MatterEaterLad

On 11/9/2023 at 12:49 PM, Superman2006 said:

No, it shouldn't be able to go to a blue label, unless CGC missed the work that was done.

That's my point. That's what Mike was actually doing. He was able to dry graft a trimmed edge and CGC could not detect it. He'd done it multiple times. 

On 11/9/2023 at 12:33 PM, Superman2006 said:

Right, but it's still considered "pieces added", and hence it would still get a purple label.

I edited my initial post. I misunderstood. Mike didn't take the Bat 1 from Purple to Blue, but he did remove the trimming. 

Now imagine a book like this AF15, which is Purple because of trimming and nothing else. Couldn't someone conceivably take it to Blue using his technique? Has this been happening already?

On 11/9/2023 at 12:28 PM, manetteska said:

I have no idea the notes on the original Batman #1, the the worked-on slab has these notes.

The bold may indicate trimming is no longer an issue but now there are pieces added; unsure as I don't have original notes and outside of trimming there is a lot going on with this book.

 

Label Text

Restoration includes: color touch, pieces added, reinforced, cleaned, interior lightened.

rader Notes

cleaned
color touch on cover
color touch on interior
interior lightened
interior reinforced
pieces added cover A-5
pieces added interior A-3
small stain right center of front cover
soiling cover

I talked to Mike at length about this when he posted it to his Insta feed years ago. It was a phone call, so I don't remember it exactly, but I seem to recall it was a Purple 5.0 with TRIMMED on the label and he got it to a Purple 7.0 without trimming. It wasn't an accident, or a label mistake. The book was sent to him with the intention of removing the trimming designation and he pulled it off. 

On 11/9/2023 at 12:00 PM, Superman2006 said:

If a book was purple for trimming and nothing else and it had leaf casting done to add back what the trimming took off, then I would think it would still state "pieces added" on the label, and therefore still get a purple label.

Again, the trimming was not removed via leaf-casting. It was done with dry grafting. 

On 11/9/2023 at 8:08 AM, Pontoon said:

You mean leaf casting? That's a technique of paper conservation that's been around for decades. Kenny Sanderson was the first person I'm aware of  to develop it as a technique to use for comic restoration, and that was probably a good 20 years ago at this point, maybe longer. Leaf casting will not garner a blue label and I don't recall a Batman 1 that went from purple to blue.

I think Susan Ciccone was doing leaf-casting on comics before Kenny, but who knows? Dry grafting is something else entirely. 

And I misread Mike's post. It didn't go from Purple to Blue, it stayed Purple, but he was able to get trimming removed from the label.

So if a book was Purple for trimming and nothing else, conceivably it could be turned into a book that CGC would grade Blue. 

Seems like a game-changer. But maybe others do it as well?

Is this like the early days of pressing when people were doing it and not talking about it? Has this ever been discussed over in Comic Book Grading and Restoration Issues?

I talked to Mike about the process and was about to send him a book for similar treatment, but then Hero imploded and he went dark. So glad I didn't send him that book.

bump for price reduction

Side note:

Can we talk about the fact that Mike was able to remove trimming from books by using dry grafting? That there's a Batman 1 that he took from Purple to Blue?

I'm curious if people knew that he could do that? Wondering if this is happening all the time now or was Mike just the madman who figured it out?

EDITED -- I misunderstood. He didn't take that Bat 1 from Purple to Blue. It stayed Purple, but he was able to remove the trimming. 

On 11/8/2023 at 8:32 AM, darkstar said:

The sketchiness started when Heritage issued their initial press release years ago for the original Super Mario Bros sale that kicked this whole thing off. They made it read like the game sold in an open auction, except it didn't as it was a private sale. Nor did they mention that Halperin himself was one of the three buyers who collectively purchased the game. It was just one big scam from the beginning to hype their exclusive partnership with WATA as a new profit stream for their auction house.

PGX staff gets caught grading and selling their own collectibles = SCANDAL

Heritage ownership gets caught grading and selling their own collectibles = Business as usual. 

On 11/7/2023 at 5:10 PM, WolverineX said:

take

Wonder Woman #199 - 7.0 -- $50  SOLD

Classic Jeff Jones Bondage Cover. Your safe word is "I'll take it!"

Wonder Woman #205 - 8.0 -- $150 PRICE REDUCED $125

This iconic cover speaks for itself.

Two books, two iconic covers. 

Shipping - $10 for USPS Priority Mail. Foreign shipping at cost.

Return Policy - Returns accepted within 14 days.

Payment - PayPal / Venmo / Zelle / Check / MO

No House Of Shame or Probationary members or any others of ill repute.

Offers welcome on all books, but   posted in the thread wins.

On 11/6/2023 at 2:13 AM, GermanFan said:

I would imagine auction houses and dealers are hoarding books in order to keep prices from falling...

I'm not sure it's deliberate hoarding or just a by-product of contracting prices and unsold books piling up in the marketplace.

There are currently 253 copies of FF48 on eBay. (Yes, most are still asking for 2021 prices).

But I hear your point. I know a major collector who has an entire long-box of ungraded Hulk 181s.

I don't know what his endgame is for those, but he surely can't dump them all at once without dragging down prices.

Copngrats @Withering Wind and the rest of the top-5

Thanks @CGC Mike for a fun contest! 

I always like Iron Man's stealth armor.

On 11/3/2023 at 9:07 AM, The humble Watcher lurking said:

So wouldn`t Spider-Man be the canary in the coal mine? If his comic book keys are doing well, then the overall market might be bullish, or vice versa if his comic keys are slow then the market might be bearish.

Any thoughts on Spider-Man correlating with the rest of the comic book market, especially Silver Age and up markets? 

49 copies of AF15 for sale on eBay

69 copies of ASM1 for sale on eBay.

I look at GPA highs and lows, but also the sheer volume of big keys and if they're moving at all. Those numbers have been fairly stagnant all year. 

Speaking of Supply vs Demand -- guess how many copies of FF48 are currently for sale on eBay?

On 11/1/2023 at 12:59 PM, VintageComics said:

Plus, not only has the population expanded but the collecting base within the population expanded as comics and movies spread to other countries where they had never been.

It hasn't. Population growth has virtually flatlined since 2021. And growth is projected to be minimal for the next 30 years. 

The other doomsayers were reacting to the economy. This is totally new territory with a generation of boomers (I'm guessing you're among them?) shrinking as they die and they're not being replaced with people who have any youth-driven emotional connection to SA comics. Connected to the movies, yes. Actual comics, not as much. Publishing stats reflect this. 

I'm not saying that's what's happening, or will happen, but it's a concern of mine. 

On 10/31/2023 at 7:49 PM, VintageComics said:

High quality books in top grades (let's say 60's and 70's books in 9.8, well centered, good pages) are STILL selling for record numbers. 

I do worry that we'll eventually hit a peak, where an overwhelming number of older collectors sell/retire/die with no one to replace them.

As the market accumulates too many books without enough buyers, mid-grade SA flattens out for decades (or only matches inflation) while mega keys and ultra high-grade SA books skyrocket. 

Hard to tell but maybe a 9.0-9.2?

On 10/31/2023 at 4:35 PM, Dr. Balls said:

The tape is always a challenge for me. From OSPG on VG 4.0:

"Only minor or unobtrusive tape and other amateur repair allowed on otherwise high grade copies."

I'd have called it 5.0 before the tape. Not sure what to think, I'll have to defer to people with more tape experience. FWIW I compared widths, it doesn't appear trimmed.

 

If you fixed that spine roll the creasing on the lower-left cover would move back to the spine. Dry clean it. Maybe press the wrinkles out on the back. Would probably still come back a 4.5?

I have a 3.5 and thought this might be a nice upgrade, but then that piece... 

Same with a few eBay buyers.

Especially two recent ones who bought books and then sent a message EVERY DAY until their books arrived, asking, "When am I going to get my book?"

These were books shipped the next day via USPS Priority, so they had tracking and got the books a week after purchase. 

I was polite but really wanted to say GO TAKE YOUR RITALIN! 

Great looking book, staples are clean, cover and centerfold are tight. 

But there's that little thing on the top edge to the left. Looks like a stain but is actually a loose piece reattached on the inside with a tiny piece of tape. Looks like it was done by someone who knows what they're doing. Archival tape, slightly larger than the piece itself.

Curious what y'all think?