• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

The Game of Mint Thrones posted by Shivabali

20 posts in this topic

  • Member

The importance (or not) of a comic 9.8+

 

"Hello? Is there anybody in there?

Just nod if you can hear me.

Is there anyone at home?"

 

How interested are you readers and collectors into the rarities. The 1 of 1, 1 of 2 or 3. The rarity is reciprocal to the amount submitted. That's why many "keys" like Nick Fury #1, Iron Man #1, can garner a 9.9 grade and soar in price. There have simply been multiple-hundreds submitted and a one 9.9 stands out, garnering untold thousands.

 

I don't trust the 9.9 grade, or the 10 for that matter. I have one gem mint 10, a Secret Wars #8. I've been offered 2k above what I paid and didn't budge. But when I look at it, it doesn't inspire me. Looks like a 9.8...everything perfect. I'd have to get out a loupe to see any reason why it is perfect...my naked eye doesn't compute. So I think it's strange that we'll fight and spend massive amounts of dosh for comics we can't even differentiate with our own sight. The points are more important than the senses can detect. I appreciate folks who say they don't purchase anything above a 9.6. That is truly a safe zone and smart. I'm still stuck in the why's and how's of the 9.8+.

 

So my ultimate question is to you collectors out there who have 9.9's and 10's? Buyer's remorse? Would you spend an extra 3 grand to upgrade ASM 252 from 9.8 to 9.9. Is it madness?

 

Only a question one collector can ask for him/herself. Good Luck peeps. I'm coming to a conclusion that above 9.8 is foolishness. Engage...what say you?

 

See more journals by Shivabali

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it is a waste of money. If there were not a point system for competitive sets I would be completely happy with 9.6 books (white pages). Saying that, I would prefer a 9.6 WP over a 9,8 OWWP...for most boos....Points don't really impose on my collecting. I will stick with the appeal over the grade any day

Link to comment
Share on other sites

oh...and BTW...The CA 100 9.8 was way over bidded as well as the Nick Fury 9.9....The Iron Man 1 even went too far. I tried to bid on Justice League 1 and it doubled...People are nuts for beginnings since the TV shows are out. I did get an Avengers 1 7.0 though and it was the most I ever spent.......I wish I had THEIR bank accounts....I would be building a safebox out of Ultranium

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I don't trust the 9.9 grade, or the 10 for that matter. I have one gem mint 10, a Secret Wars #8. I've been offered 2k above what I paid and didn't budge. But when I look at it, it doesn't inspire me. Looks like a 9.8...everything perfect. I'd have to get out a loupe to see any reason why it is perfect...my naked eye doesn't compute. So I think it's strange that we'll fight and spend massive amounts of dosh for comics we can't even differentiate with our own sight. The points are more important than the senses can detect. I appreciate folks who say they don't purchase anything above a 9.6. That is truly a safe zone and smart. I'm still stuck in the why's and how's of the 9.8+.

 

 

It's a subject that probably many of us have considered. I guess the answer lies within a cloud of statistic probability. When you buy a 9.4, then you may consider these books ranging within a spectrum from about 9.3 to 9.5, thus some will be closer to the 9.2 range and some will be closer to the 9.6 range (counting out the human error factor that CGC may still provide). Same goes for 9.8 books - some will look more like a 9.6, some closer to "9.9 perfection". So getting the higher grades potentially narrows down the error spectrum, which is very limited on a 9.9 book - even less on a 10.

I have DKR #3 in both 9.8 and 10, before I would have considered the 9.8 in perfect shape, but DKR books have very fragile covers where even the smallest damage and markings are easy to see - and compared to the 10, the 9.8 clearly is worse. The 10 is still not totally perfect, but I think CGC defined the 10 as the best you're likely ever to see.

Still when Conan the Barbarian #7 OW-W 9.9 arrived on CLink and the seller asked 25k, my longing for a 9.9 was quickly reduced lol OW-W means this book already had suffered more pronounced page quality deterioration than a 9.8 WP. And the cover did not have perfect horizontal orientation (but it's close).

 

photo 0119259017FOW-W99_zps4f9f2511.jpg

 

My question is more, is a (slightly) mis-aligned 9.9 with deteriorated page quality really much better than a 9.8 with perfect white pages and perfect cover alignment? (if you can find such a 9.8 book)

 

Well, I do understand why someone paid a premium for this seemingly perfect-in-every-way book, although 150k is a substantial amount:

 

RAD176E720101223_12568.jpg

 

Furthermore you're running a risk when going for 9.9 or 10 - if these books get regraded after some years and by different graders, will they keep their grade? So you'll need some faith in the CGC graders - or maybe it's just a fun thing to own a single highest graded (gem) mint book, such assumed jewels are the best trophies for dedicated collectors :grin::facepalm:

 

Also congrats, your Conan Barry Smith run is very close to mine, I can see that none of us have any 9.9 books (well CarlD (Carlo) has them all including the #7 9.9), I'll never want more than #11 in 9.8 if that book ever shows up :angel:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice title-

 

(Rune- nice comments- how do you get to add more than 1 pic to a post?)

 

In some recent modern books, I have learned to spot differences between a true 9.8 and the higher grades. Sometimes, there's really absolutely no flaws whatsoever on some 9.9 or 10 books, but some modern books are printed in such a way where that comes easier.

 

On a few occasions I have seen some grades 9.0 and up, which could definitely be considered for a grade higher. On the other hand, have also seen a few books between 9.8 and 10 which each had minor flaws, and could have rendered them a grade lower. Grading is subjective, but needs to fall within some guidelines, regarding the condition.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would never personally buy a 9.9 or 10. 9.8 is good enough for me (in fact, a really sharp 9.6 will often do the trick) so on the couple of occasions that I got books back from CGC as 9.9 (never had a 10!) I sold them and then used the money to buy a 9.8, and pocketed the difference.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice title-

 

(Rune- nice comments- how do you get to add more than 1 pic to a post?)

 

 

Thank you, it's a great subject for a thread. I think you can add as many pics as you want, using either the build-in "enter an image" function or enabling "Markup -using HTLM and UBBCode" and then directly inserting HTML codes for pics and/or videos.

 

On a different matter, to my knowledge CGC has never fully disclosed their grading rules, so this may reduce grading transparency in some (many hm ) cases. Just like you I have seen books that I could swear should have higher or lower grades than given by the CGC (but then again, I do not have a similar experience in grading books compared to CGC graders - guess that's why we pay them :grin: ).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well put.

Carlo has a great CtB collection for sure. Would be difficult to dethrone him. He also lives in England...I wonder if he's ever tried getting BWS to sign some of his. That would be killer (if you're into SS's that is).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's all scam! There are no 9.8s, no 9.9s, no 10s - it's all make-believe.

 

OK - really - I do have a 9.9 that I submitted myself. I don't know that it looks any better than the 9.8 that I received on the same issue submitted at the same time. I often feel that 9.9s and 10s are numbers that are just randomly assigned, like some submission lotto - sometimes people win, but only because the machine decided it was time to hand out one of those 'winning grades' - to keep us all submitting regularly so that we might be the next one who hits the jackpot.

 

Would I spend money on one of these books? no. I won't even chase 9.8s or 9.6s for my SA books. It is just too volatile a market, and I don't have money to throw away.

 

I guess I'm feeling a little cynical this morning.

 

Happy Hunting!

Lee K

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is it okay to have a different opinion lol

I only collect one title.....I feel a strong need to collect the highest grades possible. It's not that I can't see what you guys are saying and I agree with most of it. Even after reading all this ....I still want more 9.9's and 10's :sumo:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I buy what I can afford so I look for 9.6 books...if they have white pages that's just a bonus to me (I'm not scared off by OW or OW/WT). That being said, if I had a disposable income and could afford a Mint book I still wouldn't buy it. I would rather pick up multiple NM+ books for the same amount of money. Which is funny now that I think about it, because I would rather own 1 NM+ book than a few NM- books at the same cost. I guess that's the thing, NM+ is better than NM without the additional expense of a higher graded book so that's perfect for me. To anyone else who feels the need to purchase higher graded books, and it's within your means, more power to you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a copy of Wolverine LS #1 that I held on to since I bought it at a convention in the early 1980's. It is the most beautiful book that I ever saw. Finally I got it graded a few years ago (no pressing needed the books was just that awesome). It came back as a CGC 9.8 with white pages.

 

If that book wasn't a 9.9 or a 10.0 then there is just no such thing.

 

From a grading standpoint a 9.9 or a 10.0 is just a 9.8 in a fancy dress.

 

With that being said, I was happy to have gotten a few 9.9s since then and even bought on on ebay because I know they will sell for more than a 9.8 copy of the same book (even if it is nonsense).

 

I would buy a 9.8+ book but only if the price was just marginally higher than a 9.8 book. I would want it to flip, not to keep.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love my 9.9s and 10s! Like surfer99, I only go after what I can afford at the time, which normally isn't much. But I picked up a couple of 9.9 books not too long back for just $50 each and they're single highest graded copies, so good deals are out there. I've gotten very lucky on some of these elite books and acquired them for low prices.

 

The most expensive graded book I've purchased was the very first graded book I ever bought, which just happened to be a gem mint 10.

 

And I will NEVER sell that book! If I ever have to sell off my entire collection, that particular gem mint book is still staying with me. At least until I die that is, when it goes to my big brother, Tnerb.

 

But I agree with you guys for the most part. I will not spend thousands of dollars on a 9.9 or 10, when I can acquire a 9.8 for so much less. I AM a 9.8 junkie however, and only have a few books in 9.6 that I'm willing to keep.

 

With older SA and GA books, I can live with 9.6, 9.4 or even 9.2, because the farther back you go, the harder it is to find them in the elite grades, and the more pricey they are.

 

But if I want it, and I can afford a 9.8 or better of it, then I WILL get it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well put.

Carlo has a great CtB collection for sure. Would be difficult to dethrone him. He also lives in England...I wonder if he's ever tried getting BWS to sign some of his. That would be killer (if you're into SS's that is).

 

I think I read somewhere that it was nearly impossible to get Barry Windsor-Smith to attend a Comic Con and sign books, explaining why there are so few SS books from him - although I have found a few:

 

http://s1270.photobucket.com/user/runesr2/library/Signature%20Series%20High%20Grade?sort=4&page=1

 

There is a sad story behind the CarlD Collection, so I think Carlo truly deserves having the top spot - we write 1 or 2 emails each year about collecting Conan books etc . He is a really nice person, I've known him some years - since he offered me #2, #12 and #21 for my #18, I drive a hard bargain :whistle:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi!

 

I have personally submitted more than 600 books to CGC along the years...and NO 9.9 or 10.0.

 

Sometimes you get a 9.4 for perfect books and nobody knows why...

Bah!!!! I am convinced that any grade equal or higher than 9.6 means perfection...

 

Federico

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I read somewhere that it was nearly impossible to get Barry Windsor-Smith to attend a Comic Con and sign books, explaining why there are so few SS books from him - although I have found a few:

 

It's funny you should mention that.

 

This morning I was looking at a copy of Uncanny X-Men 205 thinking that I really would like to get him to sign some of my books.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't even care about 9.6 and 9.8 books lol

 

I'm not a high grade hunter, but even if wanted to collect slabbed SA/BA books and had deep pockets I wouldn't look farther than 9.4 ( though sometimes books that grade can be a bit soft in my estimation). The miniscule improvements in grade beyond NM don't get me the least bit excited. Things like page quality, bright whites and rich colors matter more to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Out of the 500 or so books I've submitted to CGC, I've only received one 9.9. That was a Wolverine LS #1. It was around 2001. I put it up for sale on eBay and got $525 for it (17.5 times guide)! Do I regret selling it? Sometimes, as it goes for about 3 times that amount today. But I did get to buy a lot of other books with the money from that sale.

 

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites