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What is considered to be a better value, a 9.8 book or a 9.6 book?
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Started by Math Teacher,

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Math Teacher

Math Teacher

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I know that many collectors chase the 9.8 book. However, I have seen several posts in the "Hey buddy, can you spare a grade?" forum where posters post opinions between 9.6 and 9.8 books, and, too often, it just seems to be the luck of the draw. Also, I am talking a book in the late Bronze Age, not Golden Age or Silver Age. Also, I'm also talking about a book that will be going into my personal collection, not one that I am trying to flip.

I am looking at a book that is $300+ for a CGC 9.8 versus under $100 for a CGC 9.6. I have looked at both books using a magnifying glass (albeit on my computer screen), and I can't tell one whit of difference.

Anyway, in your opinion, which is the better deal?

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shadroch

shadroch

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There is no simple answer.

9.6s tend to be more common than 9.8s, and are usually much cheaper.  For many modern books, the cost to buy a 9.6 is about the same as slabbing one yourself.

Is more common and cheaper better?  I'd suggest the more common book will rise in value slower than the more rare copies so are you looking at the investment part? 

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Math Teacher

Math Teacher

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48 minutes ago, Axelrod said:

I'm a little confused.  If you're not trying to "flip" it, and it looks just as good as you say, and it costs $200.00 less, why would you even want the 9.8?  Literally what is the upside there?

Seems to me that the 9.8 obsession is just collectors being collectors.

Well, I'm just thinking out loud. As I said, <I> can't tell any difference, but I'm sure the more experienced board members might be able to discern why the 9.6 got the grade it did.

Part of this is this book is one of my all-time favorite books, and I'm just trying to determine if it would be worthwhile to purchase the 9.8.

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Math Teacher

Math Teacher

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44 minutes ago, shadroch said:

There is no simple answer.

9.6s tend to be more common than 9.8s, and are usually much cheaper.  For many modern books, the cost to buy a 9.6 is about the same as slabbing one yourself.

Is more common and cheaper better?  I'd suggest the more common book will rise in value slower than the more rare copies so are you looking at the investment part? 

No, I'm not really looking for investment possibilities. I just want to put this book into my personal collection, which, in all likelihood, will not be sold until my death.

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SOTIcollector

SOTIcollector

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1 minute ago, Math Teacher said:

No, I'm not really looking for investment possibilities. I just want to put this book into my personal collection, which, in all likelihood, will not be sold until my death.

Much of the time, the 9.8 is a "better value."  But it's all dependent on your motivation for buying the book and what you intend to do with it.  Given that you've stated it's going into your personal collection forever, and it seems that the long-term monetary appreciation is not a consideration, then the 9.6 is the better value.  The fact that somebody else may pay $200 more for the higher grade becomes completely irrelevant.  Buy the book you want for $200 less than the 9.8.  

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RickSp

RickSp

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I agree, if it's a book you just really want to own because you love the issue and it looks cool in a slab then the 9.6 is absolutely fine.

I'd only be interested in the 9.8 if I had the intention to sell or pass along at some point.

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n2wdw

n2wdw

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for moderns, I won't go for anything less than 9.8

but in the situation you describe (bronze age), I'd go for the 9.6 unless it's a really special book for you, in which case I'd think about  splurging for the 9.8 (but I still might get the 9.6).  I will say if this is an investment buy, you'd be better off getting the 9.8

 

 

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ExNihilo

ExNihilo

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2 hours ago, RickSp said:

I agree, if it's a book you just really want to own because you love the issue and it looks cool in a slab then the 9.6 is absolutely fine.

I'd only be interested in the 9.8 if I had the intention to sell or pass along at some point.

Honestly, if it's a cool book you just want to own, save yourself the money and buy it raw.

Personally, the only reason to buy raw is resale and signature verification.  (Or I guess registry, but that's a whole different set of collectors as far as I'm concerned.)

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comicginger1789

comicginger1789

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6 hours ago, Math Teacher said:

I know that many collectors chase the 9.8 book. However, I have seen several posts in the "Hey buddy, can you spare a grade?" forum where posters post opinions between 9.6 and 9.8 books, and, too often, it just seems to be the luck of the draw. Also, I am talking a book in the late Bronze Age, not Golden Age or Silver Age. Also, I'm also talking about a book that will be going into my personal collection, not one that I am trying to flip.

I am looking at a book that is $300+ for a CGC 9.8 versus under $100 for a CGC 9.6. I have looked at both books using a magnifying glass (albeit on my computer screen), and I can't tell one whit of difference.

Anyway, in your opinion, which is the better deal?

Personally, if I bought slabbed books, I would be more than fine saving tons of money on 9.6 books versus chasing 9.8s. Several reasons..

- they look almost the same 

- there is always a chance that with some "love", a 9.6 could BECOME a 9.8 (whereas I have never EVER seen anyone submit a 9.8 and get a 9.9 or 10.0

- at the end of the day, I would rather pay for 100 issues of 9.6 books than get only 20 of those books in 9.8

 

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theCapraAegagrus

theCapraAegagrus

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12 hours ago, ExNihilo said:

Honestly, if it's a cool book you just want to own, save yourself the money and buy it raw.

Personally, the only reason to buy raw is resale and signature verification.  (Or I guess registry, but that's a whole different set of collectors as far as I'm concerned.)

It may be a book that he wants non-restored, which is where I find value in older Universal label books graded by CGC.

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William-James88

William-James88

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On 1/17/2021 at 12:51 PM, Math Teacher said:

I know that many collectors chase the 9.8 book. However, I have seen several posts in the "Hey buddy, can you spare a grade?" forum where posters post opinions between 9.6 and 9.8 books, and, too often, it just seems to be the luck of the draw. Also, I am talking a book in the late Bronze Age, not Golden Age or Silver Age. Also, I'm also talking about a book that will be going into my personal collection, not one that I am trying to flip.

I am looking at a book that is $300+ for a CGC 9.8 versus under $100 for a CGC 9.6. I have looked at both books using a magnifying glass (albeit on my computer screen), and I can't tell one whit of difference.

Anyway, in your opinion, which is the better deal?

None are the better deal, they are just market price and that's never a deal. If you are looking to spend less, then buying it raw for 20$ is the way to go.

And yes, it is luck of the draw. But you can mitigate that by asking CGC to only grade it if it comes out as 9.8. People have sent the same book over and over until they get the 9.8 approval.

Edited by William-James88
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Number 6

Number 6

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There are times I’ve opted for the 9.8 and other times I’ve opted for the “better deal” of a 9.6. 
 

Batman #404 is an important book to me and I wanted the best presenting copy (within reason) I could afford. In relation to my discretionary income, the going price for a 9.8 at the time wasn’t outrageous so I opted for the 9.8 knowing full well that it’s a common book in high-grade and I could have spent far less on a 9.6 or raw copy. 
 

However, with Daredevil #168, while I very much wanted a high-grade copy, I just couldn’t justify spending the going rate for a 9.8 for what I knew to likewise be a very common book. In that case I opted for a carefully chosen 9.6 copy. 
 

Still, there are other times when even though the 9.6 price is not only significantly less than a 9.8 but only a nominal amount over what an accurately graded raw would cost. However, considering the amount of room a CGC copy takes to store can sometimes make the “good deal” of a 9.6 not really that good of a deal and it may be better to opt for a raw. 
 

However, I don’t entirely subscribe to the notion that there is no distinguishable difference between 9.6 and 9.8 and that they are essentially the same thing.  Also, from my personal experience, I don’t believe that looking at a slabbed copy through a computer screen or even at times examining the comic in hand through the plastic of the CGC holder can enable one to definitively determine whether the two are the same or not. There’s been many times when I’ve thought a 9.6 was an under-graded 9.8 only to crack the book out and find it was a 9.6 after all. 
 

I think what contributes to this perception is that the differences between a 9.6 and a 9.8 are small...but there are differences.  As such, all it takes is a small fluctuation in CGC grading standards, as has happened from time to time, which results in in some borderline 9.8s in 9.6 holders and vice-versa. (And some some borderline 9.4s in 9.6 holders, so buy the book, not the label) 
 

There are a couple of CGC 9.6s that, if I had the funds and the temerity, I think it’s possible that I could repeatedly submit until I got a 9.8. 
 

But the vast majority of CGC 9.6s I have (and I always try to get copies that present well, not just have the number on the label) that I know no amount of re-submitting will ever get them to 9.8.  
 

While I was careful to buy a DD #168 that presented well for the grade, I would never for a minute imagine that it’s the same as a 9.8. While it’s remotely possible that it’s a borderline 9.8 sitting in a 9.6 holder, from my experience with cracking slabs it’s far more likely that holder is obstructing the reason it got the 9.6 grade. 
 

As others have said, ultimately it’s about getting the copy you know you’ll be happy with. 

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