So, I’m ready to fill a key hole. I’m looking for an ASM 300. DM me if you have one that you willing to part with.
I currently have two slabbed options in my sights. The first is an 8.5 newstand, the other is a 9.2 direct. For the same money, which would you choose?
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For me, the higher grade takes precedence on that book.
I actually just purchased a 9.2 direct myself after a ton of sideline watching and contemplating what grade I felt I’d be happy with all things considered.
Best of luck!
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I’m no expert on values and rarity, nor am I well seasoned collector… but my knee jerk reaction is to snag the 9.2
I hope this helps.
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Anything above a 7.0 for that book you will be happy. 9.8s were $300 when I bought mine and instead I bought a high grade raw for $50 it’s been graded since 8.5. I wish I just shelled out the $300 back then.
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Go for the 9.2 direct. An 8.5 Newsstand isn’t all that rare. In all honesty Newsstands, even high grades don’t seem to get actually “rare” until the 2k’s.
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I hear ya…When I bought mine, 9.8 copies were around $350. I thought that was too much for a book with such a huge print run so I settled on a 9.6 for $150 with free shipping. Not complaining but I never thought I would see 9.8 prices where they are now.
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1988 was approximately 70%/30% Direct/Newsstand.
Not rare for Newsstand; although one should factor in the highest of grades for newsstands since they were generally not as well taken care of as their direct counterparts in any era.
That said, 8.5 is not near the highest of grades.
So I’d go with the 9.2
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Try to zoom in on the pics provided and buy the one you like more… Don’t focus on the grade that was slapped on the label.
Buy the book, not the slab.
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Exactly this. Trusting CGC these days is not recommended. They are inaccurate a whole lot more percentage of the time than anyone would care to mention. I often laugh at my “gifts”; but hey… a 9.8 is a 9.8 cos they said so! 
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Since both are slabbed, if the 8.5 looks like a current label, I would assume it’s already been pressed and likely the best it can look. If you can read grader’s notes or actually see the condition within the slab, great.
All things being equal, I’d go for the 9.2.
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CGC’s mistakes seem to get a lot of attention and I wonder how significant their actual error rate is. I really like using them because I trust their grading skills more than I do mine or anyone else I’m buying from. Ive gotten pretty good at being able to tell if a book is a 9.8 or not pretty accurately but anything below that I get lost in. I deal mostly with modern books so usually the 9.8 mark is what matters.
I hate trying to figure out what I should or shouldn’t pay for a raw book and what grade it is.
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In the last year their quality control (scratches, book damage, cracks, mis-labels) and their accuracy on Moderns (9.8s that’ can’t possibly be 9.8) has taken a hit.
In any business, Quality will always suffer when unforeseen increase in volume, demand, and ramp-up of training is needed. They’ll never release their complaint rate, but suffice to say it is far more substantial than it was prior to the pandemic. They are screwing up big time for the last year and I don’t trust any graded Modern within the last year. I feel as if they don’t even look at moderns from my observations and receipts.
How many moderns do they grade annually and you’re complaining about the only 3 or 4 examples available…?
I’d say 1:1000+ ratio aint bad.
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I can only speak with absolute certainty to the moderns I’ve personally received.
Suffice to say it is over 50 moderns.
Of those 50, I know unequivocally on about 5 I should have received 9.4 - 9.6. On two of those 5 had a 1/4 inch color break. the other 3 had SEVERAL color break spine tics. What’d I get? 9.8.
That’s 90%. That aint cuttin it for me and it shouldn’t cut it for anyone
I only use CGC. Been using them for decades. Never had a problem with the grades I received. I will continue to support them.
Like any purchase, if you received a bad product, contact the company.
From a business perspective, I’m not going to contact a company about receipt of grades higher than they should be. If they’re not looking at them; I’m not questioning them. I just sell them anyway to folks who believe they’re the experts
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I agree with @monopolyjackson their are like 3-4 recent examples that get mentioned over and over again. I’m sure they make mistakes but they grade massive amounts of books. I like hearing people’s actual experiences.
Ive done 92 books since last September. I have had no scratches or cracks. I had one book maybe sneak through in a Batman 608 that had 1 small spine tick. It was in a prescreen box and came back 9.8. I also did have one book mislabeled. I accidentally submitted a book as a second print when it was a first and they didn’t catch the mistake and graded it as a second print.
I currently have another 25 books with them currently and am sending 25 more tomorrow. I’ll continue to post updates as I get books back.
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Well, CGC has just expanded their facilities with the purchase of a 21,000 sq. ft. warehouse. Hopefully this will help ease the influx of business, and help them focus on doing their jobs properly more frequently.
https://www.cgccomics.com/news/article/8919/ccg-new-building/
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God I hope so.
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Wish I lived in Sarasota. I would LOVE to work there.