What are the latest opinions on CGC grading?

[StarBrand]

What are the latest opinions on CGC grading? Do they seem stricter in the last year or so than previously, about the same, or less strict?

[Funcha]

Everybody is saying really strict. I have no idea though. Pretty much everything I send in I carefully screen to make sure they're true 9.6/9.8 contenders. I personally grade very tightly, so am having a lot of success in hitting 9.8s.

[TheeBaldMoose]

If they are getting stricter, they are getting lazier in other areas.

Grader notes, I am getting fewer and fewer of them even though I have paid for them. Makes me wonder if the $150 is even worth it anymore. Sure, it handles some of the slabbing, but that's only $18 per book. If there are no notes, then why the hell would I pay extra for the services?

[greg]

I ran the numbers about a year ago. It's pretty clear that CGC started "gifting" 9.8 grades on modern books around late-2008.
They've been pulling back (getting stricter) since then, but it still seems easier to get a 9.8 today than pre-2008.

There's no reason that Amazing Spider-man #300 and Harbinger #1 should have similar charts for CGC 9.8 submissions, except that CGC is doing similar things at the same times in their grading results.

[GGSAE]

So Gregory an astute collector would go after those 9.6s/9.4s (pre 2008) in hopes to get better grades under different grading conditions?

[greg]

So Gregory an astute collector would go after those 9.6s/9.4s (pre 2008) in hopes to get better grades under different grading conditions?

That's one way to look at it. Another would be to go after 9.6s/9.4s graded pre-2008 at significantly lower prices than 9.8, then compare to 9.8s already in your collection. Then sell any 9.8s that look worse than the 9.6s and 9.4s. Downgrade your 9.8s to cost-savings AND better-looking books. Win-Win.

Pressing and regrading wouldn't even be necessary, but it might be a third "Win" sometime in the future.

[markie7235]

I personally feel they still are inconsistent

I sent in an X-O #4 and A&A #0 from VH1 that had no discernible issues, both came back 9.6. I sent in a pink Harbinger #0 that I would have called a 9.2, maybe a 9.4 that had some slight spine roll to it, and it came back a 9.6, which was a very nice pleasant surprise.

I also submitted a Harbinger #1 VH1 in similar condition to a 9.2 copy I own and it came back an 8.5

For a company trying to identify itself as the gold standard of consistent and definitive grading, still a lot of dumb luck on who grades your book it seems.

[Ricomortis]

I personally feel they still are inconsistent

I sent in an X-O #4 and A&A #0 from VH1 that had no discernible issues, both came back 9.6. I sent in a pink Harbinger #0 that I would have called a 9.2, maybe a 9.4 that had some slight spine roll to it, and it came back a 9.6, which was a very nice pleasant surprise.

I also submitted a Harbinger #1 VH1 in similar condition to a 9.2 copy I own and it came back an 8.5

For a company trying to identify itself as the gold standard of consistent and definitive grading, still a lot of dumb luck on who grades your book it seems.

I disagree

[markie7235]

I personally feel they still are inconsistent

I sent in an X-O #4 and A&A #0 from VH1 that had no discernible issues, both came back 9.6. I sent in a pink Harbinger #0 that I would have called a 9.2, maybe a 9.4 that had some slight spine roll to it, and it came back a 9.6, which was a very nice pleasant surprise.

I also submitted a Harbinger #1 VH1 in similar condition to a 9.2 copy I own and it came back an 8.5

For a company trying to identify itself as the gold standard of consistent and definitive grading, still a lot of dumb luck on who grades your book it seems.

I disagree

Fair enough, care to elaborate why?

[TheeBaldMoose]

I personally feel they still are inconsistent

I sent in an X-O #4 and A&A #0 from VH1 that had no discernible issues, both came back 9.6. I sent in a pink Harbinger #0 that I would have called a 9.2, maybe a 9.4 that had some slight spine roll to it, and it came back a 9.6, which was a very nice pleasant surprise.

I also submitted a Harbinger #1 VH1 in similar condition to a 9.2 copy I own and it came back an 8.5

For a company trying to identify itself as the gold standard of consistent and definitive grading, still a lot of dumb luck on who grades your book it seems.

I disagree

Fair enough, care to elaborate why?

Did you get grader notes with your grades? that Harbinger #1 may have had some smaller errors that you weren't aware of. For your grades, these should all be telling you why your grades are the way they are.

[markie7235]

I personally feel they still are inconsistent

I sent in an X-O #4 and A&A #0 from VH1 that had no discernible issues, both came back 9.6. I sent in a pink Harbinger #0 that I would have called a 9.2, maybe a 9.4 that had some slight spine roll to it, and it came back a 9.6, which was a very nice pleasant surprise.

I also submitted a Harbinger #1 VH1 in similar condition to a 9.2 copy I own and it came back an 8.5

For a company trying to identify itself as the gold standard of consistent and definitive grading, still a lot of dumb luck on who grades your book it seems.

I disagree

Fair enough, care to elaborate why?

Did you get grader notes with your grades? that Harbinger #1 may have had some smaller errors that you weren't aware of. For your grades, these should all be telling you why your grades are the way they are.

Yes, I don't recall off hand, but they were fairly generic. For the 9.6 ones, there weren't really any notes.

It doesn't really bother me like some people, I still personally find 9.6 a really good grade and care more about how an issue displays in the slab than the number itself. I'm not getting books graded to flip, but to protect issues I have that are special to me or have some value to them. Unfortunately I have to store my collection of almost 700 Valiant comics (VH1 and VEI) in my man-cave that's in my basement. While the temperature and conditions are nice down there, it's still a basement, meaning moisture in the air. So for me the grading is to prevent possible damage, protect issues I feel are special, and also to display.

I only mentioned a couple of issues I've had graded, but more was calling out imo where I've seen discrepancies in grading. For example, I have a Magnus Robot Fighter #5 that came back a 9.8 even though the spine was starting to split at top and bottom, but my Solar #3 came back at 9.6 that had no noticeable issues on it all. Grader notes offered no information. Again, doesn't bother me, but just seems like there's some inconsistencies on some issues in the 9.4-9.8 range, or sometimes 8.5-9.2 range. Even my local comic shop who sends the books off for grading for me was surprised on what some of mine came back as in both situations: some graded higher than he expected or would have graded and others lower than what he expected.

[tarheelmarine]

I only mentioned a couple of issues I've had graded, but more was calling out imo where I've seen discrepancies in grading. For example, I have a Magnus Robot Fighter #5 that came back a 9.8 even though the spine was starting to split at top and bottom, but my Solar #3 came back at 9.6 that had no noticeable issues on it all. Grader notes offered no information.

good point about issues with spine starting to split. was it there before it was graded or did putting it in the slab cause the split?

[markie7235]

I only mentioned a couple of issues I've had graded, but more was calling out imo where I've seen discrepancies in grading. For example, I have a Magnus Robot Fighter #5 that came back a 9.8 even though the spine was starting to split at top and bottom, but my Solar #3 came back at 9.6 that had no noticeable issues on it all. Grader notes offered no information.

good point about issues with spine starting to split. was it there before it was graded or did putting it in the slab cause the split?

To be honest, I dont recall. I think it was prior to grading because I wasn't expecting a 9.8. I figured a 9.2 maybe