sacentaur Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 Early in my collecting days I was mainly a high grade collector (8.0+). This was due in part because many of the scarce books I was looking for were often only available in pedigrees, hence higher grade. As time went on I began to favor 7.0 (F/VF), nice looking books that could be carefully handled without fear of damage and which could be had at a fair cost (once higher grades began to skyrocket). Lately I’ve been purchasing nice 5.0 (VG/FN) books because I’ve grown accustomed to them having defects, they still can present well, and once again can be bought at a more reasonable price. The newer CGC holders make these mid-grades pop even more. So when it comes to Golden Age books (assume unrestored), generally speaking and when given a choice, what is your preferred grade? jimjum12 and Ricksneatstuff 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primetime Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 (edited) Hey Steve. I remember when F/VF was a very nice looking book. Not so much now it seems. VG/F seems to be the best middle ground as far as price point affordability and eye appeal. I get whatever is available that has the best eye appeal. With Gold, as you know, we often aren’t given that choice, but I like books that look 3.0-4.0 but have a large spine split or some defect. If I can save money for other books and pay for the low grade/higher eye appeal, that works for me. Edited March 1, 2019 by Primetime gino2paulus2, aardvark88, ender and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piper Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 (edited) My sweet spot for Gold would probably be around a 5.0 but damage on the back cover or a minor split are equally appreciated. Heck, I don’t mind restoration. The biggie is that if it’s raw, I want to be able to flip through the book without it crumbling. Edited March 1, 2019 by piper Artboy99, sacentaur, RockMyAmadeus and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post shortboxed Posted March 1, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted March 1, 2019 With a lot of GA books I simply have no choice but to buy whatever becomes available if I can afford it, lest I go a couple years before seeing another one for sale. This usually means buying a low grade copy then upgrading as opportunities (and budget) allow. sacentaur, mustang33guy, D84 and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacentaur Posted March 1, 2019 Author Share Posted March 1, 2019 In regards to availability, it’s true that we usually don’t have a choice of grades on any particular GA issue. What I was thinking is that I may pass on a higher grade at $3x until a mid-grade shows up at $x. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be the exact same issue, perhaps another book with a similar interest level. Talking non-keys, of course... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBedrock Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 Like Steve I also started out as a high grade collector. I really haven't changed much. My preferred grade is somewhere in that vfnm white page range with really brilliant colors. On some of the extremely esoteric stuff I will be much more forgiving on technical grade but I won't skimp on eye appeal. sacentaur, Cat-Man_America, shortboxed and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacentaur Posted March 1, 2019 Author Share Posted March 1, 2019 Yes, eye appeal is key and isn’t something that CGC takes into consideration for a technical grade. lou_fine 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OtherEric Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 I'm still buying to read and, if it's public domain, scan the books, so High Grade isn't normally my target. I would say my sweet spot is around a 3.5, with a fondness for the "presents higher but one big flaw" books. But with Golden Age, it's largely I'll take what I can find and afford. sacentaur and Ricksneatstuff 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Dowling Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 Agree with a lot of the points you guys made in regard to availability. I remember when the photo-journals came out, I identified 100 or so books that I was after. Some of those I passed on low grades waiting for better that I never found. And now the low grades aren’t often available either. Now, it really depends on the book. I find 5.5-6.5 is a pretty sweet copy with nice eye appeal but if I can find a special copy (pedigree, or looks like new) of a particular book, then I’ll try to lock it down. sacentaur 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWatcher Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 Generally speaking, 6.0 - 7.0, but I have no issue dropping down to 4.0 - 5.0 depending on cost Artboy99 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Love Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 generally 9.0 - can't stand ticks the accessibility, visually speaking, to better looking merchandise has only locked in place where it began for me when I was a kid - newsstand fresh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batman_fan Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 The heart wants 9.4s that have perfect registration, the wallet says 6.0 to 8.0 walclark, szav and Randall Dowling 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicjack Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 Some books you have to take them in an form or grade because you just don't see them.I try on most to be in the midgrade range or be lucky sometimes to find them nicer which is a treat. shortboxed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Man Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 Preferred grade? I really like books in the 5.0-8.0 range. Pretty copies for a bargain price. But has been said several times, sometimes you have to take whatever grade is available at the time. I love the books way more than I love the grade and have no problem buying any grade if it suits my needs at the moment. Since, I've gotton the greatest majority of the books I really want and can afford, I am in the constant process of upgrading at this point. Randall Dowling and sacentaur 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjpb Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 Where price meets eye-appeal 5.0-6.0. If I find a good looking book in this range, I feel no desire to upgrade. If money were no object, I'd probably chase solid eye appeal books in the 7.0-9.0 range with min. ow/w pages for GA. It can be tough enough finding those, and beyond that, the minimal improvements in condition above VF/NM never got me excited, even when I used to collect affordable Silver and Bronze back in the day I wouldn't pay more for a NM over a VF/NM. CGCs cavalier attitudes towards foxing, color bleeds and transfer stains, dull colors, writing on covers, dinginess, dust shadows and even tanning result in preferring technically lower grade copies to some "higher" grade ones. Least bothersome flaw: Detached centerfolds - I really don't care much about these. Frequent flaw that makes mid-grade less attractive to me: Notable color breaking crease on front cover. Randall Dowling and shortboxed 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrooge Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 2 hours ago, OtherEric said: it's largely I'll take what I can find and afford Have been in this camp for a long time but I never aspired for higher grades in the first place so that helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lou_fine Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 3 hours ago, sacentaur said: Yes, eye appeal is key and isn’t something that CGC takes into consideration for a technical grade. +1 Yep, it's definitely much more about the eye appeal of the book itself, as opposed to the technical grade which often involves a lot of near invisible defects which you can barely see on a book. Then again, I am the type of collector who would never ever think of paying a dollar more for a so-called"CGC highest graded copy" of a book if it didn't have the eye appeal in the first place. To each their own, I would have to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang33guy Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 Like many others I”ll take what I can get in regards to certain books. But ideally as a general guideline for myself my sweet spot is a nice mid grade all day long 5.0! Just one of my deliverables is a clean spine with no staple issues. If you have to worry about a book falling apart upon opening then it’s a no go lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbo_7071 Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 I pay more attention to page quality and eye appeal than I do to the actual grade, but I tend to like books around 6.5 to 9.2. I've only purchased one GA 9.4 in the past five years (and nothing above that). For me, the small differences between a 9.2 and a 9.4 or 9.6 don't justify the premiums that the market has bestowed upon those higher grades. (I might swing for a very high grade book if the cover were a personal favorite.) sacentaur 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tri-Color Brian Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 I prefer 8.0 and above, but I take whatever presents well...even 3.0s. Like many have said, it's about the $$$... piper 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
