Question in Regards to Anastasia Collectibles Submissions 0

[BruceParker]

Question in Regards to Anastasia Collectibles Submissions

Hello everyone, I have a quick questions for anyone who has dealt with Anastasia (now Excelsior Collectibles I believe). I attended the Calgary Expo back on May the 30th. I had Stan Lee sign a number of my books (including an ASM #1) and sent them off through Derek at Anastasia for grading. I paid the signature fee as well as the $20 per book handling fee. In my case since I had a CGC account already Derek said he would be able to submit through my account directly and the evaluation and order would go directly through my account, not theirs. I was told this was common practice for anyone that already had an account, and I preferred going through CGC directly rather than through a third party.

My only concern is that I had no way of knowing the status of my submission and until CGC actually receives my books I won't even know where they are or what exactly their status is. I have sent Derek a few text messages to check on the status and he did reply saying they were to be sent off will arrive under my account, and then I can figure out the submission myself (if I want add or change the order). I am also aware of the reputation Anastasia has in some communities, but I will say Derek did respond immediately and did answer my questions and concerns. I did speak with a rep with CGC who said it was uncommon for them to submit it through my personal account and not under Anastasia's themselves, but that it could be done. Although I have spoken with a few other people who went to the same expo and seemingly submitted their books the same way I did, so I doubt that's much of a red flag. 

Now only a few weeks have passed by,  so maybe there's no cause for concern and I have no reason to be paranoid; but with the value of the comics I sent through them and what I paid for the signatures I won't have peace of mind until they have been received. All I have is an invoice with my account number scribbled on the top and a list of the books I sent in. I'm aware it can be a rather slow process, but for anyone else who sent in submissions around that time has theirs shown up yet? Do I have any reason for concern, and is there anything I should do to ensure everything is in order. I doubt there's any reason for alarm, but it's hard to have your pride and joy floating in the wind somewhere not knowing what's happening haha. 

[ADAMANTIUM]

I share your feelings of anxiety mixed with anticipation in your gut, I remember Anastasia/Excelsior taking a while.

I posted in CGC TAT that my NM 98 signed by Robert Liefeld might have ended up somehow being tied to Excelsior as well; I think they handle certain people such as Liefeld and Stan; it was signed during C2E2 which was April 21st and it was recieved by CGC on May 9th.....as of yesterday it was still sitting at recieved and not verified, which is the next step.....I did it through a CGC Facilitator and whether they had to go through Excelsior or not idk but have been told it might be the case

[ygogolak]

So they changed their name? Interesting...

 

 

[romanheart]

Went through them at Fan Expo. I did not appreciate their customer service. They will eventually get your book back. If you're submitting for a signed book and getting it pressed, then the book could take months, not to mention cost you a small fortune in the end. Frankly IMO, it's a big turnoff for encasing a book anymore.

[shortboxed]

Have had nothing but unpleasant experiences with Anastasia, but unfortunately they seem to be the only ones handling Stan Lee sigs, so I had no choice. Got two NM98s signed by Liefeld and witnessed by Anastasia, and they "lost" the books and I didn't hear from them for months at a time. It wasn't until exactly one year later when I told them I'd be at a con they were at and then they suddenly found the missing books and gave them to me, again, a year later. 

[Jimmy Linguini]

over heard at C2E2 "I had to change my name because of one loser making stuff up about me online"...

[Jimmy Linguini]

On 2017-05-24 at 4:29 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

I share your feelings of anxiety mixed with anticipation in your gut, I remember Anastasia/Excelsior taking a while.

I posted in CGC TAT that my NM 98 signed by Robert Liefeld might have ended up somehow being tied to Excelsior as well; I think they handle certain people such as Liefeld and Stan; it was signed during C2E2 which was April 21st and it was recieved by CGC on May 9th.....as of yesterday it was still sitting at recieved and not verified, which is the next step.....I did it through a CGC Facilitator and whether they had to go through Excelsior or not idk but have been told it might be the case

As far as I know, the only time CGC contacts a company before grading a book is if its a sketch of Stan Lee or a blank comic signed by Stan Lee featuring a sketch. Max, Stan Lee's handler has to approve all sketches now. (even if its of a character approved by Stan Lee's company)

So if your books were signed by Liefeld at the show through a facilitator that wasn't Anastasia, they have nothing to do with any delay with your books.

[ADAMANTIUM]

7 minutes ago, Jimmy Linguini said:

As far as I know, the only time CGC contacts a company before grading a book is if its a sketch of Stan Lee or a blank comic signed by Stan Lee featuring a sketch. Max, Stan Lee's handler has to approve all sketches now. (even if its of a character approved by Stan Lee's company)

So if your books were signed by Liefeld at the show through a facilitator that wasn't Anastasia, they have nothing to do with any delay with your books.

cool beans  wasn't sure

The facillitator won't be able to get back to me until next Tuesday, and as I don't have my own account, I can't track. I didn't know if the facillitator had to go through Anastasia or not, but now I know there just must have been a pile of books from C2E2 along with everyone trying to get in before the price hike and that's probably the reason for the delay  

[BruceParker]

Just a quick update for those interested. CGC received the books a few days after I posted this message. I think other people who submitted books from that convention are still waiting for their books to show up. CGC actually charged me for 27 books, not 7 as I had submitted! Thankfully CGC rectified this and refunded the difference for those 20 books, as that was definitely an unexpected charge. So all worked out well in the end, and I have no problems with Anastasia and would probably use them again in the future, although I'm always going to be a tad paranoid putting my books in other people's hands.

As for the grades...

ASM #1 went up from a 3.0 to 3.5

ASM Annual #1 7.5

ASM #50 5.5

Kid Komics #8 5.0

Tales of Suspense #59 went down from a PGX 9.4 to an 8.0 (only one I'm disappointed with)

Silver Surfer #1 PGX 8.5 went down to an 8.0 (much better)

Fantastic Four #5 5.5

Thanks to all that read or responded!

[aszumilo]

Not surprised the PGX books came back lower.  I think most people have experienced that.  I had a PGX Defenders #1 8.5 come back as CGC 7.5.  Good thing I got it pretty cheap.

[thehumantorch]

13 hours ago, BruceParker said:

Just a quick update for those interested. CGC received the books a few days after I posted this message. I think other people who submitted books from that convention are still waiting for their books to show up. CGC actually charged me for 27 books, not 7 as I had submitted! Thankfully CGC rectified this and refunded the difference for those 20 books, as that was definitely an unexpected charge. So all worked out well in the end, and I have no problems with Anastasia and would probably use them again in the future, although I'm always going to be a tad paranoid putting my books in other people's hands.

As for the grades...

ASM #1 went up from a 3.0 to 3.5

ASM Annual #1 7.5

ASM #50 5.5

Kid Komics #8 5.0

Tales of Suspense #59 went down from a PGX 9.4 to an 8.0 (only one I'm disappointed with)

Silver Surfer #1 PGX 8.5 went down to an 8.0 (much better)

Fantastic Four #5 5.5

Thanks to all that read or responded!

Nice books.  Glad they've arrived at CGC and you can relax

[DieselDragon]

On 5/24/2017 at 1:12 PM, BruceParker said:

Question in Regards to Anastasia Collectibles Submissions

Hello everyone, I have a quick questions for anyone who has dealt with Anastasia (now Excelsior Collectibles I believe). I attended the Calgary Expo back on May the 30th. I had Stan Lee sign a number of my books (including an ASM #1) and sent them off through Derek at Anastasia for grading. I paid the signature fee as well as the $20 per book handling fee. In my case since I had a CGC account already Derek said he would be able to submit through my account directly and the evaluation and order would go directly through my account, not theirs. I was told this was common practice for anyone that already had an account, and I preferred going through CGC directly rather than through a third party.

My only concern is that I had no way of knowing the status of my submission and until CGC actually receives my books I won't even know where they are or what exactly their status is. I have sent Derek a few text messages to check on the status and he did reply saying they were to be sent off will arrive under my account, and then I can figure out the submission myself (if I want add or change the order). I am also aware of the reputation Anastasia has in some communities, but I will say Derek did respond immediately and did answer my questions and concerns. I did speak with a rep with CGC who said it was uncommon for them to submit it through my personal account and not under Anastasia's themselves, but that it could be done. Although I have spoken with a few other people who went to the same expo and seemingly submitted their books the same way I did, so I doubt that's much of a red flag. 

Now only a few weeks have passed by,  so maybe there's no cause for concern and I have no reason to be paranoid; but with the value of the comics I sent through them and what I paid for the signatures I won't have peace of mind until they have been received. All I have is an invoice with my account number scribbled on the top and a list of the books I sent in. I'm aware it can be a rather slow process, but for anyone else who sent in submissions around that time has theirs shown up yet? Do I have any reason for concern, and is there anything I should do to ensure everything is in order. I doubt there's any reason for alarm, but it's hard to have your pride and joy floating in the wind somewhere not knowing what's happening haha.