Super Strict Grading 1 1

[Hero Restoration]

4 hours ago, Lamborghinikid said:

I had a 8.0 white page book that I truly felt should have got an 8.5. I sent it back in over a year ago and it came back again as 8.0 white pages. I sent it back in a few months ago to try again and it came back 7.0 with off white to white pages. 

Pictures would be great!

[zosocane]

2 hours ago, ftlepore said:

All of the books in the pictures above were graded by CGC.

 

[kimik]

2 hours ago, ftlepore said:

All of the books in the pictures above were graded by CGC.

Yeah, but some started out as CBCS which is a shoot. Hopefully Beckett taking over will tighten up their grading. They have been quite loose the past two years.

[Hero Restoration]

3 hours ago, joeypost said:

I have been recommending that customers wait on CPR's...unless I feel it is a slam dunk. 

I have a slam dunk sitting right in front of me but...... Why settle for a 2 grade bump on a SS #4 7.5, when you know it should be more, seems like a waste of sub fees, unless you need to sell ASAP.

[joeypost]

8 minutes ago, MastrCntrlProgram said:

I have a slam dunk sitting right in front of me but...... Why settle for a 2 grade bump on a SS #4 7.5, when you know it should be more, seems like a waste of sub fees, unless you need to sell ASAP.

I now have multiple criteria I use; and the jump in value is a big part of the metric I use.

[jeffreyk]

5 hours ago, ftlepore said:

All of the books in the pictures above were graded by CGC.

I see a few cbcs holders

[zosocane]

5 minutes ago, jeffreyk said:

I see a few cbcs holders

No, you don't see CBCS holders.  

[TC33]

3 hours ago, kimik said:

Yeah, but some started out as CBCS which is a shoot. Hopefully Beckett taking over will tighten up their grading. They have been quite loose the past two years.

Who is to say that their grading is not closer to the market, dealer and collector expected standards?  Perhaps its CGC that should be loosening their grades which especially appears the case from their insanely harsh grading this past year or so.   They are a bit smaller company so with less graders it does seem like they have fewer huge swings like two full grade lower CGC CPR submissions like I have personally experienced and see has happened to many here also over the past year.  It would be nice if there was a CGC published a general grading standard and especially for that standard to not appear to swing so widely up or down every couple years, just keep it the same, consistency is the key!  

[ftlepore]

50 minutes ago, zosocane said:

No, you don't see CBCS holders.  

There are literally no CBCS holders in the pic. I have old CBCS labels on top of the CGC graded books, if that's what you're referring to. Regardless, all the books were prescreened to improve in grade, and in my experience, there has not been that large of a difference in their grading. The fact that there are instances of both labels going down and both labels grading the same illustrates that.

[ftlepore]

18 minutes ago, TC33 said:

Who is to say that their grading is not closer to the market, dealer and collector expected standards?  Perhaps its CGC that should be loosening their grades which especially appears the case from their insanely harsh grading this past year or so.   They are a bit smaller company so with less graders it does seem like they have fewer huge swings like two full grade lower CGC CPR submissions like I have personally experienced and see has happened to many here also over the past year.  It would be nice if there was a CGC published a general grading standard and especially for that standard to not appear to swing so widely up or down every couple years, just keep it the same, consistency is the key!  

I actually agree with this. As I said, if the copy of FF #52 in question was graded a 6.5 last year through CGC, then all of a sudden the very next year the same exact book goes down in page and grade quality without being touched, that's going to invalidate A LOT of slabbed book grades. That seems terrible for the market. "Oh, it's a Hulk #181 7.5? Is it an old 7.5 or a new 7.5? Is it really closer to a 6.5? Who knows!" The majority of people buying books aren't professional graders, and the entire point of slabbing books is to have a uniform grade that we can reference and trust. For CGC to change the standard this drastically, it makes thousands, if not millions of grades suspect. If we're still forced to meticulously grade the books within the slab ourselves, it kind of defeats the purpose.

Edited November 6, 2020 by ftlepore

[jeffreyk]

1 hour ago, ftlepore said:

There are literally no CBCS holders in the pic. I have old CBCS labels on top of the CGC graded books, if that's what you're referring to. Regardless, all the books were prescreened to improve in grade, and in my experience, there has not been that large of a difference in their grading. The fact that there are instances of both labels going down and both labels grading the same illustrates that.

I see it now....kinda like an optical illusion!

[Spawnfreak]

10 hours ago, kimik said:

It depends on the book. I have had CPRs come back up, down (CBCS books at cheap prices  ) and the same grade. 

As far as moderns, the grading is the same as it always has been - take time to pull the best copies and you get a 9.8. If it looks pretty much flawless you will be fine, just like the CGC has been grading them in the past.

I'll just jump in her anywhere. Earlier this year, sent in a batch to be pressed and graded. Got them back super quick(relatively speaking). Seriously disappointed across the board! Checked graders notes, and had same defects with which they left my house. Immediately called CGC. No problem, they just had not been pressed. They admitted to it, and had me send the books back. I eventually got the comics back and lo and behold, all but two had the same grade as the first time. Most of them were Spawn comics, and as I am a collector, I will be keeping all but two. Still, I was bummed at the strictness.

[Lamborghinikid]

12 hours ago, MastrCntrlProgram said:

Pictures would be great!

I have already busted it out of the slab but here is the book. It graded an 8.0 white pages two different times. Then when i sent it in a few months ago it came back 7.0 off white to white pages. I’m sending it back in again and trying for that 8.5. Even if it doesn’t get that elusive 8.5, I feel this book is better than a 7.0. 

[ftlepore]

That book looks pristine, and way higher than a 7.0. That definitely makes me a little suspicious of the current grades being handed out.

[Galen130]

My next batch of 25 will be here next week.  All but one are a 9.8.  The lone slab is a 9.6....a virgin variant, so I’m disappointed.  Over the past year plus, I’ve been extremely picky about what moderns I send to CGC.  Older age comics are a different story.  This is how I fixed the problem of stricter grading...I’m strict about what I send to CGC. 

[joeypost]

Quote

FF 52

I wonder if you are getting dinged for the white line on the right edge of the front cover. 

[Lamborghinikid]

59 minutes ago, joeypost said:

I wonder if you are getting dinged for the white line on the right edge of the front cover. 

I really don’t know and you can’t even see that line in person. That lighting actually shows this book to be in much worse condition. The book looks even nicer in person. My thing is I have multiple 7.0 , 7.5, 8.0 and 8.5 cgc books in my collection. This one leans more towards the 8.5 and even some 9.0 examples that I have. The value difference between an 8.0 and 8.5 was enough for me to risk it being sent in for the possible upgrade. With it receiving an 8.0 white page grade two times I really wasn’t that concerned of it falling in grade. I was dead wrong ! 

[joeypost]

25 minutes ago, Lamborghinikid said:

I really don’t know and you can’t even see that line in person. That lighting actually shows this book to be in much worse condition. The book looks even nicer in person. My thing is I have multiple 7.0 , 7.5, 8.0 and 8.5 cgc books in my collection. This one leans more towards the 8.5 and even some 9.0 examples that I have. The value difference between an 8.0 and 8.5 was enough for me to risk it being sent in for the possible upgrade. With it receiving an 8.0 white page grade two times I really wasn’t that concerned of it falling in grade. I was dead wrong ! 

Unfortunately, it happens. I always tell my customers not to freak or panic as the grade (around 60% of the time) will change upon resubmission. You just have to be realistic and patient.

Works the same way with modern pre-screens. Many of my failures pass the second or third time around. In a perfect world it wouldn't happen, but no organization operates perfectly. 

[buttock]

Limited sample size, maybe 40-50 certified books that I've bought over the past year, all GA-SA.  That being said, I haven't seen any grades that I really disagree with.  IMO CGC is currently accurate, which is something I haven't been able to say in years.  The worst time was the early 2010s when there was a big turnover and no experience with vintage books, I don't know if all of those wouldn't drop 2 grades as a whole if recertified.  But what I've gotten lately, I would say I feel like most are accurate, a few are a little loose and a few are a little tight, but overall within acceptable variation of standards.  Great time to be a collector buying.  

[TC33]

I am getting ready to send in some silver age between 3.0 and 7.0 range.   Does anyone have similar experiences with CGC grading harder this year on the lower grade ranges also or mostly just on the higher grades?