I do of the one with the corner crease. The other is sold. Give me a moment
No problem, and I don’t mean to sound cynical I do actually just want to see them.
Cell phone pic I just took. Venom 3 3rd.
Not best lighting but one can see… it’s actually about 1/2". And a bit more prominent visually; rather than pictorally.
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It that’s the only defect in that book I don’t think it’s that crazy that’s it’s a 9.8
A 1/2" color break crease on a Modern?
Ok - maybe I have my zone of accuracy a bit off, but trust me, it is a quite observable 1/2" color break. That’s a bit much for me for a 9.8. But when it’s mine… that I obtained… heck I’m happy.
I wonder if some of these happened after grading and during the encapsulation process.
Possibly. My point to all this is there are a bunch of different times and places these things could happen. I can only speak for my experience, but Ive been totally happy with CGC.
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I also have a Batman 89 and an Department of Truth #2 1:25 incentive that both came back 9.6 that I can’t see anything wrong with, but they grade the whole comic not just the covers.
Perhaps this is where the complaints are coming from - that both companies have a different 9.8 standard? I dunno. I use both (CGC for selling; CBCS for personal).
In my observations, and in speaking with just my books that I have submitted and received, I honestly can’t remember seeing a defect on a Modern and getting maximum 9.6 with CBCS. I"m sure it happens and someone will post “look at this on my CBCS”. All I can say in my observations, with my books - it hasn’t happened with CBCS.
And trust me when I say I’m happy with CGC… I really really am.
That is frustrating and if you are invested in CGC books you would hate for them to sully their reputation by pleasing the masses with over grading. I just don’t know that that’s happening. I think CGC does a massive amount of books and their mistakes get highly publicized (at least in our orbit) and they are a small percentage.
Yeaaa… agreed. It would be unfortunate for many (including financially for myself) if reputation was sullied. I dont retain any CGC books so ultimately if they’re accurate, great for the buyer. If not, well… what can one do. The industry has bought into this so if it’s graded at 9.8, then I’ll swear up and down that’s exactly what it is
Exactly… I’m not selling you a 9.8 comic. I’m selling you a CGC 9.8 comic or a CBCS 9.8 comic and who are you to argue. It’s nice to have a seemingly objective or at least acceptable standard.
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3rd party grading has no standard; it is just a dude, or dudette, giving their opinion on the way they would grade your book. Not sure how a color breaking spine tick like that makes it through three people, with quality control, and gets a 9.8. All the kudos to those that get books with that grade, but I really think more and more people are buying the book in that CGC 9.8 slab, and really looking at it, because they know there lots of variances in the “9.8”. Go on the bay, and look up one comic in a 9.8, and look at all the differences you can find with your own eyes, and the things that they let slide, without even having to look inside the book.
If there was an acceptable standard, everyone would be following it, and it is quite evident that only the opinionated standard is being followed. It shouldn’t be hard to get any grade, including a 10.0, but “that would be pretty rare”; why? If anything, I really believe that these companies are capping out at 9.8 to continue to garner more sheep to submit more books in hopes of getting better and better grades. It isn’t because all those books just managed to be right there at a 9.8.
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1/2" is waaaay to much of a crease to receive a 9.8, imo.
Imo, no 9.8 should have a colour break anywhere. Imo, 1 non color breaking tic up to 1/8" is all that should be allowed for a modern 9.8. Again though, just my opinion.
That’s not accurate. What you would be selling is a comic book, along with a plastic case and a little paper label that has numbers on it.
Buy the book, not the label.
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So what is the acceptable standard?
That’s entirely incorrect. Im selling you a comic book that CGC or CBCS respectively has said is a 9.8 and then encased in plastic with a little paper label with numbers on it.
That’s my whole point, Im selling you someone else’s opinion of a book and you are accepting that by buying.
EDIT: @jcLu maybe not entirely incorrect but I don’t think I stated what I meant properly.
There’s a Hulk 181 CGC 9.6 on Heritage right now with 3 days left.
It’s currently at $18k last I checked.
If one wants to have a good chuckle today, take a look at the spine on that 9.6.
Oofa!!! - is it Christmas time yet. Where’s my gift? There’s like 10 color break spine tics on that bad boy… lol
Edit: Heres the link The Incredible Hulk #181 (Marvel, 1974) CGC NM+ 9.6 White pages.... | Lot #92144 | Heritage Auctions
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I wholly fail to see the difference. 
Buy the book, not the label.
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