ADVICE: Batman 23 in HG...what would you do?

[TupennyConan]

Bought a very, very, very HG Batman 23, Joker cover, black cover, it is a beauty with bone WHITE pages, pretty much ZERO defects of any kind...it is easy 9.2 or better...BUT (isnt' there always a but?) around the staples I see a small, minor amount of rust stains, there appears to be some white paint concealing some stain at the top staple...a very small white color touch...worse than that though...the staples exhibit NO rust...I feel pretty strongly after examining them that they have been replaced with new, modern staples.

 

So, what would you do with this book?

 

1) Grade it before selling?

 

2) eBay or Board sell it and describe/disclose resto suspicions?

 

3) send it to Matt for resto check? Pressing isn't needed, trust me!

 

The book is so nice I think it is a forgery!

[CAP Freak]

Ebay sell it and don't disclose resto if any.

[TupennyConan]

Ebay sell it and don't disclose resto if any.

 

Pass. Scans coming....

[TupennyConan]

Here are the scans! Front cover scan is high res and makes the upper left look worse than it really is, although upper left spine to back (not front) cover is slightly "fuzzy". I'll be back soon, hope to hear from Messrs. Bedrock and Schomburg, among others! Feast your eyes on this one kiddies!

 

 

[Socratic Wonder]

Here are the scans! Front cover scan is high res and makes the upper left look worse than it really is, although upper left spine to back (not front) cover is slightly "fuzzy". I'll be back soon, hope to hear from Messrs. Bedrock and Schomburg, among others! Feast your eyes on this one kiddies!

 

 

 

Wow what a beauty!!!!

 

I would leave it raw and sell it on the boards(or anywhere else) with full disclosure. You WILL find a buyer who is more than happy to take it off of your hands.....even with the possible color touch and staple replacement.

 

 

[MrBedrock]

If you decide to sell it raw, certainly disclose your suspicions. If you want to put your mind at rest then send it to CGC, Matt, or anyone else that you trust to give you an honest opinion/appraisal of its condition. I always think it is better to be certain of the extent of restoration before selling a book, simply to avoid any hassles for either party down the road.

Good luck with it, it sure is pretty.

[batman_fan]

I can't tell much from the scan, but the upper left corner looks like there is some color touch. Have you looked on the inside cover for any bleed thru?

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

I can't tell much from the scan, but the upper left corner looks like there is some color touch. Have you looked on the inside cover for any bleed thru?

 

Also the top staple to be sure. I hope you didn't pay an unrestored price for this book.

 

There also looks to be some trimming...the cover appears "short" on the bottom of both the front and back cover, and cut at an odd angle on the top edge of the front cover. At the very least, it may point to the book having been reassembled incorrectly and lend credence to your suspicion that the staples have been replaced.

[ciorac]

Bought a very, very, very HG Batman 23, Joker cover, black cover, it is a beauty with bone WHITE pages, pretty much ZERO defects of any kind...it is easy 9.2 or better...BUT (isnt' there always a but?) around the staples I see a small, minor amount of rust stains, there appears to be some white paint concealing some stain at the top staple...a very small white color touch...worse than that though...the staples exhibit NO rust...I feel pretty strongly after examining them that they have been replaced with new, modern staples.

 

So, what would you do with this book?

 

1) Grade it before selling?

 

2) eBay or Board sell it and describe/disclose resto suspicions?

 

3) send it to Matt for resto check? Pressing isn't needed, trust me!

 

The book is so nice I think it is a forgery!

 

Not knowing what you paid, that adds to the drama. But, I would not invest any more money in the book if I planned to sell it. If you are not happy with the book and want to sell it, then sell it with disclosure. It looks like it has restoration from the scan.

[TupennyConan]

1) No bleed through on inside front cover at all re: color touch.

 

The white color touch mentioned is very small but obvious and is on the white of the cover, not black. It is at the top staple. Very small but obvious. For some reason, the "resto" guy didn't bother touching-up all of the rust stain, which is pretty darn small anyway itself.

 

The bottom staple has perhaps three particles of white color touch. So small I'm not sure if it is even there.

 

2) The cover @ top extends perhaps 1/8 of an inch or less over the pages front & back, equally. The pages extend an equal amount below the cover at the bottom, front & back. I tend to believe this is evidence of re-assembly, not trimming; maybe I'm wrong.

 

3) The pages are so WHITE all of the way through they hurt my eyes so I had to put on my REVO's.

 

4) The book looks like it is new!

 

5) What other restoration issues do the Boards see, suspect?

 

Thanks MrBedrock, of course I'll follow your advice!

[TupennyConan]

Some more information I thought I would share. My seller seemed to have a fetish of sorts. Take a look at another other book that came with my 23. These two books, one from '44 & the other from '64, were so nice I had to stop and make sure they weren't reprints before buying. This Tec 332 has bone white pages once again. The similarity in books is obvious; however, no resto issue with the Silver book.

 

 

[Moondog]

Bought a very, very, very HG Batman 23, Joker cover, black cover, it is a beauty with bone WHITE pages, pretty much ZERO defects of any kind...it is easy 9.2 or better...BUT (isnt' there always a but?) around the staples I see a small, minor amount of rust stains, there appears to be some white paint concealing some stain at the top staple...a very small white color touch...worse than that though...the staples exhibit NO rust...I feel pretty strongly after examining them that they have been replaced with new, modern staples.

 

So, what would you do with this book?

 

1) Grade it before selling?

 

2) eBay or Board sell it and describe/disclose resto suspicions?

 

3) send it to Matt for resto check? Pressing isn't needed, trust me!

 

The book is so nice I think it is a forgery!

 

Ask the seller to take it back if it comes back PLOD.

[Moondog]

Some more information I thought I would share. My seller seemed to have a fetish of sorts. Take a look at another other book that came with my 23. These two books, one from '44 & the other from '64, were so nice I had to stop and make sure they weren't reprints before buying. This Tec 332 has bone white pages once again. The similarity in books is obvious; however, no resto issue with the Silver book.

 

 

 

Tupenny:

 

I'm not here to bust your bubble, but even though these books are nice, they are mid-grade copies. The wear is very noticable especially on the top and bottom of the spine as well as the corners which are rounded. When you look closely at the back covers along the spine and at the bottom, more wear is obvious.

 

I hope you didn't pay too much, but it sounds like you did.

[TupennyConan]

The Tec 332 isn't as nice as the Batman 23 thats for sure and its a nice 332. Bubble intact, thanks!

[batman_fan]

I agree, the 332 looks to be 6.0 ish.

[sacentaur]

Did these come from someone you view as a reputable seller?

[Theagenes]

1) No bleed through on inside front cover at all re: color touch.

 

The white color touch mentioned is very small but obvious and is on the white of the cover, not black. It is at the top staple. Very small but obvious. For some reason, the "resto" guy didn't bother touching-up all of the rust stain, which is pretty darn small anyway itself.

 

The bottom staple has perhaps three particles of white color touch. So small I'm not sure if it is even there.

 

2) The cover @ top extends perhaps 1/8 of an inch or less over the pages front & back, equally. The pages extend an equal amount below the cover at the bottom, front & back. I tend to believe this is evidence of re-assembly, not trimming; maybe I'm wrong.

 

3) The pages are so WHITE all of the way through they hurt my eyes so I had to put on my REVO's.

 

4) The book looks like it is new!

 

5) What other restoration issues do the Boards see, suspect?

 

Thanks MrBedrock, of course I'll follow your advice!

 

I would take a much closer look for c/t on the upper left corner and around the top staple as Batman_Fan and JTMF suggested, preferably with a black light if you have one. Take a look at the negative image of your scan - sometimes that can make sight color differences show up more clearly.

 

Jeff

 

 

 

 

[showcase4]

 

The pages are so WHITE all of the way through they hurt my eyes

The book looks like it is new!

 

 

Tupenny,

I think it is wise of you to seek our opinions, but I have a question for you....what do YOU think of the book?

It sounds like you are very happy with it, and if that's the case, minor color touch and other resto concerns are a non-issue if you are aware of them, and have accepted them as a component of this book. It has great eye appeal and WHITE pages / you mentioned this several times .......maybe the answer you seek lies within yourself ...

 

I bought a rare copy of The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis #1 last month, and proudly posted some pics on the Boards...you could hear a pin drop...it was like I posted an image of my new trash can. My point is, I didn't care at all, because I was happy with the book and still am. Perhaps you could be happy as well.........

 

Steve

 

 

[Theagenes]

 

The pages are so WHITE all of the way through they hurt my eyes

The book looks like it is new!

 

 

Tupenny,

I think it is wise of you to seek our opinions, but I have a question for you....what do YOU think of the book?

It sounds like you are very happy with it, and if that's the case, minor color touch and other resto concerns are a non-issue if you are aware of them, and have accepted them as a component of this book. It has great eye appeal and WHITE pages / you mentioned this several times .......maybe the answer you seek lies within yourself ...

 

I bought a rare copy of The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis #1 last month, and proudly posted some pics on the Boards...you could hear a pin drop...it was like I posted an image of my new trash can. My point is, I didn't care at all, because I was happy with the book and still am. Perhaps you could be happy as well.........

 

Steve

 

 

Steve, you make great points- what really matters is whether or not he's happy with it. And I know what you mean about books that it seems like no one else is interested in. Most of the stuff I collect hasn't been "collectible" since the early 70's, but I still think it's all cool and I love my books even if few others have any interest in them (less competition anyway ). But the problem is that if Tupenny paid a hg unrestored Batman 23 pricetag and got a restored book then that is a lot of lost $$$. If he is happy with the book that's great (I would be), but he should he at least be looking for a serious partial refund if it turns out to be restored.

 

(BTW, I remember when you posted your DM&JL #1 and I thought it was pretty cool (thumbs u )

 

Jeff

[TupennyConan]

 

The pages are so WHITE all of the way through they hurt my eyes

The book looks like it is new!

 

 

Tupenny,

I think it is wise of you to seek our opinions, but I have a question for you....what do YOU think of the book?

It sounds like you are very happy with it, and if that's the case, minor color touch and other resto concerns are a non-issue if you are aware of them, and have accepted them as a component of this book. It has great eye appeal and WHITE pages / you mentioned this several times .......maybe the answer you seek lies within yourself ...

 

I bought a rare copy of The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis #1 last month, and proudly posted some pics on the Boards...you could hear a pin drop...it was like I posted an image of my new trash can. My point is, I didn't care at all, because I was happy with the book and still am. Perhaps you could be happy as well.........

 

Steve

 

 

The book is lovely, despite the restoration that I have identified; so, unless one is simply dead set against any resto/conservation of any kind, the book would make anyone very happy.

 

Perhaps you think I am displeased because I talk about selling? Nope!

 

I am interested in two things from the Boards:

 

1) Fun;

2) Wisdom.

 

The boards are always fun it seems: silly, trifling quarrels snd epic battles; friendly comradery and fraternal (hey girls, not excluding you) fellowship.

 

Sometimes there is slamming for slamming’s sake, but the wisdom and advice from others can be excellent (eg Jeff’s aka Theagnes’ post above yours: isn’t what he did very cool? Isn’t the time and interest that he took outstanding?).

 

As for the Batman 23 & wisdom, I seek two things: restoration opinions & how best to sell the book if that were what I to do in light of the restoration.

 

Thanks! Happy Labor Day weekend too!