Bomber-Bob

I love submitting an unpressed, high grade Silver Age book. Seeing the book in the slab, knowing it has not been pressed, with a high grade gives me satisfaction. I like to refer to it as the book has 'originality'. After all, this is the way it came off the shelf. A spine should not be flat, it should be plump. The cover should align with the pages, not be slightly ajar from the press. Not pressing a book does not seem odd to me.

What you are witnessing on a 9.6 with eight CB-spine ticks is the result of a press fading away. Your 9.6 morphed into a 9.2(or less) while in the slab. Don't blame the graders or CGC, they saw a 9.6 at the time of grading.

He probably made that comment to cover his behind in case they missed something on a 10.0 .

Yes and Borock now works for another company whose grading is suspect. By definition, how can a 10.0 be anything but perfect ? I suspect that the 10.0 referenced above with a top corner flaw happened after grading.

It should. IMO, a 9.9 or 10.0 should be flawless + some outstanding qualities like perfect centering, razor sharp edges, perfect staple placement, etc. If I were to receive a 9.8 with spine ticks and/or staple problems, I would not be happy.

While it can certainly use a press, I don't see the benefit to a dry cleaning. Other than some stains, the book does not appear to be 'dirty'. What do you guys see ?

Regarding the implied inaccuracy of CGC's PQ designation, please keep in mind that the PQ can deteriorate in the slab. Store a slabbed book in the wrong environment environment, closet, attic, garage, etc. and the White pages can turn, just like a raw book.

Maybe 5.0 . BTW, I see a tear on the top edge . That long crease running perpendicular to the spine is a serious flaw. Lots of spine creases. Possibly some water damage near the bottom ?

You are buying this book simply to try and profit off a CT removal ? IMO, not worth the risk. First, you don't know how much CT needs to be removed. Small, in CGC terms, can mean many locations. Chances are the current owner already checked into this and that's why it is still in the purple label.

Did you expect anything less from a seller with an ID of SWINE ?

I think it's a classic VG+ (4.5) but sometimes CGC gets generous in this range so maybe a 5.0 . No higher.

Even if the tape is removed, you will be left with the stain from the tape. Also, there's too much of it. The book is obviously low grade, no sense in spending more money on it . I recommend leaving it alone.

Very true, but again, the same can be said about the grade itself. Books can get damaged in the slab. Books can get SCS in the slab. Pressed books can return to their pre-pressed state. Nothing like buying an 8.0 and seeing it deteriorate into a 7.0 while in the slab.

But the same inconsistency can be said about the grade itself. The 7.5 may be an 8.0 on a resubmit. Why pay more for the 8.0 ? Assuming both the grade and the Page Quality are 'accurate', I would go for the 7.5 White. I have gotten many a bargain, in auction, with a 7.5 purchase. Collectors seem to want a minimal 8.0 but the 7.5 can often be just as nice, even having better eye appeal. Go for the book that looks better to you and if it's a coin flip, choose the 7.5 White.

Sometimes the only difference between a 9.0 and a 9.6 is one crease. Seriously.

Sure, it's on a public site, Comiclink. Purchased in auction for 464.00 . Though it seems pricey, I was pleased. If you pass on something like this you often regret it later. I know I did on the 1st Lady Blackhawk and now it's a pricey book.

I always thought the new WW origin was 3 parts. It started in 98, continued in 99, and was retold and finished in 105.

Yes, definitely. Dealers that own their own press will do so to improve their inventory. Say you have a raw 6.0 Silver Age book. You press it up to an 8.0 but it's still not worth getting slabbed so you sell it as a raw 8.0 . The annoying thing with the home grown pressing is they are often not good pressers. Sometimes the memory of the creases will come back, after the book has been sold. The poor collector paid 8.0 money for a 6.0 book. This can happen in the slab also but at least it's in the slab and technically still an 8.0 per the label.

With that much damage to the slab, the book will have to be regraded, not simply reholdered. Asking you to handle the postal claim is crazy, I'm not even sure you can do it because he bought the insurance. BTW, it's pretty easy to find the seller here. Sorry this happened to you, very aggravating.

Whenever I see a key that is not in a slab, I get suspicious.

Chips, tears, small stuff. It's no different than a tiny CT, or a staple tuck, or a spine realignment. It's all small stuff. Do you remember the micro trimming fiasco by Jason Ewert about 10 years ago ? The work was so miniscule that it was slipping by CGC.

Trimming is always 'not by much'. Unless it is a real amateur hack job, you cannot tell a trim from comparing it to other copies. Trimming is best concealed when the book is roughed up, lots of dings and dents like this copy. I would not buy it.

That's the Second Printing of #319. Cool book.

First off, a 9.8 should be near flawless. Learn to grade your books or scan a few and list them here in the Please Grade My books thread. Secondly, regarding the Darkhawk 1 @ 499, there is a big difference between asked prices and realized prices. Grading your comics is not a cheap endeavor. Itemize your books, look them up on E-Bay under Sold listings. Take your time, do some research. No easy button here.

I don't see the point of putting grader notes for 9.8's ? It should be a near perfect book anyway. To attain a 9.9 you need above and beyond characteristics, perfect centering, perfect staple placement,razor sharp corners, etc.