The Lions Den

I'm sure they'll be taking additional security measures to prevent something like this from happening again...

Nice to see you back, Jimbo! johnny (a friend of jimbo)

Thanks for providing the large scan---that's very helpful. That top corner does look a little rough, and that color loss near the spine is concerning...

That tiny amount of wear could still be allowable in a 9.6...

According to what I've heard, pulps that have been trimmed won't be considered restored by CGC. Apparently, the trimming will just be factored into the final grade...

"Some men you just can't reach..."

Personally, I enjoy actually being able to peruse the books in my collection whenever I want---enjoying the stories, admiring the artwork, checking the books for flaws, etc. For me, that's the reason I got into this hobby in the first place. Others may disagree, but I've found that spending all my time and resources on other aspects of the hobby often lead to more headaches than happiness...

It's an anomaly...

Light creasing can often be difficult to see, especially through the CGC holder...

From what I can see, this appears to be relatively minor...

Good Lord! I like Johnny Craig, but "Ghastly" Graham definitely deserves to be recognized as one of the all-time great EC artists...

This isn't a rare occurrence. I've seen plenty of wavy comics, even in high grade. Pictures would be very helpful, but generally speaking waviness can be caused by a variety of different factors. Some of the problems can be caused by improper pressing, exposure to moisture or humidity, or from books being placed in wells that are too small (the inner well of the CGC holder). A good presser can usually reduce or eliminate waviness, and there's at least one guy here that has a great reputation with these types of issues (see above).

An excellent example of how different color variations can happen during the printing process...

I agree. You may remember just how lame the creator and key comments were on the old CGC labels. It was a travesty...

Thank you---much appreciated.

And every once in a while, the labels themselves can vary slightly in hue and saturation...

I think your concerns are valid...

Regardless of how it happened, I'd be very careful when handling this book to keep those tears from getting any worse...

To err is human...

Even if it was color touch, removing it likely wouldn't affect the overall grade...

This is actually one of the most common locations for color touch...

Since the book has a bit of a mis-wrap, the black border line along the spine is wrapped over to the back cover, and it's very common to see color touch on that black border. Since notes these days are generally selected from a menu, it's often tough to pinpoint the exact location the graders are referring to, but that black line would be my first choice...

To be honest, the highest grade I've ever seen a potential 9.4 book achieve with one slightly rusted staple was a 9.2. Since we're looking at a staple that appears to be extremely rusty, I'd personally be more comfortable around the 7.0 range. And if both staples are severely rusted, the grade could go even lower. And EastEnd is correct---that staple appears to be on the verge of complete disintegration. I'd be very careful when handling this book---that's exactly what a rusty staple looks like before rust turns to dust...

Think of it as a science experiment...