Pre-Ebay grading opinion...Fantastic Four #88

[ArAich]

Nope...same settings...I did however rescan the book after centering it on the scanner bed....refresh your screen to see if it made a differance...

[jduran1]

9.2. Everyone look at the 9.2 in the overstreet grading guide. Same beautiful defects including the impact crease. Nice book. Beautiful Back.

[burntboy]

very nice book - good luck with it!!!!!

 

other than that ulc issue, there only seems to be the slightest of spine ticks, the tiniest of edge tanning and the dirt along the back cover spine. i'd say 8.5.

[burntboy]

i think it looks better, but have to agree that the image now looks a bit darker and conveys "foxing" instead of the dirt. am really curious what the rest of the forum will have to say today/tonight. thanks for experimenting for all of us..........

 

i'm gonna go and check to see if i have that issue - thought i had a consecutive run from 66 to 200, but that cover isn't ringing a bell.

[Mr. Zipper]

i think it looks better, but have to agree that the image now looks a bit darker and conveys "foxing" instead of the dirt.

 

I've seen the term foxing used a bit on these forums, and I can't help but wonder if my understanding of foxing has been wrong for many years or other people are misusing the term.

 

It is my understanding that foxing is mold/fungus spots. Typically they are fine brown/tan/green spots speckled around the edges. Foxing can vary from very light (a few light spots) to heavy (an obviously moldy book).

 

That said, it seems as though often people on the forum refer to any tanning, yellowing or creamyness as foxing. One is a fungus on the paper, the other is a slight discoloration due to age and storage conditions.

 

For instance, this FF 88 (which I bought from araich BTW ), does not appear to have any foxing to me... it simply seems like portions of the back cover are a bit more creamy...

 

Thoughts?

[joe_collector]

For instance, this FF 88 (which I bought from araich BTW ), does not appear to have any foxing to me... it simply seems like portions of the back cover are a bit more creamy...

 

Agreed, other than the "green foxing" comment. That's plain, old-fashioned mold brother!

[Mr. Zipper]

Oh, and 1 more thing....

 

Scans tend to accentuate light soiling on white paper. I think the bright scanner light picks up oil or soiling embedded in the paper that isn't visible under normal lighting. I've had light stains appear on scans that I didn't even see with my naked eye.

[ArAich]

FYI...the book actually looks much better than the scan I posted...you'll probably get it tomorrow so you can see for yourself...

I think if I up the clarity on my scans I may get a better (and more realistic) result...

[sterlingcomics]

nice cleanup!

 

Don't we generally use "halo" to communicate browning of the edges of the paper/cover? I've always used "foxing" for molding. Once you get a whif, you will definitely know it.

[backtomarvel]

I brought up the term foxing, and it very well could be a rookie mistake. Is tanning a better term? Halo? And, I'm still hoping someone knows if Wonderbread is supposed to get rid of foxing/tanning/halo. I doubt it is, but wanted to check greater comic minds than mine

 

I, too, will have a before/after images to post at some point when I can get my books scanned.

[Mr. Zipper]

I brought up the term foxing, and it very well could be a rookie mistake. Is tanning a better term? Halo? And, I'm still hoping someone knows if Wonderbread is supposed to get rid of foxing/tanning/halo. I doubt it is, but wanted to check greater comic minds than mine

 

I, too, will have a before/after images to post at some point when I can get my books scanned.

 

A halo is when the outer perimeter of the comic is darker than the center portion. This is most likely due to the comic being stored long-term in a stack -- the outer perimeter of the comic has more exposure to oxygen thus it oxydizes more than the center portion.

 

A "halo" can be very light (creamy) to a bit darker (tan) to the darkest (brown).

 

Bear in mind that a "halo" is just one manifestation of these effects created by the way it was stored. Some books can be completely tanned or browned if they didn't have the benefit of sitting in a stack

 

Wonderbread can lift light soiling such as dirt and ink ruboff from being stacked because these are particles that can be lifted from the surface.

 

Wonderbread will not lighten creamy, tanning or browning because these are color changes which are the result of chemical changes in the paper.

 

Use great caution with Wonderbread, it doesn't always work, and it's easy to damage a comic. Just last week I took a chip off the corner of my Avengers 4 while Wonderbreading. I was being very gentle and it just came off. I'm still sick to my stomach. Any benefit I may have gained from the minimal whitening was completely lost by taking off a chip.