marvelmaniac

Two color breaking scratch/tears along with color rub along the top edge, blunted corners with color breaking creases at the top right corner, spine stress with color rub and multiple color breaking spine ticks/stress lines, moderate tanning of interior pages, moderate tanning/foxing of rear cover, creased top left corner of rear cover. IMO...VG/FN 5.0 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.

A completely detached cover still keeps this book at a GD 2.0.

Blunted corners, small color breaking crease/dent at lower right corner with slight edge wear and color loss, a couple of small spine ticks that slightly break color. IMO, the lower right corner prevents this book from grading higher...VF 8.0 to VF+ 8.5 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. 8.5 VERY FINE+ (VF+): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Very Fine but with an additional virtue or small accumulation of virtues that improves the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 8.0 VERY FINE (VF): Back to Top An excellent copy with outstanding eye appeal. A limited accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Cover is relatively flat with minimal surface wear beginning to show, possibly including some minute wear at corners. Inks are generally bright with moderate to high reflectivity. An unnoticeable 1/4" crease is acceptable if color is not broken. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. Minor foxing. Spine is almost completely flat with a possible minor color break. Staples may show some discoloration. Very slight staple tears and a few almost insignificant stress lines may be present. Paper is cream to tan and supple. Centerfold is mostly secure. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present.

Off center top staple, a couple of spine ticks that slightly break color. IMO...NM- 9.2 to NM 9.4 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.

Blunted left side corners, minor spine stress, color rub in multiple areas of the rear cover, rear cover top right corner has a small color break, Really hard to see the spine, lots of glare. IMO...VF- 7.5 8.0 VERY FINE (VF): Back to Top An excellent copy with outstanding eye appeal. A limited accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Cover is relatively flat with minimal surface wear beginning to show, possibly including some minute wear at corners. Inks are generally bright with moderate to high reflectivity. An unnoticeable 1/4" crease is acceptable if color is not broken. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. Minor foxing. Spine is almost completely flat with a possible minor color break. Staples may show some discoloration. Very slight staple tears and a few almost insignificant stress lines may be present. Paper is cream to tan and supple. Centerfold is mostly secure. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. 7.5 VERY FINE- (VF-): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Very Fine but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 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.

A very "Well Loved" copy, some folks do not own any copies so be happy and proud of yours. Due to spine splits on both ends, spine tears, multiple pieces missing on the edges, detached cover at one staple, etc., if it only had one spine split it would IMO grade slightly higher, however... IMO...GD 2.0 (possibly a GD+ 2.5) 3.0 GOOD/VERY GOOD (GD/VG): Back to Top A used comic book showing some substantial wear. Cover shows significant wear, and may be loose or even detached at one staple. Cover reflectivity is very low. Can have a book-length crease and/or dimples. Corners may be blunted or even rounded. Discoloration, fading, foxing, and even minor to moderate soiling is allowed. 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. Tape and other amateur repair may be present. Moderate spine roll likely. May have a spine split of anywhere from 1" to 1-1/2". Staples may be rusted or replaced. Minor to moderate staple tears and moderate stress lines may be present, as well as some rust migration. Paper is brown but not brittle. Centerfold may be loose or detached at one staple. Minor to moderate interior tears may be present. 2.5 GOOD+ (GD+): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Good but with an additional virtue or small accumulation of virtues that improves the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 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.

I cannot say with 100% certainty but the staple tear appears to be a bindery issue, also the outer edge is not trimmed properly, looking online, some books are mistrimmed and others are not, so again, bindery. IMO, giving the benefit of the doubt, if both are bindery defects... 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. NM 9.4 - Subtle bindery/printing defects are allowed. NM- 9.2 - A limited number of minor bindery/printing defects are allowed. VF/NM 9.0 - A limited number of minor bindery/printing defects are allowed. VF 8.0 - A limited accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. FN/VF 7.0 - A small accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed.

Blunted left side corners, color breaking crease at lower right corner, minor spine stress with a few color breaking spine ticks/stress lines, minor to moderate color loss on rear cover by lower spine, other areas of color rub on rear cover. IMO - FN/VF 7.0 to VF- 7.5 8.0 VERY FINE (VF): Back to Top An excellent copy with outstanding eye appeal. A limited accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Cover is relatively flat with minimal surface wear beginning to show, possibly including some minute wear at corners. Inks are generally bright with moderate to high reflectivity. An unnoticeable 1/4" crease is acceptable if color is not broken. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. Minor foxing. Spine is almost completely flat with a possible minor color break. Staples may show some discoloration. Very slight staple tears and a few almost insignificant stress lines may be present. Paper is cream to tan and supple. Centerfold is mostly secure. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. 7.5 VERY FINE- (VF-): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Very Fine but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 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.

The top right corner is the killer here, not only are there multiple color breaking creases, there is also a small piece missing on the edge, IMO, the book without the corner issue would be in the FN 6.0 range, with the severe corner creasing/small piece missing, IMO...VG+ 4.5 to VG/FN 5.0 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.

If you remove the added price box the book will receive a GD 2.0, also, before considering removing the added price box, what is the additional tape hiding/repairing? A book with tape will be graded as if the tape was not present using only the defects it is hiding. 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, 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." https://www.cgccomics.com/news/article/3327/CGC-Modifies-Stance-on-Grading-Submissions-with-Tape/ TAPE... GD 2.0 - Tape and other forms of amateur repair are common in Silver Age and older books. GD/VG 3.0 - Tape and other amateur repair may be present. VG 4.0 - Only minor unobtrusive tape and other amateur repair allowed on otherwise high grade copies. If you purchased this book for yourself and do not plan on selling it in the future, does it really matter, the main thing is you are happy with the book. I purchased a TTA 35 years ago that had restoration done, needed to fill the run, price was right, story is the same, for my PC, not resale.

Unfortunately, being vague in grading is the standard, the wording used in defining a defect is, for the most part non-specific leaving it up to the individual grader to interpret the actual meaning. They do give you more specific detail when talking about creases/pieces missing since they sometimes mention and actual size allowed. Examples...Imperceptible, Almost Imperceptible, Nearly Imperceptible, Insignificant, Subtle, Slight, Slightest, Small, Minor, etc.

I only own one of the three...TTA 27 I own three of the above, TTA 27, ST 110 and X-Men 4, have the GRR of JIM 83

Moderately blunted corners with small pieces missing at the lower corners, color breaking crease at lower right corner edge wear with some denting and color loss, top edge not trimmed properly, color breaking scratch thru the "D" in "Spider-Man", moderate spine stress with color loss color breaking stress lines and small tears, small spine splits top and bottom, detached cover, minor spine roll, denting/discoloration along top edge of rear cover. The book without the detached cover is in the VG 4.0 range so you will not get a Green Qualified Label, with the detached cover IMO the book would grade at a...GD 2.0. VG 4.0 - may be loose but not completely detached. GD/VG 3.0 - may be loose or even detached at one staple. GD 2.0 - Cover shows significant wear and may even be detached. 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.

Looking at the centerfold there are no other staple holes to indicate the original staples were once there and centered, IMO, the staple placement being severely off center was/is a bindery issue. Looking at your book it appears to be in the VG 4.0 to VG/FN 5.0 range so the staple placement should not affect the grade.

So...Is the CGC Grading Guide more specific about defects and how they affect the grade as opposed to Overstreet?

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.

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.

One of these two...

Technically the front cover and rear cover should be treated equally, however, there are lots of gray areas in grading and this is probably/definitely one of them. Personally when I grade a book, it is in it's entirety, how much I lower a grade on a generally higher grade book with defects on the rear cover only that do not fit into the grade the book would receive for the front cover depends on the defect and the severity of the defect, basically this is done on a book by book basis, there is no golden rule set in stone.(Basically holds true for all grading, even CGC is not 100% consistent in their grading). You stated this info was more for your personal benefit, when I graded my books, if there was an issue such as rear cover defects but not front cover defects I wrote down my own graders notes and graded the book as it sits noting the defects that caused the drop in grade, and what the grade would have been if that particular defect was not present. There have been a few threads opened on this site pertaining to this question and none have a definitive answer, CGC is not apparently not divulging info on how they feel about this, (is it mentioned in their new grading guide?) just like anything that goes to CGC it would probably depend on individual perception, what mood the grader is in that day, and how far behind they are. If you look at the grading standards in lower grade books some allow more defects on the rear and others do not. Mentions of the back cover in the grading standards, as you can see, once you get past GD 2.0 there is no more mention about the rear cover, this tells me that a rear cover defect in the grades from VG/FN 5.0 to NM 9.4 will all be downgraded accordingly for a rear cover only defect, the issue then becomes how much of a downgrade? FR 1.0 - Books in this condition generally have all pages and most of the covers, although there may be up to 1/4 of the front cover missing or no back cover, FR/GD 1.5 - Up to 1/10 of the back cover may be missing. 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, 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. 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.

I have always found that if I take pics using artificial lighting you get glare and shadows, good luck on the grading.

According to the web, if you are using Showcase 4 as the beginning of the Silver Age then Lois Lane's first Silver Age appearance would be Action Comics 221 (Oct 1956) or Action Comics 222 (Nov 1956). https://dcuguide.com/w/Lois_Lane_(Silver_Age)_Chronology

If that is glare and not a color breaking scratch then, yes, the book should grade higher, possibly a VF 8.0 to VF+ 8.5, all depends on how the grader feels about color breaking stress lines on that particular day, lots of gray areas with wording. Just for spine stress only... NM- 9.2 to NM 9.4 - Almost no stress lines VF/NM 9.0 - A very minor accumulation of stress lines may be present if they are nearly imperceptible. VF 8.0 - Very slight staple tears and a few almost insignificant stress lines may be present. FN/VF 7.0 - Slight staple tears and a small accumulation of light stress lines may be present. FN 6.0 - Minor staple tears and a few slight stress lines may be present,

Minor spine stress with multiple stress lines/spine ticks some of which break color, long color breaking scratch along lower spine. IMO... 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.

Cover wrap and staples are off center, minor spine stress with a few/multiple color breaking spine stress lines/spine ticks, minor to moderate staple tears, color breaking scratch thru the price box, some wrinkling/discoloration along spine of rear cover. IMO...FN/VF 7.0 8.0 VERY FINE (VF): Back to Top An excellent copy with outstanding eye appeal. A limited accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Cover is relatively flat with minimal surface wear beginning to show, possibly including some minute wear at corners. Inks are generally bright with moderate to high reflectivity. An unnoticeable 1/4" crease is acceptable if color is not broken. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. Minor foxing. Spine is almost completely flat with a possible minor color break. Staples may show some discoloration. Very slight staple tears and a few almost insignificant stress lines may be present. Paper is cream to tan and supple. Centerfold is mostly secure. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. 7.5 VERY FINE- (VF-): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Very Fine but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 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.