Ink Stain

[Mac Man]

First, I'll try and post a scan when I get home from work. Anyhow, I've got a copy of ASM 100 that really presents nicely- at least a Fine if not better (really beautiful looking book). Only snag is that some blue ink spilled along the top edge of the comic. It bled down the spine about 2" (visible on fron and back covers) and runs all the way across the top. It goes down all of the pages no more than 1/16". It's noticeable, but not overwhelming by any means.

 

I personally didn't think this was a production error, so I was able to pick it up for well under guide. Anyhow, just wondering how the rest of you might judge this one?

[Raphael]

i have a Captain America #100 that had something similar happen to it (from your description)

 

when i got it graded, it came back as a 8.0

 

i'll try and get a pick of it in the slab

[osborn_fr]

is it worst than mine ?

 

[Mac Man]

Okay, the ink staining you have along the bottom edge (assuming the stain didn't bleed anymore than 1/16" down) is similar to my own. The staining on the bottom corner of the spine looks just like mine, but on the top corner of the spine going down probably until Spidey's shoulder (in the box). My ink's a little darker, but there isn't as much as what you have. Otherwise, condition is pretty nice much like yours.

[the blob]

this is how newstand returns were marked after their time on the stand was up so that they wouldn't be re-sold as "new" off the newstands. they were often then sold to used bookstores/magazine shops where they were sold for under cover, or maybe some early people in the comic biz like the koch brothers would pick them up in bulk, etc. marking returns was done in different ways, but you see this a lot with early 70s books.

 

Usually it's along the top edge, but sometimes on the side.

 

it's not a production error.

 

how much to deduct is always a tough call and will depend on how much ink got on the cover vs. if it's just on the top of the top edge of the pages.

[divad]

this is how newstand returns were marked after their time on the stand was up so that they wouldn't be re-sold as "new" off the newstands. they were often then sold to used bookstores/magazine shops where they were sold for under cover, or maybe some early people in the comic biz like the koch brothers would pick them up in bulk, etc. marking returns was done in different ways, but you see this a lot with early 70s books.

 

Usually it's along the top edge, but sometimes on the side.

 

it's not a production error.

 

how much to deduct is always a tough call and will depend on how much ink got on the cover vs. if it's just on the top of the top edge of the pages.

 

Uh, that is incorrect . . .

[the blob]

Really, so what's the story behind this? I've read the newstand return story a dozen times and my friend who was in the business in the early 70s always referred to books like these as newstand returns. He devalued them significantly when grading them.

[rodan57]

These books were inked while still bundled before hitting the newsstand by distributors.

 

Different colour inks each month would give newsstand vendors an easy way to pull comics past their display date.

 

Unless the ink is egregious (i.e., spilling over onto the cover), it's not really considered a defect. However, like date stamps, many collectors are not too enamoured of distributor's ink.

 

Dennis

[Mr. Zipper]

This is my understanding as well.

 

I thought newsstand returns were supposed to have the title area ripped off.

 

Except for blackmarket newsstand returns which did not have the title area ripped off and were illegally sold on the secondary market, such as the Mile High 2 "collection."

[divad]

These books were inked while still bundled before hitting the newsstand by distributors.

 

Different colour inks each month would give newsstand vendors an easy way to pull comics past their display date.

 

Unless the ink is egregious (i.e., spilling over onto the cover), it's not really considered a defect. However, like date stamps, many collectors are not too enamoured of distributor's ink.

 

Dennis

 

And, it was done differently in each geographical area, and by each distributor. When I worked at the drugstore back before the direct market began, bundles of comics would come with a code for our store's name inked on the side. There would be a small blank piece of newsprint at the top and bottom of each banded stack. I'd cut those banded stacks open and put them on the shelves. Early on, we would hand-date or date-stamp the arrival date for return, but that practice was given up over time.

[divad]

This is my understanding as well.

 

I thought newsstand returns were supposed to have the title area ripped off.

 

Except for blackmarket newsstand returns which did not have the title area ripped off and were illegally sold on the secondary market, such as the Mile High 2 "collection."

 

I've seen both the top 1/3rd cover torn off, or the LRFC clipped to mark remainders, but at the drugstore, we just handed them in with the other magazines - don't know what the distributor did to them.

[Mac Man]

Ok, I need to get my butt in order and post a scan to see what y'all think.