scburdet

I think it's out of the bag too, but it always throws me for a loop when books are photographed on top of the bag & board. The ideal background is a white or black solid surface with at least an inch or so of the background showing on ever edge. Best guess here is >9.2. I don't see any defects, but something can always be hiding. It's worth grading even though there are so many editions of this book that collectively there are a lot of graded copies. Even this rarer one has nearly 1K copies graded on the census. If you hold off, TM might do another in-house signing.

In the spirit of interpreting CGC standards. the book says the range for a detached wrap are 7.5 (otherwise perfect book) down to 4.0. In other words, if the book would otherwise grade below 4.0, the wrap detachment wouldn't count as an additional deduction. The only issue that the Maniac didn't list is some apparent staining in the white & blue bars the the right of JOE. With cover stains, I can't see this starting at anything over 5.5. Best guess is 4.5/5.0 & leaning to the 5.0.

Maybe a grade or so better than the 7.5 estimate, but the chip is quite likely to keep this out of the NM grades

The CGC contest has ruined me on a few counts. Some of those super creasy DC books grading so high has my calibration off. I wrote down 2.0/2.5 and then bumped it

I recommend the CGC book to people often despite their caginess about certain defects. But they're quite definitive about staple detachments & spine splits. Fully split spine, max 1.8. Period. Easiest way to spot a dealer who doesn't know/use or ignores CGC standards. IDK if any official standards would give a fully split spine come in 2 or higher.

I was totally ready to march on Sarasota when that Action Comics came in >2. I'm shocked, shocked I tell you that this is a grade completely consistent with a fully split spine.

Welcome. To give a short answer to your query, cleaning can take off surface grime–stuff that's not soaked into the paper or from paper degradation. I don't see much here, maybe a little dirt along the spine at the top, but this comic looks pretty darn clean. Pressing can flatten out bends, spine ticks & creases. If any of those defects break color (i.e. are visible in the ink), then there's limited benefit to pressing. At least in the photos at this resolution, I don't see any pressable defects. I do notice what might be some color-breaking defects. The BRFC below Spidey's foot appears to have a light crease through the two bottom bricks. There's also a line above the TM between the N of MAN & the edge. IDK exactly what that is, but it could be a crease or scratch. If those two defects are what they appear to be, you might be looking at a grade as low as 7.5 despite the book being quite attractive. Before submitting books, I'd encourage you to post them to get unofficial grades & then look at sale prices to determine if it's worth the investment. For example, a 9.0 of this book recently sold on ebay for $55 & the grading alone costs about half that (excluding pressing, shipping, etc.). I've seen enough inexperience folks submit books & then get upset b/c they feel like they were cheated b/c they're looking at breaking even or losing money when selling. If you're grading for personal/sentimental reasons, the calculus may be different, but still worth considering. It's a little like gambling.

I have a book with a teeny tiny, barely visible stain on the front at 6.5 that otherwise would be >8.0 IMO. Another 8.0 with a small stain on the back that would be >9. Manufacturing & distribution defects are treated less harshly than something from a post-sale defect. Anything that's a stain or exposure to water or other substances is a big CGC no-no. I learned this the hard way. You don't have to like it, but that's how they grade. Distribution ink is something comic sellers used to ID their products, so it's treated like it came brand new with it (because it was). It's an aesthetic defect, whereas a stain is a defect defect. I do highly recommend the book b/c it gives insight into how CGC thinks about the broad array of defects & what bin each defect belongs in. It may mean that you won't want to submit certain books that otherwise look nice for CGC certification b/c there's no way the number in the corner will be satisfying/worth the investment. I certainly have a couple that if I'd accurately pre-graded them by CGC standards, I probably would have tried buying better copies to grade & selling the one I had. At this point, anything with a stain goes into my "don't grade" pile unless it's super high value or otherwise so unique that the prospects are low of finding a comparable book elsewhere (e.g. something like a key with a Mark Jewelers insert). This would fall into my don't grade pile. It's a really nice looking copy from the front, but will probably only command about $75 graded. So that would be investing at least 1/3 of the value in grading. Anecdotally, there are an s-ton of slabbed mid-grade comics on ebay & elsewhere that aren't selling for the prices people list. I suspect a lot of these are submission "mistakes" b/c of unidentified problems & the attempts to recoup investments in buying & grading aren't going the right direction. https://shop.collectiblesgroup.com/products/the-official-cgc-guide-to-grading-comics-1st-edition-soft-cover

2.5/3.0 & I lean higher

This does not look like distribution ink to me, just some kind of moisture problem. These sort of issues are the most harshly treated by CGC. 5.0/5.5 but I don't think the interior flaking will result in further deduction unless the pages a brittle more broadly.

6.5/7.0. I think 7.0. 7.5 without the little chip out of the back cover.

You have to look for paper damage when it's a white background since it only be non-color-breaking by default. Some brown splotches in the UPC box maybe. A bindery tear on the top corner. Max 9.4, more likely a grade or 2 lower.

I agree with your assessment about there being damage to the paper. The back also looks a little discolored. Just based on the bends, I'd set the upper limit at 6.5. If anything on the back is deemed staining, it could go lower, otherwise 6.5. Given the nature of the bends, this would look nice in the slab if you can live with the grade. The bends will probably be mostly, or completely invisible through the plastic unless you really look hard.

There's blue ink in different spots, particularly along the top edge. It looks kind of like distributor ink, but it's not 100% clear without at top edge shot. I'm a little concerned about the pattern of that ink on the TRBC that looks like it could have seen some water. Ignoring that, I can't see this over 8.0 with the corner issues & apparent scuffing in the black areas.

the little specs all along the outer edge are a little concerning depending on what they are. >9.2 possibly, I doubt 9.8/9.6 is possible even of those are ink defects.

Pics are not high enough resolution to get a good idea when enlarged. Around 9.0 for the stress lines & apparent fraying along the spine.

Guess I should send mine in. Nice result

Yes

Yours looks less white/bright. A 9.4

looking at mine side-by-side (slabbed >20 years ago), the white on the back looks like it's darker for some reason. around 9.0

A distinction without a difference in my reading of the CGC manual. There are several manufacturing ink defects and all are treated similarly based on severity. To me, that subjectively places this book in the low 9s. There's also anecdotal evidence CGC has less tolerance for defects with high census numbers. This is one of the most often graded comics from what I've seen. In the neighborhood of 30K copies already slabbed.

Even if it's manufacturing, I can't see this above a 9.0/9.2. It's a misconception that something like a printers crease doesn't hurt the grade. It just doesn't hurt as much

8.5±0.5 enlarged pictures aren't very sharp, so hard to be confident.

Yours looks like it has a similar bindery tear to mine (a 9.4), but I see some ticks & bends along the spine. Some of that can be pressed, some are color-breaking. 8.5/9.0 depending on how many copies they've seen the week yours is graded.

The white covers are tough to grade in photos for sure. Assuming someone can improve the crunch, I think the ticks on the back will keep it around 9.0. I sent my Hulk 330MJs to Todd McFarlane b/c I figured it would be pretty unique to have signed + MJs. Granted, I still don't have it back yet, which is a different issue. I'm biased toward grading these unusual variants even if they aren't at the top of the scale.