Cracking the CGC Census

Imagine if there was a way to examine CGC data through the ages -- gold, silver, bronze, copper, modern -- in seconds. What would you find out? Thanks to Overstreet Advisor, Greg Holland, this fantasy is a reality. On Slabdata.com he created an interactive graph that shows the distribution of comic books by year from 1933 until today. We'll explore this tool and the insights it provides in this video.
--Where Can I Find This Tool?--
Slabdata.com (by Greg Holland)
--IN THIS VIDEO--
0:30 | How to Interpret Graph
1:20 | The CGC Tool in Action, 1938 to 2023, Year by Year
2:24 | The Creator of CGC Census Tool
2:48 | Golden Age (1939 focal year)
4:31 | Silver Age (1962 and 1966 focal years)
6:33 | Bronze Age (1974 focal year)
7:06 | Copper/Modern Age (1992 focal year)
7:58 | 2010 'til Today
*Superman 1 had three printings in close succession with ~900,000 total according to experts on CGC boards: boards.cgccomi...
--Acknowledgements---
Thanks to Greg Holland for allowing me to highlight his CGC Census Tool!
Images of comic books are from Heritage Auctions (HA.com) with the exception of the Superman 1 image, Commicconnect.com.
Picture of Greg Holland from...
blog.hobbydb.c...
Thank you for stopping by, my comic book friends! -Keston

[@RedRockShane]

Thanks for posting Keston! I shared this video with a friend and roughly 9 minutes and 5 seconds later he replied "definitely subscribing"

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks for sharing with your friend, Shane! This was a fun video to make.

[@MetalBum]

So great watched again. Keston rocks 🪨

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

Very useful tool. It is great when someone takes the time to plot all of these data points.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks CCG. Definitely. Greg is at least as obsessed with comics as we are :-)

[@adamchace]

Fantastic view of data, there isn’t enough of the kind of analysis in our hobby. Thank you.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks, Adam! Glad I could highlight some of the great work by Greg Holland.

[@MetalBum]

Keston brings the data. And the high level of production. Thank you as always 🙏

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

I try to please :-)

[@billyuscategui]

Excellent video, one of the most informative you have posted. Much thanks to you AND Greg.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Appreciate it, Billy!

[@The-Marvel-man]

Really interesting, heading over to poke around and learn a little more. Thanks Heston and Greg 👍

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks IrishFlynn. Watch out. Easy to fall into the analytic rabbit hole :-)

[@visioneyeviewtv]

Valueable information

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Appreciate the kind words Vision!

[@jesseramirez1283]

Enjoy your content , always looking forward to the next video

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Appreciate it, Jesse!

[@Fan4Collecting]

Great video, nice info and interesting database and interpretation

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Appreciate it Fan4!

[@roygibb8740]

Thanks for the insight

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Appreciate it, Roy!

[@ComicBookVeteran]

LOVE this info. I need to check out his website.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks Patrick. I hope you do!

[@shanefindscomics]

1st video of yours I've watched and now a subscriber! I recently got a Strange Adventures issue from the mid-60s in a 9.0. I picked it up because the higher grade and the small number in the census (13 submitted). Average grade is a 7.5, so I feel lucky to have this, even if to a lot of collectors it's a "nothing" issue.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi Shane! Thanks so much. Glad to have you as a subscriber. My #1 litmus test for a book's worth is if it feels good to you. And, BTW, a mid-60s book in the 9 range is not easy to find.

[@DanSchawbel]

Very cool data tool

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Dan! Thank you, brother.

[@omegacollects]

Excellent video 🔥

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks 🔥 Omega! Appreciate it.

[@VaryingViewpoint]

Great video!

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Thanks VV! I’m trying.

[@rasheedknox2140]

❤️

[@hazeldan1216]

Thank you, Data Wizard "Greg" and thank you, Keston. Lol, my wife made fun of me for putting Greg's name in quotation marks instead of Data Wizard. But I am convinced he is a Wizard, and Greg is just a cover to hide his true identity. Lol, enough silliness. Thank both of you for the awesome visualization. It's basic stuff I know, but seeing the breakdown and book for book analysis takes it to the next level. I've been collecting off and on for over 30 years, but I am always learning stuff from you. Thanks, man.

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

HazelDan, what's up my friends! I'm digging your punctuation :-). Like you, I had a pretty good sense of the CGC data but when I could see it visually and could play around with it, I began understanding at a different level.

[@SouvenirProgramsHere]

Howdy Keston ! Great Show, very interesting. Is it my imagination or ever since you put on spectacles the Show has gone more in the way analytics. Ha. Still loving that beautiful background, and as a long time viewer, if I may be so bold as to suggest you get one of those Big silver old time microphone, put on your Sinatra hat and lean into the mike like Frank. Your studio reminds that Liza might pop out at any time and give us a tune. Very loungy feel to your Show, very welcoming, almost Fred Roger's welcoming. ;-)

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Haha. Tom, appreciate the kind words my friend. Good observation, I have been a bit more analytical with the specs. I've got a couple more analytical videos in the pipeline but will likely include some lighter ones in there too. Coincidentally, i broke a microphone and my new one is silver! Maybe, Ill feature it more prominently in my next video.

[@piddles11]

I agree with how the census can mislead collectors when thinking low census means too dollar. For example I own Doll Man Quarterly #7 from 1943 graded 8.0 highest on census with only 2 graded. It’s not a particularly expensive book and the low number graded can be deceiving

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi Piddles. Thanks for commenting. Definitely. Census numbers can be difficult to interpret. I've got several copies of particular late 1940s golden age books that are scarce but not rare. Census says 35, and I have 10 raw. My guess is that 400 or 500 exist for each issue. Hope your week goes well!

[@User8vfjhejf]

Books also get cracked, pressed and regraded without the label being returned, Hulk 181 and ASM 129 are perfect examples, they are heavily CPR

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi KevnS. Definitely. I'll likely put out a video on if a collector can trust the CGC census. Some factors deflate numbers (e.g., not valuable enough to submit) while others inflate the numbers (e.g., resubbing without returning the old label).

[@User8vfjhejf]

@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842 Yes, The bronze age keys are heavily resubmitted without returning the labels, I know when I CPR a book, I always return the labels, however many don't, even on rare golden age. Some people like to use the census as leverage to get a break on the price, "oh, there's 12 in 9.4, that's way too many, will you take XXX for it? Just cause there's a lot on the census, doesn't make it less valuable and just cause there isn't a lot on the census, doesn't make it rare and/or valuable.

[@marcloev2072]

Do think they grade easier on golden age = similar grades to silver/bronze

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

I’ve heard that before. One reason could also be that golden age books are restored at a greater frequency, thus taking many low graded books out of the avg. only blue labels are recorded. Good question Marc and thanks for the comment.

[@jonathanloera6830]

I think it's weird when people say a thousand two hundred dollar comic book isn't worth grading

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Hi Jonathan. Thanks for commenting. That is a good question. I know the price point depends on what tier someone is submitting to. For example, modern books are cheaper to get graded that silver and gold books. But, yeah, at about $1,000 it makes sense for almost all books.

[@davidatiles8546]

Love these smart analytics vids fr fr ✊🫡

[@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842]

Appreciate it David. Yeah, Greg is pretty awesome.