I have two books in grading right now one of which is a Jack Kirby signed Kamandi #1 so I'm thrilled that this opportunity is finally available. Great video!
Very interesting. I wonder if this will undercut CGC's signing events, now you can get a way cheaper (or free) sig at a less formal appearance and get the same value out of it.
I was the seller for the ASM #300 with the Stan Lee Sig. I initially bought the book as a 9.0 green label for $500. Took a while to sell didn't get as many offers as I thought I would. If I held on longer maybe I would have got better offers. I was happy with the sale
This is a great informative video. Ive got Incredible hulk 180, 181 & 182 all signed, unwitnessed, by Len Wein back in 2011. Im about to send them in for JSA and CGC grading. Im glad that theyve brought this service in.
Thank you. I just recently discovered the Whatnot app and have been buying some signed books, which I've never done before. I'm hoping to send them to CGC now to authenticate.
Great stuff. I get that some people may not care for comics that were not witnessed getting authenticated. However, there are tons of comics that were purchased directly from the artist. I have dozens of comics that I purchased directly from J. Scott Campbell, Mike Mayhew, Gleason and others. I have zero doubt that they didn't actually sign them. As such, I think that is great that they are offering this service.
I think authenticated boobs are great for those PC books that you got signed at a convention decades ago or bought straight from the artist, but the truth of the matter is that authenticating signatures really is a best educated guess. Experts often know just a little more to give them a better guess than the regular Joe, but it's still a guess. Once the book leaves the possession of the person who KNOWS the signature is authentic, the next owner has less reassurance the signature is authentic. Sell or trade the book another time or two and more the only reassurance is from someone's best educated guess, which really isn't worth anything at the end of the day. A witnessed book though has the assurance that it was witnessed regardless of how many owners the book has. That's a huge difference.
I sent in my Something is killing the children #1 first print cover A signed by James Tynion and it came back 9.8. So overall very happy with the JSA/CGC authentication.
Great vid; been wondering about this. Thanks for your work on it. I sent in 3 books shortly after the program was rolled out, and the turn times were fantastic ... at the time; can't speak to them now. First book was a Batman: Sword Of Azrael 1 signed by Joe Quesada. Came back a 9.8, and it looks fabulous; the black and yellow label matches the blacks and yellows on that cover beautifully. Book 2 was a Sword Of Azrael 2 signed by Quesada; unfortunately, an 8.0 due to color-breaking fingerprints (I had him sign my reader copy back in the day by mistake - LOL). Book 3 was a gift, a recent Turtles book signed by Kevin Eastman; also came back a 9.8. (And this was before banana-gate; all the wells are fine.) The only other book I own that I'd consider is a Batman 497 (easy 9.8) that is signed by all 4 creators on the book: writer (Moench), penciller (Aparo), inker (Giordano) and cover artist (Kelley Jones). I hesitate because they charge $25 per signature, so it's $100 just to authenticate the signatures; still have to pay for the actual grading of the book too. Not sure if the book would be worth that.
Would be interesting to know what % of JSA submissions fail the verification test. We worry about forgeries, so how often do signed books get bounced for possibly being forged.
I have a comic I plan to send in signed by Stan Lee, Mike Zeck and John Beatty. Going to cost 75 dollars just to have the signatures verified, but if I ever want to sell will be ready to go.
Signatures have always been a bit of an iffy proposition when they're not 'certified.' I have several books in my PC that I had signed back in the day - but I have also witnessed people who have mastered forging signatures. Personally I'd only be buying CGC witnessed - I'm not convinced JSA could tell a mastered forgery from the real deal. At the end of the day, I guess it just depends what the buyer wants to believe and is willing to pay.
I’d argue that most of their graders can’t tell the difference between a 9.6 and a 9.8, or a 9.8 and a 9.9. It’s weird to me that people are adamant about signatures being 100% legit to add 20-30% to the value of their book, but they’re ok with a completely subjective grade that could alter the value much more significantly. 9.8 with 4 spine ticks? No problem! Verified signature? No way bro, could be fake.
@@Supertomscustoms CGC graders and JSA signature authentication are 2 separate entities. JSA has been verifying signatures on collectibles and photos and loose autographs since before CGC existed.
@@StoneyMaloney1 All the more reason to trust JSA over a random CGC grader. I’m just pointing out that’s it’s strange to put so much value on one person’s subjective opinion, but then not trust another’s.
@@Supertomscustoms Also with so many authorized CGC witnesses that aren't actually employed by CGC the chances of witnessed books not being legit is higher than anyone is willing to admit.
Great video -- I think that the way you are "assigning" signature value may be up for debate -- for instance: you were 100% right to compare average non-graded sales from the last one "witnessed" to the current sale for the Stan Lee ASM 300 I find no fault with that logic, however you then added the $700 more for a Stan Lee auto on top of the "Witnessed" average of $700 to arrive to that $1400 sale -- IMO this does not factor in the book enough, I would simply say if the book w/o signature is $700 and the book with signature is $1400 then the signature 2x (doubled) the value -- if you carry that metric over to the current sale (JSA Authenticated) where the average current unsigned book is $550 and the JSA Auth. Signed book just sold for $1100 then again the signature 2x (doubled) the value of the book. So in this case the relative value has stayed the same. As it could also be argued that with the comic values decreasing, the signatures associated with the comic could also be decreasing. Does that make sense?
I had a signature that me and my wife witnessed signed by Stan Lee and a full Todd Mcfarlane . The Mcfarlane signature authentic, the Stan Lee deemed not Authentic, WTF ?
I think we'll continue to see authenticated books getting high sales from time to time. My guess is that it's due to people getting caught up in the moment and deciding its close enough. But almost no one would prefer the authenticated sig over the witnessed
I sent in 2 books so far, showcase 4 jsa verified Carmine Infantino and Joe Kubert and a shocking mystery 56 verified LB Cole. Have a ton more that I will be sending in, including my captain America 3 signed by Stan Lee and Joe Simon, cap 9 signed by Jack Kirby and an Avengers 4 signed by Kirby
A witnessed signature is not guaranteed to be authentic. Many people or dealers witness signatures for CGC and any number of them could be unscrupulous and can fake signatures and say they witnessed them.
I will never buy a JSA Signature "verified" comic book. IMHO, this ruined CGC's coveted Signature Series and has watered down the brand. The irony for me is how everyone would poke fun of CBCS' verified signature program as a weak SS imitation, however with CGC's JSA entry, for some reason this is... different... than what CBCS offers? Ultimately, I think it's too early to tell. I think the long game will show how picky collectors are, and JSA is an obvious downgrade to a true CGC SS book. Good content Ryan. I would be excited to see how this develops over time. It's disappointing that the market, for the time being, seems to be supporting this new garbage initiative.
@@HomelessCanadaMike There is a fundamental difference between the standard practice CGC has for Signature Series books and the JSA "equivalent". That being, an authorized representative is active and present, witnessing the signature live... versus having any signature without witness authentication, being verified post signing. So my point hasn't changed. If a signature is LIVE and being WITNESSED, present tense, then whomever the representative is, as long as they are an authorized representative from CGC, is valid. Anything outside of that exact parameter, invites for fraud, fakes, forgeries... all of the labels CBCS was scrutinized for with their signature verification program. I don't know if this answered your question. If it did not, can you please rephrase your intended question? Thanks
@@DouglasCaldwell-y6b I was just wondering if you think more "authorized witnesses" waters down the "coveted" signature series label. Authorizing more witnesses allows for more chance for fraud, as any authorized witness can forge signatures and just say they were witnessed.
@@HomelessCanadaMike Ah, I see. I think fraud is always a possibility. I think that CGC's authenticated witness signature program is as good as it can get in terms of developing a fail safe process to guard against fraud. To your point, fraud is not 100% preventative, but it's pretty solid.
The yellow label does not mean that the signature is real 100% of the time. It means 100%of the time one of the myriad of CGC authorized witnesses claim it's real. The only way to know 100% your book was signed by the artist is to hand it to said artist and to watch them sign it yourself.
I have two books in grading right now one of which is a Jack Kirby signed Kamandi #1 so I'm thrilled that this opportunity is finally available. Great video!
Very interesting. I wonder if this will undercut CGC's signing events, now you can get a way cheaper (or free) sig at a less formal appearance and get the same value out of it.
I was the seller for the ASM #300 with the Stan Lee Sig. I initially bought the book as a 9.0 green label for $500. Took a while to sell didn't get as many offers as I thought I would. If I held on longer maybe I would have got better offers. I was happy with the sale
This is a great informative video. Ive got Incredible hulk 180, 181 & 182 all signed, unwitnessed, by Len Wein back in 2011. Im about to send them in for JSA and CGC grading. Im glad that theyve brought this service in.
Thank you. I just recently discovered the Whatnot app and have been buying some signed books, which I've never done before. I'm hoping to send them to CGC now to authenticate.
Great stuff. I get that some people may not care for comics that were not witnessed getting authenticated. However, there are tons of comics that were purchased directly from the artist. I have dozens of comics that I purchased directly from J. Scott Campbell, Mike Mayhew, Gleason and others. I have zero doubt that they didn't actually sign them. As such, I think that is great that they are offering this service.
I think authenticated boobs are great for those PC books that you got signed at a convention decades ago or bought straight from the artist, but the truth of the matter is that authenticating signatures really is a best educated guess. Experts often know just a little more to give them a better guess than the regular Joe, but it's still a guess. Once the book leaves the possession of the person who KNOWS the signature is authentic, the next owner has less reassurance the signature is authentic. Sell or trade the book another time or two and more the only reassurance is from someone's best educated guess, which really isn't worth anything at the end of the day. A witnessed book though has the assurance that it was witnessed regardless of how many owners the book has. That's a huge difference.
I sent in my Something is killing the children #1 first print cover A signed by James Tynion and it came back 9.8. So overall very happy with the JSA/CGC authentication.
JSA or witnessed is the same for me
2:04 Can I ask what the criteria for being bearly alive exactly is? 😆
🧟
Mostly dead.
Great vid; been wondering about this. Thanks for your work on it. I sent in 3 books shortly after the program was rolled out, and the turn times were fantastic ... at the time; can't speak to them now. First book was a Batman: Sword Of Azrael 1 signed by Joe Quesada. Came back a 9.8, and it looks fabulous; the black and yellow label matches the blacks and yellows on that cover beautifully. Book 2 was a Sword Of Azrael 2 signed by Quesada; unfortunately, an 8.0 due to color-breaking fingerprints (I had him sign my reader copy back in the day by mistake - LOL). Book 3 was a gift, a recent Turtles book signed by Kevin Eastman; also came back a 9.8. (And this was before banana-gate; all the wells are fine.)
The only other book I own that I'd consider is a Batman 497 (easy 9.8) that is signed by all 4 creators on the book: writer (Moench), penciller (Aparo), inker (Giordano) and cover artist (Kelley Jones). I hesitate because they charge $25 per signature, so it's $100 just to authenticate the signatures; still have to pay for the actual grading of the book too. Not sure if the book would be worth that.
If you want to turn your 9.8s into 9.6s do the Signature Series.
Would be interesting to know what % of JSA submissions fail the verification test. We worry about forgeries, so how often do signed books get bounced for possibly being forged.
I have a comic I plan to send in signed by Stan Lee, Mike Zeck and John Beatty. Going to cost 75 dollars just to have the signatures verified, but if I ever want to sell will be ready to go.
Signatures have always been a bit of an iffy proposition when they're not 'certified.' I have several books in my PC that I had signed back in the day - but I have also witnessed people who have mastered forging signatures. Personally I'd only be buying CGC witnessed - I'm not convinced JSA could tell a mastered forgery from the real deal. At the end of the day, I guess it just depends what the buyer wants to believe and is willing to pay.
I’d argue that most of their graders can’t tell the difference between a 9.6 and a 9.8, or a 9.8 and a 9.9. It’s weird to me that people are adamant about signatures being 100% legit to add 20-30% to the value of their book, but they’re ok with a completely subjective grade that could alter the value much more significantly.
9.8 with 4 spine ticks? No problem!
Verified signature? No way bro, could be fake.
@@Supertomscustoms CGC graders and JSA signature authentication are 2 separate entities. JSA has been verifying signatures on collectibles and photos and loose autographs since before CGC existed.
@@StoneyMaloney1 All the more reason to trust JSA over a random CGC grader. I’m just pointing out that’s it’s strange to put so much value on one person’s subjective opinion, but then not trust another’s.
@@Supertomscustoms Also with so many authorized CGC witnesses that aren't actually employed by CGC the chances of witnessed books not being legit is higher than anyone is willing to admit.
Great video -- I think that the way you are "assigning" signature value may be up for debate -- for instance: you were 100% right to compare average non-graded sales from the last one "witnessed" to the current sale for the Stan Lee ASM 300 I find no fault with that logic, however you then added the $700 more for a Stan Lee auto on top of the "Witnessed" average of $700 to arrive to that $1400 sale -- IMO this does not factor in the book enough, I would simply say if the book w/o signature is $700 and the book with signature is $1400 then the signature 2x (doubled) the value -- if you carry that metric over to the current sale (JSA Authenticated) where the average current unsigned book is $550 and the JSA Auth. Signed book just sold for $1100 then again the signature 2x (doubled) the value of the book. So in this case the relative value has stayed the same. As it could also be argued that with the comic values decreasing, the signatures associated with the comic could also be decreasing. Does that make sense?
The only signatures that benefit from authentication imo are those whose signers died prior to the advent of slabbing books.
I had a signature that me and my wife witnessed signed by Stan Lee and a full Todd Mcfarlane . The Mcfarlane signature authentic, the Stan Lee deemed not Authentic, WTF ?
I think we'll continue to see authenticated books getting high sales from time to time. My guess is that it's due to people getting caught up in the moment and deciding its close enough. But almost no one would prefer the authenticated sig over the witnessed
I sent in 2 books so far, showcase 4 jsa verified Carmine Infantino and Joe Kubert and a shocking mystery 56 verified LB Cole. Have a ton more that I will be sending in, including my captain America 3 signed by Stan Lee and Joe Simon, cap 9 signed by Jack Kirby and an Avengers 4 signed by Kirby
I just don't like that black line, I think it would look better in silver or something else.
A witnessed signature is not guaranteed to be authentic. Many people or dealers witness signatures for CGC and any number of them could be unscrupulous and can fake signatures and say they witnessed them.
what? wtf are you talking about?
I will never buy a JSA Signature "verified" comic book.
IMHO, this ruined CGC's coveted Signature Series and has watered down the brand.
The irony for me is how everyone would poke fun of CBCS' verified signature program as a weak SS imitation, however with CGC's JSA entry, for some reason this is... different... than what CBCS offers?
Ultimately, I think it's too early to tell. I think the long game will show how picky collectors are, and JSA is an obvious downgrade to a true CGC SS book.
Good content Ryan. I would be excited to see how this develops over time. It's disappointing that the market, for the time being, seems to be supporting this new garbage initiative.
Curious, do you think each new CGC authorized signature witness also waters down the "coveted" signature series?
@@HomelessCanadaMike There is a fundamental difference between the standard practice CGC has for Signature Series books and the JSA "equivalent". That being, an authorized representative is active and present, witnessing the signature live... versus having any signature without witness authentication, being verified post signing. So my point hasn't changed.
If a signature is LIVE and being WITNESSED, present tense, then whomever the representative is, as long as they are an authorized representative from CGC, is valid. Anything outside of that exact parameter, invites for fraud, fakes, forgeries... all of the labels CBCS was scrutinized for with their signature verification program.
I don't know if this answered your question. If it did not, can you please rephrase your intended question? Thanks
@@DouglasCaldwell-y6b I was just wondering if you think more "authorized witnesses" waters down the "coveted" signature series label. Authorizing more witnesses allows for more chance for fraud, as any authorized witness can forge signatures and just say they were witnessed.
@@HomelessCanadaMike Ah, I see. I think fraud is always a possibility. I think that CGC's authenticated witness signature program is as good as it can get in terms of developing a fail safe process to guard against fraud. To your point, fraud is not 100% preventative, but it's pretty solid.
I wouldn't be surprised if the increase in Eminem listings is due to politics
I refuse to buy any jsa authenticated books
I'm not buying them. The whole purpose of the yellow label is that it's 100%. I'm not paying the same price for some dudes opinion.
Oh the sweet sweet irony in this comment.
@Supertomscustoms oh, I'm sorry... you think "grading is stupid!!" Cool story bro.
@@Supertomscustomsyour comment went “woooooosh” on him.
I heard a machine reads the signature
The yellow label does not mean that the signature is real 100% of the time. It means 100%of the time one of the myriad of CGC authorized witnesses claim it's real. The only way to know 100% your book was signed by the artist is to hand it to said artist and to watch them sign it yourself.