William-James88

The prices are not down in general, I can tell you that.

It's really impossible to know without seeing the books. But just percentage wise, 50% value to buy in bulk is usually as high as it goes. If he wants more money, he can sell them himself.

I always wanted some Alex Milne art and Stadium Comics was having an event with a virtual artist alley and a Q&A so I grabbed what I could before everything sold out in an instant. I got an Optimus Prime bust shot (50$, I am assuming that's how much I'd pay if I saw him at a show) and a Batman for 20$ (which will be perfect for my Batman sketch collection https://www.comicartfans.com/galleryroom.asp?gsub=103520). And they were having a sale on Artgerm covers so I said why not.

Shazam?!

wait what, what did he do wrong?

By the way, please be aware that the press might not change the grade at all and you may be wasting even more money on a 9.6. Instead of wondering if it's worth the chance of it being a 9.8, think about how comfortable you are if you spend all that money and it remains a 9.6. Including everything, it would be another 50-60$ and several months of wait till you know. You might be better off buying an actual 9.8 and selling your 9.6. At least in that way, you will get your 9.8.

CGC actually came onto the boards to discuss this issue specifically, which only happened when someone chose those special labels. So I have no doubt that's the issue. Can't find the message from Debbie, if anyone remembers where that was please post it.

those twin earths look like something else to me

Especially these days when your signed book is only worth something more if it's in a yellow CGC holder (unless the creator passed a long time ago).

Honestly, I've never understood trimming as a whole. I mean, I know what it is, but I fail to see what someone's end goal is when trimed comics usually have other defects that would lower the grade were it untrimmed anyway.

This isn't a new normal, it's a glitch in CGC's system and they are aware of it. It happens when someone picks the special labels which only come in blue (or yellow with a signature). Some have even been capitalizing on it to legitimize restoration. CGC asks that you contact them and they will rectify it.

If you are not comfortable with a 10% drop, I would stear clear of comics. You lose 10% or more off the bat on costs alone when choosing to sell.

Just curious, but why does it go for so much? I know it's a key, but I didn't think that Usagi would be such a coveted character.

I remember when I became a professional grader (meaning paid to grade comics). It was at a jewler who had a side business in vintage collectables sold on ebay (comics, coins, bills). He gave me the overstreet guide and a bunch of comics with the guideline "give these a grade you'd be happy with if you were the one purchasing". I went to work on the pile, learning the guide. When I graded them all, he took a look at each one to see if I was off or if the grades worked well enough for him. He was content and then raised his hand and blessed me as if I was being knighted by the queen. I had become a professional grader.

A 9.8 grade is usually the result if the book not having been handled much during production. The average grade for normal handling on a new book is 9.4/9.6 so those are the grades expected to get back during signature series unless a particular book is prone to issues, as this one is. Plus there's the fact that grading is not consistent across years and people, so even if bothing happened to the book, the new person grading it might be more strict towards a particular flaw. All this to say that you usually have to choose what matters most to you in this particular process: getting the signature or keeping the grade? It's true you could get a great outcome and get both, but its just as true that the grade will lower so you have to make that choice. If you absolutely do not want your grade to lower, I would suggest against submitting a slabbed book for a signature.