marvelmaniac

Read this thread and feel like I took a time machine back to the 90's, did not know people still did this. As Yogi said...This is "dejavu" all over again.

Without the missing pieces from the front cover (and first 3 pages as you have stated) I would have graded this book at a GD/VG 3.0. With the missing pieces I feel it is a FR/GD 1.5 Well Loved Copy, Nice Book!!!

I see minor corner blunting and very slight staple tears present so IMO this book would be a VF 8.0. (VF+ 8.5???) I am not that familiar with CGC grading so I do not know what kind of hit the book would take with the crease on the rear cover. If it were my book and I was grading it and cataloging the book for myself I would grade it as a FN/VF 7.0 with a notation stating the book would be a VF 8.0 except for the crease on the rear cover.

That is a very vague question depending on what other defects the book may have. Just by the question you have asked... GD 2.0 may have a "detached cover" but is only allowed a "spine split of 2"" while the only grade that allows for a "complete spine split" is PR 0.5. I have a JIM 46 with Punched Binder Holes and a Completely Split Cover that I would have graded a FN- 5.5 without the defects, however I gave the book a Grade of FR 1.0 due to the defects.

Without thinking I inadvertently laid the Mylite with tape residue side facing down on top of this book and ripped the cover on the top left when I picked up the Mylite.

I totally agree with the above statement but I still use the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide as reference.

The words "Nearly Perfect" are the opening two words describing every grade from VF/NM 9.0 to NM/MT 9.8, MT 9.9 reads "Near Perfect".

As I am one of those rare souls that will probably go to comic book h*** because I have no issue using tape to help prevent a book like that from getting worse than it already is. Yes, I know you skeptics will say that the tape will destroy the book more than it already is and I disagree. The acidic properties of the tape will not deteriorate the book anymore than it already is in my lifetime and will prevent the book from falling apart piece by piece each time it is removed from/placed back in its bag or just touched. My collection has numerous low grade reading copies (ranging from PR 0.5 - GD-2.0) that I have used tape to prevent further damage. As I have no plans to ever sell any of my books and tape does not lower the grade on these readers... The choices basically are... 1)Professional Restoration 2)Tape Repair (Archival Tape) 3)Leave it alone and hope that nothing more happens to it the next time it is touched. Of course it is your book and the choice is ultimately yours. Here is my ST 89 FR 1.0 with Tape Repair.

I do not know this guy from Adam and do not plan on buying from him but I will play the "Devils Advocate". From the book shown in the first post where this thread started... ASM 101 CGC 9.4 NM. "Nearly Perfect". Read the first two words in the Grading Tutorial/Grading Standards description regarding a book in NM 9.4. Looks like the same two words to me. 9.4 NEAR MINT (NM): Nearly 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

What I see and I am always hesitant to "overgrade"... Corners are blunted (especially top left), I see a couple of tiny spine stress lines and some slight creasing/denting at the top cover,so... IMO... VF 8.0 8.0 VERY FINE (VF): 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

I would have graded this book a VG/FN 5.0 - FN - 5.5 (Hesitant to Overgrade) W/O the Marvel Chipping. Since Marvel Chipping is a Bindery/Trimming Defect I am very curious to see how the Chipping affects the final grade.

Assuming you actually want the book in your hand... Purchasing for value/investment is entirely different than purchasing to collect/read/enjoy. If you are going to collect/read/enjoy then you will be buying Raw Books. If you are buying for value/investment you will want to buy CGC Graded Books. Also, keys constantly change with the current Movie/TV Show trends. Off the top of my head... ASM 252, 298 - 300 (Eddie Brock/Venom/Black Costume)

I have been using CIS for 9 years, have never had to file a claim. You name the amount of coverage you want and can raise/lower it at anytime without hassle. When I got my policy in 2009 I sent them a complete list/inventory of everything I have and I send them an upgraded list with all the new items that were added each year. I keep a complete inventory of everything I have (comics/collectibles) and everything is photographed and saved on my computer and backed up on two flashdrives.

Just to throw in my ... When I graded my books two years ago I cataloged all of my books/grades/notes by making lists in the "compose message section" of my e-mail and then saved it all to my computer as a Draft and a PDF so it can be changed/upgraded at any time. It is also backed up on a flashdrive. As of right now there are 41 pages saved as a PDF. (3600 books) I also have photographs of 3600 books saved on my computer and backed up on a flashdrive. Here is a small example of how it is typed up on my computer and saved as a draft, presents differently when it is saved as a PDF. Hope you find something that works for you, have Fun and Enjoy!!! AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1962) (MVS IN ISSUES 130-141, 144-147, 152, 154, 156, 157) 2)PR 0.5 3)PR O.5 4)PR 0.5 5)FR/GD 1.5 6)GD- 1.8 7)FR/GD 1.5 8)FR/GD 1.5 9)GD 2.0 10)FR 1.0 11)FR/GD 1.5 12)GD 2.0 13)GD 2.0 14)VG/FN 5.0 15)GD 2.0 16)VG/FN 5.0 17)GD 2.0 18)GD/VG 3.0 19)FN/VF 7.0 20)VG/FN 5.0 21)VG- 3.5 22)GD/VG 3.0 23)VG+ 4.5 24)GD 2.0 25)GD 2.0 26)VG+ 4.5 27)GD 2.0 28)GD/VG 3.0 29)FN- 5.5 30)GD+ 2,5 31)VG+ 4.5 32)FR/GD 1.5 33)GD 2.0 34)FR/GD 1.5 35)FN/VF 7.0 36)GD+ 2.5 37)GD/VG 3.0 38)FN- 5.5 39)FR/GD 1.5 40)GD+ 2.5 41)VG 4.0 42)VG/FN 5.0 43)VG+ 4.5 44)FN/VF 7.0 45)VF 8.0 46)VG/FN 5.0 47)*FN- 5.5 (*BINDERY DEFECT, NO TOP STAPLE) 48)VG/FN 5.0 49)GD/VG 3.0 50)GD 2.0 51)GD 2.0 52)VG/FN 5.0 53)GD/VG 3.0 54)VG+ 4.5 55)VG/FN 5.0 56)*VG 4.0 (*WOULD BE FN 6.0 EXCEPT FOR SUBSCRIPTION CREASE) 57)*VG- 3.5 (*WOULD BE VG+ EXCEPT FOR SUBSCRIPTION CREASE) 58)GD 2.0 59)GD 2.0 60)GD 2.0 61)*FR/GD 1.5 (*1/5TH OF LAST PAGE MISSING, LETTER PAGE/ADVERTISEMENT

Any specific character interests?

My books are all stored in Mylites with Acid Free Boards in Comic Storage Boxes out of All Light and Most will Probably Never be Touched by My Hands Again so I Do Not Anticipate Any Including my PR 0.5/FR 1.0 Books with Lots Of Tape to Self Destruct while I am Still Alive or not even while My Children Are Still Alive (currently they are 43 and 39) as long as Conditions/Circumstances Do Not Change. Catalog the books with detailed descriptions and pictures and store them away in a controlled archival environment (Safety Deposit Box) and in 75 - 100 years have your Great Great Great Grandchildren let my Great Great Great Grandchildren know how it turns out. If the condition of the books used in the experiment does not deteriorate without any outside influences I will say "I was incorrect" on my statement.

Archeologists uncover written text that is thousands of years old. Even though older comics (Gold/Silver) were printed on the least expensive newsprint with acidic inks as long as they are not physically abused, left in sunlight (or other UV), kept in damp/humid or excessively hot/cold conditions and moved from one extreme to the other they will last for generations to come. Regardless of how the book is stored you cannot stop the book from destroying itself over time, you can only slow down the process, all the Bag/Board Combo or CGC case does is protect the book from physical damage from handling and storage. One of the things I always heard was that each time a change occurs in temp/humidity the paper in the book expands and contracts, this expansion and contraction causes more acids to be released causing the book to decay at a quicker rate. They say that when you get a book home you should let it adapt to its new environment before sealing it away in its bag and then keep those conditions as consistent as possible.

I just recently turned 63, retired and moved in with my Son and Daughter In Law to help with expenses and be with my Grandchildren. I moved out of an apartment I resided in for 32 years, 80% of my material possessions got tossed in the dumpster during the move. It seems, at least for me, the older I get the less I care about or need material possessions, basically all that came with me other than Cloths and Toiletries was my Desk, Computer, TV, Xbox, Comic Books and Collectibles. I think back about things I used to "obsess" about like Bowling, Bracket Racing, Video Games (NCAA Football, Major League Baseball), Model Trains, Comic Books and think to myself..."Really???". I still play MLB 2K7 after the Grandkids go to bed and I still enjoy talking about comics but they are not obsessions like they used to be. It seems to be a natural occurrence to lose interest in material things as you age.

Hello and Welcome To the Hobby and to the Boards. Even though the grading standards are literally printed in " black and white" grading is very subjective, what one person see's another may not see (or choose to see). Also, do not fall into the trap of "overgrading" your own books, people tend to look at their own books "Through Rose Colored Glasses". The Overstreet Grading Guide is an excellent book to have to assist in grading with detailed pictures of each grade and the defects allowed for each grade. https://www.amazon.com/Overstreet-Guide-Grading-Comics-2016/dp/1603601996 Here are the Grading Standards with a Glossary of Terminology. http://collectibleshop.tripod.com/overstreet-grading-definitions.htm The other way to hone your Grading Skills is to frequent the "Please Grade My Book" Section and formulate your own grade for the book shown before reading what others have posted to see how close you are to what others have concluded. Have Fun and Enjoy!!!

I have not bought anything for my collection in two years. The books I need to complete my runs are all Pre-Hero Marvel Horror (JIM issues between 1 - 33, ST issues between 1 - 42) and Westerns (Kid Colt 1, 2 ,12, 24 and Rawhide Kid 1,15) in lower grade,these books very seldom come up for auction and the BIN prices are absurd. As I have gotten older and have just recently retired I am not really interested/motivated to spend a premium to buy books that will get read once and then stored away like the other 3600 books are. Even though I am no longer active or as motivated as I once was in buying/completing my runs I still look at eBay each week (just in case) and still frequent the forum and try to contribute where I can since I still enjoy talking about the hobby and collecting.

Grading is subjective. There is only one way for you to be able to "trust" the grading system. Basically you will need to learn some of the grading standards so that when someone that you are looking to sell books to or buy books from tells you a book is a certain grade and you ask them how they arrived at that grade and they show/tell you the defects they see that puts that book in that grade you will know what they are referring to and how they reached that conclusion. You can purchase the Overstreet Grading Guide which has detailed photo's or do research online as to the grading standards and terminology used to describe comic book condition.

As a kid in the 60's I Loved Crossovers and Always judged a book by it's cover so these are a some of my favorite TTA issues.

They did the same thing back in the 90's before the industry imploded on itself. When X-Men (1991) came out there were 4 different covers for issue #1. The 90's were the decade of variants and gimmick covers. "Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it". DECEMBER 28, 1996

Or... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24995796-44-years-of-fantastic-four I was given this for Christmas about 10 years ago.

First you have to ask yourself, are you looking to speculate and gamble or do you want to go the conservative route with something that has been constantly increasing in value each year due to age/storyline/character and is a safe but slower investment? If you are going to speculate and flip quickly for profit only then just keep tabs on what movies are coming and "guess" which character/story may be the next "hot" thing. IMO,If you plan on keeping this book for the long term find an early silver age book with a cover/character/story you like or has a special meaning to you, do not forget about Pre-Hero Marvel such as JIM, ST, TOS and TTA. For me that would be F.F. #25 because it was seeing the cover of that book for the first time back in 64/65 that made me say "WOW!!!" and got me hooked on Marvel. Are there any books that do that for you?