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Grader's Notes....Yes or don't matter
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16 posts in this topic

Curious if having or not having Grader's Notes makes a difference to you guys when considering obtaining a book.

For example a bronze age key that's graded the same and both have same PQ but one has the notes and the other doesn't is there a preference ?

 

 

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My personal experience with grader's notes from CGC is that I've been sorry EVERY TIME I've paid for them (probably about 6 times).  I can see their value, maybe, if you're talking about a 4 figure book or higher that's in less than VF condition.  This is just my humble opinion...I'm sure other's miles can and have varied from my experience.

 

To answer your second question, no notes is USUALLY a good thing as there "should" be nothing too unexpected for the grade.

Edited by Mystafo
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I always buy them if its a $500+ book and is below a 9.4.  For me, I don't buy books with rusty staples and notes have saved me a couple of times.  For me I would rather put up $5 - $15 to be on the safe side but I have come across several collectors that were unaware of them altogether.

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40 minutes ago, Mystafo said:

To answer your second question, no notes is USUALLY a good thing as there "should" be nothing too unexpected for the grade.

Would it be too bold of a statement to say having no notes is marginal better vs the same book that has notes then?

Unless having no notes might just mean the graders were too lazy or rushed to jot down details to the notes section.

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3 minutes ago, carefulsum said:

Would it be too bold of a statement to say having no notes is marginal better vs the same book that has notes then?

Unless having no notes might just mean the graders were too lazy or rushed to jot down details to the notes section.

Hard to say, honestly...i'd think so, generally but the too lazy scenario isn't too hard to believe either.  Hard to go wrong with the old board adage "buy the book not the label."  Ask for more/clearer pics of front and back + spine etc of both books.

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6 hours ago, comicquant said:

I always buy them if its a $500+ book and is below a 9.4.  For me, I don't buy books with rusty staples and notes have saved me a couple of times.  For me I would rather put up $5 - $15 to be on the safe side but I have come across several collectors that were unaware of them altogether.

I also dislike Rusty Staples but unless the rust is bad or has migrated, they don't seem to mention it. This makes sense because, in theory, the notes should only reference things that affect the grade. It seems CGC is pretty lenient on minor rust. In general, I have found notes to be quite unsatisfactory. 

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1 hour ago, Bomber-Bob said:

I also dislike Rusty Staples but unless the rust is bad or has migrated, they don't seem to mention it. This makes sense because, in theory, the notes should only reference things that affect the grade. It seems CGC is pretty lenient on minor rust. In general, I have found notes to be quite unsatisfactory. 

I had one recently (I will try to find it) which mentioned something like "light rust on lower staple".

I found about 15 all with different descriptions.

 

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Edited by comicquant
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1 hour ago, comicquant said:

I had one recently (I will try to find it) which mentioned something like "light rust on lower staple".

I found about 15 all with different descriptions.

 

Thanks for showing that. Very interesting. The notes, and references to rust, seem to be much more comprehensive than in years past. I guess the notes are becoming worth the money !

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On 12/3/2018 at 12:48 PM, carefulsum said:

Would it be too bold of a statement to say having no notes is marginal better vs the same book that has notes then?

Unless having no notes might just mean the graders were too lazy or rushed to jot down details to the notes section.

It's not bold or inaccurate, especially on higher grade (9+) books. Grader's notes on high grade books make the book "look" like more is wrong with it than maybe should be. 

My opinion has long been that the only beneficial graders notes on slabbed books are for those defects no longer visible due to the slab.  Interior defects mostly. And collectors need to be aware of one simple fact. Grader notes are not an exhaustive list of every defect on a comic. It's the defects the graders took the time to write down. Nothing more. 

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30 minutes ago, Tony S said:


My opinion has long been that the only beneficial graders notes on slabbed books are for those defects no longer visible due to the slab.  Interior defects mostly. And collectors need to be aware of one simple fact. Grader notes are not an exhaustive list of every defect on a comic. It's the defects the graders took the time to write down. Nothing more. 

I've had notes that cut off in mid sentence, on the very first sentence no less. Obviously, it was finish the notes or get to the bathroom ! Unfortunately, you don't know this until after you have paid. In the early years you could call up and get the notes. They would also tell you what grade each of the 3 graders assigned. Unfortunately, that is how I found out it is only the opinion of the finalizer that really counted. 

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On 12/20/2018 at 10:26 AM, Tony S said:

It's not bold or inaccurate, especially on higher grade (9+) books. Grader's notes on high grade books make the book "look" like more is wrong with it than maybe should be. 


I guess it seems that there is a difference in regards to a high-graded book with vs without Grader's Notes.

I mean, if you think about it when looking at any particular CGC graded book, we can only make a judgement based on what we see so if comparing two same graded books that looks virtually identical on the outside then the book that has no Grader's Notes should logically be superior vs the one that has the Notes (because the notes details issues/problems with that particular book so it can only be a negative). 

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On ‎12‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 10:02 PM, Bomber-Bob said:

I've had notes that cut off in mid sentence, on the very first sentence no less. Obviously, it was finish the notes or get to the bathroom ! Unfortunately, you don't know this until after you have paid. In the early years you could call up and get the notes. They would also tell you what grade each of the 3 graders assigned. Unfortunately, that is how I found out it is only the opinion of the finalizer that really counted. 

The only thing I would add is that the finalizer is influenced by the opinions of the other graders, but will ultimately give it the grade they feel best represents the condition of the book. Happy holidays, Bob...

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