal collections. Slabbing is made for selling to the other suckers that think they need slabs for their PC
I think there is another meaning. I know for people in the US it might sound weird because all their favourite writers very often comes to conventions, but for people outside US the only option to get auto is to send them to CGC for signature series, get them authenticated and graded. I only see this reason to keep grading my comic books and getting signatures of my favourite artis on them as EU citizen.
the only book ive graded was Batman Adventures #12, i found a guy who sends often, he send my book along his, i had bought the book for 100$ plus the grading fee, it sold for 200$ i made profit, but was it worth it ? the time i spent, looking for someone to send it, waitting, selling it mailling it, i profited a nice dinner, it made no difference in my life, the whole thing was autopilot
There’s still plenty of mystery left after CGC slabs our books. Mysteries like: Why do grading criteria change so much over time? Why did this slabbed Avengers #3 pop open two days after it - finally - arrived? How did my TMNT #1 9.4 come back a 9.2 with a 1/4” chip on the cover? Why do we subject ourselves to this opaque mastermind with the power to crush our hopes and dreams in an instant?
ps Your display wall is awesome to gawk at.
Now you've got me wondering how a book with a 1/4" chip on the cover can be graded a 9.2. I would've thought the absolute maximum grade a book like that could receive (if it were undamaged in all other respects) would be 8.5.
I had a slight color break on the bottom right corner edge of a book and CGC gave me a 7.5 grade. They are truly lacking grading skills and quality control.
@@marcfrancis8683
A 7.5 for a slight color break?
Nothing like waiting months and then opening that brown box of bad news. Thanks again CGC.
There's no mystery whatsoever. It's a con.
It's absolutely nuts how much faith we put into an anonymous, secretive, subjective process like this.
Grading is for collectors, and Flipping is for businessmen. As a lifelong reader and collector, I have graded many books. The selection process is important depending on the book.
For many titles, you can buy the book graded 9.6 for under $100. Grading is fun and subjective to negative opinions depending on what you use it for.
My first submission was a rookie disaster. I didn't press or clean anything and hadn't done a pre-screen for condition on books that were only worthwhile in 9.8. But I definitely learned on the second go-round. That first submission was a LOT of books, though. I was able to sell them all before the collapse of 2022, so I didn't really lose money, but some were pretty much a wash.
For 9.99 a month marvel has an app. Where u can read any issue u want going back to the beginning of marvel!
One dqy im gonna hqve every comic book ever published
I feel that for someone that also collects and reads collected editions, then just having some key books and having them graded works well. We don't need to collect runs to read or feel them when we have shelves of omnibus. Just get the really important issues that resonate with you personally in terms of what you like and then the virtues of keeping those graded shines through more.
Some of the graded comics I have I also have raw. My collection is around 30,000 comics so I get the feel and smell of old comics.
The thing I love about having a slabbed comic is the fact it is graded. There have been so many times a dealer or private seller has told me something is gem mint and it is just straight up garbage. Slabbing keeps people honest.
Man that’s a bunch of books
I might be wrong but I’ve found buying the book you want already graded on eBay at the dip is the best way of obtaining those keys at a price you’ll be more than happy with.
Buying already graded is the way to go in my opinion
@@Stickygoose Its strange as well because if everyone else starts to also do this less books will be sent for submission and the census count will remain the same for years to come 😂
What I did with my few slabbed books(I have 6). Buying them slabbed wasn't that much more than raw
The old presser scene is hilarious 😂😂
Appreciate that
I’m going to a comic show and I’m wondering how the slabbing works with signatures on comics and if it’s worth the investment
I had this copy of Amazing Spider-Man 300 for many years and it was such a nice copy but had a small stain. I assumed it was a nice grade, no ticks or bends, clean. I send in and because of the stain it came back a 6.0.... it completely ruined how I felt about that book and as such traded it off. Grading that comic completely ruined how I felt about it.
But for the young avengers, you didn't have a 9.8. You thought it was, but it wasn't. Right?
🤣🤣 This had me cracking up man!!! You are BIG PRESSIN'!! Sticky's been pressin the press since the press been pressin!!!! 🤣🤣 "The key to any pressing job is to get completely within the press. Rookies don't know about it. Rookies don't do it." -Sticky Goose 🤣🤣
Hahahaha damn I had fun making that
بسم الله ماشاء الله تبارك الله ربي يحفظك ويبارك فيك اخي العزيز فيديو رائع وجميل جدا بالتوفيق يارب ضيفه جديده ❤🤝❤🫶❤❤👏👏👏👏👏
From a collectors point of view I never regret any book I send to CGC. I consider the long preservation of my books as reward in itself. But if you are a Flipper with short time horizon I can understand the disappointments and regrets cgc slabbing might bring.
I love to see people losing $ on getting books graded that have no business being graded. Only old key issues belong in a slab.
Unless grading a comics is the only way to get your favourite artist signature on your book. Especially for those living outside US.
Wow what a crybaby
what I don't like about slabbing is that it assumes that the book is for someone else. at some point, it will be broken out of its package and read, but it won't be you who has that privilege. personally, I think I'm important enough to be the one to enjoy my comic books
“We” have deemed them the authority? Not me!
I’ve been anti-slab since they hit the market. CGC is inconsistent AF. People need to learn how to grade with their eyes and not trusting the number some third party slaps on there. Send the same book in 10 time I bet you get 3 or 4 different grades.
Buy reader copies.
First off you have a great collection, slabbed or raw. But it seems its nothing but madness and drama with slabbed books. I still read a lot of books and just the nostalgia alone gets me every time. Ill never slab my books, raw collector for life.
Thanks for sayin that
I don't get CGC slabs. I love my comics and it feels like I would be paying someone a lot of money to takeaway my ability to flip through the pages
I don't understand slabbing gameboy games either.
Pokemon cards make the most sense to me
Comics brings joy to reading and art. I have a lot of ultimate spider-man direct market issues and I enjoy reading those from time to time
Slabs are for poor folk, I crack those slabs open and read them. Trade paperbacks suck.
The dumbest thing I've seen is a slabbed copy of the - supposedly - uncensored first printing of Batman: Damned #1.
Wow, I didn't expect someone of your Caliber to think that way. I thought that I was getting too timid and cheap since I stopped grading my key books. Now I feel smarter thanks to you.
And this is why I hate slabs and refuse to submit to CGC
Fair enough
Slab only the real near mint jewels. Those $$ issues that you want to preserve and maybe some day make good bucks, that is ok.
Buy those same issues for reading, maybe in mid-range condition.
Shouldn’t someone start grading slabs too? A 9.8 Spider-Man no. 1 in a 5.6 slab would surely be worth less than a 9.8 copy in a 9.8 slab.
If you don't like the grade but you love the book and want to read it? Crack it and don't look back! I've got a few of those in my sub-collection called: F that Grade
I like that f that grade
This seems like a type of buyer's remorse after slabbing a book. New book have no history, no time to find their level in the history of comics. Their value is highly speculative and that's the bigger issue (pun intended). If you want to speculate on new books buy more than a single copy.
Silver age books have found their value over the years. There are less of them in high grades as kids in the 1960's actually read them many times over, folded them, stuck then in their hip pocket. Back then Mother's all over America would throw out dog eared comics because...who knew?
I didn't slab anything until 2021. Personally I have only 44 CGC slabs with raw duplicates and thousands more that are raw. My only minor regret is my Thor #163. It's a double cover and I should have had a C&P done before submitting. The resultant grade was a 9.0 with the outer cover getting a 7.5 and I believe that could have been higher with a C&P. Yes, I do want to preserve great older books but I also want to read them. Bottom line, to each their own. Enjoy the hobby and you'll never lose the fascination of the genre. Remember, it IS truly American folk art telling stories through sequential drawings. Best to all.
I don,t know how some of you comic fans, collector,s do it?! If I had multiple, multiple copies of say that Batman comic first appearance of Ra's Al Ghul for example, yeah would send some over for grading knowing that even the slabbed ones can reopen them if I so choose, right? If had only one copy of Amazing Spiderman #129 for example, heck no, not letting it go, the only copy I have. (Exactly, you nailed it feel like my comics are like my kids too, if sent an only copy of an issue I, d be a nervous wreck waiting for my Giant Size X-men #1 to come back 😢😮.) For example. If & when I pass away many, many years from now my family, my heirs can do whatever they want with them. I,m a gonna enjoy my comics meanwhile. Probably will have my comics donated to a kids hospital, suppose. Also don,t worry about it, guys like Lee,Kirby,Ditko have a Batman #1 slabbed issue, they opened it up on their channel.
I wish I could get a She-Hulk #1. There are a million in slabs, guess I can wait until they are cracked. I'm a comic collector, so I can outwait the grading fad.
The only reason to slab a book is to plan to part with it. There are other ways to preserve and protect.
I have my main run bagged and boarded, then I purchase the key issues cgc 9.8......so raw copies and cgc keys, best of both worlds.
I for one do not grade my books. I have been collecting comics since the 1990s. I have some great 90s keys in my collection that are in excellent condition. I also have moved around the US multiple times with my comic books. The main way to protecting your collectibles is to simply care about them. Keep them properly stored. Bagged and boarded in comic book boxes. I understand the desire to have them up on a display so you can see them. There are many different ways to do this that also allow you the freedom to still open, feel, and read the comics. I like products from Crafti Comics and Comic Capsules. You should try them out.
Para mi el trabajo de CGC esta sobre-valorado. ¿Bajo qué procesos y estándares certifican? Entán certificados bajo ISO-9000 como empresa? Eso si que garantizaría un proceso certificado de revisión. He visto que hay demasiados comics de los 50s, 60s y con grados iguales que un comic nuevo del día de hoy , y eso solo por el tiempo no puede ser real.. así q CGC se viene transformando en algo no tan creíble, luego pasa lo mismo con las tarjetas, y ya todos creen que tienen santos griales en sus manos...
It really depends on what you intend to do with the comics in the future. If you're planning to sell them at some point, then leave them entombed until that day because they're in the best condition they'll ever be.
If, however, you have no intention of flipping them for cash, I'd set 'em free and get 'em read because that's what they were meant for.
The choice is, as they say, yours to make.
I understand the appeal of having your valuable keys graded. I have pondered it many times but never followed through. I like skimming through them. Sometimes I'll get a wild hair up my ass and want to read every superman title from 91 to 2002 (The triangle numbering years) or read the full 90's X-Men run. I think the best thing to do is buy 2 of every issue and only when an issue gets valuable get one of them slabbed.
I get the books I love graded. Hope for the best , but don’t care…. They display better! Reading them? I got the Omni’s😊
Only grade the top tier amazing books. Period. All else is ridiculous. Kinda like how Marvel makes a million variants of every single floppy that comes out. Only key issues with first appearances or big events should have variants. Same with slabbing. …..dude that pressing section was unbearable
I’m a big sports card card and have been since I was 7 in 1980 ..I never really read comics but I always loved the artwork.so much so that I had a Batman comic cover from the 80’s tattooed on my leg.i buy comics, because I think the artwork is beautiful having them graded. Not even so much the grade just being able to hang them on the wall in a perfect frame to enjoy the cover art is good for something like me it’s not just comic books I don’t like reading at all I’d rather listen to it, or watch it.
Yeah, because the majority of collectors only have one copy and happen to enjoy re-reading, plus viewing them... that's why slabs Suck.
I think when your main concern is whether a comic is a 9.8 or a 9.4 you've already lost the enjoyment of comics and collecting.
I think it's a status thing amongst collectors, it's kind of sad.
Most of my favorite books of all time are worth nothing but they are priceless to me because it's my collection and I think that's what should be important.
Having said that they do look great on display.
I purchased the first appearance of Knull for $115 and its value went up within 3 months to $400
I regret falling into the Image #1’s hype. Bought and slabbed numerous first copies speculating on which one would be the next Walking Dead #1.
bruh, its ok pal. In the beginning of my CGC journey, I graded some that I regretted naturally, but with time I learned what books justified grading and what didn't.
I’ve learned from the school of hard knocks in my whole collecting journey
Take them out, comics don't belong in those stupid socalled grading slabs!!!
you understand the books and the process but I you can benefit from focusing on your goal prior to submission. Are you focused on profit? Focused on collecting and never selling? Having that 9.8 copy everyone wants?
Overall if you have multiple goals and want to adapt after the grading then you should always own at least two raw copies prior to submission if you want your book graded. If you are focused on getting a specific grade and there is even 10% chance in your mind it won’t come back they way you want… then focus on just buying a copy that already has the grade you want.
Separate your collecting and investing goals along with separating your goal outcome to make a more risk managed decision.
It can be easy to chase your tail and blow money but it comes down to executing your goal with minimal risk.
Books are meant to be read not graded and never to be read again
Bahahahaha you win
I can guarantee most collectors think their books are higher grades than they actually are. Unless you're a serious prospector/seller grading is an abomidable waste of money. Enjoy your books.
I love to read them so I have never graded any yet. That was a thought i had. Like I want to be able to read em when I want 😅
Sometimes I just slab something with a special cover to preserve and display the amazing artwork. I know where you're coming from and know of people who have bought silver and golden age slabs and broken them out to get them raw again ?
Interesting point. Makes me want to use EGS grading more, if i'm just looking to persevere my grails.
I slab books that I care about. Not caring about the value of it. But the personal care for the book. If I get a 3.0 or a 10. Doesn’t matter for me because I plan on keeping them for life and just love that book.
I bought a raw copy of X-Men # 14 which the comic dealer said it was around 4.5 and I had it signed Stan Lee at Mega Con and I submitted it at cgc booth at the con and around a year later it came back as a 6.5 off white pages.
I love how slabs will keep those books safe for decades but I enjoy reading my books way too much to start slabbing anything. I own maybe 4 CGC slabs
I’m not into collecting and I’m new to comics and mostly just buy volumes and compendiums, but I kinda wanna get one of mine slabbed. It was the first single issue I bought with my own money, Moon Man #1 not for selling, but to be able to keep it and maybe put it up on a wall or something.
@p0k3mn1 that's a good instance to slab. Especially if you've already read it.
Bro don’t trip on never being able to look at them again, they are on that beautiful wall. And you can read every single book in a TPB or Omnibus form
I appreciate that this isn’t a standard “don’t slab your books video.” There’s nuance in it.
I agree about the bummer of going through your run in a box, and then the big books are missing because they’re in a slab. This is where facsimile copies come in IMO. I buy those as placeholders sometimes.
I also let my CGC subscription lapse, multiple times. I recently re-subscribed about 2 weeks ago. I’m taking a different approach now. If I am sending something in, it’s only going in as a prescreen of whatever grade I think it can get. If it fails, I am out $9. I’m submitting books once again because I really, really enjoy pressing and cleaning, and so as a result I want some legitimate feedback on the quality of my work.
My first submission was 6 books on a 9.8 prescreen last week. If I get less than 4 back in plastic, I’m gonna feel bad about my high score, but my wallet isn’t going to hurt (not my soul) in getting back my book in a 9.6.
My next submission is going to be 5 early X-Men books (before issue 50), that I’ve done some more in-depth cleaning methods on. I plan to prescreen at a 5.0 on those.
I was very anti-slab for a long time, and there’s a record of that on some Internet forums. I still think it’s somewhat weird that we all collectively have decided that some dudes in Sarasota are the authority on comic grades; but at the same time… who else is better qualified?
I’m not really anti slab I just slabbed too many damn books
Done with CGC. Almost 1000 books graded. Around 300 sent back for mechanical errors, some more than once. Careless quality control. I feel bad for their customer service crew. Thinking about a class action suit regarding warped inner cases, which not only cause Newton rings, but even warped some of the books.
So what? Just SELL your slab - and get/buy a non-slab version? Big deal. I don't understand.
the only books i like to slab on CGC are for CGC JSA Signature yellow band editions is that a better mindset sir?
I never have and I never will buy a slabbed book. What a waste...
With those mid grades i would be regreting it too. People stop sending in your mid grade books. Cause there very common
I use top loaders, I have no interest in grading, because I'm not into the hobby for price value🤷♂️
If a book is not 9.8. Candidate , don’t bother unless a truly significant book or grail
I only slabbed Hulk 181and I found it be be expensive. CGC is over rated.
Awesome content! Thanks for sharing your feedback.
I figured that out as soon as I became aware of slabbing so not doing it. Would rather have them readable.
I love to huy 9.6's because they look the same as a 9.8, can't tell the difference between the two.
Are collectors aware that grading companies grade the entire book not just the cover?
Sell your slabs use the profits to buy raw copies problem solved
If you think books are 9.8 just send them in for pre screen , 9.8 or nothing
My ex wife got my raw comics graded out of spite. Bent them and then mailed them in.
if you love comics, you don't slab them. if you love or need money more, its a different story
Getting a 9.6 instead of a 9.8........The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.
Dude, they have facsimiles of every book you have on the wall almost.
Speculators ruined collecting for true comic fans...!
Did you have them pressed? Even being brand new, a slight press could better chance 9.8 one thing I learned is when you think it's a 9.8 it's most likely not. 9.8 is almost a lottery win. Could be just a printing flaw on the book you really can't avoid or fix.
I thought you said you wouldn’t be watching
9.6 is the death stamp for modern books unfortunately
Also, same. The most I've ever spent on a book is a 4.0 Fantastic Four 5 that was already slabbed. I realized after dropping that cash that I'll never even be able to flip it open and read it myself (I'm the weirdo that likes the smell of 'old books' as well), as happy as I was to have it.
Got no problem sending in the newer books though. Especially the variant covers that could sell well. They're usually not that hard to get ahold of again.
Damn I want that book
@@Stickygoose I'll bear that in mind. Maybe someday if I decide to move on from it, we could do a trade of sorts?
Not easier to sell if there are 35 other people trying to sell the same graded book.
To be fair, not selling them.is also throwing money away
i been trying to tell ppl that slabs arent the optimal way to protect comics, and i think that will prove more true as time goes on. A good mylar bag and board in a box provides more stability. The suspended nature of slabbed books is gonna fck em up over time. Nothing escapes gravity, and slabs are subject to gravity at many different points. They arent uniformally supported on the edges or front and back. Now its not feasible to store every book optinlmally cuz honestly that would be in a good bag and board, laid down in a dark, clinate controlled spot with no real weight stacked on top of it. I also think even tho it will still cause damage, i think laying slabs down is better over time than standing them up. Laying down, then flipped over every so often to keep the gravity effects equal, to balance out the sagging in the middle. But that sagging will be less profound than the damage from them standing considering the support across the bottom isnt uniform. Every single bit of surface area of a comic needs to be supported to keep it structurally sound over a long period, and slabs just dont provide that. Also, any kind of byproducts that may build up in a slab are just locked in there with the book. It cant be "aired out" and that micro paper doesnt serve its purpose forever, at some point it will become saturated and not effective for its purpose, and could possibly have the opposite effect its intended. But also on that point, ppl worry too much about that aspect of preserving their comics as well. These things arent going to dissolve and wither away into dust during your lifetime. Also, a slabbed books grade will drop over time....imagine in the future when slabs are older, ppl will be buying 9.8 slabs for example, that are no longer 9.8's and that could turn into a huge issue. Slabbing is still super young and we have no idea what all negative effects may come from it. But we do know we have books from the 40s that have been perfectly maintained without slabs. In my opinion and for now, slabs only serve one good purpose and thats for selling. And doing so soon after they are obtained.
and i also forgot to mention Newton rings and inner well scuffing to boot
One thing that stuck out in the content was that you mentioned 9.8 as 'perfect' at least a few times. 9.8 is by definition not perfect - it is however the most common grade possible for brand new books if not mistreated. To me, the price difference between 9.8 and 9.6 is just a tax on the misconception that a 9.8 is preferable in some way, when the reality is out of the case it would be a coin toss in a lot of cases. I don't need a 3rd party, through grading, to affirm I should be happy with a copy I have chosen to hold in my collection.
Agree..I don't buy 9.8s at all as I've seen many 9.6s vs 9.8s and the difference is not very detectable. You're basically paying hundreds or thousands more for the 9.8 label, kinda like buying a Tag watch with a $30 movement you're paying for the brand.
Crack the case. Next problem please.
Great video. Thanks,….but……the pressing section scared me, major nightmares on the way
Some people can’t hand the Ol’ Pressa’s energy
The 10pt grading system is one of the worst things for the hobby imo.
I've just always collected 9.6s because 69 is nice.
Great video, love the topic and introspection and your taught on your slabing journey.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I cracked the few I bought in slabs.
You are over thinking stuff. Just enjoy your 9.6 it's a rush submitting books. That's worth something
It’s super addicting submitting
They will not keep that high rating in the slab indefinitely.