I have been waiting for a nice ASM 129. LCS got one in. Sent it out to be graded. Came back a 6.0. They were asking $1400. I said $1100. They said ok. I drove over to get it. It was completely warped in the inner well. Not only side to side warping but seemed to be top to bottom. All four corners of the inner well were in different spots. I pointed it out and they agreed. I had to pass. If I am going to drop that much money I donāt want warping.
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When is PSA starting grading comics? Seems like they have a golden opportunity with how bad things are going with CGC and how CBCS seems to always snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
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Word on the streets is that PSA should have an announcement during SDCC. Some people have seen the new labels (the Comic Doctor, a presser who got a tour with PSA). Says the new label is really nice and that people will be pleased with it. Heās in the business of pressing books so he could be biased but others have seen the new labels and have echoed the same thing. Iāll believe it when I see it, the current design is godawful.
Frankly Iām pleased that PSA is taking their time with this and have listened to feedback before )aunch.
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The question for me is, will this spark the graded comic collecting niche, or water it down even more? Itās like, I want to send PSA some comics to spite CGC, but I truly think slabbed books are still downward trending.
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As long as PSA doesnāt damage books, theyāre one better than CGC.
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I agree with this. We were setup at a local show on Saturday, and the chatter at the show with customers and other dealers is that people want slabs less and less and only want raw. I have been noticing this trend over the course of the last year at the shows. This past March was quite the anomaly as at one of the larger shows out in Indiana, I did sell 15 slabs over the course of the 3 days, but then a place like C2E2 I didnāt move many slabs but it was more raw books.
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Flippers understand that the full known value is already established with slabs. Both the flipper (seller) and buyer know this, and they know what that value is.
However, a flipper can use their expertise in raw grading (not all that hard tbh) + be able to negotiate a raw book purchase offer by haggling condition, so they can realize a profit margin, ultimately.
Combine that with CGCās well-known problem with bending books and the already small population of slab buyers are turning their heads away because of this bending/damage. Not to mention the B.S. that there isnāt a difference between 9.6 & 9.8 generally. Thereās enough data out there demonstrating a substantial amount of modern 9.6ās going to 9.8ās upon re-sub.
Thatās because (in theory) a book in the slab commands market priceā¦essentially there isnt much room to questionā¦at least the seller will dig in their heels even if the book was over graded.
So with that, the buyer is beginning to think they can get a better deal for a raw bookā¦however if they donāt know how to grade accurately, theyāre likely buying lower grades books at prices higher than they would have paid slabbed.
You gotta have an idea how to gradeā¦or just be good at lying to yourself that you got a better deal of an unslabbed book even though you really didnāt.
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Now THIS is a mega-hit.
THIS is how one makes money, still.
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Wow. $0.75 for Queen Sonja 10; I need that.
Iām surprised you donāt have that one already with all its tentacle goodness.
That is absolutely ridiculous. The ASMās alone have to be worth 3-4 times what you paid. And there are recent moderns mixed in? How did the store get these?
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Collector or flipper, thatās a nice haul.
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Itās a huge store where people trade in their stuff (movies, cds, books, comics, instruments, video games, toys, etc.) for store credit. Some Spider-Man books should get $50 to $70 bucks. I was shocked that the Batman book (222) is the best book. Think I can get $100 because itās the first appearance of the Beatles in comics. Crazy.
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100% flipping.
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Well, theyāre not referred to as the Beatles in the book. So technically not them. Would have been copy write infringement.
But we all know thatās them. Like, cāmon man!
Neil Adams cover too? Dennis OāNeil script? Itās in my want list.
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That is an amazing haul. That JSC ASM for .90 cents or whatever. Any pre-100 ASM cheap should always be grabbed. Well done.
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I think I just bought it from you so Iāll have it soon 
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Iām assuming thatās the case. Congrats!