Back in 2004, I got to tour the CGC facility in Sarasota. It was in a nondescript warehouse, tucked on a back road, with no sign out front. We had to sign in with IDs and I believe we had to sign a document saying we wouldn't take photos in sensitive areas or reveal details about certain secure areas. As a comic fan, the tour was fascinating. Shelves piled high with classic comics from the 30s to the 90s, many of them entire collections that people had sent in to be slabbed. (If I remember correctly, CGC doesn't like the term slabbed.) In the grading room, there were magnifying screens and people wearing gloves carefully turning pages of each comic. The comics then go to a separate room where they are vacuum sealed in the cases by a big machine. Regardless of the pros and cons of their service, I remember being very impressed by the facility and the precautions they seemed to take. Then again, I may have just been wowed to be in the presence of so many thousands of gold and silver aged comics at one time.
