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THE ROYAL MAXEY INTERVIEW
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Royal Maxey is the head of Accurate Comic Evaluators or ACE, a comic book grading and encapsulation
company located in San Antonio, Texas.
ACE comic book grading is a relative new comer in the ever-expanding Professionally Graded comic
book market. I recently conducted an interview with Royal to discuss ACE comic grading and the
professional comic book grading market in general.
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ERIK GARMANY: What made you decide to start your own grading company?
ROYAL MAXEY: I had talked about this with a few friends for quite awhile. I was primarily
interested in creating something different, more geared towards the "every man". It seemed the
only options for getting a book graded were to sign up for a yearly commitment or turn my books
over to someone so they in turn could turn it over to someone. It seemed to be a convoluted system
in place, instead of a streamlined endeavor. In other words, choices were very limited and I
thought I could do something to provide a service which was faster, cheaper, easier, and much
more convenient. Besides is there any business cooler than this to get into!
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EG: What do you think sets your grading service apart from the competition out there?
RM: When we set up our business concept we were thinking strictly outside the box. We wanted to make sure people would not think we were an imitation of an existing company, but instead let us stand on our own practices. Our pricing polices is one of our main differences. Instead of basing the cost of the service on the age of the book or its value, it is based on the speed you want the service conducted. In other words why should I pay more for an older book to be graded when I am conducting the exact same service? We also do not use a well in our mylar to prevent any slab damage from shipping and handling. The pressure of the mylar holds the book firmly in place without placing stresses on it. Additionally, we offer a service called "No Grade" in which we simply encapsulate your book with no grade distinction. Not only is this extremely affordable, but it gives customers a way to protect or display some of their favorites regardless of the grade. There are numerous other differences, but hey I don't want to put you to sleep! |
EG: What methods do you use for restoration detection and who is your restoration detection expert?
RM: We have all spent time researching and developing our restoration detection skills. We focus on the core restoration methods such as page coloring, page replacement, and washing. However we also use different lighting such as ultra violet and magnifying techniques to help detect alterations. I must say we do not claim to be expert restoration detectives, but we do discover common and amateur attempts. |
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EG: Why do you use a 9 point differential between the 9.0 and 9.9?
RM: We put our minds together on this and with our years of evaluation experience decided
to expand upon Overstreet's listing. The question is what the difference between a 9.6 is. and a
9.5, etc. The primary factor that will move a book down one level is the amount of discrepancies.
For example, a 9.6 can only have certain type of discrepancies and a certain quantity of these
discrepancies; however a 9.4 can have slightly worse discrepancies. Is it fair to move a book
all the way down to a 9.4, just because it may have a couple extra of the 9.6 type of
discrepancies? So the answer is to move it into the 9.5 category. This means this book doesn't
have as serious problems as a 9.4, but instead has one or 2 additional discrepancies of the 9.6
variety. We wanted the option to recognize a book for its merits versus penalizing it.
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EG: How many comics have you graded thus far?
RM: Off the top of my head I would say around 800 or so. We have continued to stay on our
business plan by staying small. Our goal was not to come on the market like a ton of bricks and
flooding it with our brand but instead offer comic lovers an easy alternative.
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EG: Slab-Damage is a very big issue on the
STL Comics Forums, has your holder been tested
for the dreaded slab-damage (SCS)?
RM: We spent over a year manufacturing and developing our product. We debated long and
hard over the "slabbing" process. Probably our best choice was to use a 10 mil archival quality
Mylar without a well. What this does for us is prevent any well damage from the book shifting
around. Instead the pressure from the Mylar holds the book in place without placing stresses on
the corners or edges. If excessive shaking occurs the book will slightly move from its position
but again, it does not damage the book in any manner. The book can be shifted back in its place
simply by tapping the side of the case.
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EG: What is your personal opinion on pressing books prior to grading submittal? Since it
can not be reliably detected, do you considering pressing restoration?
RM:
Restoration is such a controversial subject. Exactly how much can an owner do to a book before
it's even considered restoration and does it even matter? The purists certainly believe any
altering of a book from its original condition would call it restoration, while the other side
wouldn't. Personally, I don't believe pressing a book is cause for alarm. Actually if you think
about it…the majority of books out there are pressed in some manner. Meaning that most enthusiasts
bag and board their books and store in long boxes; the storage of the books in the longs will
press out spines over time.
EG: Tell us a little about the grading team at ACE.
RM: I asked the other guys for feedback on this question and my response consisted of "just regular guys". They have been bit by the superhero bug a long time ago and wanted to be a
part of our vision. Randy was a comic shop owner that got out of the biz a few years back and it
just never seemed to leave him. Of course he spends a lot of time digging up arrowheads now (too
much if you ask me), but he still knows his stuff and enjoys being back in the "game". Dan on the
other hand is a long time friend and just had to join the team!
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EG: This is a question I ask everyone I interview: Where do you see the Professionally
graded comic book market in 10 years?
RM: Tough question…Where I would like to see it…I would like to see grading available to
everyone and not such an elitist process. I would like to see graded books available not only in
comic stores, but also available as a collectible item at your local collectibles store. When I go
to pick up my new issue of OMAC, I want to see a graded OMAC right beside it, so I can pick it up
also. However, the comic industry has many problems and unless serious changes occur it will be
business as usual. Meaning that first and foremost the publishers need to take responsibility for
their products and promote them. Leaving this on the back of retailers keeps the comic business
under the hands of the few powerful companies, in which they all work together. I hear a lot
about conflict of interest, but if all is told there is compromise amongst these companies. I do
believe on a positive note that overall comics in graded condition will start to level off
instead of being 300% their book value.
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EG: What can we expect to see in the future from ACE?
RM: I believe you will see consistency and a continuing presence. We expect there may be
more interest in the "No Grade" book as a way to protect/display some of your prize items. I hear
over and over again from folks that are simply tired of submitting books to return with a lower
than expected grade. I expect this can be a cheaper and happier alternative. We also have
experienced a few problems with our security labels and are in development of a newer more
secure version.
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Now we have some questions from our forum members:
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fantasyfootballbono asks:
1. Why don't you follow the current Overstreet grading standards like the rest of the industry does?
RM: Hmmm…actually our standards were developed extremely close to the Overstreet standards. We are closer to Overstreet's original version instead of the newer CGC/Overstreet standards. Where we differ is breaking down the 9.0 to 10.0 range. This was explained in a previous question, but was put in place to identify those books that deserve a higher grade but due to the amount of discrepancies gets knocked down to a lower one. It actually is a benefit to the book to recognize its overall quality. Further, we are not the only service to have a 9.5. In essence, we only added the 9.7, 9.3, and the 9.1. |
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2. Do you think it's a conflict of interest for a company/comic store that is affiliated with a
professional grading service to grade and then sell its own professionally graded books?
RM: This question really involves my relationship with Bob's Comics. Conflict of interest is a
myth designed to discredit or disregard companies. The existing companies are selling their graded
products to other companies for them to distribute. Or better yet, charging a customer their
grading fee based on the value of the comic after its been graded. But these processes are not
looked upon as a conflict. Imagine for a second you start a grading company…if you don't have a
relationship with a retailer(s) how will you get your product noticed? Certainly you can advertise,
but when there is such a monopoly on a business, unless consumers have an opportunity to see your
product, you won't even get out the chute. Additionally, the start up costs for the development
of the case alone is extremely expensive.
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| I was fortunate that Bob hooked me up with some financing and logistic support. In return, he exclusively offers our products and gets a serious discount on service. I could understand if the product was sold in a black bag, and you couldn't see it until after purchase, but the product is clearly displayed and allows the consumer to evaluate it. In other words…you can't stick a 8.5 book in a case and call it a 9.8, because a turd is still a turd even in a plastic case…(not to say an 8.5 is a turd). All in all we offer a nice product at an inexpensive price and believe the majority of the comic folks out there will be happy not only with our grade, but also the product. |
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Davenport asks:
Do you think the name "ACE" will deter eBay sellers from using your service, since it's such a
catch-all search phrase?
RM:
We did not consider Ebay at all in our business rules…meaning the label layout, the naming of ACE,
or the half grades. The reason behind this was our commitment to help the regular comic guy. Our
goal was to give the regular guy an opportunity to submit their books and encapsulate them at a
reasonable price. We did not focus on the multitude of Ebay sellers trying to do a fast turn
around on the grading market. We have received tremendous pressure concerning this, but this just
doesn't seem right. We want to stand on our own two feet before we consider making changes to meet
the ebay resellers demands. So I guess it's just a question of target market. We focused on Comic
Enthusiasts and not on Ebay sellers. When you search for a CGC book…do you search for "CGC" or the
book title? Personally, if I am looking for a book, I type the title then look to see what is
available, I don't type in "CGC Wolverine", but hey, that's me.
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Big Lion asks:
1. Restoration is currently noted on the grading label notes, but is there going to be a different colored label for books found to have restoration, in order to make them more easily identifiable?
My question relates to the fact that the notes section is on the back of the label, which would be concealed if the seller were to only supply a scan of the front of the holder. PGX and CGC labels make it obvious that the book has had restoration detected, although I think the Green and Purple labels are kind of stigmatizing. |
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RM: Hey Big Lion! Our secret tester…hope all is well across the pond. We have no plans to
change the layout or the color of the label. In other words don't deal with scrupulous Ebay sellers.
Please see previous answer as to our thought process for the label layout. You do know that if your
book comes back with a different color you might as well burn it..no one is gong to buy it. However,
if a reputable seller lists any notes in the description, it has less of a sticker shock and should
sell at a lower price. If you have sold anything on Ebay, you know the seller wants you to be happy
with the product and understand the item you are buying…if not, they won't be selling on Ebay long.
2. Has the uptake of your services gone according to plan, and how many books are you grading?
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RM: We are completely on target with our goals. While we would certainly like to see more submissions per week, we are happy with the reactions we have received. It is hard to be a small fish in a big sea, but we're still swimming around and enjoying the view! I would hope that more people would be willing to look at the big picture see through the clouds to give alternatives an opportunity to prove themselves. The comic industry consist of many "fan boys" that are extremely loyal to their comic shop and their grading service, so it is an uphill battle being a new guy, but hey we have been wearing climbing shoes for about a year now!
3. Have the ACE holders been 'crash tested'? How do they compare to other graded book holders? (very important for me, this one) |
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RM: We have crash tested more cases than I care to even think about…considering the cost per case, I could have taken a nice vacation! The case is designed to be strong and fragile at the same time. Since this is contradicting it is certainly something hard to achieve. We wanted the case to be fragile enough so that tampering would cause it to break and strong enough that it could handle shipping and storage. The case will break if dropped from a height of 4' or greater on a hard surface. Additionally, if it lands on a carpeted surface at an angle it will cause the side pins to break. This means dropping a case will more than likely cause some sort of damage. However, normal handling and storage is fine and the case should last a lifetime with no problems.
EG: Thank you once again for your time Royal and we look forward to hearing from you in the future as well. |
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