marvelmaniac

I had no idea what this was so I did some research, Very Cool!!! Is that insert all paper or does it have a standard cover? What do the inks look like on the inside pages? From what I can see by the two pics you posted I would say you are in the NM- 9.2 to NM 9.4 Range, once you start getting into the 9's every little microscopic defect makes a difference. 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. 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. For anyone else looking to help grade this or wanting more info... http://retroramblings.com/mask-insert/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.A.S.K.

Nice Book!!! If the darkened area on the outer/upper edges is caused by Sun Shadow I would grade this book at... 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. If that is tape then the grade drops to at least... 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.

https://geektyrant.com/news/marvels-moon-knight-will-reportedly-connect-to-their-blade-film

Nice Book!!! There are some "if's" associated with grading this since only pics of the cover front and back were posted. Tape is allowed on books VG- 3.5 and below but tape cannot be used to increase the grade, a book with tape should be graded as if the tape were not present. If the tape on the spine is not hiding a severe spline split (over 2") and the cover is not fully detached I feel this book is a... 3.0 GOOD/VERY GOOD (GD/VG): Back to TopA 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.

Let me start by saying that I have no problem with people wanting graded books, CGC does provide a valuable service IMO for expensive, key books by authenticating they are original without any restoration and gives them a numerical grade so you as a collector or investor know what you are getting. If you are a collector of only CGC books and have ALL of your books graded and that is what makes you happy I salute you for doing what makes you feel good and collecting "Your Way". It is the Obsession with grading that bothers me, "OMG it came back with a 9.6 and it should have been a 9.8 and the graders notes do not say anything, now what do I do???". Now we are going to have the graders grade authenticated and verified??? I also realize that comic books have become a money making/speculation/investment commodity and that the Silver Age books that I bought back in the 70's/80's/90's and Pre-Hero Books I bought 15 years ago are now worth a lot more $$$ and although they are insured that is not why I bought them, to me they are still comic books, a piece of my childhood that I want to hold onto, one that when I look at or read those books it brings back good memories that make me feel good, I do not see dollar $ signs although my kids will when I am gone. Grading comics yourself falls into the same category as reading/looking at them since you basically have to do both to grade, you have to physically hold/touch/smell/look at the book in order to grade it and if you are like me, certain books bring back good/pleasant memories that make you feel good and that is what comic books are/were all about.

First let me say...Sorry for your loss whomever it was you inherited the collection from. Secondly all I can say is WOW!!! That is one heck of a collection!!! And in case you have not already found this...https://comics.ha.com/tutorial/comics-grading.s?show=comicdefinitions There are no pics like the Overstreet Grading Guide but I use this grading tutorial all the time. Good Luck!!!

Since CGC does not publish any of their grading standards/criteria we are all left to guess why they do what they do. IMO, since nobody can tell me differently, they must make up the rules as they go along.

And I am old enough to remember when nobody cared or even considered condition/grading a comic book. I wish people would stop being so obsessed with grade and remember why most started collecting in the first place. Comic books were and for me still are for reading and enjoyable entertainment to allow me to escape if only for a few moments, the harsh realities of the world we live in. Bring back the days of going to the Used Magazine Dealer in the Local Farmers Market where Coverless/Remaindered Copies were 10 cents each, 3 for 25 cents or 15 for $1.00 and I would come home with a stack of Harvey/Archie/Marvel/DC and sit for hours just Reading and Relaxing.

Found this for you. http://www.recalledcomics.com/SupermanBatman4GermanVariant.php

Did you send these books in for grading or were they purchased this way? Who wrote the #'s on the back cover? My understanding is that if it is not a manufactured printed number by the publisher or CGC was not there to witness the books being numbered by whomever, that it is graded as having a defect and could go either way, Green or Blue. I do not have my books graded, however, I would assume either the two graders saw things differently or the 9.8 book was given a Green Label upon request to keep the book at a 9.8. Did you also notice the title of the book is different on the two labels?

Are you an Insurance Company?

Welcome To The Boards!!! I cannot give you an exact answer since do not send books to be graded nor do I have books signed, however... Sounds like a business adhering to their rules (I have no idea what those rules are) that are written in the fine print. Unfortunately with most business's it is always about the Have you tried to contact CGC directly to get clarification on the issue?

I just recently asked the same question about an X-Men issue I came across while grading my Son's books. The consensus was that if the back cover is normal then that book is faded. As was asked in the previous post about "red/magenta" on the back cover... Under most circumstances, red fades the fastest of all visible colors

Welcome To The Boards!!! I do not have a real answer for you other than if this is occurring on "new" books and you have seen CGC graded copies up to and including NM/MT 9.8 with the issue it must be a Bindery Defect. I have no idea how comic books are shipped/transported to their destination these days so could that be a cause, if that were the case the book would be graded as having a Spine Defect, not a Bindery Defect, and you would not see a NM 9.4 or higher. Are these books being purchased at your LCS, if so you could always ask the owner of the LCS what is going on with those books. Pictures would probably help. Bindery Defect - Defects associated with the binding process, including mistrimming, miswrapping, inaccurate stapling, etc.

Sometimes emotions overtake logic, Adrenaline and the Ego saying "I am not going to lose", happens all the time with people that gamble.

I have been speaking/reading this language for 64 years and I still do not understand why it is so complicated. The one that drives me nuts the most is Goose/Geese and Moose/Moose, why can't the plural be Meese (and not the kind Mr.Jinx hates) In my 64 years on this planet I have never seen or read the word "piqued" so you taught me something new and that is one of my goals everyday, to learn something new. What to Know Peek is sight related and often refers to looking quickly or through a small space. A homophone, peak is a noun or verb that refers to a maximum or high point figuratively or literally, as in the peak of a mountain or "peak performance." Lastly, a third homophone pique, means "to excite or arouse" and is usually used with "curiosity."

Thanks

Your question peaked my curiosity... I was only asking since you are asking about grading a brand new book which if handled/opened/read will probably keep it from being a NM/MT 9.8, MT 9.9 or Gem Mint 10.0. I am in no way trying to be a smarta** or to tell you what to do with any book you own or are going to own in the future, just curious what your plans are for these brand new books. I have books that I bought brand new back in the early 80's that I had given to my Son which he is now selling, These books have been stored in Mylites with Acid Free Boards in Comic Storage Boxes in the Proper Environment (Light/Temperature) for 30+ years, I just regraded these books and the majority are in the VF 8.0 - NM- 9.2 because they have been handled and read.

Hello, I was grading some of my Son's books and came across this signature on the Splash Page of ASM 361, any idea who's it is?

Are you referring to "Brand New" books? If so, do you ever plan to open them and read them?

LED bulbs do not give off any UV damaging rays and with no windows there is no sunlight entering so no UV there, so as far as "lighting" that sounds as perfect as you can get without being totally in the dark. https://www.archivalmethods.com/blog/light-damage/ https://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/preservation-leaflets/2.-the-environment/2.4-protection-from-light-damage#nomobile

I agree the book presents very well, however, I was on the fence about the grade and when I am in doubt I always go with the lower grade. Keeping my for you that it does come back at a VG/FN 5.0.

What I see is Spine Stress/Creasing, Corner/Edge Wear/Creasing and a Small Piece Missing from the Top of the Back Cover. Overall IMO... 4.0 VERY GOOD (VG): Back to TopThe 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.

We probably bought that book at a show 10 - 15 years ago to fill a hole in our X-Men run of 94 - 150 and at the time probably did not even realize the cover was faded not knowing what the original looked like. I do not know what we paid but we were looking to fill runs on a budget, so probably not a lot and that is why we bought it.

Welcome To The Boards!!! We were all beginners/newbies at one time so ANY questions you have feel free to ask, at least that is how I feel. Unfortunately the only question I can shed any light on is the first question pertaining to UV light. Any UV light (Especially Sunlight!!!) is going to be harmful to paper or anything for that matter. You want to keep books/collectibles away from windows, incandescent and florescent lighting, heat sources, etc. If your displayed books are going to be in a room without windows and you are using LED bulbs you should have absolutely no problems. If there are windows, UV protection and keeping the shades/blinds/curtains closed to keep out as much sunlight as possible will absolutely help to prolong the life of your books. Unfortunately, nobody can give you a "how long", we cannot completely stop the degradation of comic books, we can only use proper storage methods/procedures to slow it down, if stored/displayed properly you should see minimal, if any degradation in your lifetime I have not displayed comics (until recently) but I have had all of my collectibles displayed in a room with windows, some for 30 years and keeping the blinds closed and only having two small lamps with black shades and 60W bulbs, there is no discernible light damage to any of the Items on display. If you are displaying raw books they do make UV protected frames for displaying books, but they only offer 97% protection so again, away from direct sunlight. https://www.bcwsupplies.com/comic-book-showcase-current-uv