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Grade dropped-What to do?17886

Collector Supertom private msg quote post Address this user
So after 10 weeks at a 3rd party presser and 45 weeks of sitting in CBCS pergatory, I finally received my Aug 2021 submission. Generally I was happy with the grades but I was heartbroken by these 2 copies of DD 168.







I thought for sure the Newsstand was in the 9.0-9.2 range and the Direct was a CGC 9.2 without a press (graded 15+ years ago). So pretty bummed to see it drop to an 8.5 with a press. The notes are as follows:

Newsstand: light edge & corner wear
spine stress barely breaks color

I can spot 3 spine ticks, one slightly dinged corner and a slight thumb crease on the right.

Direct: small wear & creases right front cover barely breaks color
light spine stress

I can spot 5 non color breaking spine ticks, one dinged corner and slight thumb creases on the right. This was the CGC 9.2 and I actually think it has more flaws than the Newsstand.

I’m not posting to debate the subjectivity of grading (although at these high grades I believe grading should be very objective) but based on the notes and my observations it seems like an 8.5 is a bit harsh, no? Im seriously debating sending them both to CGC (cause I’m not about to give CBCS more money after they nearly tripled my estimated TAT). Surely they can’t go any lower!
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Collector etapi65 private msg quote post Address this user
Those comments are on par with 8.5s I have from both companies. Including some I just got back.
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I don't want to brag, but cashiers are always checking me out. power_struggle55 private msg quote post Address this user
cbcs rarely makes mistakes with grades from what I heard (they do but not as often as cgc). If you are right....presser messed up especially if independent
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If I could, I would. I swear. DrWatson private msg quote post Address this user
Color breaking creases on the front cover, no matter how faint, are the kiss of death.
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The apple sauce and pudding were the best part... Bronte private msg quote post Address this user
From what I've seen, CGC is erratic in grading currently. If you look at the you tube videos of different folks the grading is suspect in quite a few instances. I'm not saying those posters ate correct, I'm just saying you might not get your desired results and after spending the money and time is it really worth it?

In my own personal experience, I had purchased 100 copies of a book. While its certainly possible they are not all 9.8 I had them pre screened. A batch went in and I think I had 2 rejects in that batch. Right before the price hike I submitted the remainder of my stock. They broke out the batch to 2 separate orders. Because they only do 25 book lots. First lot I'd say was 90%-95% 9.8. The second lot was 100% failure. These were books were bought at the same time, stored the same, shipped in same box and arrived at same time.
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Where's his Bat-package? Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user
@Bronte That is messed up, but not that surprising coming from CGC. I've been noticing the spotty grading for a while, too. I've had a couple times when I sent a book in, it got a nice grade, I sent it back for a signing only to have it returned to me looking exactly the same but one or two grades lower. I always get a press when a book is signed, so minor handling issues shouldn't be a factor.
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The apple sauce and pudding were the best part... Bronte private msg quote post Address this user
@Byrdibyrd

Yeah, dont even think about using CCS as a viable pressing company discussion. That just makes me shake my head in disgust.
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I don't want to brag, but cashiers are always checking me out. power_struggle55 private msg quote post Address this user
Ive learned to look over comics Im considering grading. checking for imperfections. I can sometimes have a good guess on grade but not always but always look for obvious. I checked over the Infinite Crisis #5 (first Jamie Reyes as Blue Beetle) I just got and notice one corner (front page lower spine corner) looks a litte dented. Like pressed down a little hard. I know that will affect grade. I know a press could fix it.

(considering paid $25 for it which also had #3 and every issue in mini series still a score worth grading)
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Collector Supertom private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by power_struggle55
cbcs rarely makes mistakes with grades from what I heard (they do but not as often as cgc). If you are right....presser messed up especially if independent

I actually think the presser did a great job especially considering these sat in storage for several months. None of the books had notes about non color breaking defects so I think he did all he could do.

@Bronte Yeah, CGC is all over the map now but this was CGC in like 2006. I believe that was still the Borock era so I’m not sure if they were more or less strict/consistent back then.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DrWatson
Color breaking creases on the front cover, no matter how faint, are the kiss of death.


I’d agree with you but these are notes from a CBCS 9.2 DD 131 I got graded about 5 years ago:

light bends top edge back cover
light substance right side of logo front cover
spine wear some breaks color

And a DD 131 9.0 I just got back:

light spine stress barely breaks color

So I guess it was the “edge wear” and corners that knocked them down? Who knows.

Thanks for the feedback all!
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Where's his Bat-package? Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bronte
@Byrdibyrd

Yeah, dont even think about using CCS as a viable pressing company discussion. That just makes me shake my head in disgust.

You're correct - no contest. I'm looking into independent pressing rather than CCS, and that's a bit sad because they weren't always this bad, as I recall.
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The apple sauce and pudding were the best part... Bronte private msg quote post Address this user
@Byrdibyrd

At one time they were great.
6 qty ASM 194. 2 are now 9.8
3 qty HULK 181. 2 are now 9.0 and 1 9.4
2 qty BATMAN 121 1 is now 7.0 and the other I think a 6.0

All got grade bumps.

They could do great work, but that time has passed and the grading is so weird it's a gamble to send anything in for cpr at this point.

I have a tales of suspense 39 that looks wrinkled to hell and is a 1.5. I'm afraid to send it in because it might come back lower even while looking better after a press....
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Where's his Bat-package? Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user
@Bronte WOW. Definitely time to move on from CCS. What a shame.
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would be nice to have a snugger fit. Sigur_Ros private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Supertom
Im seriously debating sending them both to CGC (cause I’m not about to give CBCS more money after they nearly tripled my estimated TAT). Surely they can’t go any lower!

I hear ya on the TATs. My 17 took 41.

Plus the bonus with CGC is if you crack/resend enough, you'll eventually get 9.8's

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Collector Supertom private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sigur_Ros
Quote:
Originally Posted by Supertom
Im seriously debating sending them both to CGC (cause I’m not about to give CBCS more money after they nearly tripled my estimated TAT). Surely they can’t go any lower!

I hear ya on the TATs. My 17 took 41.

Plus the bonus with CGC is if you crack/resend enough, you'll eventually get 9.8's



I think they base their entire business model off of this.
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COLLECTOR dielinfinite private msg quote post Address this user
What is it with people questioning 8.5s lately?
Post 15 IP   flag post
Collector Supertom private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by dielinfinite
What is it with people questioning 8.5s lately?


Is this a trend I inadvertently became a part of?
Post 16 IP   flag post
COLLECTOR dielinfinite private msg quote post Address this user
@Supertom You’re the second in about a week so it’s a slight exaggeration but I found it strange that they were both specifically about 8.5s
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I'm good with splotches. Nuffsaid111 private msg quote post Address this user
This book brings back memories.

The good: An 8.0 DD #168 slipped through the cracks years and years ago. (It had not been pressed based on the year it was graded - old graded book). Even though I rarely rarely purchase graded books, I put in a bid for the comic based on what I'd pay for a VF ungraded copy. Somehow I won it.

I could see the significant amount of defects that easily go away with pressing. All non-color break stress situations.

So I had it cracked and pressed & cleaned by an extremely well-known-in-industry presser and a friend. He saw the same defects I did and was a 100% go with the crack and re-submit for a higher grade.

The bad - It came back an 8.0.
It's not the 1st time; it won't be the last time.

I have come to the opinion this whole grading thing is a farce and I only do it because others don't feel it's a farce, and are willing to plop down the big money. So I just accept this "it's all subjective excuse", tow the line; and know that I'll win some days and lose others.

I hope very few others see this the same way as I do.
It's too good of a cash cow to ever lose.
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Collector Supertom private msg quote post Address this user
@Nuffsaid111 I hear ya. I've had both of these books for about 20 years, one of which was given to me along with a near complete Frank Miller run. So, in terms of investment, I'm up. Now I'm debating whether to just sell one and be happy with an 8.5, or sell both and try to upgrade to a 9.4-9.6.

The added disappointment is at this grade I could probably crack them both and get more for them raw. I'd just have to list them as,

"High grade, VF-NM+++ key emoji, fire emoji, gem emoji, fire emoji, CGC ready!!!!!! Fire emoji"

Then make sure to put "*I'm not a professional grader" in the description. Then the suckers that buy them can send them off to get graded, wait a year, and share in my same disappointment.
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I'm good with splotches. Nuffsaid111 private msg quote post Address this user
@Supertom There are times I wish I had both the money and the time to continually just crack and resubmit books as a case study. Perhaps take 30 comics to be statistically significant.

Take 5 - 10 years and just continue to re-submit, re-submit, re-submit. Do some crossing over between companies too.

I am willing to bet most everything I have that the results would be absurdly eye opening with the variations of grades received.
And yet, I also believe it wouldn't matter. People will still buy into this and accept that their number is really the number because it was professionally graded. Any variations one may obtain are dismissed away with the canned excuse "it's all subjective".

I say with high confidence that your 2 DD books are a different, higher grade on a different day. They may also be lower on a different day. Unfortunately, the only power you have is to decide if it is worth your time and effort to re-submit to obtain the grade you believe them to be.
That can be a tough decision and one I struggle with often.
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Collector CatCovers private msg quote post Address this user
It's aggravating when you get grades you just can't understand.

My last CGC submission several years ago was a stack of mid to late McFarlane ASMs I'd picked up. They were in beautiful condition. I was expecting pretty much straight 9.8s (a couple maybe 9.6s, but minor minor flaws a press should fix). They all came back 9.0 or 9.2, and not a single blessed one of them had grader notes.

I think maybe I broke even on the whole thing.

Didn't get anything at all graded for about two years after that. Just put me completely off the entire process.
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I'm good with splotches. Nuffsaid111 private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by CatCovers
It's aggravating when you get grades you just can't understand.

My last CGC submission several years ago was a stack of mid to late McFarlane ASMs I'd picked up. They were in beautiful condition. I was expecting pretty much straight 9.8s (a couple maybe 9.6s, but minor minor flaws a press should fix). They all came back 9.0 or 9.2, and not a single blessed one of them had grader notes.

I think maybe I broke even on the whole thing.

Didn't get anything at all graded for about two years after that. Just put me completely off the entire process.


Yep!
I will always be appreciative that grading companies can verify restoration. That is very important.

But somewhere along the way the hobby was stolen from the hobbyists and we all allowed it to happen due to the big money being tossed around when the comic is placed in plastic and a dopey number assigned. That number is only accurate on that day by that "professional"(s).

In the end, I don't care. I just sell the stuff anyway.
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