marvelmaniac

My eyes are not the greatest, I do not see the stains you are referring to in the title, however... I do see... Minor edge and corner wear with some color rub/color break, creasing w/color break at the lower right corner and along the top and outer edge, minor spine stress with a few spine ticks that break color, lower staple not centered. In your 3rd pic it appears there is tape over the lower staple, is this correct? If there is no tape on the lower staple FN/VF 7.0, if there is tape on the lower staple I would think you would drop to a FN 6.0. 7.0 FINE/VERY FINE (FN/VF): Back to TopAn 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 only own one Hot Wheels car, Avengers 4 Cover and it is a Mopar.

Appears to be a very nice copy, Congrats!!!

Corner/edge wear with creasing and color breaks, minor spine stress w/slight color breaks, numerous spots of color rub on front cover, discolored top staple, slight staining/foxing on rear cover. The book presents better than a FN 6.0 but IMO the crease at the top right corner prevents this book from being a FN/VF 7.0, so... FN+ 6.5 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.

I have had CIS for 10+ years but have never had to file a claim (KNOCK ON WOOD!!!), they are very easy to deal with when adding/deleting items or changing coverage amounts.

(FRONT COVER) - Edge wear, blunted corners w/color break on left side corners, moderate spine stress w/color break, long crease w/color break on outer edge, crease w/color break on right lower edge, (REAR COVER) - water stain at top, all 4 corners blunted w/color break, moderate to severe spine stress, numerous spots of color rub, the staining on the interior pages appears to be some sort of petroleum product, grease? I am on the fence about the grade due to the amount of spine stress, I tend to grade on the side of caution and go with the lower grade if I am unsure, if it were my book I would assign a grade of VG+ 4.5, how would CGC view this? 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.

Top edge/corner wear with color rub, wrap is not centered, slightly fanned pages at the top, staples are not centered, minor/moderate staple tears, staples are discolored, one spine tick with color break. IMO... 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.

There are a couple of resources that can help/aid you... Although its prices are mostly outdated by the time it is released the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide is filled with other valuable info, the Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide will lead you through grading with illustrations. https://comics.ha.com/overstreet/comic-book-price-guide.s https://gemstonepub.com/price-guides/comic-book-price-guides/?mode=1 https://gemstonepub.com/the-overstreet-guide-to-grading-comics-6th-edition/ Grading Standards... https://comics.ha.com/tutorial/comics-grading.s?show=comicdefinitions Glossary - The grading standards are outdated on this site, however, the Glossary is very good. http://www.teako170.com/grade.html eBay sold auction prices are actual FMV since this is what folks are actually paying. You need to look at Auctions Only for books in the same grade as yours, not BIN prices. MyComicShop site is also filled with valuable info and can help you tremendously with determining reprint and variant cover editions. https://www.mycomicshop.com/?gclid=CLS_6I_Q8cUCFYYUHwodbhUAag

I do not have any of the original books I had in the 60's (Sad ), however, the book that made me the "Marvelmaniac" I am today was F.F. 25, I saw that book/cover at a friends house in early 65 and I was hooked..., the very first book I purchased as a kid after that would probably be ASM 21 or X-Men 8, it could also be D.D. 7, F.F. 33, TOS 60/61,TTA 60, too long ago to remember. I still have good memory recollection of the X-Men 8, food shopping with Mom, spinner rack by the entrance, saw the X-Men 8 and then...Pleeeeease Mom...

THAT'S ME!!!

You peaked my curiosity... Two years ago when my Son decided to sell his books (2000 in all) only one LCS owner came to see them. We had issues 1-12 of Secret Wars Vol. 1 that I bought new, all books were raw and as yours are, they ranged in grade from VF 8.0 - NM 9.4. While discussing these books he told me that they sell the entire series, raw, for $150.00, that is what I sold ours for in August of 2021. Prices have obviously gone up since then since eBay sold auctions show Secret Wars #8 in VF 8.0 (Raw) selling for $100.00 + and CGC graded VF 8.0 selling for around $250.00, that is the most expensive book in the series, as an example Secret Wars #1 in VF 8.0 is selling for about $25.00 raw, about $60.00 CGC graded, from there, the other issues just drop to a few dollars, raw and graded. A complete set, raw, sold on eBay for $290.00 on March 24.

Corner wear with creasing/color breaks, slight edge wear, moderate spine stress with color break, top staple discolored, lower staple rusted, creasing/color rub at top right black area and lower right area, moderate staining/foxing on rear cover. 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.

Slightly blunted/rounded top corners, slight wear at top edge, numerous spine stress lines w/color break, very slight staple tears, color rub on rear cover. IMO...The book is better than a FN 6.0, however, the multiple stress lines... 7.0 FINE/VERY FINE (FN/VF): Back to TopAn 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 TopFits the criteria for Fine but with an additional virtue or small accumulation of virtues that improves the book's appearance by a perceptible amount.

If you were looking for an "exact grade" for of a book by internet photo's only...grading is subjective, when in doubt I always assign the lower grade. Sending to CGC is also a "c**p shoot", you have no idea what grade this book will come back with, even if everybody said it looked like a VF/NM 9.0, there is no guarantee of a grade, if you were to send this book in for grading more than once you may end up with two different grades, CGC is not that consistent, after all, their graders are also "human". See if you can distinguish the difference between VF+ 8.5 and VF/NM 9.0 with your book. https://comics.ha.com/tutorial/comics-grading.s?show=comicdefinitions This would definitely help... https://gemstonepub.com/the-overstreet-guide-to-grading-comics-6th-edition/

Slight Edge Wear, Slight Corner Wear At Top Corners, A Few Minor Spine Ticks, Slight Color Rub On The Rear Cover. Slight Dust Shadow On Outer Edge Of Rear Cover. IMO, the seller had it right... 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.

A few very minor spine ticks, slightly blunted lower right corner. 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.

They are known a "Remainder Copies". Removing the top 1/3 of the cover and sending it back to the distributor was how newsstands/dealers/stores received credit for unsold copies, the "Remainder" of the book was supposed to be trashed, this stopped with "Direct Sales". Back in the late 70's/early 80's there was used magazine dealer in the local farmers market that had ton's of coverless and remaindered copies for sale, 10 cents each, 3 for 25 cents, 15 for a dollar. In my 2000 book collection I have 13 Remainder Copies, it is a less expensive way to get higher priced issues which you may not normally be able to afford, My goal was to complete runs/complete stories, As a "Collector" I was/am not interested in monetary resale value. My suggestion would be to bag/board the book(s), and enjoy them as is, 3/4 cover, same/complete story = <$$$. Here is the very first Remainder Copy I ever owned, it came from the used magazine dealer, paid 10 cents. Another I got on eBay almost 20 years ago. ENJOY Your Books!!!

Since nobody responded to your question... I do not know exactly how CGC will view this "fold", however, if that fold is common among all of these books it will probably not be treated as a severe defect. If the fold happened after the fact due to the way the book was stored then it will probably be viewed as a defect, just like the creases from the seam of the bag on polybagged books, it is a defect. It is hard to actually see the fold by your pic (glare) so, how much of a hit would it take on what appears to be a nice high grade book? Will the fold come out with a press? For an exact answer you will have to wait for someone in the know, with actual experience in this situation to respond.

Other than the edges/corners/spine the front cover presents very nicely with no creasing or other major defects. The defects seen all coincide with a grade of VG 4.0, however, IMO the book presents much nicer than a VG 4.0. Will this book get treated differently since it is Golden Age? IMO this book grades at a 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.

I also use eBay Sold Listings, Auctions only, this is actual FMV since this is what folks are actually paying, BIN prices are High. You will need to have an approx. grade on your book and then you need to find sold books that were in the same grade as yours. (Use the pictures), I also only look for auctions that had a minimum of 5 bidders, be careful on books with numerous bids/bidders, be sure there was not a bidding war that drove the price higher. Although it is outdated, the Overstreet Price Guide is full of useful info, the Overstreet Grading Guide (with illustrations) will help you grade your books properly. https://gemstonepub.com/price-guides/comic-book-price-guides/ https://gemstonepub.com/the-overstreet-guide-to-grading-comics-6th-edition/ You can also post pics of the books in the https://boards.cgccomics.com/forum/42-hey-buddy-can-you-spare-a-grade/ section and folks will give you an approx. grade, you need clear pics of the front cover, corners/edges, spine, splash page and inside front cover, centerfold and rear cover. Here are the grading standards and a glossary to help you out. https://comics.ha.com/tutorial/comics-grading.s?show=comicdefinitions https://comics.ha.com/c/ref/glossary.zx The glossary below is very good, the grading standards on this site are outdated. http://www.teako170.com/grade.html

From CGC... CGC does not certify sealed poly-bagged books. To have a poly-bagged book certified by CGC, you must remove the book from its poly-bag or send written approval authorizing CGC to remove it. The words “Poly-bag removed” appear on the CGC label.

This OWL (Overall Whiteness Level) Card is outdated but you can get a general idea of page color. https://gemstonepub.com/owl-card/

The spine creasing is from using the book for what it was printed for, reading.

Top edge wear, slight blunting of the corners, creasing w/color break at the top left corner, moderate spine stress w/color break, top staple off center, staple tears, what appears to be a dust shadow by the spine on the rear cover. The book presents nicely overall, however, IMO, it is the moderate spine stress that prevents this book from being a higher grade, better than a VG/FN 5.0 but the creasing prevents it from being a FN 6.0, so... 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.