A New Tipping Point?

On May 23, CGC announced a new class of labels. Starting next month CGC will introduce the Conservation Label and at the same time expand the Purple Label into five tiers. We’ll now have:

1. Slight
2. Slight/Moderate
3. Moderate
4. Moderate/Extensive
5. Extensive
Avengers

To further complicate things, there will also be an A, B or C designation to identify the quality of restoration, i.e.; from amateur to professional with a number to indicate the quantity or the amount of restoration done to the book. So, we’ll soon be seeing certification labels that read like this:

Avengers #55
Apparent: 9.6
Slight/Moderate: A-2

Batman

 

The Conservation Label will differentiate repairs done to a book with the intent to preserve as opposed to repairs done to enhance eye appeal.

I’m all for transparency and more information but is the certification system becoming too complex, especially for novice collectors? In their attempt to clarify, I find it actually has the opposite effect and adds to the confusion (or is it just me resisting change)? Personally, I think all labels should be Blue with all pertinent information listed on the label. This way, the buyer can decide what he or she finds acceptable. At one point in comics history, restored books used to be more valuable than non restored books but something happened along the way and the scale has tilted. I guess this is what Malcolm Gladwell would refer to as The Tipping Point.

I have no idea how the market will react to this expanded system, but it definitely will be interesting to watch. I assume that CGC is hoping that some collectors will re-submit their books to be re-slabbed so that they can get “mo’ chedd-ah”, but will it be worth the effort for the collector? For the most part, a Purple Label is a Purple Label but if a Blue Label with a Purple Stripe starts fetching a premium, you may want to dig through your box of CGC books and pick out the Slight to Moderately restored books for possible re-submission.

You can read more about it here and feel free to share your thoughts below. Is this a good thing, bad thing or… meh.

Charlie Kim
Charlie Kim

Charlie Kim is a designer who is currently transitioning into teaching. While working for various companies, he helped develop many international brands such as the Hong Kong Airport identity, Lenovo’s sponsorship program for the Beijing Olympics and Lavasa, a new city being developed in India. Locally, he's also worked on the 1998 campaign for the Canadian Opera Company, the Canadian Innovations stamp for Canada Post and the terrible Grand & Toy re-brand (hey, they can't all be winners). Charlie’s love affair with art and design all began with comics.

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nestor
nestor
9 years ago

it’s not confusing at all. quite the opposite, this is a far better system than the current on in place. far more clarity.

Walter Durajlija
Admin
9 years ago

I’ve noticed a few buyers paying higher for Slight Restoration especially if the book has a chance of being “unrestored”.

Buy that 7.0 Purple label AF #15 with tear seals and slight color touch, then send it off to a restoration outfit to scrape the color off and rip the seals open.

Resubmit and get a 4.5 Blue!

What I’m asking I guess is – will this system make it easier for this type of thing to happen?

Perhaps another category could be “This book can be Unrestored”.

Still, restored books should not all be valued equally so this is good for the collector I guess though it is CGC that is defining the limits of range.

nestor
nestor
9 years ago
Reply to  Charlie Kim

a book that has colour touch up, would get a RESTORATION label, listing the work done on the book, and if it was signed, i’m sure they’d have a line that authenticates the signature.

Conservation label should not include any colour touch ups.

nestor
nestor
9 years ago
Reply to  Charlie Kim

i have a small collection of comic books. maybe, 5% have been graded. and that’s because most have been already graded when i bought them. i’ve been too lazy to send off books. i’ve been slowly cataloguing them over the past few months. i’m sure i could pick up 100 books to send of to get graded today. and i have a very small collection compared to most

nestor
nestor
9 years ago

i agree Walt. there is a difference between extensive conservation, extensive colour touch ups, re-glossing etc etc…
i’m sure sure of the economics of getting something, then “unrestoring”

ie, what’s a purple 7.0 AF 15 worth, add the cost of unrestoring, then have a blue 4.5? i’ve got no idea.

Walter Durajlija
Admin
9 years ago

I believe a CGC 7.0 restored AF #15 goes for about 7K while a 4.5 unrestored goes for over 10K but that is just one example.

So if I had a book and knew that if I trimmed it I would make more money on the market I guess I would do it, full disclosure of course. Why not? If it is what the market wants…

How are the backlogs at CGC? I’d always imagined you could tell how they are doing by the tier backlogs.

Interesting indeed.

Dennis De Pues
9 years ago

At this point in time I find it confusing.Th eonly thing that I see for sure that will come out of this is more resubmissions to CGC and therefore more money. We all know how much of a discrepancy there can be in grading now, this is going to muddy up the waters even more.

stephen b. keisman
stephen b. keisman
9 years ago

hey charlie, i also caught that same ebay listings! after over 50 years in this field, i will not touch trimmed books, the ugliest of all defects!!

stephen b. keisman
stephen b. keisman
9 years ago

charlie, there are individuals out there and will not name them that got us to this mess of frenzied flipping toward highest graded paper and ink, one such individual sold off his hoard months ago thru heritage. legal yes, but highly manipulative indeed. yes a monopoly and maybe this new steve borack a aenterprise will begin to reverse this insanity! but im also cynically aware that his backers/handlers are big money interests.