Fellow collector at the shop told me I was grading wrong, and he had a point

I've been sending comics off to get graded for about two years now. Mostly Silver Age stuff, a few key Bronze Age issues. I always just popped them in a cardboard box with some bubble wrap, figured that was good enough. Then this older guy at my LCS saw me packing up a copy of Amazing Spider-Man #129 and shook his head. He told me I was basically asking for bent corners and surface dings. He showed me how he uses a specific type of rigid mailer, adds a cardboard sandwich inside, and tapes the bag shut so the comic doesn't shift at all. Switched to his method for my last submission of 8 books and got back 7 9.6s or better, where before I was lucky to hit 9.2. Has anyone else gotten a reality check from a random shop regular that actually improved their collection?

2 comments

2 Comments

blairm3518h ago

That whole "bubble wrap is fine" mindset is EXACTLY how I used to treat things before I learned better. It's like how people throw Tupperware containers loose in the dishwasher and wonder why the lids warp or crack. You don't realize the small damage you're causing until someone points out the obvious, and then it's like a light switch flips. I bet half the stuff we ruin in life just comes from not knowing the SIMPLE basics that old timers figured out decades ago.

patricia_singh8115h ago

Wash those lids on the top rack and they'll Last way longer.