Comic collecting rarely makes sense--but, that's part of the fun. I'd much rather see someone getting books graded for their own personal collection that might not make as much sense to grade, as to watch these people that submit books to CGC for the sole purpose of flipping a bunch of modern books to make a buck. I loved your honesty throughout this video. Great stuff!
Thank you! There were some in the batch, like Omega Men, that I didn't care about the grade. I just wanted it done for me. But I let the dollar signs get into my others for some choices. Lessons learned though!
He actually taught me to always collect the first five books of any kind of Comic Character or various other Tutles being sold and made available at anytime possible and he was actually right about everything and its actually great to see how things are actually coming about without the Comic Community nowadays as well.
I loved Comics as kid and still love them today as back then in the early stages of collecting and with the help and knowledge of a Local Comic Book Store Owner I learned about what to actually keep and what was eventually going to be more valuable in the future and eventually though a few things have changed and become rigid surrounding Age, Condition, Covers and Artist's along with those who could be or maybe willing and able to pay much higher prices or the actual worth of various types of Comics themselves nowadays you will never actually know exactly what you will get any types of Comic Books or a vastly larger Collection as you will mostly have to let others that may be interested in what you actually have as their own personal interests usually ties in with the actual price they themselves are actually willing to pay you gradually throughout time and with a lot of patience and actually being able to keep up with what's actually going on with Comic Artist's and Comics today. I think that you did great and saved what you actually liked having for yourself, and that's the best thing of all-"Thanks,I actually enjoyed seeing your Comic Collection."😊
Another excellent video from the swarm of eyes pedigree. Ive learned from my mistakes with cgc and now I submit 4-6 books a month through my lcs and its a combo of nostalgia and the art that even has me still doing that. I got back into collecting in 2016 and ive had 200 or so books graded and found no consistency at all. Its as if they only want a certain amount of 9.8s and other grades. You have a great collection though. Your back wall of books says it all. Keep up the good work take care
Thank you once again, and I appreciate the feedback and comments. I'm definitely dialing things back with grading. As I said, I got slab happy, and saw dollar signs in my eyes. It clouded my vision when deciding what to submit, and it cost me. I know it's not the end of the world, but no one needs a 9.6 of a 2016 Iron Man book. I tell myself that the inconsistency and ranting is why people enjoy the videos and unboxings though, but I really would just like THE RIGHT GRADES 😄
I have done the same thing my friend. Had to teach myself to dial back my submissions because like you said, it ain't cheap. Still great books and will display awesome! Love that Wolverine/Crime Suspenstories homage. Great video dude!
Thanks man! Seems like I'm not alone in getting "slab happy". It was an expensive lesson. Not only have I dialed back what books I'm choosing to submit, I'm also going to spread them out more and only do 12 books at a time, instead of the 25 I had been doing. That Wolvie is so killer! And thank you again!
@@SwarmofComics yep, right when I got back into comics I sent books I had no business sending but hey, it’s fun! I think as collectors we are constantly evolving to fit our needs both financially and collecting-wise. I look forward to more unboxings, Randy!
@@Moncomics I'm getting a batch of 17 books this weekend, including two books my brother wanted done (neither worth much, but he is excited) and he'll be joining me for another Abbott and Costello routine video!
They are totally harder on new books than 30 year old books even though they aren’t supposed to be. Welcome to the game and like most games of chance, “The house always wins”.
You obviously love your comics. I have been using Mylars and hard plastic top loaders to protect my comics instead of sending them to CGC. Their grading process have been a little bizarre lately. Shocking that Detective variant got a 9.2. Nice books btw!
I might have mentioned it in my video, but I pulled back a STACK of books that were set to be sent in for grading, and I'm really re-thinking what and how much I submit. I think it's paid off for me in theory so far, but too many books that are way off for my liking. I can display books just fine in top loaders, and I think I just got caught up seeing dollar signs with slabs and that's not how I wanted to be. Thank you for the awesome comment, and I appreciate you watching!
Modern books are graded a lot more harshly than older books especially books that aren't that old. You really can't compare books from different decades. A 9.2 from the 90's is not the same as a 9.2 from 20 years later.
@SwarmofComics HELL YES 🙌 Me too! I'm hoping they don't turn the character into a wise-cracking jokester and completely ruin him. We Sentry fans deserve better! It's a tough book to get in 9.8 because of the all black cover, so you definitely scored BIG with that grade!
@@Rambo_Lipsthat's a great point about that ALL BLACK cover, didn't even think of that. And I'd be embarrassed to show you how I had it stored all these years...
Do you need an 9.2 by chance? 🤣 I'll sign it for you! But seriously, that's a shame about not getting George to sign it, he's missed and it was so sad to lose him.
I wrote(Throughout the Comic book Community)but was changed and confusing -"I tell you sometimes I don't actually want to write out my comments occasionally,as the needs win in the end-"Enjoy Yourself."
I do not press! I have my buddy Tom Anderson at instagram.com/the_silver_age_comics/ to the pressing and submitting for me! Thanks for the great feedback, I appreciate it more than you know!
I knew you could look them up, but I didn't realize you could scan the code! As usual, the notes were....vague. Pretty sure it they said, "Suck it, your book stinks" 😅
Exactly. And I know I'm late to the game complaining about this, but seeing it first hand makes me really understand how random this grading is. Considering the publish a BOOK that tells you how they grade, they don't seem to follow their own guidelines. And I hate being a complainer, because I can accept a lousy grade if I wasn't careful, but some of these are just stupid.
I might make that my next collecting goal as well. We discovered Doctor Who when it came on PBS in '78, and absolutely fell in love. And congrats on the 9.6! I considered buying a better grade, but I liked mine better.
bro you should REALLY check the FMV on your books... I'm halfway through your video (Eight Billion Genies) and the only book you're under water on is the Batgirl book so far. You bought these books at cover price, and even factoring the cost of shpping and grading, you're still doing well with your grades. Pre-screen in the future though.
And you aren't wrong, really. And I felt like a bit of a whiner afterwards. It was not that I was just disappointed in the grades, I was disappointed in getting slab happy and seeing dollar signs, and not slabbing because I love them. I honestly don't care one fig about Crisis #7, so why did I get it done? Greed. And I didn't like feeling that way. I think the submission could have been worse, for sure, but it felt sucky at the time. And you are right, some books aren't bad at all! But I think I could have held off on like 18 of the books our of 24. Cheers and thank you for the feedback!
@@SwarmofComics Yeah man you've been an inspiration. We have similar backgrounds regarding comics and are about the same age and I've been preparing to start my own channel. I remember seeing your first couple of videos so it's been fun to see you continue to produce your videos. I got slab happy last summer when I first started slabbing but have since gotten more strategic. One, right now I'm only slabbing books that I intend to sell and two, for moderns I definitely do prescreens so that i don't get grades I'm not expecting. I also bought the CGC guide to grading book... it's helpful when you understand their grading methology. It's not perfect, but the thing is we're paying them to grade our books so it helps to know what they're looking at and how they grade.
@@grownassedgamergamer807oh that's awesome you came up around the same time with the same books! Make sure you let me know when you have your channel up so I can subscribe! Sounds like I'm catching up to where you are with weening off slab happy!
Yeah, I had collected V for Vendetta as they came out each month and still love it to this day. One of the greatest limited series of all time. And the 9.4 Killing Joke was mine that I gave to you.
At least I know I was right about where they came from! I still have the whole V series, btw. Did you know that most of it was published in another book before it was in it's own series?
@@SwarmofComics yeah, I think the first seven or eight issues were from 1984, if I remember right. That's why we were excited to get to the new material as it was unexplored territory.
@@finster72so the story started as part of an anthology called WARRIOR in the UK in the very early '80s, but the book got canceled before it could be completed. So DC bought the rights and let Moore finish it and they released it in the mid-'80s, when we found it!
Some wins, some losses, some mysteries. Modern book grading can be a minefield. Huge differences between a 9.8 and even a 9.4. For vintage keys, the difference between say a 7.0 and 6.0 can be disappointing, but probably not as huge percentage wise.
Exactly! That Iron Man book in a 9.6 is worthless, but if it was a 9.8 it would be worth getting done. I really should have done a pre-screen, but I got greedy after my last unboxing with a pantload of 9.8s. Hope you are feeling better, Jim!
I wish you would get in touch with cgc and send them photos of all the books that look like the don't warrant the grade and the ones that look way better than the grade. I would anyway, because we need to let them know that they need to get better!!! I'm glad cgc lowered the number of comics for their prescreen because I only like to send in 8-10 comics at a time and have a submission ready to go now. Wish me luck. 😅
They have a very strict "we don't give a shit about whether you disagree with our grade" policy. Pretty sure that's the official name for it as well :D Good luck with the submission! I'd seriously like to know how it goes when you get it back!
It’s so strange what constitutes a 9.8 vs a 9.6 right?!? I have a 9.2 that should be a 6.5 and also a 8.0 that should be a 9.6! CGC is all over the place! Congrats on the 9.8 regardless of if the grader was in a good mood or not!😂
I honestly, try, I REALLY try, not to be THAT GUY *waves hands around* that complains about grades or consistency....but it's honestly bonkers sometimes. I should focus more on the wins in this video, but the lows pissed me off. I know it's not worth anything either way, but that Detective #1000 is ABSOLUTELY NOT a 9.2. Madness. And thank you!!!
Unless the 9.6 and 9.8 have grader notes, there is no difference between them and a 9.9 or 10.0. Any CGC grade lower than 10.0 should have an explanation as to why it isn't "Gem mint" condition. Because so few 9.8s have any grader ntoes, CGC has essentially made 9.8 the defacto 10.0.
Completely agreed. My Tec1000 is perfect besides the one tiny defect. If one defect doesn't make it a 9.8, how can anything go higher to a 9.9 or 10.0? Silly.
Thanks for sharing your "slab happy" unboxing. Like these modern books, but I'm always curious about the seemingly contradiction of CGC grades given vs. what the person believes it should be from one book to another. I've never slabbed a book and have no reference, so it seems these graders follow wonky standards or guess the grade to give a book. This video is a prime example! You mentioned pre-screening and I recently heard YTers complaining about something called 9.9 pre-screening. What exactly is this and the benefits and how much does it cost? A new sub. Thanks again. 😊
Because CGC is so closed about their grading process, you just never know what they are even doing. Is there more than one grader? Or just one person who's opinions and the guide book make MASSIVE decisions about the value of your property? Just in this video I have books clearly graded too high, and books graded too low. Just going by what CGC tells you in their book I can see what they should be graded. How can they be that off with grading so often and we still trust them? Because it's like gambling, that 9.8 is RIGHT around the corner, and I can taste it....
So that was probably a non-answer, but I just don't know how much opinion is allowed in the process, because they don't tell us anything about it. Pre-screening is when you send in books, and you can prescreen them for 9.6 and higher, or 9.8 and higher. If they are 9.8, they are slabbed, if they aren't, they send them back to you and charge you $8 per book they DON'T slab. But grading a modern book is only $20 with the elite membership we have...so if you are going to spend $8 no matter what, why not $20? Because our minds are dumb and make us do stupid things like that! You also have do all or nothing for pre-screening on books. And I knew that some would not be 9.8 and I was okay with that.
Aaaaand finally, the 9.9 pre-screening is so controversial because almost NO books are 9.9. One in 50k (making that up, but you get the idea). It's common knowledge that 9.8 is basically as high as you can go. But opening up to 9.9 screening means they might start re-evaluating and grading, and making 9.9 the new normal for top grades. Our 9.8 could be worth MUCH less if they do that. My 9.8 ASM 300 is worth $3600 because that's the rarest and best grade you can get. What will it be worth if everyone starts cracking open 9.8 and resubmitting to get 9.9?
Thanks for all your answers. Again I liked hearing your thoughts on your graded books. As you said, it's a gamble, and maybe one day I'll take the leap and submit my first slab.
@@philcamacho127 best of luck if you get them slabbed. It's pretty exciting. My brother (who is in a past video) is renewing his interest in comics, and I've submitted two books of his for slabbing! He's excited, even though he knows they aren't expensive, he's loving the thought of getting it done.
@@SwarmofComics Yeah I'm still fairly new to the hobby. I just started collecting a little over two years ago. Now i have over 3,000 raw books and nearly 100 slabs. I have a 9.8 copy of GotG #1 myself.
@@panteraJTM WOW, that is some massive growth in you collection! Congrats and welcome to the hobby. I was trying to get out of it, and then this golden age bug hit me and it's sucking me back in, dammit!
Hey thay Sentry book sells between 400 to 600 bucks, not too shabby! And hey, that Batgirl would be a great gift to a kid to get them into comics, of course unless you love it, cause thats all that matters! Grading modern books is a tough game, unless it's something really special or ya just love it. Most super modern books pretty much need to 9.8 nowadays.
I think that's a great idea about the Batgirl. Maybe I'll gift it to someone, a kid who is into it! If anyone knows someone that would be interested, let me know!
Do they have graders notes? If they recorded them you should be able to tell what's wrong with them. CGC is notorious for not publishing grader notes. That's one of MANY reasons I switched to CBCS.
It's a mixed bag, some do some don't. The Tec1000 for instance does, and it says crease on top corner of back. And I can see what they are referring to. It's the SLIGHTEST BEND, not a crease, and it's about an eighth of an inch, and it's not color breaking at all. It's SO small and inconsequential, I can't even capture it on camera. According to the CGC guide, that should still be a 9.8. And CERTAINLY that one tiny flaw shouldn't bring it down to a 9.2.
And I get that. For me, I hadn't read any of these books in 30 years, and I wasn't planning on reading them again. If I can find a good way to preserve them, and someday sell them for retirement, it's worth having them graded. I think I also got caught up in the idea of it at that time this video was done. I've certainly slowed WAY down.
The only way to learn is to do it! I made 3 mistakes. 2 books i should have not graded (becuz i was still learning to grade older books and didn't have the eyes yet to see light staining and light creases) and a noob mistake, never use CGC pressing services! Lol!
I did have them pressed, but it seems like some of the issues weren't pressable (is that a word?) defects. The two books that I'm most at war about are the square bound Detective and the Harley. I just don't think pressing would have helped them, but who knows.
IF YOU ARE REALLY COUNTING ON A 9.8, YOU MUST HAVE THEM PRE SCREEN AND PRESSED. MY FRIEND AND I DID A LITTLE EXPERIMENT WITH TWO ADMISSIONS WITH VERY SIMILAR BOOKS.. AND WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT THE BATCH WE PAID EXTRA FOR COME BACK WITH A LOT MORE 9.8s..
I considered the pre-screen, but I didn't go with it because I knew some books wouldn't be 9.8s, and I was okay with that. I should have sent in two separate batches, but I was being cheap about shipping costs, and I paid the price. So yes, you are 100% right. That should have been mentioned in my lessons learned!
Lesson number #1 don’t submit to a company that scams people. If some are still submitting books might as well get a prisoner on bail and have them stay with you also
Like they always say, buy the books not the grade! I've had a lot of inconsistency, which I've seen others have as well, and I really do have to focus on how great the books are and not worry about the grade and appreciate them :)
@@AndrewSunada I'm so made about the stupid Detective #1000 that I WANT to resubmit, because there is no recourse, and it's annoying me. But that's just throwing money in the toilet.
Without a doubt, that was certainly lesson #2, everything seems like a 9.8 when you are all excited to get them graded and you are acting like JoJo the Circus Boy.
I’m sure you’ve mentioned this in previous videos and I’m sure I’ve already been told but my memory is terrible. Is rating dependent on who is doing the slabbing? Like is it partially opinion?
The grading for CGC is based off of a 300+ page guide they follow that is VERY specific in what affects the grades. So in theory it shouldn't be much of an opinion, but it clearly is. The other factor is the age of the book. Books from the 1940's will get a pass on a lot of condition issues because they are 80+ years old and made from shitty newsprint. Books from 2019 are held to a much higher standard. They have better quality paper and printing, and they are newer.
I certainly don't like feeling like a complainer, but some of these were ridiculous. At least they weren't golden age books breaking the bank, but still.
At this point it's an addiction..... It defies logic to get 95% of those books graded... 🤣😂 you even paid to get these books pressed. underwater? you drowned on this.
It was absolutely a wakeup call. I need to stop being "Slab Happy" (TM Swarm of Comics). I wasn't even going for dramatics for views saying this was lessons learned.
And the funny thing is that when you are making the decisions, it doesn't FEEL like a lot of money. Sure, throw that one in, it's only $20.....plus pressing....plus shipping.....x 25 books. And suddenly you are looking at the list of books waiting to be graded on the CGC site, and you get a pit in your stomach looking at your choices. But a lesson learned means not making that mistake again!
Hi, your channel just popped up for me. Even as a reader and collector who has never had even one book graded, I still enjoyed the video. 2.8k views and 290 subscribed seems rather a weird ratio. I'm not sure why you don't have way more subs. Add me as 1 more. 😊 I'll catch up on some of your other stuff now.... 🫡
![Дон ДОН, Алаудинов и СБЕЖАВШИЕ из под Курска ахматовцы 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dEfCf5IK26Q/mqdefault.jpg)
![АЛАУДИНОВ у Скабеевой: эти их ВСУ нас НЕ ДОГОНЯТ 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/an0anqU4WGQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Comic collecting rarely makes sense--but, that's part of the fun. I'd much rather see someone getting books graded for their own personal collection that might not make as much sense to grade, as to watch these people that submit books to CGC for the sole purpose of flipping a bunch of modern books to make a buck. I loved your honesty throughout this video. Great stuff!
Thank you! There were some in the batch, like Omega Men, that I didn't care about the grade. I just wanted it done for me. But I let the dollar signs get into my others for some choices. Lessons learned though!
He actually taught me to always collect the first five books of any kind of Comic Character or various other Tutles being sold and made available at anytime possible and he was actually right about everything and its actually great to see how things are actually coming about without the Comic Community nowadays as well.
I loved Comics as kid and still love them today as back then in the early stages of collecting and with the help and knowledge of a Local Comic Book Store Owner I learned about what to actually keep and what was eventually going to be more valuable in the future and eventually though a few things have changed and become rigid surrounding Age, Condition, Covers and Artist's along with those who could be or maybe willing and able to pay much higher prices or the actual worth of various types of Comics themselves nowadays you will never actually know exactly what you will get any types of Comic Books or a vastly larger Collection as you will mostly have to let others that may be interested in what you actually have as their own personal interests usually ties in with the actual price they themselves are actually willing to pay you gradually throughout time and with a lot of patience and actually being able to keep up with what's actually going on with Comic Artist's and Comics today.
I think that you did great and saved what you actually liked having for yourself, and that's the best thing of all-"Thanks,I actually enjoyed seeing your Comic Collection."😊
Awesome comment and I truly appreciate you taking the time to share. I love it. "Thank you for checking out my comic collection"! :D
Another excellent video from the swarm of eyes pedigree. Ive learned from my mistakes with cgc and now I submit 4-6 books a month through my lcs and its a combo of nostalgia and the art that even has me still doing that. I got back into collecting in 2016 and ive had 200 or so books graded and found no consistency at all. Its as if they only want a certain amount of 9.8s and other grades. You have a great collection though. Your back wall of books says it all. Keep up the good work take care
Thank you once again, and I appreciate the feedback and comments. I'm definitely dialing things back with grading. As I said, I got slab happy, and saw dollar signs in my eyes. It clouded my vision when deciding what to submit, and it cost me. I know it's not the end of the world, but no one needs a 9.6 of a 2016 Iron Man book.
I tell myself that the inconsistency and ranting is why people enjoy the videos and unboxings though, but I really would just like THE RIGHT GRADES 😄
The sentry was a April's fool joke in wizard magazine that become marvel kanon 😂
I have done the same thing my friend. Had to teach myself to dial back my submissions because like you said, it ain't cheap. Still great books and will display awesome! Love that Wolverine/Crime Suspenstories homage. Great video dude!
Thanks man! Seems like I'm not alone in getting "slab happy". It was an expensive lesson. Not only have I dialed back what books I'm choosing to submit, I'm also going to spread them out more and only do 12 books at a time, instead of the 25 I had been doing. That Wolvie is so killer! And thank you again!
@@SwarmofComics yep, right when I got back into comics I sent books I had no business sending but hey, it’s fun! I think as collectors we are constantly evolving to fit our needs both financially and collecting-wise. I look forward to more unboxings, Randy!
@@Moncomics I'm getting a batch of 17 books this weekend, including two books my brother wanted done (neither worth much, but he is excited) and he'll be joining me for another Abbott and Costello routine video!
@@SwarmofComics love it, and I’m here for it!
They are totally harder on new books than 30 year old books even though they aren’t supposed to be. Welcome to the game and like most games of chance, “The house always wins”.
You ain't not wrong, my friend!
You obviously love your comics. I have been using Mylars and hard plastic top loaders to protect my comics instead of sending them to CGC. Their grading process have been a little bizarre lately. Shocking that Detective variant got a 9.2. Nice books btw!
I might have mentioned it in my video, but I pulled back a STACK of books that were set to be sent in for grading, and I'm really re-thinking what and how much I submit. I think it's paid off for me in theory so far, but too many books that are way off for my liking. I can display books just fine in top loaders, and I think I just got caught up seeing dollar signs with slabs and that's not how I wanted to be.
Thank you for the awesome comment, and I appreciate you watching!
Modern books are graded a lot more harshly than older books especially books that aren't that old. You really can't compare books from different decades. A 9.2 from the 90's is not the same as a 9.2 from 20 years later.
I'm a fellow Sentry fan, so I let out an audible gasp when you revealed the grade of Sentry#1! Congratulations!
Thank you! We need more Sentry fans! I hope they do him justice in the movies! I was honestly surprised at the grade, seriously.
@SwarmofComics HELL YES 🙌 Me too! I'm hoping they don't turn the character into a wise-cracking jokester and completely ruin him. We Sentry fans deserve better! It's a tough book to get in 9.8 because of the all black cover, so you definitely scored BIG with that grade!
@@Rambo_Lipsthat's a great point about that ALL BLACK cover, didn't even think of that. And I'd be embarrassed to show you how I had it stored all these years...
@@Rambo_Lips www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/57659402-the-sentry
I submitted my copy of Crisis #7 for the last George Perez signing. Never happened due to his declining health but I got a 9.6.
Do you need an 9.2 by chance? 🤣 I'll sign it for you! But seriously, that's a shame about not getting George to sign it, he's missed and it was so sad to lose him.
No, I'm good. Do you want a 9.6? LOL@@SwarmofComics
CGC slabs will gradually go down in value across the board until they redesign the case and address all the fraud issues. The trust is shattered.
Agreed, and I've seen a lot of big time YTers say they are boycotting slabbing until they change the case.
I wrote(Throughout the Comic book Community)but was changed and confusing -"I tell you sometimes I don't actually want to write out my comments occasionally,as the needs win in the end-"Enjoy Yourself."
Thank you, Mr. Black!
Good video. Glad this popped up on my feed. Now a sub. Do you press your submissions?
I do not press! I have my buddy Tom Anderson at instagram.com/the_silver_age_comics/ to the pressing and submitting for me! Thanks for the great feedback, I appreciate it more than you know!
This is a brutal video on multiple levels…
I'm QUITE sure you feel that pain.
Been there done that bought the t shirt
You can also either search the vin or scan the bar code on the back with your phone to see the graders notes and why you got the grade you got
I knew you could look them up, but I didn't realize you could scan the code!
As usual, the notes were....vague. Pretty sure it they said,
"Suck it, your book stinks"
😅
Those are all great books and good grades, especially the Bolland Joker
I was definitely happy at least one of those Killing Jokes hit that 9.8. Than you for checking out the videos!
The whole point of CGC is to have consistent grading. So much for that. It seems like they're just pulling numbers out of a hat.
Exactly. And I know I'm late to the game complaining about this, but seeing it first hand makes me really understand how random this grading is. Considering the publish a BOOK that tells you how they grade, they don't seem to follow their own guidelines. And I hate being a complainer, because I can accept a lousy grade if I wasn't careful, but some of these are just stupid.
Love Doctor Who. Got a 9.6 newsstand of same copy recently. Trying to find good copies of Premiere 58-60
I might make that my next collecting goal as well. We discovered Doctor Who when it came on PBS in '78, and absolutely fell in love. And congrats on the 9.6! I considered buying a better grade, but I liked mine better.
bro you should REALLY check the FMV on your books... I'm halfway through your video (Eight Billion Genies) and the only book you're under water on is the Batgirl book so far. You bought these books at cover price, and even factoring the cost of shpping and grading, you're still doing well with your grades. Pre-screen in the future though.
And you aren't wrong, really. And I felt like a bit of a whiner afterwards. It was not that I was just disappointed in the grades, I was disappointed in getting slab happy and seeing dollar signs, and not slabbing because I love them. I honestly don't care one fig about Crisis #7, so why did I get it done? Greed. And I didn't like feeling that way. I think the submission could have been worse, for sure, but it felt sucky at the time. And you are right, some books aren't bad at all! But I think I could have held off on like 18 of the books our of 24.
Cheers and thank you for the feedback!
@@SwarmofComics Yeah man you've been an inspiration. We have similar backgrounds regarding comics and are about the same age and I've been preparing to start my own channel. I remember seeing your first couple of videos so it's been fun to see you continue to produce your videos. I got slab happy last summer when I first started slabbing but have since gotten more strategic. One, right now I'm only slabbing books that I intend to sell and two, for moderns I definitely do prescreens so that i don't get grades I'm not expecting. I also bought the CGC guide to grading book... it's helpful when you understand their grading methology. It's not perfect, but the thing is we're paying them to grade our books so it helps to know what they're looking at and how they grade.
@@grownassedgamergamer807oh that's awesome you came up around the same time with the same books! Make sure you let me know when you have your channel up so I can subscribe! Sounds like I'm catching up to where you are with weening off slab happy!
Oh buddy....I'm watching the whole video, but the look on your face right befre the fade to title card tells me everything I need to know.
And I wasn't even playing it up for DRAMA to get views, I ain't making any money with 240 views. Shenanigans.
Tom Baker FTW! Thanks for the cool video!
The BEST Doctor of all TIME!! And thank you for watching!
Yeah, I had collected V for Vendetta as they came out each month and still love it to this day. One of the greatest limited series of all time. And the 9.4 Killing Joke was mine that I gave to you.
At least I know I was right about where they came from! I still have the whole V series, btw. Did you know that most of it was published in another book before it was in it's own series?
@@SwarmofComics yeah, I think the first seven or eight issues were from 1984, if I remember right. That's why we were excited to get to the new material as it was unexplored territory.
@@finster72so the story started as part of an anthology called WARRIOR in the UK in the very early '80s, but the book got canceled before it could be completed. So DC bought the rights and let Moore finish it and they released it in the mid-'80s, when we found it!
@@SwarmofComics excellent! If I had known that at one point, I had forgotten. So glad they were able to finish it!
Some wins, some losses, some mysteries. Modern book grading can be a minefield. Huge differences between a 9.8 and even a 9.4. For vintage keys, the difference between say a 7.0 and 6.0 can be disappointing, but probably not as huge percentage wise.
Exactly! That Iron Man book in a 9.6 is worthless, but if it was a 9.8 it would be worth getting done. I really should have done a pre-screen, but I got greedy after my last unboxing with a pantload of 9.8s. Hope you are feeling better, Jim!
I wish you would get in touch with cgc and send them photos of all the books that look like the don't warrant the grade and the ones that look way better than the grade. I would anyway, because we need to let them know that they need to get better!!!
I'm glad cgc lowered the number of comics for their prescreen because I only like to send in 8-10 comics at a time and have a submission ready to go now. Wish me luck. 😅
They have a very strict "we don't give a shit about whether you disagree with our grade" policy. Pretty sure that's the official name for it as well :D
Good luck with the submission! I'd seriously like to know how it goes when you get it back!
It’s so strange what constitutes a 9.8 vs a 9.6 right?!? I have a 9.2 that should be a 6.5 and also a 8.0 that should be a 9.6! CGC is all over the place! Congrats on the 9.8 regardless of if the grader was in a good mood or not!😂
I honestly, try, I REALLY try, not to be THAT GUY *waves hands around* that complains about grades or consistency....but it's honestly bonkers sometimes. I should focus more on the wins in this video, but the lows pissed me off.
I know it's not worth anything either way, but that Detective #1000 is ABSOLUTELY NOT a 9.2. Madness.
And thank you!!!
Excellent video. I have made my share of CGC submission errors, so I could relate.
I hate that you have had to feel that pain! I know it makes good content for my videos, but I'd rather have the correct grades and get no views 😅
Unless the 9.6 and 9.8 have grader notes, there is no difference between them and a 9.9 or 10.0. Any CGC grade lower than 10.0 should have an explanation as to why it isn't "Gem mint" condition. Because so few 9.8s have any grader ntoes, CGC has essentially made 9.8 the defacto 10.0.
Completely agreed. My Tec1000 is perfect besides the one tiny defect. If one defect doesn't make it a 9.8, how can anything go higher to a 9.9 or 10.0? Silly.
Thanks for sharing your "slab happy" unboxing. Like these modern books, but I'm always curious about the seemingly contradiction of CGC grades given vs. what the person believes it should be from one book to another. I've never slabbed a book and have no reference, so it seems these graders follow wonky standards or guess the grade to give a book. This video is a prime example! You mentioned pre-screening and I recently heard YTers complaining about something called 9.9 pre-screening. What exactly is this and the benefits and how much does it cost? A new sub. Thanks again. 😊
Because CGC is so closed about their grading process, you just never know what they are even doing. Is there more than one grader? Or just one person who's opinions and the guide book make MASSIVE decisions about the value of your property? Just in this video I have books clearly graded too high, and books graded too low. Just going by what CGC tells you in their book I can see what they should be graded. How can they be that off with grading so often and we still trust them?
Because it's like gambling, that 9.8 is RIGHT around the corner, and I can taste it....
So that was probably a non-answer, but I just don't know how much opinion is allowed in the process, because they don't tell us anything about it.
Pre-screening is when you send in books, and you can prescreen them for 9.6 and higher, or 9.8 and higher. If they are 9.8, they are slabbed, if they aren't, they send them back to you and charge you $8 per book they DON'T slab. But grading a modern book is only $20 with the elite membership we have...so if you are going to spend $8 no matter what, why not $20? Because our minds are dumb and make us do stupid things like that!
You also have do all or nothing for pre-screening on books. And I knew that some would not be 9.8 and I was okay with that.
Aaaaand finally, the 9.9 pre-screening is so controversial because almost NO books are 9.9. One in 50k (making that up, but you get the idea). It's common knowledge that 9.8 is basically as high as you can go. But opening up to 9.9 screening means they might start re-evaluating and grading, and making 9.9 the new normal for top grades. Our 9.8 could be worth MUCH less if they do that. My 9.8 ASM 300 is worth $3600 because that's the rarest and best grade you can get. What will it be worth if everyone starts cracking open 9.8 and resubmitting to get 9.9?
Thanks for all your answers. Again I liked hearing your thoughts on your graded books. As you said, it's a gamble, and maybe one day I'll take the leap and submit my first slab.
@@philcamacho127 best of luck if you get them slabbed. It's pretty exciting. My brother (who is in a past video) is renewing his interest in comics, and I've submitted two books of his for slabbing! He's excited, even though he knows they aren't expensive, he's loving the thought of getting it done.
I thought you had mistakenly sliced up an expensive comic while trying to unbox 🗡😂
that GotG #1 from 2008 is a pretty valuable book graded at 9.8
So I've learned...chalk it up to my lack of knowledge on newer books. But I'm gettin' there man!
@@SwarmofComics Yeah I'm still fairly new to the hobby. I just started collecting a little over two years ago. Now i have over 3,000 raw books and nearly 100 slabs. I have a 9.8 copy of GotG #1 myself.
@@panteraJTM WOW, that is some massive growth in you collection! Congrats and welcome to the hobby. I was trying to get out of it, and then this golden age bug hit me and it's sucking me back in, dammit!
@@SwarmofComics lol
If you need help deciding on a grade before sending to CGC feel free to ask me as I am pretty good.
That is very awesome of you, thank you!!
Hey thay Sentry book sells between 400 to 600 bucks, not too shabby! And hey, that Batgirl would be a great gift to a kid to get them into comics, of course unless you love it, cause thats all that matters! Grading modern books is a tough game, unless it's something really special or ya just love it. Most super modern books pretty much need to 9.8 nowadays.
I think that's a great idea about the Batgirl. Maybe I'll gift it to someone, a kid who is into it!
If anyone knows someone that would be interested, let me know!
Do they have graders notes? If they recorded them you should be able to tell what's wrong with them. CGC is notorious for not publishing grader notes. That's one of MANY reasons I switched to CBCS.
It's a mixed bag, some do some don't. The Tec1000 for instance does, and it says crease on top corner of back.
And I can see what they are referring to. It's the SLIGHTEST BEND, not a crease, and it's about an eighth of an inch, and it's not color breaking at all. It's SO small and inconsequential, I can't even capture it on camera. According to the CGC guide, that should still be a 9.8. And CERTAINLY that one tiny flaw shouldn't bring it down to a 9.2.
So you finally got the most infamous CGC grader F'ing Frank.
Who is fing Frank? Ive never heard of this
F'ing Frank clearly hates Detective #1000!!!
Is this Randy, the comic guy from Little Giant?
I am indeed a shopper of comics at Little Giant!
Paying money to slab a comic in plastic so it can't be read. Never understood that.
And I get that. For me, I hadn't read any of these books in 30 years, and I wasn't planning on reading them again. If I can find a good way to preserve them, and someday sell them for retirement, it's worth having them graded.
I think I also got caught up in the idea of it at that time this video was done. I've certainly slowed WAY down.
The only way to learn is to do it! I made 3 mistakes. 2 books i should have not graded (becuz i was still learning to grade older books and didn't have the eyes yet to see light staining and light creases) and a noob mistake, never use CGC pressing services! Lol!
I'm thinking of maybe using PGX instead :D
@@SwarmofComics DON'T DO IT!! I hope you're pulling my leg!! 😆 🤣 😂 😹 😆 🤣
@@ryebaldy8479 🤣
I thought you had these pressed or is that on the newer submissions?
I did have them pressed, but it seems like some of the issues weren't pressable (is that a word?) defects. The two books that I'm most at war about are the square bound Detective and the Harley. I just don't think pressing would have helped them, but who knows.
IF YOU ARE REALLY COUNTING ON A 9.8, YOU MUST HAVE THEM PRE SCREEN AND PRESSED. MY FRIEND AND I DID A LITTLE EXPERIMENT WITH TWO ADMISSIONS WITH VERY SIMILAR BOOKS.. AND WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT THE BATCH WE PAID EXTRA FOR COME BACK WITH A LOT MORE 9.8s..
I considered the pre-screen, but I didn't go with it because I knew some books wouldn't be 9.8s, and I was okay with that. I should have sent in two separate batches, but I was being cheap about shipping costs, and I paid the price.
So yes, you are 100% right. That should have been mentioned in my lessons learned!
@@SwarmofComics its all about the thrill
Lesson number #1 don’t submit to a company that scams people. If some are still submitting books might as well get a prisoner on bail and have them stay with you also
I was SO HAPPY when I finally started slabbing books for the first time in my life that TWO MASSIVE SCANDALS hit the company. GO ME! 😃
Excellent very entertaining new sub here
Hey, awesome! Thanks for joining me on my journey to riches and fame on youtube!
Well, probably not riches.....or fame. But let's have some fun, ok?!?
🔥
🤟
Some good books regardless of grade
Like they always say, buy the books not the grade! I've had a lot of inconsistency, which I've seen others have as well, and I really do have to focus on how great the books are and not worry about the grade and appreciate them :)
Yea...that's what you get with CGC.
The lack of notes is the biggest issue to me. No accountability.
The only recourse you have is to "give them more money" to "grade it again". CGC is a scam.
@@AndrewSunada I'm so made about the stupid Detective #1000 that I WANT to resubmit, because there is no recourse, and it's annoying me. But that's just throwing money in the toilet.
The lesson is: keep your raws raw and crack open those CGC cases because it's a scam anyway.
ENTOMBED!
Your 9.8 Guardians is worth $330
Holy helll!
I'm starting to think Dave is your imaginary friend
I don’t think your book choices are horrible but maybe you need to fine tune your grading skills to only send in the best of the best.
Without a doubt, that was certainly lesson #2, everything seems like a 9.8 when you are all excited to get them graded and you are acting like JoJo the Circus Boy.
I’m sure you’ve mentioned this in previous videos and I’m sure I’ve already been told but my memory is terrible. Is rating dependent on who is doing the slabbing? Like is it partially opinion?
The grading for CGC is based off of a 300+ page guide they follow that is VERY specific in what affects the grades. So in theory it shouldn't be much of an opinion, but it clearly is.
The other factor is the age of the book. Books from the 1940's will get a pass on a lot of condition issues because they are 80+ years old and made from shitty newsprint. Books from 2019 are held to a much higher standard. They have better quality paper and printing, and they are newer.
Jacked up in the back!???
THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID! BAM!
CGC grading is becoming a joke.
I certainly don't like feeling like a complainer, but some of these were ridiculous. At least they weren't golden age books breaking the bank, but still.
Cgc is so inconsistent
I'm learning that the hard way for sure. Wait until you see the inconsistency in the videos I'll be posting over the next two weeks!
At this point it's an addiction..... It defies logic to get 95% of those books graded... 🤣😂 you even paid to get these books pressed. underwater? you drowned on this.
It was absolutely a wakeup call. I need to stop being "Slab Happy" (TM Swarm of Comics). I wasn't even going for dramatics for views saying this was lessons learned.
Easy math but your not a professor??? 😂
I was told there would be no math" - Chevy Chase.
Seems like lots of wasted 💰 with poor decisions.
And the funny thing is that when you are making the decisions, it doesn't FEEL like a lot of money. Sure, throw that one in, it's only $20.....plus pressing....plus shipping.....x 25 books. And suddenly you are looking at the list of books waiting to be graded on the CGC site, and you get a pit in your stomach looking at your choices.
But a lesson learned means not making that mistake again!
Hi, your channel just popped up for me.
Even as a reader and collector who has never had even one book graded, I still enjoyed the video. 2.8k views and 290 subscribed seems rather a weird ratio. I'm not sure why you don't have way more subs. Add me as 1 more. 😊
I'll catch up on some of your other stuff now.... 🫡
Awwww, that's very cool of you to say, sir! You are 1stBestBob to me now!