marvelmaniac

There are also Facebook groups that allow Buy/Sell/Trade, they do have rules about posting, you need to post multiple pics with a current date/time stamp, assign an approximate grade (plenty of help with this online), add an asking price, add the shipping cost and payment methods you will accept, generally only PayPal Goods and Services. You need to join the group, answer their questions when applying and be approved by a moderator. A little more work than an eBay listing but no fees other than the PayPal 2.9% + 30 cents. One other thing you will need to learn if you are selling books is how to properly pack them for shipping so they do not get damaged, bag/board, bubble wrap, thick cardboard, painters tape, packing tape, Priority Mail Boxes/Envelopes/Labels (all free from your local USPS) or Gemini Mailers. My Son stopped collecting a few years back and is selling his books, I belong to 6 Facebook groups, two allow sales, my Son was offered $800.00 for all 2000 books by a dealer, we said no, to this point I have sold about 600-700 of his books for about $3000.00 and that is without posting them for sale, just checking what folks are looking for and then letting them know I have them, recently a gentleman bought me entire run of Spider-Man (1990) and then my run of X Men (1991) for $1.00 each (on two separate occasions), just so you are aware,100 books weigh 20 lbs and Priority Mail shipping was $45.00 for each box of 100. Looking at your Marvel Secret Wars 8, I sold the entire run of Secret Wars 1 for $150.00 about two years ago since that is what the LCS's said they were selling them for, have the prices changed since then? Sorry about your Dad, Good Luck with your sales.

As is, the book is incomplete, if it were determined to be an actual bindery/printing defect I would assume that CGC would give this book a "Green Qualified" label grading the book as if the centerfold was present but noting that it is missing on the label, rather than a "Universal Blue" label with a grade of PR 0.5 incomplete, missing centerfold. There are a small niche of collectors that collect bindery defect books, I have an F.F. Annual 1 that has part 1 of the story printed twice while omitting part 2, basically that book would also be considered incomplete, the book was given to me as a Christmas gift back in 81/82 and I did not say anything since the folks that bought it went to a lot of trouble to find it, there was no internet.

A child writing their name on a book or doodling on the cover is not the same as a newsstand owner writing or stamping a book with an arrival date, that is how things were done, however, as a kid in the 60's we never gave a second thought to writing/doodling on a comic book cover, we did worse. Writing on the cover lowers the grade (IMO) if the book is higher than a VG/FN 5.0 without the writing, however, for me collecting was about completing runs on a budget and books with writing on the cover were usually already lower grade books and less money, also, a name written on the cover of Gold/Silver/Bronze age books adds character (IMO) and shows some history of the book, which I have no issue with, it is not everyone's cup of tea. These are my books that have names or doodling on the cover.

That appears to be distributor spray that was used by distributors in the Silver/Bronze age so the newsstand owner knew when to turn in older, unsold copies for credit, the colors changed monthly so there was no confusion. If it is not excessive it should not affect the grade at all. DISTRIBUTOR STRIPES - Color brushed or sprayed on the edges of comic book stacks by the distributor/wholesaler to code them for expedient exchange at the sales racks. Typical colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Distributor stripes are not a defect.

Looking at other raw and graded copies on eBay compared to your copy... IMO...NM- 9.2 9.4 NEAR MINT (NM): Back to Top Nearly perfect with only minor imperfections that keep it from the next higher grade. Subtle bindery/printing defects are allowed. Bindery tears must be less than 1/16" on Silver Age and later books, although on Golden Age books bindery tears of up to 1/4" have been noted. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Inks are bright with high reflectivity and a minimum of fading. Corners are cut square and sharp with ever-so-slight blunting permitted. A 1/16" bend is permitted with no color break. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as they are in an unobtrusive location. Slight foxing. Spine is tight and flat. Staples are generally centered; may have slight discoloration. Almost no stress lines. Paper is off-white to cream, supple and fresh. Slight interior tears are allowed. 9.2 NEAR MINT- (NM-): Back to Top Nearly perfect with only a minor additional defect or defects that keep it from Near Mint. A limited number of minor bindery/printing defects are allowed. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Inks are bright with only the slightest dimming of reflectivity. Corners are cut square and sharp with ever-so-slight blunting permitted. A 1/16-1/8" bend is permitted with no color break. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as they are in an unobtrusive location. Slight foxing. Spine is tight and flat. Staples may show some discoloration. Almost no stress lines. Paper is off-white to cream, supple and fresh. Slight interior tears are allowed. 9.0 VERY FINE/NEAR MINT (VF/NM): Back to Top Nearly perfect with outstanding eye appeal. A limited number of bindery/printing defects are allowed. Cover is almost flat with almost imperceptible wear. Inks are bright with slightly diminished reflectivity. An 1/8" bend is allowed if color is not broken. Corners are cut square and sharp with ever-so-slight blunting permitted but no creases. Several lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable. Very minor foxing. Spine is tight and flat. Staples may show some discoloration. Only the slightest staple tears are allowed. A very minor accumulation of stress lines may be present if they are nearly imperceptible. Paper is off-white to cream and supple. Very minor interior tears may be present. .

Severe water damage, Severe staining and mold on rear cover, wrinkling, color rub/color loss, color breaking creases/dings/dents along edges, minor to moderate spine roll, rusted staples with rust migration, moderate spine wear with color breaking creases. IMO...GD- 1.8 2.0 GOOD (GD): Back to Top Shows substantial wear; often considered a "reading copy." Cover shows significant wear and may even be detached. Cover reflectivity is low and in some cases completely absent. Book-length creases and dimples may be present. Rounded corners are more common. Moderate soiling, staining, discoloration and foxing may be present. The largest piece allowed missing from the front or back cover is usually a 1/2" triangle or a 1/4" square, although some Silver Age books such as 1960s Marvels have had the price corner box clipped from the top left front cover and may be considered Good if they would otherwise have graded higher. Tape and other forms of amateur repair are common in Silver Age and older books. Spine roll is likely. May have up to a 2" spine split. Staples may be degraded, replaced or missing. Moderate staple tears and stress lines may be present, as well as rust migration. Paper is brown but not brittle. Centerfold may be loose or detached. Moderate interior tears may be present. 1.8 GOOD- (GD-): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Good but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 1.5 FAIR/GOOD (FR/GD): Back to Top Shows substantial to heavy wear. Books in this grade are commonly creased, scuffed, abraded, soiled, and possibly unattractive, but still generally readable. Cover shows considerable wear and may be detached. Almost no cover reflectivity remaining. Book-length creases, tears and folds may be present. Rounded corners are increasingly common. Soiling, staining, discoloration and foxing is generally present. Up to 1/10 of the back cover may be missing. Tape and other forms of amateur repair are increasingly common in Silver Age and older books. Spine roll is common. May have a spine split between 2" and 2/3 the length of the book. Staples may be degraded, replaced or missing. Staple tears and stress lines are common, as well as rust migration. Paper is brown and may show brittleness around the edges. Acidic odor may be present. Centerfold may be loose or detached. Interior tears are common.

Before considering all of this expense, remember, this book is a $20.00 book (raw) in high grade, there is only one graded copy that sold on an eBay auction in the last 3 month's (March 28 - June 10), it was a CGC NM+ 9.6 which sold for $50.00 with only one bidder. The other 11 that were sold (all raw) sold between $0.99 cents and $12.50, the $12.50 book was listed as "High Grade" and that also only had one bidder. Obviously/Ultimately the final choice is yours, personally, I would place it in a Mylite W/Acid Free Board or if you want to display the book place it in a UV protected frame (CGC slabs are not UV protected) and Enjoy the book as is. Currently there are 3 CGC NM/MT 9.8 copies selling on eBay, all are BIN (or best offer) so I would not put much faith in that since the seller can name/ask any price they want and wait for someone to actually pay the price, the 3 books are listed at $284.09, $375.00, $499.95 (listed as "Rare Newsstand Edition".) I hope this info helps you to make an informed decision, either way, Enjoy The Book!!!

The bindery tear at the top will prevent this book from grading any higher than a NM 9.4 NM+ 9.6 - GM 10 - No bindery tears are allowed, NM 9.4 - Bindery tears must be less than 1/16" on Silver Age and later books, although on Golden Age books bindery tears of up to 1/4" have been noted. There is no more mention of Bindery Tears until you get to FN 6.0 and then it becomes a spine split. FN 6.0 - There can also be a 1/4" spine split or severe color break.

I forgot about Marvel Tales 2, if you need/want pics of the Avengers reprint in that issue, let me know.

Books are graded in their entirety, however a missing piece that large is only allowed in much lower grades. I would suggest you open a thread in the https://boards.cgccomics.com/forum/42-hey-buddy-can-you-spare-a-grade/ section with sharp/clear pics of the front and rear covers, inside and out and pics of the spine/staples along with the centerfold so folks that have actual experience with how CGC usually views missing pieces can chime in. I cannot speak for CGC, however, if that were my book I would drop the grade a minimum of 2 places if it graded VG/FN 5.0 or higher, the higher the grade the more impact the missing piece will have on the grade. IMO, if the book were to grade at a FN/VF 7.0 without the piece missing it not grade any higher than a VG/FN 5.0 with the missing piece. As far as just looking at missing pieces...(Heritage/Overstreet Grading Standards) VG/FN 5.0 - No Missing Pieces Are Allowed VG 4.0 - As much as a 1/4" triangle can be missing out of the corner or edge; a missing 1/8" square is also acceptable. GD/VG 3.0 - A triangle from 1/4" to 1/2" can be missing out of the corner or edge; a missing 1/8" to 1/4" square is also acceptable. GD 2.0 - The largest piece allowed missing from the front or back cover is usually a 1/2" triangle or a 1/4" square, FR/GD 1.5 - Up to 1/10 of the back cover may be missing. As far as grading, with that being said, this all depends on why you want the book graded and slabbed, if you are planning to sell then grading may be worth the expense, if this is for your own personal collection to enjoy, just know... I have nothing against CGC or folks that have their books graded, however, CGC slabs do not offer any more protection than a Mylite and Acid Free Board, the slabs are not airtight and are not UV protected, they need to be stored in the same, proper conditions as raw books or any paper products, away from all UV light, in a controlled temp/humidity environment (no unfinished basements/attics/garages), away from all sources of heat and moisture. I check FMV on my top books every 6 month's (using eBay sold auction prices since this is what folks are actually paying), my ST 107 (FN- 5.5, graded by me) had a FMV as of December 2023 of $200.00, as far as CGC graded books go using eBay, there were only 9 copies of ST 107 sold between April and June of this year and only 3 were graded books, Two CGC VG/FN 5.0 sold for $202.00 and $218.00, a CGC graded VG 4.0 sold for $118.00. There is a third option if you want to display the book and still be able to read it at a relatively lower cost, a UV protected frame. https://www.bcwsupplies.com/comic-book-showcase-silver-uv

The Marvel Facsimile Editions have all of the original ads and letter pages, however all Marvel Facsimile Editions state that they are in fact a "Facsimile Edition" in the first line of the Indicia on the bottom of the splash page. The Marvel Milestone Editions also have all of the original ads and letter pages and also read "Marvel Milestone Edition" on the first line of the Indicia, however, the indicia is on the inside of the front cover, the telltale sign that it is a reprint, the Marvel Milestone Editions are not printed on newsprint, they are printed on a "gloss coated paper" and the images are much brighter/sharper and really "Pop", much much more than the original. I do not own an original Avengers 1, looking at my Avengers 2, the indicia is located on the inside of the front cover but you visually see the differences in the paper and images. Click on the images to enlarge. MARVEL FACSIMILE EDITION AVENGERS 1 MARVEL MILESTONE EDITION AVENGERS 1 (PRINTED ON GLOSSED COATED PAPER) AVENGERS 2 (1963) PRINTED ON NEWSPRINT

Your close-ups make the book appear to be in worse shape than it actually is... IMO...VG/FN 5.0 to FN- 5.5 6.0 FINE (FN): Back to Top An above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with no significant creasing or other serious defects. Some accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases. Inks show a significant reduction in reflectivity. Blunted corners are more common, as is minor staining, soiling, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor spine roll is allowed. There can also be a 1/4" spine split or severe color break. Staples may show minor discoloration. Minor staple tears and a few slight stress lines may be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown and fairly supple with no signs of brittleness. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. Centerfold may be loose. 5.5 FINE- (FN-): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Fine but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 5.0 VERY GOOD/FINE (VG/FN): Back to Top An above-average but well used comic book. An accumulation of bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor to moderate cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases and/or dimples. Inks have moderate to low reflectivity. Blunted corners are increasingly common, as is minor to moderate staining, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor to moderate spine roll is allowed. A spine split of up to 1/2" may be present. Staples may show minor discoloration. Minor staple tears and minor stress lines may also be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown with no signs of brittleness. Centerfold may be loose. Minor interior tears may also be present.

https://www.cgccomics.com/pressing/#:~:text=Pressing is a process that,warping%2C spine rolls and indentations. https://boards.cgccomics.com/topic/497989-pressing-foil-cover/

https://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/light.html

My understanding is that the book would be graded as if the repaired issues were never present, that is why you get the different color labels, to differentiate between Blue Label (graded as is) or the others which do not get dinged on the grade due to restoration, a missing MVS or coupon, etc. All labels (Green/Gray/Purple) have the books graded as if the defect were not present although it is mentioned on the label, hence, the lower resale value. Basically it is the opposite of grading a book with tape, when grading a book with tape, the tape itself is ignored, just grading the book on the defect the tape is/was attempting to repair, with Purple, Green, they are ignoring the defects/restoration and grading what is in front of them. https://www.cgccomics.com/grading/labels/ https://www.cgccomics.com/resources/restoration/ https://www.cgccomics.com/pdf/restoration-grading-scale-handout.pdf

As a kid in the 60's that is what we did with books like MCIC and Marvel Tales, took each individual story out, stapled it together and placed it with the title it belonged to, we did not have facsimile covers to use though.

Showing books that have not yet been posted. Reprint of F.F. Annual 1

Moderately blunted corners with color loss and color breaking creases, minor to moderate edge wear with color loss/rub and color breaking creases, minor to moderate spine wear with color breaking spine ticks/stress lines and some color breaking creases, "P" written in ink on cover, some staining discoloration on front cover, slight spine roll, crunched/creased corners on rear cover, rear cover top/bottom edges wrinkled/dinged, minor to moderate staining/discoloration along rear cover spine. IMO...VG+ 4.5 5.0 VERY GOOD/FINE (VG/FN): Back to Top An above-average but well used comic book. An accumulation of bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor to moderate cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases and/or dimples. Inks have moderate to low reflectivity. Blunted corners are increasingly common, as is minor to moderate staining, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor to moderate spine roll is allowed. A spine split of up to 1/2" may be present. Staples may show minor discoloration. Minor staple tears and minor stress lines may also be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown with no signs of brittleness. Centerfold may be loose. Minor interior tears may also be present. 4.5 VERY GOOD+ (VG): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Very Good but with an additional virtue or small accumulation of virtues that improves the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 4.0 VERY GOOD (VG): Back to Top The average used comic book. Cover shows moderate to significant wear, and may be loose but not completely detached. Cover reflectivity is low. Can have moderate creases or dimples. Corners may be blunted. Store stamps, name stamps, arrival dates, initials, etc. have no effect on this grade. Some discoloration, fading, foxing, and even minor soiling is allowed. As much as a 1/4" triangle can be missing out of the corner or edge; a missing 1/8" square is also acceptable. Only minor unobtrusive tape and other amateur repair allowed on otherwise high grade copies. Moderate spine roll may be present and/or a 1" spine split. Staples may be discolored. Minor to moderate staple tears and stress lines may be present, as well as some rust migration. Paper is brown but not brittle. Minor to moderate interior tears may be present. Centerfold may be loose or detached at one staple.

Upside down...No problem, I downloaded the pics and rotated them. Slightly blunted corners with two color breaking creases at lower right corner, color breaking crease at top right, color breaking scratch in top of price box, slight edge wear with minor color loss, minor spine wear with a few color breaking spine ticks and minor staple tears, staples are off center and discolored, staining/discoloration along spine, two small tears at lower edge of rear cover, minor foxing/discoloration along edges of rear cover. IMO...FN+ 6.5 to (FN/VF 7.0?) 7.0 FINE/VERY FINE (FN/VF): Back to Top An above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with outstanding eye appeal. A small accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor cover wear beginning to show, possibly including minor creases. Corners may be blunted. Inks are generally bright with a moderate reduction in reflectivity. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. Minor foxing. The slightest spine roll may be present, as well as a possible moderate color break. Staples may show some discoloration. Slight staple tears and a small accumulation of light stress lines may be present. Slight rust migration. Paper is cream to tan. Centerfold is mostly secure. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. 6.5 FINE+ (FN+): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Fine but with an additional virtue or small accumulation of virtues that improves the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 6.0 FINE (FN): Back to Top An above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with no significant creasing or other serious defects. Some accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases. Inks show a significant reduction in reflectivity. Blunted corners are more common, as is minor staining, soiling, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor spine roll is allowed. There can also be a 1/4" spine split or severe color break. Staples may show minor discoloration. Minor staple tears and a few slight stress lines may be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown and fairly supple with no signs of brittleness. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. Centerfold may be loose.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of gray areas when it comes to grading based on the words used in the grading standards such as...accumulation, imperceptible, minute, subtle, slight, minor, moderate, significant, severe and then they use adverbs/adjectives along with those words like, barely, some, very, almost, tiny, small, none of these words have a true black and white definitive meaning as far as amount or size. All of this leads to individual perception of a book when grading and inconsistencies in grading. CGC is not going to give away all of their trade secrets, they probably go by the saying... "I taught you everything you know, not everything I know." Hopefully someone with the CGC Grading Guide or who has actual experience with this will chime in.

Blunted corners with color loss and color breaking creases, color breaking creasing/scratches at top left edge and lower edge, minor spine wear with color breaking spine ticks/stress lines and staple tears, slight spine roll, minor to moderate staining/discoloration on rear cover, small piece missing along top edge of rear cover, small tear at top edge of rear cover. IMO...FN-5.5 to FN 6.0 6.0 FINE (FN): Back to Top An above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with no significant creasing or other serious defects. Some accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases. Inks show a significant reduction in reflectivity. Blunted corners are more common, as is minor staining, soiling, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor spine roll is allowed. There can also be a 1/4" spine split or severe color break. Staples may show minor discoloration. Minor staple tears and a few slight stress lines may be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown and fairly supple with no signs of brittleness. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. Centerfold may be loose. 5.5 FINE- (FN-): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Fine but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 5.0 VERY GOOD/FINE (VG/FN): Back to Top An above-average but well used comic book. An accumulation of bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor to moderate cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases and/or dimples. Inks have moderate to low reflectivity. Blunted corners are increasingly common, as is minor to moderate staining, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor to moderate spine roll is allowed. A spine split of up to 1/2" may be present. Staples may show minor discoloration. Minor staple tears and minor stress lines may also be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown with no signs of brittleness. Centerfold may be loose. Minor interior tears may also be present.

Blunted corners with color loss and creasing, spine wear with multiple color breaking stress lines, moderate to severe staining on front cover, moderate to severe color breaking scratches on front cover, along outer edge and lower left corner, crunched lower right corner on rear cover, moderate staining on rear cover, color breaking scratches on rear cover. IMO...VG 4.0 to VG+ 4.5 5.0 VERY GOOD/FINE (VG/FN): Back to Top An above-average but well used comic book. An accumulation of bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor to moderate cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases and/or dimples. Inks have moderate to low reflectivity. Blunted corners are increasingly common, as is minor to moderate staining, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor to moderate spine roll is allowed. A spine split of up to 1/2" may be present. Staples may show minor discoloration. Minor staple tears and minor stress lines may also be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown with no signs of brittleness. Centerfold may be loose. Minor interior tears may also be present. 4.5 VERY GOOD+ (VG): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Very Good but with an additional virtue or small accumulation of virtues that improves the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 4.0 VERY GOOD (VG): Back to Top The average used comic book. Cover shows moderate to significant wear, and may be loose but not completely detached. Cover reflectivity is low. Can have moderate creases or dimples. Corners may be blunted. Store stamps, name stamps, arrival dates, initials, etc. have no effect on this grade. Some discoloration, fading, foxing, and even minor soiling is allowed. As much as a 1/4" triangle can be missing out of the corner or edge; a missing 1/8" square is also acceptable. Only minor unobtrusive tape and other amateur repair allowed on otherwise high grade copies. Moderate spine roll may be present and/or a 1" spine split. Staples may be discolored. Minor to moderate staple tears and stress lines may be present, as well as some rust migration. Paper is brown but not brittle. Minor to moderate interior tears may be present. Centerfold may be loose or detached at one staple.

Blunted corners with color loss and color breaking creases, color breaking creases/scratches along edges, color breaking scratch between the "N" and "E" in the blue/black area, color breaking scratch in the red sphere by outer edge, minor to moderate spine wear with multiple color breaking stress lines, cover not centered/slight spine roll, 1/16" - 1/8" piece missing from lower left corner of rear cover, chipping along outer edge of rear cover, minor tanning/discoloration along outer and upper edge of rear cover. (Books are graded in their entirety, however, pieces missing are not allowed in any grade above VG 4.0 "As much as a 1/4" triangle can be missing out of the corner or edge; a missing 1/8" square is also acceptable".) IMO, this book grades at FN- 5.5 to FN 6.0 7.0 FINE/VERY FINE (FN/VF): Back to Top An above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with outstanding eye appeal. A small accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor cover wear beginning to show, possibly including minor creases. Corners may be blunted. Inks are generally bright with a moderate reduction in reflectivity. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. Minor foxing. The slightest spine roll may be present, as well as a possible moderate color break. Staples may show some discoloration. Slight staple tears and a small accumulation of light stress lines may be present. Slight rust migration. Paper is cream to tan. Centerfold is mostly secure. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. 6.0 FINE (FN): Back to Top An above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with no significant creasing or other serious defects. Some accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases. Inks show a significant reduction in reflectivity. Blunted corners are more common, as is minor staining, soiling, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor spine roll is allowed. There can also be a 1/4" spine split or severe color break. Staples may show minor discoloration. Minor staple tears and a few slight stress lines may be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown and fairly supple with no signs of brittleness. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. Centerfold may be loose. 5.0 VERY GOOD/FINE (VG/FN): Back to Top An above-average but well used comic book. An accumulation of bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor to moderate cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases and/or dimples. Inks have moderate to low reflectivity. Blunted corners are increasingly common, as is minor to moderate staining, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor to moderate spine roll is allowed. A spine split of up to 1/2" may be present. Staples may show minor discoloration. Minor staple tears and minor stress lines may also be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown with no signs of brittleness. Centerfold may be loose. Minor interior tears may also be present.

Blunted corners with color loss and a color breaking crease at the lower right corner, rouge piece hanging from lower right corner, minor spine wear with a couple of color breaking spine ticks, bindery tear at top, slight top edge wear with slight color loss, color breaking scratch at lower edge, slight spine roll, minor foxing on rear cover (foxing is biological in nature and cannot be removed) rear cover not trimmed properly or poor camera angle. Assuming the book will lie flat after being pressed, IMO...FN+ 6.5 to FN/VF 7.0 7.0 FINE/VERY FINE (FN/VF): Back to Top An above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with outstanding eye appeal. A small accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor cover wear beginning to show, possibly including minor creases. Corners may be blunted. Inks are generally bright with a moderate reduction in reflectivity. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. Minor foxing. The slightest spine roll may be present, as well as a possible moderate color break. Staples may show some discoloration. Slight staple tears and a small accumulation of light stress lines may be present. Slight rust migration. Paper is cream to tan. Centerfold is mostly secure. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. 6.5 FINE+ (FN+): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Fine but with an additional virtue or small accumulation of virtues that improves the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 6.0 FINE (FN): Back to Top An above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with no significant creasing or other serious defects. Some accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases. Inks show a significant reduction in reflectivity. Blunted corners are more common, as is minor staining, soiling, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor spine roll is allowed. There can also be a 1/4" spine split or severe color break. Staples may show minor discoloration. Minor staple tears and a few slight stress lines may be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown and fairly supple with no signs of brittleness. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. Centerfold may be loose.