PGM ASM #13

[kamenliter-migration]

This is another book I've had for over thirty years. I'm thinking this is in the 8.5 area - maybe higher? The little bit of spine stress (scans are unforgiving) might hold it back. Tough with the black on the spine. The actual cover looks a bit whiter in real life than in the scan. Also thinking of submitting this one.

 

 

 

**After taking a better look at the spine, I realize it's not so great. I think the spine will definitely bring the grade down, although the rest of the book is very nice. Here are a couple of new photos I took.**

 

 

[mar-vell]

8.5 sounds about right. don't think it will hit in the 9's though. the spine ticks are just a bit too pronounced and it looks like there is a decent sized crease in the LRFC thats mostly invisible due to the white area it runs through. I can tell its a really minty book overall though so i think its better than a straight VF.

[Spidey-fan73]

IMO an 8.0, the transverse spine creases/"ticks" do hurt. Also looks like the spine corners are abraded/rounded, perhaps a reading crease most visible in the black there along the spine, LRCC and some staple stress/(or maybe tears) from the back cover scan. That said, still a great looking book!

[etanick]

nice book again! I think 8.5

[TSwift25]

I think it'd benefit from a press (logo box and back cover especially). 8.5/9.0

[kamenliter-migration]

Thanks for the feedback, folks! I'll report back if I do get it graded down the line.

[chrisco37]

Nie looking copy! Grade that puppy.

[oakman29]

8.0/8.5 submit that puppy. (thumbs u

[Hado]

I've always loved this cover, 8.5 from me.

[Spiderphill]

8.0

[Bomber-Bob]

I'm in the 8.5 camp. Beautiful book, worthy of submission.

[ROBTOTHEC]

Definitely 8.5! Possibly higher in hand.

[FineCollector]

Water droplet on the outer edge of the back cover, just above where the text starts? I'm no higher than 8.0, maybe 7.5 if they hammer the corners.

[vaillant]

As much as they could hammer the corners, this kind of minor corner wear largely allows for a VF 8.0, but I’m more with a VF+ as the others' guesses.

[ft88]

Spine - transverse lines also look to be color touched in but I may be biased given how the 1 and 14 also have that possibility. If you have no desire to sell these, I would not get them graded and even if you did want to sell them, the 13 and14 would not be worth grading if they came back as restored due to color touch. Easiest way would be to take them to a known trusted dealer with a quiet table at NYCC and ask them what they think.

 

Ed

[kamenliter-migration]

Thanks, Ed. I might just do that.

 

Yeah, I have no intention of selling these in the forseeable future. That would be a shame, though, if they were color touched, at least for future slabbing.

 

I can't recall if these were purchased from the same dealer, though, it's been many years. The #1 was acquired from Richie at Tomorrow's Treasures. Back then he was still selling comics at the Acqueduct flea market in Queens, NY, although for the #1 (and also an ASM #4, purchased at the same time) he came over the house.

 

 

[vaillant]

Richard Muchin usually states each and every defect or issue of the book. He may use different terminology ("conservation" vs. "restoration" for example) but he should have stated if they were color touched. But, again, it was 30 years ago…

Don’t know how and how much US collecting changed, maybe there wasn’t all this attention to slight color touches back then, surely they have been stygmatized a lot more by the "one takes it all" Purple label assigned by CGC, which doesn’t make any distinction between minor touches/repairs and heavy restorations.

[ft88]

Undisclosed color touch was pretty normal, though still frowned upon. It was more a matter of scale as a color touched book in 1983 might have been seen the same as if it had a pen distribution mark.

 

Plus with information for a casual collector being so limited, if you came across a nice book like these and were in the market for them, you really didn't worry about something as benign as that.

[vaillant]

Ed is giving very good advice, IMO.

 

And personally I think we should still "don't worry about something as benign as that", as far as the color touch is so tiny.

[kamenliter-migration]

Yes, he definitely didn't say anything back then if indeed it has color touch.

 

Maybe the photos or scans are misleading. I just took another look at it super close-up in various lighting angles and couldn't detect it. Unless it's in the color breaks at the spine and I'm not noticing it correctly. I'll hopefully be able to show it to an expert in person at some point later this year.