So I finally got around to getting this precious book of mine professionally graded. I bought the book for around $150 on eBay a few years back. The seller labeled it as a 2.0, or Good, grade. He (or she) was fairly accurate in the description given. I think he even admitted not being a professional grader but he's knowledgeable enough to guess. I felt he was honest once I received the book too. Sure! It's pretty banged up but, hey! There aren't many people who can say they have it, right? Not that that is the reasoning for collecting, just saying.
Anyways... When getting a book professionally graded, us nerds don't have many options. The business is slim-pickens in this field. If you don't know we have two companies who do this: CGC and PGX. CGC is the supposed, be-all-end-all in the grading business. They're so popular in fact that their graded books go for double and triple (sometimes quadruple!) the market value. Yes. All because of the name and I suppose that's understandable. It's really no different than the sneaker business or whatever. You'll pay a hell of a lot more for LeBron James endorsed Nikes than you would some scrub who plays for the 76ers, even though they're the same damn shoe. Then of course CGC is on hand at practically every single comic book convention there is. Making money!
It's like a conveyor belt of taking money from us and I personally don't like how they do it, though i understand why. It goes like this... When I met Stan Lee (who signed this book) at Wizard World Philadelphia a few years back, I had the option to have a CGC representative watch my book be signed, who would then give me a paper or something confirming it, to which I'd go directly to the CGC booth (Not sure of the costs here, maybe $5-10), conveniently located directly behind Stan Lee's booth. There the little slip would be filled out by yet another CGC employee that basically let's them know it's legit, so when I do send in the book, that it was signed by Stan, which in turn would grant the comic the yellow "Signature Series" label when it's graded. I don't like how they prey on us fans at conventions. I totally get that they have to confirm its authenticity to stop the bullshitters who sell fakes but damn! Speaking of money...
CGC is also outrageous in pricing and time. When I say outrageous, I mean, you'll laugh and say; 'fuck that'. Or maybe you won't. Most people don't. But I have a budget and I'll pass if something is too expensive. So remember, you're already $5-10 in the can for the CGC witness at the convention. Then when you send it in to the CGC there are a bunch of guidelines for what type of book costs what, how much it'll cost depending on the value of the book, etc. In the end, this book would have costed almost $100 for me to send in and have graded. Fuck that. And I'm not even selling it, nor do I have any plans to. As a collector, if I buy a CGC book, signed or not, sometimes you can find some really good deals on them. Let someone else do the work with that! Either way... if you're selling, or plan to sell, CGC is practically the bet way to go I think. eBayers eat up CGC books and sell them for double or triple the value (or worse! depending on the seller), just because of the CGC label.
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| It's noted "Stan Lee" written on cover'. I guess PGX needs a witness too! |
Here is where PGX comes in. I spent $37 for them to grade my book and seal it. Much better than $100. Of course... when people see PGX they tend to scoff because of one jerkoff from back in the day, don't want to get into that but, Google it if interested. Selling or buying a PGX or CGC graded comic book is night and day. Depending on which comic, the differences is hundreds of dollars, sometimes thousands. All because of how big CGC are. Also worth noting is the grading process, which is subjective to begin with. CGC are said to be really strict on grading whereas PGX is supposedly a little more lenient. Whatever.... for me, it comes down to what it is I'm doing. Am I selling? No. I'm collecting, so spending $37 on a book to be graded and sealed and sit in a closet is better for me. This particular book, in this condition, I've seen others (CGC and PGX) go for $250-300. Of course, higher graded books is where you'll see the HUGE difference in pricing. In the end it doesn't matter I suppose. These comics we collect are worth as much as what we or others are willing to pay for them! Overall I'm happy as hell this is slabbed, which I may add, feels a little sturdier than CGC's plastic. Both are awesome in protecting books.
If you have the money, by all means, go CGC. If you want to save and get the same thing, go PGX. Personally, the next book I send in for grading will be PGX. The customer service was great, the pricing was cheap and the turn around time was about a week and a half. Can't beat that! Especially when in comparison, CGC will have you books for up to 8 weeks! Sometimes longer, so I've read. I've never had a bad experience with either company so... I'm not bad mouthing anyone. Just saying;)
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