scburdet

I got more or less understood, but I'm trying to make trouble

A single detached staple can grade anywhere between 5.0-9.0 according to the CGC book. In other words, a book that would otherwise grade below 5.0 can have a detached staple as an acceptable defect at the grade without further deduction. Qualified labels for detachments would be reserved for a much higher grade book, 9.2 or greater (I would assume even on the high end of that range). In other words, the qualification means that the book would have graded outside 5.0-9.0 but for the detached staple. This book has creases, tears, discoloration, etc. that are consistent with a book in the 3s.

Are you suggesting that CGC intentionally has vague notes & standards just to make sure people keep submitting books that they otherwise might decide aren't worth the investment?!?

I got a 9.8 Walking Dead 1 back in the same shipment, so that helped ease the pain. Plus, I bought this long enough ago that I forgot how much I paid, so I can make up whatever loss I want

9.0/9.2 unless the white surface is making the spine stress look less severe

7.5

It's useful if there's something like this well visible or not, to give some detail in the post. Even water damage not accompanied by staining seems to be a big no-no. I have a 6.0 with notes about water exposure. It was pressed so no visible rippling, and I can't see any issue on the cover through the case, but I think it got hit pretty hard for this. I'd give this a 6.0 max too. CROM!

Ignoring the stripes this is probably in the 8s. The corners look blunted for starters. If the stripes look glossy, it could be a printing defect & I'd max out at 7.0/7.5. If it's ink loss, something in the 6s is more likely.

Can you try a close-up? I know it's not so easy zooming in depending on the type of phone camera

There are some white lines through the title. Are those real or some artifact of photo/scanning?

Possible the glue was holding some of this together. I definitely didn't notice any splits before I dropped it off. I can see one at the bottom now (where glue is indicated). I do not see multiple splits though. Not that CGC notes are historically consistent or anything. Like I said, it's not worth getting worked up about one way or the other since a purple through the mid-range on this renders it more or less totally undesirable. I'm getting very itchy about buying any more older black cover though.

4.0/4.5

I'd post in the Grading & Restoration forum. Even at that, it's really hard to tell in-hand and even harder in photos. I've seen people measuring pages, looking at how much the cover does/does not line up with the pages, etc. The CGC book has some suggestions about looking at the edges for unusual indentations and so forth, but they also admit people have gotten more sophisticated over the years so they can avoid detection. I think the most important thing is to figure out what your options are if you drop big bucks and then gets a purple label. This book probably doesn't drop off as others with restoration, but it would still be a big hit b/c of the high price. I got a relatively expensive book recently, sent it almost immediately for grading, but it took so long to be grade it was outside the buyer protection window when it came back with a slight color touch. The seller just told me to go pound sand when I showed the results. Doesn't seem like smart business to alienate a potential repeat customer, but it is what it is.

4.5/5.0

>9.2

This looks like it's in a sleeve or something. Need some better photos, but I don't think the staple is the most serious issue

IDK It's always hard to see little things in photos. Maybe it's trimmed? Hell, I miss little things with a book in-hand. I'll go with a9.0/9.2 after pressing, but my grade is in purple text