Is this really a 9.8? 2 2

[theCapraAegagrus]

It's a 9.8 according to CGC.

[Artboy99]

I own a book with 15 spine ticks, and some of them are pretty large spine ticks and it is in a CGC 9.8 holder. By comparison that first Madam Web book is a 9.8. 

[MatterEaterLad]

11 hours ago, Artboy99 said:

I own a book with 15 spine ticks, and some of them are pretty large spine ticks and it is in a CGC 9.8 holder. By comparison that first Madam Web book is a 9.8. 

Was your book graded recently? Seems like CGC is a bit soft on grading at the moment. Or maybe inconsistent is a better word, because of the current avalanche of subs.

[Artboy99]

2 hours ago, MatterEaterLad said:

Was your book graded recently? Seems like CGC is a bit soft on grading at the moment. Or maybe inconsistent is a better word, because of the current avalanche of subs.

not recent

[William-James88]

The book has since then been sold for over $1400

 

[rjpb]

3 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

The book has since then been sold for over $1400

 

I'll never understand paying 3 or 4 times as much for CGC graded 9.8 than what one would expect to pay for a CGC 9.6 in the first place, so when such buyers seem unconcerned about the actual relative flaws of such books, I'm not really surprised. Even if there was a reliable concrete difference between the grades, the willingness to pay such a premium indicates a greater interest in the label than the actual condition of the book. This is true even when justified as an investment decision or some OCD desire for uniformity of CGC grade in a collection. 

If it makes a buyer happy, then fine, there are all sorts of reasons why collectors prefer one book over another, even if condition is comparable; pedigree, page quality, presentation, color vibrancy, type of distribution, lack or addition of date stamps, even whether or not they include advertising inserts unrelated to the content, but be honest with oneself, if you are willing to pay that much of a premium for a CGC 9.8 over a CGC 9.6, but wouldn't pay a premium if the book was raw, then the small flaws that arguably constitute the difference in grade aren't what matters to you.