Archie 1 resto

[Spiderphill]

I'm sure I'm hearing from the people who own a lot of restored books. Hey it might go for 30,000 for all I know. Not a lot to compare it to. There's always some person with deep pockets who like to throw their money at frankenstein books... I mean restored books...

I dont own one restored book. Just stating the obvious. Try watching the market

[Lost]

I think it was a good choice to restore. Pre-restoration it had some loose pieces on the spine that over time could easily tear off or 'wear' off. The restoration not only makes the book look better, it makes the book safer to handle and helps to conserve the book and prevent handling damage.

 

Slabbing is the best way to preserve, not restoration.

 

I'm reminded of a recent trip to my local comic shop and I thumbed through DC"s new golden age anthology HC book where it presented super high resolution photos of first issues from their famous golden age titles. Surprisingly these copies weren't high graded at all. Low grade and beat up. But it's then when I realized that these golden age books are artifacts, and in the "musuem" quality photos of these historic books, that despite their dirty aged appearance, the way they were looked absolutely perfect.

[mackenzie999]

Absolutely the right call. If I were in the market for an Archie 1 and had to choose between the before and after, I would buy the after. You took a cool, beat up old book and made it gorgeous.

[gadzukes]

I think it was a good choice to restore. Pre-restoration it had some loose pieces on the spine that over time could easily tear off or 'wear' off. The restoration not only makes the book look better, it makes the book safer to handle and helps to conserve the book and prevent handling damage.

 

Slabbing is the best way to preserve, not restoration.

 

I'm reminded of a recent trip to my local comic shop and I thumbed through DC"s new golden age anthology HC book where it presented super high resolution photos of first issues from their famous golden age titles. Surprisingly these copies weren't high graded at all. Low grade and beat up. But it's then when I realized that these golden age books are artifacts, and in the "musuem" quality photos of these historic books, that despite their dirty aged appearance, the way they were looked absolutely perfect.

 

Have you ever been to an antique car museum? They DO NOT leave the cars in the old beat up, dented, scratched, rusted condition. They restore the cars beautifully. Should they have left them as beat up shells? It's interesting to see an old rusted hulk of a car out in the farmers field, but you're going to want to restore it if you pull it out of the field.

[lb jefferies]

Absolutely the right call. If I were in the market for an Archie 1 and had to choose between the before and after, I would buy the after. You took a cool, beat up old book and made it gorgeous.

+1

[Lost]

Yes comic books and antique cars. The comparison goes about as good as apples and antelope.

 

You won't change my mind and I won't change yours. This is why I don't venture into the restoration topics a lot. Full of restoration lovers. I shall stay in my own world while your blustery gloating of restoration triumphs can be celebrated unimpeded.

[Ze-man]

The front cover looked great. Considering a 1.5 recently sold for almost 10,000 I might have left this alone. Now your looking about half that, but its probably not an investment right? It just makes you happier to look at?

 

There should be some type of code among people doing restoration work to save people from themselves.

 

I don't know if we have a "code" , but we turn away books all the time that people want work done on.

 

Even if they beg, and plead.(well Bob M. was an exception)

 

I even agree with you , that just because one can restore a book, does not mean it should be.

 

If Todd brought us this Archie 1 with the staple held on by even a slight whisker..we would have recommended slabbing it as is to keep it blue.

 

But it didn't.

 

It had it's 1 and only staple fully blown, as well as the centerfold.

 

It had a 5 " tear on the outer wrap spine, and serious tears and pieces missing on the cover.

 

So he had the option to either leave everything loose in a mylar, and not read the book

 

Seal, and reinforce everything so the book could at least be assembled again.

 

Or restore it enough to raise the apparent grade to offest the stigma that currently surrounds most restored books in the market.

 

He obviously chose to restore it.

 

 

It's all well and good that you have a differing opinion about what books should, or should not be restored. But to say so in a thread made by the owner of the book in question?

 

Well that's in really poor taste, and the very definition of thread crahping.

 

 

[Spiderphill]

Yes comic books and antique cars. The comparison goes about as good as apples and antelope.

 

You won't change my mind and I won't change yours. This is why I don't venture into the restoration topics a lot. Full of restoration lovers. I shall stay in my own world while your blustery gloating of restoration triumphs can be celebrated unimpeded.

So you wouldn't restore a mega key with rusting staples with staining migrating through the interior and brittle pages? You would let it deteriorate?

[Spiderphill]

The front cover looked great. Considering a 1.5 recently sold for almost 10,000 I might have left this alone. Now your looking about half that, but its probably not an investment right? It just makes you happier to look at?

 

There should be some type of code among people doing restoration work to save people from themselves.

A 2.5 restored archie brought in 6.5k last year.

[DeliBebek]

One of the things I like is how restrained a proper restoration is. There are still some missing flecks in some areas, with an understanding that some of those were no doubt printed that way. It really takes it back to an authentic off-the-press feeling.

[vaillant]

@gadzukes: I surely approve such a nice restoration. (thumbs u

What I question is: you were enjoying it before in a mylar: why entomb it now that you can read and browse it better without the fear of ruining it?

[gadzukes]

@gadzukes: I surely approve such a nice restoration. (thumbs u

What I question is: you were enjoying it before in a mylar: why entomb it now that you can read and browse it better without the fear of ruining it?

 

I enjoyed it and even read it a few times when I had it low grade & raw. Now, it's restored, looks much nicer, and I am fine "entombing" it to "preserve" it. Some day when I sell it, the next owner will be very happy I "entombed" it.

[vaillant]

 

I’ll never get this, but I understand, given the value.

 

But how much the value is now changed? I mean, it was a low grade copy and now it is so nice, but it is restored.

[Wipple]

The front cover looked great. Considering a 1.5 recently sold for almost 10,000 I might have left this alone. Now your looking about half that, but its probably not an investment right? It just makes you happier to look at?

 

There should be some type of code among people doing restoration work to save people from themselves.

 

I don't know if we have a "code" , but we turn away books all the time that people want work done on.

 

Even if they beg, and plead.(well Bob M. was an exception)

 

I even agree with you , that just because one can restore a book, does not mean it should be.

 

If Todd brought us this Archie 1 with the staple held on by even a slight whisker..we would have recommended slabbing it as is to keep it blue.

 

But it didn't.

 

It had it's 1 and only staple fully blown, as well as the centerfold.

 

It had a 5 " tear on the outer wrap spine, and serious tears and pieces missing on the cover.

 

So he had the option to either leave everything loose in a mylar, and not read the book

 

Seal, and reinforce everything so the book could at least be assembled again.

 

Or restore it enough to raise the apparent grade to offest the stigma that currently surrounds most restored books in the market.

 

He obviously chose to restore it.

 

 

It's all well and good that you have a differing opinion about what books should, or should not be restored. But to say so in a thread made by the owner of the book in question?

 

Well that's in really poor taste, and the very definition of thread crahping.

 

not crahping if the OP asked "what do you think"

[bluechip]

I'm sure I'm hearing from the people who own a lot of restored books. Hey it might go for 30,000 for all I know. Not a lot to compare it to. There's always some person with deep pockets who like to throw their money at frankenstein books... I mean restored books...

 

Your tone shows a huge predilection toward wanting people to value it less now (which is different from advising him it is valued less now).

 

I would have left that book as is, but he hasn't "destroyed" the book, either. I think he is wise to have detailed pictures of what was done to the book, and I am surprised when anti-resto guys seem to discount the desirability value of having before and after pictures -- even from the standpoint of disclosure. It's as if some of them suspect that doing things like showing before and after pictures of resto might make people less inclined to shun some of them, and they don't want that happening , no matter what -- even if it would also mean a great deal more disclosure.

[VintageComics]

It's a matter of taste and personal choice.

 

The restored book has all the pieces that it had before restoration, plus more to make it readable and appealing to the eyes.

 

If you're looking at how to value it, it should not be worth any less than what it was worth before restoration - likely it's worth at least a little more because it's not readable and appealing to look at.

 

 

 

[mackenzie999]

The whole issue of resto seems moot to me. People collect for all sorts of reasons, and for some resto is acceptable, for others it is not. When you get down to it, all that really matters is the wishes of the book's current owner.

[ft88]

Comparing a restored comic to a restored car is a bit off. I could say the same thing about applying polish to an old coin or stripping and re staining that nasty original veneer off a 18th century American furniture.

 

Agree that before and after pictures help especially when the before pictures show the books being actually pretty nice.

 

But put me in the camp not to restore a low grade complete book. Part of the charm of GA books is how they survived and if in nice shape all the better, if in low grade then pretty typical.

 

So while some may see this as a restored 55 Chevy, what I see is a beautiful Peace Morgan that somebody polished. Its just not the same and can never go back.

 

Ed

[VintageComics]

The whole issue of resto seems moot to me. People collect for all sorts of reasons, and for some resto is acceptable, for others it is not. When you get down to it, all that really matters is the wishes of the book's current owner.

 

In my opinion, the best way to see the book now is that it is what it once was plus more.

 

All of the book that was there pre resto is still there. It's just not going to fall apart any more.

 

 

[gadzukes]

When you get down to it, all that really matters is the wishes of the book's current owner.

 

And I, the owner, am very happy. And when I decide to pass the book on to someone else, while I know there will be some collectors who may not want it, there will be just as many or more collectors who will fight for it.

 

One more thought..... this book was pulled out of a barn just 15 months ago, where it was laying in a pile with about 20 other comics (including Archie 2). All the comics were rough and were disintegrating. It's actually cool to look at it now and think of where it was 15 months ago. How many more years could it have lasted in the barn? Thank God the insects didn't find it.