Why Would You Open A Slabbed Book? 1 1

[Math Teacher]

I have read several posts about how people send a book into CGC, pay for the grading, and when it is returned, they crack open the slab.

Can someone explain to me why anyone would pay all this money to have a book graded and slabbed, and then turn around and open it right away?

Inquiring minds want to know!

 

Joe

Edited February 7, 2019 by Joe Ankenbauer
Typo

[Karl Liebl]

I think it is mostly people opening slabbed books that they bought.  Yes, there are some people here that don't like slabbed books.  Also some want to get a book signed after they slabbed it, wasted money.

[revat]

6 hours ago, BuzzKillington said:

16 hours ago, Karl Liebl said:

I think it is mostly people opening slabbed books that they bought.  Yes, there are some people here that don't like slabbed books.  Also some want to get a book signed after they slabbed it, wasted money.

How?

Like when I pay someone to cook food for me at the restaurants.  I could eat most of it raw at home, or cook it over a fire in a pit I built myself in the woods (free wood y'all) near where I live.  Paying people to cook food for me is for suckers.

[Mystafo]

Potential SCS and books or inner liners shifting are problems for me when they occur.  Also I've had square bound books seem to be in liners that were too small for them.  Some folks can't grade books well or don't have confidence in their ability to grade or check their own books for restoration...people like this may see the case only as a means to get their professionally graded book back to them in the same condition (at least they HOPE this is the "case").  Some folks may only want CGC's opinion on the grade and may be OCD about all the books in their collection being stored in a uniform manner.  All sorts of reasons. 

[Bomber-Bob]

I used to open up many of my slabs but with the new slab design it is very difficult, so not so much anymore. Slabbed books take up a lot of storage room. If I have a keeper book, I open it up and enjoy it in mylar. I keep the label with it. It doesn't seem to make a difference in valuation = collectors will pay slabbed prices for deslabbed books with the label. As mentioned above, if I see SCS going on I like to get it out of the slab immediately. It only gets worse in the slab.  

[Karl Liebl]

CGC really needs to get this shaken comic thing fixed quickly.  I haven't had any problems yet and I'm sure it mainly applies to books being shipped in the mail but still...  Also I only got one book shipped with a wedge, FF13.  Now I am down to only getting ten more books slabbed from my "collection" (hah), I keep finding significant defects that make the book not worth slabbing, bleh.  Keeping fingers crossed.

[Bomber-Bob]

20 minutes ago, Karl Liebl said:

CGC really needs to get this shaken comic thing fixed quickly.  I haven't had any problems yet and I'm sure it mainly applies to books being shipped in the mail but still...  Also I only got one book shipped with a wedge, FF13.  Now I am down to only getting ten more books slabbed from my "collection" (hah), I keep finding significant defects that make the book not worth slabbing, bleh.  Keeping fingers crossed.

It's not really the fault of CGC or the design of the slab. How can they 'fix' a rough shipment or a postal working drop kicking the book. Even if the slab is properly packaged it can still happen. I think the wedge helps a lot but I have no idea when they choose to use it. 

[Karl Liebl]

4 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

It's not really the fault of CGC or the design of the slab. How can they 'fix' a rough shipment or a postal working drop kicking the book. Even if the slab is properly packaged it can still happen. I think the wedge helps a lot but I have no idea when they choose to use it. 

Yeah, I am sure a lot of stuff gets delivered broken and gets returned.  But in the case of collectible comics that are basically unique it is doubly heartbreaking.  I guess i better be be very careful in deciding on insurance value on my future submissions, that's about all anyone can do about it.  BTW my stuff goes all the way across the country.

[serling1978]

I have a number of books that I bought slabbed so I do keep them that way since it's already done. But I do like raw books for a couple reasons. I like to read them (more than once), I like to look at the art, see the old ads, smell the paper (nothing weird about that right?). Basically I just like to have access to the full book and reprints aren't the same to me. I started collecting as a teen in the early 90s before CGC was even a thing. So I guess I have that older mentality from previous generations about what I enjoy about collecting.  Not against grading at all but I do like em raw

[Black_Adam]

7 hours ago, Bomber-Bob said:

I used to open up many of my slabs but with the new slab design it is very difficult, so not so much anymore. Slabbed books take up a lot of storage room. If I have a keeper book, I open it up and enjoy it in mylar. I keep the label with it. It doesn't seem to make a difference in valuation = collectors will pay slabbed prices for deslabbed books with the label. As mentioned above, if I see SCS going on I like to get it out of the slab immediately. It only gets worse in the slab.  

I can't speak for other collectors but, all things being equal, I would sooner buy a slabbed book than one that has been deslabbed with the label. If it was a boardie or a reputable online dealer (i.e. Worldwide, who often offer deslabbed comics) I would take a very close look to make sure no damage occurred during the deslabbing process - which can be tricky if you don't know what you are doing or aren't careful - and would also be looking for signs of SCS, as mentioned, a frequent reason for deslabbing.

As far as eBay goes, I wouldn't touch a deslabbed comic offered there with a ten foot pole. Too easy to mix and match comics/labels - it would be easy for a swindler there to match a 9.0 high value book with resto with a 9.0 blue label for the same issue.

For me, a significant part of the value of CGC grading is the tamper proof case. Tampering with the case reduces that value for me.

[Bomber-Bob]

28 minutes ago, Black_Adam said:

I can't speak for other collectors but, all things being equal, I would sooner buy a slabbed book than one that has been deslabbed with the label. If it was a boardie or a reputable online dealer (i.e. Worldwide, who often offer deslabbed comics) I would take a very close look to make sure no damage occurred during the deslabbing process - which can be tricky if you don't know what you are doing or aren't careful - and would also be looking for signs of SCS, as mentioned, a frequent reason for deslabbing.

As far as eBay goes, I wouldn't touch a deslabbed comic offered there with a ten foot pole. Too easy to mix and match comics/labels - it would be easy for a swindler there to match a 9.0 high value book with resto with a 9.0 blue label for the same issue.

For me, a significant part of the value of CGC grading is the tamper proof case. Tampering with the case reduces that value for me.

I agree with your comments. I don't blame you for being cautious about deslabbed books. Personally, I feel safer buying a deslabbed book with a label vs a seller's grade on a raw. BTW, I'm not sure if Worldwide deslabs a lot of books himself or he just gets them in that way. As far as E-Bay, I don't shop there. There's too much shenanigans going on.

[BladeTX]

On 2/7/2019 at 1:30 PM, Bomber-Bob said:

I used to open up many of my slabs but with the new slab design it is very difficult, so not so much anymore. Slabbed books take up a lot of storage room. If I have a keeper book, I open it up and enjoy it in mylar. I keep the label with it. It doesn't seem to make a difference in valuation = collectors will pay slabbed prices for deslabbed books with the label. As mentioned above, if I see SCS going on I like to get it out of the slab immediately. It only gets worse in the slab.  

I am a true newbie.  What is SCS?  Maybe Shaken Comic Syndrome???

Edited February 10, 2019 by BladeTX

[Bomber-Bob]

2 minutes ago, BladeTX said:

I am a true newbie.  What is SCS?  Is that too many Newton Rings?

SCS stands for Shaken Comic Syndrome, a condition where the book suffers damage inside the inner well from movement. Nothing to do with Newton Rings.

[Ride the Tiger]

Never be afraid to ask. There are many acronyms used on this board. Took me forever to search for the meaning of PLOD. I should of just asked.

[The Lions Den]

On ‎2‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 3:45 PM, Bomber-Bob said:

It's not really the fault of CGC or the design of the slab. How can they 'fix' a rough shipment or a postal working drop kicking the book. Even if the slab is properly packaged it can still happen. I think the wedge helps a lot but I have no idea when they choose to use it. 

Bob, perhaps I can shed some light on this without throwing anyone under the bus. As you know, the wedge is added by virtue of the encapsulation room (or Slab Room). Sometimes it's just a judgement call on the part of the slabber whether to add a wedge or two. It also depends upon the cut of the book---some books that should fit in a standard size well won't fit properly because of an odd cut at the factory. In rare situations it's because they temporarily run out of certain wells and they have to make due with what's available. And there are always time constraints to consider. In any event, I'm thankful I've never personally experienced SCS. In my view, it negates one of the most important reasons for slabbing the book in the first place...protecting the book from damage.

[Bomber-Bob]

3 hours ago, The Lions Den said:

Bob, perhaps I can shed some light on this without throwing anyone under the bus. As you know, the wedge is added by virtue of the encapsulation room (or Slab Room). Sometimes it's just a judgement call on the part of the slabber whether to add a wedge or two. It also depends upon the cut of the book---some books that should fit in a standard size well won't fit properly because of an odd cut at the factory. In rare situations it's because they temporarily run out of certain wells and they have to make due with what's available. And there are always time constraints to consider. In any event, I'm thankful I've never personally experienced SCS. In my view, it negates one of the most important reasons for slabbing the book in the first place...protecting the book from damage.

Good insight. I can't believe you have never experienced SCS. You must be a rookie ! LOL.

[The Lions Den]

9 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

Good insight. I can't believe you have never experienced SCS. You must be a rookie ! LOL.

Just lucky, I guess...  

[BladeTX]

8 hours ago, Ride the Tiger said:

Never be afraid to ask. There are many acronyms used on this board. Took me forever to search for the meaning of PLOD. I should of just asked.

Uh, so what is PLOD???  Please Like Online Dating???

[BladeTX]

5 hours ago, Bomber-Bob said:

Good insight. I can't believe you have never experienced SCS. You must be a rookie ! LOL.

Well I have only purchased about 30 pre-slabbed books that I could return but I have done 10 reholders.  Nothing looks amiss.   What should I be looking for with SCS?  

[Bomber-Bob]

55 minutes ago, BladeTX said:

Well I have only purchased about 30 pre-slabbed books that I could return but I have done 10 reholders.  Nothing looks amiss.   What should I be looking for with SCS?  

Why have you done 10 reholders ? If the book is fine in the current holder, leave it be. SCS usually happens from a rough shipping experience. Why risk additional shipments that are not necessary.