CGC: SPECIAL ORDERS

Scroll down TO BOTTOM  for FROZEN report

Collectors who wish to collect a  20 year old series in 9.6 and 9.8 are finding that dealers are simply offering #1 when they can and not much else. For example, if a collector wished to collect  Crisis on Infinite Earths, they might find key issues 7 and 8 readily available however the others just don't seem to magically appear. In many instances a collector could send in his own collection to be certified and hope for the ultra grades.

Searching eBay and dealers shelves for the missing issues isn't going to work in most instances. Dealers tend to go for the easy sale and offer the items that have a wide appeal. Few customers are interested in collecting complete runs of CGC comics as they are expensive and cannot be easily read.

However, for collectors who wish to collect a run of comics can do so by special ordering here. Visit our special order page which is informal and send in your request. No up front moneys are required and the price is set in our price list page.  Special orders are now over 50% of our entire business and if trends continue, it will eventually be 90% of our activity. This means that most customers who collect 20 year old books in 9.8 will either special order or search endlessly on eBay for books that will never appear.

Expect fewer thinly traded books to be offered at eBay. We'll  be concentrating on working with serious collectors completing their collections.

We will offer X-Men and Amazing Spider-man runs to collectors from our inventory of certified comics. There are many collectors of these issues and special orders , in many instances will not be necessary. However, if a collector cannot find a particular issue in the marketplace, that person could simply bring it to our attention and we'd be sure to place it into our pipeline.    

STARTER COLLECTION?

 We do offer starter collection offerings for many 70's and 80's titles. For example BATTLE STAR GALACTICA  has many faithful followers who would like all 23 issues published in 1979. We offer 1-10 from our inventory and can offer the rest of the set to anyone who would take the time to special order these. What are the odds of finding issues 11-23 at eBay? Well... about zilch. A quick look at the CGC data base will indicate that these are nearly non-existent and most that are there clock in at 9.2 or so.  In fact we know that nearly every B.G. in the data base came from  our inventory.  

GETT'N SERIOUS

When it's time to get serious with your collection and complete those runs, plan to drop us a note about your plans and we'll begin working for you filling the gaps. Expect long 3-5 month waiting periods and fair prices. We'll always quote you fair prices before you make any decision and work with a time plan that will fit your budget too. For example, if you were ordering 11-23 BG , you might want 3-5 issues at a time. 

It's likely we will ask you to make some purchases from our inventory before we begin the pipeline with your issues, simply because we don't want to be left holding the bag when items arrive. Your upfront purchases are an indication that you plan to follow through when the ordered comics arrive. We charge no pre-order fees , so we are really trusting our customers to make the payments and take delivery when the special orders arrive.

Only recently  have we been willing to take orders for the 9.8 grades. We are now fairly experienced in obtaining the ultra grades and can pretty much obtain 9.8 for most anything in our raw inventory. It's not an easy task to obtain this grade as it's likely we will submit several issues in your behalf in order to get the 9.8. We pay all kinds of special fees  and work closely with CGC in order to secure comics for our customers.

PRICES ON CERTIFIED COMICS

Simply go to BicComix.com and find the CGC price lists. You will find a general list , an  Amazing Spider-Man and Uncanny X-Men  list. Grades for 9.4- 9.8 can be found quickly and sometimes 9.9 prices. These prices change all the time, however you'll see that most of the prices are fair. A * indicates that the price is based upon an actual sale.

Prices you find are always going to be very close to price RJ will quote you. Simply write or call with a list of comics you want and a firm price will be quoted to you. You always have a choice of grades too. If you only want a 9.8, for example, your request is entered as such.

You'll get advice on various issues as some are "problem books" and often there is a reason why 9.8 is not in the CGC data base. Most often it is a printer's problem and entire runs contain a defect. RJ will report that info to you and you can make decisions accordingly.

IS IT ON STOCK?

Look over the MODERN COMICS section of web site to see if your comic is listed. If you find it, that means it is a potential CGC grade item and could be ordered immediately. If you don't find it listed, it could still be on stock as not every comic we have is listed. We'll do a search and if we find it , we will begin working  with you to get an ultra grade.

 If we do not have it, we'll contact our warehouse suppliers who may come up with it for us. This often takes  a  week or more, however we feel it is worth the effort. Often we will come up empty handed. Last resort is for the customer to secure a comic and send it to us for evaluation and submission.     

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PRICE LIST
X-MEN PRICE LIST
GENERAL PRICE LIST CGC

 Special Note

Many collectors are responding and asking for 90's comics which have guide values of $2-5. IF we have the issues on stock expect to pay around 9.6 $29.95  ....   9.8 $39.95.

SEE A TREND? MAKE A COMMENT. GOT AN OPINION?  Please write and add to our Forum.

 SEND MAIL OR SPECIAL ORDER INQUIRY TO RJ    INQUIRY ONLY: No obligation

March 2003 Report

New Service : Building your CGC Collection

If you have been sending want lists to RJ and he isn't able to find the comics you want, think about finding the comics yourself and then send them to RJ to get'm certified. You'll obtain higher grades with this system and in the end save yourself time and frustration trying to obtain those ultra-grades.

For example, if you wanted a run of comics and RJ supplied all but a handful, why not hunt the elusive issues down yourself and let RJ handle it from there. You could send the remaining issues in yourself, however you may very well be disappointed with the grades when they arrive from CGC. Instead , place yourself in the hands of a professional and obtain free advice and consultation on how to handle your order. Your comics can be upgraded dramatically by using this service. RJ can prep your comics for the proper presentation to CGC such that your comics will come out as winners.

Back Issue Comix would like to find every comic for every customer, however it's a time consuming process when our normal channels of supply come up empty handed. Consider that YOU ARE THE ONE BUILDING THE COLLECTION, and searching for comics should be a large part of your activity. In many instances you may need to secure a handful of copies before finding one that really stands out as a winner. Plan to sell off the losers as a part of your collecting activities.

Back Issue Comix has been providing this service for a few select customers and the results have been very satisfying for everyone. In some instances comics arriving in 6.0 ended up as 9.6 and most often 9.2 /9./4 arrivals obtain 9.6 and 9.8 grades after prep.

Fees:

Prep time for expensive comics $50/ hour. Most books 5-15 minutes. Maximum time on any book is 20 minutes.

Inexpensive books: $2-10 guide price . Flat fee $39.95.  No Charge for prep.

No fee for books that are deemed not CGC quality.

Regular shipping fees applied to all deliveries.  $3 fee to send  and return CGC deliveries. An order for one  $5  comic would look like this.

An order for one  $5  90's comic would look like this.
Prep comic: 5 minutes  no charge
CGC fee $0.00  free included in service
Ship /insure fee finished book to customer $7.75
total : $47.70

Consider that CGC charges $15 to ship , $19 to certify= $34.00 . You'll be paying $10 more to run it through BIC, however you'll end up with a 9.6 or better  instead of a 9.2 in most instances.
   

An order for service on a $500 60's book would look like this.
Prep book 20 minutes $17.50
CGC fee $29.00
Various ship fees. $11.00.
total: $57.50.
Imagine the book returns as a 9.8 rather than a 9.4 and you'll be several thousand dollars ahead here.

If you have a large number of books and are over whelmed with the work and expense of certifying and selling, simply write to work out an arrangement for us to handle the whole thing.  We will operate much like an auction house, except the grades will be much higher by working with us. In most instances you'll make much more money and only need to sit back and watch the checks roll in. Plan to be partners in a very profitable relationship.  Write for details.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

  January : Over 13,000 CGC auctions at eBay last month. The result has been quite chaotic as the average is around 7,000. There were too many sellers for a stable market to be maintained. Hopefully, poor sales for the sellers will help to reduce activity and the market will stabilize a bit.  Consider that the output for CGC is around 4,000 comics a month which means that  re-circulated comics  the biggest part of the over  supplied  market. For the most part these are collectors , not pro-sellers, and  activity like this can be expected from time to time.   Oct 6th. 2002 RJ 

NEW SYSTEM: NEW PRICES!

Oct 21 : Price valuations we use here are most often based upon THE STANDARD CATALOGUE OF COMIC BOOKS. Expect a few price changes as we use the new pricing to re-evaluate various titles. We will try to get copies of this for you on a one time basis. This massive book is a "Must Have" for CGC collectors as it lists the high CGC grades for every issue. Extra info includes the number of issues sold by major distributors and publishers printing statement. The 2,200 series reviews are  well done and informative. The 8 1/2 X 11" 1240 page book is not something to carry around at conventions as it is large and heavy. We like it as it opens easily to any page and you do not need to hold it open like the pocket size Overstreet guide. This is a reference we will be using from here on out.

We have been using the market multiples published weekly in CGB and then applying this to Overstreet guide prices. The two are often close , however we felt that it is important to follow the system completely in that a lot of work went into these evaluations. You will see changes in pricing where necessary during the next few weeks as we re-evaluate our entire list based upon this publication..

PRICE INTEGRITY PROGRAM IS SOLID AND IN PLACE

A cruse through eBay CGC items looks pretty grim for various runs of comics in which various dealers have no price integrity programs in place. Our program here includes nearly everything except ASM and X-Men as these are heavily traded issues. ASM needs no price integrity as the prices have been exceptionally low from the inception of CGC, however the X-Men series is taking a big hit as various dealers and collectors simply drop loads of these items onto the table and accept whatever is offered in order to raise quick cash.

It appears that a few dealers have gotten their hands on a few runs of comics in high grade and are using eBay to raise quick cash. We expect , in some instances that various runs will be made available and interfere with our price integrity program  for short periods. We realize that fast buck artists are a part of the collectible arena and not much can be done about it.  Every buyer wants the lowest and "best price" and should respond by making purchases.

A basic rule:" Price integrity is the responsibility of the seller." Buyer's simply want the best price. Sellers can offer merchandise only if it is profitable and need to use basic business sense in order to offer merchandise at a fair price .

The problem with "dumping" is that it will interfere with the supply of new product by legitimate retailers. While someone is dumping product below profitable prices the legitimate retailer must cease normal business until it is over. The "dumper" isn't much concerned about the ripple effect  as he has no plans to be around when it is over.

Good news is that no one who has been buying comics here needs to lose any money if they decide to sell an item. Most of our runs have not been struck by dumpers and our prices will remain intact regardless. As I've told a few of you, our operation is comparable to Sears and Penny's in the retail arena and it is not much concern what goes on with garage sales and flea markets  with our merchandise. eBay activity is largely second hand items being traded among collectors, not the new merchandise offered here. Often I see ads indicating the  item has a frame with no scratches which is an indication that much of the merchandise is a bit shop worn.

My one suggestion to all, is to simply hold on to your price if you want to sell something and be a bit patient. When a serious buyer comes along your price target will be achieved. In most instances the item you own is one-of-a-kind or nearly so, ( because it is ultra grade quality, ) and others , like yourself see the value of the item and are willing to purchase it at a fair price.

Don't panic if you see an identical item being used to raise quick cash and it sells for a low price. You can see a single item being sold from $20 to $80 on the same day! Huge fluctuations are normal. Price achieved depends mostly upon who was buying at that moment. Imagine that you owned a Bridal store with $1000 gowns. ( I owned a bridal store for many years). Instead of placing a price tag on it and waiting for a customer who wanted it and recognized its value,  a half dozen brides would be assembled and asked what they would be willing to pay for this one dress. Five of the brides liked it however it had little value to them  as it wasn't in their size. The one bride it would fit , didn't much care for the style, however would offer $15 for it as the material could be used to fashion the dress of her dreams. If I choose to sell it for $15, I have only myself to blame for my poor marketing.

There is no panic here at Back Issue Comix. We are here for the long term, seen it all before, and we know what to do. Our advise, " Don't panic. Don't sell unless you really feel the need. Be patient and business like if you decide to sell something. Don't listen to those  who want you sell at bargain prices  and claim "The sky is falling."

     We note that X-men fluctuate in the same manner as Blue Chip stocks. They go up when the quarterly report comes out, the stock hit new highs and then head downward until the next report. Each cycle takes the stock to new highs. X-Men does exactly the same thing and rises when the Overstreet Guide is published in April. The best time to buy is before the April report and best time to sell is in the Spring when the prices are at new highs. It's likely that the Transformers, The Origin, and Ultimates will climb steadily upward in the same manner.

INCREDIBLE HULK AND  DAREDEVIL MOVIES

We'd like opinions on this as RJ is not in the loop on the upcoming movie. RJ's feeling is that the Daredevil movie is going to be  exciting and will probably exceed expectations of the movie world. Spider-man was greatly anticipated and it did well to meet those expectations. Daredevil fans have high expectations, however RJ thinks that  the general public will tend to treat this like The Phantom, Rocketeer, and Punisher films that were modest at best. Hopefully they are working with a great script, like they had with Spider-Man film. Feeling here is that the Hulk movie will be a modest event. We remember the great television series from the 80's and the Hulk comics didn't do much as a result of that series. Unless the Hulk comes up with spectacular talent and production, the movie will end up as a non-event. On the other hand, Daredevil could become a surprise sleeper.

   
MORE CGC INFO TO APPEAR IN LISTINGS

We will be including more CGC info on each series listed at the internet store. This will take several months. Info will describe the number of 9.6 or 9.8 in an entire series. You'll know , for example, if you own the highest grade item in an entire series! Last week's Uncle Scrooge listing of The Magnificent Seven is the result of this kind of info.

If you want more info about  a series , drop RJ a note and he'll send you  info gathered from The Standard Catalogue of Comics  and then place the info on the site. Here's a sample:

WARLORD/ MIKE GRELL : The #10 and Annual 1 are the only 9.8 grades in entire series. Next in line is the 9.6 #10 and #1 listed here.  No other 9.6 grades exist in entire series.   
1 1992 edition 9.6 W  $34.50
10 9.6 $59.95
10 9.8 $89.95
 WARLORD 50 9.6 1981 $44.50 One-of-a-kind
WARLORD ANNUAL 1 9.8 1982  $99.95^ (2 each best ever)

FIRST SPECIAL ORDER HAS ARRIVED IN DECEMBER

1st batch arrived and everyone should have received an individual report. This was our October order and it arrived a month early. We had a "Rush" on this and it's possible they rushed this. If they did not place rush on it it, it simply means they are catching up on things and getting out everything in 6 weeks instead of 10. Next batch should arrive either around January 12 or February 12.

Now here is the real news that is fairly exciting.

52% of submissions received 9.8 grade

28% were rejected as being less than 9.6 and returned ungraded.

20% received 9.6 grade.

We are very happy with these percentages and special order buyers can be happy too. When we send in 2-3 comics for each special order, the odds of receiving your 9.8 order is around  80%-90%.  If you ordered a 10 run issue for example, you could expect 8-9 of those to arrive in the 1st batch. Simply use the form we sent you to confirm re-submission and you'll eventually get the entire run.

This will vary for different comic runs as some have inherent flaws that dramatically change the odds. However that's our job here to sort all this out , give advise, and assist you in collecting the sets you want. Nearly everyone wants 9.8.

      RJ is impressed with the sets  that are being collected and in almost every instance the collectors are receiving one-of a kind ultra grades issues. Complete runs of ASM and Crisis On Infinite Earths in 9.8 grades are being assembled for the 1st time. When you look at the CGC data base, it is apparent that this is an activity of Elite World Class Collectors.

Congratulations to all of you. I'm happy that you have trusted in this new service and it looks like it is going to be a great success for all of us.

RJ   

January 2003 Report

Response to Bruce Coller note:

 

No "auctions" at eBay from this point. Very different sales strategy now in place. Ebay will be used to advertise and to sell comics at "Price Integrity"  prices only Prices on items I want to really move will be offered at opening of 80% of integrity price. No pressure to sell anything at all as pipeline has been closed down except for special order and "To replace sold items."
 
Sales are dramatically up in last two months with this program in place.  You'll see less presence at eBay all the time. eBay recognizes this type of selling and the Buy It Now and Fixed format have been developed to accommodate changing market place. 
 
Poor sales in all areas, not just comics, are reported to me daily by others, all part of the declining economy.
 
I would hope that other dealers who are selling very nice issues for $20 or so would realize that it is only a matter of time until they go broke. If they are going out of business, the $20 price tag is fine in order to liquidate. If this is the manner of doing everyday business, then it's very sad. I know you enjoy low prices, however I sense your alarm that maybe ,"It's gone too far." I mentioned in October forum that when prices become too low everyone loses as there is currently no incentive to certify some of these beautiful books. 
 
Situation is not good for just about everybody and I think I'll place this note into the forum as everyone should realize that the current situation is grave and simply cannot endure. I feel I've done my part by not offering books of worth at a loss. I'll simply bite the bullet here and wait it out. I'm in this , like you, for the long term. 
 
Similar experience in the stock market would be called, "Oversold situation." It always turns around until, "Over bought" develops. CGG mentioned that eBay was similar to a comic stock market in a recent article. This is half true and could be applied to comics that have many healthy buyers and sellers in the market at any given moment. For many comics , this is not the environment, and eBay should be used not as a auction, but as a sales tool to offer the item at a fair price to all.
 
IF you want to write a note or article about current situation, that would be welcomed here and placed into forum. No one has written lately. I'm also planning a survey of my customers to see if they like or do not like price integrity.
 
RJ        
 Reynold,

     I agree that "Price Integrity" needs to be
the strategy for dealers and eBay sellers. Those
who are "Low Selling" their items just to get rid
of inventory are hurting the market, as well as
their profit - and will eventually go broke.

     I've been seeing a lot of this price
fluctuation, especially amongst CGC rated comics.
My strategy as well is to stick to "Price
Integrity" because I'm in it for the long term.

Patrick
 
Hi Reynold ,

  It's been awhile.  I liked the comments on this particular email.  I don't collect CGC comics so I didn't fill out your survey but I would be pleased to see a response on your results.  I am especially interested in question #3 "Why people collect CGC comics?"   I have always thought that investors are more likely to buy them than collectors.  That would suggest a financial gain motivation but it's possible people are simply "collecting the best."  Either way, it drives the value & collectibility up for everyone & I'm all for that.

    I also read the article but it was not by Bruce Collier (I am not sure if it has changed).  I agree w/ the not starting auctions low.  It makes no sense to start auctions low the first time.  Ebay refunds listing prices on every even auction # that sells (i.e. the 2nd, 4th,...)  When they say they will refund the auction listing it is not necessarily true if you have it relisted for a 3rd or 5th time).  What this means is that dealers should go high on odd auctions & start lower on even auctions if they really want to sell them.  Changing an expensive listing to a listing that will sell the 2nd time around will ensure listing savings.  Strange enough, listing an item for $99.99 the first time & relisting it at $50 will save you more money than relisting at $49.99 if you know it will sell.  This is because you will receive a $2 listing credit instead of $1 for relisting it at the higher price.  (Crazy?)  I really don't agree w/ the buy it now format unless you are really trying to move items fast.
    On a side note, I picked up a 9.2 CGC 1950's comic.  I am sad to say that I would not have personally rated it at 8.0 (vf) or higher.  The insanity of it is that I have thousands of silver/bronze age comics that would be at least that nice.  My X-men #1 is in better shape but I only figured it a 7.5 or less.  My X-men #2 which I would call a nm could actually be a 9.6 or 9.8.  Obviously, they don't grade older comics the same way they grade newer comics.  If I could drop them off at a show instead of mailing them I would do it. 
    Also, I have been observing a seller who is selling low-grade comics.  His batch of poor/fair comics is actually selling for more than book value.  This goes along w/ what I said before:  Mid-grade comics are selling for almost the same price as low grade comics.  This means that it is time for big-time gold/silver age collectors to weed out their beat up books & sell them.  You can then reinvest in mid grade books for almost the same price.  It is only a matter of time before all of these low-grade books get snapped up & people have to start buying the mid-grade books.  Older collectors will not sell them for the same price they sold their beat up books for & this should mean an increase in mid grade books (eventually).  The hi-grade CGC books are maxing out, low-grade books are starting to do the same,  the only room for improvement seems to be the mid-grade comics.
    The only other thing I have noticed is that the truly nice collections for sale seem to have dried up.  Is it possible that eBay has actually burned up all of those valuable old collections that were just lying around someone's house?  It has been almost a year since I have picked up a nice collection & 2 years since I hit any mother loads. That should mean our old comics are worth more but I can't help feeling sad that my comic addiction isn't being satisfied.  My friend once said "He who dies w/ the most toys wins."
    I always enjoy your comments & will look forward to any response you have.
-Kelly

January 24th 2003

NEWS BULLETIN: cgc SENT EmAIL TO MANY CUSTOMERS THAT THEY ARE RAISING THE FEES fEBRUARY 4TH. MODERN COMICS WILL NOW BE CHARGED $19, ECONOMY $29 AND $49 STANDARD. RJ called CGC office to confirm and yes this is the new price list. Send in your books now to beat the Feb 4 deadline.

Big thanks for JB bringing this to my attention. This is a hefty increase in price and will impact the $2-4 modern comics that sell routinely on eBay for  $19- $24.99. Sellers already taking a loss will take a 2nd look at this, and most of the smarter dealers will walk away from the entire market.

Will this affect prices here? It's too early to say , however anyone doing the math must say that it will increase prices over time. No dramatic increases are going to be scheduled. Like any prudent business person, we'll price new product  as we must when it arrives. In theory, bread and butter products now priced at $32.50 will need to be priced +$8 ( double the $4 increase) bringing new stock prices somewhere around $40.50. This is sticker shock and simply cannot happen overnight.

For now I'm going to hold the line on Special order $39.95 items and absorb the increase. If you have been ordering at that price expect it to continue. If the math becomes unbearable after a period, we'll let everyone know well in advance of any price increase. My feeling is that $39.95 CGC  9.8 is a workable price for everyone. More than that is simply too much for customers to bear and I'm simply thankful that customers will pay a price that keeps me in business.

On a side note, I'm hearing from many of you that you may have seen your item available for less on eBay, however prefer to purchase it here. I won't go into all the reasons except to say I'll continue to give customers reasons to buy it here. Fair pricing and top service is always going to be a big part of it. ( See hulk prices below )

RJ   

I'd like to thank everyone who has written me in the last few days and helped with the survey. I appreciate that nearly everyone I contacted wanted to help out and your answers helped out greatly.

There is a new company CGG that grades comics. You may wish to visit the site. I'd like to give this company a try and send in a sample order this month. Prices to certify are nearly half CGC prices and the quality promises to be much the same. This could be a terrific opportunity to certify comics as we can all be sure these prices will not go down! I imagine they are losing money with these rates and prices  won't remain at this level for long.

When you place your order for this month, please consider placing some of your picks with the new company. I'll quote you prices as needed and you can bet they will be less. IF you are ordering $39.95 books, any of these are $29.95 9.8 with the new company. I'll be sending comics to both companies this month. If everyone likes what happens here, we can expect these offers to continue.

You may split your order between the 2 companies. My hope is that everyone  will try one book or more  in order to get a sample into your hands.  

April 2003

New grading company CGG can be found at https://comicgradinggroup.com.

Service          Per Book
 Modern Age    *$8.00 
Standard           $12
 Classic              $25
 Next Day        $40.00
 Priority             $75
 Recertify**  Selected Service
  *Modern Age service is limited to books that were published from 1980 to the present day.
 **Books that are sent in to be recertified will receive a 20% discount when returned with certification label. The label is used to verify discount only. Books that are sent in to be recertified are sent through the full CGG Grading Service and are not guaranteed to receive the same grade.

 Turnaround times and pricing are subject to change. An article noting any changes will be posted to our upcoming news section as far in advance as possible before any changes would take place. As an added benefit to our customers we do guarantee the turnaround times noted above. Any changes in turnaround times will be noted in the above section.


 MAY 22, 2003:1st CGG Order Arrives

       New 3rd party grading company , CGG sent our first batch of comics this week. We were very happy with everything. UPS had bashed in the corner of the box and our first concern was the damage that could be inside. Exceptional double box system absorbed the blow and the contents was unharmed.

    The fledgling company is at a prototype stage and is currently offering the grading without the hard case for now. For any of you who have ever broken a CGC frame and handled the inner flexible container, you know how the comics are encased. Photos, shown here speak for themselves. The container looks like an exact copy of the CGC sleeve  and we imagine the hard case frame will offer the same durability as the CGC frames.  Hopefully outer frames will not be quite so fragile as CGC frames.

    A discussion with Daniel Herzen, CGG grader about  future plans include a hard case outer frame for those involved in the current  prototype program. Price has not been set for requesting an outer case in the future, however a token fee of $1.00 is possible according to Daniel. It is expected the full service  grading  that includes the outer casing will be up and running this summer.  Current price of $8 will include the outer frame.

How Does This Impact our Company and our Customers?

    Most importantly , the grading was right on target. Only minor differences seem apparent. While many previously graded comics were given off white to white ratings,  CGG graded  a severe off white,  in our sample batch of 67 comics. Until we found an oww issue ( Peter Parker 25 CGG  9.9) we were wondering if the oww rating was skipped entirely.  Ratio of white and off-whites was in line with our ratios at CGG with W and oww  ratings.

    Grades given the comics , as far as can be determined matched ratios and expectations we would have had with CGC.  It appears that the grading is professional in every way and an exact match with recognized industry standards. 

    Back Issue Comix is the primary source for upper grade bronze age un-circulated comics and the advent of certification was a true blessing for our million comics collection. A growing concern was the high-price  of certifying  $3-$10 bronze age fill--in issues . At the current price of $29.95 9.6 and $39.95 9.8 most collectors could not afford anything except key issues. The economical $8 price means that completing runs of low priced comics should now be within the reach of many collectors for the first time.

     It's really a price revolution now that comics can be certified and marketed profitably for $15.95! Up to now a dealer would lose money selling books at this price and now certified comics sold under $20 is a blessing for the entire comics community. Dealers can market low priced fill-in issues to collector's who will surely want to own these. Since this represents 90% of our inventory, CGG is definitely in our future. Collectors can look forward to $15.95 9.6  and $29.95 9.8 on a regular basis at Back Issue Comix and most likely everywhere in the near future.  

The Immediate Future

     We have a small batch of 45 proto-type issues that are historic in nature. These are among the first issues from the company and we feel every issue regardless of grade deserves an accompanying certificate to commemorate it's historical importance. Certificates will be numbered  one to forty-five and called the Back Issue Comix Proto-Type CGG  Collection. Historical data will accompany each comic. 

Back issue Comix will also give a cash credit that will pay the CGG fee ( if any) to install the outer case at a later date. It's very possible that many collectors will not want the outer case at all after seeing the space saving aspects of collecting in the sleeve. Imagine carrying 500  books and frames into a convention in 20 halve size boxes,  or certified comics in sleeves in three boxes. With one scenario you need a truck, with the other the trunk of a compact. 

Customers may place orders now for monthly shipments of CGG books. You may order with or without the outer casing. We plan to take orders now and plan to send in first batch when CGG has the outer frames available.  Price on every comic is an individual decision, however everyone can expect dramatic lower prices based upon the new economics.  SEND YOUR LIST  FOR FREE, NO OBLIGATION QUOTES FOR THE ISSUES YOU WANT.   Click for complete list and photos

LETTER FROM ROCKY

 

I don't know RJ. You sent in 67 comics and 2 came back with the wrong label and one came back with the wrong title "Shi/Cybiant" should have been "Shi/Cyblade". That's about 5% errors. Plus I'd rather have the hard slabs which I understand are supposed to be available soon. Are you sure that you are happy with that? Did you ask them if they would fix these errors? If so , how did they offer to fix them?
Thanks for any info,
Rocky Pescarino.
 

Very observant!   The Shi Cybiant is correct title though. CGC does this label mix-up thing too  all the time. You just don't hear about it. Only error is the 2 label mix-up. It's a free repair and could be done when you send in for the outer case. IF no one purchases these I would routinely send those in with next batch of issues so that shipping is near zero. Yes, on the hard slabs. I agree on that. I am holding off  a bit on next order so that the hard slabs will be there on all.

 
Placing a percentage of error on the label mix-up can be manipulated too. Is this one error... or Two errors?  1/67 OR 2/67? Without the label mix up they would be batting 100%.
 
RJ

NOVEMBER 2003

Many questions have been arriving since we have been advertising that our comics have been frozen for the last 25 years. The original article that inspired this  process has been found  in the 1981 12th Overstreet guide authored by Ernest W. Gerber P.E. and Richard D. Smith PhD, P.E. There is a lot of scientific discussion about PH , acidity, humidity and alkaline buffers, etc. and is the reason for the following statements.

" Keep Cool. The rate at which paper  deteriorates doubles each time the temperature increases 10 degrees F . For example , the rate of deterioration at 85 degrees is 8 times faster than the rate at 55 degrees F."

This meant that leaving comics in an unheated warehouse in a Michigan climate would be better than storing them inside at 70 degree temps. The average temp in our situation is 20 degrees F. It varies greatly like any climate, however our storage in summer temps is always 10-20 degrees colder than outside temps. IF summer temps begin to climb we often move items to air conditioned environment.

Most collectors store comics in their homes at 70 degrees F. all year round. Compare this to 20 degrees F. average and the difference is our comics will have aged 32 times slower.

A dramatic graph in the article shows that average storage conditions result in yellowing to begin in 15 years, brown in 35 years and brittle in 40 years. Storage in Mylar  improves the process with yellowing in 55 years and brittle in 100 years.  There was no study  or information in the graph to indicate dramatic lowering of temps and the use of Mylar,  however one could presume that this would greatly extend the life of paper.  Without studies and assuming the "AVERAGE STORAGE CONDITIONS" were 70 degrees F. it would not be out of line to say that our collection of comics would have 32 times the life expectancy of normal, or yellow in 1,760  and brittle in 3,200 years.

Since we pull these comics and sell'm after 20-25 years, the optimum storage conditions end and average deterioration begins. Comics are simply going to last 20-25 years longer than nearly all other comics. In 100 years nearly all 70's comics will be brown brittle and nearly dust while our comics will stand out as survivors in the yellow stage. In the event that collectors continued our cold storage  program , comics would continue to survive for many generations well up to the year 5203. If estimated temps were adjusted to frige temps , of  40 degrees F. not 20 degrees, comics would begin to disintegrate in 2828 surviving a mere 725 years beyond all others.

When you make a purchase, should you store these in the frige? R.J. thinks so if you really want your surviving great great grand children  to reap the benefits. One can only ask, "What will the value of a handful of surviving collectibles be in the year 2525? "

Other thoughts come to mind here too. If one were to purchase collections of 30 year old comics from bankrupt comic book stores, would you be better to make the purchase in Florida or Alaska? IF you had a summer cottage, would you be better off storing your comics there or at your own home. Attic or basement with dehumidifier?

rj

ANSWER TO A QUESTION ABOUT 4 MIL MYLAR

Yes the very thick Mylar is fine stored flat, however not necessary.  Perhaps an occasional heavy duty Mylar would be appropriate. Even the thinnest 1 mil will do the job as long as the surface is flat. Store comics one on top of another with any system of alternating up and down. If a comic is important to you place  paper between each page. This will stop bleeding of inks from page to page. I haven't done this and 25 years later, JUST A FEW  of the colors  on a few comics have bled. With papers inserted, the paper would have absorbed the bleeding inks. Inserting paper would be time consuming , and for the most part a waste of time on a large scale as there is no way to tell if the colors would bleed.  I have no plans to do this, however I'd recommend it to all as a safety measure for any important comic.

FIRST CGG BATCH OF COMICS ARRIVE IN HARD SHELL: REPORT

    "Wow!" This was my first reaction to these frames offered by COMICS GRADING COMPANY. CGG has just begun to offer comics with the outer casings and this batch is impressive indeed! These frames are solid in every way. There is no "play" of any kind at the seams. The effect is that this is a one piece frame with no seams at all. Each side of the frame has a holographic sticker with the CGG logo imprinted which enhances the seamless effect.  Each comic is centered perfectly within the frames and the labels are large print crystal clear and attractive. The right side of each label contains relevant data and sometimes just the artist  writer, date of publication and date of grading.

    Each frame is enclosed in a clear bag that is form fitting. These look like .03 mil  polypropylene , however could be wrong on identifying this. The bag is cut at the top on the front side such that the label is exposed  more clearly.  The bag can be removed and replaced easily enough. As there are no wrinkles in the bag, leaving it in place is simply the way to go. It feels good to the touch and guards the frame from scratches while in storage. The bag really is a major part of the product, not just something added on as an after thought.  

     CGG is offering a superior product here that really protects the comic in every way. These look completely tamper proof, and it is likely the oxidation process is brought to a standstill in the sturdy well designed sleeves  and frames.

    Back Issue Comix stands fully behind CGG with the new frames. The CGG executives have been working for over a year to offer a complete product and it looks as though the wait was worth it. Little things matter too and seem to be all in place. Turn around time is a mere two to three weeks. No mix up with labels with this batch. They have an easy to navigate web site where anyone can fill out a few forms and send in comics. We would anticipate collectors to fully embrace this new company, while not abandoning others.

    R.J. likes the certified comics offered here and give this company a well deserved A++ or MINT 10.0.