comicjel

I guess I started this Marvel chipping discussion - sorry!!! (especially since this is an AF15 string) For what it's worth, I always felt there is a little mystery about how the marvel chipping actually occurred - clearly there were dull blades involved, but the very strange way that the tears happened (more like cracks in the paper than tears), and it is also strange that sometimes the "cracked" paper stays in place even though the tear goes edge to edge - I figure that in addition to dull blades that it might also have something to do with the way the ink dried after or before the cut was made. I also wonder if there was an abnormal amount of pressure being applied to the edge of some covers but not others somehow. Maybe this has been addressed in the past (or under a different subject), but I would be curious if someone with old-time printer knowledge could explain why the cracks happened the way they do. I certainly try to avoid Marvel chipped books when possible, but I knew I could only afford a 7.5 at the time and my flaws of choice were Marvel chips and dust shadow. I also did not really care so much about the CGC grade (although that clearly affected the price) - I kind of liked the idea that the main flaw happened during manufacturing instead of handling. Every copy of the 35 cent Amazing Spider-man #171 has a nick in the spine about four inches down - I would never want to buy a 1970's book with a nick in the spine, but now that I know that it happened in manufacturing and they all have it, the nick does not bother me as much - that is kind of how I feel about Marvel chips, albeit I know that not all copies were inflicted!

Thanks Scooter99!!

Now that I see the scan of the back cover, the dust shadow is more pronounced than I remember the last time I pulled it out. I will say the top of the cover that looks color broken is not, it is just scanner glare from the cover overhang bending a little and other than the spine corner is a lot nicer than the scan makes it look. But I here you guys, sounds like 7.5 may be a generous grade for this book. Nice spines have always been the characteristic that I look for most, and this one is pretty strong for a dark cover like this.

Here is a scan of the book when it was in Heritage auction... https://comics.ha.com/itm/silver-age-1956-1969-/superhero/amazing-fantasy-15-marvel-1962-cgc-vf-75-off-white-pages/a/7030-91097.s#

Curious what you AF #15 collectors think - what CGC grade should an unread otherwise 9.4 - 9.6 AF #15 get when it's only material flaw is pretty severe marvel chipping on front cover (none on back cover)? - literally if you cover 3/16th's of an inch of the right edge it looks like the 9.6 copy that sold a few years back for $1.1M (back cover looks like 9.6 without the edge covered). I ask because I have a copy graded back in 2002 or so that is as described and was graded 7.5 - marvel chipping bothers me as much as the next guy, but it was the highest graded unrestored copy I could afford. I have seen people on the chat boards say that CGC grades chipped books as if the chips were not there - I have proof that this is not the case. I will add a scan of it soon.