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Don’t Use CCS! Beware!
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63 posts in this topic

This isn’t my way, but I feel I must type my story as a word of warning. DON’T USE CCS. 

I bought a Golden Age book off Heritage with ever-so-minor color touch. Beautiful book, otherwise.

I drop the book off at C2E2 to have the CT removed and the book graded. Book makes it to CCS, and I get charged for services. Book then makes its way to CGC. Grade gets posted...purple label with notes of minor color touch. Frustrating...as I sent it to CCS for precisely that reason - to have CT removed. Invoice is clear as day - CT removal noted. Book arrives at my house, and it’s apparent there was no attempt (at all) to remove the CT. They were fine with taking my money, but didn’t see the need to do the work. 

I call, they tell me that there must have been a mistake. They told me to print my receipts and send the book back. I did that, and typed/sent a thoughtful note as well.

So, I pay for shipping. Then I wait. Again. Book finally makes its way through the system. Again. The book arrives at my house...and? ANOTHER freaking purple label. CT removal was clearly done, as there are pieces missing and the removal job looks like garbage given how little CT there was. But, they didn’t remove enough to get the darn thing into a Universal holder. I’m not called, consulted, nor apprised of this in the process. 

So, now I have to do this dance once more. More calls. More shipping. More annoyance. More time. ...And no certainty that it’ll get done right. 

Asinine. Just crazy.

It’s a mess with poor quality over there. CGC should get rid of that group. The quality there DOES NOT match the quality of their grading services and harms their brand. Just bad. Divest and move on. 

This is the second bad experience I’ve had. The other related to a poor pressing job. 

Can’t trust them with restoration removal. Can’t trust them with pressing. Bad. Find another provider. Don’t waste your time and money like I did. 

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Do you have scans of the book you can share, before and after? I've had color touch removed by CCS on two books, FF2 and X-Men 1. Both went in purple and came out blue, but the color touch was so minor that even after the removal, I could barely find the spots where the removal had been done.

Edited by MatterEaterLad
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I don’t have any pictures from the first grading (9.2 C-1). But I have a raw scan and current state (8.5 C-1). It was extremely minor CT. I showed a dealer that I know and trust, and he couldn’t find it at first. It was that kind of light touch.

CT on bottom left corner was very, very small. CT on lower right was larger, but still very slight. They didn’t need to take that much paper on the lower left - half of that, at most. But, I’m more upset about the fact that it’s still in a purple holder after two submissions than the shoddy work. I knew there would be some visible scars (though what was done shows a lack of care, had you seen the book up close).

 

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Okay, that looks horrible. I'm surprised that if they removed the CT in such a drastic way that it would come back purple again? I mean, CT removal means REMOVE the CT, right? What's the point of removing part of it? Unless CGC now considers CT removal as restoration??? :(

For the books I sent in, I used a black light and also used a light table to see where the CT was, and it was minimal. Both books came back in the same grade, just went from PLOD to blue.

Edited by MatterEaterLad
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3 hours ago, MatterEaterLad said:

Unless CGC now considers CT removal as restoration???

I think if this were true, CGC would have finally jumped the shark.  I know you meant it facetiously.  I had my one and done bad pressing experience with CCS (popping a staple) so that was it for me.

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I have heard of stories from a dealer I press books for, him telling me about people using CCS for CT removal only to have pieces missing afterwards cause they just cut pieces out. CCS has so many books to press they don't have time to do it properly. Matt Nelson said in a Reggie Simmons youtube interview on pressing that "we don't add anything"  So that just tells you they don't use a hydration chamber, which takes a few hours to get the moisture into the book. Lessons learned. Stay away from purple label books at all costs, unless it's an Action 1/Det 27.  Find a 3rd party presser who presses correctly and has better turnaround times than CCS. Of course , Stay away from the T Shirt pressers on Facebook.   

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3 minutes ago, Kevin76 said:

I have heard of stories from a dealer I press books for, him telling me about people using CCS for CT removal only to have pieces missing afterwards cause they just cut pieces out. CCS has so many books to press they don't have time to do it properly. Matt Nelson said in a Reggie Simmons youtube interview on pressing that "we don't add anything"  So that just tells you they don't use a hydration chamber, which takes a few hours to get the moisture into the book. Lessons learned. Stay away from purple label books at all costs, unless it's an Action 1/Det 27.  Find a 3rd party presser who presses correctly and has better turnaround times than CCS. Of course , Stay away from the T Shirt pressers on Facebook.   

Right-on advice on the CT removal, it seems. Hatchet vs. scalpel for mine.

Here’s the main thing for me: CCS is far from the cheapest service. Given the cost and the connection to CGC, it is implied that the quality is high (“get what you pay for”). I would assume artisanal-like care for each book, an appreciation of these artifacts and methods/approaches that are the most thoughtful and supportive of top-notch results.

That’s not what you get. Go elsewhere.

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14 minutes ago, TwoPiece said:

Doesn't "C" indicate "carppy" quality restoration?

It's entirely possible that they can't remove all of the color touch without even more significant damage being done.

I have an X-Men 94 which ended up having some slight color touch.   I was advised that it would cause significant damage to remove it.   But I was advised before any work was done.  Though that was with joey rather than CCS. I can't seem them making that determination and not notifying the customer before wasting their money.

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5 minutes ago, csaag said:

I have an X-Men 94 which ended up having some slight color touch.   I was advised that it would cause significant damage to remove it.   But I was advised before any work was done.  Though that was with joey rather than CCS. I can't seem them making that determination and not notifying the customer before wasting their money.

Yep. That’s the way you do it. If you cared, that is.

And to create significant blights and STILL send it back as C-1? On the second submission? Subpar. 

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2 minutes ago, BarristerBaker said:

I’m a fairly discerning collector. I wouldn’t have sent the book off without being generally aware of what was necessary. This isn’t an issue of extensive, far reaching CT. It was about as minor as it gets. 

But, let’s say it was of the nature/type that could not be addressed without significant damage, wouldn’t you connect with the customer to discuss options, let them know what was doable or not? If they couldn’t address it, then let’s not cut the book at all. I’d prefer them sending it back, with a note/explanation, keep some sort of processing fee, etc. 

That doesn’t happen at the hatchet-factory. No communication, just poor work, mistakes in processing, lack of appreciation for the material, etc. A book comes in at 9.2 C-1, you pop the slab, cut up the book and send it back...at 8.5 C-1, and think “job well done here, guys”? Sorry, that’s not acceptable.

Communication is key. I cannot disagree with that.

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I am sorry for your bad experiences.

I will say that mine were the opposite.

Good communication all the way through on multiple books... they converted a mid-grade restored TTA27 to a Universal 4.5... an Avengers 4 Restored 9.4 to a Conserved 9.4... and a Hulk 1 7.5 Restored to a 6.5 Universal.

They also rejected 3 of my books for resto removal (X-Men 1, ASM 13, another TTA 27), but delivered the info to me quickly and returned the books promptly as well.

All that said, if I'd had your experiences, I'd be like 'what the ****, man'. Hope it works out in the end. 

 

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1 hour ago, Kevin76 said:

I have heard of stories from a dealer I press books for, him telling me about people using CCS for CT removal only to have pieces missing afterwards cause they just cut pieces out. CCS has so many books to press they don't have time to do it properly. Matt Nelson said in a Reggie Simmons youtube interview on pressing that "we don't add anything"  So that just tells you they don't use a hydration chamber, which takes a few hours to get the moisture into the book. Lessons learned. Stay away from purple label books at all costs, unless it's an Action 1/Det 27.  Find a 3rd party presser who presses correctly and has better turnaround times than CCS. Of course , Stay away from the T Shirt pressers on Facebook.   

I had a great experience with CCS, but this was right after they joined the CGC mothership. And Matt even recommended against pressing a few books for fear of popping staples, cracking spines, etc. Maybe they're just too busy? Or so busy that quality is hit and miss? Is there someone else you'd recommend for CT removal?

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1 hour ago, Kevin76 said:

I have heard of stories from a dealer I press books for, him telling me about people using CCS for CT removal only to have pieces missing afterwards cause they just cut pieces out.

That actually happened on my TTA27 book. They cut out the tiny color touch. Made a hole in the cover. I was surprised and pleased when the Universal grade of 4.5 came back. But I'd rather have had that, than a 5.5/6.0 restored book.

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