It may sound stupid but to me the coolest thing about a 9.9 is that the grade is printed in gold ink 😂 It just looks cool. If it was in black like all grades under it I don't think I would care as much. It's like you said though... when you buy a 9.9 or a 10, you really are buying the grade, not the book
When you really stop and think about it, it’s kinda crazy the way grading and CGC have changed the nature of the hobby. Your absolutely right, sometimes it’s about chasing the grade rather than the book.
I remember when CGC started they were giving out 9.9 and 10 like Halloween Candy. The company has gotten somewhat stricter and stingier with their grading process unless they feel it needs the rare gem mint 10 or 9.9. Good Luck. Thanks Bry, great video.
Great stuff bro! I recently bought a 9.6 of one of my favorite comics! I don’t see anything wrong with it-granted, I’m not a grader! I paid a lot less for it than a 9.8. I’m totally ok with that and as long as they are going for a lot less, I will continue to target them for the PC!
Great video. Grading is a great idea, and I definitely appreciate these companies for doing that. With that said though they have to do a better job when it comes to the consistency of their grading. It still surprises me that even to this day with all the negative online exposure or questions that they have gotten in the comic book community about their grading standards that they have not addressed this in a better manner to level the grading landscape.
I have been collecting for 30 plus years. Before the cgc existed. I think it's a great thing and posts like this educate old folks and new collectors. Very helpful. Thanks
Awesome comparison video! Always good to see examples of what each grade requires. I think far too often people look at spines and corners and don’t realize the ENTIRE book gets graded so often things on the inside might get a grade ding. This is further proof that not all grades are equal as we have all seen a 9.8 and questioned how it even got that grade. I agree CGC has set their own standard with 9.8’s so if they start handing out 9.9’s at this point it would destroy the market. I’ve always looked at 9.8’s as the grade to aim for so anything above that is bonus! Great stuff Bry!
Love the information!!! Just got a 10 pence Marvel Spotlight 28!!! Nothing to do with grading, but you've taught me a lot as far as grading and what I want to collect!!! Preciate it!!!
Appreciate you covering this topic of 9.9s and 10s! I think the amount people pay for those grades is crazy but they are more rare to see on a label and rarity sells. Also, know any graders who have been doing this a while and can shed more light on what they look for when they grade? Thanks!
I want a 9.9 or a 10 CGC just to say one is in my collection. I've been mainly collecting sigs and silver age as of late, both things I'd go broke on if I needed things to consistently be perfect.
Great video Bry, I told ppl that current trends have cbcs grading alot easier and cgc a bit harder and I'm dismissed as a hater lol I just pay attention to current trends, thanks for posting!
I had a similar experience where I was unboxing two of the same book, one was a 9.8 and the other was a 9.9. I took the opportunity to try to understand the difference and I noticed nothing significant. In fact, the 9.9 had a mis-wrap (I could see some of the back cover from the front) that the 9.8 didn’t. I have also had instances of labels being switched on similar/same books, so it’s always a possibility that a 9.8 and 9.9 could have their labels switched. So I agree with you completely, 9.9s are overrated and people should be conservative with what they’re willing to pay for them.
I look at the book and not the grade. I didn't get into the slab game early, and several of my books had not been kept and handled the way they should have been had I known I'd be slabbing them later on. So they came back 8.5 and 9.0. BUT I still really love them and display them proudly, because there are memories connected to those books -- personal memories. And as for signed books I look at the signature, and again, not the grade. For example I have books signed by an artist who has passed. And so one could never get that signature again! So the grade is irrelevant.
Yea I’ve always wondered what the difference is and it seems like there is almost no difference. I’ll probably never own a 9.9 or a 10 and honestly I’m totally ok with it
Making me strongly consider picking up some raw We Live exclusives from your online shop and taking a crack at submitting myself. Something tells me I won’t be as fortunate. Worth a shot though!!!
The thing with those 9.9 and 10.0 books is that it only takes two super-rich people that decides they want to collect only the highest rated books, like maybe they want a collection of all 10's for their wall... that's all it takes for the prices to go out of control. If you're worth $100M or $1B or whatever, you really dont care about that money, you just want that prestige item. But the 9.8's are so common, especially for newer books, it probably wont mean anything to them.
Thanks for the video, very informative. I was wondering, do you get the comics pressed when sending them in to cgc, if so how often and do you do it personally or use cgc press?
Been collecting since late 60's and thought I used to know what a VG/Fn/VF/NM comic looked like...for sure not anymore...the premium collectors pay for graded books is amazing. Maybe I'm crazy for keeping a 100% raw collection. Thanks for the review, very interesting Try!
Not crazy at all - being able to hold the book and flip through the pages, and enjoy the story, is a special feeling that reprints and TPB's can't reproduce. Whenever I pick up a slabbed book, I like to get a beat up reader copy for cheap so I can at least read the book when I want.
@@jheggemeyer Exactly...I know that collectors come in all types for all collectibles. Even though I quit buying new several years ago I still enjoy watching Bry (stupid spell check in my first comment named him as "Try"!) and Swagglehaus, Automatic Comics, and others to keep track of the trends as it's enjoyable. Thanks for chiming in!
I agree you should have to pay a premium for 9.9 and 10s. However with graders being so inconsistent recently I just don’t know if I can justify paying for that. Even you said I’m one of you 10s that there was a color break. But I guess you are paying for the label as opposed to the actual book itself.
That side by side comparison of the 9.9 and 10 is tough to notice a difference. For me, and funds permitting, I can see chasing down 9.9 or 10 for comics that I would definitely keep but that "high" feeling that may come with owning a rarity grade on a key issue will forever bring those premium payouts. Gotta' floss like a boss, right?
I get that grading is a necessary component to the hobby/business, but it still irks me when I see the costs difference between grades in the 9's. Such little imperfections make too much variations in value, in my opinion. Then again, I'm speaking as a collector more so than an investor. A few flaws is just fine with me. I love the book anyways.
Someday I will own either a 9.9 or 10!! That day is definitely TBD and more than likely will come by your hand 🤷♂️ but I guy can dream 😂 always killing it my friend! Definitely makes ya think about those mid grades 🤔 like “theoretically” if I have a really nicely presenting werewolf by night 32 in a 5.0, how many time do I send in for a potential 6 or even better? But suppose that’s all here-say for now 😉💪🏼🤘
I wish there were graders notes on 9.8’s. I have yet to see a 9.8 that had any. They act like since it’s a 9.8 it’s perfect and doesn’t need notes. If it was really perfect it would be a ten, so there had to be something that kept it from that grade.
I love that you used ASM #4 as the example. I literally just submitted the Ramos variant to get graded. It was a very clean but impressed copy, so I’m sure it’ll be like 9.6, but hoping for the 9.8! What’s the price difference on the standard vs variant of ASM #4?
Personally, I wish the 9.9 never existed, and anything that would get a 9.9 would just get the 10. I don't disagree that a 9.9 is just an exceptional 9.8, but I like the idea of what CBCS does with a check mark for a 9.8 that looks fantastic compared to other 9.8 copies. I have two 9.9 books, and how in the world they didn't each get a 10 is beyond me. I feel like even though we have 20 years of grading behind us, we're still trying to figure it out.
A common misconception is that the difference between a 9.8 to a 9.9 to a 10 relies on the condition of the corners, as you have focused on here. However, in the majority of the examples between those grades, the difference in condition is found to be elsewhere, most notably the surface of the cover, where only under intense magnification and lighting, a 9.8 may show a pin tip indent somewhere on the cover that is nearly impossible to see with a normal pass from the naked eye, whereas a 10 is flawlessly smooth throughout from edge to edge under the same maginfication. The thing with corners is that even a "perfect" book can come off the press with a corner that seems not flawless, and the experienced Graders can distinguish those "perfect" corners from a corner that has been blemished AFTER it came off the press. It's just natural for us to gravitate towards the corners to see the difference between the upper echelon of grades, but from my experience, its other areas of the book
I agree with the psychology of grading at CGC. I'll send a questionable 9.6-9.8 with perfect 9.8s and usually get the 9.8 grade. As far as my own grades go I usually am chanting, ""9.8, 9.8,9.8". With my "We Live" order I'm chanting, "9.9, 9.9.... Waaait a second....10, 10, 10". 😂 Great Vid !!
Hi Bryan, your content is great! One question: when we take off the digital coupon for free digital comics, CGC get down the comic's grade or put a note in the label? Thanks in advance! 😊👍🏼
Hard to compare 9.9 percentages between CGC and CBCS due to CBCS having a MUCH smaller sample size. One or two 9.9's at CBCS will significantly skew the percentages due to a much smaller volume of comics graded.
It gets very frustrating, I send books in that I think shouldn't be 9.8, that get 9.8 and other books that get 9.4/9.6 (WITH NO GRADERS NOTES) that look flawless.
Hey Bry! New fan here! I'm curious what book or variant this is? Because that cover is fire. I've looked up We Live #1 briefly and can't find this variant.
I've got plenty of 9.4s that look better than some 9.8s I have. Shit I got an 8.5 that looks better than one of my 9.8s. Obv the 8.5 must have something going on inside, or unseen in the slab, but still.
i think 9.X is sort of a dumb rating system.. there should not be that many different ranks between numbers. whats the difference between a 9.0 and a 9.1 or 9.2 honestly?? like what could possibly be that minor? it should be a whole number system 8, 9, 10 or at the most a 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10 system. not to mention multiple humans grade these. so the human error factor plays the biggest roll. only laser scans for edging, surface flaws, etc would actually give accurate grading.
Waaaaaa waaaaa waaaaa That’s all I’m hearing! “Put yourself in the shoes of a collector and these are our prized possessions….” Just 2 minutes before… “I can’t sell this one now because it’s ruined”
It may sound stupid but to me the coolest thing about a 9.9 is that the grade is printed in gold ink 😂 It just looks cool. If it was in black like all grades under it I don't think I would care as much. It's like you said though... when you buy a 9.9 or a 10, you really are buying the grade, not the book
When you really stop and think about it, it’s kinda crazy the way grading and CGC have changed the nature of the hobby. Your absolutely right, sometimes it’s about chasing the grade rather than the book.
Couldn’t agree more. If it’s an older book though, I don’t care the grade, as long as I can own the book.
its crazy how the smallest corner imperfection can affect the grade that much
I remember when CGC started they were giving out 9.9 and 10 like Halloween Candy. The company has gotten somewhat stricter and stingier with their grading process unless they feel it needs the rare gem mint 10 or 9.9. Good Luck. Thanks Bry, great video.
Great stuff bro! I recently bought a 9.6 of one of my favorite comics! I don’t see anything wrong with it-granted, I’m not a grader! I paid a lot less for it than a 9.8. I’m totally ok with that and as long as they are going for a lot less, I will continue to target them for the PC!
Great video. Grading is a great idea, and I definitely appreciate these companies for doing that. With that said though they have to do a better job when it comes to the consistency of their grading. It still surprises me that even to this day with all the negative online exposure or questions that they have gotten in the comic book community about their grading standards that they have not addressed this in a better manner to level the grading landscape.
I have been collecting for 30 plus years. Before the cgc existed. I think it's a great thing and posts like this educate old folks and new collectors. Very helpful. Thanks
Awesome comparison video! Always good to see examples of what each grade requires. I think far too often people look at spines and corners and don’t realize the ENTIRE book gets graded so often things on the inside might get a grade ding. This is further proof that not all grades are equal as we have all seen a 9.8 and questioned how it even got that grade. I agree CGC has set their own standard with 9.8’s so if they start handing out 9.9’s at this point it would destroy the market. I’ve always looked at 9.8’s as the grade to aim for so anything above that is bonus! Great stuff Bry!
Thanks my friend!
Very interesting video. I really like when you do break downs like this, it is very informative. Thanks.
You are right, i would def take a 10 vs a less flawed 9.8 and diff in price is huge, so huge, never really see 10 reselling anywhere...
Cool side by side comparison of the same book at different grades.
I feel the premium value on a 9.9 and 10 is up to the collector honestly
Thanks for the video Bry. Very interesting. Like splitting hairs on the differences. Keep grinding bro!✌🏼
Love the information!!! Just got a 10 pence Marvel Spotlight 28!!! Nothing to do with grading, but you've taught me a lot as far as grading and what I want to collect!!! Preciate it!!!
I’m jealous!
@@BrysComics It's like a 6.5-7.5 maybe... you got waaaaay better comics... but thank you.lol
Appreciate you covering this topic of 9.9s and 10s! I think the amount people pay for those grades is crazy but they are more rare to see on a label and rarity sells. Also, know any graders who have been doing this a while and can shed more light on what they look for when they grade? Thanks!
I wish I did!
The only CGC 9.9 I have ever owned was a lenticular cover which is basically plastic and impossible to have cover breaking creases
I want a 9.9 or a 10 CGC just to say one is in my collection. I've been mainly collecting sigs and silver age as of late, both things I'd go broke on if I needed things to consistently be perfect.
Great video Bry, I told ppl that current trends have cbcs grading alot easier and cgc a bit harder and I'm dismissed as a hater lol I just pay attention to current trends, thanks for posting!
Haters gonna hate! Lol
A 10 is after the grader had a great dinner and night of sleep the night before.
And got some tail 🤣
I had a similar experience where I was unboxing two of the same book, one was a 9.8 and the other was a 9.9. I took the opportunity to try to understand the difference and I noticed nothing significant. In fact, the 9.9 had a mis-wrap (I could see some of the back cover from the front) that the 9.8 didn’t. I have also had instances of labels being switched on similar/same books, so it’s always a possibility that a 9.8 and 9.9 could have their labels switched. So I agree with you completely, 9.9s are overrated and people should be conservative with what they’re willing to pay for them.
You do a really good job of capturing the defects on camera.
9.9s and 10s feel so abstract to me. Like high grade silver age keys. If you don't have FU money then you ain't playing that game
A lot of work went into this video, thank you Bry
If Marvel/DC provided their own grading service, CGC & the others would be toast😵
I look at the book and not the grade. I didn't get into the slab game early, and several of my books had not been kept and handled the way they should have been had I known I'd be slabbing them later on. So they came back 8.5 and 9.0. BUT I still really love them and display them proudly, because there are memories connected to those books -- personal memories.
And as for signed books I look at the signature, and again, not the grade. For example I have books signed by an artist who has passed. And so one could never get that signature again! So the grade is irrelevant.
I have one 9.9 and it really looks good. I would pay more for it but not ASM 361 more...
Yea I’ve always wondered what the difference is and it seems like there is almost no difference. I’ll probably never own a 9.9 or a 10 and honestly I’m totally ok with it
What's the price/value difference for the 9.8, 9.9 and 10s of yours that you showed?
Making me strongly consider picking up some raw We Live exclusives from your online shop and taking a crack at submitting myself. Something tells me I won’t be as fortunate. Worth a shot though!!!
The thing with those 9.9 and 10.0 books is that it only takes two super-rich people that decides they want to collect only the highest rated books, like maybe they want a collection of all 10's for their wall... that's all it takes for the prices to go out of control. If you're worth $100M or $1B or whatever, you really dont care about that money, you just want that prestige item. But the 9.8's are so common, especially for newer books, it probably wont mean anything to them.
Thanks for the video, very informative. I was wondering, do you get the comics pressed when sending them in to cgc, if so how often and do you do it personally or use cgc press?
I press all my own books and submit all the time 👍
Been collecting since late 60's and thought I used to know what a VG/Fn/VF/NM comic looked like...for sure not anymore...the premium collectors pay for graded books is amazing. Maybe I'm crazy for keeping a 100% raw collection. Thanks for the review, very interesting Try!
Not crazy at all!
Not crazy at all - being able to hold the book and flip through the pages, and enjoy the story, is a special feeling that reprints and TPB's can't reproduce. Whenever I pick up a slabbed book, I like to get a beat up reader copy for cheap so I can at least read the book when I want.
@@jheggemeyer Exactly...I know that collectors come in all types for all collectibles. Even though I quit buying new several years ago I still enjoy watching Bry (stupid spell check in my first comment named him as "Try"!) and Swagglehaus, Automatic Comics, and others to keep track of the trends as it's enjoyable. Thanks for chiming in!
Are those considered bindery tears?
Yeah
I agree you should have to pay a premium for 9.9 and 10s. However with graders being so inconsistent recently I just don’t know if I can justify paying for that. Even you said I’m one of you 10s that there was a color break. But I guess you are paying for the label as opposed to the actual book itself.
Some really nice books. It would be awesome to have some 10’s. Very good information Bry. That’s for the chart🤙
Interesting percentage on the 9.9 for CGC
That side by side comparison of the 9.9 and 10 is tough to notice a difference. For me, and funds permitting, I can see chasing down 9.9 or 10 for comics that I would definitely keep but that "high" feeling that may come with owning a rarity grade on a key issue will forever bring those premium payouts. Gotta' floss like a boss, right?
Hmm great vid, always love the closeup details you provide.
I get that grading is a necessary component to the hobby/business, but it still irks me when I see the costs difference between grades in the 9's. Such little imperfections make too much variations in value, in my opinion. Then again, I'm speaking as a collector more so than an investor. A few flaws is just fine with me. I love the book anyways.
Very informative, thanks Bry
Someday I will own either a 9.9 or 10!! That day is definitely TBD and more than likely will come by your hand 🤷♂️ but I guy can dream 😂 always killing it my friend! Definitely makes ya think about those mid grades 🤔 like “theoretically” if I have a really nicely presenting werewolf by night 32 in a 5.0, how many time do I send in for a potential 6 or even better? But suppose that’s all here-say for now 😉💪🏼🤘
For some books it’s makes a lot of sense to do submit multiple times…
I wish there were graders notes on 9.8’s. I have yet to see a 9.8 that had any. They act like since it’s a 9.8 it’s perfect and doesn’t need notes. If it was really perfect it would be a ten, so there had to be something that kept it from that grade.
I put a sticky note on a book once asking for notes if not a 10 and it came back 9.8 with notes: tiny bindery tears top and bottom
Thanks for the comparisons Bry! Looks as though 9.8 -10 is subjective as you say...
Great video, I've always wondered about this topic!
Cbcs hands out 9.9s and 10 like Oprah hands out cars during a Christmas special
You get a 9.9, and YOU get a 9.9!
I love that you used ASM #4 as the example. I literally just submitted the Ramos variant to get graded. It was a very clean but impressed copy, so I’m sure it’ll be like 9.6, but hoping for the 9.8! What’s the price difference on the standard vs variant of ASM #4?
At least double…good luck!
Personally, I wish the 9.9 never existed, and anything that would get a 9.9 would just get the 10. I don't disagree that a 9.9 is just an exceptional 9.8, but I like the idea of what CBCS does with a check mark for a 9.8 that looks fantastic compared to other 9.8 copies.
I have two 9.9 books, and how in the world they didn't each get a 10 is beyond me. I feel like even though we have 20 years of grading behind us, we're still trying to figure it out.
A common misconception is that the difference between a 9.8 to a 9.9 to a 10 relies on the condition of the corners, as you have focused on here. However, in the majority of the examples between those grades, the difference in condition is found to be elsewhere, most notably the surface of the cover, where only under intense magnification and lighting, a 9.8 may show a pin tip indent somewhere on the cover that is nearly impossible to see with a normal pass from the naked eye, whereas a 10 is flawlessly smooth throughout from edge to edge under the same maginfication. The thing with corners is that even a "perfect" book can come off the press with a corner that seems not flawless, and the experienced Graders can distinguish those "perfect" corners from a corner that has been blemished AFTER it came off the press. It's just natural for us to gravitate towards the corners to see the difference between the upper echelon of grades, but from my experience, its other areas of the book
I agree with the psychology of grading at CGC. I'll send a questionable 9.6-9.8 with perfect 9.8s and usually get the 9.8 grade. As far as my own grades go I usually am chanting, ""9.8, 9.8,9.8". With my "We Live" order I'm chanting, "9.9, 9.9.... Waaait a second....10, 10, 10". 😂 Great Vid !!
😂
Hi Bryan, your content is great!
One question: when we take off the digital coupon for free digital comics, CGC get down the comic's grade or put a note in the label? Thanks in advance! 😊👍🏼
Technically they should put it in the notes but not on the label, but I doubt they really check all the time
I really like these analysis videos of yours.
I'm for sure I'm a person that would rather have a 9.9 or 10 on my wall than a 9.8.
You need to carry a jeweller magnifying glass 🔍 wherever you go to check comics…if you are serious about grading
Definitely an interesting topic Bry good show my man! 🔥
When you submitted did you think any of them had a chance higher than 9.8 or were you just not expecting that at all given how rare it is?
Not expecting it but definitely hoping because of the special cover material
Is it possible to get a cgc 9.8 with a misaligned / wrapped cover?
You just saw an example of a 9.9 with a miswrap 😜
Hard to compare 9.9 percentages between CGC and CBCS due to CBCS having a MUCH smaller sample size. One or two 9.9's at CBCS will significantly skew the percentages due to a much smaller volume of comics graded.
I would hate to get a 9.9 or 10 and it obviously be flawed, it would mess with my OCD.
Totally
It gets very frustrating, I send books in that I think shouldn't be 9.8, that get 9.8 and other books that get 9.4/9.6 (WITH NO GRADERS NOTES) that look flawless.
Interesting analysis. Thx
Nice job Bry!
I just acquired my first 9.9 on a whatnot giveaway. An Eternus quad signed 9.9. First one on the cgc sensus 😊😊😊😊
Congrats man!
Cheers to the 9.9 and 10s!
I have only gotten 9.9 from CBCS
I've never even seen a 10 cgc before your video Bry.. 🦄.. I never win any giveaways so I think I'll just settle for one of those hats you rock🧢
😜
Hey Bry! New fan here! I'm curious what book or variant this is? Because that cover is fire. I've looked up We Live #1 briefly and can't find this variant.
We Live: Age of the Palladions #1 / White Variant Desjardins / Brys Comics Store Exclusive
Yep my store exclusive!
Lots of respect….always amazing content brother.
Sometimes, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference between 9.6 and 9.8 even.
What about color/centering?
Great video. Haha those 9.9 looks to be 9.8. Lucky you to get anything over 9.8
I hope to find a comic I’ll really like that I’ll pursue in a 9.9 or 10
I think the whole grading system needs an overhaul.
Gotta be all close I mean really
I was so happy when I got my first 9.9
Great comparisons - thanks Bry -J ^_~
when i look for comics... EYE BROWSE
Learned a bit from this video thx.
I've got plenty of 9.4s that look better than some 9.8s I have. Shit I got an 8.5 that looks better than one of my 9.8s. Obv the 8.5 must have something going on inside, or unseen in the slab, but still.
I feel like how can we possible get a 10.0 if CGC grades with their bare hands and could leave a finger print just by grading the book :P
You just have to send in an invisible book and pay CGC to grade it as a 10
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Maybe we gotta start sliding a $20 bill under the front cover when we ship them in
I wonder if a grader needs special approval to give out 9.9 and 10s
Solid info..thanks
Very good vid as usual. 9.8-10 seems like luck of the grader draw.
Awesome thx
i think 9.X is sort of a dumb rating system.. there should not be that many different ranks between numbers. whats the difference between a 9.0 and a 9.1 or 9.2 honestly?? like what could possibly be that minor? it should be a whole number system 8, 9, 10 or at the most a 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10 system.
not to mention multiple humans grade these. so the human error factor plays the biggest roll. only laser scans for edging, surface flaws, etc would actually give accurate grading.
great video Bry!
It's too small a sample size to draw a conclusion like that
Waaaaaa waaaaa waaaaa
That’s all I’m hearing! “Put yourself in the shoes of a collector and these are our prized possessions….”
Just 2 minutes before… “I can’t sell this one now because it’s ruined”
Great video
If money were no object, I might pay that :)
Well done
Another good video.
Very interesting
Doesn't seem much of a difference between the 3 grades.
😊
would love a 9.9 maybe one day
I’m a 9.8 fiend. I don’t own a single 9.9/10.0 :(
Thanks for the video Bry!
Racism 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Hahaha grading is so pointless, I would never pay for a comic in a plastic case.