skypinkblu

I saw mold and rusty staples and big black lines, not "writing" at the top fo the book. Note to self, do NOT wear glasses while grading in this contest;) or at least try it both ways. Thanks Mike for all the work.

I just think it looks like bug/worm damage, there is no smushing or crunching...those bundle tears never looked that neat to me, but again, I'm no expert on anything...just my opinion.

Thanks...that's what I thought, I did a search to see if those lines were part of the art or creases...I think those are 2 vertical tears from the bottom as well.

I saw a lot of those bundles in person when Bakerstowne was selling the books from an old distributor's warehouse on eBay. The twine cut into both the top and the bottom and the sides, especially the top and bottom books. It was almost always in the middle of the book, not one place near the edge. If you look carefully, it looks like there is more than one hole at the top edge...at least to my eyes, also it caused a crunch, not a hole like this. At one time I had boxes of those books in my garage (instead of my car;)

That's why I think it's a worm (or as it is now thought...beetle) hole, the larvae eat through the book, but they don't have a ruler, so it's not always even...and if they don't get all the way through, sometimes there is a stain at the other side, because apparently they slobber while they eat. I am not the most knowledgeable collector on the planet, nor even close, but I majored in low grade delicate specimens for years;)

I think the BC "tear" is a stain, the front cover damage are wormholes...distributor ink is given a pass, but there is also a transfer stain. I don't think distributor's ink has never been red, so I figured it was a transfer stain..and that right open edge looks funky, but I'm guessing it's the famous "camera glare".

I think my worst round ever...10 points. I saw creasing and tears on the Motion Picture book at the bottom, and I had the FF Annual at 8.5 but I lowered it to 7.5 after reading the grading book that said there were deductions for wormholes and transfer stains (which the grader forgot to mention;) It's OK, last round I got 4 points, it will even out, I'm happy if I can stay in the top 50

Those look good, Paul...good luck!

Or Mike is tricking everyone and mixing them up;)?

If you get this emoji when you submit, is it something to be worried about;)?

I got book 4 correct (probably by accident) and lost 2 points on the #5. I didn't see water stains, but when I blew it up, I saw damage on the left. I blew the grade, should have made it lower, and I'm sure some people got it correct. Overall, I tend to stress over any kind of test more than I should...but these "tests" are supposed to be fun, it's not a test that will get you a promotion, or into a better school.. I also know it's stressful for Mike, these contests are a lot of work...so I think moving on is best.

I find I do better that way, as a matter of fact, I might start turning the lights off;) so good luck

Some was too easy to guess. What's next

Only if you invite Girl Friends Comics

Sometimes the ads inside have red ink, pops up on the front if the book was in a moist environment, which it obviously was because of the moisture stain on the right.

That's why I'm looking forward to it, because it's satirical, not because I think Barbie was a feminist icon, lol;)

What was really special about that doll, is she was wearing at least a form of PANTS...I would have prefered a doll (any color) wearing jeans...in 1966 girls were still required to wear dresses or skirts to school. That didn't change until around 1970, although there were at least 2 High Schools in NYC, that protested before that and the girls were allowed to wear pants on a very limited basis. At my HS, Music and Art, there was a protest because the girls were getting paint all over their clothes and jeans were allowed, but only if you changed IN the classrooms. The other school was Performing Arts, the sister school to M&A. I'm guessing this was around 1966. No sandals, and you had to wear stockings or socks. BTW, that doll was a Caucasian Barbie, just with different coloring. The first African American Barbie with the correct features was not until later. You were not allowed to wear pants to work in most offices and never if you were working with the public in stores.

I much preferred comics to dolls when I was growing up...but that was because I had an older male cousin I was very close to and I found out that boys had the much better toys...trains...chem sets...getting the clothes on and off those dolls was boring, lol...

Since I don't think any of you were little girls when you got your first Barbie doll, I'll just make a few comments. In the beginning, Barbie was not in the least anything that would inspire girls to shatter any glass ceilings. Her shoes were impossible to wear, her waist something that you'd have to literally starve yourself to maintain and her chest was impossible. The biggest selling outfit was the wedding dress, because of course "all little girls dreamt about being married". Did Barbie get better jobs later on...yes, but she was very behind the times;) I'm interested in going to see the movie, but NOT because the original doll inspired young women. The original doll inspired swollen feet, foot problems, a sore back and anorexia.

This is such a shame. A few years ago, Disney put out a new set of movies called the Descendants, with new characters based on the children of the old villains, it was multi everything and charming. The kids love it. But it was new material. This practice of taking older movies and retrofitting them is not only annoying, it's alienating the people who pay for the tickets. So now, the "Imagineers" have completely lost their imagination and they are just taking old beautiful cartoons and cutting them up and reusing them. It's insulting to the people who grew up with the cartoons and to the racially diverse caste who doesn't get new material. I absolutely loved going to Disney World for many years. So much so that when my husband decided he had enough, my daughter and I would go by ourselves. I always felt safe in a clean environment. The last trip we took, a year ago, will be my last. They are so interested in changing words, that they forgot basic things like transportation to the "worlds" ..line management, and CLEANING the bathrooms. It was a shell of what it used to be. Even the rides (if you could get on them) were filthy and old looking. We also get Disney+ free with Verizon, so I'm keeping it. I'm also enjoying Secret Invaders...which is NEW material (for a tv series) not a retread.

@Hero Restoration If you are really getting the surgery now, I wish you the best of health. I hope you get well enough to rethink some of your posts. You should also know that many people have posts emailed to them, so even if the thread is locked, they are going to have your long post. You do have friends, one who I really respect wrote to me the other day, which is why I had stopped posting here. However, despite feeling sorry that you are ill, it doesn't help me understand the fact that in 9 years and "200 hours", you haven't completed a book you have had for that long. It's pretty obvious that talented as you may be, this is not the right job for you. Threatening to have someone else mail back books improperly is not helpful. Of course you could give them simple instructions, or hopefully be well enough to do it quickly, yourself when you recover. I hope you get some counseling and medication that will help you see things a little more rationally while you recover.

Nice to see you, Jeff!

I'm enjoying it, I liked it better after the first episode....then again, I'm not a Marvel Junkie. I'm not that fussy, I just watch for entertainment. I did not like Ms. Marvel...although the kid was cute...but I loved the Hawkeye series.

The bowler looks great...I like the top hat, but you edited out his eyes;)