marvelmaniac

ABSOLUTELY!!! Without "Well Loved" copies I could never have afforded to complete my runs and for me that is what collecting is all about. My "Well Loved" books include ASM 2-5, Daredevil 1, F.F. 2 - 5, TTA 44 plus many others from pre-hero books such as JIM, ST, TOS, TTA Here are just a few examples of my "Most Well Loved" books.

Thee are a "Bazillion" first appearances of "common/popular characters" on covers, not all, but most are the issue featuring the first appearance of the character, IMO the cover sells the book. Just in early F.F. issues... 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 11, 15, 18, 19, 20, 30, 35, 36, 44, 45, 46, 52, 56, 62, 64, 65, 67, etc.

eBay sold auctions for books in the VG 4.0 - VG+ 4.5 with the MVS are selling for about $20.00, so Overstreet is pretty close on this one.

$200.00!!! Are you kidding? A CGC 9.0 sold at eBay Auction on July 25 for $141.66, Raw copies in the VG/FN 5.0 - FN 6.0 are selling at eBay auction for under $25.00. My suggestion/opinion is... If you only want the book then buy one raw or graded at the appropriate price, if you are looking for an "Authentic" Stan Lee signature then do as was already suggested, wait and try to find a CGC Signature Series. https://www.cgccomics.com/comic-grading/labels/

Being conservative with the obvious stress lines w/color break and the stain on the rear cover I cannot go higher than FN 6.0. 6.0 FINE (FN): Back to TopAn 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.

It is not a "foolish" purchase if you did not overpay and you Enjoy the book. IMO, An Incredible Hulk #2 in any condition is a welcome addition to any collection. As far as a grade, I do not know how CGC would look at this... IMO, Without the piece missing the book appears to be at least a VG 4.0, missing a piece that large would place the book in the FR 1.0 - FR/GD 1.5 range, taking the overall condition of the book into consideration I would grade the book at a GD 2.0 with the defect.

And that was the cause of "Marvel Chipping".

These books/items featuring the history of comic books, characters or publisher were all given to me as gifts.

You are absolutely correct, most things do not hold up well under 5' of water, hopefully you never have to go through an experience like that again.

Better known as a "Remainder Copy". Back in the 70's I used to buy Remainder Copies and Coverless books from a local used book dealer just to read, Marvel, DC, Harvey, Archie, etc. He had entire tables filled with these books that were 3 for 25 cents or 15 for a dollar, they were stacked on top of each other and the stacks were never neat since everyone was flipping through them, ahh, the memories... I have about 10 or so remainder copies in my collection since they are less expensive to own so it is easier to fill runs on a budget. Got this in the 3 for 25 cent pile it was a Great Find for me.

IMO for whatever that is worth and going just by the pics shown... With the Blunted Corner, Stress Lines W/Color Break and the Page Corner Torn and "Assuming" the pages are not Brittle... 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 presen

So sorry to hear about your collection. Mylites, Acid Free Backing Boards Protect just as well as a CGC slab as long as the books are stored properly. In the future as your collection grows you may want to consider...https://collectinsure.com/?gclid=CJu3heLP8cUCFYuPHwod4kgAww Coverage is not expensive and you do not have to "jump through hoops".

Also, obviously CGC wanted people to know their "new stance" on tape and that is why this was published. https://www.cgccomics.com/news/article/3327/CGC-Modifies-Stance-on-Grading-Submissions-with-Tape/ If that has changed wouldn't it be prudent to publish your "new stance" on tape? In the medical/research world they change their mind about what is healthy and what is not every week but at least they tell you about it. Also, as I stated earlier, according to the "Published Grading Standards" tape is allowed without consequence all the up to GD/VG 3.0 and that is what I am going with, that's my story and I am sticking to it. 3.0 GOOD/VERY GOOD (GD/VG) "Tape and other amateur repair may be present."

I feel bad for you guys that send books in to be graded, it seems like it a " shoot" as to how the book will come back, it should not be that way.

OMG!!!!! I cannot stop laughing!!!!! Thank You For That!!!!!

Lets look at this for what it really is, they are "just comic books". The only difference between tape and the other items you mentioned as being restorative is that "Scotch Tape" has been used to hold comic books together for decades by kids of all ages without even thinking twice about it so tape has a looooooooooong history of use on comic books while the other items you mentioned have not. IMO tape is a part of comic book history just like subscription creases and depending on the age of the book should be treated that way, is the tape fresh or decades old? If it decades old that was the norm of the time and should be viewed that way without consequence, if the tape is being used on a book from the 90's/2000's it is not the same as a book from the 40's/50's/60's that may have been taped during that time period. Just as I referenced the Baseball HOF earlier, players from the 1890's/1900's in the Dead Ball Era cannot be held to the same standards as the players from the 50's/60's (Golden Age of Baseball), the Steroid era or today's play with Major League Baseball in a round about way admitting to a "Juiced Ball", each era has to be judged on its own merits. Sorry, starting to sound like my Mom and taking forks in the road while story telling so... and get off my lawn...Punk.

Basically for arguments sake lets just be conservative (because we do not really know) we are looking at a $100.00 difference between raw and graded, what is the cost of grading?

Just for Sh**s and Giggles lets do it now. From what I can see we are in the VG 4.0 range. Recent eBay sold Auctions show ASM 8 VG 4.0 selling for around $150.00 while a CGC VG 4.0 sold for $255.00. (Your results may vary) I have no idea on the cost of grading is so...

Well... I do not have my books graded but IMO CGC needs to "make up their mind" and should publish "Generalized CGC Grading Standards" so people know what the heck is going on. This is like Baseball HOF induction, what does it take to get in, the standards are constantly changing to the point that nobody knows what the standards are anymore. It really does not matter to me, as far as I am concerned, I love my books but when push comes to shove, they are just comic books and I have plenty of books with tape.

Check eBay Sold Auctions for what that book has sold for in similar grade both raw and CGC graded so you know what an unrestored copy sells for. If you are looking for a copy to fill a hole in your collection and you have no issue with the restoration and can get the book for less money... Back about 15 years ago I purchased a TTA #35 that has a piece on the front cover replaced and it does not bother me, I have the book for my collection, the story is the same and I never plan on selling.

The book will not be downgraded unless it is a higher grade than a VG 4.0. CGC will grade the book as if the tape was not there so if the tape is securing the cover it would be graded as if the cover were not secured. Here is CGC's new stance on tape. https://www.cgccomics.com/news/article/3327/CGC-Modifies-Stance-on-Grading-Submissions-with-Tape/

First why is my statement reading "person_having_a_hard_time_understanding_my_point" when all I typed was A different word for "Slow Down". When I first found Mylites at my LCS back in the 80's all they had was 1 Mil and I was able to buy them individually as I needed them. Only one of the 5-6 LCS I frequented had Mylites so when I got books elsewhere I found myself driving over just to get Mylites so eeventually I bough packs of 100 from them and that went on until the early 2000's when the internet came along then I no longer had to drive 10 miles to get Mylites. Online I found 1.4 MIL Mylites that were not as "flimsy" as 1 mil but not as space consuming as 2 Mil so like Goldilocks they were just right. When I could no longer get 1.4 Mil (Went from silver to Gold) I chose to use 2 Mil over Flimsy 1 Mil so that is why they are mixed. Book bought between 1979 and 2003 are in 1 Mil, books after 2003 and up until 2010(?) are in 1.4 and anything purchased after are in 2.

As already stated a Higher Grade Restored book is probably worth less than the same book in Lower Grade Raw. IMO Amazing Spider-Man 8 is not a key, it is a Nice Book and an Early ASM so you should be Proud to own it regardless of its condition, If it were me I would bag/board the book and spend my money on other books I wanted/needed for my collection.

The goal is to Slow Down the aging/deterioration process as much as possible, you can/will never completely stop it. As was already stated polybags breakdown over time producing acids which will speed up the decay/deterioration process of the book it is supposed to be protecting. It is recommended to change out polybags every 5 years. Mylar is an Inert material that will not break down so it is Archival Safe and will protect your books without ever having to change the bag/board as long as you are using Acid Free boards. Using Mylites and Acid Free Boards and Storing your books in the Proper Storage Conditions your books will last a lifetime without noticeable damage. The majority of my early ASM and F.F. books (books that were purchased before 2003 when the internet came along for me) are still in the original 1 MIL Mylite I put them in back in the 80's. All 1800 of my books are in Mylites ranging from 1 Mil, 1.4 Mil and 2 Mil.

As long as its only OCD, according to my Son's wife he has CDO because it has to be in alphabetical order. Good Luck in your hunt and Enjoy!!!