POLL: Do you care if a comic has been pressed?

[Mr.Diggler]

Yes. I still care.

[Comicopolis]

I care about disclosure.

[Soft-Serve]

I don't care if it looks good. (and I've seen some that don't....) I would probably prefer not to be told in most cases. If I knew, I would obsess about it. If I don' t know - and can't tell - then it's like it never happened.

[Stryfe1000]

I care about disclosure.

 

Me too.

 

I'm happy to buy a book which has been pressed as long as I'm made aware of the pressing.

 

I had a few OO books from my collection pressed earlier this year by Joey. My first experience of pressing and I was highly impressed. My Vengeance of Bane was a complete write-off due to a large amount of folding on the FC but is now a great looking copy for my collection.

 

I've since sold one of the books to another boardie but made sure they were aware of the pressing.

 

 

[keldog]

I care about disclosure.

 

Me too.

 

I'm happy to buy a book which has been pressed as long as I'm made aware of the pressing.

 

I had a few OO books from my collection pressed earlier this year by Joey. My first experience of pressing and I was highly impressed. My Vengeance of Bane was a complete write-off due to a large amount of folding on the FC but is now a great looking copy for my collection.

 

I've since sold one of the books to another boardie but made sure they were aware of the pressing.

 

That is how I see it too. Pressing is not a bad thing if it is prized book in your collection and somehow it becomes an eyesore. Joey helped me out when I had a prized book that I kept perfect for years and wanted to get it signed by the artists who worked on it. Long story short one of the artists started going ape crazy with my book and I had to send it to Joey to make it look better or in hopes to get it as close to what it was looking like before. When I got that book back from CGC you could not tell on what had happened other then the small color breaks that pressing cannot fix.

That is why I send people to Joey when I can. (thumbs u

[newshane]

I don't think pressing is a bad practice. I've had books pressed but I've never sold a pressed book. I don't expect people to disclose the fact that a slabbed book was pressed prior to grading...I'm mainly concerned about the grade.

 

I don't think it's important to disclose the fact that a book has been pressed unless it is a raw copy.

 

If I ever do sell a pressed book, however, I will make sure to disclose the information from now on...

 

there are too many people who seem to expect that information. I have no problems granting it...I just never thought it was important until now.

[gaz973]

I've always disliked the idea of pressed books in my collection and went to a lot of trouble to minimise the amount of pressed books that I bought (which was why I bought a large amount of books from those who actively disclosed and avoided sellers who didn't).

 

Now that I'm not collecting, I guess my opinion doesn't really matter much but if I get back into collecting, pressing is the reason why I won't get back into high grade collecting again.

[Boozad]

I don't mind owning pressed books, in fact I've had my first one pressed and it's at CGC right now, a Batman #232. Disclosure is key when selling though, even if you're pro-pressing you should always respect the fact that some people may not be.

[HarryRod]

So along the same lines of thought here....if I "press" a book by stacking an big book and some weights on it and leave it for two months instead of sending it to be professionally pressed.......should I disclose that since the end result is pretty much the same?

Whats the difference?

[Stryfe1000]

So along the same lines of thought here....if I "press" a book by stacking an big book and some weights on it and leave it for two months instead of sending it to be professionally pressed.......should I disclose that since the end result is pretty much the same?

Whats the difference?

 

The main difference is the application of moisture and heat during a professional pressing proceedure.

 

Not sure of the specifics, but a professional pressing doesn't just involve applying a lot of pressure.

 

I wouldn't expect books which have been "Naturally" pressed to be disclosed. You could argue that every book I've dragged out of an overly-stoccked longbox at any mart/fayre has been pressed.

[mintcollector]

I chose no, but I want to explain. I have now started to do business with Matt Nelson of Classics Incorporated who has 'pressed' my first batch of books. It should be noted that I only collect already CGC graded books in 9.2 condition or higher. I would also like to eventually try JoeyPost for pressing as well, because he received high marks from other forum members.

 

That being said, I have never been 'against pressing' and I actually never had any issue with it; as long as it is done properly and with care. I buy most of my books from trusted dealers (preferred), Comic Link, eBay, and these very forums. What I can say is that it truly is an 'eye opening' experience for someone like me who has never 'pressed' a book before to send a lot of books to Classics Incorporated for a pre-screen. Out of a total of (9.2 or higher; CGC graded books) eight to ten books sent in as possible pressing candidates, only three were recommended to be serviced. Now, I always take the side of precaution in that if a book has a 50/50 chance of an upgrade, I would possibly pass unless it is a 'silver age key.' I also do NOT want to risk the book coming back at a lower grade. I also trust Matt Nelson's opinion as well. I can also note with pride and confidence that he (Matt) was very professional and worked with me through this entire process. I greatly appreciate his advise and trust his overall instincts and experience in this regard. Most of the books that I thought would be good candidates were either already pressed or had defects that pressing would not help. This has casued me to realize (as I have said many times before; even before I started submitting books for pressing); that no matter what anyone would have me believe, it is hard for me to accept the idea that the pressing of high grade books is hurting the marketplace; to the extent that certain individuals believe.

 

Sometimes these forums and others make it seem like you can take any high grade book and press it into an instant 9.4, 9.6. or even a 9.8. Anyone who truly questions the validity of pressing and what it ascertains should at least consider pressing some books before coming to any incorrect conclusions as to the service, the ideology of pressing, and its true effects on the marketplace.

 

This is just my opinion. By the way, I have yet to receive my stated books back from CGC, so I cannot comment on any grades as of yet!

 

Respectfully yours,

 

'mint'

 

PS: Proud survivor of Hurricane Sandy. Here is to hoping that all my fellow collectors and associates are also safe and sound!

[heartened]

 

This survey is only believable if you ask people who have no interest in reselling their collection, ever. I bet if money is out of the equation then no one would like pressing, buyers or sellers.

 

 

[mintcollector]

 

This survey is only believable if you ask people who have no interest in reselling their collection, ever. I bet if money is out of the equation then no one would like pressing, buyers or sellers.

 

 

I have no interest in selling my collection...or any of my collections; yet pressing does not bother me at all. Please understand, and I have said this before; if you have any interest at all in the broader antiques and collectibles market (and see what else occurs within these markets); then in most cases, pressing will not matter that much to you. To some it always will, as there are diehards who consider it to be some sort of restoration. I view it as very minor conservation. There is a perpetual myth that any high grade book can be pressed and obtain a higher grade. This is completey untrue. In fact, a lot of defects cannot be pressed out or even affected by pressing. As I tell most collectors, before making a judgement call about pressing (one way or another) I encourage everyone to at least try it once. Then make a sound judgement based on your own experiences and research. I like high grade books and collect for my own enjoyment. Pressing is not about monatary gain for me. It is about maintaining and maximizing a personal and private collection of high grade key issues.

 

Kind Regards,

 

'mint'

 

Just my opinion...

[Jeffro.]

Wow, I just went through that whole thing. Not sure why, but brain damage springs to mind as a possible reason.

 

I do wonder what the results would be if this poll were started today?

[mintcollector]

Wow, I just went through that whole thing. Not sure why, but brain damage springs to mind as a possible reason.

 

I do wonder what the results would be if this poll were started today?

 

I doubt the opinions would change much. I see no issue with CGC buying Classics Incorporated. NGC (owned by the parent company of CGC; The Certified Collectibles Group); also owns NCS. This is a coin conservation company.

 

These forums encompass a small, but dedicated group of collectors. It does not represent the hobby as a whole; nor should it.

[batman_fan]

In theory I think pressing is a fine idea. I have paid to have a few of my books pressed (never sold any) and have purchased pressed books.

However, I am concerned about possible damage to books, especially when trying to sqeeze out every last spine crease. For the light folds and corner creases pressing works great but I have seen resulting staple stress and creases turning into tears on some books. I have also seen pressed books that simply look like flattened pancakes, they look terrible.

In summary, I think we may be over doing it.

 

I think this post is key to why people should care about pressing or more correctly WHO did the pressing. There are so many people out there pressing their own books that are complete hacks that are basically damaging the books. You should defintely care. The sequence should be

 

1. Is the book pressed?

If yes then

2. Who pressed it?

If reputable restorer

3. Buy the book

If one of the hack restorers

4. No thanks !

[mintcollector]

In theory I think pressing is a fine idea. I have paid to have a few of my books pressed (never sold any) and have purchased pressed books.

However, I am concerned about possible damage to books, especially when trying to sqeeze out every last spine crease. For the light folds and corner creases pressing works great but I have seen resulting staple stress and creases turning into tears on some books. I have also seen pressed books that simply look like flattened pancakes, they look terrible.

In summary, I think we may be over doing it.

 

I think this post is key to why people should care about pressing or more correctly WHO did the pressing. There are so many people out there pressing their own books that are complete hacks that are basically damaging the books. You should defintely care. The sequence should be

 

1. Is the book pressed?

If yes then

2. Who pressed it?

If reputable restorer

3. Buy the book

If one of the hack restorers

4. No thanks !

 

 

'If reputable restorer'?

 

Are you statimg you define 'pressing' as restoration? I think we need to start there. While I believe you are entitled to your own opinion, one of the huge differences between my opinion and most others is based in the fact that I consider 'pressing' minor conservation at best. Restoration does not even begin to enter my mind in this regard. Again, understand that this is my opinion; but it should be noted that it is a popular opinion as well...just as popular as the alternative.

 

Respectfully yours,

 

'mint'

 

[batman_fan]

In theory I think pressing is a fine idea. I have paid to have a few of my books pressed (never sold any) and have purchased pressed books.

However, I am concerned about possible damage to books, especially when trying to sqeeze out every last spine crease. For the light folds and corner creases pressing works great but I have seen resulting staple stress and creases turning into tears on some books. I have also seen pressed books that simply look like flattened pancakes, they look terrible.

In summary, I think we may be over doing it.

 

I think this post is key to why people should care about pressing or more correctly WHO did the pressing. There are so many people out there pressing their own books that are complete hacks that are basically damaging the books. You should defintely care. The sequence should be

 

1. Is the book pressed?

If yes then

2. Who pressed it?

If reputable restorer

3. Buy the book

If one of the hack restorers

4. No thanks !

 

 

'If reputable restorer'?

 

Are you statimg you define 'pressing' as restoration? I think we need to start there. While I believe you are entitled to your own opinion, one of the huge differences between my opinion and most others is based in the fact that I consider 'pressing' minor conservation at best. Restoration does not even begin to enter my mind in this regard. Again, understand that this is my opinion; but it should be noted that it is a popular opinion as well...just as popular as the alternative.

 

Respectfully yours,

 

'mint'

 

There is no debate, it is restoration. Considered by a high level of the majority as the most minor form and difficult to detect IF done properly.

[mintcollector]

Neither CGC or the Overstreet Price Guide currently consider pressing restoration. There are also a vast amount of board members who do not consider it restoration either. I have had many conversations with multiple respected dealers and collectors on this forum who share this same viewpoint. The opposite (meaning your viewpoint); is also shared by certain collectors and dealers.

 

You may consider it restoration, but I do not. You are welcome to your opinion and I am welcome to mine. Attempting to find a logical solution in this regard is flawed, as it would have already occurred long before this very discussion.

 

Kind Regards,

 

'mint'

 

PS: Edited to add, I do not think a full consensus has ever been made, one way or another. Certainly it would not be uniform, judging by how many PM's I received offering help when I had questions about my first and thus far only, pressing experience. Just an opinion...

 

 

[batman_fan]

Neither CGC or the Overstreet Price Guide currently consider pressing restoration. There are also a vast amount of board members who do not consider it restoration either. I have had many conversations with multiple respected dealers and collectors on this forum who share this same viewpoint. The opposite (meaning your viewpoint); is also shared by certain collectors and dealers.

 

You may consider it restoration, but I do not. You are welcome to your opinion and I am welcome to mine. Attempting to find a logical solution in this regard is flawed, as it would have already occurred long before this very discussion.

 

Kind Regards,

 

'mint'

 

PS: Edited to add, I do not think a full consensus has ever been made, one way or another. Certainly it would not be uniform, judging by how many PM's I received offering help when I had questions about my first and thus far only, pressing experience. Just an opinion...

 

 

It's restoration, move on.