marvelmaniac

It is hard to see the spine ticks/stress lines due to the white cover. From what I can see, IMO this book grades at... 7.5 VERY FINE- (VF-): Back to TopFits 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. 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.

Well, since a Flash 123 CGC PR 0.5 sold for $112.00 (1/15) and a CGC FR/GD 1.5 sold for $198.00 (3/5) I would guess your Flash 123 "Cover Only" that appears to be a FR/GD 1.5 would be worth about $20.00.

Got pics? Also could just be human error.

I do not send any of my books to CGC to be graded but I have also always wondered if there was a grading bias towards Golden/Silver Age books over Modern books. When Gold/Silver books were published comics were considered inexpensive, disposable entertainment, mostly for kids, not something that was a collectible, (When I was kid in the 60's I folded them and put them in my back pocket to ride my bike home from the store) also they were printed on the cheapest form of newsprint with the cheapest, most acidic inks and there were no archival storage supplies available, not that anybody even cared or thought about that. Considering how they were handled by kids and delivered to the stores (stacked and tied in bundles like newspapers) and left lying around so Mom threw them out it is surprising any even survived. Modern books are printed on much better paper stock with better inks and a much better printing process so even without the modern concept of comics being collectible and the idea that they need to be properly handled and preserved I would think that a modern book would outlive a Gold/Silver book if both were new and stored in the same environment without archival protection and never being touched although it may takes hundreds of years to really know. Does CGC take the differences in time and perception of what a comic book is into consideration when grading? When it comes to "High Grade" books the differences between a MT 9.9, NM/MT 9.8, NM+ 9.6 and NM 9.4 are going to be very subtle and from what I understand sometimes a magnifying glass is needed to see the subtle differences. Here is some info that may/will help you with understanding grading. GRADING STANDARDS https://comics.ha.com/tutorial/comics-grading.s?show=comicdefinitions GLOSSARY OF TERMS http://www.teako170.com/grade.html You may even want to consider purchasing... https://www.gemstonepub.com/en/the-overstreet-guide-to-grading-comics-2016-edition

First, my condolences, I am sorry for your loss. What are your intentions with this large collection? Do you have an idea of what you have in the collection?

This book does not exist without a title/number or picture.

First you need to determine if that is an original or a reprint, how, IDK other than send it in to CGC for grading.

Here are all of the books published in March 1963 by Marvel. https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Category:1963,_March Go to eBay and look for pics that show the back cover.

Whatever board you use you want the board to completely fill the bag side to side so the book in question will be completely protected. The book on the other hand should not be squeezed into the bag, it should have a least an 1/8" room on either side to it is not being bent in the bag. If all of the books in question are the same size it makes it much easier. I have found that Golden/Silver Age books can vary in size depending on the time of printing which makes it difficult to maintain the same size bags in the same box, I am not sure about 80's/90's and up modern books since I do not collect them. If the run starts with Gold and ends with Silver (such as Journey Into Mystery/Strange Tales or the Marvel Westerns such as Kid Colt Outlaw and Two Gun Kid (I only collect 10 cent cover issues of the Westerns) I just use Golden Age Bags and Boards for all of them even though the later books (late 50's/early 60's) are smaller in size but it makes it much neater when they are all in the same box. MICROCHAMBER PAPER http://www.conservationresources.com/Main/S CATALOG/MicroChamber.htm Before CGC encase the comics, they add microchamber paper between the cover and pages of the book. What this little piece of paper does is absorb the acids in the pages of a comic, especially older comics, and helps prevent any further damage. What these acids do is cause a yellowing to the cover over time. It's suggested to have your comics "reholdered" every seven or eight years to have be microchamber paper replaced, but that can get quite expensive and isn't really necessary. Leaving the paper in longer that 7 years won't cause extra damage to your comic.

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Category:1962,_November Take the list and go on eBay and look for these books for sale and see if they show pics of the back covers.

Extremely hard to narrow down to one book because there are lots I Love and even though Galactus is "The S$&T" I have to go with... (I know this is "two" but they go "hand in hand".) This is the book that back in 65 made me say "WOW!!!" and got me started on Marvel, so along with the follow up issue with an "AVENGERS CROSSOVER"!!!...

Hello and Welcome!!! Just my opinion as a 40 year collector, not a seller... eBay requires a lot of time and work, you have to list, package, ship and deal with people trying to get over on you. From what I can see the ASM 361/362/363 are the only books of any value and that is "right now" due to a supposed movie appearance and there are ton's for sale on eBay right now, most being sold as a lots. Current eBay auction sales show ASM 361 raw VF/NM 9.0 selling for about $75.00 while a CGC NM+ 9.6 sold for $186.00 and a CGC NM 9.4 sold for $154.00, factoring in the cost to grade is there any real profit there in grading for a quick sale? IMO if these books do not really mean anything to you and you are just looking to get rid of them check with your LCS, you may only get pennies on the dollar but it would be quick and easy or a yard sale, etc. Or as was already stated... "Why not sell them to the CGC guy?"

Hello and Welcome!!! I see you are in N.J., South, Central. North??? You can also check with your LCS, some will sell consignment books (or at least they used to). My F.F. 11 and 12 were both consignment books purchased from an LCS but that was 20 years ago. (Purchased from ComicCrypt in Oaklyn N.J.) Again I am going back a few years but you can also rent a table at a local weekend show to sell your books, there used to be a monthly show at the National Guard Armory in Bordentown. Maybe this will help... http://www.njcomicbookshows.com/

Hello and Welcome!!! Grading is subjective since people seem to see the same thing differently, especially if it is yours, however, there are grading standards, here is some info that will help you. First, if you are interested in learning to grade you should invest in this book, it details all grades from PR 0.5 to MT 10.0 with illustrations to point out the defects allowed in each grade and showing them. (You can purchase on Amazon) https://www.gemstonepub.com/en/the-overstreet-guide-to-grading-comics-2016-edition Here are two links to the Grading Standards and Comic Book Terminology. https://comics.ha.com/tutorial/comics-grading.s?show=comicdefinitions http://www.teako170.com/grade.html ENJOY!!!

Hello and Welcome!!! Although I do not send books in to be graded I can still shed some light on your questions. 1)Yes, send the book with the ripped out page, depending on the overall grade of the book it is likely to receive a "Green Qualified Label" which means the book will be graded as if the defect (ripped out page") was not present but the defect will be noted on the label. If the book were to receive a "Universal Blue Label" (graded with the defect) it probably would not receive a grade higher than a GD+ 2.5 taking all other defects/factors into consideration. CGC LABEL DESIGNATIONS https://www.cgccomics.com/comic-grading/labels/ 2)Your stains sound like they may be mold, pics of the books would certainly help and again, the overall condition of the book will determine the grade with the stains/ There have been a couple of threads opened recently pertaining to mold, here are some links to sites I posted on the subject. https://inspectapedia.com/mold/Foxing_Stains.php https://periodfinebindings.typepad.com/paper_conservation_remove/ https://www.loc.gov/preservation/outreach/tops/foxing/index.html I would recommend that you post pics of the books in the "Hey Buddy, Can You Spare A Grade" section.

Having a copy of the Overstreet Grading Guide will help you understand grading and help you to grade your books properly, a small investment now to help prevent you from making a larger uneducated investment later on. Even though it is usually outdated by the time of print as far as actual market prices the Overstreet Price Guide can provide you with valuable info about all comic books, both books IMO are a MUST for any collector. (Both can be purchased on Amazon) https://www.gemstonepub.com/en/the-overstreet-comic-book-price-guide-48-glflash-hc https://www.gemstonepub.com/en/the-overstreet-guide-to-grading-comics-2016-edition Just an FYI...If you are considering sending books to be graded and are going to look to get an approximate grade beforehand remember... You need to look at your books without bias and grade conservatively. Here are two links to grading and comic book terminology. https://comics.ha.com/tutorial/comics-grading.s?show=comicdefinitions http://www.teako170.com/grade.html ENJOY!!!

Slight wear at the top corners and minor stress lines on the spine, IMO... 8.0 VERY FINE (VF): Back to TopAn 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.

https://inspectapedia.com/mold/Foxing_Stains.php https://periodfinebindings.typepad.com/paper_conservation_remove/ https://www.loc.gov/preservation/outreach/tops/foxing/index.html

Also, slabbing does not provide any more protection than a Mylite and Acid Free Board taking all other storage conditions/factors into consideration. Here is some info from the Library Of Congress about Mold on paper. https://www.loc.gov/preservation/about/faqs/disaster.html Also, all of this speaking about mold got me thinking/remembering . I bought this book 20/25 years ago to fill a hole in my TOS run, probably for a $1.00 or 2 and it has been stored in the same Mylite in the box with all of the other TOS books ever since, the mold has not spread to other books nor has it gotten worse and there are no signs of mold on the board in that time and it has no "musty" smell. That book serves its purpose, my run of TOS is complete (1-99) and that particular book is not that important in the run that it needs to be replaced or upgraded.

The only info I can come up with is... Battlefield Action #59 A FR/GD raw sold for .99 cents on eBay, Lonestar Comics is selling a GD+ 2.5 Raw for $3.20 and the 2016 Overstreet Price Guide lists this book for $32.00 in Raw NM- 9.2, my educated guess on a CGC 9.4 depending on demand would be around $50 -$60...?? Warfront Presents Dynamite Joe #38 Currently selling on eBay is a raw VG 4.0 for $4.99 and a BIN or BO for a VF+ 8.5 raw for $60.00, Lonestar is selling a CGC VF/NM 9.0 for $52.00, 2016 Overstreet lists the book in a raw NM-9.2 at $60.00, so...

I do not have any other answers other than, "Google is your best friend", Good Luck!!!

If you interested in preserving your books you have then the books need to be placed individually in Bags (preferably Mylites) with Acid Free Boards and Stored away from All Light (Standard Comic Storage Boxes are fine), in a Controlled Environment (Temperature/Humidity, No Basements/Garages/Attics) and away from all Heat Sources. The mold will not spread to other books if they are kept in their own individual bags away from Water/Moisture. How to clean/remove mold...?? As far as Grading... IMO the WF 169 is a GD- 1.8 only because of the tear at the top left and the WF 174 is a GD 2.0. The Mold/Staining/Rust Migration has no affect on books in this grade. There is nothing wrong with Lower Grade Books (Also known as Reading Copies, I refer to them as "Well Loved"), I own many Well Loved Books myself. Here is some info that will help you with grading. https://comics.ha.com/tutorial/comics-grading.s?show=comicdefinitions https://www.gemstonepub.com/en/the-overstreet-guide-to-grading-comics-2016-edition (Amazon for less $)

Comic books, especially gold/silver/bronze were printed on newspaper stock which is the cheapest form of printed paper and contains lots of acids with acidic inks. Comic books will over time decay regardless of what you do, the key is to SloooooooooooW down the process as much as possible. The more the paper expands and contracts the faster the paper/ink create acids which decay the paper so you want consistency. The key to proper storage of comic books is, proper temperature, proper humidity, keep away from all light and heat sources in Archival Acid Free Materials. I have been using Mylites since the late 80's when I first found out about them from my LCS so a lot of my books have been in the same 1 Mil Mylites W/Halfbacks for 30+ years, I later started using 1.4 Mylites and have some 2 Mil Mylites, personally I prefer the 1.4 Mil, they are like the porridge in the three bears, just right. Do not use tape on the flap (although I do because I am old and stubborn), use something that will not leave a residue that the book can be snagged on when removing/inserting into the bag. Use something like this to seal the flap. https://www.dollartree.com/color-coding-labels-315ct-packs/178433 Here is a link to proper storage supplies https://www.bcwsupplies.com/

Always happy to help with advice when I can. Let us know what you decide and what the dealer says. BTW, just out of curiosity, what is the dealer asking for this book? Recent eBay sales of CGC F.F. 25 were... VG/FN 5.0 $197.51 2/3/19 FN+ 6.5 $206.50 1/13/19 VG 4.0 $153.50 12/20/18 This F.F. 25 CGC VG 4.0 is currently up for auction on eBay, it appears to be in better shape than the supposed VG/FN 5.0 (as graded by the dealer) that you posted, compare the pics and you will see CGC's standard for this book. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fantastic-Four-25-CGC-4-0-Hulk-VS-Thing-2nd-Silver-Age-Captain-America/202613282964?hash=item2f2cb15894:g:4oQAAOSw~gZccD7i:rk:1:pf:1&LH_Auction=1

Also, where will this book be stored, encasing in a CGC slab does not offer any better protection than proper storage in a Mylite and Acid Free board taking all storage conditions/factors into consideration. https://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/paper.html https://www.domtar.com/en/resources/paper-information/paper-insights-library/four-tips-proper-paper-handling-and-storage https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/03/02/cgc-insider-5-rusty-staples/ Also, this is from this thread... "When I asked a comic restoration person about replacing the staples with rust migration, he told me if the rust migrated it's too late for replacement or cleaning. Even if you replace the staples, the rust is still in the paper and can possibly spread."