zuki

2 hours ago, The Lions Den said:

Any "trusted" seller should be willing to take the book back if that's what you decide to do...  

I completely agree. I was extremely kind and described in simple detail the issues with the book. I have since been ignored. From now on I may stay away from purchasing raw books on ebay unless they are reading copy's. 

On 3/16/2019 at 11:14 AM, RockMyAmadeus said:

And some advice: if you're unsure how a new comic is supposed to "look", go to your local comic store and look at the new books on display...see the wide variety of production quality between publishers, and even within specific issues. The more you expose yourself to large numbers of books, the more familiar you will become with what is common printing variation and "within tolerance" vs. what is post printing damage. And I recommend that for everyone interested in ultra high grade books.

For example, if you saw this book "in the wild":

You might think the book was badly damaged because of those horrifying tears near the UPC box. But virtually the entire print run of this book was damaged this way (same as The 'Nam #52), because something wasn't calibrated correctly at the printer...so they don't count off "as much" as they would on a regular issue.

after a quick discussion with the seller it was resolved with a 15 dollar deduction to the price so for what I paid I may just skip pressing after all and just enjoy it however it may turn out. 
I keep forgetting to not always try for the 9.8s as desirable as they are and just be happy to have it in my collection (if I got it for the right price). but I will definitely post my results when its sent in to see what CGC sees this as. 

On 3/16/2019 at 11:35 AM, RockMyAmadeus said:

This, times ten million. This, this, this! If you can see the same flaw in multiple copies, you are guaranteed to have a production defect, which doesn't count as much or at all, rather than damage.

Vital is the comparison check!

After picking up this book just today at a 9.8 it is definitely damage to the book and non of it including the texture belongs. This is just one other book I'm comparing too but I didn't see it coming back anything close to a 9.8 either way. At least I have a reading copy now.

On 3/15/2019 at 9:15 AM, The Lions Den said:

You're welcome. Hopefully this will all work out for you. Sometimes honest sellers miss things, too...  

just an update after bringing this info to the seller he has still yet to cooperate with me on a refund let alone reply to my issue with the book. not at all worried with the eBay guarantee but still worth noting.

2 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said:

Great thread. Everything turned out just fin.

Great thanks to the community!! 

2 hours ago, Artboy99 said:

if you are submitting it for grading make sure you get it pressed. Waste of time and money if you do not press it.

Will do the price of the service gives no reason to at least try. 

Thank you everyone for all the input really happy to be apart of this community you all have been nothing more then extremely helpful and informative!!! This is by far the best spot to get real answers to comic book questions and concerns!

2 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

That is not necessarily true. Many books are produced this way, and you can see this "defect" right out of the case.

I'm not saying it's not...but one cannot say it is, either. It is a very common production "flaw."

2 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

This book is less than 6 months old, is it not...? Much too young to have developed "stacking crease" under ordinary circumstances. I'd be willing to bet money this happened as a result of printing, as with tens of thousands of other books like this. I would not be too concerned with it. Yes, it *can* be removed with pressing, but if the rest of the book is flawless, this should not prevent a 9.8 in the ordinary course of events.

The rest of the book is flawless unread and has sharp corner without any other defects that I can see with the little knowledge I do have about looking at a modern book. As cool as it would be to get a 9.8 even a 9.6 would make me happy. I guess I have finally chosen to roll the dice and just grade it. at the end of the day the art is beautiful and have no intention of selling to make money. If I decide to have it pressed I will submit results if not I will submit the outcome of the grading process to officially close this discussion and see what cgc says about it. Thanks for your input!!! 

2 hours ago, Artboy99 said:

the defect is created when the book is stored in a box with a whole bunch of other books, usually without a backing board. It isn't in alignment with the other books, and has shifted to the side and the spine of the book in front of it creates a roll. I attempted to draw a picture of what I mean.

 

Wow perfectly explains what happened here. just glad there isn't any creases but man can you really feel it. 

2 hours ago, The Lions Den said:

Technically, it doesn't look like a spine roll, but it's probably not "normal" either. This kind of flaw would likely keep the book out of the higher NM range, which isn't very attractive for a modern comic. This is one of the reasons why graded books are so popular...you can be pretty sure you know what you're going to get.

My original idea was to get it graded but for $100 for this book in a 9.8 I couldn't justify it knowing I can get autos for around or well under $100 (not this specific book but other artgerm covers with yellow cgc tag at 9.8 or 9.6). 

2 hours ago, Artboy99 said:

you could press it and dramatically improve the grade.

What book is it and how valuable is it?  If it is worth $30 I would bother pressing it.

I would have paid about the same amount getting it from unknown comics. I'm totally ok with this not being a 9.8 but if its a significant drop (anything under 9.0) I may consider just returning it or maybe getting some cash back on it. Sorry don't know much about grading to know how much of a hit it will take but glad to have you guys knowledge to go off of. Thanks again. 

5 minutes ago, Artboy99 said:

it is a definite defect and comes from storing the book in a box against other books. It is a form of spine roll and usually comes out with a competent pressing.

In your opinion would you have it pressed? I paid $30 for the book. How much of a drop on the grade will the book take for such damage?  If not a considerable amount I may just consider keeping it as is. Still really love this book. 

The rest of the book looks so clean except this spin. In your opinion is this something that’s fixable and worth doing or should I return it? I’m cool with a 9.4 maybe even a 9.2 as I mainly collect the artgerm covers for the art but what’s your 2 cents?

This is the second book that I purchased from eBay and looks really nice except for the spin. Does this down the grade or if it manufacturing? Trying to decide if I should keep it or send it back. Thanks for all the help!

4 hours ago, joeypost said:

Where did you get them from?

Got them from a "trusted" seller on eBay. Never had issues before but guess there's a first time for everything. 

4 hours ago, The Lions Den said:

This could possibly be from two different events. Regarding the tiny white color flecks, when multiple books are stacked on top of or next to each other, sometimes they'll actually start to stick together due to environmental factors. When they're separated, they take tiny flecks of paper off the cover of the book they were stacked or stored next to. It could also be an odd production flaw, where certain copies sustained these minor marks during the manufacturing process. That line across the book appears to be a manufacturing flaw, not damage. One thing I usually do with a book like this is a "comparison check." I try to find as many copies of the book as I can, and see if they all have the same flaws. For me, that would tip the scales toward it being a manufacturing issue rather than a storage issue. Some of these modern books will all have the same flaw and won't be significantly downgraded because of it.

In any event, welcome to the boards...you've come to the right place!   

Sorry for the way I posted my replies earlier I am totally new to the forum scene but very happy to be apart of it. Thanks for the help and knowledge. After comparing to a graded copy it is normal but the second issue with the possible coverup for definetly not normal so back to the seller it goes. Think I'm better off just buying them graded. Thanks again!!!

4 hours ago, oldmilwaukee6er said:

This amount of wavyiness is totally normal for new comics and yes pressing would help.  

Thanks so much for the reassurance and knowledge!

a "trusted" ebay seller. 

After a closer look I found this. Possible touch up?

Hello, new to the forums so hello everyone.

Recently got a copy of this Artgerm virgin but not sure why the cover looks so odd to me. I'll add some pictures of the issue someone let me know what this is.

Anyone else getting the new Artgerm covers with this amount of wave. Also I'm new to pressing would it fix this issue?