whattabout tanning?

[shadroch]

Need some opinons,please.

I'm looking at a small group(30 or so) of 12cent comics mostly Marvel. They are in real nice shape,covers would appear Very Fine plus or better,some making an NM appearence. However they all have excessive tanning,mostly confined to the the inide front cover. On most of the books,the cover isn't really noticibly affected,but a few of the white covers have a yellowy appearence(Spidey 47,66 and Avengers50,53).

The pages are mostly creamish with only one or two having tan pages. None are brittle. How badly would you hit an otherwise VF 12cent book for this defect.

Also,one(Spidey 50) has some waterstains on back cover that go thru to the inside back cover. There is no ripple effect and it doesn't show up on the inside pages. This one has a VF front cover and offwhite-cream pages.

Most non-white covers have retained most of their gloss and they look great in mylars,its just the inside covers of most of these books that perplex me.

[Murph]

Unless they're discounted, I'd pass. I recently sent a couple books in to CGC with minor amounts of tanning on the spine of the back cover. Both books were downgraded somewhat significantly (IMO) for the tanning.

 

Brian

[r100comics]

CGC come down hard on tanning. Expect a full grade deduction, from NM to VF, if the tanning is pronounced and extends around the entire perimeter of both interior covers.

[FFB]

Unless they're discounted, I'd pass. I recently sent a couple books in to CGC with minor amounts of tanning on the spine of the back cover. Both books were downgraded somewhat significantly (IMO) for the tanning.

 

Brian

 

Ditto, if you're a high grade collector looking for top resale value. Tanning kills a book. Cream to Off White pages on a non-Golden Age book will usually result in a reduction of the selling price by 25 to 40% or more in some cases. Light Tan pages would be the kiss of death.

 

The water stain on the back of ASM#50 could take it down to VG unless it is very small.

 

If you're looking for nice structural copies to fill in a run, then go for it if the price is right. But if you're looking for investment purposes, as Brian said, I'd pass unless the price is severely discounted.

[shadroch]

Do you think an otherwise VF book would grade out and sell at a VG price?Seller is looking for 60% of VG. I think its a pretty fair deal but am not in love with the page quality. I'd be buying to flip,so thats why I'm looking for opinions.

[Murph]

That'd be a good price. I don't think C-OW pages detract the value of the book that much unless there's tanning shown when in a slab. C-OW pages don't necessarily (and often don't) mean the book is tanning. Keep in mind my last two books with tanning had page qualities of off-white and white.

A solid VF with tanning would probably be downgraded to a F/VF or VF-. If the tanning is heavy then expect it to go down to about a F+.

 

Brian

[divad]

Do you think an otherwise VF book would grade out and sell at a VG price?Seller is looking for 60% of VG. I think its a pretty fair deal but am not in love with the page quality. I'd be buying to flip,so thats why I'm looking for opinions.

 

Sounds like a good price - but the water stain is always a killer - but hey it's ASM #50, and if the front cover is as nice as you say - you will always find a buyer. Just put large scans in your ad, and a thorough description.

[FFB]

Do you think an otherwise VF book would grade out and sell at a VG price?Seller is looking for 60% of VG. I think its a pretty fair deal but am not in love with the page quality. I'd be buying to flip,so thats why I'm looking for opinions.

 

That's a pretty good discount. If the books are in solid structural condition, maybe I'd do it as a flip. How severe is the tanning? Would the pages actually grade out as Light Tan? If they would, then 60% of VG for an otherwise structural VF might be FMV for the book.

[FFB]

That'd be a good price. I don't think C-OW pages detract the value of the book that much unless there's tanning shown when in a slab. C-OW pages don't necessarily (and often don't) mean the book is tanning. Keep in mind my last two books with tanning had page qualities of off-white and white.

A solid VF with tanning would probably be downgraded to a F/VF or VF-. If the tanning is heavy then expect it to go down to about a F+.

 

Brian

 

Hey Brian:

 

My experience with C-OW pages has been very different from yours. I find that C-OW pages really hammers the sale price of a silver age or later book. A lot of big-dollar silver age collectors won't even bid on books with C-OW pages, and when guys like that won't bid on a book, it will inevitably result in a vastly lower sale price.

 

Having said that, with a VF- or lower book, it may be less of a problem. But for 8.5 and above, it is a definite killer.

 

FFB

[shadroch]

Using those old OWL cards,the pages come in creamish . Only two hit the tan-brown scope. I've been told this scale is outdated,but until I see a better one,its what I use.

If these were top dollar key books,I'd be alot more hesitant but I think there will be interest in the $20-60 range.

Its a shame they tanned on the inside covers because a few-Spidey 86,Daredevil 43 are just amazing strictly going by the covers.

Thanks for all the help. Collection is now mine.

[Murph]

Regardless, C-OW can't be used directly as a measure to tell if a book is tanning. You have to look at the book itself. I've got a couple C-OW books that would be the equivalent of OWL 7's, no tanning to be found. And hey, if people want to give me good deals on books because they're only looking at the labels that is more than fine with me!

 

Brian

[FFB]

Regardless, C-OW can't be used directly as a measure to tell if a book is tanning. You have to look at the book itself. I've got a couple C-OW books that would be the equivalent of OWL 7's, no tanning to be found. And hey, if people want to give me good deals on books because they're only looking at the labels that is more than fine with me!

 

Brian

 

Brian:

 

I was referring to "tanning" of the pages (darkening of PQ), not tanning strips along the edges of the cover. My fault for being imprecise with concepts that are different. You are right that PQ has little or nothing to do with whether there will be visible tanning strips along the edges of the cover. Oftentimes there will be both (since both result from acid hydrolysis), but not always as cover and interior paper stocks were different from one another.

 

I do find that C-OW PQ has a huge impact on the saleability of high grade silver age and later books though. Edge tanning seems to have less of an impact, as long as the PQ is OW or better. Strange, isn't it, that the more visible defect will have less of an impact on the price?