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Treatment of unwitnessed signed comics
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82 posts in this topic

I know I'm a little late to the party,  but want to follow up on this part of the answer...

 

"Your signed comics, if graded, would get our green Qualified label with a notation of "Name written on cover in marker" with no assertion of who may have signed the comic.  By giving your comic our Qualified label, we are ignoring the signature for purposes of the grade. "

 

Is there no way to mention on the label the name of the signatory?  It wouldn't have to say the person specifically signed it, ie, "Signed by Todd McFarlane",  but say something along the line, "Signature: Todd McFarlane" leaving a little wiggle room for those of us who would like the comics themselves graded, but at least have a mention of who's names are signed on them, but without actually saying the person themselves signed it.  Or maybe doing " Signature: Todd Mcfarlane, not SS authenticated"

 

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I think you should look at it from the company goal of maximizing the value of the CGC Signature Series brand.  What accomplishes that best? 

3 hours ago, figureaddict said:

I know I'm a little late to the party,  but want to follow up on this part of the answer...

 

"Your signed comics, if graded, would get our green Qualified label with a notation of "Name written on cover in marker" with no assertion of who may have signed the comic.  By giving your comic our Qualified label, we are ignoring the signature for purposes of the grade. "

 

Is there no way to mention on the label the name of the signatory?  It wouldn't have to say the person specifically signed it, ie, "Signed by Todd McFarlane",  but say something along the line, "Signature: Todd McFarlane" leaving a little wiggle room for those of us who would like the comics themselves graded, but at least have a mention of who's names are signed on them, but without actually saying the person themselves signed it.  Or maybe doing " Signature: Todd Mcfarlane, not SS authenticated"

 

 

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RADAC54F2016419_104855.jpg

an example of what can be noted when it comes to signatures inside the comics. I have seen everything from "writing on inside cover" or "name written on inside cover" to this example where it says exactly what is written on the inside cover.

Edited by Artboy99
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On ‎7‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 9:29 AM, figureaddict said:

I know I'm a little late to the party,  but want to follow up on this part of the answer...

 

"Your signed comics, if graded, would get our green Qualified label with a notation of "Name written on cover in marker" with no assertion of who may have signed the comic.  By giving your comic our Qualified label, we are ignoring the signature for purposes of the grade. "

 

Is there no way to mention on the label the name of the signatory?  It wouldn't have to say the person specifically signed it, ie, "Signed by Todd McFarlane",  but say something along the line, "Signature: Todd McFarlane" leaving a little wiggle room for those of us who would like the comics themselves graded, but at least have a mention of who's names are signed on them, but without actually saying the person themselves signed it.  Or maybe doing " Signature: Todd Mcfarlane, not SS authenticated"

 

Perhaps I can shed some light on this one (I hope Bree and the other good folks at CGC don't mind). It was decided many moons ago that when there was an unverified signature on the cover of a book (usually the front cover) that the CGC graders would enter the standard "Name written on cover" notation. As I recall, this was implemented because unless it's a witnessed, verified signature, it's very hard to tell who signed it. For instance, while a Stan Lee signature is relatively easy to spot, some other signatures are virtually unrecognizable. Please bear in mind that the CGC graders are not signature experts; they're simply noting that someone wrote their name on the cover. I suspect that's actually one of the reasons why the signature series was created---because the owner of the book knows (without a doubt) who signed the book and when. I hope this helps you to understand this process a little better... :)

Edited by The Lions Den
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7 hours ago, mpm671 said:

If I submitted this book would it get a blue or green label?  Would it qualify for a blue label given it's marked by the publisher as a signed variant? Thanks.

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If you get a blue label, the signature will count as a defect and negatively impact the grade.

If you get a green label, the book will be graded as though the signature was not there and it will be labeled as "Name written on cover."

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16 minutes ago, mpm671 said:

Thanks, that's what I thought.

Seems harsh to mark down a blue label grade given the signature is on each copy of this variant and was specifically put on the book by the publisher.

maybe, but no one is forcing anyone to get their books graded.  I would say do a mental and logical walkthrough of an alternative treatment from a business and finance standpoint from CGC's point of view and see if it still seems harsh. 

Which is not to say that it doesn't kinda suck for you in this instance for this specific book, it probably does.

ALSO:  There have been some (very few) instances where a publisher has made special -pre-arrangements with CGC ahead of time to mail their signed books directly and the books still got the CGC SS treatment (I'm pretty sure this happened before the books were even available to the public).  I don't know how this works, how much it costs, if they still do it.  But it is/was and option, and was not done in the case of your book. 

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I live in Alaska so this sucks for me. We have no CGC dealers here, and I have signed comics with authenticity cards and sealed with holographic sticker. Wish it would count with your “signed series” but I guess buying a frame would be just as good.

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7 hours ago, AlaskanSriracha said:

I live in Alaska so this sucks for me. We have no CGC dealers here, and I have signed comics with authenticity cards and sealed with holographic sticker. Wish it would count with your “signed series” but I guess buying a frame would be just as good.

The point of the Signature Series program is simple: someone (who is authorized to do so by CGC) saw the book being signed, by the person whose name is being signed.

That's it. 

If an authorized person didn't watch it being signed, any and every other instance of a signature doesn't mean anything, regardless of how or why. Photos, COAs, video...all of it rejected, because that's how CGC does it. And that's why CGC's program is superior to every other one out there.

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On 4/16/2019 at 4:52 PM, revat said:

maybe, but no one is forcing anyone to get their books graded.  I would say do a mental and logical walkthrough of an alternative treatment from a business and finance standpoint from CGC's point of view and see if it still seems harsh. 

Which is not to say that it doesn't kinda suck for you in this instance for this specific book, it probably does.

ALSO:  There have been some (very few) instances where a publisher has made special -pre-arrangements with CGC ahead of time to mail their signed books directly and the books still got the CGC SS treatment (I'm pretty sure this happened before the books were even available to the public).  I don't know how this works, how much it costs, if they still do it.  But it is/was and option, and was not done in the case of your book. 

Just to add to this, there has been (at least) one instance of being able to send in a book sold by retailers to CGC and get the Signature Series label: Valiant's Secret Weapons #1 - Valiant Validated Signature Series edition.

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4 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

The point of the Signature Series program is simple: someone (who is authorized to do so by CGC) saw the book being signed, by the person whose name is being signed.

That's it. 

If an authorized person didn't watch it being signed, any and every other instance of a signature doesn't mean anything, regardless of how or why. Photos, COAs, video...all of it rejected, because that's how CGC does it. And that's why CGC's program is superior to every other one out there.

I found another company who does it, the CBC verifies all signed comics- and will capsulate the comic when confirmed it’s real. for anyone who would like to know! The CGC isn’t the only verified company.

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2 minutes ago, AlaskanSriracha said:

I found another company who does it, the CBC verifies all signed comics- and will capsulate the comic when confirmed it’s real. for anyone who would like to know! The CGC isn’t the only verified company.

CGC isn't a "verified" company at all. It's not what they do (and with good reason.) CBCS "verifies" signatures, and that works for many, but there's a significant chance of forgery in the scenario, especially if it gains acceptance.

The Witness program is head and shoulders better than a verification program, and the market agrees. But if it works for you, right on. 

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2 minutes ago, AlaskanSriracha said:
4 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

The point of the Signature Series program is simple: someone (who is authorized to do so by CGC) saw the book being signed, by the person whose name is being signed.

That's it. 

If an authorized person didn't watch it being signed, any and every other instance of a signature doesn't mean anything, regardless of how or why. Photos, COAs, video...all of it rejected, because that's how CGC does it. And that's why CGC's program is superior to every other one out there.

I found another company who does it, the CBC verifies all signed comics- and will capsulate the comic when confirmed it’s real. for anyone who would like to know! The CGC isn’t the only verified company.

nothing wrong with using another company if they provide a service you're looking for at a price you're willing to pay.  BUT one should understand the distinction:  CGC SS is an authorized witness who has viewed the actual signature occurring (yes I get there's some very specific exceptions, and to be honest I'd be happier if they tightened some of their processes a bit), and the verification or authentication provided by other companies, who would allegedly use a signature handwriting authentication expert to tell you your signature appears to look close enough to other examples of a given signature.  I'm not judging which works better for an individual, but they're not the same thing.

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On 4/16/2019 at 7:10 PM, ExNihilo said:

If you get a blue label, the signature will count as a defect and negatively impact the grade.

If you get a green label, the book will be graded as though the signature was not there and it will be labeled as "Name written on cover."

Hi ExNihilo,

I have a few pre-signed books I'd like CGC-slabbed too. This short answer helped me a lot. Can you suggest/estimate what the grade drop might be on a blue label for a signature / "a name" written in sharpie on the cover?

Thank you in anticipation of your help.

Regards

Stephen

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36 minutes ago, StephenWA said:

Hi ExNihilo,

I have a few pre-signed books I'd like CGC-slabbed too. This short answer helped me a lot. Can you suggest/estimate what the grade drop might be on a blue label for a signature / "a name" written in sharpie on the cover?

Thank you in anticipation of your help.

Regards

Stephen

I don't have any experience submitting a pre-signed book for a blue label, so i'm not sure how much of a hit it would be.  I'll defer to the more experienced board members.

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On ‎6‎/‎27‎/‎2019 at 9:05 AM, StephenWA said:
On ‎4‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 11:10 AM, ExNihilo said:

If you get a blue label, the signature will count as a defect and negatively impact the grade.

If you get a green label, the book will be graded as though the signature was not there and it will be labeled as "Name written on cover."

Hi ExNihilo,

I have a few pre-signed books I'd like CGC-slabbed too. This short answer helped me a lot. Can you suggest/estimate what the grade drop might be on a blue label for a signature / "a name" written in sharpie on the cover?

Thank you in anticipation of your help.

Regards

Stephen

it will depend on the size of the signature, the grade of the book (without the signature), and there might be some other lesser factors.

Generally, the bigger the sig, the higher the grade without considering the sig, the BIGGER the impact on the grade.

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On 6/28/2019 at 5:27 PM, revat said:

it will depend on the size of the signature, the grade of the book (without the signature), and there might be some other lesser factors.

Generally, the bigger the sig, the higher the grade without considering the sig, the BIGGER the impact on the grade.

Hello revat,

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I will be submitting a batch of 25 for grading this week. Three of these have unwitnessed signatures on the covers.

How would I indicate to CGC that I would prefer a BLUE label at lower grade (as you have described) than the GREEN label? There was  no place to indicate this on the on-line submission form that I could see.

Kind regards

Stephen

 

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