First time taking CGC already graded comics to get signed by Claremont with witness 0

[MockGecko]

Hey guys, 

I am bound and determined this year to bring my pre-graded CGC 9.4 slabbed collection of X-Men 94 through 101 In addition to about 10 other X books to get signed at ECCC by Chris Claremont.
 

I have a CGC account and have dropped raw books off at their booth to get graded and slabbed in the past but have never went through the signature witness stages yet with the author/artist so am unfamiliar with the process. I could not find info about how this works on CGCs site so I’m hoping you can all enlighten me. It’s important for me to understand this because I will basically be hauling a heavy Box in with me at the show so it’s a big worry for me.

Do I first bring my box of 17 pre-graded slabs to the CGC booth and then they crack them all out of the cases right there and then we walk them over with me to get signed?
 

Then what happens once they are signed so that they are reslabbed? Do they get reslabbed at the show with the yellow label later that day  or are they taken back to CGC headquarters after the show to be slabbed with the yellow label? 
 

Appreciate hearing from everyone with their experiences about this process!!!

Thanks!

Nick 

Edited February 15, 2020 by MockGecko

[revat]

If they are blue label now, it makes no difference to Cgc if you crack them at home or at the show.

most people would probably crack at home in a safe controlled environment, then put them in window bags with appropriate bags and boards and labels (with pertinent info).

You go to Cgc booth, get a witness, go with them to get your books signed, then leave your books with Cgc after filling out a form and giving them money.

but the process for any show or individual may vary, so you should check w Cgc ahead of time, maybe shoot them an email before the show.

 

also, there’s a newbie thread in the signature room sub forum you would probably benefit from checking out 

***you can bring your old blue labels to Cgc so they can take those out of the system (this is nice but ultimately optional)

[MarkMoon]

On 2/14/2020 at 8:51 PM, MockGecko said:

Hey guys, 

I am bound and determined this year to bring my pre-graded CGC 9.4 slabbed collection of X-Men 94 through 101 In addition to about 10 other X books to get signed at ECCC by Chris Claremont.
 

I have a CGC account and have dropped raw books off at their booth to get graded and slabbed in the past but have never went through the signature witness stages yet with the author/artist so am unfamiliar with the process. I could not find info about how this works on CGCs site so I’m hoping you can all enlighten me. It’s important for me to understand this because I will basically be hauling a heavy Box in with me at the show so it’s a big worry for me.

Do I first bring my box of 17 pre-graded slabs to the CGC booth and then they crack them all out of the cases right there and then we walk them over with me to get signed?
 

Then what happens once they are signed so that they are reslabbed? Do they get reslabbed at the show with the yellow label later that day  or are they taken back to CGC headquarters after the show to be slabbed with the yellow label? 
 

Appreciate hearing from everyone with their experiences about this process!!!

Thanks!

Nick 

A couple of additional things you should know.  First, Claremont charges a signing fee of $20 per book for anything getting graded (don't know yet if he raised his price for 2020 - some artists/writers raise their prices every year).  So keep that in mind when you are budgeting.

Second, Claremont is usually one of the creators with whom CGC does private signings with at cons.  Although they haven't announced it officially, at every 2019 convention that both he and CGC were at, CGC had a private signing with him.  So in those instances, you have to drop off your books IN WINDOW BAGS with the appropriate signing fee in cash to submit directly to the CGC booth.  This is a positive and a negative.  The negative is that you don't get to actually meet him (he is an awesome guy and you get to have a meaningful interaction with him because he likes to talk to his fans).  The positive is that because the likes to talk to his fans, his line moves really really slow and gets really really long and you avoid the very long wait for his signature.

Third, the books will not be graded and slabbed at the convention.  They are taken back to Florida where they are graded and slabbed and will be shipped to you when completed.

Fourth, while they are willing to crack open slabbed books for you at the booth, even for blue labels, it is a long process and for 17 books, the people at the booth will not appreciate it at all.  The lines are very long and you are probably better of cracking the books yourself if you are dealing with such a high number of slabs.  With that being said, it can be very tricky, so be very careful cracking the slabs and taking the books out and bagging them into window bags.

I've gotten a bunch of Claremont graded signatures before both through the private signings and in-person signings.  So if you have any specific questions, feel free to hit me up with a direct message and hopefully I'll have the answer.

 

[ADAMANTIUM]

If you're going to certain cons such as c2e2 this weekend where there is onsite grading, you may be able to have the slabs back at the end of the con, not every con has this feature....

[Jasten]

A few pointers on Claremont from my experienced at NYCC last year. First, if you care about signature placement, I HIGHLY consider window bags. If you don't you will get the signature across the X-Men title (I personally am not a fan of this). Second, he had his own markers and one of them was a paint pen of sorts. I waited a good minute before returning the book to my stack and it still smudged terribly. Be very careful if he uses a non sharpie to wait long enough for it to dry.

[Dmac538]

On 2/14/2020 at 8:51 PM, MockGecko said:

Hey guys, 

I am bound and determined this year to bring my pre-graded CGC 9.4 slabbed collection of X-Men 94 through 101 In addition to about 10 other X books to get signed at ECCC by Chris Claremont.
 

I have a CGC account and have dropped raw books off at their booth to get graded and slabbed in the past but have never went through the signature witness stages yet with the author/artist so am unfamiliar with the process. I could not find info about how this works on CGCs site so I’m hoping you can all enlighten me. It’s important for me to understand this because I will basically be hauling a heavy Box in with me at the show so it’s a big worry for me.

Do I first bring my box of 17 pre-graded slabs to the CGC booth and then they crack them all out of the cases right there and then we walk them over with me to get signed?
 

Then what happens once they are signed so that they are reslabbed? Do they get reslabbed at the show with the yellow label later that day  or are they taken back to CGC headquarters after the show to be slabbed with the yellow label? 
 

Appreciate hearing from everyone with their experiences about this process!!!

Thanks!

Nick 

FIRST AND FOREMOST, DO NOT CRACK OPEN YOUR BOOKS ON YOUR OWN!!!!!!! Bring your books to the CGC booth as early as possible as you have in ordinate amount of slabs to open. If you crack any slab on your own, your book will null and void, only a CGC person is allowed to crack your book open, in order to keep the chain of authenticity. You will then be given a form authorizing CGC to crack open your slab. Once that is done, they will give you window boxed bag and board to get your signature. If there is a private signing, it works even better, do all the paper work, have money for Chris Claremont, and you are done!!!

[MarkMoon]

1 hour ago, Dmac538 said:

FIRST AND FOREMOST, DO NOT CRACK OPEN YOUR BOOKS ON YOUR OWN!!!!!!! Bring your books to the CGC booth as early as possible as you have in ordinate amount of slabs to open. If you crack any slab on your own, your book will null and void, only a CGC person is allowed to crack your book open, in order to keep the chain of authenticity. You will then be given a form authorizing CGC to crack open your slab. Once that is done, they will give you window boxed bag and board to get your signature. If there is a private signing, it works even better, do all the paper work, have money for Chris Claremont, and you are done!!!

Based on the original post, the assumption is that we're talking about unsigned Blue Label books.  Yes, if the books have been previously signed and are gold label, you shouldn't crack them yourself.  If they are blue labels and unsigned, you can crack them yourself.  

[Chaz G.]

On 2/14/2020 at 8:51 PM, MockGecko said:

Then what happens once they are signed so that they are reslabbed? Do they get reslabbed at the show with the yellow label later that day  or are they taken back to CGC headquarters after the show to be slabbed with the yellow label? 

Just so you're aware, they are taken back to CGC in Florida and Re-Graded. You are not guaranteed the same grade. Once a book is removed from the slab, it must be regraded. This is true regardless of who cracks the slab. It usually comes back with the same grade, but not always. 

Edited February 23, 2020 by Chazgee

[mattn792]

On 2/14/2020 at 7:51 PM, MockGecko said:

Hey guys, 

I am bound and determined this year to bring my pre-graded CGC 9.4 slabbed collection of X-Men 94 through 101 In addition to about 10 other X books to get signed at ECCC by Chris Claremont.

, but make sure to have at least $360 to cover his signature fees for 18 books (I believe he's still $20 per CGC book)

I have a CGC account and have dropped raw books off at their booth to get graded and slabbed in the past but have never went through the signature witness stages yet with the author/artist so am unfamiliar with the process. I could not find info about how this works on CGCs site so I’m hoping you can all enlighten me. It’s important for me to understand this because I will basically be hauling a heavy Box in with me at the show so it’s a big worry for me.

There should be a designated line somewhere around the CGC booth where you'll wait for the next available witness.

Do I first bring my box of 17 pre-graded slabs to the CGC booth and then they crack them all out of the cases right there and then we walk them over with me to get signed?

If you're books are all blue labels, definitely crack them out yourself in advance, and also window bag them in advance.  You will make no friends standing at the CGC counter while they crack 18 blue labels for you.  If you have any yellow labels to crack though, CGC has to do it for you to maintain the witness chain, there's no way around this. 

 

Then what happens once they are signed so that they are reslabbed? Do they get reslabbed at the show with the yellow label later that day  or are they taken back to CGC headquarters after the show to be slabbed with the yellow label? 

If they have on-site grading at ECCC, then maybe you'd get lucky enough to make the submission cut off if you got in Claremont's line right away on day 1 and he was punctual in showing up to his table.  But don't count on it, its more likely you're books are going back to Florida to be re-graded (they won't automatically retain 9.4s, so be really careful when cracking the slabs).  Also keep in mind - there is no on-site pressing if you were planning to have any of your books pressed prior to grading.
 

Appreciate hearing from everyone with their experiences about this process!!!

Thanks!

Nick 

Advice above, with slight math correction: issues 94-101 + 10 other books = 18 total books.