Popular Post This is Who We Are Posted April 1, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted April 1, 2020 (edited) I definitely prefer the original set, but man, some of the newer vampis are really impressive like this krs exclusive Edited April 1, 2020 by This is Who We Are The Lions Den, Artboy99, davidtere and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Dowling Posted April 1, 2020 Share Posted April 1, 2020 3 hours ago, This is Who We Are said: I definitely prefer the original set, but man, some of the newer vampis are really impressive like this krs exclusive It’s pretty artwork. Looks like Dejah Thoris and Vampirella #1, Natali Sanders Virgin Variant This is Who We Are 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N e r V Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 (edited) On 3/31/2020 at 7:22 PM, piper said: I was looking at a few books on My Comic Shop, but that for the time being will need to be deferred. Anyone want to sell me some Vampi’s? They are currently shut down anyway... $0.000 items The coronavirus shutdown has come to MyComicShop. We are temporarily ceasing operations in accordance with new direction from the governor of Texas. We are not accepting new orders at this time. Please see MyComicShop status updates for more. Edited April 2, 2020 by N e r V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manetteska Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 FWIW two Vampirella CGC 9.0 on eBay -- one right before the HA auction and one right after -- sold for ~$200 more than the HA 9.2. Randall Dowling 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Dowling Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 3 hours ago, manetteska said: FWIW two Vampirella CGC 9.0 on eBay -- one right before the HA auction and one right after -- sold for ~$200 more than the HA 9.2. I saw one of those. FWIW, that 9.2 wasn’t really a 9.2. At least not what I would expect for a 9.2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manetteska Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 1 hour ago, Randall Dowling said: 4 hours ago, manetteska said: FWIW two Vampirella CGC 9.0 on eBay -- one right before the HA auction and one right after -- sold for ~$200 more than the HA 9.2. I saw one of those. FWIW, that 9.2 wasn’t really a 9.2. At least not what I would expect for a 9.2. Just passing along info as the price on the 9.2 compared to the 9.4 was surprising to a lot of people. How about the 9.2 that is up now? Randall Dowling 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Dowling Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 (edited) 13 minutes ago, manetteska said: Just passing along info as the price on the 9.2 compared to the 9.4 was surprising to a lot of people. How about the 9.2 that is up now? Where? Post the link, if you can. Nevermind, I found it. It looks pretty loose to me but hard to tell from reflections. More spine creases than I would expect for sure. Edited April 3, 2020 by Randall Dowling Correction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manetteska Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 41 minutes ago, Randall Dowling said: Where? Post the link, if you can. Nevermind, I found it. It looks pretty loose to me but hard to tell from reflections. More spine creases than I would expect for sure. From what I’ve seen, magazines are graded somewhat looser than comics. Or to put it a better way, they are graded accurately but leniency is given due to the larger size of a magazine and other factors making it harder to keep in pristine condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Dowling Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 1 hour ago, manetteska said: From what I’ve seen, magazines are graded somewhat looser than comics. Or to put it a better way, they are graded accurately but leniency is given due to the larger size of a magazine and other factors making it harder to keep in pristine condition. Yeah, that doesn’t quite explain it. @The Lions Den was a grader at CGC and I think he can confirm that 9.2s graded today, don’t necessarily look like 9.2s graded 10 years ago. It’s unfortunately very inconsistent particularly on certain books, Vampirella 1 being the most notorious. But perhaps, the king of the jungle will have more insight? FWIW, I’ve cracked out many, many mags from slabs and at any given time, the same book can receive a wide swath of grade possibilities (as in 8.5-9.2). And you can crack out a 9.4 and find a page cut out... The Lions Den and oakman29 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
This is Who We Are Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 6 minutes ago, Randall Dowling said: Yeah, that doesn’t quite explain it. @The Lions Den was a grader at CGC and I think he can confirm that 9.2s graded today, don’t necessarily look like 9.2s graded 10 years ago. It’s unfortunately very inconsistent particularly on certain books, Vampirella 1 being the most notorious. But perhaps, the king of the jungle will have more insight? FWIW, I’ve cracked out many, many mags from slabs and at any given time, the same book can receive a wide swath of grade possibilities (as in 8.5-9.2). And you can crack out a 9.4 and find a page cut out... As a kid, I wanted to own a comic store. As things stand currently, and this may be a bit dramatic, but the plight of the professional comic book seller who makes a living on certified comics would seemingly live and die by that paper label. And beyond the grade, interest/demand ebbs and flows. Couldn't imagine relying on this nebulous process to pay the bills. All credit to those who venture into the fray. Randall Dowling and GeneticNinja 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Dowling Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 2 minutes ago, This is Who We Are said: As a kid, I wanted to own a comic store. As things stand currently, and this may be a bit dramatic, but the plight of the professional comic book seller who makes a living on certified comics would seemingly live and die by that paper label. And beyond the grade, interest/demand ebbs and flows. Couldn't imagine relying on this nebulous process to pay the bills. All credit to those who venture into the fray. I managed a comic book store when I was 20. And that was in 1991, at the peak of comic shops. The guy that owned the store was one of the least ethical people I ever encountered. I can’t imagine what someone has to be like to be successful today. I know all of the LCS in my area are pretty bad... This is Who We Are and GeneticNinja 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakman29 Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 1 hour ago, Randall Dowling said: Yeah, that doesn’t quite explain it. @The Lions Den was a grader at CGC and I think he can confirm that 9.2s graded today, don’t necessarily look like 9.2s graded 10 years ago. It’s unfortunately very inconsistent particularly on certain books, Vampirella 1 being the most notorious. But perhaps, the king of the jungle will have more insight? FWIW, I’ve cracked out many, many mags from slabs and at any given time, the same book can receive a wide swath of grade possibilities (as in 8.5-9.2). And you can crack out a 9.4 and find a page cut out... Yep I've got mags graded 8.5 that look better than 9.4's, and vise a versa. Randall Dowling 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manetteska Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 1 hour ago, Randall Dowling said: I managed a comic book store when I was 20. And that was in 1991, at the peak of comic shops. The guy that owned the store was one of the least ethical people I ever encountered. I can’t imagine what someone has to be like to be successful today. I know all of the LCS in my area are pretty bad... Not sure what you’re trying to say here regarding sucessful comic store owners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post The Lions Den Posted April 4, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted April 4, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Randall Dowling said: Yeah, that doesn’t quite explain it. @The Lions Den was a grader at CGC and I think he can confirm that 9.2s graded today, don’t necessarily look like 9.2s graded 10 years ago. It’s unfortunately very inconsistent particularly on certain books, Vampirella 1 being the most notorious. But perhaps, the king of the jungle will have more insight? FWIW, I’ve cracked out many, many mags from slabs and at any given time, the same book can receive a wide swath of grade possibilities (as in 8.5-9.2). And you can crack out a 9.4 and find a page cut out... Just when I was getting ready to crawl into my den, I read this! I'll see if I can add anything interesting to this discussion... First, thank you to Randall Dowling---I appreciate your kind words. I do find your comments very intriguing. One thing I can say is that no two graders grade exactly the same; certain flaws don't bother some people as much as other flaws. For instance, I really don't like flaws that affect the center of the cover or the cover artwork. I can deal with a bit of spine stress or some light handling wear around the edges, but I can't stand anything that disturbs the cover artwork. I don't like tanning, either, especially if it affects the interior of the book. And I'm really fussy about page quality...I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Secondly, at CGC, I was mostly a magazine grader, and I was usually considering the buyer more than the seller. I also agree that due to their larger size, magazines are given a bit more leeway when it comes to certain flaws. For instance, a 1/2" crease on a magazine wouldn't have quite the same impact as a 1/2" crease on a comic book. I can also say that the main magazine grader at CGC has been there for 20 years, so he would probably raise a skeptical eyebrow at the idea of being looser than he used to be. In addition, I do find the Vampirella #1 to be an interesting book to grade. After seeing and owning many copies, there are some flaws that are pretty common, such as: spine stress, staple tears, rubbing near the spine on the front and back cover, light lines on the cover that appear to be wear but are likely created from the manufacturing process, spine misalignment, etc. If you can find a clean, solid copy with minimal spine stress, you're doing well. As for the comparison of books graded today with books graded 10 years ago, there are some different graders at CGC now compared with 10 years ago. So it would be a bit freakish if the grading hadn't changed at all. As I said earlier, no two graders see things exactly the same way, although it does get to the point where you can actually guess what grade another grader will give a book based on your previous grading experiences. And I was a bit shocked about the 9.4 that was cracked out and was missing a page...I guess life really is like a box of chocolates... Edited April 4, 2020 by The Lions Den Randall Dowling, piper, GeneticNinja and 3 others 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lions Den Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 1 hour ago, oakman29 said: Yep I've got mags graded 8.5 that look better than 9.4's, and vise a versa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manetteska Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 12 minutes ago, The Lions Den said: Secondly, at CGC, I was mostly a magazine grader, and I was usually considering the buyer more than the seller. I also agree that due to their larger size, magazines are given a bit more leeway when it comes to certain flaws. For instance, a 1/2" crease on a magazine wouldn't have quite the same impact as a 1/2" crease on a comic book. I can also say that the main magazine grader at CGC has been there for 20 years, so he would probably raise a skeptical eyebrow at the idea of being looser than he used to be. A lot of good information in your post; I have seen your posts around but somehow never knew you were a grader. Just highlighting and bolding this section as I said the exact same thing and was told I was wrong and rang your bell to put me in my place. Seems that didn't work out. The Lions Den 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manetteska Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Randall Dowling said: 2 hours ago, This is Who We Are said: As a kid, I wanted to own a comic store. As things stand currently, and this may be a bit dramatic, but the plight of the professional comic book seller who makes a living on certified comics would seemingly live and die by that paper label. And beyond the grade, interest/demand ebbs and flows. Couldn't imagine relying on this nebulous process to pay the bills. All credit to those who venture into the fray. I managed a comic book store when I was 20. And that was in 1991, at the peak of comic shops. The guy that owned the store was one of the least ethical people I ever encountered. I can’t imagine what someone has to be like to be successful today. I know all of the LCS in my area are pretty bad... Edited April 4, 2020 by manetteska double post; stupid posting on phones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Dowling Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 1 hour ago, manetteska said: Not sure what you’re trying to say here regarding sucessful comic store owners. Just that there are some pretty lousy ones and a few really awesome ones. Like most things, I guess. The Lions Den 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Dowling Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 32 minutes ago, manetteska said: A lot of good information in your post; I have seen your posts around but somehow never knew you were a grader. Just highlighting and bolding this section as I said the exact same thing and was told I was wrong and rang your bell to put me in my place. Seems that didn't work out. I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I wasn’t trying to put you in your place nor did I tell you that it was wrong that magazines being larger allows for more flaws. What I was saying is that, for me, that doesn’t bridge the gap on that grade. And I requested Johnny to discuss with all of us. This is the magazine forum. It’s a safe space. We don’t attack people here. chevalmeow, The Lions Den, oakman29 and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Dowling Posted April 4, 2020 Share Posted April 4, 2020 55 minutes ago, The Lions Den said: You’ve had the same experience. I know you have! You’ve owned and sold more graded magazines than anyone I know! And I agree with you, it seems inhuman to expect no variation in grading over a 10 year period. The Lions Den, oakman29 and This is Who We Are 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
