marvelmaniac

August 1955, these are the books I own.

I have never had a bag start to smell or smell when opened, the smell is probably coming from the materials used in the manufacturing process, if they smell there is obviously some sort of chemical/material being used that is creating the smell. Is it good for your books, is the smell transferring to the books? Just keep in mind, poly bags are good for short term use (up to about 5 years), as time goes by the poly bags start to degrade and produce acids that will, over time, if left to degrade further, could/will damage your books, poly bags also tend to "yellow" as they age. Keep in mind that comic books start to degrade on their own as soon as they are printed, the inks and paper start to degrade and produce acids over time, modern books are slower to degrade with improvements in printing and the paper used, Gold, Silver, Bronze books were printed on newsprint, the lowest form of paper and degrades rather quickly (in comic book years), as a collector, all you can do is "Slow Down The Aging/Degrading Process Using Proper Storage Technics, You Can Never Stop It. If these are books you plan on keeping or are higher dollar books, Mylar is highly recommended along with Acid Free Boards. Mylar is an inert material that does not break down or contain any acids and are Archival Safe and used by the Smithsonian and Library Of Congress., Mylar is good for Life, it comes in 1MIL, 2MIL, 4MIL thicknesses and are made to fit Gold, Silver and Modern Books. https://www.loc.gov/preservation/scientists/projects/polyester_film.html https://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/comics.html https://vinbags.com/just-a-cool-blog-post-with-images/ "Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) is a durable material that is commonly used for packaging bird seed, pet food, deer corn, and animal nutrition products. It is also the packaging of choice for rice and minerals due to its strength and ability to hold weight without breaking easily." "The OPP bag is a kind of plastic bag, and the material is polypropylene and bidirectional polypropylene. Its characteristic is that it is easy to burn, it melts and drops, and it turns yellow and blue, and it emits less smoke after flameout and continues to burn."

Let me start by saying...Congrats on your acquisition, Enjoy The Book!!! As already mentioned, a book is graded on it's entirety, not just one defect, there are a lot of gray areas in grading and nothing is etched in stone or written in black and white on how much a lone defect will affect the grade of a book, it is usually left to the discretion/perception of the grader along with the accumulation of any other defects. If the book pictured had an attached cover without spine splits it would grade in the VG 4.0 range, with a completely detached cover or severe spine split the grade will drop from there. If this book as it sits now has a completely split cover, the book, IMO, will probably grade at a FR/GD 1.5. VG 4.0 - Moderate spine roll may be present and/or a 1" spine split. Centerfold may be loose or detached at one staple. GD/VG 3.0 - Cover shows significant wear, and may be loose or even detached at one staple. be present. May have a spine split of anywhere from 1" to 1-1/2". Centerfold may be loose or detached at one staple. GD 2.0 - Cover shows significant wear and may even be detached. May have up to a 2" spine split. Centerfold may be loose or detached. FR/GD 1.5 - Cover shows considerable wear and may be detached. May have a spine split between 2" and 2/3 the length of the book. Centerfold may be loose or detached.

VF 8.0 is the 1st mention of loose staples/centerfold/cover. NM/MT 9.8 - Spine is tight and flat. Staples must be original, generally centered and clean with no rust. NM+ 9.6 - Spine is tight and flat. Staples must be original, generally centered, with only the slightest discoloration. NM 9.4 - Spine is tight and flat. Staples are generally centered; may have slight discoloration. NM- 9.2 - Spine is tight and flat. Staples may show some discoloration. VF/NM 9.0 - Spine is tight and flat. Staples may show some discoloration. Only the slightest staple tears are allowed. FN/VF 7.0 - VF 8.0 - Staples may show some discoloration. Very slight staple tears. Centerfold is mostly secure. VG/FN 5.0 - FN 6.0 - Centerfold may be loose. GD/VG 3.0 - VG 4.0 - Centerfold may be loose or detached at one staple.

This article is 10 years old but is the last I heard about CGC and tape, however, I can only go by what is on the web and what is stated on this site. https://www.cgccomics.com/news/article/3327/CGC-Modifies-Stance-on-Grading-Submissions-with-Tape/

Slightly miscut top edge, slightly fanned pages, slightly blunted corners on outer edge, wrinkled/creased top left corner of rear cover, slight foxing and a small stain on rear cover. IMO...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.

At the bottom of the book and outer edge of the book as shown in the top two pictures, are they shadows or the actual pages of the book? Fold/crease at top left corner/price box, corner/edge wear with color breaking creases, small tears at top edge of front cover, minor spine stress with a few color breaking spine ticks, small color breaking scratch/crease below the box with the Black Panther, slightly discolored staples, fold at top left corner of rear cover, wrinkled lower edge of rear cover, long, horizonal color breaking crease starting at outer edge on rear cover. Assuming they are only shadows and not fanned pages...FN- 5.5 As far as page color... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb3RfnWoUIw

Moderate edge/corner wear w/color breaking creases, long color breaking crease from lower edge up to The Lizards lab coat, minor to moderate spine stress w/color breaking spine ticks, slight curl/crease by spine, slightly discolored staples, cover reflectivity is low w/some color loss, long crease on rear cover, slight edge wear/denting on edges of rear cover, slight foxing on rear cover. If it were my book, I would assign a grade of VG/FN 5.0 due to the long creases, so you are in the ballpark. 5.0 VERY GOOD/FINE (VG/FN): Back to TopAn 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.

Just on cover flatness alone, without taking any other defects (or lack of defects) into consideration. GD/VG 3.0 - 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. VG 4.0 - Cover shows moderate to significant wear, and may be loose but not completely detached. Cover reflectivity is low. Can have moderate creases or dimples. VG/FN 5.0 - Minor to moderate cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases and/or dimples. FN 6.0 - An above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with no significant creasing or other serious defects. FN/VF 7.0 - An above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with outstanding eye appeal. Minor cover wear beginning to show, possibly including minor creases. VF 8.0 - 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. VF/NM 9.0 - Cover is almost flat with almost imperceptible wear. NM- 9.2 - GM 10.0 - Cover is flat with no surface wear. Unfortunately there are a lot of Gray areas in grading, just looking at the above, you need to know the definition of words like...almost, imperceptible, relatively, minimal, minute, moderate, minor, significant, above average, how those words are viewed/defined varies from person to person, none of these words have a definite "Black and White" meaning especially when used to describe comic book condition.

What I see is... Dented/wrinkled corner/edge at the lower left and lower right, the pages and cover are not properly aligned, the pages are somewhat fanned. IMO...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.

Just keep in mind, I originally started collecting as a kid in 65, stopped in 69, restarted again in 79, looking for the same Silver Age Marvel I grew up with. It took almost 50 years for these books to increase in value to the point they are at now, the reason they are at their present value is, Yes, they are old, however, the major increase in value is largely in part to the MCU. My definition of a collector is a person that obtains objects that they enjoy as a hobby, the objects are neat/organized/displayed/stored properly and other objects of the same genre are added to the other objects, making it a "collection". IMO, a collector "collects", they do not buy for the monetary value or to make a profit by hoarding and flipping. If you enjoy those books, bag (Mylites) and board (Acid Free) them, store them in the appropriate comic box and forget about them unless you want to read them again, if they go up in value, Great, if not, they are books you enjoy, that is what comic books are all about. Now, Get Off Of My Lawn...Punk.

Your best bet is to post in the https://boards.cgccomics.com/forum/42-hey-buddy-can-you-spare-a-grade/ section. Show/post clear pics of the book, front cover, back cover, inside front and back cover including the splash page, centerfold, zoom on the "lumpy, bumpy" parts of the cover as long as the pics are clear.

And is is always a great reference point should you need to go back and look at a later date. I did mine using "Compose" in Yahoo Mail, I do not/did not have access to Microsoft Word or Excel, the list of graded books are now saved as a PDF, 42 pages long, along with the 2000 photo's, they are backed up on 2 separate Flashdrives. It took me over 6 month's, working on this project almost every night. Good Luck and Have Fun!!!

Comic books are graded by their "overall" condition, not just one defect, although, one significant defect on a higher grade book could significantly lower the grade, by how much?, This is where the Gray areas of grading come in since there is no definitive rules or grade detractor charts to say...A book graded at VF 8.0 which has a loose centerfold will drop by this many points on the grading scale, does it drop to a FN/VF 7.0, FN 6.0, VG/FN 5.0, impossible to tell, all depends on the day of the week, phase of the moon, planet alignment and what kind of day the grader is having. When I graded/cataloged/photographed my 2000 books back in 2015, books with issues like this were cataloged/graded with the defect with a notation of what the grade would have been without the additional defect, IE: the book is a VF 8.0 with a loose/detached centerfold, If it were only loose/detached at one staple I would probably drop the grade to a FN 6.0 with a notation "book would have been a VF 8.0 except for (add additional defect here). If you look closely at the grading standards you will see wording that is not fully defined, this is a discussion we have had numerous times on how words are perceived and defined, even looking up the correct definition, some of these words mean the same thing. FN/VF 7.0 - VF 8.0 - Centerfold is mostly secure. VG/FN 5.0 - FN 6.0 - Centerfold may be loose. GD/VG 3.0 - VG 4.0 - Centerfold may be loose or detached at one staple. FR/GD 1.5 - GD 2.0 - Centerfold may be loose or detached. VG 4.0 - Cover shows moderate to significant wear, and may be loose but not completely detached. GD/VG 3.0 - Cover shows significant wear and may be loose or even detached at one staple. GD 2.0 - Cover shows significant wear and may even be detached.

Store all books in Mylites (Mylar is an inert, acid free material that is Archival Safe and lasts a lifetime, If you have books stored in Poly Bags, the bags should be replaced every 5 years.) with Acid Free Backing Boards and placed in Comic Book Storage Boxes, stored in a Controlled Environment (Temps about 70 degrees and 40-50% humidity). Keep all books away from any UV Light (Sunlight, Incandescent and Flouresant Lighting) (LED bulbs do not emit UV), Do not store books near sources of heat, moisture or in an unfinished/non climate controlled Attic, Garage, Basement or Outside Structure. Safes and Safety Deposit Boxes accumulate moisture, if you are storing books in either of those a Dessicant must be placed with the books and replenished periodically. If you wish to display any books, be sure to place the books in UV Protected Frames, CGC slabs are Not UV Protected, they do sell UV protected frames for graded books. https://www.egerber.com/aboutpreservation.htm https://www.ala.org/alcts/sites/ala.org.alcts/files/content/_MeltzerBkmk16.pdf https://www.thehenryford.org/explore/blog/comic-book-preservation-tips-from-our-conservators https://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/comics.html https://www.firstalert.com/us/en/safetycorner/how-to-properly-maintain-your-portable-safe/

When I sold my Grandson's Pokémon cards, I had to research grading cards, I then purchased and used a jeweler's loupe with up to 30X magnification and a built in black light to spot fingerprints. Does the CGC Grading Guide go into any specifics on weather this method is also used by CGC? Should every collector hoping for a NM/MT 9.8 own one so they can see every minute, "imperceptible" detail before sending the book for grading? I am 67, I collect for nostalgia, to relive the fond memories of my childhood, I find it somewhat humorous that we go through all of this for items that were originally sold as "cheap, disposable entertainment".

I hear that, even with my OCD my bags and boards are not all the same size, I have Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age and used what ever thickness Mylites I found at the time, 1 Mil, 1.4 Mil, 2 Mil, although the books are in the proper size Mylite for the era, some Golden Age books are smaller than typical Golden Age but larger than Silver, so... For me, they are in Alpha/Numerical order, totally organized in labeled comic boxes, the reason the bog/board thing does not bother me much is... Out of sight, out of mind.

We are getting into Philosophy now, this also relates to the question I just asked above. If it's imperceptible, it's impossible to perceive with any of the senses. The world might be spinning, but it's imperceptible from your couch. Within the word imperceptible you see the word percept, which means "the object of your perception." Like impossible, the im in imperceptible means it cannot be perceived. Imperceptible is rarely used in the absolute sense of the word — it is usually paired with almost. Horton hears the Who but the tiny sounds of the Whos were almost imperceptible to everyone else. Imperceptible refers to something that is impossible to perceive or detect. It is often used to describe things that are too small or too subtle to be noticed by the senses. Imperceptible can be used to describe a variety of things, including sounds, smells, and movements. For example, a sound might be imperceptible if it is too quiet or if it is masked by other sounds. Similarly, a smell might be imperceptible if it is too subtle or if it is masked by other smells. A movement might be imperceptible if it is too small or too slow to be noticed. Overall, imperceptible refers to something that is too small or too subtle to be noticed by the senses. It is often used to describe things that are difficult or impossible to detect.

I think I asked this before, does CGC use any type of magnification to look for defects or is just the human eye?

You made me go back and look at the pic again, now I have to up my meds...

Welcome To The Boards!!!

FR/GD 1.5, however, with improper handling this book could easily drop to a FR 1.0, it is that close. ASM 10 is a nice book to own, regardless of condition, so, enjoy it. 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. 1.0 FAIR (FR): Back to Top Shows heavy wear. Some collectors consider this the lowest collectible grade because comic books in lesser condition are usually incomplete and/or brittle. Cover may be detached, and inks have lost all reflectivity. Creases, tears and/or folds are prevalent. Corners are commonly rounded or absent. Soiling and staining is present. 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, but not both. Tape and other forms of amateur repair are more common. Spine roll is more common; spine split can extend up to 2/3 the length of the book. Staples may be missing or show rust and discoloration. An accumulation of staple tears and stress lines may be present, as well as rust migration. Paper is brown and may show brittleness around the edges but not in the central portion of the pages. Acidic odor may be present. Accumulation of interior tears. Chunks may be missing. The centerfold may be missing if readability is generally preserved. Coupons may be cut.

I missed that.

Apparently it is true. It seems they will go through the print run (however many that is) and find/grade 200 books that will meet the criteria for a NM/MT 9.8. Those books will be numbered 1-200. https://krscomics.com/collections/amazing-spider-man-26/products/amazing-spider-man-26-rafael-grassetti-cgc-9-8-ultimate-edition-exclusive https://eastsidecomics.com/collections/the-amazing-spider-man/products/amazing-spider-man-26-cgc-9-8-grassetti-ultimate-edition-limited-to-200?variant=44512605470962