Value of a trimmed book...

[Doohickamabob]

I am being offered a trimmed book at about 50% of guide for a classic atomic age issue. The book is CGC'd and was identified as having a trimmed top cover. I know many folks here would not even consider purchasing such an issue, but I am just looking for opinions. Is 50% of guide a reasonable price for such an issue?

 

I guess this is a dumb question, but why do people trim books at all? If there's a bad tear or tears, you could just seal the tears. I just don't see the point, other than trying to fool a future buyer, which is BS.

[batman_fan]

I would say trimmed is somewhere between 5% and 10% of non-trimmed price. I would go higher unless it is a real key book.

[showcase22gr1959]

To name some of the books that would command high prices even though trimmed.

 

Action Comics 1,7,10,13

Detective Comics 27,29,31,33,35

Marvel Mystery Comics 9

Superman 1

Batman 1

All American 16

 

 

[jimjum12]

It TOTALLY depends on the specific book and grade. The higher the grade, the less the percentage. A book with a slight trim to cover edge only will not be detectable to 95% of collectors outside the slab. It's a great way to go for a pure collector....it will look GREAT in a mylar. Another point....CGC can make mistakes and I know that many Atlas books and some early Marvels do not have top or bottom overhangs on the cover and are mistakenly suspected of trimming if they don't. I have a couple of pre hero Marvel monster books from an original owner collection that do NOT have a top edge overhang.....brought into the store by the original owner in apple crates and hat boxes. Many books are also MISTAKENLY thought to have trimmed right edge covers because the pages extend past the cover edge when they are OFTEN manufactured that way. What is the book?....it would make it easier to answer the question. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[the blob]

I am being offered a trimmed book at about 50% of guide for a classic atomic age issue. The book is CGC'd and was identified as having a trimmed top cover. I know many folks here would not even consider purchasing such an issue, but I am just looking for opinions. Is 50% of guide a reasonable price for such an issue?

 

I guess this is a dumb question, but why do people trim books at all? If there's a bad tear or tears, you could just seal the tears. I just don't see the point, other than trying to fool a future buyer, which is BS.

 

a lot of GA books in particular had so so printing quality and there was often overhange or extra cover. that extra cover would get ragged over time. a trim got rid of the raggedy overhang.

 

a lot of trimming could have been done 20 - 30+ years ago when there was less stigma associated with it. when CGC started putting books in PLODs people got really worried about this stuff. A LOT of GA stuff that has been passed among dealers/collectors, etc. over the years has had some work done.(though, admittedly, there was stigma with trimming because you are actually removing part of the book...there was less stigma associated with more conservation type restoration and Ciccione, et al. had big ads in OPG very year, etc.)

[comicparadox]

To name some of the books that would command high prices even though trimmed.

 

Action Comics 1,7,10,13

Detective Comics 27,29,31,33,35

Marvel Mystery Comics 9

Superman 1

Batman 1

All American 16

Strawberry Shortcake 1

 

fixed that for ya

[G.A.tor]

To name some of the books that would command high prices even though trimmed.

 

Action Comics 1,7,10,13

Detective Comics 27,29,31,33,35

Marvel Mystery Comics 9

Superman 1

Batman 1

All American 16

Strawberry Shortcake 1

 

fixed that for ya

with greggy around, every copy of shortcake goes for 5x guide

[fantastic_four]

I guess this is a dumb question, but why do people trim books at all? If there's a bad tear or tears, you could just seal the tears. I just don't see the point, other than trying to fool a future buyer, which is BS.

 

These days it's mostly to fool a future buyer, which is the primary reason people hate it so much and the value is such a small percentage of the untrimmed value...there's nothing the market hates more than deliberate market manipulation.

[conditionfreak]

I had an Amazing Fantasy 15 that was trimmed on the top and side. I sold it for 3/4 of guide, four years ago.

[aardvark88]

What is strange is that a SA Marvel key that has been trimmed will be labelled Cgc amateur SLIGHT resto but if you paid extra to have the Marvel chips pro replaced and color in painted, then Cgc will label it Moderate pro resto. Moderate resto will usually guarner a lower retail price than slight resto even though one tried to conserve the key issue.

[Ze-man]

What is strange is that a SA Marvel key that has been trimmed will be labelled Cgc amateur SLIGHT resto but if you paid extra to have the Marvel chips pro replaced and color in painted, then Cgc will label it Moderate pro resto. Moderate resto will usually guarner a lower retail price than slight resto even though one tried to conserve the key issue.

 

True, but typically the more work done means the book is less original(even if the intent is only to conserve) and that seems to be the deal breaker for a lot of people. That and trimming isn't really considered Slight resto, Am or Pro. So it is kinda hard to compare Slight vs Mod.

 

But lends credit to AF15kid's logic(from a collecting standpoint) A trimmed book is otherwise 100% original, what you see is what you get. Unlike a restored book in similar grade where it took all kinds of procedures to raise the apparent grade. Yet many would probably still prefer the Mod restored book because it actually carry's less stigma then trimming does. If thats even possible.

 

It's not the comics fault it was trimmed by someone long ago, so why no love for trimmed comics if it's openly disclosed today? It is still an otherwise amazing example of a comic that survived for decades, as is. Not to mention trimming was part of the production process.

 

The main hurdle for me as a collector, because while I love the idea of pristine key comics being tossed aside and greatly devalued because an outer edge was lopped off, I just can't stomach buying them for fear of resale pitfalls, even if bought at a greatly discounted "trimmed" price.

 

Simply too much of a gamble to pay big $$ for trimmed books, but certainly one worth the risk on certain books if market perception changes in coming years.

 

 

 

edit: I have come to the conclusion that your post made my little head hurt.

[Scrooge]

The main hurdle for me as a collector, I just can't stomach buying them for fear of resale pitfalls, even if bought at a greatly discounted "trimmed" price.

 

Exactly! The marketplace might be off by paying only 25% but majority rules and it would be unwise to pay up to 50% when it's not the accepted norm.

 

I won't be the one to cast a stone though since I generally bid higher for lower grade books with good eye-appeal. I probably wouldn't be able to resell them for the same $$ to those collectors for whom the numerical grade is all that matters. You know who you are

[jimjum12]

Good material sells pretty quickly at 25%.....I was outbid on an FF 1 in 5.0 with a slight trim topside....it went for 33% of FMV. To me a trimmed book is a good move for something I would be very reluctant to resell.....a Weird Mysteries 5, a Namora 1, a Cap 74, a Subby 29....something like that. I was very interested in a slightly trimmed X-Men 4 in 9.0 that Blazing Bob had for sale at around $ 400....but I waited too long. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u (thumbs u

[Primetime]

To name some of the books that would command high prices even though trimmed.

 

Action Comics 1,7,10,13

Detective Comics 27,29,31,33,35

Marvel Mystery Comics 9

Superman 1

Batman 1

All American 16

 

(thumbs u