Grade or Not to Grade? That's the question 0

[Mandi1]

I am having a hard time deciding if my 1945 Frankenstein #1 is worth paying to get graded? It's not mint by any means, but I think it might be fairly rare. Any helpful information about this particular comic is welcome. Thanks

[shadroch]

Have you checked Ebay to see if there are copies for sale, and if so what they go for? Another great place to check is mycomicshop, the largest comic retailer on the net.  

Currently, there is one listed on ebay for $1900, but a check of completed sales shows one sold for $102.

Also, from Ebay we can see the seller claims there are nineteen in the CGC census. 

 

Edited October 13, 2017 by shadroch

[rjpb]

2 hours ago, shadroch said:

Have you checked Ebay to see if there are copies for sale, and if so what they go for? Another great place to check is mycomicshop, the largest comic retailer on the net.  

Currently, there is one listed on ebay for $1900, but a check of completed sales shows one sold for $102.

Also, from Ebay we can see the seller claims there are nineteen in the CGC census. 

 

That $102 copy, which looks to be about a 2.0, might have gone a little cheap as it was listed in platinum age and not GA on ebay. The OP's copy looks to be around a 1.0/1.5 due to the rough spine, but still might sell for about the same or maybe even a bit more with patience or luck, seeing as a raw G/VG sold on Heritage recently for over $400. The title is a fairly popular one with collectors.

Given the cost of grading plus shipping back and forth if it's not going in a large group of books, I don't imagine there is enough, or even any extra value to be had by slabbing.

[revat]

There is a somewhat subjective process to deciding if something is worth grading, and it may vary from person to person a bit.

1.  Grade the comic you have (you may have to learn to grade).  Be conservative.  (you may have to teach yourself how to do this)

2.  Check for restoration, especially on old comics.  (you may have to teach yourself how to do this)

3.  Look up the value of the comic you have in the condition you have.  You can use auction results, ebay sold items, price guides, etc.  You may have to extrapolate/interpolate from existing data in some cases.

4.  Figure out the cost of grading.  Make sure to include shipping, insurance, invoice fee, grading fee, fast track, translation or customs fees (if applicable).

5.  Add the totals from 3 and 4 together.

6.  Find out the minimum you expect to sell for at the minimum grade you expect to get. You can use auction results, ebay sold items, price guides, etc.  You may have to extrapolate/interpolate from existing data in some cases.

7. Compare totals from 6 and 5.  If you expect to get a profit or profit ratio that you find agreeable (everyone has different preferences), then you should get it graded.  If not, then don't.

 

** There may be a situation where paying someone to press your comic will factor in to your decision making, or possibly paying someone to restore your comic.

 

If all this sounds like a lot of hassle, just take a lot of pics and throw it on ebay and do a no reserve auction.  You might make less overall, but your time and effort are worth money too....

 

[Bomber-Bob]

Honestly, it's in really bad shape, with lots of 'dangling' spine splits. Between shipping and handling I would be concerned about something falling off. Under no circumstances would I risk pressing this book. You didn't mention if you wanted to keep or sell the book. If you are keeping it, why spend the money ? If you want to sell it, then as others have stated, do the math. 

[TheFifthHorseman]

On 10/13/2017 at 3:32 PM, rjpb said:

That $102 copy, which looks to be about a 2.0, might have gone a little cheap as it was listed in platinum age and not GA on ebay

Yes it was listed in Platinum Age and yes I did get it for a great price!

[TheFifthHorseman]

On 10/13/2017 at 11:30 AM, Mandi1 said:

I am having a hard time deciding if my 1945 Frankenstein #1 is worth paying to get graded? It's not mint by any means, but I think it might be fairly rare. Any helpful information about this particular comic is welcome. Thanks

 

Spine is pretty beat up but nice colors!