Let's talk grades10666
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Jabberwookie private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Ok, so I've got some questions on grades, and I need the experts. (Cue the music from Kill Bill) 9.8 are considered Mint, correct? And 9.8 has most likely never been read and was probably only touched by 2 people. Does that sound right? Are 9.6 near mint then? At times I've seen people post 9.9 or I've heard of some 10.0. Are these never touched at all? Most of the info I've seen doesn't even account for above 9.8. So what happens then? All perspectives are welcome. |
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 The apple sauce and pudding were the best part...
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Bronte private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I don't think it matters how many times the book has been touched is relevant. Its the amount of damage incurred. Some folks wear gloves. Some just got through reading red sonja.... |
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Jabberwookie private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Bronte Ok, I see this, but doesn't the touching of it (without gloves) degrade it to an extent? I do get what you're saying, and I had a Young Avengers 1 I read, and got graded that came back as a 9.8, so that makes sense to me, but how do you get above 9.8, though? Thanks for the insight! |
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The apple sauce and pudding were the best part...
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Bronte private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Yes. Fingerprints on a black cover are an example. Natural oils on skin will transfer. Unavoidable if your human and dont wear gloves. Just more noticeable on certain color covers. I sincerely doubt you find a 10 not in the modern age of comics. Honestly id gamble youd have to have worn gloves to get a 10. The chances of not, I would imagine would rival the lotto. |
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Darkseid_of_town private msg quote post Address this user | |
| It also isn't all about damage, some books are cut wrong, stapled misaligned, or smudged ink, any number of factory defects before even being shipped, or could be further damaged, smeared, bent or edges impacted in transit as well. A 10.0 wouldnt demonstrate any obvious printing defects, nor handling wear at all...but those do wear on the grade as well |
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 past performance is no guarantee of future actions.
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KatKomics private msg quote post Address this user | |
| To your original question - I would say 9.2 is NM/M-...maybe 9.4 in now Mint? and 9.6 is Mint+ with 9.8 at Mint++ and 10's a unicorn To go on a tangent...soooo I sold this during the craze after Stan passed I read this book, full open, pages flat though not pressed flat just laying as they may with the weight of a pen or eraser to keep them down (how I read all my books) THEN!!...all these nobody's man handled and scribbled all over this book over a few years and different conventions. Some talented Dad who also got his kid a job were at the same table and literally slid the book between them and scribbled all over it and there was no pressing involved (didn't know about it when I submitted!!)...and still 9.8 I would have to say that sometimes dumb luck is involved??  |
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cyrano0521 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Official terms 10.0 Mint 9.9 Mint- 9.8 NM/M 9.6 NM+ 9.4 NM 9.2 NM- 9.0 VF/NM 8.5 VF+ 8.0 VF 7.5 VF- 7.0 F/VF 6.5 Fn+ 6.0 Fn 5.5 Fn- 5.0 VG/F 4.5 VG+ 4.0 VG 3.5 VG- 3.0 G/VG 2.5 Gd+ 2.0 Gd 1.8 Gd- 1.5 Fr/G 1.0 Fr 0.8 Pr/Fr 0.5 Pr 0.3 or NG Coverless or further incomplete; usually just to verify book Pg or NG for single page/folio to verify source |
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 -Our Odin-Rest in Peace |
Jesse_O private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @cyrano0521 Great job posting that scale! One note: CBCS doesn't use "NG". I believe Steve Borock said something along the line of "everything gets a grade". So, CBCS uses 0.1 as their bottom most grade. |
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Noblebeast315 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Something I just wanted to throw out there. You do not necessarily need to wear gloves to read your comics before getting them graded. Just keep your hands clean. I care about my comics so I always make sure to wash my hands well before handling them. I also make sure I am reading from a clean flat surface. On the other subject of what it takes to get a 9.9 or above. Honestly you can get a book right out of the shipping box from you LCS and every book will be a 9.8 or below. Honestly getting a straight up 9.8 off the comic rack is the best you can really ask for. 9.9’s and 10.0’s are rare for a reason. Those books have NO observable flaws. Most books hitting the comic store shelf have some spine wear, from there it just goes down hill. My best advice would be to buy the books you like. Treat those books like you care about them. Store your books properly. Then only submit the books that actually have value, mean the most to you or you have had signed. |
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BrianGreensnips private msg quote post Address this user | |
| If you read Doomsday Clock then you better wear gloves. | ||
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Collector
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cyrano0521 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Jesse is correct, CBCS uses values; it’s the other guys using NG or PG. not even sure if CBCS will slab one page... | ||
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Collector
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Jabberwookie private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by KatKomics Nice book! I've got one of those, too, but without all the scribbles :P Thanks for the info! |
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Collector
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Jabberwookie private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by cyrano0521 Wow! That is great stuff. Thanks for posting! |
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Collector
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Jabberwookie private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Darkseid_of_town Were you reading my mind? That was going to be my follow-up question. This is all helpful stuff. I'm still relatively new to the grading world, and based on what I'm reading, I can see why the only 9.9 and 10s I've seen are at my LCS. |
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Collector
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Noblebeast315 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by BrianGreensnips. I haven’t read that one yet but thank you kindly for the advice! |
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 I'm a #2.
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BigRedOne1944 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| 9.9 and to a bigger extent 10.0, are unicorn grades made up by the grading companies to entice people to submit books chasing them. It creates a "Lottery" effect. CGC and CBCS, and ANY TPGers for that matter have a vested interest in making sure those grades are kept low to ensure the "Lottery" effect stays strong and continues to entice submissions chasing these unrealistic grades. I also think that more often than not, these grades are reserved for special clientele. |
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TimBildhauser private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Do a search for certain books and you'll see a high number of 9.9 & 10.0 copies. Batman Damned is a good example as well as the lenticular covers that DC produced a few years ago. Some books have a higher production quality with cover stock that is, for lack of a better description, more durable and less prone to damage. I can't speak for any other company's practices but as far as CBCS goes it has nothing to do with those grades being reserved for high volume submitters. It has to do with the condition of the individual comic. That's the case for any grade. |
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Darkseid_of_town private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Myself I am always a bit perplexed about all the anxiety over 9.2 vs 9.4 vs ...9.8 etc.....It is likely just me, but I often cannot differentiate a 9.2 from a 9.6 anyway. At some point along in that those tiny grading gradients it becomes almost impossible for anyone except a professional level grader to tell them apart. the guys I trade and deal with in person around here, are similar. If it says 9.0 or better, they are good on the comic, and we often use 6.5 or 7.0 for silver and golden age as our dividing line. only time I like to have as super high grade as possible is that new book just bought last week, that had better get a high grade anyways. Even then I dont fidget if it comes back a 9.2 or 9.4, its good enough for me at least. |
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 PLOD
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theCapraAegagrus private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Jabberwookie 10 is Gem Mint 9.9 is Mint 9.8 is Near Mint/Mint 9.6 is Near Mint+ 9.4 is Near Mint Edit: Not sure if you were asking for general, or CBCS, grading scale. Not sure if what I posted reflects CBCS' grading scale. |
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 Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
  Don't know what it takes to get a 10 but these are the only two I have. The MTMTE #50 variant was purchased directly from whomever commissioned the cover and it's squarebound and thick. The Soundwave variant was purchased directly from IDW and that was when IDW was printing on more of a cardstock for their covers. I can tell you now that I am not special clientele. Edit: These were not pressed either. Just pulled from my boxes and sent down. |
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PLOD
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theCapraAegagrus private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Studley_Dudley Nice books. Quick note: You can't press a comic into 9.9/10 grade. Either it is perfect off the presses - or it ain't. |
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 I don't believe this....and I know you don't care that I don't believe this.
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GAC private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by theCapraAegagrus Huh? |
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PLOD
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theCapraAegagrus private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by GAC Either a comic is a 9.9 or 10 when it's printed - or it isn't. You can't press something that isn't Mint into something that is Mint. |
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etapi65 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I saw a double-signed CBCS 10.0. The printer the comic companies use makes a HUGE difference as well. some of the kickstarter based,creator owned actually do a better job of finding a printer/choosing a binding than the big two and turn out a higher quality beginning product. They can be handled a little easier without as much residual damage. I'm not sure you'd ever get this on a DC or Marvel. | ||
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Collector
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TimBildhauser private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by theCapraAegagrus That's not necessarily true, it completely depends on the nature of the defect(s) the book has. If they're non-color breaking it would be possible. |
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PLOD
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theCapraAegagrus private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by TimBildhauser This reply is frightening. |
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Jabberwookie private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by theCapraAegagrus Either or. It’s all information I can use, basically. I don’t think I’ve seen a CBCS 10, though. Based on what everyone is saying it seems like a 9.9 or 10 is pretty rare and not something to worry too much about. 9.8 seems to be the most realistic top grade, it seems. What did you mean about not pressing a 9.8 into a 10, though. Couldn’t the pressing conceivably remove those minor flaws or is it that those flaws aren’t anything that can be doctored at that scale? Just curious, and considering I’ll probably never have a 10, probably just for my own knowledge base. |
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PLOD
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theCapraAegagrus private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Jabberwookie I honestly hate the 9.9 grade. IMO it -shouldn't- exist. It's like conditional purgatory. I have never seen or heard a single anecdote to suggest that pressing any grade will result in a Mint or Gem Mint comic. What 9.8 flaws are press-able? Gem Mint means literally perfect. Absolutely centered and flawless. Pressing could affect wrap. It could affect the natural Gem Mint look/feel of the paper in rested position. I once considered chasing a set of 9.9s. I would advise anybody and everybody not to do that. Gem Mints are worth it IMO. I don't think that the weird tweener/9.9 grade is worth it. 9.8 is basically the 'standard' top grade. The differences between Gem Mint and 9.8 are almost not recognizable. If you want to closely observe a perfect book, though, Gem Mints are certainly a treat. |
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Jabberwookie private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @theCapraAegagrus I agree there. I think the 9.9 and even the 10 kind of muddy the waters. When I first got into slabbing, I was told 9.8 was the best then started seeing higher numbers and was curious how the heck you could get better than mint. I doubt I’d bother with going after any specific grade. I just try to get what I like in pretty good condition. I’ve got some newer books though and was curious what grade to consider them on spreadsheet. All this is good stuff. |
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Darkseid_of_town private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I need that meme captainmyke has of the guy with the folding chair...and some popcorn | ||
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