More questions answered by CGC graders.

After only a little bit over three minutes in. I calculated this interview would take awhile. I only had two hours sleep and I wish I brought some coffee. I had already finished it during my commute.

This next question is very relevant to anyone that has books at CGC right now. I know that when I sent my books I was getting frantic about the turnaround time and it was nowhere near as long as it is now, I only had to wait one extra business day. Some people are waiting almost two (if not 3 or 4) times the allotted wait time. Convention times seems to be the worst time to send books to get graded since business days are cut from 5 to 4 a week.

The week they were in Philadelphia was on a Thursday, so that is another day. If you take the Friday out of the equation for a convention the 20 business day modern age tier goes from 4 weeks to 5 weeks. But what about the Travel day for the majority of the graders, they do have to get to the city they are presenting at. Now we have a three day grading week and four weeks becomes five and a half. I don?t want to guess the ratio of how many more invoices they get at these shows. If they accept another 500 invoices at a show I would imagine it would add to the time you have to wait considerably.

Working as a waiter, I time the pulse of the kitchen. I watch as other servers enter their food orders. Although I have no idea what they are putting through to the kitchen I do know three servers placing orders at the same time will back my order up. So I wait. This wait might only be two minutes but it is enough for the kitchen to begin to exhale and I am able to place my order, get my food, and not argue or fight through my coworkers. I think I would rather wait before I send my comics in after a five hundred order invoice weekend then maybe a ten invoice day.

I continue: When would you recommend to a registry member the best time to send in your books to be graded?

Shawn: I think other than peak convention season any other time is good but it also depends on the tier because you have value tier, and economy tier which is right away 40 business days (and I wonder how many of us really use those two tiers.) Which right off the bat is a longer tier? period! But convention season because of the sheer number of books that we get, right around peak?right around?.what would you say?.peak times?.

Shawn Passes off to Paul?.I think they should be holding a CGC graded comic book as story tellers around camp fires would pass around a flashlight when the next person wanted to speak. I also think it should be a 9.6 graded copy of Daredevil. This way I can at least hold it.

Paul: The convention season this year?.every year it gets bigger and bigger. I think we really start to get busy around March and April. Especially when once people get their tax returns back we really get a lot of influx from that. The end of the year; the beginning of the New Year is probably the best time to send in your books.

I only sent books in once and want to send in more. Twenty I know will not get the coveted 9.8, but I am sending them to complete a collection. The other 30 I am thinking about I would only want graded if I can get a 9.8 or higher. I wonder if I could send in 20-30 and still be allowed the pre-screen along with the twenty I actually wanted graded no matter what. My problem is with my member ship expiring mid August. If I send them in now and they don?t get graded until after my membership expires, what then?

Of course I have to mention PGX, they are another third party grading company, basically your only competitor

Paul: I didn?t know we had a competitor?. They laugh

I did say ?basically? but With PGX having cheaper prices and rumored to have better slabs. Why do you think people choose CGC?

Shawn: The name, the reputation. Paul mumbles an agreement

Name recognition?

Shawn: there is ?the company (CGC) was started by people that were in the industry for a long time. And people submitting books know what they get. They are used to it, they trust it. PGX? We don?t know much about them. We don?t know who?s for the company and I think a lot of people feel that way too. We have been around for so long we built this reputation we are trusted; we had to earn that.

Paul: yea we had to earn that

Shawn: If you are going to come into this market with this kind of service. You have to earn that trust

I think I am a perfect example of that. Last year I had one of my books graded (OK more than one) it was graded a 4.5. I had the book since I was 12.

Sean: Absolutely

Paul: That is great, that is a true collector.

Am I to understand that you are the head grader (to Paul) Are there any books that come in that ou must grade. That you want to grade. When I asked this question I think I might have been misunderstood, but I am glad of that because the answer is so much more than I could have hoped.

Paul: You know there is a disconnect between receiving and the grading room because the graders don?t know whose books they are grading so when it comes into the grading room all we see are bar codes numbers and the books. I have no idea what book is coming in so I can?t say to receiving ?hey? make sure I see this book when it comes in

I cut in trying to get the answer I want. I mention in a somewhat geeky sort of way that an Amazing Fantasy #15 comes in. it has to be me. I have to grade it.

Paul continues talking about if a book like that comes in it normally goes through the walk through service. For the majority, a book like that will go thru the walk through service which Paul see?s the majority of anyway.

So pretty much higher grade books, key issues such as Incredible Hulk 181, Amazing Fantasy #15.

Paul: Yea the higher value books will usually go through the higher tier which are the ones I see regularly.

Of course recently in the past year 4 books hit the million dollar mark. Did you grade those?

Paul pauses, whether for dramatic prose or just remembering. ?Me, personally??

?Yea? I reply

Paul: I believe I graded all four of them.

Were you shaking?

Paul: No, I was excited

Shawn: there are exciting times in our room when we get books like that.

Paul: There comes a point where you don?t get jaded but you get

Shawn: Desensitized?

Paul: Not desensitized you realize you?re handling a very big book but you can handle it

Almost like me with my pool tournament.

Shawn: Yea

I am shaking, my first one

Shawn: you almost have to forget about that aspect, you can?t really get excited (I don?t think he is talking about my pool tournament but I can feel his love for his job in the tone and crescendo of his voice as he speaks). because you have to grade a comic for what it is

Me: you have a job to do

Shawn: When you get a Tek 27 (I am sorry I have no idea if Tek 27 is a book or a term, although I know a Nu-Tek 27 is a bicycle tire) WOW great book Action #1. You know those kind of books they can be intimidating but u can?t think like that. For us to be subjective you have to grade a book for what it is.

I am sorry this is taking longer than I thought. I was not expecting it