I have a very stupid question....

racecar · Post by **racecar** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 12:41 am

ok,

I have been out of reading comics for quite a few years (probably 8 - 10)

I have a ton of comics (in the 1000;s). I read about ratings and looked at online price guides to see what some of my books are worth.

I then see something that dumbfounds me. CGC rating and pricing, what the hellis this? Some of you are laughing , as it seems I was on Saturn while this pricing / grading scheme came about.

Can someone enlighten me to what this is, where I can read more about it, and why are they worth so much more than a book sold by a store or collector that doesnt have this grading. When did this all start. 9.4, 9.8

What ever happend to the good old, Mint, NM, VF, F etc etc ???

sorry for sounding clueless. I am clueless, I have been out of buying books for many years. I would say since 1996

thanks!

Racecar

400yrs · Post by **400yrs** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 12:45 am

Welcome!

I guess you must be talking about CGC. Here's a link to their site:

http://www.cgccomics.com/

Basically, they are a division of the company that has been grading coins, baseball cards and other stuff for years. Now, comics are being professionally graded.

Chuck · Post by **Chuck** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 12:55 am

hey racecar,

you certainly have crawled out of a "hole"

but if you have a lot of Silver Age/Bronze Age (key issues) comics in Mint condition they could be worth a lot CGC graded.

racecar · Post by **racecar** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 8:00 am

Thanks for the Input. Yep crawled out of a hole. I do have some comics that are very valuable. I am just curious to know why they are worth so much more when graded by these people.

Schmakt · Post by **Schmakt** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 10:00 am

racecar wrote:Thanks for the Input. Yep crawled out of a hole. I do have some comics that are very valuable. I am just curious to know why they are worth so much more when graded by these people.

b/c noone will trust YOU if you say you have a 9.8 House of Secrets 92... but if CGC said that it's a 9.8 and stuck it in a bullet proof bag so that the condition will never change, everyone believes it.

It's a premium for an assurance of quality.

ckb · Post by **ckb** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 2:03 pm

They grade on a different scale than the one you are used to. You'll probably find your books are worth the same or less as they were in 1996, unless they are CGC 9.0 and above, assuming we are talking about pre-1975 books.

There are a handful of exceptions to that. Hulk 180,181 is the big one.

racecar wrote:Thanks for the Input. Yep crawled out of a hole. I do have some comics that are very valuable. I am just curious to know why they are worth so much more when graded by these people.

Chuck · Post by **Chuck** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 4:06 pm

racecar wrote:Thanks for the Input. Yep crawled out of a hole. I do have some comics that are very valuable. I am just curious to know why they are worth so much more when graded by these people.

The bottom line is high grade golden/silver/bronze/and some rare moderns are really hard to find. We are talking 9.6-9.8, which is simlar to NM+/MINT. So if you have a rare silver age comic that is CGC'd 9.6 it will be in demand; people will pay top dollar for it.

As others have stated, people will less likely believe your grading standards, so your raw NM+ will not command as much as a CGC graded NM+.

racecar · Post by **racecar** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 9:56 pm

I appreciate the replies, thanks!

I do have hulk 180, 181, hmmm.

Thanks!

ckb · Post by **ckb** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 12:24 am

Well, out of sight demand for the Hulk books has shot the price higher in all grades. They are worth getting CGC'd from VG right on up to the top. I sold a CGC 9.2 for $1100 about 4 years ago. They sell routinely for about $1400 now.

racecar wrote:I appreciate the replies, thanks!

I do have hulk 180, 181, hmmm.

Thanks!

Chuck · Post by **Chuck** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 12:34 am

racecar wrote:I appreciate the replies, thanks!

I do have hulk 180, 181, hmmm.

Thanks!

CGC it if your gonna sell.

Otherwise, just put it in a Mylar with an acid free backing board

BIGNASTY · Post by **BIGNASTY** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 9:26 am

CGCing your comics might be putting the cart before the horse, first you might want to get the Overstreet price guide 35th ed. i'm sure prices have changed since 1996 and some books that you remember being only worth $1 back then could be $25,$40,$100 etc. also books you remember being worth $100 in 1996 could be worth only $22 no sense sending books to CGC if they are not worth it.
Just my humble opinion.
KARL

shaxper · Post by **shaxper** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 11:06 am

CGC hasn't conquered the whole world of comics. It's largely used in online auctions as a means of guaranteeing condition. I attend comic book shows regularly and most dealers still aren't using CGC.