Just getting started.... 0

[Will96]

So.... I have quite a few comics from my much younger days.... less so of the current stuff as I still tend to like the older reads.... and artwork.... less of a buyer today and more of an admirer of my older stuff while filling in the gaps.... At any rate, I just sent off a few comics for grading of various eras, genres and publishers.... Kind of to get a feel of what actual grading looks like and the process.... It is a learning process for sure and even at this early stage, there's things I might do differently.... I do have a question that perhaps someone can give me insight on....

After the comic is graded, is it then slabbed or is there an opportunity for pressing?

Also, how does one determine if a comic should be pressed? I saw on here a few posts of people regretting having this done. The truth is, while I would like to know what I have as far as grading/potential value, I'm way more emotionally invested in my comics than from a business/selling perspective. I think I would be heartbroken if my Daredevil 8 or Luke Cage #1 were destroyed.... Given the age of some of the comics, I worry about the pages being too brittle.... I could be wrong but it seems to me Golden, Silver age comics were not exactly made to last.... 

Lastly, is cleaning part of pressing?  I read the FAQ so I have a pretty good idea, but any experiences people have would certainly be helpful.

Thanks, 

 

[theCapraAegagrus]

4 hours ago, Will96 said:

...After the comic is graded, is it then slabbed or is there an opportunity for pressing?

Also, how does one determine if a comic should be pressed? I saw on here a few posts of people regretting having this done. The truth is, while I would like to know what I have as far as grading/potential value, I'm way more emotionally invested in my comics than from a business/selling perspective. I think I would be heartbroken if my Daredevil 8 or Luke Cage #1 were destroyed.... Given the age of some of the comics, I worry about the pages being too brittle.... I could be wrong but it seems to me Golden, Silver age comics were not exactly made to last.... 

Lastly, is cleaning part of pressing?  I read the FAQ so I have a pretty good idea, but any experiences people have would certainly be helpful.

Thanks, 

 

Pressing would occur prior to grading.

Press-able flaws like non-color-breaking creases, waviness, etc. Something that 'flattening' the comic would 'correct'.

Non-restorative cleaning is part of most (all?) pressing processes.

[The Lions Den]

5 hours ago, Will96 said:

So.... I have quite a few comics from my much younger days.... less so of the current stuff as I still tend to like the older reads.... and artwork.... less of a buyer today and more of an admirer of my older stuff while filling in the gaps.... At any rate, I just sent off a few comics for grading of various eras, genres and publishers.... Kind of to get a feel of what actual grading looks like and the process.... It is a learning process for sure and even at this early stage, there's things I might do differently.... I do have a question that perhaps someone can give me insight on....

After the comic is graded, is it then slabbed or is there an opportunity for pressing?

Also, how does one determine if a comic should be pressed? I saw on here a few posts of people regretting having this done. The truth is, while I would like to know what I have as far as grading/potential value, I'm way more emotionally invested in my comics than from a business/selling perspective. I think I would be heartbroken if my Daredevil 8 or Luke Cage #1 were destroyed.... Given the age of some of the comics, I worry about the pages being too brittle.... I could be wrong but it seems to me Golden, Silver age comics were not exactly made to last.... 

Lastly, is cleaning part of pressing?  I read the FAQ so I have a pretty good idea, but any experiences people have would certainly be helpful.

Thanks, 

 

Regarding your pressing question, I personally like to ask myself if pressing is something that would substantially improve the appearance of the book. For instance, some books may only have a few tiny flaws which don't detract from the overall eye appeal. You should also take into account the integrity of the book itself. If the staples are tight and the spine is strong, the paper is of nice quality and not brittle, then the book should be a decent candidate for pressing (there are some books that are on the "do not press" list, but that appears to be a fairly short list). If a pressing is done correctly, it should be virtually undetectable. From what I understand, common problems usually occur because of too much heat or too much pressure (or a combination of both) which can result in a variety of unsightly flaws. I hope this helps...

 

[Will96]

53 minutes ago, The Lions Den said:

Regarding your pressing question, I personally like to ask myself if pressing is something that would substantially improve the appearance of the book. For instance, some books may only have a few tiny flaws which don't detract from the overall eye appeal. You should also take into account the integrity of the book itself. If the staples are tight and the spine is strong, the paper is of nice quality and not brittle, then the book should be a decent candidate for pressing (there are some books that are on the "do not press" list, but that appears to be a fairly short list). If a pressing is done correctly, it should be virtually undetectable. From what I understand, common problems usually occur because of too much heat or too much pressure (or a combination of both) which can result in a variety of unsightly flaws. I hope this helps...

 

It does. I don't think any of these are candidates. At least in this group. 

[Will96]

1 hour ago, theCapraAegagrus said:

Pressing would occur prior to grading.

Press-able flaws like non-color-breaking creases, waviness, etc. Something that 'flattening' the comic would 'correct'.

Non-restorative cleaning is part of most (all?) pressing processes.

Got it, thanks. The whole thing is fascinating to me. I've always thought comics were like antique furniture.... What you had was what you had and many of these processes could destroy the value. 

[The Lions Den]

1 hour ago, Will96 said:

Got it, thanks. The whole thing is fascinating to me. I've always thought comics were like antique furniture.... What you had was what you had and many of these processes could destroy the value. 

As with so many things, science has moved forward---even with comic books...  

[revat]

You can of course send the comics in for pressing and regrading after you have already had it graded.  It’s totally up to you and your own situation.  
in the event you want to press, do your research and find the pressers with the best reputation, and at minimum they probably won’t destroy your comic (which is obviously important), and you can actually pay people to check your comics for pressable defects (so they don’t press your comics unnecessarily)

[Will96]

19 hours ago, revat said:

You can of course send the comics in for pressing and regrading after you have already had it graded.  It’s totally up to you and your own situation.  
in the event you want to press, do your research and find the pressers with the best reputation, and at minimum they probably won’t destroy your comic (which is obviously important), and you can actually pay people to check your comics for pressable defects (so they don’t press your comics unnecessarily)

Yes, honestly as I think about it, the older ones seem too brittle to me. The newer ones are in great shape as far as bends and creases go. I guess for now, I'll just sort of enjoy the experience....

[Will96]

21 hours ago, The Lions Den said:

As with so many things, science has moved forward---even with comic books...  

 

[the blob]

I would buy some slabs to get a better sense of what grades your books are before spending a lot on submissions

[Will96]

18 hours ago, the blob said:

I would buy some slabs to get a better sense of what grades your books are before spending a lot on submissions

Not sure what you mean.... buy some comics that already slabbed and graded?

I'm not sure I want to spend money on books I'm not really excited about. I'm in for these submissions so at the very least, it will be money spent on books I'm invested in....

[the blob]

9 hours ago, Will96 said:

Not sure what you mean.... buy some comics that already slabbed and graded?

I'm not sure I want to spend money on books I'm not really excited about. I'm in for these submissions so at the very least, it will be money spent on books I'm invested in....

Ok, maybe you have a really good idea of grades, but ebay is littered with mid grade books not worth the cgc fees that I assume folks sent in because they thought they were 9.8s. What have you sent in?

[the blob]

If the DD 8 comes back under a 6.0 it may be worth less than the cgc fees, for example.

[Will96]

8 hours ago, the blob said:

Ok, maybe you have a really good idea of grades, but ebay is littered with mid grade books not worth the cgc fees that I assume folks sent in because they thought they were 9.8s. What have you sent in?

I gotcha. The DD 8 would be nice to be a 6, but not sure on that one. Luke Cage Hero for Hire #1 in really good condition. Micronauts #1 and #8 in like new condition. Never read as I have multiples of those. Honestly, as I've been getting up to speed on this, there seems to really be an obsession among some for the 9.8. as well as ROI. These are 40 to almost 60 year old comics and while I took care of them, I was not obsessed with this collection and it's upkeep. I enjoyed it. used it.... My real end goal in all this is to continue to enjoy my collection, display some, enjoy the others and perfect my skills at smoking ribs. I want to "do right" by myself in this but certainly not lose sleep.... The Micronauts would be the only ones I would consider selling as I have multiples of these. If the DD 8 comes back worth less than the fees, I'm really ok with that.

[Will96]

 

1 hour ago, TimeToShine said:

Then I would suggest not wasting any more money on slabbing comics. Instead you should learn to grade yourself, you'll enjoy the hobby much more.

Suggestion duly noted. Some people "waste" their money on gas station chicken wings, others on sticking singles in g strings (do they still take singles?), I'll "waste" mine on getting getting comics of my choice graded. Any other suggestions you have for me?

Edited May 29, 2020 by Will96

[csaag]

1 hour ago, Will96 said:

 

Suggestion duly noted. Some people "waste" their money on gas station chicken wings, others on sticking singles in g strings (do they still take singles?), I'll "waste" mine on getting getting comics of my choice graded. Any other suggestions you have for me?

The point of any hobby is to enjoy the time and money you put into it.  No one can tell you ur right or wrong for what u get out of it.  If you fully understand the financials of ur decisions then go for it. Also nothing wrong with taking ur time if there's parts u font fully understand. IMO read a copy of the Overstreet 2016 grading guide.  Plenty of YouTube videos on why to press.  Good luck

[Will96]

53 minutes ago, TimeToShine said:

I suggest you relax 

Sorry to hit a nerve, I thought you were a Newb asking for opinions. I didn't realize you had already drunk the CGC koolaid. I see The Blob tried to warn you too, so at least you're informed. Slab 'em all!!

lol. You didn't hit a nerve, but I was being acerbic in jest.... if there's such a thing. I guess my joke about chicken wings and g strings didn't land?.... Text can lack tone and I could always use emoticons..... Trust me, reading though a lot of the different threads, I can see there can be a bit unrealistic expectations with grading and the whole thing so I get folks trying get people to manage expectations. The only thing I really want out of this for sure, is my comics back....

[Will96]

57 minutes ago, csaag said:

The point of any hobby is to enjoy the time and money you put into it.  No one can tell you ur right or wrong for what u get out of it.  If you fully understand the financials of ur decisions then go for it. Also nothing wrong with taking ur time if there's parts u font fully understand. IMO read a copy of the Overstreet 2016 grading guide.  Plenty of YouTube videos on why to press.  Good luck

Thanks, yes, some of the YouTube videos are really good.... or at least interesting. Honestly, I was pretty stunned looking at some of the auctions and sales of 9.8 vs 9.6 vs 9.4 comics and if I was in this to sell, I'd still be in the mindset of "condition is condition" but.... yeah, I think The Blob would have a point about 'would I have sent that DD #8 in'.... Ultimately, I have to enjoy it and sometimes that means irrational decisions that may not be the wisest from a spending standpoint.... 

Overstreet.... my god. I remember comic guides when I was a kid.... Better than the King James.... I do need to pick one up.

Edited May 29, 2020 by Will96

[the blob]

8 hours ago, Will96 said:

 

Suggestion duly noted. Some people "waste" their money on gas station chicken wings, others on sticking singles in g strings (do they still take singles?), I'll "waste" mine on getting getting comics of my choice graded. Any other suggestions you have for me?

If you like comics you can use the money spent on slabbing books that aren't worth slabbing to buy more comics! Or are you just interested in what you own and having some in slabs. Case in point, chances are your micronauts 1 is not a 9.8 or even 9.6. If it is a 9.2 or 9.0 you have taken a $15 raw book and made it a $20-30 slab (I'd have to actually look, these numbers are estimates), effectively vaporizing $5-10 or so. That $ could actually buy something interesting. That's what we're getting at. Not trying to be mean. So, yes, slabbing at $20-50 a pop is a ROI analysis because those books will look just as pretty in a much cheaper Mylar.

Edited May 30, 2020 by the blob

[Will96]

12 hours ago, the blob said:

If you like comics you can use the money spent on slabbing books that aren't worth slabbing to buy more comics! Or are you just interested in what you own and having some in slabs. Case in point, chances are your micronauts 1 is not a 9.8 or even 9.6. If it is a 9.2 or 9.0 you have taken a $15 raw book and made it a $20-30 slab (I'd have to actually look, these numbers are estimates), effectively vaporizing $5-10 or so. That $ could actually buy something interesting. That's what we're getting at. Not trying to be mean. So, yes, slabbing at $20-50 a pop is a ROI analysis because those books will look just as pretty in a much cheaper Mylar.

One doesn't know what one has till on sees what one has. It will be interesting to see where they grade and i'm looking forward to that. They are in pristine, never read condition, but a the end of the day, the grade is the grade. I'm not hanging on them coming in at some value. No offense, but you have no idea where they will grade and neither do I. Your history at this and experience provides valuable experience here, but in the end, we just don't know.

More importantly, I don't care WHERE they grade, but I care to "KNOW".... I have two trunks full of old comics. I don't care about vaporizing $5-10 dollars that could be spent on something I'm not particularly focused on and would do anyway if I wanted to.... This is 6 grades of random comics out of two trunks full and 6 I'm willing to let out of my sight on an experiment....

When I was younger, I was in to muscle cars in H.S. and after.... 70 Dodge Charger RT, GT this, GT that.... 440 ci, 390, Holly this, Edlebrock, wheels, tires.... I don't think I EVER sold a car for profit based on what I put into it and in fact my friend and I would laugh at the ads that would say "X" dollars invested.... No one cares.... they just want to buy the car as cheap as THEY can get it. More importantly, I don't lose sleep over what those cars are worth now....

What I'm saying is ROI is not for hobbies and passion interests.... It's for stocks, property and real investments one should have a cool, dispassionate head about.

Life gives you one shot. If I see a Girl Scout selling cookies, I'll make her happy without worrying about cost benefit.... Enjoy the hobby.