What's the biggest discrepancy you've had between the CGC grade and the grade you thought it should get? 0

[Tafkap]

So I just got a batch back of 23 comics.  Of those myself and a LCS owner screened some of them strictly and only if they'd get a 9.8.  All those came back at 9.4!  I truly couldn't believe.  Stuff like Wolverine Limited 2 and 4 in 9.4 are now basically break-even products.  What's been your biggest discrepancy?  

[Tony S]

What you have experienced is why no one pays the 9.8 price for a raw comic book at a LCS. Fact is that NM+ and better books are pretty much the exclusive grading domain of professional grading companies.  You have also learned your ability - and your LCS ability - to prescreen at 9.8 is lacking. 

What you SHOULD have done is sent in two more comic books - a total of 25 - and had CGC prescreen them.  Then instead of getting back a bunch of 9.4's in slabs, you'd have only gotten back 9.8's in slabs and everything not a 9.8 would have been returned raw. The rejects would have cost you $5 each. But that's better than the price of slabbing. 

This is how all the big sellers of hot new comics have lots 9.8's for sale. They are probably only a little better than you or your LCS at identifying 9.8's.  But they send their books to CGC prescreened. BUYERS don't know about all the books they get back raw that didn't pass prescreen

As for your original question. I'm not sure I remember. There have been a number of times I was off two full points. I treat it as a learning experience. Most recently I've learned a book that looks a solid VG (4.0) might come back a 2.0 if it has much in the way of tape. 

[Tafkap]

8 minutes ago, Tony S said:

What you have experienced is why no one pays the 9.8 price for a raw comic book at a LCS. Fact is that NM+ and better books are pretty much the exclusive grading domain of professional grading companies.  You have also learned your ability - and your LCS ability - to prescreen at 9.8 is lacking. 

What you SHOULD have done is sent in two more comic books - a total of 25 - and had CGC prescreen them.  Then instead of getting back a bunch of 9.4's in slabs, you'd have only gotten back 9.8's in slabs and everything not a 9.8 would have been returned raw. The rejects would have cost you $5 each. But that's better than the price of slabbing. 

This is how all the big sellers of hot new comics have lots 9.8's for sale. They are probably only a little better than you or your LCS at identifying 9.8's.  But they send their books to CGC prescreened. BUYERS don't know about all the books they get back raw that didn't pass prescreen

As for your original question. I'm not sure I remember. There have been a number of times I was off two full points. I treat it as a learning experience. Most recently I've learned a book that looks a solid VG (4.0) might come back a 2.0 if it has much in the way of tape. 

Thanks.   Actually I sent it 30 and the other 7 apparently were shipped out later.  

Now it makes sense why there are so many 9.8s out there; especially of non-notable issues.  

I guess I'll do the pre-screening with my next batch.  

[Catwomancomics]

Did you submit through your LCS? See if you can obtain the graders notes on the 9.4 books from your LCS if you submitted through them.  This will help you learn why they didn’t get 9.8 grades. (Spine creases that don’t break color,  finger bends etc.) 

Edit:  Some spine creases and finger bends are hard to spot unless the lighting is good and you tilt the book to get the light to reflect on them.

Edited August 31, 2020 by Catwomancomics

[thehumantorch]

40 minutes ago, Tafkap said:

So I just got a batch back of 23 comics.  Of those myself and a LCS owner screened some of them strictly and only if they'd get a 9.8.  All those came back at 9.4!  I truly couldn't believe.  Stuff like Wolverine Limited 2 and 4 in 9.4 are now basically break-even products.  What's been your biggest discrepancy?  

Clearly you and the LCS owner don't grade to CGC standards.  It's a tough lesson but pretty common.  Study the books, read the graders notes.  You'll soon understand what you were missing are you'll be a better grader for it.

[Tafkap]

Just now, thehumantorch said:

Clearly you and the LCS owner don't grade to CGC standards.  It's a tough lesson but pretty common.  Study the books, read the graders notes.  You'll soon understand what you were missing are you'll be a better grader for it.

Well actually on the previous batch we/he actually under-graded them; I was pleasantly surprised with the high overall numbers on those.  

[thehumantorch]

13 minutes ago, Tafkap said:

Well actually on the previous batch we/he actually under-graded them; I was pleasantly surprised with the high overall numbers on those.  

Perhaps CGC was a bit tight or perhaps the books were damaged in transit or perhaps they were damaged if they were pressed or some other variable.  I'd still study the books and the grader's notes to see what CGC saw that you didn't.  It's also always a good idea to scan the front and back cover of every book you send to CGC to help you identify any damage done in the shipping, pressing, and grading process.  I neglected to scan the back covers of books I submitted a few months ago and regretted it.

There are very few LCS that I would trust to grade books and those few exceptions are LCS that submit to CGC a lot.

My partner and I send quite a few books and we're better than 90% on 9.8 modern/copper and I don't think our misses have ever been off more than 1 grade point.  For mid grade SA and GA we've been off substantially and we still get surprised although generally we're too tight.

[William-James88]

1 hour ago, Tafkap said:

So I just got a batch back of 23 comics.  Of those myself and a LCS owner screened some of them strictly and only if they'd get a 9.8.  All those came back at 9.4!  I truly couldn't believe.  Stuff like Wolverine Limited 2 and 4 in 9.4 are now basically break-even products.  What's been your biggest discrepancy?  

I know this will probably come across as disrespectful but reading that post of yours made me cringe. I myself would never state with utmost certainty that a comic of mine is a 9.8, since I am not CGC. Even if some were undergraded before (in your point of view), I would never assume to have a 9.8 let alone expect that. Hope for it, sure, but expecting it and being in disbelief sounds like folly. Worst of all, you had 23 books, just add 2 more for 25 and do the prescreen. That's the only way to ensure you get the 9.8s. What I can't believe is that this wasn't the strategy chosen by you and the LCS owner. You guys wanted 9.8s and this is the one guarantee you have of getting it and you didn't go for it. Why? Did you also choose not to get these pressed?

Also, less than half a point of grade is literally one of the lowest discrepencies possible.

Edited August 31, 2020 by William-James88

[Tafkap]

2 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

I know this will probably come across as disrespectful but reading that post of yours made me cringe. I myself would never state that a comic of mine is a 9.8, since I am not CGC. Even if some were undergraded before (in your point of view), I would never assume to have a 9.8 let alone expect that. Hope for it, sure, but expecting it and being in disbelief sounds like folly. Worst of all, you had 23 books, just add 2 more for 25 and do the prescreen. That's the only way to ensure you get the 9.8s. What I can't believe is that this wasn't the strategy chosen by you and the LCS owner. You guys wanted 9.8s and this is the one guarantee you have of getting it and you didn't go for it. Why?

Also, less than half a point of grade is literally one of the lowest discrepencies possible.

Well, first, out of the 30 books I submitted there was only a handful that I qualified for only 9.8s; the majority of the batch I was happy to get any reasonable grade.

How does it work with pre-screening?  Obviously you can't submit the correct charge for the books upfront?  Do you leave them a credit card or do they contact you?  

 

[William-James88]

48 minutes ago, Tafkap said:

Well, first, out of the 30 books I submitted there was only a handful that I qualified for only 9.8s; the majority of the batch I was happy to get any reasonable grade.

How does it work with pre-screening?  Obviously you can't submit the correct charge for the books upfront?  Do you leave them a credit card or do they contact you?  

 

You submit the full charge through the credit card and they will charge you the right total when comes the time.

Also, I thought you said you submitted 23 books as 9.8s, that's more than a handful. Does your LCS not know about prescreening?

Edited August 31, 2020 by William-James88

[The Lions Den]

1 hour ago, Tafkap said:

I guess I'll do the pre-screening with my next batch.  

Good luck... 

[Tafkap]

8 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

You submit the full charge and you are then reimbursed through the credit card for the books that were not graded minus the prescreen fees.

Also, I thought you said you submitted 23 books as 9.8s, that's more than a handful. Does your LCS not know about prescreening?

No, I submitted 30 books; CGC, for  some reason, is sending the last 7 books separately.  I don't know if my LCS knows or not.  I'll ask him when I pick up the rest of the books this week hopefully.  The majority of the books I was basically fine with any reasonable grade; for example I sent in 14 copies of Thor 337 that I didn't "require" a 9.8 to make money.  However some other stuff, Moon Knight #1, Wolverine Limited and a few others, I allowed my LCS owner to do his prescreen to weed out anything less than a 9.8.  I learned a lesson..  

[Chaz G.]

TT Annual #2, signed by Wolfman. It came back a 7.0 . I knew there was no way I was that far off. 

A couple of years later, I had them crack it for Perez at a convention. Came back a 9.0.

 

[William-James88]

1 minute ago, Tafkap said:

No, I submitted 30 books; CGC, for  some reason, is sending the last 7 books separately.  I don't know if my LCS knows or not.  I'll ask him when I pick up the rest of the books this week hopefully.  The majority of the books I was basically fine with any reasonable grade; for example I sent in 14 copies of Thor 337 that I didn't "require" a 9.8 to make money.  However some other stuff, Moon Knight #1, Wolverine Limited and a few others, I allowed my LCS owner to do his prescreen to weed out anything less than a 9.8.  I learned a lesson..  

Oh I see now, I reread your first post and I get it. Sorry about my comment then, I thought there were 23 books where 9.8 was expected, my bad. Another question, did you opt to press any of the books? Because for those more subtle grades, pressing can help.

[Tafkap]

6 minutes ago, Chazgee said:

TT Annual #2, signed by Wolfman. It came back a 7.0 . I knew there was no way I was that far off. 

A couple of years later, I had them crack it for Perez at a convention. Came back a 9.0.

 

Wow.  Goes to show; the grader could be having a bad day or who knows?

[Tafkap]

5 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

Oh I see now, I reread your first post and I get it. Sorry about my comment then, I thought there were 23 books where 9.8 was expected, my bad. Another question, did you opt to press any of the books? Because for those more subtle grades, pressing can help.

I had the LCS owner press a majority of them.  

[Tony S]

35 minutes ago, Tafkap said:

Well, first, out of the 30 books I submitted there was only a handful that I qualified for only 9.8s; the majority of the batch I was happy to get any reasonable grade.

How does it work with pre-screening?  Obviously you can't submit the correct charge for the books upfront?  Do you leave them a credit card or do they contact you?  

 

The first answer to your question of "how does it work" was not entirely accurate. 

I was kinda under the impression nearly everyone paid for their CGC submissions with a credit or debit card. Maybe I'm wrong.  Pay with a credit/debit  card if you prescreen.  Because the way it "works" is CGC cannot charge you until the books are graded. Because they don't know how much to charge you until the books are graded. 

Back when turn around times were very lengthy (think 5-7 months on the least expensive tiers) it was a thing by those in the know to send in books prescreened at a very low grade. Like say 2.0. Just so CGC would not  charge right away for a service they were not going to provide for half a year.  Nowadays with TAT's of six weeks or less that isn't a thing. 
 

Edited August 31, 2020 by Tony S

[1950's war comics]

i bought a comic graded VG from Metropolis and it came back graded from CGC as a 2.0 

i felt like i was ripped off

[Tony S]

A lot of people have suggested asking for/looking up the grading notes. A link below where you can put in the serial number of each comic and see if there are grading notes.  The person/business that submitted them can see any the graders notes at no charge, so don't pay. But I have listed the certification look up link below because with moderns it is not unusual for their to be no grading notes. 

https://www.cgccomics.com/certlookup/

[William-James88]

11 minutes ago, 1950's war comics said:

i bought a comic graded VG from Metropolis and it came back graded from CGC as a 2.0 

i felt like i was ripped off

sounds par for the course with Metropolis.