Unusual Slab Damage 1 1

[Professor K]

Hi, bought this on e bay, got it today. Getting a refund. But look at this damage to the book on the bottom of the book itself. I've never seen this before that I can recall. The holder is fine and in the pictures on e bay it looks normal, but during shipping the book appears to have moved down inside the holder with enough force to smash up the bottom of the book. It was graded on 3/3/21. I'm wondering if they forgot to put it inside an inner sleeve. I feel bad for the seller because it wasn't his fault.

 

[Professor K]

original e bay pic before I received it. I can't see any damage but its not the best angle. 

 

[Randall Ries]

The ebay picture doesn't look right to me. Like it had already fallen but hadn't been damaged.

[Professor K]

44 minutes ago, Randall Ries said:

The ebay picture doesn't look right to me. Like it had already fallen but hadn't been damaged.

I think youre right, it does look low in the slab. 

[Randall Ries]

43 minutes ago, Professor Chaos said:

I think youre right, it does look low in the slab. 

I think so. People ought to get off the backs of the other grading companies. This happened to an Avengers 4 as well. CGC is a business. No excuses for shoddy. Especially when handling other peoples expensive items.

[vheflin]

The slabs have changed.

Depth (1/16") has been added to the holder, to prevent Newtown Rings, I assume.

The inner wells are now a bit loose.

Haven't seen this mentioned anywhere.  I might make a thread if I can get good pictures to explain it.

[Yorick]

I have this problem on one or two of my books, but not as severe.  This is shaken comic syndrome to the extreme.

[djzombi]

A few of the books I got back recently are a bit loose in the slab.  It makes me VERY nervous, especially since one is a 9.8.  All it takes is a little bump in the slab for a corner to get damaged.  I don't know how it would survive going through the mail a 2nd time.  

[Galen130]

Never seen that kind of issue before, but I agree...the book already looks loose in the pre-shipping pictures.  Just un-freakin-believable...

[CHASEnBLUE]

My eyesight is not the greatest, but it looks as though the damage was done prior to going into the slab - or while going into the slab. Not from moving around within.

Edited April 2, 2021 by CHASEnBLUE

[The Lions Den]

To me, this appears to have been caused by the comic not being snug enough inside the holder. This allows the book to slide around, often resulting in various degrees of damage. A wedge or different holder could have been utilized to help keep the book in place, but unfortunately it's too late now. This kind of damage usually happens during shipping, but any type of forceful impact could have caused it.

It bums me out to see this...   

[The Lions Den]

9 hours ago, Randall Ries said:

I think so. People ought to get off the backs of the other grading companies. This happened to an Avengers 4 as well. CGC is a business. No excuses for shoddy. Especially when handling other peoples expensive items.

Even the most secure slabs can be damaged. I've seen slabs that looked like they were dropped from the top floor of a 10 story building...  

Edited April 2, 2021 by The Lions Den

[Randall Ries]

2 minutes ago, The Lions Den said:

Even the most secure slabs can be damaged. I've seen slabs that looked like they were dropped from the top floor of a 10 story building...  

Well, sure. I was pointing out that the book itself didn't seen secure from the INSIDE of the slab in the EBAY sellers photo. Which would be the graders fault. Not damage, per se. But someone who didn't make sure the book was in its well properly. Then Mr EBAY sold it to someone and hoped for the best.

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

This is just sad and disheartening.

[The Lions Den]

1 hour ago, Randall Ries said:

Well, sure. I was pointing out that the book itself didn't seen secure from the INSIDE of the slab in the EBAY sellers photo. Which would be the graders fault. Not damage, per se. But someone who didn't make sure the book was in its well properly. Then Mr EBAY sold it to someone and hoped for the best.

I understand completely.  

If you'd like to blame someone, this one would rest on the shoulders of the folks in the encapsulation room---the graders simply grade the books and then return them to their respective boxes. And it's usually different folks doing completely different duties in the encapsulation (or "slab") room. So the person that decides which well to use or whether or not the book receives a wedge is usually not the same person that does the sealing of the holder. And when the books travel through so many different hands, human error often plays a role.

The reality is that when you're dealing with thousands of books a week, there are bound to be issues like this one. Unfortunately, a certain percentage of mishaps will occur, regardless of how successful the overall success rate is. That's why I always urge folks to call CGC when they have a problem---go directly to the source. Most of the time they can make it right. Unfortunately, this is one of those times where that doesn't seem likely...

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by The Lions Den

[Professor K]

Thanks for the responses. In the e bay photo I posted the book does look low in the holder, but not damaged as it was when I recieved it. But it could have been like that before. 

The seller although only 24 feedback seems legit when he told me it wasn't like that when he shipped it, and he authorize a return with little resistence. He has a lot of graded cards for sale but few comics and so far so good it seems. It was packed ok but there was a little room for movement in the priority box. The box did have a crease but not any dents. But still with that kind of dent , if it wasn't slabbed like that, it must have been a serious slam somewhere between Florida and South Jersey. It's probably the worst damage I've seen inside a cgc holder. I can't see how it happened without damaging the case as well.

When I saw it was just graded 3 weeks prior to the sale I assumed he was most likely the submitter and suggested he may want to contact them. He didn't respond. 

[Randall Ries]

1 hour ago, The Lions Den said:

I understand completely.  

If you'd like to blame someone, this one would rest on the shoulders of the folks in the encapsulation room---the graders simply grade the books and then return them to their respective boxes. And it's usually different folks doing completely different duties in the encapsulation (or "slab") room. So the person that decides which well to use or whether or not the book receives a wedge is usually not the same person that does the sealing of the holder. And when the books travel through so many different hands, human error often plays a role.

The reality is that when you're dealing with thousands of books a week, there are bound to be issues like this one. Unfortunately, a certain percentage of mishaps will occur, regardless of how successful the overall success rate is. That's why I always urge folks to call CGC when they have a problem---go directly to the source. Most of the time they can make it right. Unfortunately, this is one of those times where that doesn't seem likely...

 

Or the Avengers #4 that is going on it's third go around. Maybe they will spill coffee on it this time. I disagree with the "bound to be errors". Hire more graders. Expand. Lighten the load. It's a business.

 

[The Lions Den]

26 minutes ago, Randall Ries said:

Or the Avengers #4 that is going on it's third go around. Maybe they will spill coffee on it this time. I disagree with the "bound to be errors". Hire more graders. Expand. Lighten the load. It's a business.

 

Yes, I agree. It's a business, and the nature of it involves fragile collectibles. 

Apparently the Avengers #4 situation has soured your outlook on CGC. Personally, I've always felt there's an inherent amount of risk involved with sending delicate books through the mail to a place where they're handled by numerous people, so my advice would be for people to thoroughly think it over before making that decision. It may be wiser to just keep your book in a nice mylar bag with a good quality backing board, yes?  

 

[Randall Ries]

10 hours ago, The Lions Den said:

Yes, I agree. It's a business, and the nature of it involves fragile collectibles. 

Apparently the Avengers #4 situation has soured your outlook on CGC. Personally, I've always felt there's an inherent amount of risk involved with sending delicate books through the mail to a place where they're handled by numerous people, so my advice would be for people to thoroughly think it over before making that decision. It may be wiser to just keep your book in a nice mylar bag with a good quality backing board, yes?  

 

Well, I certainly do appreciate the clear, concise explanation. You explained it to me like I was a naif. Kudos! True Comic Book Guy personality!

That is what I do. Just keep them in mylar and stored correctly the best I am able to. I admit I have a few raw books I would like to have graded and "retired". However, I would not be a happy person if my 6.5 Superman 22 came back damaged. The books we have seen recently come back have been damaged by CGC. If that were my Avengers 4, I would be...what's the word...."apoplectic"? That would sum it up. We have high hopes CGC will do what's right. My idea of what was right and CGC as a company would likely be different. They would press the book. I would demand replacement in current market dollars. What ever it would take for me to replace the book.

It is not CGC or any of the grading companies I have a root problem with. It is the apologists I have an issue with. I understand with high volume there will be mistakes. It is odd that the same type of mistake was made with this book as the Avengers 4. Kinda narrows down the department. As an owner of a business, this problem would not be happening frequently. Because it IS someone else's valuables that are being dealt with. Valuables worth 10's of 1,000's in some cases.

Plus, this is a forum, is it not?

No grading company is any better or worse than the other. I hope there is some follow-up to this story and the Avengers 4 saga. Many times there doesn't seem to be any.

[The Lions Den]

1 hour ago, Randall Ries said:

Well, I certainly do appreciate the clear, concise explanation. You explained it to me like I was a naif. Kudos! True Comic Book Guy personality!

My apologies...no offense intended. But I do enjoy all the accolades that come with being a "Comic Book Guy personality."  

 

1 hour ago, Randall Ries said:

It is odd that the same type of mistake was made with this book as the Avengers 4.

There are a lot of variables in the slab room... 

 

1 hour ago, Randall Ries said:

Plus, this is a forum, is it not?

 

1 hour ago, Randall Ries said:

No grading company is any better or worse than the other.

Well, for my money, CGC is still the best...