Grader Notes for "Newer" books 0

[RisingMoon]

I've always had great success with CGC grading and worked hard to understand what differentiates a 9.4, from a 9.6 to a 9.8, never expecting to ever receive a 9.9 or a 10.0! And that was fine. Until recently. I sent in a batch of 15 books, most of which came back in the 8.0-8.5 range.  No grader notes provided.  Called CGC, helpful talk, but still no grader notes.  I've built a foundation on an understanding through a proven track record of 9.8's for years.  I know I'm making a bigger deal than it is, but I can't help wondering if my books were in that bad shape in their eyes, that I could have possibly lowered my bar that far to have let slip through all the flaws, can't be!  So was it a disgruntled grader, can't be since there's 2 of them!  So now I have to consider if it's worth it to send them back in again at my expense.  There is no appeals process I was told on the phone.  In the past, any book lower than 9.8, typically included grader notes.  If they had only given me the grader notes.  I'd be fine with the verdict, if I had the reasons, the error, the flaw that I missed.  We all want to improve the quality of what it is we are so passionate about collecting.  How can we improve, if information is withheld or non-existent.  3rd party guarantees, certification protocols, quality control, can it still possibly be subjective?  Maybe CGC can make the grader notes a part of the protocol for the benefit of its customers?

[comicquant]

4 hours ago, Jeff Mongno said:

I've always had great success with CGC grading and worked hard to understand what differentiates a 9.4, from a 9.6 to a 9.8, never expecting to ever receive a 9.9 or a 10.0! And that was fine. Until recently. I sent in a batch of 15 books, most of which came back in the 8.0-8.5 range.  No grader notes provided.  Called CGC, helpful talk, but still no grader notes.  I've built a foundation on an understanding through a proven track record of 9.8's for years.  I know I'm making a bigger deal than it is, but I can't help wondering if my books were in that bad shape in their eyes, that I could have possibly lowered my bar that far to have let slip through all the flaws, can't be!  So was it a disgruntled grader, can't be since there's 2 of them!  So now I have to consider if it's worth it to send them back in again at my expense.  There is no appeals process I was told on the phone.  In the past, any book lower than 9.8, typically included grader notes.  If they had only given me the grader notes.  I'd be fine with the verdict, if I had the reasons, the error, the flaw that I missed.  We all want to improve the quality of what it is we are so passionate about collecting.  How can we improve, if information is withheld or non-existent.  3rd party guarantees, certification protocols, quality control, can it still possibly be subjective?  Maybe CGC can make the grader notes a part of the protocol for the benefit of its customers?

Very odd to not have grader notes in the 8.0 - 8.5 range.  About the only time I see this is with books graded in 2011 and because of how common it is for that year I'm chalking it up to some sort of data loss or brief policy change.  So it's likely your batch of books not having notes was due to the notes going missing or some other clerical error.  

[The Lions Den]

I agree; this is very unusual.  

I'd inspect the books for noticeable flaws such as corner dents, color-breaking spine stress, minor creasing and edge wear, etc. I do this with every book I own, even CGC graded books. I like to think of it as a comparison check (between my grading and CGC's) but if I ever sell those books, I want to know what individual flaws each book has beforehand.

If you were expecting them to be in the Near Mint range, perhaps your books were damaged during the shipping and receiving process. I've seen books that would've received a 9.6 or 9.8 reduced to a VF because of a corner crunch. And if no one catches it in the receiving department, it's more likely the books will continue through the encapsulation process without being flagged as damaged, especially if the books were put into different bags and boards when they arrived at CGC. If you do find evidence of shipping damage, you may be able to plead your case and have the books sent to CCS for pressing. 

I'm sorry this happened, and I hope you find a suitable solution to this issue...  

 

Edited June 1, 2019 by The Lions Den

[rjpb]

Flaws that would reduce a book from the NM range to 8.0-8.5 are usually visible through the slab. Is there some sort of uniform flaw (like a dinged corner), that might indicate damage in shipping?

[theCapraAegagrus]

Seems very strange that there wouldn't be notes for a book under 9.4. Can you give us some pictures? I would think the flaws are easily noticeable even in-slab below NM condition.

[justafan]

On 5/31/2019 at 11:41 AM, RisingMoon said:

I've always had great success with CGC grading and worked hard to understand what differentiates a 9.4, from a 9.6 to a 9.8, never expecting to ever receive a 9.9 or a 10.0! And that was fine. Until recently. I sent in a batch of 15 books, most of which came back in the 8.0-8.5 range.  No grader notes provided.  Called CGC, helpful talk, but still no grader notes.  I've built a foundation on an understanding through a proven track record of 9.8's for years.  I know I'm making a bigger deal than it is, but I can't help wondering if my books were in that bad shape in their eyes, that I could have possibly lowered my bar that far to have let slip through all the flaws, can't be!  So was it a disgruntled grader, can't be since there's 2 of them!  So now I have to consider if it's worth it to send them back in again at my expense.  There is no appeals process I was told on the phone.  In the past, any book lower than 9.8, typically included grader notes.  If they had only given me the grader notes.  I'd be fine with the verdict, if I had the reasons, the error, the flaw that I missed.  We all want to improve the quality of what it is we are so passionate about collecting.  How can we improve, if information is withheld or non-existent.  3rd party guarantees, certification protocols, quality control, can it still possibly be subjective?  Maybe CGC can make the grader notes a part of the protocol for the benefit of its customers?

Did you receive the books back from CGC already?  If so could you post some front and back cover scans here.  Did you elect to have them pressed prior to grading (I only ask to rule out any hard to see non-color breaking cover defects).  If the covers are of 9.8 quality then there has to be some defect internally.  While it is very strange for no grader notes to be present (even due to a data loss or forgetful grader) I find it stranger that they don't have a any record or documented basis for why they gave it the grades they did.  If the staples are not rusty or discolored, the cover doesn't have hidden water spots, finger prints, or stains that are only visible under UV light or bright angled light, or production/shipping ink abrasions along the spine from 2 comics rubbing against each other, then the only defects I can think of that would knock it down to an 8.0/8.5 not on the cover would be interior defects.  if a wrap was detatched, mutlple interior tears, interior staining I could see it getting an 8.0/8.5.  When you get them back, try looking carefully through the interiors and see if there's any surprises.  I've heard of collectors finding petrified pepperoni stuck to one of the interior pages.  But if you checked them out completely and find nothing and the books are of significance to you or of value I would try calling again and requesting escalation.  You deserve to be informed of at least one defect (if not obvious) why it received its grade.

[Rhymenoceros]

2 hours ago, justafan said:

...  I've heard of collectors finding petrified pepperoni stuck to one of the interior pages...

Ahh, the dreaded PP