marvelmaniac

Generally 1st prints are more valuable than the 2nd printing, however, it depends on the book, the total number of books printed in each print run and how many print runs there were for that particular book. Remember, 1st, 2nd, 3rd print runs are not Variants, for the most part it is the same, identical book that was printed again to keep up with demand after the 1st print sold out. As far as your Batman 423, the 1st print is more than twice the the value of the 2nd print according to what MCS is selling them for, eBay sold auctions are confirming this to be true, for the most part the 2nd printing is bringing 50% of the 1st printing price (for books in the same grade) and the 3rd print is bringing 25% of the 1st print price. https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?q=batman+423&pubid=&PubRng=

Minor to moderate spine roll at top with fanned pages, what appears to be a small color breaking crease or color loss at the lower right corner, slight edge wear w/some color loss, slight denting on top edge of rear cover, dust shadows on rear cover, crease (?) lower right corner of rear cover? 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.

Blunted corners w/slight color breaking small creases, slight spine curl/spine roll/fanned pages, edge wear w/color loss, minor to moderate spine stress w/color breaking spine ticks, top staple appears to be rusted, staples are slightly off center, moderate staining/foxing/dust shadows, small tears at top edge of rear cover? 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.

With the piece missing on the cover and the other obvious defects, color breaking creases, moderate - severe spine stress w/ multiple color breaks, spine is curled, spine roll/fanned pages, moderate to severe dust shadows on rear cover. IMO, this book without the cover piece missing is a GD 2.0 - GD/VG 3.0, however, the large piece missing is a killer, a piece missing like that is only allowed in FR 1.0, however, I feel the book overall is better than that so... 1.5 FAIR/GOOD (FR/GD): Back to TopShows 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.

Pics are not clear, I cannot answer your question on a clean and press since I do not use this service. Slightly blunted corners, slight edge wear/denting on upper edge, creasing/denting at lower right corner/edge, minor spine stress w/color loss, slightly discolored staples, slight spine roll, cover reflectivity is low, dust shadows on rear cover. 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.

Again, the pics are not clear. Slightly blunted corners, staples not centered, foxing/dust shadows on front and rear covers, what appears to be a slightly mistrimmed top edge (bindery?) From what I can see, if there are defects not seen the grade will be lower. 9.0 VERY FINE/NEAR MINT (VF/NM): Back to TopNearly 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.

The pics are not clear, they are grainy, when I enlarge them they get blurry. From what I can see... Very slight corner wear on left side corners, very slight spine roll, slight denting of upper edge on rear cover, there appear to be dust shadows on the rear cover, hard to tell by the grainy pics, assuming these are the only defects... 9.2 NEAR MINT- (NM-): Back to TopNearly 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.

It may be explained in CGC's new grading guide, however, I do not know. Grading is very subjective, there is no black and white, it is perception on the part of the person viewing, two people can look at the same object and see two different things, unless there were graders notes, you will probably never know why you received a NM+ 9.6 instead of NM/MT 9.8. According to the grading standards there are differences between NM+ 9.6 and NM/MT 9.8, here are the differences, bindery defects is not one of them. Bindery Defects... NM+ 9.6 thru MT 9.9 - Only subtle bindery or printing defects are allowed. No bindery tears are allowed, NM 9.4 - Subtle bindery/printing defects are allowed. Bindery tears must be less than 1/16" on Silver Age and later books Subtle Definition - not immediately obvious or comprehensible. difficult to detect or analyze. The only other differences between NM+ 9.6 and NM/MT 9.8 are... NM/MT 9.8 - Corners are cut square and sharp. NM+ 9.6 - One corner may be almost imperceptibly blunted, but still almost sharp and cut square. Imperceptibly Definition - unable to be noticed or felt because of being very slight: not noticeable : not perceptible by a sense or by the mind. NM/MT - 9.8 No Indentations are allowed NM+ 9.6 - Almost imperceptible indentations are permissible, but no creases, bends, or color break. NM/MT 9.8 - Staples must be original, generally centered and clean with no rust. NM+ 9.6 - Staples must be original, generally centered, with only the slightest discoloration. Because the differences are between the two grades is, "Subtle" and "Imperceptible", good luck trying to figure out why you received a NM+ 9.6.

The comment, "sounds like the 1990's" was not related to the book itself, I know nothing about the book in question, the comment of "sounds like the 1990's" was/is related to the comment made below by "shadroch", the comment reminded me of the early 1990's when everybody was hoarding new copies of all of the variant/gimmick covers and artificially increasing the value.

The marks on the top of the pages were used by the vendors to know when to return the unsold books for credit, I found this in an old thread... "This color bar is a code that dates from the "returns" time when newsstand distributors would rotate stock. I believe it was a 4-color (weekly) cycle, so that when the new weekly stock came in, the oldest comics would be easily identified and removed from the stands. At some point, the color-coding moved from the level of the distributors (where it was added post-production, leading to variable color penetration to the top of the books) to the actual printed page for uniformity." The small holes on the bottom of the pages are "Gripper Holes" or "Perforations" made by the machine that holds/pulls the pages during the printing process, they are normal and should not affect the grade of the book. Perforations - Small hole at the page margins which sometimes occur as part of the manufacturing process. Not considered a defect. Perforations are sometimes used to tell if a comic is an unread copy. In such a copy tell-tale clicks are heard when the book is opened for the first time as the perforations separate. As far as a grade on this book, I could not enlarge the photo's enough without them getting blurry to see any small defects, however, I did not see any obvious defects either. Going by what I am able to see, I will not give a grade above NM 9.4 without having the book in front of me, so... 9.4 NEAR MINT (NM): Back to TopNearly 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.

Sounds like the 1990's all over again.

It really does not matter what I think, I grade conservatively. As CGC randomly changes their stance on certain defects as time goes by, I do not, I am old school and still follow the Overstreet/Heritage Auction grading standards, when in doubt/or on the fence, I always assign the lower grade. Having said all of that, IMO, I feel, the others were lenient in their grades (nothing against them or you, just a difference of opinion), I feel that with the creasing and folds, dented upper edge and color breaking spine ticks this book will not see a FN 6.0, if that is not a missing piece then maybe, just maybe, a VG/FN 5.0. Even the grading standards themselves are not entirely clear on creasing, FN 6.0 - An above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with NO SIGNIFIGANT CREASING or other serious defects. Minor cover wear apparent, with MINOR TO MODERATE CREASES. Significant - very large or noticeable Moderate - average in amount, intensity, quality, or degree. WHAT IS AVERAGE? Minor - lesser in importance, seriousness, or significance. By those definitions, IMO the creasing at the top right is Significant, They are not book length, however, I noticed them right away, also, what is Average? Maybe the new CGC grading guide sheds some light on how long of a crease(s), or how many creases makes it significant, moderate or minor, but for now, it is totally up to individual perception, how it is viewed and how the grading standards are interpreted, there is no Black and White, lots of Gray areas. The hardest part of grading is being objective, especially when they are your own books. Everyone assumes CGC is always 100% correct, and they should be, they are supposed to be the "Experts", that is why they charge you $$$ for the services, this grading service is free and may or may not agree with CGC. Just to further the point, if your book was for sale at a show and it was graded at a FN 6.0 with a FN 6.0 price, I would pass. Here is a pic of my ASM 49 that I graded at a GD/VG 3.0. Here is your book.

ASM 2 - 200 Avengers 2 - 130 Daredevil 1 - 132 Fantastic Four 2 - 200 Incredible Hulk 2 - 6, 102 - 200 Journey Into Mystery 34 - 125 ROM Spaceknight 1 - 75 Sad Sack Comics 1 - 124 Strange Tales 43 - 134 Tales Of Suspense 1 - 99 Tales To Astonish 1 - 101 Thor 126 - 260 Two Gun Kid 1 - 60 X-Men 2 - 66

Slightly blunted corners, some indentations/creasing on front cover, moderate spine stress w/color breaking spine ticks and slight staple tears, slight spine roll/fanned pages, moderate foxing on rear cover. IMO...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.

Denting and small tears on upper edge, blunted corners with multiple color breaking creases at the top right, a small triangular piece missing from lower left corner, small, jagged tears/chipping on outer edge, minor to moderate spine stress with color breaking spine ticks, slight spine roll, some color loss on front cover, folded/torn/blunted top left corner of rear cover, long crease starting near the top of the rear cover outer edge, fraying along outer edge of rear cover, moderate foxing on rear cover. Since I cannot see the centerfold/staples I will assume it is not loose/detached and all pages are attached. IMO... 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.

Rouge staples, lower staple discolored, moderate spine stress with color breaking spine ticks, long vertical color breaking crease by spine, blunted corners with color breaking creases at the upper and lower right corners, there appears to be some color loss and indentations on the front cover, "75" written on cover with marker, tanned pages, moderate foxing on rear cover. What is not shown is why the rouge staples are there, are the original staples present, was the cover loose/detached/split? If there is not an issue with the cover as mentioned above, IMO...VG+ 4.5 Max, due to the staples If there is an issue with the cover, depending on how bad it is/was...GD/VG 3.0 Max 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. 3.5 VERY GOOD- (VG-): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Very Good but with an additional defect or small accumulation of defects that detracts from the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 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.

For raw books, using eBay Sold Auction Prices is a very good indicator of true FMV since this is what folks have actually paid for them, of course you have to compare books in the same grade, if you are looking to purchase (place title/number here) and the seller wants (place $ amount here) for the book in (place grade here), go to eBay, enter the title/number of the book, scroll down on the left side menu until you see completed/sold items and click on the box next to that, when it takes you to the page, click on auctions only and you will see all of the books that have sold at auction for the last 3-4 month's. For graded books you can also use eBay sold auction prices or https://gocollect.com/. As far as purchasing books online you have this site, eBay, Facebook groups (I belong to 6, only two of those allow sales and I have sold 200+ of my Son's books on those 2 sites without issue), and of course...https://www.mycomicshop.com/?gclid=CLS_6I_Q8cUCFYYUHwodbhUAag You also have LCS's, antique stores, thrift shops, used book dealers and local shows. As far as info regarding comic books and grading, the Overstreet Price Guide is still filled with ton's of great info even though the prices listed are not entirely accurate because the market fluctuates, by time the book is actually published..., the grading guide is also very good and something you should have so you can be sure books you are interested in are graded properly by the seller, also, CGC recently published their own grading guide. Remember, this is supposed to be fun, buy what you enjoy.

Mistrimmed upper edge, what appears to be discolored staples, very slight spine roll and spine curl, dust shadow at top edge of rear cover. IMO... VF/NM 9.0 TO NM- 9.2

This is where the gray areas of grading come into play. I do not see anything wrong with this book other than the "folded" area you pointed out on the outer edge of the rear cover. Keeping in mind that I will never assign a grade higher than a NM 9.4 to any book that is not physically in front of me, IMO, from what I can actually see on a computer screen, you are still in the... NM- 9.2 to NM 9.4

With the large pieces missing at the top edge, lower left corner and the spine split, I have to say... 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.

This is a tough one because the book presents well, it may have been a GD/VG 3.0 - VG- 3.5 except for the pieces missing on the lower edge of the front and rear covers (especially the rear). Large pieces missing such as yours are only allowed in grades GD- 1.8 and lower, IMO, the book is too nice to be a FR/GD 1.5 so I will give the benefit of the doubt and say... 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.

I keep track of the FMV of my top 100 books every 6 month's using eBay "Sold Auctions" for the same book in the same condition, paying attention to the bidders, (how many, price war, etc.) From what I have been able to see is that during the pandemic and with the MCU releasing another 100 movies/tv shows prices increased, now that things are getting back to normal it seems the market is starting to stabilize (or, going back to pre-pandemic prices/demand). My top 100 books lost $6000.00 in value from June 2022 to December 2022. (All books are raw) IE: Amazing Spider-Man 2 PR 0.5 lost $310.00, ASM 14 VG/FN 5.0 lost $500.00, IH 181 FN/VF 7.0 lost $500.00, ST 110 GD 2.0 lost $750.00, X-Men 4 GD+ 2.5 lost $300.00. These were the largest drops in FMV, the others that dropped were anywhere from $50.00 - $200.00 dollars. A couple of books did increase in FMV, only by a few dollars (< $100.00), ASM 100, ASM 194, F.F. 12, ST 107 (which I found odd since F.F. 4 went down), why?, it all depends on what is popular and in demand at the time, if the FMV has dropped for the books you planned on selling your best bet is to hold on to them and see what the market does in the future, or you can sell them on consignment with MCS, AFAIK, you get to name the price you want for the book. https://www.mycomicshop.com/?gclid=CLS_6I_Q8cUCFYYUHwodbhUAag Since your books will be graded you can use "Go Collect" to keep track of the sales/prices for those books. https://gocollect.com/

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The staples appear to be recessed, is the cover loose/detached? Minor spine stress w/ a few color breaking spine ticks, edge wear w/color loss, slight spine roll, color breaking crease on the outer edge under the price stamp. I do not see any "water marks", even enlarging the photos, they are not visible to me, assuming the cover is fully secure, I feel the color breaking crease prevents this book from being a higher grade, IMO... 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.

I do not see the "heavy impressions" you are referring to. I do see slight corner wear at the top right corner, color loss along the spine (from the hard cover stock and opening the book, how does CGC view this?), small, color breaking crease at the top left of rear cover. Without taking the "heavy impressions" into consideration, IMO, the color breaking crease prevents this book from being a higher grade, if the impressions are there, the grade may/will be lower, based on the entirety of the book and it's overall appearance... 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): An unnoticeable 1/4" crease is acceptable if color is not broken.