marvelmaniac

https://www.biblio.com/book-collecting/care-preservation/prevent-remove-mold-mildew/

BTW... Just for S#%&ts and Giggles I keep tabs on eBay selling prices throughout the year (every 4 month's) for my more expensive and favorite books. The average selling price for a Raw F.F. 25 in VG 4.0 in 2018 was... $92.33 (April $96.00, August $76.00, December $105.00)

If you are going to send this to CGC for grading and expect a VG/FN 5.0 you will need to grade conservatively and you will need to know more about the book to determine a "true, overall" grade. As others have stated you do need to see the back cover and you will need to know if there is any spine split, if the cover is detached at one or both staples, if the centerfold is detached, if there is any staining, page quality, are any pages torn/missing, coupons cut out, etc. F.F. 25 is very special to me since it was the book that made me say "WOW" when I saw the cover and got me started collecting Marvel back in 65, here is front cover pic of mine and I graded this a VG 4.0 (I grade conservatively) and there are no hidden defects. The book you pictured seems to have excessive spine stress lines so IMO this book will not garner a CGC VG/FN 5.0. Below the pic I posted the grading standards so you can make an educated decision. 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.

Just a little side note from a seasoned collector to a new collector... When I was attempting to complete my runs I always started with the higher numbered books and worked my way down. IE: If I was attempting to collect ASM 1-100 I would start by attempting to complete books 90 -100 first so I had some semblance of order in what I was looking for and not jumping all over the place and having no idea what I had. The exceptions to this would be if you really like a certain character/book go for it or if you find a more expensive lower numbered book or key at a really good price. Depending on what you are looking for as far as grade will determine how quickly you can afford to complete these runs, me personally, I have no problem with "Well Loved Copies" (FR 1.0, FR/GD 1.5, GD 2.0) of the lower numbered, more expensive books. If you do purchase lower grade books you can always upgrade the copy at a later date. Again, this all depends on your grade/condition preferences and budget. The MAIN thing to remember is HAVE FUN and ENJOY!!!

I consider myself a collector. I started as a kid in the 60's with my friends and when I restarted again in the late 70's my goal was to regain the books I had to leave behind from the 60's and complete all of the runs of the Marvel characters I fell in love with as a kid. Being a "Collector" on a budget I have/had no issue with lower grade books (FR 1.0, FR/GD 1.5, etc) for the more expensive key/lower numbered books, fortunately books like Avengers 4, ASM 14, were purchased in the 80's for $10 - $15 and IH 181 was given to me for Christmas in 82/83. Once I accomplished the goal of completing the runs for the "Super Hero's" I moved onto other titles I liked from TV shows I watched as a kid and other funny books I enjoyed before super hero's. Most of my runs are now complete and all of my books are stored away in their Mylites/WBoards in their respective box and every once in a while I will take them out just to look at the covers and be nostalgic. I have absolutely no plans of ever selling any of them.

And while you are saving to get original copies of these first appearances you can read all of them in Marvel Tales for a couple of $ each. Start with issue 137 which reprints Amazing Fantasy 15 and issue 138 which reprints amazing Spider-Man 1 with original covers. Issues 139-149 reprint ASM 2-10, 150 Reprints ASM Annual 1 and so on... You can see them all right here. https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?tid=85061&pgi=101

https://www.amazon.com/COMIC-BOOK-LIBRARY-DVD-ROM-COLLECTION/dp/B0002VJVXY

Nice Book!!! Since I do not have my books graded I do not know if more leeway is given to Golden Age Books by CGC. That book presents extremely well, however, I am always hesitant to overgrade so IMO this book is a FN- 5.5 to FN 6.0, it is the small staple tears that I am not sure about. If you do not want to put it in the mail then get it into a proper Golden Age Mylite W/Board for protection and go to a show where CGC is present and give it to them directly. 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.

First remember, grading is subjective, there is no "absolute" carved in stone but there are grading standards and the more you grade and look at the defects talked about the more proficient you will become. There are resources available to you to help you learn to grade your books properly. You need to learn the terminology, the standards and have illustrations to help you see the actual defects that are being referred to. Remember, you do not need to memorize all of these, that is why you keep the reference material close by. A few years back I re-graded/cataloged/photographed all 3600 of my books and I still refer to the grading standards when I am grading a book. GRADING STANDARDS https://comics.ha.com/tutorial/comics-grading.s?show=comicdefinitions COMIC BOOK GLOSSARY/TERMINOLOGY http://www.teako170.com/grade.html OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK GRADING GUIDE (Also available on Amazon/eBay/Barnes and Noble, etc.) https://gemstonepub.com/en/the-overstreet-comic-book-grading-guide-3rd-edition

https://www.comicconnect.com/load_page.php?page=Help#SellingonComicConnect https://www.mycomicshop.com/webuycomics

Forget to post a pic of this book, it is "Extremely Well Loved".

The recently opened thread "spinoff: well loved comics in your collection that you hang onto", got me thinking... I have never seen a thread dedicated to "Remainder Copies" which are a part of comic book history and as such IMO also need to be "Loved and Celebrated". The Avengers #7 was the first remainder copy I ever owned (did not even know what a remainder copy was at the time), it was purchased from a used book store in a local Farmers Market back in the late 70's/early 80's. I used to go there once a month or so to buy funny books (Harvey/Archie, etc) and Marvel/DC just to read, they sold coverless comics, 3 for a quarter or 15 for a dollar and there it was, Avengers #7 with most of the cover!!!! Cost me a dime. I added a few more to my collection later on as they showed up (mostly from eBay) since I could fill runs at 1/3 - 1/2 the price of a full cover book which put a big on my face. Here are mine. AVENGERS 7 AMAZING ADULT FANTASY 7, 8, 9 TALES OF SUSPENSE 17 X-MEN 2

I have the same signature on the splash page of my F.F. #8 that was given to me as a Christmas gift back in 81/82/83.

But it was, it clearly states on the label... "Manufactured Without Staples", if that is not an admission of a manufacturing error or manufacturing defect then what is?

I have lots of "Well Loved Books" in my collection. I collect for the joy of collecting and completing my runs, not for investment. These "Well Loved Books" were all Adopted by me from various sources (eBay, Local/Large Shows. LCS). I have always had to collect on a budget and in order to complete my runs when it came to the lower numbered/more expensive books I always looked for the books nobody else wanted and when they were available at the "right" price I took them. As I always say..."Owning A Well Loved Original Copy Is Always Better Than Not Owning A Copy At All." Here are just a few pics of some the "Most Well Loved Books" I own. (More where they came from, I also own about 20-25 various Remainder Copies)

I do not have my books graded but I am still interested in CGC since they are a major part of the hobby. Having said that I find it interesting that you received a Qualified Green Label for what CGC obviously listed as a "Bindery/Printing Defect" since they stated "Manufactured Without Staples". My guess would be that to give this book a Blue label it would have to be graded as "having a detached cover" and if so how much would that drop a VF/NM 9.0 even though it is truly a Bindery Defect? The question then becomes is there a CGC written rule for grading in rare instances such as this or do they grade things like this on the fly making up the rules as they go along? What is the difference between " A Limited Number", "A Limited Accumulation", A Small Accumulation", Some Accumulation", are those terms clearly defined by CGC??? 9.0 VERY FINE/NEAR MINT (VF/NM): Back to TopA limited number of bindery/printing defects are allowed. 8.0 VERY FINE (VF): Back to TopA limited accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. 7.0 FINE/VERY FINE (FN/VF): Back to Top A small accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. 6.0 FINE (FN): Back to Top Some accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed.

Nope, Northeast Phila. until I was 9, then Willingboro N.J (In January 1965) which is where all the "Marvelmania" started.

I agree on the VG 4.0. The book is not that valuable to be concerned about a press. Mine is a Raw VG/FN 5.0 and the average selling price on eBay in 2018 for Superman 199 VG/FN 5.0 was $70.00.

Was I the one kid in your group?

When I was a kid I voted for Quake in the contest of who stays and who goes.

Not to get off subject, when I worked for Autozone they blocked most sites that were not used for dealing with Automotive Parts.

https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?q=superman+75&pubid=&PubRng=

My books have been in the same boxes for 20 years or more with no issues including a recent move. I have no other advice or suggestions other than do what is right for you. I no longer have any of those issues. You need...ALL FREE!!! https://adblockplus.org/ and just incase... https://www.techsupportall.com/adware-removal-tool/

$31.99 for one??? Just curious... If your books are in Mylites with an Acid Free Board and are being stored indoors in a controlled environment (constant temp, not an attic, basement or garage), away from moisture, light and heat sources why not standard comic storage boxes?

Sorry to disagree with everybody but IMO the missing piece at the top right of the cover brings this book to a GD 2.0, GD+ 2.5 if you are feeling generous. Either way, Nice Book!!! 2.0 GOOD (GD): Back to TopShows 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.