scburdet

that's bad enough rubbing to drop below 9.0. Maybe as low as 8.0

$50 raw seems like too much. Graded still might be a stretch. I see a 9.0 sold for ~$60 (+$20 shipping) recently. I have a hard time seeing published FMVs for upper-mid and lower graded comics in the copper and modern ages being translatable to salability at those prices. You're often talking about spending an extra $20-30 (or just being patient) instead of taking a <VF+ book. For most of those books, there's plenty of inventory circulating in the market, so it's just a matter of finding the high grade book priced fairly.

As magazine-sized books go, this one is one the higher end of what's off on the market. I'm not sure why I didn't send this to the Roy Thomas signing. Maybe next time.

there the small crease on the bottom right of the front cover, and something going on in the circle blurb on that corner. My understanding is a crease like that on the back would max out the grade around 8.0/8.5, so with the other small defects I'll say 8.0±0.5. I don't think anything lower than 7.5 is justifiable.

Edges are pretty rough with some indentions. Looks like some grime on the top back cover edge. A really good C&P might get you to 7.0. 6.5±0.5, but to me this is more on the 6.0 end of that range as is.

9.2±0.2 for the tear. I've seen those little wrinkles that look like a fiber got inked into the paper. I believe that's a manufacturing crease and won't be treated as harshly. In the photos, the top edge of the back cover looks like there could be some foxing. Check the inside edges too as that would drop things a grade.

Possible. It's definitely not in any of the copies I surveyed. I don't have one of these, so I can't compare directly

I'd be more concerned about whatever is in the white area below "SPIDER". IDK what that is. Ignoring that, I might expect a 9.4

The pencil is a store date and should not affect the grade. You've got some pretty standard handling defects. I think some of the photos are shadowed, which might be making the interior pages look more foxed than they are. The interior paper is definitely not pristine. If you find a reputable cleaner/presser (there are several who lurk about on these boards), I think you could make this book look better and could get a 4.0±0.5 grade. Not a high grade, but this book would go for $250-350 dollars in today's market. Not bad considering.

Concur with a fingerprint. You may be looking at a CGC 7.0 since it's at minimum a moderate defect. I have a similar defect on an ASM 194. I sent it to the Milgrom signing/sketching with the fingerprint in a window for him to draw on. Hoping he covered it up b/c that's the only way to get rid of something like this I think.

I know that photos sometimes make defects look worse than when in hand, but this looks like an 8.0/8.5 with the bend on the top right and the fraying on the top left. Can't remember how it happened, even though it was recently, I managed to get the newsstand and direct, which is nice b/c this is an outstanding cover. Might send one for a Milgrom signature the next time he's at CGC. Just missed the cut this year.

A little ink splotching isn't going to impact the grade much or at all. You might get a 9.0/9.2 if a press flattened out the indention on the back corner. The color breaking stuff on the front is what it is. This is one of those books that if you want a graded copy, I'd probably just buy one instead of obtaining a bunch of raw copies to find one that's good enough. Just the grading/shipping/pressing of a copy could cost 1/3 to 1/2 the price 9.8s are going right now, which is around $150.

At one point, I was entertaining the idea of a Frank Miller signature on his cover art. Upon deeper inspection, I don't think this will be a wise investment, which would require getting a 9.6/9.8. Bearing in mind my lighting always make it look like there's color rub on the edges, there is a small tear above the L in MARVEL. It's barely noticeable (<1/4"), which is why I missed it initially. It's a lot clearer from the other side. The other thing is that the red ink shows through the cover, on the inside from the front (not shown) and on the back cover from the ad on the inside for the ROM action figure.

Yeah, definitely possible. Better to catch it now than open up the submission when the grading is finished and get unexpected bad news. Kinda crazy to see a book like this with that much discoloring, but I guess 1987 isn't as recent as it once was.

I see a very light white line running parallel to the spine about 1/2" into the blue. It doesn't appear to be a crease, so it's probably splitting hairs. The tanning/foxing though... My experience is limited and not so good. I'm in no way upset about the grade on this book, but the only note is foxing on the right bottom of the back cover. I mean, I guess that it's slightly discolored? IDK. This one got a 9.4. I think you'd risk going 9.0 or lower.

As long as it hasn't been made worse by handling, I think you're OK. A grader might choose a 9.6 instead of a 9.8 just b/c of general presentation. Since like 99% of 9.6s and 9.8s don't have graders' notes, it's kind of a black box. Your photo of the front face of the cover looks fine to me. The whether to grade question might be a different one. Unless this issue holds some personal meaning, it wouldn't be at the top of my grading pile. There's a recent sale of a 9.8 on ebay for $150 and a 9.6 double-signed by Kirkman & Moore available for $120. Grading/shipping costs somewhere around $60 and pressing around $20 more if you want it. Depending on what you paid for it, you might come out ahead, but there's not a great ROI. That said, if you just want it graded for your PC then there's no reason to worry about potential profit margins, present or future. Here's an old thread discussing it:

You will not see a photo of my collectable storage b/c it will lead to a referral to be on Hoarders. I bought two industrial 3-shelf file storage units for what doesn't fill the full-size closet in my "office". TBF, the shelves are only half full in the basement, and the closet has some open space now that I moved the bulk issues onto those shelves, but still. The Venn diagram of our interests has some strong overlap as you stated previously. My DC and early Spider-Man collection is sparse and I don't have any of the big early silver age Marvel books you do. If your photos are an indication, I have a much higher affinity for Thor & Hulk. My display case will remain virtual b/c I don't have enough shelf space. I put my IG in my profile a while back, but there's not much reason for people to go there: https://www.instagram.com/shawn_slabs/

I was beginning to believe you didn't actually own an actual comic Pardon my ignorance about the little ink mark in the price box. It's got a design, so I assume it's some kind of distributor's mark? I do see the white about the 50¢ box that's dark in other copies. I couldn't use mine for comparison b/c I sent it off to JRJR and somehow I either forgot to photograph it, or somehow deleted the photos. If it's not an actual crease, are you thinking it was just a printing issue? I think >9.2 for sure. I'd probably hope for a 9.4, and be satisfied with the 9.2 and ecstatic if it went over. But I know you don't believe in the higher 9.X grades, so.....

I wouldn't expect the ink inside to be a problem. The defect you point out probably keep this in the 9.0/9.2 range

Yeah, the staining is 💀. 3.5±0.5. They could surprise you by coming down hard on the stains

I was not allowed to have GPKs, although my younger brother slipped some contraband through the parental dragnet. 6.0±0.5 seems about right to me. The inner cover looks like it may have some light tanning, which would make me worry a bit, although this is a 10 year older book than my book that got hammered for having it (which I didn't notice, nor realize how much CGC hated it)

I'm at 5.0±0.5 too. The spine creases are pretty consistent with that grade. I've got a different book at 4.5 with heavier spine creasing, so it wouldn't totally surprise me if you hit a 5.5 with a press to maximize the appearance of the book.

a few color breaking creases on the spine and that top corner on the left looks a bit frayed. The front looks pretty sharp. Maybe up to an 8.0. The back on the other hand is an issue. Clearly a sun or dust shadow and maybe some further foxing or staining below the straight like. Unless someone can clean that off a bit, I'd expect something closer to a 6.0.

6.0/6.5

I have more 'e', so I win? I guess it could be a θ. Just ignore the little dirt spot there. I think a semi-skilled C&Per could get that off.