rpe94

I just purchased a PLOD (purple label of death) Adventure Comics #247 - slight (A) restoration - little color touch-up on cover that I can't even find. But, that's what it says on the label. 4.0.

Should I unslab it? Without the designation will it be worth more money that way?

Any advice?

Thanks,
Ray
Boston, MA

Bronkster

I doubt it would increase the value unless you were going to try to misrepresent it as unrestored, which isn't ethical. The only CGC book I have is a purple label, which didn't seem to have the negative stigma back when I bought it in 2000.

Did you buy it to add to your collection or as an investment? If investment, leave it in the case.

edited to add: For anyone curious (like I was) Adventure Comics 247 is the first appearance of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Someday, when finances permit, I wouldn't mind owning a copy myself!

rpe94

Thanks for responding. If asked, I wouldn't deny it being a restored book. Again, I can't seem to tell where the color restoration exists. Would CGC tell me more detail where the "small amount of color touch on cover" exists? Any experience with contacting them on such matters?

I'm a huge Legion fan, and Legion was the only book I collected on a regular basis when I first strted collecting comics, so this book is the holy grail for me. I'd like to unslab it, so like the rest of the collection, I can peruse the book. I keep them protected, so the chances of the book deteriorating is slim.

So, would the value of the book drop drastically if I unslabbed it? I wouldn't think that a 4.0 would change that much in value. Obviously, I would've liked a higher grade, but I think I got a pretty good deal for $551.

Out of curiousity, do you only own the one CGC book? Which issue is it?

Ray
Boston, MA

Bronkster

Overstreet lists your book at $800 for a 4.0, so it sounds like you got a good deal. In my database of comics, I list the value according to Overstreet, so to me that book is valued at $800. The value might drop a bit if you unslab it, but then, no book is "worth" more than what someone else is willing to pay for it. If you're keeping it, then I see no reason to keep it slabbed, as long you know how to care for it, which you mention.

As for contacting CGC, never done it so I have no input there. Have you checked their website?

My CGC book is Amazing Spider-man #1 - also graded at 4.0 - moderate color touch. I can't see where they did it either, so I guess they do good work. CGC was pretty new when I got it, so I was ignorant about the whole un-openable slab thing, and restoration didn't seem to be a concern (that I recall). It's still in the slab.

Superboy

I'm against it but I don't see the need to bitch about it. I don't collect and I read comics for the stories. All this does is hurt people who want to read comics that were never reprinted, and I have no intention of buying a comic in a slab that I have to crack open to read. Someone mentioned Miracleman.

Bugaboo

I've used CGC's service and do like it. Their forums would be ok if it weren't for all of the liberal crapweasels on it.

rpe94

By the way, I did contact CGC. Once I gave them the serial # of the book, a grading consultant gave me all the details of the grading of my particular book. Pretty cool.

When you call the main #, just tell them that you want to get specific grading information on a CGC book, and they will transfer you over to a grader.

Ace Of Spades

LOL...enjoy the next 8 years

FOOMer

My Opinion is that I will never get a comic of mine slabed, and I will never pay a dollar more for a comic just because someone else had it slabed. In fact most books I have ever gotten that were slabed, I have “set free”. The only real use for this that I can see is when you’re buying a comic sight unseen from a dealer that you don’t know and/or if you can trust their grading. Jmo

fargodroid

I had Amazing Spider man #3 from my godfather back in the days, and I lost it a couple of years ago.

Red Hood

This is the type of bullshit that makes people hate graded companies. PGX and this eBay seller should be arrested for mail fraud
Walking Dead #1 Museum Edition Variant is obviously a fake and has been proven online. Yet this seller has made now thousands of dollars for selling 2 other copies and PGX is partly to blame for grading this bullshit fake copies.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Walking-Dea...0AAOSwGGlapaUC

TimeandTide

One of my students is a comic book fanatic, which inspired me to finally dig through my dust-covered lone long box to see if I had anything of value and to find a few issues to pass along to the student. After purging the box of about 150 low-value issues (needless to say, the student was THRILLED to be the recipient of a few dozen '80s and '90s era Marvel and DC books), and basking in nostalgia (some of my best childhood memories are of visits to comic shops and estate sales), I pulled a few issues that I'm considering getting CGC-graded -- Amazing Spider-Man #238, 298, 299; Strange Adventures 205, Dark Knight Returns #2 (first); Zeck Punisher #1; some Silver Age Detective Comics; and a handful of others. (Thoroughly kicking self for not taking better care of the first four issues of TMNT.)

But I have a question for the experts: should I risk sending the potentially valuable titles through the mail, or hit up CGC at a convention and pass them along in person?

These books have been sitting in my closet for ages, and want to protect the more valuable titles to either pass along to my son or to unload at some point.

Thanks in advance!

Bronkster

I feel personally qualified to answer that question! I go to a local comic convention every year, and the past few years specifically to drop off comics at the CGC booth. I wanted to save on the shipping (with insurance!), and also enjoy wandering around looking at comic books. Yay. The problem is that a whole buttload of other people have the same idea! And CGC has not stepped up its game (at least, at the con I go to, which is a smaller event). Last year, with only six people ahead of me, the wait was just under two hours. This year, because they also had a pre-register drop-off thing, it was so incredibly crowded and disorganized that after a few hours of being juggled around to different lines (because CGC didn't seem to have a plan that involved more than ten customers) I gave up. I shipped the books the next day. I would no longer recommend the convention route.


As for shipping - I've shipped a number of valuable comics now, and have had no problems. Packing them SECURELY is the most important thing. I use heavy cardboard and ship Priority. Not the cheapest way, but it's been problem-free for me.

TimeandTide

THANK YOU! I live in Orange County, CA, so there are always conventions happening (WonderCon was here last weekend, in fact), so figured that might be the cheapest/easiest/most fun avenue, but I'll send instead, given your rocky experience at the shows. You've been happy with the service overall? How many books have you had graded so far?

Red Hood

It all depends. My recommendation is that you go online and check if it's better that you get a 1 year membership with CGC, which depending on the tier, will include free grading in 1-2 of your books. Another thing, has any of those books been signed by anyone? If not, then go with CGC. Even better, see if you can catch a convention with Zeck, Frank Miller or Todd McFarlane in it. If any of the books is signed, then I recommend that you grade those with CBCS, which will authenticate the signatures. In my opinion, I prefer to do dropoffs at shows because it's safer for the books. I have heard so many horror stories of FEDEX, UPS and USPS damaging the books on the way to CGC, that I decided to just drop them off at cons where they have a booth. Also, you can create your account, fill in the paperwork online and simply drop them off at a show without a lot of waiting. I've done that the past several years at Heroescon in Charlotte with books I don't want to get signed. Also, you can select to get the books pressed to get a better grade on the book.

TimeandTide

Thanks so much for the advice. You've had a markedly different experience than Bronkster​​​!

​​​​Didn't even consider getting the books signed, but now I'm considering keeping an eye on the local shows for appearances by Miller, McFarlane, Zeck, Stan Sakai, Neal Adams, and a few others.

ETA: I just looked up CGA's pressing service. Looks like that might be worthwhile for my bent and creased TMNT #1 (3rd) and #2 (first). Any idea what the service costs, and if, after its pressed, the book gets sent directly to CGC for grading?

Red Hood

This link explain what pressing is. I highly recommend it for books that have some identifiable flaws.

https://www.cgccomics.com/ccs-pressing/

Neal Adams just opened his store in Burbank, so you may catch him there, but remember that for CGC, you need one of their employees to witness the signature, if not, they don't label it the same.

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/04...-this-weekend/

TimeandTide

Thanks for the tip about Neal Adams. Apparently, this Saturday is the grand opening of his shop, and he's even personally serving milk and cookies from 3 to 6 p.m. I might have to check that out. (The Instagram account is vague on details about cost for sigs, and if he'll even sign anything that's not a Detective #1000 variant.)

Thanks also for that link about pressing. Had no idea. I did navigate the submission form, but a question: If it says that pressing takes up to 80 (!) business days, so does that mean I would't get the slabbed issue back for 16-20 weeks? That's...a long time.

Red Hood

Yes, that may be the case. Right now, there's a huge demand for pressing, especially since newer books are made with shitty paper that damages easily. If you aren't in a hurry and the books look like they need pressing, then I suggest you do it. If the books look as good as they are going to be, then just submit them for grading.

Bronkster

I've had one book pressed, and although I wasn't as impressed with the results as the website examples led me to believe, it still came back as 9.2 - so I was pleased with that! CGC and (CCS for pressing) took just over a month turnaround, which was acceptable.

TimeandTide

Did you submit to do both at the same time? Or did you get the pressed book back and then submit to CGC? That's the one thing regarding the submission process that I'm confused by.

TimeandTide

That's interesting about the paper. Haven't bought a comic in about 10 years. I think I'm going to send in an issue of TMNT to get pressed, and then will send others if I'm happy with the outcome and service.

movieguru

If you're going to get books graded, I'd suggest doing a good number of them at once. Shipping is expensive for one book, but does not increase very drastically for each addition book you add to that order as long as everything ships back to you at one time.
As for pressing, go with the service that CGC partner company offers. I had one book pressed that was for the Signature Series with Stan Lee. Stan's people had their own company for pressing prior to sending it to CGC. I dropped off the book to them and they had it signed by Stan, then dropeed it off right at the CGC booth for grading even though I paid them to press it. Luckily I checked with Stan's people before I left the con that day. They had to run back to the CGC booth to get the book back to press it. I did not like the way I saw them handling the book when they got it back. I estimated the grade to be a minimum of 9.0-9.2 before pressing. It came back an 8.0 after pressing. I don't know what the hell they did to it, but it certainly didn't improve the grade.

TimeandTide

Thank you, movieguru! Definitely thinking of 5-10 books, with two or three of them pressed.

What book did you get signed by Lee?

That's one of the nightmare scenarios I'm hoping to avoid! Have you used CGC and the pressing service often?

(The more I read about getting books signed, the more eager I am to attend a Con that CGC is attending.)

movieguru

It was the Amazing Spider-Man #121 with the death of Gwen Stacy. The grading notes listed non color breaking stress lines on the spine which weren't there when I dropped it off. Ihaven't used CGC's pressing service, but I'd assume they are better since it's done in house and they know what they need to do to to improve the grade and I'm sure they have done a larger volume than most other pressers. The key thing to look for is non colorbreaking defects. Pressing can fix color breaks. or veining.

I had CGC grade my Spider-man #300 that I dropped off to them during the Baltimore Comic Con. I didn't use pressing for that one because I could see no defects it could improve with pressing. The only defect I saw was on the bottom of the spine where it just had a slight extra bit of paper attached to it that wasn't cut off during the printing process. It graded out at the top of my estimate. I knew it was at least a 9.6 with the potential for a 9.8. I got a 9.8 with white pages.