How in the world did this go unnoticed???

[Flaming_Telepath]

I think I'm always going to side with property rights.

 

In the Bizarro World of the Anti-Pressers, such things don't apply.

Don`t be asinine, George. You know full well that in the Real World, there are no absolute unfettered property rights either.

 

If you`re really trying to paint anti-pressers as anti-capitalists or anti-property rights, Gene and myself are most definitely not going to make very good poster children!

 

Quite.

Well, Gene more than me. I lead a pretty ascetic life.

 

My arse.

[VintageComics]

While I agree with Nick I would like to add another "trick" I was shown over the years. After grading a lot of books your eyes tend to get lazy. You minimize your personal perk list of acceptable defects. So what I suggest you do is turn the book over upside down. Look at it right to left instead of left/right. Grade the back cover as strictly as you would if you were looking at the front cover. Turn the book over and do the same thing. I think you will find that you will see different things while grading that you normally wouldn't spot. Nick is also correct about lighting. I find that without the right lighting you tend to miss the non-color breaking color creases.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Spot-on!

 

I also spin the book around...and sometimes find a world of hurt that I didn't previously catch.

 

Another thing is taking limited breaks. I'm a smoker, so it works for me to play one CD (about 50-60 mins), then take myself off to the back of the house and have a cigarette. Break is usually 7-10 minutes and this is just about right to remain fresh.

 

That's another trick I learned from Steve Borock. Spinning the book around while grading.

 

Grading the book upside down will prevent you from getting distracted by the artwork and all the stuff you are used to looking for on a comic.

 

Good stuff guys.

 

[Mr. Zipper]

While I agree with Nick I would like to add another "trick" I was shown over the years. After grading a lot of books your eyes tend to get lazy. You minimize your personal perk list of acceptable defects. So what I suggest you do is turn the book over upside down. Look at it right to left instead of left/right. Grade the back cover as strictly as you would if you were looking at the front cover. Turn the book over and do the same thing. I think you will find that you will see different things while grading that you normally wouldn't spot. Nick is also correct about lighting. I find that without the right lighting you tend to miss the non-color breaking color creases.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Spot-on!

 

I also spin the book around...and sometimes find a world of hurt that I didn't previously catch.

 

This is an old autograph authenticator's trick as well. Your brain anticipates and tends to fill in things that may not be there (or overlook things that are not supposed to be there.) I suppose this can be a real issue when you are grading books that you see very often. You need something to make your brain look at it like it's the first time you've seen that cover.

 

(thumbs u

[Rocketeer]

...Can I ask one question before I leave for work?.....What do the Schmells' and Brulatos' and Lauterbacks' of the comic world give back to the hobby?...I know they reap huge rewards but what exactly do they contribute?.....I think this is the underlying reason so many people get disgusted with this hobby,...excuse me if i don't answer any questions thrown my way cause I'm out the door,...

[Dale Roberts]

...Can I ask one question before I leave for work?.....What do the Schmells' and Brulatos' and Lauterbacks' of the comic world give back to the hobby?...I know they reap huge rewards but what exactly do they contribute?.....I think this is the underlying reason so many people get disgusted with this hobby,...excuse me if i don't answer any questions thrown my way cause I'm out the door,...

 

I don't really understand this question. What do you contribute to this hobby other than the money you spend? Since when is someone required to contribute anything to the hobby, other than whatever time and money you choose to spend on it.

 

And to take that one step further. They throw HUGE amounts of money into the hobby, particularly Brulato. He is primarily a collector and is willing to pay whatever it takes to get the books he wants. Yes, I think he sometimes flips books, but it generally pays for books in his collection. From what I understand, Schmell also has an extensive collection, much of which is represented in the registry. I don't think Steve collects comics, but I don't know this for sure.

 

 

[Rocketeer]

...what's not to understand?...they make huge profits from the relatively inexpensive manipulation of books on a yearly basis,....what do they give back to the community as a whole?...Heroes Initiative?...Comic Book defense Fund?...Comics for Kids?,...and BTW the statement that Brulato "sometimes" flips books is like saying Bobby Brown "sometimes" smokes crack,...

[Mr. Zipper]

...Can I ask one question before I leave for work?.....What do the Schmells' and Brulatos' and Lauterbacks' of the comic world give back to the hobby?...I know they reap huge rewards but what exactly do they contribute?.....I think this is the underlying reason so many people get disgusted with this hobby,...excuse me if i don't answer any questions thrown my way cause I'm out the door,...

 

In all fairness to Doug, he has always seemed like a friendly, approachable guy who has graciously shared information and books with other collectors.

[Dale Roberts]

...what's not to understand?...they make huge profits from the relatively inexpensive manipulation of books on a yearly basis,....what do they give back to the community as a whole?...Heroes Initiative?...Comic Book defense Fund?...Comics for Kids?,...and BTW the statement that Brulato "sometimes" flips books is like saying Bobby Brown "sometimes" smokes crack,...

 

Once again, they give money. Loads of it to the comic industry. It trickles down to every part of the hobby. They spend money with dealers. Dealers spend money with collectors. Collectors spend money on new books and with dealers. It is a cycle.

 

This is a ridiculous statement in my opinion. To start with, you don't have any idea what these guys do with their money. Secondly, there are a thousand people on this board that spend lots of money on books, but don't give anything of significance to those organizations either.

[DrWatson]

...what's not to understand?...they make huge profits from the relatively inexpensive manipulation of books on a yearly basis,....what do they give back to the community as a whole?...Heroes Initiative?...Comic Book defense Fund?...Comics for Kids?,...and BTW the statement that Brulato "sometimes" flips books is like saying Bobby Brown "sometimes" smokes crack,...

What are they supposed to give? What does Metropolis give back? Bob Storms? Bedrock City? Dale Roberts? The Network of Disclosure? Me or you? What do any of us give back? I'm sure they give here or there and I'm sure we have all made a small donation to this charity or that charity, but the way I see it the majority of us are consumers only. The only time I know this community ever contributed as a whole was when Nik passed away.

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

I think I'm always going to side with property rights.

 

In the Bizarro World of the Anti-Pressers, such things don't apply.

Don`t be asinine, George. You know full well that in the Real World, there are no absolute unfettered property rights either.

 

If you`re really trying to paint anti-pressers as anti-capitalists or anti-property rights, Gene and myself are most definitely not going to make very good poster children!

 

Really Tim, because that's what your posts come down to. Feel free to reread Nick's contributions as well.

 

How dare anyone mess with books that I might purchase one day? How dare anyone mess with my supply of available comics? You don't own these books, you're just a caretaker, so you have no right to press them.

 

Along those lines, why don't we mandate that slabbed comics never be removed from their holders, because they are more susceptible to possible damage that way? Perhaps comics shouldn't even be read or handled, because if you're a good caretaker, you'll preserve them in the best possible condition for future generations? Exactly where is the line drawn between what should and should not be done to a comic by it's rightful owner? Or is it just a moving target that suits your particular argument du jour?

 

 

[Mr. Zipper]

...what's not to understand?...they make huge profits from the relatively inexpensive manipulation of books on a yearly basis,....what do they give back to the community as a whole?...Heroes Initiative?...Comic Book defense Fund?...Comics for Kids?,...and BTW the statement that Brulato "sometimes" flips books is like saying Bobby Brown "sometimes" smokes crack,...

What are they supposed to give? What does Metropolis give back? Bob Storms? Bedrock City? Dale Roberts? The Network of Disclosure? Me or you? What do any of us give back? I'm sure they give here or there and I'm sure we have all made a small donation to this charity or that charity, but the way I see it the majority of us are consumers only. The only time I know this community ever contributed as a whole was when Nik passed away.

 

This is kinda cynical, no?

 

Plenty of people give back to the hobby in substantive ways. It can be as simple as being accessable and sharing the history of the medium, being a mentor, or hosting informative podcasts like Metropolis does. (True, there is a promotional element, but that should not negate the goodwill involved.)

 

Metropolis does their podcasts and I know Vinny has spent time with many collectors offering his personal advice and insight. The same for Blazing Bob. Richard hosted restoration seminars. NOD has hosted con seminars, host comic history essays on the web site, etc, etc.

 

Put all of this together and you have a community. Without it, then yes, we are all just buyers and sellers and nothing more.

 

 

[TupennyConan]

The custodian over owner stance is very romantic. I can see where it would hold a lot of appeal for some folks. It doesn't work for me in any way.

 

When Roosevelt went to meet with Churchill & Stalin at Tehran & Yalta, he carried with him his stamp collection. The President struggled to control the fate of nations but was in total mastery of the tiny little universe of stamps at his fingertips. He admired them, ordered them, collected them. They were his. He possessed them & owned them.

 

In my opinion, we OCD maniacs, in love with our comics, are their owners, not their custodians.

[sborock]

The custodian over owner stance is very romantic. I can see where it would hold a lot of appeal for some folks. It doesn't work for me in any way.

 

When Roosevelt went to meet with Churchill & Stalin at Tehran & Yalta, he carried with him his stamp collection. The President struggled to control the fate of nations but was in total mastery of the tiny little universe of stamps at his fingertips. He admired them, ordered them, collected them. They were his. He possessed them & owned them.

 

In my opinion, we OCD maniacs, in love with our comics, are their owners, not their custodians.

 

Just an FYI to all. If we really are "costodians" of comics. Then we should embrace de-acidification.

 

Probably won't happen as many see it as restoration, not conservation.

 

I truely believe all comics should have this done, paper is not made to last forever, but we can sure help it survive.

 

Opinions, anyone?

[Flaming_Telepath]

The custodian over owner stance is very romantic. I can see where it would hold a lot of appeal for some folks. It doesn't work for me in any way.

 

When Roosevelt went to meet with Churchill & Stalin at Tehran & Yalta, he carried with him his stamp collection. The President struggled to control the fate of nations but was in total mastery of the tiny little universe of stamps at his fingertips. He admired them, ordered them, collected them. They were his. He possessed them & owned them.

 

In my opinion, we OCD maniacs, in love with our comics, are their owners, not their custodians.

 

Just an FYI to all. If we really are "costodians" of comics. Then we should embrace de-acidification.

 

Probably won't happen as many see it as restoration, not conservation.

 

I truely believe all comics should have this done, paper is not made to last forever, but we can sure help it survive.

 

Opinions, anyone?

 

I personally view it as conservation, so no problems here. (thumbs u

[VintageComics]

Opinions, anyone?

 

I started a thread about this years ago and got conflicting info.

 

Linky.

 

Some people said it was unnecessary, others thought it was.

 

All depends on who you want to listen to.

 

I still think it's important, personally but maybe not more important than the environment you store your books in.

[sborock]

Opinions, anyone?

 

I started a thread about this years ago and got conflicting info.

 

Linky.

 

Some people said it was unnecessary, others thought it was.

 

All depends on who you want to listen to.

 

I still think it's important, personally but maybe not more important than the environment you store your books in.

 

 

True, but I believe most comics will never be stored correctly. Dealers inventory gets moved around so much. Many collectors don't store 100% properly.

 

Also, what about the paper that has already been turned bad?

[Paratrooper]

The custodian over owner stance is very romantic. I can see where it would hold a lot of appeal for some folks. It doesn't work for me in any way.

 

When Roosevelt went to meet with Churchill & Stalin at Tehran & Yalta, he carried with him his stamp collection. The President struggled to control the fate of nations but was in total mastery of the tiny little universe of stamps at his fingertips. He admired them, ordered them, collected them. They were his. He possessed them & owned them.

 

In my opinion, we OCD maniacs, in love with our comics, are their owners, not their custodians.

 

Just an FYI to all. If we really are "costodians" of comics. Then we should embrace de-acidification.

 

Probably won't happen as many see it as restoration, not conservation.

 

I truely believe all comics should have this done, paper is not made to last forever, but we can sure help it survive.

 

Opinions, anyone?

 

I'm in Colorado, my comics should be fine in this regard...right?

[Mr. Zipper]

Just an FYI to all. If we really are "costodians" of comics. Then we should embrace de-acidification.

 

Probably won't happen as many see it as restoration, not conservation.

 

I truely believe all comics should have this done, paper is not made to last forever, but we can sure help it survive.

 

Opinions, anyone?

 

Agreed.

 

BTW, some collectors already de-acidify their own books using commercial products such as Bookkeeper or Archival Mist.

[Domo Arigato]

Just an FYI to all. If we really are "costodians" of comics. Then we should embrace de-acidification.

 

Probably won't happen as many see it as restoration, not conservation.

 

I truely believe all comics should have this done, paper is not made to last forever, but we can sure help it survive.

 

Opinions, anyone?

Good point. I don't think I'd have a problem with it. Would CGC give a book that has been de-acidified a purple label? Or can it be detected (and does it have to be dis-assembled to have it done properly)?

[DrWatson]

...what's not to understand?...they make huge profits from the relatively inexpensive manipulation of books on a yearly basis,....what do they give back to the community as a whole?...Heroes Initiative?...Comic Book defense Fund?...Comics for Kids?,...and BTW the statement that Brulato "sometimes" flips books is like saying Bobby Brown "sometimes" smokes crack,...

What are they supposed to give? What does Metropolis give back? Bob Storms? Bedrock City? Dale Roberts? The Network of Disclosure? Me or you? What do any of us give back? I'm sure they give here or there and I'm sure we have all made a small donation to this charity or that charity, but the way I see it the majority of us are consumers only. The only time I know this community ever contributed as a whole was when Nik passed away.

 

This is kinda cynical, no?

 

Plenty of people give back to the hobby in substantive ways. It can be as simple as being accessable and sharing the history of the medium, being a mentor, or hosting informative podcasts like Metropolis does. (True, there is a promotional element, but that should not negate the goodwill involved.)

 

Metropolis does their podcasts and I know Vinny has spent time with many collectors offering his personal advice and insight. The same for Blazing Bob. Richard hosted restoration seminars. NOD has hosted con seminars, host comic history essays on the web site, etc, etc.

 

Put all of this together and you have a community. Without it, then yes, we are all just buyers and sellers and nothing more.

 

You're right. I am very cynical. That's the root of most of my problems. The point is that all of us take from this hobby more than we will ever put back into it.