VintageComics

I did miss that this was a book with a shim. I think that my main point still stands. And that is, that there is no such thing as a perfect product unfortunately. And physics being what it is, I can't see how to design a well that keeps the book from moving without actually damaging the book from pressure in the well (anybody who remembers the new CGC holder from 3 years ago knows what I'm talking about). What we have right now might be the best iteration possible - so far.

There are different types of inner wells. Those shims (or wedges) are never used on the type of inner wells that the damage is being reported on in this thread.

I recognize the Ghost Rider #1 CGC 9.4 as mine. I still don't understand your point. Scanner and cameras all make books look different. As close as the image might represent a live book, it's not exact. And you have pictures of various books taken with different devices, so that alone will make every book look a little different from each other and not a direct comparison. 2nd, you don't have before and after pictures of the books USING THE SAME EQUIPMENT so again, not an apples and apples comparison. Whatever it is you are talking about is not a product of pressing that I can see from those pictures. It's just a natural aging process.

Hardly normal. Here's normal: Those pictures don't prove anything. The only thing they show is different comic books with scans and pictures taken by different devices. In order to show that comics have been damaged with pressing you'd need before and after pictures taken by the same camera or scanner. You can't compare different books to each other and you can't even compare the same book with images taken by different devices. I'm sorry, but I've had many books pressed (as have many others on this forum) and have not had any of the experiences you have had. And after many years, I've never heard anyone else complain about this either.

You would need before and after pictures to prove that it was done by poor pressing. Those books look like normal vintage comics to me (pressed or unpressed)

Well, I'm not a grader so I can't answer that question but I'd assume that more expensive books get more eyes than a less expensive book. I think you're asking because of the greater cost though, right? I believe one of the reasons for the additional cost is to cover insurance, which can be quite expensive. Insuring fragile items for an ever changing inventory is usually done by variable riders and coverage can be expensive. That's not to say that they aren't charging for profit. Of course they are. But if I had to guess, I'd say that the expensive books are being used to subsidize the cost of the cheaper tiers, which cost relatively next to nothing to grade compared to the expensive books.

The submitter decides the value but if the book is severely undervalued CGC will bump the value of the book to where they feel it should be after it is graded. CCS and CGC each charge 3% with a maximum charge of $5000 (each). Assuming you're valuing the book at $100K, you're likely looking at $3K to have the book pressed, and $5000 once it's graded (because a the book would bump to a $200K book and it would cost $6K to grade but the fee is capped at $5000). CCS also charge 1% or $1000 if you want the book evaluated before proceeding. So you're talking an additional $8K in fees over the cost of the book (without the 1% evaluation) plus additional costs (shipping, insurance, risk, etc). The important part to remember is that there are no guarantees. People see the money being made but they don't factor in that someone always assumes the risk.

Depending on who you use, pressing costs differ but most of the time for big books the cost is a percentage of the value of the book. And there is also the capital needed and the risk involved to attempt something like this. In the end, the book is a CGC 8.0 that was sitting in a 7.0 holder. The book went in a public auction and anybody who wanted to had the opportunity to upgrade it. Not everyone has 6 figures lying around to risk. And many people are risk adverse and won't try it. Third party certification grades the book in front of them as it sits. They are not responsible for what people do to their own books when they are not in their possession. Every industry is the same. If you want to dip your toe in the water, look before you do. And the deeper the water, the deeper you need to look before you jump in. I grew up in the automotive industry and if you're going to drop 6 figures on a collectible car you should know what you're doing other than just writing a check for it.

So do I. I wasn't joking when I said that.

I'm dumbfounded every time I encounter it.

I thought of bringing you into the bathroom with me and then thought better of it. We're not that close.

Surprised that info ain't on the site. It's commonplace these days for promoters to either not post dealers attending or to post them so close to the show as to not make any real sense. I used to scour exhibitor lists for shows to visit and ran into this often. I guess promoters don't think it's important to list who will be exhibiting at their shows.

The people are real, the cases are real, and the rulings are final Roy. I know. I've watched it. I'm just kidding. It's all Hollywood smoke and mirrors. It's all fake. Oh yeah, and

Hey, I know someone that works on Judge Judy. They're real!

I did.

What a great post. It reminds me of when I was a kid. I was about 4 or 5 when I started drawing characters and collecting and I couldn't get my hands on enough comic books. Thanks for posting!

Not enough comics for my liking. 99% of the stuff isn't comics. Fun, but not a venue for collectors in my view. Well, comic collectors anyway. Thanks for the pics. Looks like the 1st pic of a comic vendor you posted was of Bob Storms' booth. It would be cool to include info of who owns each booth in case people are interested in books or just so people know who set up.

If someone is smashing, staining and damaging your books why do you use them? I'll draw an analogy to driving. Driving causes accidents but not all driving ends up in an accident. If a driver ends up in an accident they aren't doing it correctly. The person you are using isn't pressing books correctly. They're destroying them.

Pressing (properly, that is) doesn't cause tanning to covers. If those covers are tanned, they are tanned because they were improperly stored. And pressing doesn't cause acid transfer. You don't (and SHOULD NOT) use microchamber paper when pressing a book. I find it hard to believe that it needs to be even discussed.

In a perfect world, you'd be right. But it's not a perfect world so a small amount of error is ALWAYS expected.

Sorry, I missed this edit even though I quoted it. Yes, true. But inserts are supposed to be in the comics at the time of publication. Anything that is foreign to the book at time of publication is not. Furthermore, you are introducing another variable for the presser to deal with that they shouldn't. If I was a presser and pressing your books I would not be leaving microchamber paper in a book. Into the recycling bin they would go. I think most people will agree that leaving things in books that don't belong, while getting them pressed is not a good idea.

To be fair, 1 is too many. Encapsulation is supposed to protect the comics, not subject them to damage. To be fair, nothing is perfect. A small percentage of failure is allowed in any industry. We're just really emotional about our comics but when a $100K car breaks down, most people understand it happens. It shouldn't, but it does.

Best line in the entire thread.

If the foreign paper inside the book was oversized and sticking out of the pages then there would be nothing to indent. Or even if the foreign paper was nearly the same size as the book's interior pages. And as a previous poster mentioned, inserts can do the same damage. My presser mentioned a book with a well known insert and said he had a way to handle that. I really don't know how to reply to this. I'm not sure if you're serious or just pulling my leg at this point. I guess you should just leave your microchamber paper inside the book then when you send them off to get pressed if it doesn't bother you.