I want to start a company that grades slabs. Send me your slab and I will slab it and assign a grade to the case. Imagine, you can have a 10.0 graded 9.8 comic, card, toy, game, or cd
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I’ve dealt quite a bit with the company they have partnered with/does the casing, etc (CAS grading). I actually had some items graded by them when they were just getting started/getting their feet wet (toys)
They have done pretty well by me & at least have provided an alternative to AFA grading (I’m talking 4-5 years ago).
My issue is that they have very quickly grown and expanded into so many areas and their customer service and turn around times haven’t been great since they’ve gotten bigger. Communication is also poor. I’m not a fan of companies expanding when they aren’t doing a great job of what they already have established.
I will say they have added staff, improvements, logistics to improve…and this has appeared to help but still.
Essentially, they are no different than CBCS/CGC in the way they did well initially, but then got wide eyed because of $$$$$ and started dropping the ball.
I tend to think all of these companies should focus more on “doing one thing and doing it well”.
We care about the condition of the slab as well as the book so it’s not a crazy idea. Go ahead and certify a book’s grade based on the outside of the book and grader’s notes too.
I’m just going to start a grading service that incases the collectible of any kind in a block of cement. Waterproof, fireproof and protected from UV rays with the grade of the collectible chiseled front and center. What more would a collector want? Shipping will be expensive though, especially for those who want their classic car graded. Yeah, I’ll do that too if money is involved.
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This made me feel old so I blogged about it. There will be American Girls Dolls themed for 1999. I’m an example of living history, ya’ll.
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Modern concrete had a useful life of about 50 years though. We need that ancient Roman concrete with the self-repairing limestone compound they just figured out.
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Sounds like good marketing too! Grading the Roman way!
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I just looked at my Battle Chasers today.
Maybe that leads to a new game. I never read the comic but I loved that game on the Playstation 4.
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Just got the Image press release about this in my email… haha!
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I legit won an auction this past week of the whole run for $50, which also included the Gold foil prelude issue
Flip it.
We already knew CGC has their own grading standards, and “The Official CGC Guide to Grading Comics” proves it. The topic starts at 8:35.
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Here’s something I just can’t wrap my head around…
What the hell makes a difference in increasing the charge for signing a Star Wars book versus a non Star wars books? (Katie Sackhoff per the prices below).
What a bunch of crap.
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Because she can make money off it. Her appearances as a Mando and recent books featuring the character make it a great money making opportunity. Sucks. I wouldn’t pay any money for any of them.
I got chased a bunch of years ago by walking by at a convention and videoing (in the background) a pro wrestler. I wasn’t trying to video her but she just happened to be in the background. She chased me down trying to get $20 for the photo. I showed the convention people that I was talking and recording a retailer and she was in the background. They told her but she insisted any photos or video of her was a $20 charge. I walked off. Screw that. I didn’t go to any Wizard World’s after that.
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I feel like if Shatner is $130, then most of the prices should be cut in half. My point is that sig prices are kinda crazy.
Shatner prices have always been pretty high. over a decade ago he was charging $80 or so.
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I guess it’s not even so much the amount that people charge (because like the rest of you, I just won’t get the signature), but it really makes zero sense to me to have two separate fees for “different items”.
To pay $110 for a signature on a Battlestar Galactica book but $140 for a Star Wars book is silly.
I think in the long run, they actually hurt themselves. Ego sort of getting in the way as if they actually charged a realistic amount they would likely end up making a whole lot more money with a quantity of sales scenario.
Star Wars always makes sure to get the likeness rights to their actors. Perhaps the upcharge is because the actor has to cough up money to Lucasfilm??
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