For most collectors, receiving a 9.8 back from CGC is a cause for celebration. For a long time, a 9.8 has been considered to be THE standard for perfection -- it's not supposed to get better than that. Sure, theoretically, we know it's possible to get 9.9 or even a 10.0, but that was like finding a unicorn -- basically impossible.

When you analyze the data made available at CGCData.com, however, you'll find that 9.9s and 10.0s aren't as rare as you might think. In fact, there are some key issues that have received a substantial number of 9.9s and 10.0s that basically make 9.8s much less valuable.

Let's take a look at a couple of those key issues.

There are 53 9.9s and 14 10.0s of Batman: The Killing Joke on the CGC Census.

Considered by many to be one of the best Batman stories ever written, Batman: The Killing Joke is famous for providing the Joker's alleged origin as a failed stand-up comic who not only tragically loses his pregnant wife and unborn child, but is also disfigured after falling into a vat of chemicals. He is driven insane as a result and transformed into the villainous Joker.

DC produced the Killing Joke in its 48-page prestige format first used in 1986 for the Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. The prestige format is square bound, has high quality paper and thicker covers. There is no doubt that the higher production quality resulted in the Killing Joke receiving higher grades from CGC. Unbelievably, there are currently 67 copies of the Killing Joke that have received a 9.9 or better. A 10.0 sold earlier in 2024 for a whopping $28,800 during an auction hosted by Heritage:

In my opinion, this buyer overpaid by a lot. They paid thinking they bought a unicorn, but a 10.0 for the Killing Joke isn't a 1 of 1, but a 1 of 14.

This book highlights that a 9.8 isn't always a 9.8 in terms of value and prestige. In this particular case, a 9.9 is more like a 9.8 in terms of value. There are over 4,695 9.8s on the CGC Census. A 9.6 may not even be worth the costs of having the book shipped to CGC for grading.

There are 41 9.9s and 4 10.0s of Wolverine Limited Series #1 on the CGC Census.

Another significant key issue that has a substantial number of 9.9s and 10.0s is Wolverine Limited Series #1. With a total of 29,645 submissions to CGC, this issue is one the most graded comics of all-time (currently No. 6 all-time on the CGC Census).

Knowing that fact, perhaps it might not be surprising that there are 41 9.9s and 4 10.0s of this issue considering the sheer number of copies that have been submitted to CGC. Still, if you look at Amazing Spider-Man #300, which is the most CGC-submitted comic book of all-time, there are "only" 10 9.9s and zero 10.0s on the CGC Census.

A 10.0 of Wolverine Limited Series #1 hasn't sold at public auction in many years, but a 9.9 sold in January of 2024 for $15,600 on Heritage:

I think Wolverine Limited Series #1 is a fascinating book from a collecting perspective. This is one of the most graded books of all-time and the supply of graded copies continues to increase month-after-month (just in the past 30 days alone, collectors submitted 186 copies to CGC). With increasing supply, it would be intuitive to think that its value would go down, but its value has actually remained pretty steady over time even though we've been in a bear market for over the past two years. This is a view of its value over five years across 14 CGC grades:

This most likely means that the demand for graded copies of this book continues to rise to meet the increasing supply of new CGC copies hitting the market.