Mr. Zipper

5.0 and pressing won’t raise grade.

4.0

I think 4.5 is optimistic given the long cover crease, multiple corner creases and at least three tears on the back cover along with an accumulation of spine wear. Pressing is not going to raise the grade one iota given the limiting nature of the aforementioned issues. I’d give it 3.5… maybe 4.0.

RE: "To Paul Best Wishes"... I do not believe Jack signed this. Likely a response to a mail request in my opinion.

As of late, James Spence Authentication (JSA) has been solid on Kirby authentication. They have a consultant who knows Kirby fairly well. Unfortunately, that doesn’t help you though if you want it slabbed.

6.0 +/- .5

5.5

Often, if a modern marker hits 50+ year old news print, it may bleed/feather. Not conclusive, but no signs of that. Also, a photo of the inside of the front cover may be telling. The markers from the 70s - 90s would often "halo" over time. If there is a halo-ing effect, you know the sig is at least a few decades old, which would weigh in its favor.

4.5

Presents very nice, but the folded/creased bottom right corner + the soft rounding to the spine corners puts it around 6.5 ... maybe 7.0.

I believe the heavy color breaking spine creases in the middle of the spine will be an issue that keeps it down. 8.0 at best.

Agree. The fact of the matter is, it’s only in the last five or six years that malicious Kirby forgeries have appeared. Prior to that it was a $25 signature that was not on the radar of forgers. (Not counting the proxy/secretary signatures of course.) I’ve been studying and collecting Kirby signatures for sometime now. “Back in the day“ forgeries were not a concern at all.

I believe that writing on cover would fall in the range of acceptable defects for a book in the good range. Thus, blue 2.0-2.5 Green label should only apply to a high grade book with an outlier defect.

Undoubtedly authentic.

This Kirby is absolutely authentic. Exactly what you’d expect to see from the late 80s.

Kirby had his regular signature and then this stylized version you'd see on posters and some art, etc. And as others noted, he rarely signed on the cover. But, it's possible someone requested a cover signature and he obliged. It looks as if it was signed quickly and with confidence, and a red marker on a cover would be an odd choice for a forger to make. The jury is still out IMO, but I think it may be good. The pressing made a big aesthetic difference, but I'm not sure it improved the technical grade. I'd say around 2.0 before and after. With the long creases, spine wear and tape, I'm not sure it can surpass 2.0. Maybe 2.5 if you get real lucky.

Looks production related.... likely dull blades caused this Marvel Chipping like effect. I'd think it probably would not factor at all except for possibly in very high grades.

Try finding a bank with safety deposit boxes these days... May be readily available in some areas, but it is tough in the semi-rural suburbs.

I have to think the Post Office is randomly sampling and if there were any instances of this being spread by mail, we would have heard by now. That said, as an extra precaution I am tossing all mail into a 1 day quarantine (a large paper bag in the corner). If it is something I want to open immediately, I am spraying with Lysol. Anything that has been in transit for 2 or more days is fine on the inside. The virus would not survive the trip.

I am dealing with this on my job. The answer is yes. Spain and Poland have suspended mail. More likely to come soon.

Did you even read it? It was the opposite of "we are all going to die sensationalism." The article that was pulled is entitled "Evidence over hysteria" It was pulled because a blue check biologist disagreed with a number of the points and argued the original poster didn't have the "proper credentials" to interpret the data. For those who wish to read it: https://www.zerohedge.com/health/covid-19-evidence-over-hysteria

Excellent. Thanks for sharing.

Bear in mind the 24 hours on cardboard (or any porous surface) is under optimal conditions and a max case scenario. Unless the mailman is infected and coughs all over your parcel just before delivering it, the odds of virus being on it are very low. If you do want to quarantine the mail for a day, just drop it in a bag and set it aside. No need to leave it outdoors... it's not going to multiply on the mail and crawl out to invade your home.