New to grading and CBCS, any advice / tips are appreciated22107
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MattSolar private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Hello CBCS forum, I recently rediscovered my passion for reading a collecting this year. In 2017-2018 when I first started collecting I was just doing it randomly at flea markets a few LCS nothing crazy, nonetheless I loved it. Now in my 20's I have so much love for the hobby. Blah blah, anyways. I'm looking to send in my first book to be graded. After researching, and seeing what company fit my needs I landed on CBCS for plenty of reasons. Mainly the signature verification, as I attended plenty of conventions and do NOT feel like tracking down CGC reps for their yellow label. Plus CBCS offers much more such as the grading notes and addons which I appreciate. So, I plan on submitting my Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 Signed by Martin Morazzo (at NYCC 2025) and W. Maxwell Prince (I purchased a signed #1 by prince from Midtown comics. I planned on submitting it during my LCS submission event coming up. I plan on getting express press and imaging, and the two verified signature add ons. If all goes well with the submission etc. I plan on grading more books in the future. With all that being said, any advice on anything grading, signature related, or what I can expect out of this process would be appreciated, Id like to learn as much as possible about grading and comics (besides the surface level stuff) so please feel free to share you experiences. |
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 I don't want to brag, but cashiers are always checking me out.
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power_struggle55 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| signed comics are tricky to grade. you need to have a witness done by cbcs. or else you'd need to pay extra to authenticate. or else they'll treat it like its the same as as a kid drawing on cover with marker It doesn't matter if you are a priest who saw them sign the comic, and have a picture also cbcs sometimes can be super slow to grade |
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 I've spent years perfecting my brand of assholery.
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DrWatson private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I would email Cody at clockwood@cbcscomics.com to see if he has any discount codes left. He was giving out discounts for VSP last week. I would check with him before finalizing a submission form. | ||
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Collector
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MattSolar private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by power_struggle55@power_struggle55 Thank you! Yeah one of the main reason I intend to use CBCS is ther signature verification program. I truly don’t mind paying the extra, if I’m getting the book signed usually it’s because it’s important to me or I just love the character / story! |
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MattSolar private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @DrWatson just sent over an email. Thank you for the heads up! If you don’t mind me asking what’s VSP? | ||
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I've spent years perfecting my brand of assholery.
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DrWatson private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Verified Signature Program | ||
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Collector
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MattSolar private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @DrWatson Ohhhhhhh, yeah that makes a lot of sense. Thank you again! | ||
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 How do I know this? Because I've done it myself.
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lawguy1977 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @MattSolar Welcome to the forum! Not a ton of advice to give, you're on here, which is smart, and you're going with the company that will safely and consistently grade your book. IMO, they have the best encapsulation product on the market. Check the site for average turnaround times and remember to add time to that process when using their VSP services. They do have occasional promos to keep an eye out for as well. Finally, on a personal level, I strongly believe that you should have your books pressed and cleaned before submitting. You don't have to but, especially when books are signed, sometimes some dings can happen that a press can resolve (no guarantee, of course). CBCS offers pressing in-house or you can use your own presser as there are many options out there, and many of them will submit your book directly to CBCS after pressing. Totally up to you, but definitely worth considering for the little bit of an extra cost if you're wanting the highest grade possible. When you get your books back, definitely post on the board here, too! |
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Collector
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MattSolar private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @lawguy1977 Thank you for the warm welcome! Definitely think being active on the forum is a good idea, I'm sure ill learn lots and meet lots of fellow collectors which is good, no one in my personal life collects or reads so anytime I can talk about comics ill gladly take the opportunity. Ill keep an eye out for those discount codes, if I can submit for cheaper why not?! As for the pressing, any recommendations for places to send the books out to if I do explore that route? I actually just watched a youtube video yesterday on in-house cleaning and pressing and how to do the entire process which was really insightful. I know CBCS offers it but is it worth it to "outsource" the clean and press? I know some people press and clean themselves, is that what you do? The books in pretty good condition id say it got to me in good condition in the mail and I only handled it for a small amount of time outside of the bag and board. So for my first submission I plan on sticking with everything in-house with CBCS just to see how it goes. I'm not too picky with wanting a high grade on this book, even so I think ill get a 9.2 after the press maybe higher, but I'm more so preserving it and verifying the signatures on this book not necessarily aiming for a high grade. Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 is the book that re-sparked my passion so getting it signed and meeting Martin Morazzo at NYCC this year is more than enough for me. But hey, if I get a really good grade after the press I wont have a single complaint. Ill be sure to post an update and picture once I get the book back! |
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 Apparently, I am easily annoyed.
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Rbolton private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @MattSolar welcome to the circus! A lot of really great and knowledgeable people on this forum. | ||
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 PEDIGREED... Again!
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martymann private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Rbolton Agreed! Hope you enjoy the time spent here. Marty |
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Collector
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MattSolar private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Rbolton I look forward to connecting with a bunch of new people! So far everyone’s been great! | ||
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I've spent years perfecting my brand of assholery.
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DrWatson private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Ha, just wait, lol. | ||
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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 | |
| @MattSolar Welcome aboard!!! I hope you enjoy your stay. | ||
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 You do know that the new guy brings the donuts, right?
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DWeeB1967 private msg quote post Address this user | |
@MattSolar Welcome to the forum! Just FYI, based on my own experience, CBCS does a very good job with their in-house pressing. And, no, I'm not an employee.  |
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 Collector
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DPK419 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Welcome! I have used CBCS pressing and had wonderful results. If you submit a book you think would benefit from a press I would recommend using them....Also not an employee. | ||
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MattSolar private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @DWeeB1967 @DPK419 I've heard nothing but AMAZING things about CBCS so I'm not worried about it in the slightest. Im excited to see how my book will grade after the press once I send it out and get it back! What do you guys look for to see if a book needs a press? I was just going to send it for a press to be on the safe side I want the book to be in fantastic shape before being slabbed so it seemed like a no brainer. Is it worth press all submissions? Or just certain ones? | ||
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 Hmm... Moderated again!
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figment private msg quote post Address this user | |
@MattSolar welcome. In my early 20's I was a voracious Science Fiction and Fantasy reader, but not so much into comics although I did have some exposure to them as a kid. One day, after being unable to find anything new that caught my attention, I "mistakenly" wandered into the comic book aisle of my local shop (then Lone Star Comics, now MCS) and found this, yes... this exact book. "Hey, I remember that!" I can't tell you how many times I read it, but you can probably tell by the grade. Talk about a first domino! A few years later I saw that the artist was at my local con so I got it signed, then picked up the rest of the set that he drew and got them signed. They are all still in my collection today and won't be going anywhere. I won't clog the thread with images, but here's a couple of the others.   The CGC one was one of their signature promo's (the writer) so I just couldn't resist. It is worth noting now that I wouldn't send anything to CGC. Too many problems, too many excuses, crap quality and inconsistent grading. |
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How do I know this? Because I've done it myself.
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lawguy1977 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @MattSolar Pressing and cleaning can help with spine tics, bends, dents, spine rolls, creases, etc. However, if the spine tics break color -- in other words, you have a little white line spreading from the spine outward, then that can't be fixed. Same with creases on the cover -- if the crease breaks cover and appears as a white line, then it's not going to be resolved with a press. As for the cleaning process, I'm sure someone on here can explain it better, but cleaning can make the cover and pages appear better without actually changing or modifying the existing cover/pages. It can remove dirt particles or residue, potentially. Stains and tears obviously can't be fixed. Breaking color definitely affects the grade. Pressers are not miracle workers and there's no guarantee. And the flip side is that pressing can damage a book. Good pressers know which books can be pressed and which can't, and they'll tell you. The reason I (almost always) have my books pressed is because I don't want them coming back to me and then I think, "Gee, I wonder what grade it would have been if I had had it pressed?" When not to press a book, IMO? If it's a new modern book without any defects. When it comes to my old a$$, I have to get out a magnifying glass and scan the book. If I can't see anything, especially on a book that's from 2010 to present, then roll the dice and you have a good chance at getting a 9.8 back, especially if it's a heavier card stock. Perfect example is Detective Comics #1000. All that being said, the thing to remember is that there's no guarantee. Grading is subjective. I've had books come back higher than I expected and lower than I expected, regardless of pressing. And have I had books cracked open, re-pressed and sent back in to prove that I'm right and the grader was wrong? Maybe (and it's with mixed results).  All that being said, I've never regretted sending a book in for pressing before grading, I've only ever regretted NOT having a book pressed that was then graded. |
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Collector
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MattSolar private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @figment wow that such a story to go with those books. Similar for me as a kid I always loved Batman and in early highschool I decided to read the court of owls and rebirth run after stumbling across the comic book isle in Barnes and nobels.since then I fell out of it and took a 5 year break and now I’m back reading everything collecting etc. Similar to you I want to memorialize the book that brought me back. I can definitely tell by its grade that it was read and loved that’s so awesome. My first read was the dark knight strikes again, my grandma bought me the hardcover at a flea market, sadly I don’t have that exact book anymore it was a HC anyways…but I hope to meet frank Miller at megacon this year and having him sign a few book from his Dark Knight Returns run, as that’s my Batman story even tho so dislike it. Thank you for the story and pictures. Those are some killer books. |
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Collector
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MattSolar private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @lawguy1977 so this is all the motivation I need to press every book! I had that exact through cross my mind, if I got the book back and though I wonder what the pressed grade would be. The next one I plan on sending in is DC KO #1 Clay Manns variant signed by Scott and Clay. So that’s definitely getting pressed. It’s in beautiful condition and a heavy cover. Thanks for this tips. |
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How do I know this? Because I've done it myself.
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lawguy1977 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @MattSolar Love hearing that about Batman and Frank Miller! Batman was what really got me obsessed with comics as well. And I'm a big fan of the Mann brothers, their variant covers for the Absolute Batman series are fantastic! | ||
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Collector
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MattSolar private msg quote post Address this user | |
 Here’s the book for everyone wondering! |
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 Collector
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Chandler private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @MattSolar Welcome to the forums, you couldn't of picked a better grading company if your were looking to get your comics slabbed and signatures verified for your collection. | ||
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