Mr. Zipper

Frankly, I would have graded it the same (9.0) whether it was foxing or some other sort of stain. I don't see this as a miss on your part, Mike. According to the CGC Grading Guide foxing is allowed up to 9.8, but I would have assumed that in higher grades that would mean a very small and light spot of foxing that is barely visible. I never would have thought that a large and moderately dark spot could go to 9.6.

Same. I thought Showcase was structurally a 9.6 and deducted 3 increments for the stain landing at 9.0. Sheesh. Why don't my submissions EVER get it this easy? And the 9.4 Superman with spine corners frayed at the top and bottom? C'mon...

It's probably 8.0 without the rust stain. It's tough to gauge how much that will knock it down, but likely 6.5/7.0

3.0/3.5

Frankly, the PGX slab adds zero value, and actually may detract. Many collectors see PGX and think, "over-graded and possibly unnoted restoration, missing pieces or trimming." I would crack and it and keep it raw. Slabbing at that grade level doesn't add much. It's a reader. But, If you want it graded, send to CGC.

Is this the hill you wanna die on? In all seriousness, this is common practice in almost all auctions houses for high-end collectibles. Goldin routinely sells six and seven figure items. And they have global bidding clientele. I assume the Social Security number is for tax purposes and also to prevent fraud.

It's likely a small amount of color touch can be removed without reducing a 2.5 grade. If I was mine, I would probably give it a go using a credible third party presser. There's not a lot of downside on trying with a PLOD 2.5.

This is all true, and an unsettling trend. However, I believe most of these peroxo-bleachers are doing the cover, not the internal pages. In fact, that is one of the ways CGC is flagging it... an unnaturally white cover paired with internal pages that are toned.

It can, especially on dark colors. Pressing a light break flat can make the break wider and slightly more prominent. It depends on the severity of the break. In this case, it appears the paper fiber is lightly broken (even if the color is not.) This may press flat, but there will always be a fine disruption to the surface of the paper.

So "poorly pressed" was probably the internal grader notes that were inadvertently entered into the actual grading notes. I would take that as a wake up call.

Right. For $15 you'll get a one and done and out of the press as soon as it cools. Probably no dry cleaning or spot ironing.

My guess is that these books suffer from a constellation of issues related to poor pressing and it was easier to note this than go though a laundry list of flaws. I'm glad to see this and I wish CGC did it more. Why? To stem the tsunami of janky Facebook / YouTube pressers who are ruining books. A casual viewing of these channels you will quickly see yahoos doing everything wrong and taking bad shortcuts: Pressers who insert backing boards between the cover and first page, leaving staple tears and a sharp crease parallel to the spine Pressers who bake books at way too high temps Pressers who crush books leaving them flat and lifeless Pressers who spray books with a steamer instead of proper humidification Books with wavy open edges, humidity ripples, erasure marks and more Books being cleaned with peroxide, bleach, and other unknown "magic" solvents sold by Comic Hobby Snake Oil Salesmen I could go on and on. But what is even more sad is that there are star struck schmucks waiting in line to use the services of these clowns. This isn't an anti-pressing post. But if you are going to do it, do it right. Teach yourself the proper way, or use a true professional like Joey.

I'm not sure I get it. So Goldin Auctions will continue to be branded Goldin, but they will use ebay as their auction platform?

What makes you say that?

If the point is that TPAs make mistakes, "fakeautographs" is using a misleading example. The seller "fakeautographs" is referring to is a Chinese seller who offers fakes with COUNTERFEIT Beckett stickers. Beckett is not certifying the fakes. Chinese knockoff slabs and stickers are a problem, but usually easily identifiable especially when coming from a Chinese seller with hundreds of items at 1/10th typical FMV.

The stain on the back cover is going to knock it down. Plus, it's evident from the back spine there are a lot of transverse creases that appear to break paper fiber. These may press flat, but the break will always be there. And there are fingerprints in the black that may or may not be able to be fully removed. I'd be surprised if it went higher than 8.0.

Is the glue now fully pulled away? If it is no longer performing any function to hold the cover on, it may be possible it won't get PLOD.

I'm in.

I'm guilty on #1 and #4. That said, I considered Mike a "internet friend" who I had known for 10+ years... and what kind of person does not to give a friend the benefit of the doubt at the beginning? Seeing conspiracies and scams lurking in every shadow isn't a good approach either, although it makes for better message board drama. They trick is finding the right balance... prudent skepticism vs the sky is always falling.

Haha. The Big Lou life insurance ads are the best! ”Smoke? Overweight? Got a touch of sugar diabetes? Call Big Lou… he’s on meds, too!”

It's suspicious superficially until you understand that Flake is Randy and Cantina is his associate. So, one person has two email addresses and a second person has one. I probably should not admit I have four email addresses that sometimes I get mixed up and use interchangeably. But by all means, people should continue mindlessly posting dumb shill memes every time Flake posts... it's super entertaining and has been helpful in resolving the matter at hand.

I think Option D is a giant leap and requires a lot of assumptions. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Whether it was a "gift 9.9" for a high profile submitter, a PR stunt or an honest to goodness 9.9, does it have any affect on 99.99% of the collecting community?

100%. At this point, intentionally or not, the shill drumbeat about flake/cantina is likely doing more harm than good -- that is, potentially disrupting certain efforts to organize victims.

It has been explained numerous times that Flake and Cantina are two people who work together and jointly using the email account. They are not Mike and there is no evidence they are up to anything shady. Sheesh. Enough already... it's an unnecessary distraction.