stratochamp wrote in Grading System Question:In a better world the Acaeum would have used a grading system that went:1) Poor2) Fair3) Good4) Very Good5) Excellent6) Near Mint7) MintThat way, throwing out the two extremes, there would be a 1-5 scale (Fair to Near Mint) and one could start at very Good and move up or down depending. Instead, throwing out the two extremes, we have a 1-6 scale, with the mid point being between Fine and Very fine. I believe it makes grading more difficult, and leads to grade inflation.To answer your question Thor, excellent is a stand in for Fine and Very Fine.
FoulFoot wrote in Grading System Question:We actually do use the same condition scale as comic books: http://www.ebay.com/gds/Overstreet-Grading-scale-How-to-for-comic-books-/10000000005696333/g.html . Foul
FoulFoot wrote in Grading System Question:Whoops, my code mangled it. Here's a different version:Metropolis Comics and Collectibles - The Online Comic Shop to Buy, Sell, Price & Appraise Comic BooksFoul
red_bus wrote in Grading System Question:For items with significant parts I would tend to grade the bits separately. Something like: "Box Fair (or Good etc..), Booklets VF (or NM)" ... I would not go too far in splitting things up unless it is a particularly significant or valuable item. There is little point separately grading the handouts for a cheap module, but there is value in splitting the grade in your example. In general it is less about agreeing a single descriptor for your item and more about providing useful (for you and others) information. Hope helpful
Mister Yuk wrote in Grading System Question:red_bus wrote in Grading System Question:For items with significant parts I would tend to grade the bits separately. Something like: "Box Fair (or Good etc..), Booklets VF (or NM)" ... I would not go too far in splitting things up unless it is a particularly significant or valuable item. There is little point separately grading the handouts for a cheap module, but there is value in splitting the grade in your example. In general it is less about agreeing a single descriptor for your item and more about providing useful (for you and others) information. Hope helpful If I was selling something, that would be fine. I'm wondering more about comparison grading. I'm semi-involved with a good example of it right now. My 4th print box set with a ragged box and NM books, another 4th print with a better box approximately Fine+ books condition-wise but they all have pen writing in them sold a few weeks ago. Another 4th print is going to be available later this week - decent box but not perfect, no splits and the books are NM but they are all initialed in pen inside the covers. I'd say value-wise, these are all similar. But I didn't want writing in my books so the one I have would be my choice of the 3. Someone else may care less about book condition or writing and want the best box. Someone can say they are all approximately the same grade but a procedure should be in place to get there.
Mister Yuk wrote in Grading System Question:I had to come up with a value a few weeks ago on what would an early printing of Men & Magic be worth. Is that a third of the same print Box Set or a fourth. What if that M&M is a first print. I would think a Woodgrain Box minus the content would be worth a significant percentage more of the amount of it's whole set value than any White Box in relation to it's complete set value.
Mister Yuk wrote in Grading System Question:I hope this doesn't sound like I'm trying to count angels on the head of a pin. But besides the box sets, just on a regular book or module, Overstreet is a decent enough guideline but shouldn't point values for defects be significantly different. Just because gaming material is treated differently than comics. Or maybe it shouldn't be.One of my biggest concerns is - what is the significance of writing in comparison to value. How much writing is how much defect point value.
Mister Yuk wrote in Grading System Question:I appreciate your taking the time to answer red_bus but I'm looking to be able to compare items to values given here or to higher or lower grade sold items. I think it would be very helpful in the long run, and seriously this is the group that could be gaming's version of Overstreet or what Scott is for Postage Stamps. No one has broken down what condition means in regards to value yet.Edit - From rereading the Grading page from the Front Desk, I think it does answer my "writing" question. I guess the short of it is that many things come down to opinion. I'm going to find some info I have and submit here and see what you all think. I'm not sure where I put it so it might take a while.
Invincible Overlord wrote in Grading System Question:I would buy the first two boxed sets and Frankenstein a super-set, and ask $500 for it...
Invincible Overlord wrote in Grading System Question:Mister Yuk wrote in Grading System Question:I had to come up with a value a few weeks ago on what would an early printing of Men & Magic be worth. Is that a third of the same print Box Set or a fourth. What if that M&M is a first print. I would think a Woodgrain Box minus the content would be worth a significant percentage more of the amount of it's whole set value than any White Box in relation to it's complete set value. The white box books (in a set) seem to sell for around $100. Individual books (usually) sell for a third of that. Maybe the 4th print books a little more (Hobbits vs. Halflings and such...)?Woodgrain everything is a crap shoot... books and boxes.... If you're lucky you can find a box for $100. The books that sold for [What was that ~$400?] might have been a reasonable purchase for the guy that has a box and no books...
Invincible Overlord wrote in Grading System Question:Mister Yuk wrote in Grading System Question:I hope this doesn't sound like I'm trying to count angels on the head of a pin. But besides the box sets, just on a regular book or module, Overstreet is a decent enough guideline but shouldn't point values for defects be significantly different. Just because gaming material is treated differently than comics. Or maybe it shouldn't be.One of my biggest concerns is - what is the significance of writing in comparison to value. How much writing is how much defect point value. Of course the answer is... Depends on the writing :roll: Is it the initials of someone in the 3 books? Did they underline certain key words? Did they write their doctoral thesis (in the book) about why the 1st Edition AD&D PHB sucked? Was Gary Gygax's Autograph in a DMG written to someone named Andrew? (Yeah I got that one cheap... AWESOME!!!). I don't believe there ever be a formula per se. Red Bus is right... Just keep the buyer(s) informed of what is in the books in the first place.
Mister Yuk wrote in Grading System Question:My recent cool find though was a big AAA Map Book, like from a gas station. It had this whole whirlwind tour of the US all laid out with itinerary and notes, artistic drawings, and poetry all in French. I'm sitting there wondering - how in the &%$* did this end up with me?
sauromatian wrote in Grading System Question:Mister Yuk wrote in Grading System Question:My recent cool find though was a big AAA Map Book, like from a gas station. It had this whole whirlwind tour of the US all laid out with itinerary and notes, artistic drawings, and poetry all in French. I'm sitting there wondering - how in the &%$* did this end up with me?Damn.. that does sound like a nice find, with a bonus mystery of what happened on the trip. Was it a romance? An international smuggling deal gone horribly wrong? A quest to find a powerful magical relic?
