Tom789

If you're new to comic books, first learn how to handle them so you don't introduce damage - there should be several videos available. Then, buy bags, boards and boxes to store them if they're not already stored that way.

The story: I bought a bunch of ToDs in the early 1980s just to read them. The back of this one shows the price I paid, in pennies.

It's just a different grading standard set up by CGC, and as the dominant, almost monopolistic, grader in the market, it gets to set the rules.

This has been pressed once by me. Not cleaned. No interior or staple issues. Flaws that I see: 1. Three color-breaking spine ticks. One of the ticks has a noticeable crow's-foot bend that could possibly be improved with more pressing, but these are very tough for me. 2. Thin strip of faint/light color rub along front spine starting at the top of the top staple and extending down to about the middle of the book. Can barely make out in photo. 3. Tiny crease, 1/16" or less, top front right cover. Didn't take a good picture of it. 4. Small creases, bottom back left cover. 5. Slightly tilted miscut such that inner pages are showing on the top right and putting a thin black strip along the back left cover. There is some small color loss in the center of the strip.

The one you've been waiting for. (Can't believe I thought this was a good investment at the time).

You might want to check out (1) Jerry the Jitterbug Comic Book Collector - YouTube, which uses some of the conservation techniques you are interested in.

Please sign me up!

The foreign material is just small pieces of paper clinging to the staples and easily removeable. The mystery deepens.

Correct me if I'm wrong but that insert is usually a full page centerfold? This looks more like the Tattooz insert from ASM #238.

I have a copy of Iron Man #131 with two sets of staples. The second set of staples starts at the first inner wrap and appears to be from production - it's hard to see how they could have been added post-production, nor was there any need to as the outer staples are firmly attached. There are also small remnants of what appears to be an insert hanging from the inner staples inside the front and back covers. There is no mention of an insert on the outside covers. The CGC population only lists 2 qualified out of a total population of 211. Any ideas on what this is and if it would affect the grade?

25 book Economy, (non fast track) opened and CC charged on 12 June. Shipped today 23 June.

1. ADAMANTIUM 2. zzutak 3. scburdet 4. grendelbo 5. Mars76 6. jbpez 7. youfoundjake 8. JollyComics 9. davidking623 10. Lninefingers 11. AJD 12. Nilo2 13. Comics4all 14. Sandflea 15. topofthetotem 16. BriD 17. thehumantorch 18. Cocomonkey 19. Krismusic 20. Bobpfef 21. Panda2 22. Snowdon 23. Warlord 24. WestCoast Will 25. Flanders82 26. universal soldier 27. marf 28. timfinz 29. pretzelz2001 30 MaxStats 31. C. Spaulding 32. frozentundraguy 33. thingsofstuff 34. Black_Adam 35. Nsschenks 36. Wipple 37. Tom789

May he rest in peace.

25 book economy order delivered to CGC, 01 June. Finally entered in their system today, 12 June. Longest ever for me - I was worried I forgot the packing slip or something.

Finger bends are very tough to press out completely. I use a tacking iron first, then apply a ball-bearing attachment that came with my iron and run it back and forth over the bend, and finally the full heat press. Lesser bends might press out completely, but deeper bends will be left with a small crease. I like the attachment bearing vs. the loose ball bearings you might see in videos - I think it gives me more fine control.

I think your best bet is a site you mentioned in your post. Heritage has high-quality scans available for registered users of all of their past auctions of CGC comic books, front and back (except the earliest ones may not have back scans). Registration is free. So you might want to train by searching for "CGC 9.8", then "CGC 9.6" and so on.

A sharp corner on a 9.8 looks like a ragged horror on high enough magnification. Is there is a maximum magnification CGC allows their graders?

Thank you, $43 saved!

Yes. For #142 for example, the indicia says (c) 1974, the cover says "MAR" and entering it in the CGC form it says "3/75". I'm pretty sure it actually came out in 1974, knowing that comic book publishers usually had cover dates several months in the future.

I have Amazing Spider-Man #142-145 that I want to get graded. The indicias say they are from 1974, but in entering #142 for grading, CGC says it is from "3/75", which is the cover date. Which is the correct one to use for the vintage/modern determination?

I use silicone parchment paper for my pressing and I've never gotten a pebbling/canvasing grader's note out of the 100 or so books I've submitted to CGC so far.

I don't buy the 4.0 floor either. I have a Tomb of Dracula #10 that has an extreme amount of creasing on the front cover, and it got a CGC 2.0 (which I was happy with). I don't think the other flaws would have brought it below 4.0.

Wow #1 3.5, CGC 5.0 - 3 pts. Ouch! Action Comics #253 4.0, CGC 4.0 - 0 pts. Bullseye! Avengers #48 7.5 - CGC 8.5 - 2 pts. I deducted too much for the shadowing. X-Men #107 8.5 - CGC 9.0 - 1 pt. Saw more creasing than I thought a 9.0 should have on 3 of the front corners. Star Wars #68 - 9.2 - CGC 9.4 - 1 pt. Thought I saw some small stains on both front and back.

Grades in and I got the wacky face. Guess I won't be catching a ride on the Bullseye Bus.

I'm still inexperienced and haven't looked at thousands of books like some here, so I gave the Looney Tunes book a 7.0 based on what the CGC grading book said about missing pieces - a 7.5 can have a 0.5" piece missing (I assume that means 0.5" by 0.5"). So I thought the accumulated area missing on the book was about that or a little less. Then deducted another 0.5 for other minor issues. Just got lucky I think.