What would you rather have for your personal collection?

[Mr. Zipper]

Why would someone want a SA plod? Its not like there are any SA books that hard to find.

 

It's not a matter of being hard to find, it's a matter of affordability. How many collectors can truly afford an unrestored midgrade or better copy of FF 1 or AF 15 these days? Less than one percent?

 

A restored mid-grade copy is nothing more than a beater with a new paint job.

 

This is simply untrue. There are plenty of unrestored books with tiny color hits or tear seals that had little or no impact on increasing the technical grade. I'd wager that books with slight resto are 1.0 or less from their unrestored grade.

 

Not every resto job is a refurbished beater.

[TheAvenger80]

Yeah but, for me anyways, it has nothing to do with admiring the work/skill that goes into restoration. Of course I admire the work in that respect, but it is still not original to the book, which kills it for me.

[fantastic_four]

It does look nice, but the original question was an unrestored 6.0 vs. restored 9.0. That Batman wasn't even close to a 6.0. An unrestored 1.0 changes the equation.

 

Wasn't trying to change the equation, was trying to remind people why restoration is admirable when done well. Batman 3 isn't a great example anyway because there are enough 7.0 to 9.0 unrestored copies out there that don't take years to come up for sale, and few people would have to mortgage their houses to get one.

 

I'm going after the Marvel keys right now, and as I look at the 5.0 to 6.5 copies out there...I just can't get past the defects they show. They interfere with the art, and you've really got to consciously overlook them to not notice. An 8.0 or 9.0's defects, however, are usually very minor and easily overlooked. They typically don't have creases that interfere with the art.

 

Picking unrestored 6.0 over restored 9.0 seems odd. Hunting for high grade is usually about the aesthetics of the books, the thrill of the hunt, or the enjoyment of owning a tough book. Restoration detracts from none of that...so why does everyone hate it so much?

[TheAvenger80]

Also, if the eye appeal of a book is simply atrocious, like that low grade Batman, I would have to take the much nicer restored. But I would take a nice, structurally sound, well presenting 2.0 over an extensively restored 8.0 any day. My

[TheAvenger80]

One a sorta side note, how much would that restoration above (Bats #3) cost, and about how many hours of work would go into it?

[fantastic_four]

One a sorta side note, how much would that restoration above (Bats #3) cost, and about how many hours of work would go into it?

 

On his web site, Matt says he charged $900 for restoring that Batman 3. He probably did that years ago, so I'm sure it's more now.

 

http://www.classicsincorporated.com/services_restoration.htm

[piper]

SA keys - Unrestored

GA keys - Extensive Professional Restoration

[fantastic_four]

it is still not original to the book, which kills it for me.

 

Tony Stark wasn't born with his Iron Man armor, he constructed it and wears it. Unlike a superhero such as a mutant, his powers are artificially a part of him. Does that make him less of a hero? The Hulk wasn't born as a monster, he had his cells altered by gamma radiation. Does the fact that transformation appeared after his birth make him less desirable as a superhero? If you fall down a flight of stairs tomorrow and have to have a hip replacement, would you expect that your wife would no longer find you attractive or desirable because you've now undergone some restoration? Does Elle Macpherson being a D-cup now instead of a B-cup as she was born make her less desirable?

 

 

[COI]

I have trouble understanding why high-grade guys actually collect high grade in the first place if they've answered here that they'd take the 6.0. I'd understand taking the lower end of high grade like a 7.5, but the middle grades such as 6.0 can have rather sizable, distracting defects on them that interfere with the cover art.

 

I don't. It's about perception and the label, not the book itself or its presentation. It's the same reason why a horribly miswrapped 9.8 will still sell for multiples over a perfectly centered 9.6 with no immedietly visible defects on either one. It's all about perception; if the label says 9.8, then it's a better book, no questions asked.

 

Similarly, because of the negative perception of restored books and the purple label, people would rather take the beater. It isn't about how the book looks, how minor the restoration is, or how skillfully the work was done, nor does it matter that there are restored books out there sitting in universal holders; it's all about the label, baby.

[Griz]

Agreed.....good restoration is a thing of beauty.

 

HALLELUJUAH!

 

How can you see an example of a beat-up piece of such as this Batman #3 Matt Nelson transformed into an attractive book again and not admire the skill that goes into it? I think it's impossible not to appreciate work like this--which is why I wonder why anyone would take lower-grade unrestored books over high-grade restored ones.

 

 

 

Very nice. Based off the initial posts, I guess I am in the minority.

 

Resto doesn't bother me as long as I know about it and know what I am paying for. Since Monstro's original question excluded monetary value as a factor, I would rather have the nicest looking book available. If the 9.0 looked better to me, and so long as I was aware of the fact it had restoration, I would want the nicer looking book.

 

However, in reality money is always an issue.

 

[Mr. Zipper]

Similarly, because of the negative perception of restored books and the purple label, people would rather take the beater. It isn't about how the book looks, how minor the restoration is, or how skillfully the work was done, nor does it matter that there are restored books out there sitting in universal holders; it's all about the label, baby.

 

B-I-N-G-O.

 

I know I will mischaracterize **some** people, but my observation is -- in general -- many of the folks who have the strongest negative reaction to restoration a) don't truly understand resto and think every restored book is a frankenbook and b) came of collecting age in the CGC era.

 

If you observe the old school collectors -- in general -- they don't tend to have quite as a negative view of resto (presuming it is disclosed). To them, it's all about the book, eye appeal and the label doesn't carry nearly as much importance.

 

 

[nik]

it is still not original to the book, which kills it for me.

 

Tony Stark wasn't born with his Iron Man armor, he constructed it and wears it. Unlike a superhero such as a mutant, his powers are artificially a part of him. Does that make him less of a hero? The Hulk wasn't born as a monster, he had his cells altered by gamma radiation. Does the fact that transformation appeared after his birth make him less desirable as a superhero? If you fall down a flight of stairs tomorrow and have to have a hip replacement, would you expect that your wife would no longer find you attractive or desirable because you've now undergone some restoration? Does Elle Macpherson being a D-cup now instead of a B-cup as she was born make her less desirable?

 

 

 

Oh c'mon now. Please don't compare her titties with restored comic books

[Bronty]

Not to mention FF - if that picture on the right is your idea of a d-cup........ then something is wrong

[fantastic_four]

Oh c'mon now. Please don't compare her titties with restored comic books

 

It's similar, as a lot of men can't stand implants for reasons similar to the ones people are giving here for hating comic restoration. For myself, I just like well-proportioned boobs and high grade comics, and as long as any work to them is done well, I'm fine with it.

[fantastic_four]

Not to mention FF - if that picture on the right is your idea of a d-cup........ then something is wrong

 

I dunno how big they are, can't tell from the angle in that shot. The site I linked that pic from says she's a C-cup on the left in 1997 and a D-cup on the right in 2008. If they're right, that would make it the second time she's gotten work done, as she was definitely a B-cup in her early modelling days--there are some unmistakable topless shots of her before and after out there that I decided not to include here. She was topless in the 1994 movie "Sirens" a lot--I dunno, the pic on the right looks similar to the way she was in that movie, so I'm unconvinced she had a second job done.

 

If it were me, I'd want to be a C-cup, not a D. C-cup is the absolute perfect size in terms of visual and manual aesthetics. But D can sometimes be fine too...I would've preferred that Jennifer Connelly not gotten hers reduced from a D to a C, as she was great with D's, but I guess she thought that it made producers and directors cast her less often for serious roles.

[Chespirito]

it is still not original to the book, which kills it for me.

 

Tony Stark wasn't born with his Iron Man armor, he constructed it and wears it. Unlike a superhero such as a mutant, his powers are artificially a part of him. Does that make him less of a hero? The Hulk wasn't born as a monster, he had his cells altered by gamma radiation. Does the fact that transformation appeared after his birth make him less desirable as a superhero? If you fall down a flight of stairs tomorrow and have to have a hip replacement, would you expect that your wife would no longer find you attractive or desirable because you've now undergone some restoration? Does Elle Macpherson being a D-cup now instead of a B-cup as she was born make her less desirable?

 

 

 

Oh c'mon now. Please don't compare her titties with restored comic books

Those restored high Cs equal a purple 6.0 AF15 in my book....mmmm

[SilverRich]

 

I don't ever buy restored books... intentionally, that is.

 

If I collected GA it would be a different story though.

[Chespirito]

Don't buy them, enjoy them, who ever heard of someone going to a strip club to buy love, they rent it!

[RockMyAmadeus]

Depends entirely on how rare the example in front of me is in all grades. If it's common in all grades above and below 9.0, I'll take the unrestored 6. If it doesn't exist unrestored above 6 or 7, I'll take the restored 9.

[Limited66]

I'd take the 6.0.