I have never seen a better presser and cleaner or grader in you ever!!! when I see the lousey Larry grading your books at CGC and getting a grade they don’t deserve I wonder if they do a “ah il give him a 9.6 just because I can” I swear it’s beyond lazy it’s incompetence is what it is. You blow the graders at CGC by a mile. And that to me is why your the best I have ever seen at this talent
Harsh Harry is the guy i want grading the books i Buy.....already graded. You've been really lucky with a ton of grades. Law of averages are still on your side after this.
That’s why I basically only submit prescreen 9.8 if they’re modern or some bronze. Even though I eat the $9 fee for the rejects, I can resubmit and usually I’ll get 9.8 next time if I don’t see any issues I order to hopefully miss a Harsh Harry
I think we had the same grader. I got back a big box of books from cgc last week and I couldn't believe some of the grades. This was the largest submission ever and I was certain that some of the books were a 9.8's for sure. Some of these came back 9.4's or 9.6's. I could stare at these books all day long and find no defects whatsoever. The best way to describe it was it felt like a punch to the gut. The only saving grace was a Punisher #1 ongoing series newsstand 9.8 and an asm #201 mark jewelers that I didn't even know was a mark jewelers came back a 9.4. Trust me I feel your pain and we must be long lost brothers because we are submitting the same books haha.
Great minds think alike! But sorry for your bad submisison. I only submit 5-10 books usually for this reason.. get a Harsh Harry and it can ruin a month (year?)
I think your old grading tool was maybe the tiniest bit harsh; but spot-on for the most part. The fact that you had to update your grading tool to whatever CGC standards are currently just goes to show the inconsistency of the grades that CGC has been handing out over the past 20 years. A book graded at 9.4 in 2010 would probably receive a 9.6-9.8 today. Personally, I think that you are a more consistent and accurate grader than most of the graders at CGC. EDIT: Might “Harsh Harry” really just be “Accurate Harry?” 😊 EDIT #2: Okay, maybe he is a little harsh.
It's very possible.. and I do wish they were more discerning. Unfortunately, there are thousands of books in the population graded under the loose system. All we can ask for is better consistency going forward. Just lay it out black and white what is allowed in a 9.8, a 9.6, etc. Of course, they will say they do have it clearly stated what is allowed in each grade.. then why do their grades seem to violate their rules time and time again?
@@ImproveCollectingComics There are so many things that CGC is not transparent about that it drives me nuts. I’ve submitted a couple dozen books to CGC over the years, but I only use them for books that I plan on selling. For my personal collection, I use CBCS. I would rather have accurate grades on my PC books than have inaccurate, higher (or lower) grades from CGC. By the way, have you seen the new CBCS labels yet? They were officially revealed this week. I don’t know if I like them better yet (it takes a little time for me to become accustomed to new designs,) but their 9.9 and 10 labels are awesome. The numerical grade itself is like a shiny holographic gold foil.
There can be so much inconsistency with CGC. For a bit of time there you were getting quite a bit of 9.8's, so now CGC has to swing everything completely the other way and grade maybe too harshly. I am pretty used to getting 9.6 on books that I and two others believe should be a 9.8's. I think it would be nice if there wasn't such drastic leniency or harsh grading with CGC's grading services. Hopefully, you have better luck (you shouldn't have to get lucky) with your next submission.
I grade a ton of books and have resent 9.4/9.6 with no additional pressing and gotten back 9.8. There's definitely a couple of harsh graders out there.
Damn I definitely think that Secret Wars #1 got unfairly hit from how it looks.... on a sidenote, that has to be one of my favorite Zeck covers of all time.
sorry you got harsh grading. You may also have to consider you have to sell the book to realize the profit and it is possible you actually sell for less than current GPA price.
Ive sent in 108 books and have never got a 9.8 to cgc or cbcs everything i send is cleaned and pressed by a reptile company. I think i should prescreen now my self i feel your frustration
looks like we had the same grader. I submitted so flawless cbcs 9.8 books that I cracked open. I got back a couple 9.4, A bunch of 9.6 I did get some 9.8 but that sub was dreadful.
I can understand the disappointment with a harsh grader. But in a weird way, its almost comforting that a 9.6 SW #1 still got a 9.6 as it was already a slabbed book previously. It shows a level of consistency with CGC, albeit some of the other books harsh.
@user-tl3lq6uk4o Just because theirs something on a book that can be fixed doesn't always guarantee a bump. Could of been another minor defect. I had a Punisher #1 that was a 9.4. Redid it, fixed the main defect (non colour breaking bend on corner). Still 9.4
@@weasellyone2 I think the problem is if they disclosed it, you'll have more people trying to be tactical in restoration tactics or going overboard to try hit those high grades.
I agree. It's rare, but I have seen notes on 9.8s before. ALL books should 100% have notes. Even a 9.9 should have a note justifying it.. something like "only an ultra tiny bindery ding to top, no man-made flaws"
Notes? I'm sure there were plenty of notes on all of those 9.2 to 9.6's. Guessing there were none for all that were submitted. That always chaps my ass.
I mean, your expectations are high and you have been gifted some 9.8s in the past (that even you were surprised, because you expected a 9.4/9/6 on some). A lot of us run in these "bad graders" a lot more often than you think. You've also had "blind graders" in the past. That's what we get when grading. It's subjective and varies from grader to grader.
It bothers me that the grading depends so much on the grader . CGC either has a system that they can teach or they don't . If you look at their latest how to grade book , it is obvious they have no system . Which is really mind blowing .
@@Comicbookyoutubersrock have you read it ? There is no detail in there . 2 paragraphs basically say it is an art and not a science and that's it . Don't lecture me , I bought it and it is worthless .
90% of the book is fluff . Talks about how books are printed , what types of labels GCG provides , definitions , what kind of defects there are blah blah . At the back end gives examples of books and their grades but no system is given on how to grade . Less actual detail than the overstreet book ( also not a fan ) .
I also own this book, in fairnesss to CGC (and they don't deserve it) you have to admit that there are degrees to all of these defects. I do wish it was more specific
It's like taking a math test as a kid, but when the teacher hands you back your graded test, you only had the grade on the top and no idea what you did wrong. You just have to trust them and study harder. I don't think it should be like this. Especially since you're paying for it. It feels like a don't pay any attention to that man behind the curtain sort of thing.
It’s okay Jim. You were bound to get HH again one day. The frustrating thing is, why can’t they be consistent. 9.6 on the X-Men which should be lower and 9.6 on Secret Wars which should be higher? Come on now.
Yeah he was harsh on the high end books and lenient on the low end.. probably just lazy is what happened, and decided to give grades by throwing at a dart board that day
There is no way to get around the human inconsistencies in grading. We have to live with it and hope CGC can continue to refine things to make it more and more consistent. But what gets me is the ridiculous premium people place on a 9.8 over a 9.6 when we all know 50% of the 9.8s out there would get a 9.6 if resubmitted and 50% of the 9.6s would get a 9.8 if resubmitted. The collectors paying such premiums for a 9.8 over a 9.6 ,full well knowing that it is pretty much a coin toss which book really deserves it, is the biggest issue with the slabbed market.
Agree 100%! It makes no sense to me why a 9.6 of a particlar book can be $300 and a 9.8 $2,000, when the books look virtually identical.. in some cases the 9.6 is nicer
When you get the harsh guy, it cuts you deep. I collect Nintendo power so when you get the harsh grader it’s not worth resubmitting so you gotta suck it and sale. Feels bad man. I don’t like Harry. With NP I’m looking for 8.5 and higher. So when you get the 7.5 that should be at least a 8.0 and probably a 8.5…all you can do is sigh.
I keep saying: USE CBCS. The new labels are superior to CGC - gorgeous. My last CBCS submission came back in 10 days. And I get THOROUGH graders notes before I receive the books back. Get over the CGC phenom, people.
Excellent decision. IMO the CGC labels look outdated now. The new CBCS labels look fresh. They put a lot of time into the final design. CGC is owned by Blackstone. And I sure as hell and not giving them my money.@@ImproveCollectingComics
But do we know, James, what do they use to look a the books? Microscope glasses? Cause depending on the augmentation you see the tiniest defects. I don't know. 😅
Howdy I have a razor darkest night white velvet cover it has Rusty Staples do you have any secrets that could help me the book is in 9.4 not counting the staples being bad
Email me some photos and I'll take a look. It depends on the amount of rust and if it's migrated to the paper. I am often able to remove 90% or even 100% of light rust
CGC GRADING IS A JOKE.. YOU ARE CORRECT IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT MOOD THE GRADER IS IN.. I HAD A BOOK THAT WAS DEFIANTLY A 9.6 CLEANED, PRESSED.. IT CAME BACK 8.5. WITH A NOTE SAYING SMALL FACTORY DEFECT BACK COVER..THTAS IS.. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A 9.8 THEN.. BUT WHAT DO YOU DO..THE MARKET GOES BY THE GODS OF GRADING CGC..
I know you're massively disappointed in the grades you received. That being said sometimes I wish Harsh Harry you show up more often. I recently won an auction for an X-Men #115 in CGC 9.6 with white pages. I got the book in the mail and was in shock. There is no way the book should have been a 9.6. I sent the book back to the seller. I wouldn't have given the book a 9.2 let alone a 9.6. The grading standards at CGC seem to have disappeared. I'm seeing book after book over graded. That should not be the case from a professional company. I"m sure your books were under graded but from a buyers standpoint a book should never be over graded like that. You can have all the 9.8's and 9.6's you like but if the buyer looks at it and says no way. Then the book is no good.
I agree, I have seen some ROUGH 9.6s.. and I have seen some pristine 9.2s. It really is true to buy the book and not the grade, good for you for sending it back
Just another example of a comic book RU-vidr who waaayyy over estimates on grading. You need to lower your expectations. On the secret wars I saw edge wear. Not sure how you missed that, but pretty clearly a 9.6.
Edge wear? You must be talking about the wrong book.. the secret wars #1 is almost a 9.9 candidate, 0 edge wear. Take a look at the CGC photos- www.cgccomics.com/certlookup/4314157001/ If you mean at the top on the back, that's completely consistent with being bindery. The black is often kinda white where it is cut by the machine, typical of copper age books. Take a look at some 9.8s that sold on e-bay and you'll see what I mean. Here is a 9.8 that sold recently, it has much more "edge wear" and a big tick on the front. It looks much more like a 9.6 than my book- www.cgccomics.com/certlookup/4280106010/
@@ImproveCollectingComics Please don’t say 9.9 every again 🤣. The fact that you think you would get a 9.9 on anything vintage or older than the 2000’s shows your inexperience.
