Is there restoration in this comic

[wongseefu]

Hi, l've had this comic for a while now, about 10 years. Recently l took it out of storage as l noticed the condition of the comic was looking worst than before. To keep the story short, the plan was to have it evaluated by an expert to see if it needs any restoration to keep its condition or improve upon it.

 

However, after opening the bag there is noticeably a chemically smell which compared to other comics did not exist.

 

There are obviously damage which was noticed such as overall wear and tear, chippings of the edges of the comic, color of the comic noticeably fading, slight fanning of the pages, spine wear etc.

 

What worries me is that throughout the comic, colour of various spiderman drawings, certain backgrounds and bold lettering, all have really unusually sharp/bold colours. It literally looks like someone has coloured in the pictures of the comic by hand and outlined the lettering with a pen.

 

Attached is some pictures, any advice would be appreciated. Apologies on the quality of the photos, l don't have access to a scanner just now.

 

http://s1332.photobucket.com/user/sherkieboy/slideshow/

 

If possible l was wondering if any experts here could advise me

- roughly what grade this comic is

- whether restoration has been applied

- what options do l have if it has been restore or not.

 

In the near future, l would like to cgc this comic and keep in my collection but if it has been restored, that might change.

 

Regards,

Wong

[wongseefu]

For example, the colour of the lettering in 'SPIDERMAN vs THE CHAMELEON!' seems very suspicious. Firstly, the lettering for spiderman looks very artificial to me and the outline of the chameleon does raise suspicion that its been further outlined with a black or blue pen.

 

In another photo, you can see this spiderman drawing has red ink even outside the outlines on the border of the drawing.

 

That is just what l can see but l'm sure there are many other things that l have missed.

 

Any advice would be appreciated,

 

PS: A huge thanks for gaz973 for helping me with so many aspects of comic collecting and making me feel so welcomed to this forum.

 

Regards,

Wong

[Tony S]

Check along the spine - especially along the black line on the spine. Collectors would often use a pin or a marker to try to fill in any color breaks there. Open the front cover up and look for any bleed through

 

Your pictures aren't sharp enough to know for certain - I think what I see along the spine is just paper tears, not bleed through. Based on the pics you've posted up I don't see any obvious restoration.

 

The chemical smell is just the result of being stored for years in a cheap poly bag. Let the book air out a few days and store it in something more archival. Mylar and a good backing board.

 

It's not unusual to see ink outside the borders of the lines, especially on interior (newsprint) pages. Called justification I think. Comics were printed cheap and quick back in the day. Better to look and see if you can make out the dot pattern from the printing. With a good magnifying glass you can see the dots of colors except on the dark colors.

 

Grade - looks about 3.0 to me

 

Not to state the obvious - but you have a pence (UK) edition of the book. Distributed in England.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[faster friends]

While by no means an expert, I have an opinion.

 

I don't think there is any restoration on your book. I would not put any money into this book if I were you. Send it to CGC and it is what it is. Spend your money on a nicer copy.

 

I just don't think it is worth enough to restore (I have no idea how much a 3.0 pence Spider-man #1 is worth). Welcome to the boards

[wongseefu]

While by no means an expert, I have an opinion.

 

I don't think there is any restoration on your book. I would not put any money into this book if I were you. Send it to CGC and it is what it is. Spend your money on a nicer copy.

 

I just don't think it is worth enough to restore (I have no idea how much a 3.0 pence Spider-man #1 is worth). Welcome to the boards

 

Thanks, l mite just do that. There is a comic con next week in Glasgow, Scotland. So l mite just take it down for someone to confirm this, to put my mind at ease.

 

After looking at this it this morning, l was certain there were parts restored. However, l've only really looked under 10 unslabbed comics up close up in my time as a collector, so l'm basically a nub

 

Regards,

Wong

[Tony S]

While by no means an expert, I have an opinion.

 

I don't think there is any restoration on your book. I would not put any money into this book if I were you. Send it to CGC and it is what it is. Spend your money on a nicer copy.

 

I just don't think it is worth enough to restore (I have no idea how much a 3.0 pence Spider-man #1 is worth). Welcome to the boards

 

The last 3.0 CGC graded UK edition recorded sold on GPA was May 2011 for $1094. That is about 1/2 what the 2011 average sales price was for American editions

 

In the last couple of years, the average sales price for a 3.0 ASM 1 has gone up to around $2700. So a UK edition has likely gone up in price the same percentage.

 

Prices on the UK editions vary more. I've seen UK editions go for more like 70% of the American editions. My perception is they are slowly gaining more acceptance amongst collectors.

 

 

[Green]

A chemical smell is indicative of a cleaned cover. How does the cover feel, is it smooth like other comics, or is slightly rougher ?

[wongseefu]

The smell could be that its kept in the poly bag for the past 10 years and not been opened, l'm not so sure if its that or due to a cleaned cover but when l opened my daredevil no.1 to take pictures there was no such odour. This odour is very chemically, l'm just not sure what to think.

 

The cover doesn't feel anyway different, apart from the color which l said is fading in part but in other areas if feels colour is very sharp in other areas e.g. spiderman drawings.

 

Apologies for the very crappy mobile taken photos.

 

With my current experience of comics, theres no way to know other than just guessing. I'll probrably take it to a comic shop and ask someone.

 

 

[Tony S]

The smell could be that its kept in the poly bag for the past 10 years and not been opened, l'm not so sure if its that or due to a cleaned cover but when l opened my daredevil no.1 to take pictures there was no such odour. This odour is very chemically, l'm just not sure what to think.

 

The cover doesn't feel anyway different, apart from the color which l said is fading in part but in other areas if feels colour is very sharp in other areas e.g. spiderman drawings.

 

Apologies for the very crappy mobile taken photos.

 

With my current experience of comics, theres no way to know other than just guessing. I'll probrably take it to a comic shop and ask someone.

 

 

As someone who has purchased, rebagged and sold hundreds of collections of old books stored in polybags for a decade, the chemical smell is certain to only be a result of old newsprint sitting in polybags. Very, very common.

 

The cover hasn't been cleaned chemically - at least by anyone that knows what they are doing. You can see that the cover is dirty and has a small stain or two.

[Green]

The smell could be that its kept in the poly bag for the past 10 years and not been opened, l'm not so sure if its that or due to a cleaned cover but when l opened my daredevil no.1 to take pictures there was no such odour. This odour is very chemically, l'm just not sure what to think.

 

The cover doesn't feel anyway different, apart from the color which l said is fading in part but in other areas if feels colour is very sharp in other areas e.g. spiderman drawings.

 

Apologies for the very crappy mobile taken photos.

 

With my current experience of comics, theres no way to know other than just guessing. I'll probrably take it to a comic shop and ask someone.

 

 

the chemical smell is certain to only be a result of old newsprint sitting in polybags.

 

Not true at all. Strong chemical smells can be caused by a myriad of things, from cleaned covers, lightened interior pages or even tape removaI. Sure it could be an old polybag. Color fading and randomly missing ink are also indicators of a (poor) cleaning job. I notice several spots of random missing ink, like to the right of thing and again at the bottom of the shoe ad on the back.

 

Im not saying the cover has been cleaned. Heck, it probably hasnt, im just trying to provide a few possibilities.

[PovertyRow]

Wongsee,

 

I don;t see anything suspicious as far as restoration. Some of the coloration is due to either lighting (as you get to the right edge the bend makes things darker) or just the printing process (some of the red coming outside the lines on Spidey.

 

Now when you say "chemical smell", is is like a vinegar smell?

[wongseefu]

Not full on vinegar smell, but a sharp smell similar to it l would say.The distinctive smells is like old cheap colouring pens.

[PovertyRow]

Not full on vinegar smell, but a sharp smell similar to it l would say.The distinctive smells is like old cheap colouring pens.

 

If it is a similar smell (it is not exactly vinegar smell but acetic acid) it is not uncommon for books as the PQ is starting to get more acid. Enclosed long term storage in plastic can indeed contribute to that. It is one reason I feel the first thing to do before even checking over a book is to open it and give it the sniff test.

 

I know I am not alone in this - there are many comic book sniffers here!

[wongseefu]

What should l do then, should l swap the poly bag for mylar bags straight away?

 

If it is getting more acid , what should l do . I'm scared now.

[DamageInc-migration]

If it is getting more acid , what should l do . I'm scared now.

 

Alright, Wong, just listen. Everything is going to be fine. You're very high right now. You will probably be that way for about five more hours. Try taking some vitamin B complex, vitamin C complex... if you have a beer, go ahead and drink it. Just remember you're a living organism on this planet, and you're very safe. You've just taken a heavy drug. Relax, stay inside and listen to some music, okay? Do you have any Allman Brothers?

 

 

 

 

[Tony S]

What should l do then, should l swap the poly bag for mylar bags straight away?

 

If it is getting more acid , what should l do . I'm scared now.

 

As mentioned earlier, just set book out, let it air out a day or two, then bag and board it in something more archival. A buffered backing board and a mylar bag would be great. The page quality didn't look bad from your pics, it will be fine.

 

 

[PovertyRow]

What should l do then, should l swap the poly bag for mylar bags straight away?

 

If it is getting more acid , what should l do . I'm scared now.

 

As mentioned earlier, just set book out, let it air out a day or two, then bag and board it in something more archival. A buffered backing board and a mylar bag would be great. The page quality didn't look bad from your pics, it will be fine.

 

 

Did not mean to scare you. As Tony says, a new good mylar or mylite 2 and a buffered backing board will help. It is a common smell and does not mean your book will fall apart in a week!

[JollyComics]

You opened the bag for the first time in ten years. Probably that fume made you high. Don't worry about that if I were you. It's unheard of anyone to restore ASM #1 in Pence or UK edition.

 

Why don't you bring it over to CGC at the comic convention? They will tell you everything.

[PovertyRow]

It's unheard of anyone to restore ASM #1 in Pence or UK edition.

 

It is not at all unheard of. The CGC census shows three restored pence copies. I'm sure there are many more out there. But this one does not seem to be amoung them.

[DiceX]

Could be mothballs.

I have a book that the mothball smell would knock you over when you pulled it out of the bag.

I've had it in a sealed bowl full of rice and baking soda for almost two months trying to suck the smell out of it.

It's better, but still quite potent.