Michael DIckson-migration

CGC won't like this. I sent in 30 books which were received by CGC (according to their website) on 06/01 and I sent in 11 books which were received by CGC (according to their website) on 06/05. They were to be sent back to me via 40 days. I got the 30 books back this friday (09/05) and the other batch was recently graded (09/05) but have not yet been received. I contacted CGC about this and received the "we're very busy due to conventions and onsite grading" This I can understand to a fault. The fact that the day after I contacted them my books (already 20 days overdue) were suddenly changed from "verified" to "scheduled to grading" to "graded" occurred within 2 days. Now, I grade everything myself before I send it in, and the grades I received were not what myself or the dealors that I purchased them from had graded them as. Now I am no math major, but grading 30 books in a days time is impressive, especially by CGC standards. The same could be said by the fact that the 11 books I submitted were done identically ("scheduled to grade" to "graded" within 1 days time). I am incredibly disappointed in the quality of grading based on the range of grades that I submitted (dealers and myself submitted books ranging from 7.5 to 9.2) which came back at lower than expected grades. (6.0 to 9.0) I would hate to think that was due to high volume and thus hasted the grading process, but one has to wonder. When you have others look at the final result and they conclude that an issue that looks 7.0 appears to be identical to one that is 8.5, it really makes your mind wonder. CGC is a monopoly and can set the bar at any standard it wants, but this person will not be submitting any future books until CGC can decide some baseline to which they begin grading their books and providing there customers with a detailed list of their books defects. Good luck everyone!

Hard to find issues and Hard to Believe Prices Got a hard to find book? I bet when you do find it the price on it is ridiculous, especially if it is CGC graded. A good example of this is Avengers #25 which in the guide ranges from $100-120. There are current issues on Comiclink and Pedigree that have 9.6 issues going for $1400 dollars. Now I'm no math major, but a 140% mark up on a book is pretty stupid. It seems that every title has one or two issues that fall under the "difficult to find" that dealers seem determined to hike the grade into Issue #1 price ranges. The thing that i find frustrating is that if there are hard to find issues (either by limited print runs or owner reluctance to sell) then these have to be reflected in the guide. Some issues are, however even in these cases you are able to find most of these no problem and at reasonable prices. I don't know, it gets frustrating with comic interest again peaking due to movie releases and convention attention, that it seems dealers are establishing their own price rules using the guide as a baseline...and God forbid if the issue is CGC graded...sell the house.

Ted is a good grader when it comes to NM and above. The death knell is the VF/NM grade, which i have found out usually means a VF- CGC style.

What is it about collecting comic books that attracts us to the hobby? People often ask me as a 37 year old, why I collect comics? Well, to me I find different reasons in this. One - I love the Silver age. I love opening a issue and observing the publishing date and can't help but wonder who else has read this issue. The fact that all the storylines from this era paved the way for what collectors read today. Two - The stories are timeless. Would Stan Lee realize that all the time he put into establishing Jean Grey's life, that she would die years later. Or Roy Thomas know that Hank and Janet would eventually seperate the way they did. The evolution over the years has been amazing to read. Three - I love the adds. Hypnotize your friends, Own the 50 ft Frankenstein, or Be like Charles Atlas. They are classic and a great portal into the past.

WTF! I've started to notice the problem with purchasing comics online, even when these dealers offer scans of their product. It is getting so hard to find high grade books that aren't color touched or two grades below what they are advertised as. It's getting to the point where I'm getting afraid to send things in to get graded because I'm relying on someone to be correct in there grading of a book, not just looking for a quick buck. The last few conventions I have attended have only affirmed this feeling, due to the fact that there are few who offer "collectible" issues that you feel comfortable giving your hard earned money to.