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CBCS GradedGrading Help NeededQuestions

How can you tell if a slab is a fake/scam or not?17469

Collector JMSComics private msg quote post Address this user
Understandably, if the seller does not have much credit to them -or poor credit- that would be a red flag. Other than that though, how can you tell if a slabbed comic book is a scam or fake, especially coming from the eyes of an inexperienced comic-grader-buyer that can't differentiate small defects in a comic from the respective slabbed grade?
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being an ass and being a clown are two very different things. HAmistoso private msg quote post Address this user
Verify the certification number.
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Collector drloko private msg quote post Address this user
There are many ways a graded book could be a 'scam' or 'fake'. What are your concerns?
A few possible:
1. The encapsulation and grade are not authentic
2. It was properly graded and encapsulated, then later swapped out for another book
3. The book is fake, sent to the grader who encapsulated it as authentic
4. The book is authentic, sent to the grader but the grade is incorrect

You can make a simple confirmation by checking the grading notes:
https://www.cbcscomics.com/grading-notes
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Collector 50AE_DE private msg quote post Address this user
The first thing to look at when buying a slab is to see who graded the book. If it's not a CGC/CBCS graded book then you're taking your chances. Look out for independent grading companies, or dealers, who either reuse slabs or uses a "comic skin" slab, and then slap on their own labels. Some of these independent graders make their slab look very presentable and may fool newer collectors into thinking they're a legit third party grading company.

If you're trying to differentiate the defects from the various grades, then I'd suggest looking at books in various grades and saving the images into various folders onto your desktop. Your folders can be named "8.0", "8.5", "9.0", etc. You'd probably want to save more images for grades in 9.2 or lower since there are more allowable defects for those grades as opposed to 9.4 and above.

Also, grab a copy of the Overstreet Grading Guide. It's a very useful book as it lets you know which defects impact each grade.
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SpongeBob Comics #1 sells for $991! Joosh private msg quote post Address this user
For someone who hasn’t had the experience of holding various versions of CGC and CBCS slabs it can be difficult to know what’s normal and what’s a red flag. Generally it’s best to look for signs of tampering, both of the hard case and especially cut lines in the inner well.
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