bbarsh wrote:I am far from the "gotta have it in mint shrink wrap condition" crowd, but I wouldn't touch it. Might as well be ripped in half in my mind.
bbarsh wrote:shhhh...I have one, so it's easy for me to say that its junk...Seriously, once a module has been "customized", the value has to decrease...and sharply...I really want to get an Orange B3, but I wouldn't pay for a hole punched copy.
beyondthebreach wrote:...This gives a Qualified Near Mint of an item that otherwise would grade FAIR a value of 55% the Near Mint price. In this case $550...
beyondthebreach wrote:Because of its much larger collector base, the comicbook industry really has taken great strides in defining its grading. How is a book graded with flaws like Tsojconth?If it were a comic, it could be given a "Qualified" grade. So, if the copy of Tsojconth is Near Mint it would be a "Qualified Near Mint". That essentially means Near Mint except for one extreme flaw (like a page loose from the staples, one long clean tear, an ad cut out, etc.)What would the value of such a book be? The Acaeum lists:Mint - $1,000Very Good - $650Poor - $350The first problem is that the value of a Poor book is severly overstated on the Aceaum site (in my opinion). Poor books should carry a value of 5% of the Mint grade at the absolute most. My own grading scale is based upon the comic industry standards, though the relative values are much higher than comics. (A VERY GOOD comic only carries a value of about 17% of the Near Mint price) All modesty aside, I am an expert grader of comics with extremely stringent and exacting standards. Grade % ValueNear Mint 100%Excellent 80%Fine 60%Very Good 40%Good 20%Fair 10%Poor 5%Combination values split the difference so that Excellent/Near Mint is 90% & Good/Very Good is 30%. True MINT carries a value higher than 100%, but in reality almost all "Mint" items are really Near Mint.Let's say that three holes completely through a module lower the grade to Fair. However, these are neatly and deliberately made 3-hole punches so assigning a Qualified Grade would be appropriate - It is a Qualified Near Mint. Take half the % difference between Near Mint and Fair and add it to the Fair value. 100% - 10% = 90% (This is the % difference)1/2 of 90% = 45% (1/2 the %difference)10% + 45% = 55% (the original value plus 1/2 the difference)This gives a Qualified Near Mint of an item that otherwise would grade FAIR a value of 55% the Near Mint price. In this case $550.A Qualified Good would be 60%, Very Good would be 70%, etc.I have been wanting to address the issue of grading for some time (only it seems that I have almost no time do so!) I envision making my web site a key resource for my grading standards that will be linked to my eBay auctions and also for others to reference. The more a collectable market moves into greater popularity, the more important it is to have mutally agreed upon standards for grading. I would like to not only give detailed explanations of the difference grading categories, but also clear scans showing examples of those grades. Just no time to write the code and get it done. . . between my full time job, selling on eBay and our 7 week old daughter it just ain't getting done for a some time. . .
johnhuck wrote:Very interesting. There are lot's of (re)sellers who could do with a lesson in grading. Or simply learning how to list all those faults that somehow escape their attention e.g. smokey, musty, rusty, etc.
If the centerfold and a few pages were disconnected from the staples or if there were highlighter/numerous pencil marks or even a long, clean tear going the length of an internal page - then I don't think anyone would have too much of a problem with it. Staples?
Staples?
By the by, if you are looking for another grading/describing purist to help you out with the website idea, I am your man.