newshane

This is the best advice. I have a few 2.5s that smoke almost every 5.0 that I've seen. There is a difference in "technical grade" and presentation. Let's take one of those 2.5s as an example. From a presentation standpoint, the front cover would score a 6.0 all day long. So why the low "technical" grade? Because there is a significant piece torn off the back cover. I'd rather own the lower technical grade because it is a much better looking book, despite its flaw. If I ever sell, would I price it identically to other 2.5s? No way! Because my 2.5 is significantly more attractive, in spite of the technical grade. This is especially true with Golden Age books. Fiction House books, for example, are known for wild variances in color quality and strike. A book with deep, vivid color will definitely command a premium over one that does not. The same is true with page quality, although some people ask for TOO much of a premium. Conversely, a book with brittle pages (worthless, in my opinion) is going to suffer a bit when put to market. With more modern books, people look at things like centering and miscuts. I'd pay a little more for a book with good cover alignment.

Okay, so here is my mag. It's one of the only things I bought when I visited Mile High Comics on my honeymoon... and no, that's not all I did on our honeymoon. Anyway, like I said, predates the release of the novel. The world's first look at Dune.

The costumes were one of the worst parts by far...along with the casting, At least the worms looked cool.

Gotta be a young, athletic guy with blone/red hair - the Harkonnen family trait. Maybe Alexander Ludwig? Not a big fan, but he's close to the look. He may be getting a little old for the role now though. I've never thought about who I'd cast as Feyd.

I have the Analog magazine where Dune first appeared in serial. It predates the novel. I don't have a scan handy right now, but maybe I'll whip one up later.

I have it on vinyl. How's that for nerd cred? I think it's beautiful and classic, but a lot of people roll their eyes when I bring up Toto. Why?

Dude...nothing is going to beat Toto.

I am a HUGE fan of some of the casting! I knew that Rebecca would play Jessica when I saw her pic! Beautiful...just like Jessica should be. Fantastic choice for Chani as well! And Stilgar!!!!!! Gurney? Well done!!!! WOW....okay, I am super pumped now!

The first book really is a masterpiece.

Yes. They were terrible, bordering on unwatchable. Strangely enough, I vastly prefer Lynch.

I heard Momoa was going to be Duncan. Not sure about the casting on this one, but his name should draw in some casual fans. I can't wait for the movie though...I pray it does the book justice. I still think an HBO Game of Throne's style mini-series treatment would be the best way to tell the story, but what do I know? The -script is going to be crucial. ...and I always wanted clean copies of those Dune comics...watch them explode in price.

Facebook? Never have. Never will.

I know that you are one of the main proponents of this technique. For the record, I don't think it's a bad idea, but I'm not sure it's totally necessary either. Have you witnessed this sort of damage before? I know it can harm older books with overhang, but newer books? I'm not that certain. I'd say 98% of slabs and raws are stored vertically. Wouldn't we see a lot more damage if your theory was true? Just trying to learn here, not bashing your methods.

This is the worst way simply because the slabs on the bottom would be susceptible to the weight of the slabs on the top, leading to cracking.

You clearly don't understand how the labels work. The book got a green label with a 9.8, meaning that it's a 9.8 IF you ignore the detached bottom staple. You could request a blue label, but the graders in that case would NOT ignore the staple, and it would have gotten a lower grade. You came here just to bash CGC? Go ahead and keep sending your books to PGX. Enjoy the resale value.

This is a possibility, but I believe the CGC judges based on physical evidence instead of intent. It's just too hard to prove the intent of the original owner, or to prove that the staples were damaged during the marrying process. Since this is a bronze age book, it's unlikely (but still possible) that the staples were rusted. So, I believe you are correct in your theory...but once again, they probably graded it "as is" without too much speculation as to why the staples were replaced. Honestly, I'm glad they are in the business of using evidence instead of evaluating the intentions of the person doing the work. That's a slippery slope. All I know is that staple replacement is considered conservation. I will agree that this is a rather "wild" label we are working with here, but it makes sense to me.

Why else would someone replace the staples? Staples replacement is done to conserve the structural integrity of the book. That's why it's considered to be conservation. The book got a green label thanks to the married pages. It would have gotten a grey conservation label otherwise. There is no green/grey label, so they simply noted the conservation in the label notes.

Yes.

Here is one of my bins...a bit random for now, but nevermind the comics. Check out the way they fit. I think it's perfect. Just enough breathing room, and the folds actually prevent the slabs from shifting around too much. I wish they would size the bins for Golden or Silver Age raw books.

I may try to get a picture soon...

Not sure about Hotflips. I've never used their products. I buy my Mylars direct from Gerber. Hmmm...actually I think I did buy a pack of Gerbers from them before but...back to the next question. No. If you have a slab sitting in Mylar then it doesn't matter if the box is acid free or not. Folks should remember the Church collection. Some of the finest books from the Golden Age survived without bags and boards or Mylar...they were stacked in piles in some dude's basement. Quite a few examples out there with WHITE page quality...70 and 80 year old books! At least one of them was even a 9.9 IIRC!!! I think some of these companies are profiting off of people's paranoia and neuroses, to be quite honest. I just enjoy the preservation aspect of the hobby the same as any other aspect (grading, organization, etc.). If you have the extra money and want the very best for your paper, why not go to the millionth degree? I kind of enjoy it... but don't fall prey to the marketing hype that your books will turn to dust in 30 years unless you use brand _____(x)_____.

There is nothing wrong with polybags around the slabs. They will eventually yellow, however. It would probably take a long, long time, unless you stick with the cheap "stock CGC" bags. The Mylar is much stronger and would hold up better against scratches. Another advantage is the clarity. You're right about the fit though. It's not exact with the Gerber product, you'll have some extra material to tuck away, but after you master folding and sealing them just right, I've found that everything fits really nicely in those comic bins. I think you're doing everything right in regards to storage. You really can't beat Mylar + acid-free tape + bin. It's actually overkill!

It protects the slab from scratches. That's important because the slab is part of the overall presentation. Also, damaged slabs can lead to loss of resale and disappointed eBay customers who will try to con you into reholder fees or partial refunds. This theory arose due a concern over older comics with overhanging covers. Some people believe that the force of gravity will eventually cause the cover to pull away from the staples. I didn't find much evidence of this back when I was doing my research, but that doesn't mean it's never happened.Storing slabs staple-side-down is largely a precautionary measure. The CGC claims it's not necessary, and they will not grade books with severe overhang anyway. I don't think it hurts to store them either way, as long as you don't start stacking the slabs vertically. It certainly doesn't HURT the books to store them spine side down, but I doubt a relatively modern comic would pull away from the staples, at least not in our lifetimes. And yes, comics can shift inside the slab due to poor encapsulation (happens more often than it should) or by significant impacts at certain angles (shaken comic syndrome). I encourage everyone with questions to consider reading my article. I address all of this stuff in great detail.

They are super sweet. Way better than the cardboard boxes or the old corrugated plastic boxes that I used in the past.

Actually, the water DID enter and it ruined the comic inside. I ran this experiment, took pictures, and posted about it in my old journal. The slabs are not air-tight by any means. As you noted, however, the inner welds are sealed with a sonic welder.