ArkhamComicsLasVegas really doesn't like graded comics... 2 2

[Em_War-El]

I agree with him on qualified grades. The book either earns a certain grade or it doesn't, IMO.

I appreciate the service CGC performs in certifying grades and preserving books in their present condition. For books that have value or are important to me, I enjoy the presentation of a slabbed book. I buy slabs and I have submitted my own books to CGC via my comic shop. BUT...

As a coin collector I am familiar with NGC, CGC's numismatics affiliate. They have inserted themselves into that market to an obscene degree, with custom/limited edition labels, special color slabs, etc. Essentially they are in the manufactured collectibles business, taking perfectly ordinary items of little value and flooding the coin market with a glut of nonsense. They even take ordinary coins and put them in slabs with licensed properties on them just to make a buck. Some make some degree of sense, like a special "Shark Week" label on coins featuring sharks, and some are just bizarre, like putting Chicago Cubs labels on ordinary bullion that has NOTHING to do with baseball.

I FULLY believe they will take a similar approach in the comic book hobby when the time is right, and it will be very damaging to both the market and to CGC's reputation, at least among serious collectors who have been around the block.

[the blob]

On 6/14/2017 at 10:37 AM, Quicksilver Signs said:

I'm no fan of qualified grades, very deceiving to uneducated collectors.

Watched the video and he says he would never give a book with a popped staple more than a 4.5. I wonder if he had a minty looking key book with a popped staple and a typical 4.5 same key if he would price them the same? Seriously doubt it

I think they should give a qualified grade and a, technical, unqualified one. I see the value of the qualified grade because a collector buying online can understand the book is really nice except for this one thing.  if they want something with great eye appeal that might not be clear from a scan, it may help them make a decision as some people may be buying to bust it out of its tomb.

Edited June 21, 2017 by the blob

[fastballspecial]

Its going to take several years before this type of hate goes away. 

There is a generation in this hobby that hates CGC. They honestly view it as an invasion of card collectors leeching from the hobby. This isn't entirely true, but they don't factor in what a boon it has been to OCD collectors(True OCD collectors) and people tired of being scammed or sold books that have undisclosed restoration. 

Years ago I thought in a similar fashion over the years I have come to embrace this part of the hobby much more. While I still think comics 
are produced to be read I can now understand and appreciate the high grade collector who years ago infuriated me at my local shop because they had to look thru every copy on the rack. 

This guy wont ever change, but the hobby is starting to balance out better I think.

 

 

Edited June 22, 2017 by fastballspecial

[VintageComics]

13 hours ago, fastballspecial said:

Its going to take several years before this type of hate goes away. 

There is a generation in this hobby that hates CGC.

CGC has been around for almost 18 years.

There will always remain a group of people that are ignorant and choose to remain ignorant.

"I hate CGC graded books."

"Why?"

"Because you can't read the comic."

"Sure you can. You just remove it from the holder like I do with books in my collection"

"It makes comics more expensive."

"Maybe because you're finally getting what you paid for rather than undisclosed resto and over graded books?"

It's never ending.

 

[badback83]

I agree with VC on this.  I love the fact that I don't have to worry about undisclosed restoration.  I'm fine paying extra for CGC graded books.  I prefer all of my books to be CGC graded, because I like the protection and the way the book looks when being displayed.  From time to time, I want to upgrade a book that I have and trade/sell a book or two to fund that purchase.  CGC grading has put more money in my pocket when I decide to let those books go.   

[rapid08]

I'm with VintageComics on this. Its ignorant people who refuse to educate themselves that continually person_without_enough_empathy. I'm not sure how you can have a hobby and willingly stay ignorant when it comes to it's various aspects.

[fastballspecial]

I look at it like this. We are a small microcosm of the comic world. We think we are more then what we are. 

On ‎6‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 11:05 AM, VintageComics said:

On ‎6‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 9:29 PM, fastballspecial said:

Its going to take several years before this type of hate goes away. 

There is a generation in this hobby that hates CGC.

CGC has been around for almost 18 years.

There will always remain a group of people that are ignorant and choose to remain ignorant.

"I hate CGC graded books."

"Why?"

"Because you can't read the comic."

"Sure you can. You just remove it from the holder like I do with books in my collection"

"It makes comics more expensive."

"Maybe because you're finally getting what you paid for rather than undisclosed resto and over graded books?"

It's never ending.

I am not really disagreeing with any of that. Its not like you are going to find boardies on here that will argue with any of that.
We tend to just believe we are more of the hobby then we are. We are still just the smaller growing part of the overall hobby though.

I don't think less of people in the hobby that don't like slabs. I can see their arguments against them. I just look at the other side
and think it does draw in new fans who I hope will read comics other then just encase them in plastic. The other side just refuses to 
acknowledge that aspect. Otherwise the hobby dies and nobody wins.

 

[fullerjason]

ArkhamComicsLasVegas is aware of this thread and his latest video discusses some of the comments here. Just full disclosure I guess, figured some here might want to know, others won't care. Either way.....Welcome to the Boards ArkhamComicsLasVegas!

[VintageComics]

On 2017-06-23 at 6:23 PM, fastballspecial said:

I don't think less of people in the hobby that don't like slabs

I don't think less of them either.

I just don't understand why all the hate. Whether it's in a slab or not in a slab it's the same comic

Edited June 26, 2017 by VintageComics

[1Cool]

I find the older sellers or shop owners almost always hate CGC and don't want anything to do with it.  When asked they usually avoid the question all together and say they just do.  The few I've gotten any response from is they feel CGC has taken money out of their pocket since they use to be able to sell a raw NM copy for big bucks and now buyers expect books to be graded before paying top dollar.  The shop owners send in the book they thought was NM and it comes back a 8.0 or 8.5.  Huge chunk of money out of their pockets.  I think it all comes down to money in most cases.

Edited June 26, 2017 by 1Cool

[VintageComics]

6 hours ago, fullerjason said:

ArkhamComicsLasVegas is aware of this thread and his latest video discusses some of the comments here. Just full disclosure I guess, figured some here might want to know, others won't care. Either way.....Welcome to the Boards ArkhamComicsLasVegas!

What bothers me about videos like this is that they sound authoritarian and lots of people might agree with him and yet he is factually incorrect.

 

 

[darkstar]

8 hours ago, fullerjason said:

ArkhamComicsLasVegas is aware of this thread and his latest video discusses some of the comments here. Just full disclosure I guess, figured some here might want to know, others won't care. Either way.....Welcome to the Boards ArkhamComicsLasVegas!

He thinks CGC assigns grades in part based on who submitted the book. His takes are worthless. 

[ChiSoxFan]

9 hours ago, fullerjason said:

ArkhamComicsLasVegas is aware of this thread and his latest video discusses some of the comments here. Just full disclosure I guess, figured some here might want to know, others won't care. Either way.....Welcome to the Boards ArkhamComicsLasVegas!

 

1 hour ago, darkstar said:

He thinks CGC assigns grades in part based on who submitted the book. His takes are worthless. 

You can find people on YouTube espousing that the Earth is flat, so the ability of someone to make and post a video somewhere certainly does not equal credibility, lol.  

If he's aware of this thread, he certainly could post here his opinions and engage in a friendly discussion about the pros/cons of both CGC and slabbing in general, but I wouldn't hold my breath of that happening, though it probably would be ... entertaining ...  at least (and probably turn this into a Friday thread four days early  ).

[Comics181]

I think his comment on how all of his predictions come true is interesting. Can't wait to see what else he predicts in his crystal ball of comic grading

[VintageComics]

1 hour ago, Comics181 said:

I think his comment on how all of his predictions come true is interesting. Can't wait to see what else he predicts in his crystal ball of comic grading

I was going to comment about the predictions too.

Things like CGC's grading has always been cyclical. They go loose, they go tight. If you say their grading standards are going to loosen up in a few years you'd be right no matter when you said it because they've been swinging between loose and tight for 18 years now.

The fact of the matter is that there is no black and white grading standard that everyone will agree on.

Even before CGC you'd have discussions about what grade a book should be. Is it a VG+? Is it a VG minus? etc, etc.

Yes, some things are going to be black and white but when it comes to some things it's just going to come down to interpretation and subjectivity.

One person's VF used to be another person's NM+

As long as we have some sort of centralized standard (which is what CGC has become over the years) then we can choose whether we want a VG+ or a VF+ or whatever.

Things need to evolve over time and that includes grading standards.

His prediction about 9.5's coming? That's no different than going from a 1-3-5 or Good Fine Mint system to the 25 point system we have now. As comics get more expensive there's a necessity to split the grades and fine tune them. But that's not something new. That's already been handed down to comics from coins.

[ChiSoxFan]

1 hour ago, Comics181 said:

I think his comment on how all of his predictions come true is interesting. Can't wait to see what else he predicts in his crystal ball of comic grading

My prediction is that, it wouldn't matter what CGC might do in the future, it wouldn't make him happy.  

Predicting is easy! 

Edited June 27, 2017 by ChiSoxFan

[kav]

I think a book grade should be like 9.5456

[thehumantorch]

5 hours ago, 1Cool said:

I find the older sellers or shop owners almost always hate CGC and don't want anything to do with it.  When asked they usually avoid the question all together and say they just do.  The few I've gotten any response from is they feel CGC has taken money out of their pocket since they use to be able to sell a raw NM copy for big bucks and now buyers expect books to be graded before paying top dollar.  The shop owners send in the book they thought was NM and it comes back a 8.0 or 8.5.  Huge chunk of money out of their pockets.  I think it all comes down to money in most cases.

They can no longer sell a raw NM copy for big bucks because it isn't a raw NM copy.   They can't grade and their NM copies are CGC 8.0 copies.  Shop owners who know what they're doing are picking out books worth sending to CGC and making more money.

[kav]

1 minute ago, thehumantorch said:

They can no longer sell a raw NM copy for big bucks because it isn't a raw NM copy.   They can't grade and their NM copies are CGC 8.0 copies.  Shop owners who know what they're doing are picking out books worth sending to CGC and making more money.

The LCS my way or the hiway has come to an end and some dont like it

[fullerjason]

16 hours ago, VintageComics said:

What bothers me about videos like this is that they sound authoritarian and lots of people might agree with him and yet he is factually incorrect.

 

 

Just reading some of the comments listed with the videos shows examples of this.