..... one of our favorite posters on "Board Echh!" posed these three questions...




If we answer all three, does the Troll let us cross the bridge into Sarasota?

Namisgr (one of our favorite posters) has answered his own questions:

1. Nearly all.

2. Yes.

3. Yes.

We only report what we read.

which collection was he refering to? and which dealers?

I'm guessing the Rocky Mountain "pedigree"

Who is Namisgr?

Our good friend, Bob Siman. East Coast collector.

Never heard of him I am familiar with that userid though.

Good upstanding citizen. 100%

Too upstanding to join NOD?

This may come as a shock, but not every collector who believes in disclosure has joined yet.


People contribute in many different ways. In Bob's case, it's a fearless presence on the CGC boards. I'd rather him operate in his own way.

Correct. Also Namisgr is a good guy.

That thread including naming Brulato and his involvement is actually pretty good though no one agrees on all issues.

Steve

Arexcrooke is contributing in his own way too.....



This is so sad, angry, frightened, badly misinformed, intentionally inaccurate, poorly written and just plain boneheaded that I don't even know where to begin.

But I did get a chuckle out of it.

Especially since I don't have any top census books nor do I give a flying f**k if I ever do. Funny how these guy like to knock us every chance they get but never state what they actually stand for. Do they stand for the books? Collectors? Shop owners/book sellers? What have they done to help all those collectors that don't buy into their fascist dogma? Has anyone stepped back from the little CGC world to REALLY, and I mean really, take a look at what CGC and the new era of manufacturing grades is doing for the history of this hobby? Has CGC eliminated or even reduced unscrupulous business? Has any of NOD's critics actually ever looked long term with their POV?

What do our critics stand for? All I see when it comes right down to it is dollars and glory. I have had people knock the fact that I am cautious buyer. Back hand me for buying raw and lower grades, for being suspicious of CGC (A for profit company which polices itself), etc, etc, etc. Remember these are people that often bring up the don't slag someone for what they collect mantra all the time. I couldn't care less what people collect but it is valid to ask why people do certain things like pay 3x or more money for a book in hard plastic that they would not pay as much for out of plastic even if they could analyzed the book with their own eyes. These are the same people who tell me that a book can go from a 7.5 to a 9.4 and apparently not have any restorative practices applied to it?

In the end it them that have been bounding up on their high horses trying to continually brainwash us to fall asleep and let them take control of this hobby because they are bringing money and interest in. They are the ones generally firing the first salvo questioning everything we do. Trying to taunt us to join them in burying our heads in the sand while hundreds and probably thousands of books face procedures which could harm them in the short run and which none one knows if these current techniques may have long term effects on our history.

And so forth ... yeah you gotta laugh and scratch your head in wonder at the audacity of some of these guys. No wait I think I would rather not read what these guys have to say because in four years of being around this politics I have not heard anything substantive from them except insults.

I think I have one book tied for top of census. It was raw and it just graded out that way. I love my 5.5's and 5.0's just as much. I don't recall anyone on these boards using the phrase, "top of census".

TOC means nothing to me. In fact, I like my books tucked safely into the 7.0 to 8.5 range.

I just think Arex was writing down whatever flew into his head this morning before he had his first cup o' joe. I wake up cranky sometimes too.

I couldn't care less about the census.

What's even funnier is arex makes the statement about use being census freaks while he is active in the registry and what is the registry all about? Ranking graded collections! Hmm ... I wonder why he speaks now against NOD?

Like I said it is all about money and bragging rights and good old arex is no different. Time to hop off your high horse psychologist arex

What a hypocrite.

For the record... I don't have a single top graded copy. I don't have a single comic in plastic except for the that Tomahawk I trimmed with the bag holding the trimmed piece tapped to it. Just for posterity sake.

To say NOD isn't about education is a rather ridiculous statement.

by the way Brad... great work on that "non educational Ewert project "

My mission, obviously is to have every suspect submission removed from the census, so I can move up from a tie for 57th place to 56th. That's why I'm doing this.

I KNEW there was a hidden agenda!!!!!

... and the Brand Echh Attack Machine is in full swing.

New day, same tools.

You greedy bastard

Bob is a good guy. He would never join the NOD though. I am 100% positive of this.

Pat-

Casey is a good guy too ... but I was a bit bemused by the meaningless of this defense of CGC not being especially dependable when it comes to the detection of trimming:



I think many collectors feel the answer to that last question is a firm "yes", when it comes to the detection of micro-trimming. When you've endlessly claimed your restoration detection team is the best in the world ... you should be damn near perfect!

And if you are found to have missed trimming.... you should pay the dang shipping costs each way too! In cash!

I agree Brad. The number 1 thing that all the guys on the boards talk about with CGC is the fact that they feel safe in the Resto-detection skills. Well, they just publicly listed a 10% fail rate on the Ewert books, and does anyone think that is it? He was the only one that slipped one by? I really,really doubt this. So now that we can chuck resto-detection out the window what are we left with? A plastic case, glorified top-loader.

Such crap! I am STILL not anti-cgc, but I buy it for what it is. I have my Detectives slabbed, I enjoy putting together this ridiculously expensive set. Do I feel that it is safer in the holder? No... I just happen to have these books slabbed. I have other sets that will remain raw. People need to wise up with this. CGC is good for this. Put a number on a color coded label, and hopefully make a sizeable profit on the comics market.

I have absolutely no issues with anyone selling comics for maximum profit. More power to you. But this whole resto thing is really starting to piss me off.

I blame you brad !

I've often seen what I can only describe as an over-confidence in the CGC product. Not that it isn't a good product: the CGC slab is probably the best thing of it's kind out there (not that it has any competition).

But to spend exponentially huger amounts of hard cash for graded books and assume that the books inside the slab are 100% manipulation free, that you can now surrender your critical judgement and let your guard down ... is very very risky in today's environment.

You are not relieved of your responsibility as a serious collector from the need to take your time, consider the sources of your books, and think about what may happen down the road, as better and better methods of restoration detection are developed.

If you are averse to risk, collecting high grade slabbed books may not let you sleep as well as you would like. The slab represents a certain level of examination, but it also eliminates the ability to hold the book in your hand and judge for yourself. The slab guarantees certain things, but it also hides other things. It has it's real-world limits. Even CGC would admit that. They often do, but not exactly in those words.

In summary, use caution at all times ... especially when laying down big money for a book you can't physically touch.

Seriously great post Brad.

That's the nexus of the crisis right there.

Particularly because at the end of the day, there is no "guarantee" of anything at all (based on what I can glean from the disclaimer small print on the rear of the label) and that which is hidden cannot be personally evaluated or verified without negating the "guarantee".

...and if I cannot hold the book,
feel the texture of the book,
look at the pages,
smell that newsprint aroma...
...I don't want it...
no matter what crazy number they give it !

If I buy a silver age book in a slab with a universal blue label:

1. I have no idea if it's been pressed
2. I have no idea if it's been taken apart and reassembled
3. I have no idea if the staples have been replaced.
4. I can't be 100% sure that it hasn't been trimmed.
5. I don't know if it might have been a pedigree book that was resubbed for a higher grade.

I could go on....

and if I collected Golden Age ... I'd have several other possibilities.

My point being ... CGC is good for some things ... but not everything. Each collector has to decide if it's all worth it.