scburdet

>9.2. I think it's basically impossible to parse above that without handling the actual book. I don't see any defects except maybe minimal edge wear on the back cover

It looks to me like someone sliced a strip off the top edge

I'm not changing my grade, but that's considerable tanning. I know CGC hates tanning, given it's almost 60 years old they could be a little more lenient and bump a grade. I don't have enough experience to know this.

The chewed up outer edge and the heavy tanning of the inside of the front cover are the big things I see. I'd be curious what the inside of the back cover looks like b/c the back cover still looks pretty white. Definitely not tanned like the front-inside. 3.0±0.5

1.8/2.0. The missing pieces are going to hurt along with the creasing on the cover

I'll say 1.5 b/c the cover is more or less intact.

Me: "Always check your comics for random debris before photographing. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk."

CBCS 5.5 CGC 5.0 no grader notes

I was in the 4s, then the tear appeared. 3.5±0.5

Until I got to the last image, I was at 7.0/7.5 b/c a lot of dents looked like good pressing candidates. That's a heavy crease though, with the bunching in the paper I suspect there's only so much even the best presser can do. That alone brings it down to a 7.0 in CGC terms. Then there's the color breaking stuff on the back right lower corner. Pressed maybe you get to 6.0/6.5.

Copy A looks pressable to a possible ≥9.0. The one concern I would have is some scuffing on the back cover, particularly through the T in "THE" at the top. I'd definitely roll the dice on C&P/grading on a book like this The 2nd, I'll say 8.0±0.5. C&P will improve, but not fix everything too. Some regulars here are pretty particular about the 1 book/post rule, and not one has a problem with the "same" book being an A & B post.

Agreed. I may have to find another copy as this one seems unlikely to hit above 9.0. I dug around a bit more online, and unfortunately not everyone shows the back of their sold/for sell slabs, but they seem to come in two varieties. Ones where the back looks like a pretty dark, uniform black, and others that have a textured look. Here's a 9.6 that looks like the latter, and no graders' notes to assess what they think of that coloring https://www.ebay.com/itm/185434313203. Definitely a risky proposition to send in without more information about what's going on here

I went back b/c I didn't notice a crease when I looked the book over. If it's the squiggly white mark in the the bar above THANOS in the corner, it must have been a fiber or dog hair that landed there when I was moving stuff around 🙄 b/c it's not there now. The rest of your observations match mine.

forgot to add

I think I have a decision here, but looking for confirmation. I got this out in anticipation of sending it to the upcoming Cates signing. The front looks solid. At first when I looked at the back I thought the texture was just part of the background of the advertisement. Then I looked at the same ad on different books and the color is solid. It has some color rub near the staples and one outer corner, so IDK if the rest of the texture is scuffing. I just had some doubts about where it might have come from b/c it's pretty uniform. It might not be the easiest thing to judge by photos, but I appreciate your feedback.

Just going on comps, I'd say this looks at least a couple grades better than a 4.5 I have. Unless I'm missing some defects, I'm at 5.5±0.5

Right. It's early SA. Maybe my guess is OK (i.e. just as bad as bronze, copper and modern)

There's clearly a bit of a miscut b/c the back cover image wraps around to the front. It's unclear to me how CGC treats these b/c it seems to have been a bigger deal early in their existence. I have a hard time seeing a 9.8 and all I typically say with something like this is a >9.2. I think maybe a 9.4 b/c of the tiny crease you indicate.

By CGC's definition, 7.0 is the absolute ceiling for a book with a defect like the one corner. Getting a 7.0 would assume an otherwise perfect book with the corner, and it looks like the cover is pulling away and there are a couple of smallish spine ticks. I'll say 6.0±0.5, but looks great

5.0±0.5 w/C&P based on the corner chipping and the prominent, but thankfully short creases in various spots. Very cool book.

I'm terrible at GA grading, but I want to see how this one turns out. With a little C&P TLC, I think 5.5±0.5.

6.5/7.0 post pressing

8.5-9.2. I am once again bumping up my expectation above exactly what my eyes say b/c I've seen your post-pressing results and I always seem to come in too low.

I think it is. I was going to say 5.5, but with the tear, I think 5.0±0.5

Yeah, I haven't submitted "regular" but there's a disclaimer you have to click through when asking for CCS for sig series books. Basically, it says damage could occur, yada yada yada. I've had no issues on books returned so far, but I have a couple coming back from the Conway signing that graders' notes mention detached staples. I feel like I would have noticed a detached staple during inspection and packing, but I can't be 100% sure b/c it predated me photographing each book in great detail. Thankfully, I have good documentary photos for everything else pending service. My understanding is CGC won't let anyone else handle signed books, so maybe the more experienced people work there b/c of the added ink? Really sucks about that book though. Hopefully, it still looks better than you fear.