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dudeman5000

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Journal Entries posted by dudeman5000

  1. dudeman5000
    20% vs 10%-Awesome! Not being able to check status-Ugh!
    Heritage Auctions (as well as various other CGC submission affiliates) offers a great 20% discount on submissions entered through their website and enters their own customer/dealer # on the form. I sent off a shipment of 28 books and received an $84 discount (the price of grading almost 6 modern books). Had I sent off my shipment through the Collectors' Society, I would have received a 10% discount which would have equaled $42 (Almost 3 modern books). The downside here is that the Collectors' Society member has no way to track their shipment with the heritage service. Who doesn't like checking their order status daily to see their grades as soon as they are ready? Perhaps we can talk our Society into matching the discount? Heck I would be happy with 15%! I just hit the 90 CGC graded comic mark and cannot tell you how happy I am with the service provided and how re-energized I have become in my collecting. Though I buy on E-Bay, no way am I giving up my hard earned books! Thanks for the read-Happy CGCing!
    Best Regards,
    Dudeman5000
  2. dudeman5000

    The Hunt

    By dudeman5000,

    Are anymore surprises still out there?
    As the advent of CGC has caused me to reevaluate my collection and reaquire higher graded books or submit my own high grade copies, I wonder if it is still possible to find high grades in a yard sale, flea market or some other venue. I remember coming across a run of Tales of Suspense from issues 47-70. This was 1987 and the store was named Bayshore Comics and Cards in West Haven, Ct. Sadly, the store is no longer there. The gentlemen who owned it was preparing to overhaul his collection and was pushing a lot of books cheap. I am now a pretty strict grader and fondly remember these books to be in VG/FN (5.0) to VF (8.0) with a few that may have been higher. I paid $2 for most of them and $4 for some of them. I was 15 years old and loved Iron Man. I remember trading those gems for some over priced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle books in New Haven, Ct. I am sure most collectors have a similar story of great comics gone bad, or a story of finding gold and trading for some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I have been forced to reevaluate my collection and have decided I want to create a legacy to my family of high graded CGC books. This means a lot of my mostly silver and early bronze age books do not pass muster for the CGC 9.0 and higher (the bar I have set for my submission and collection). I recently sold my Hulk 181 (CGC 5.5), House of Secrets 92 (CGC 5.0), and Giant Size X-Men 1 (CGC 6.0), for that reason. I do admit however to keeping my Amazing Spider-Man books at 6.5 and higher. While I was manning my table at a convention last month, a fellow seller and I debated this practice and CGC in general. He subscibed to the fact that while some older books will not fetch a high grade, they are still worth higher prices due to their scarcity, age, and value of being able to opened and read. None of his books would reach 8.0 or higher and he accepted that. I understand his point and feel that if I have a book CGC'd, I normally have the trade or beat up reading copy to read when I want to. The beauty of CGC is the thrill of the hunt. Case in point, I am actively seeking a 9.0 or higher House of Secrets 92, first Swamp Thing. I have seen 9.0 copies going for $700-800 on E-bay, and several unslabbed books at conventions here in North Carolina. When I see 9.0 and the census still has higher graded copies out there, the question becomes do I shoot for the 9.0 now, or hold out for higher priced higher graded slabbed books, or do I stay in the hunt, browsing every shop, flea market, yard sale and convention I come across. I imagine one day coming across some out of the way odds and ends shop, and finding some still strapped pile of comics from 1971, with the hunted House of Secrets in it. Possible? Though improbable- I think it's more exciting to stay in the hunt! Good luck in you hunt and Happy CGCing!
    Dudeman5000
  3. dudeman5000
    Why the resistance?
    I recently took a trip to Connecticut from North Carolina to visit my sister. I made sure to plan spare time to visit the many comic book stores in the area during my trip. I was in THE HUNT for several items. One book was Infinite Crisis #3 which seemed to have a common defect of a ripped or wrinkled page. This defect was in every copy of every store I went to in North Carolina and every store except for one in Connecticut. While in THE HUNT, I also have been actively browsing and purchasing CGC'd books I am looking for. I went to one store (which will remain nameless) and after looking around, I asked the owner of the medium sized shop if he had any CGC'd books. As a Marine Staff Non-Commissioned Officer, I have a talent for reading people, and I can tell you I was reading such a look of disdain from this man. After looking at me and not replying, I asked if he had any "slabbed" books, to which he replied with a curt "no". It became very obvious he did not like a stranger in his store of overpriced, poor condition back issue comics asking for a guaranteed high quality book. As a former brick and mortar comic book shop owner in Swansboro, NC, I make it a habit to buy something in any comic book shop I visit. Hey, it costs money to keep the lights on so we can browse. I did not buy anything at this shop. I am happy to report that several other shops I visited on Saturday, January 14th were warm and receptive and did have CGC books on display or for sale. I have encountered this obvious disdain for CGC several times over the past year, from conventions to shops. One dealer from Canada at this past years Heroes Convention in Charlotte, NC, grew out of breath and flustered when I mentioned sending books off to CGC. He said he "hated" CGC and what it was doing to collectors market. Hated? Yikes! Imagine trying to hawk overpriced, sub par condition books now! I firmly believe the back issue market will remain strong as many folks still want to read original copies of their favorite books, smell the ink and feel the pages. However, it blows my mind that anyone spending any large amount of money on a comic, would not rather have a similar CGC'd copy, or want to send a high grade copy to CGC. I personally still enjoy sifting through back issue bins and finding suitable copies for possible submission to CGC. Well, this was a long winded journal entry! I promise to be shorter next week - Happy CGCing!
    Best Regards,
    Dudeman5000