How Accurate is the CGC Census? 1 1

[Axelrod]

I have another noobie question, but I was thinking about it.  I keep reading about people who crack their graded books out of the cases, to resubmit, or resell or just because they like it better that way.  But doesn’t that mean that the CGC numbers for “graded” books are off?  They might be counting the same book multiple times that’s been resubmitted? 

Maybe this doesn’t matter in a practical sense, as if anything it seems like the true numbers would be lower, but I was thinking about it. I see people talking all the time about the number of books in a particular grade like it’s very significant.

[revat]

1 minute ago, Axelrod said:

I have another noobie question, but I was thinking about it.  I keep reading about people who crack their graded books out of the cases, to resubmit, or resell or just because they like it better that way.  But doesn’t that mean that the CGC numbers for “graded” books are off?  They might be counting the same book multiple times that’s been resubmitted? 

Maybe this doesn’t matter in a practical sense, as if anything it seems like the true numbers would be lower, but I was thinking about it. I see people talking all the time about the number of books in a particular grade like it’s very significant.

You are correct.  Many books are deslabbed (and occasionally reslabbed) without notifying cgc of the deslabbing portion.  So the census numbers are the ceiling.

also there's some lag between grading time and census updates.

[Fisionbomb]

CGC Census Disclaimer

The utilization of this report as a tool for assessing the population and value of certified comic books in any character or grade is unreliable. The following characteristics inherent in the marketplace undermine the accuracy of this report:

• Inexpensive comics, which are not generally submitted for certification, may appear scarce but are not
• Comic certification services are predominantly utilized for higher-grade comics
• Certified comic books are often removed from their holders without notifying the grading service; therefore, computer tallies utilized to provide population reports may be misleading
• Rarity is only one factor that must be weighed in determining the market value of a comic book

CGC encourages all collectors to seek the counsel of qualified professionals familiar with the certified comics marketplace before making any purchase

[shadroch]

CGC should offer an incentive for people to return their cracked labels. It would help keep the census more accurate.

[Lazyboy]

2 hours ago, Fisionbomb said:

CGC Census Disclaimer

The utilization of this report as a tool for assessing the population and value of certified comic books in any character or grade is unreliable. The following characteristics inherent in the marketplace undermine the accuracy of this report:

• Inexpensive comics, which are not generally submitted for certification, may appear scarce but are not
• Comic certification services are predominantly utilized for higher-grade comics
• Certified comic books are often removed from their holders without notifying the grading service; therefore, computer tallies utilized to provide population reports may be misleading
• Rarity is only one factor that must be weighed in determining the market value of a comic book

CGC encourages all collectors to seek the counsel of qualified professionals familiar with the certified comics marketplace before making any purchase

They forgot to mention the part where they far-too-often incorrectly record items like later printings and Canadian Newsstands so they are part of the regular numbers instead of the correct separate entry. Or that 9.8 Superman #1.

1 of 0!

[theCapraAegagrus]

Yeah, it's not an exact science. I wonder how close the numbers are, though.