jcjames

Yep.

Yep. Trying to get inside of another person's head (like a CGC grader's) is a minefield of doubts and second-guessing. This round I gave it a go and spent a lot of time waffling. Mmmmmm waffles...

Double-In!

Wow! Double-Double!

Well there ya' go. I did the same, did not see that faint stain but if I change the angle of my laptop monitor and becomes more visible. Not a major stain, but I probably would have graded it to 9.0 (maybe 8.5 but possibly due to hindsight). I gave it a 9.2 originally due to the larger upper staple stress-crease and the smaller spine tick above it. Really couldn't see much else to bring it below 9ish range.

If I try to give a grade that I THINK CGC might give, then I'm overthinking it. I just grade the books as *I* would grade them - trying to guess what CGC would give is too much once-removed guessing for me.

Oh I'm sure some of these are chosen SPECIFICALLY to elicit the groans and moans from us (LOL!) and I hope/doubt these are representative of how much extreme variability there is between similar-graded books (really that Chills and Millie were extreme). It's a fun contest, and if you approach it as a game, it's always going to be fun (even when it's painful)

That JIM should be regraded, it looks way better than an 8.5. Books like the JIM and the Millie and Chills keep reducing my confidence in CGC. Seriously.

5.5/6.0 tops Those bottom corner dings, reader-bend and big spine chip hurt.

7.0 Bottom corners slightly rounded and front left edge creases are the main culprits. Love this book in any decent shape.

FF1 1.8 sells for $250 more than 1.5, but then it jumps to $2,000 more going from 1.8 and 2.0 AV1 1.8 sells for $400 more than 1.5 but a $150 difference between 1.8 and 2.0 AF15 and JIM83 1.8s actually sell for less than 1.5s (why would an "upgraded" book cost less?) IMO, there's no need for the 1.8 grade to make low-grade keys affordable. At those lower grades, the high variability in condition/damage/eye-appeal even between equal graded books would and does create high variability in prices. All the 1.8 grade does is create an extra ding to our scores of low-grade books in this contest. LOL!

I never understood the 1.8 grade - there is way too much variability in such shabby books to declare 0.2 grade differences at that level.

IN!