Can spines still get bent while IN the slab?

[Brian48]

I just noticed on some of my 9.6 books that there are some color breaking creases along the spine. One was a relatively cheap Batman 404 so I've never paid attention to it until now. The other is my new Conan #1, although in this case, the creases/folds are not color breaking and it's on the back cover only.

 

I know there's a little bit of flexibility with the slab, but I can't imagine that it would bend that much that it would cause these little "fold" marks WITHOUT causing tell tail damage to the slab as well. The slabs look fine too me. I surmise that either the book got damaged at one time while still in the slab or it was probably missed during grading.

 

Or on the other hand, my opinion of what a 9.6 is supposed to be may be a little off, in which case I'm OK with it. It wasn't all that long ago that I found out color breaking spine creases on 9.4s are acceptable so long as they are not large or numerous.

 

 

 

[Iceman399]

was a thread earlier.

 

9.8's can have spine creases in them...so imagine a 9.6 can have 1-2 maybe 3

[slym2none]

9.8s shouldn't have colour-breaking creases. One, maybe two NCB ticks at best. IMHO, a 9.6 shouldn't have colour-breaks either. CGC's MMV.

 

 

 

-slym

[Brian48]

OK. So maybe then its possible that this is within specs then. Just caught me off guard as the creases really stood out when viewed from an angle. The corners are really sharp with both books though. I guess this is what differentiates a 9.6 from a 9.4, as some of my 9.4s have these minor creases as well, but they have softer corners.

[Bosco685]

OK. So maybe then its possible that this is within specs then. Just caught me off guard as the creases really stood out when viewed from an angle. The corners are really sharp with both books though. I guess this is what differentiates a 9.6 from a 9.4, as some of my 9.4s have these minor creases as well, but they have softer corners.

 

I've had slabbed books that when viewed without a spotlight looked great. But then once I viewed them under a spotlight, I noticed the defects which made the difference between the next higher grade and the current grade.

[slym2none]

Very bright light is your friend when grading. I have a 150-watt bulb ( ) in a light meant for a drafting table, one on an articulated arm that I can bring as close to the book as I want.

 

Of course, not too close, as that bulb can start fires with the heat it throws off. That sucker is BRIGHT!

 

 

 

-slym

 

[Bomber-Bob]

Regarding the NCB creases on the Back Cover, an inner well wedge would have helped. If it bothers you, send it back for a reholder, asking for a wedge.

[Brian48]

Its not that it bothers me (Well, maybe just a bit with the Bats 404), its just that I wasn't sure if the slab had been bent and the book was damaged post-encapsulation. From the gist of the feedback, it seems that these little issues were already there when the books were graded and CGC found them acceptable. The slabs are not bullet proof by any means, but I was hoping they'd at least provide a little bit protection from any rough handling that might bend the book. Or at the very least make it very obvious with the slab cracking or frosting in the appropriate places. I'm assuming CGC is like PSA in that the slabs are tamper evident and not tamper proof.

[CKB]

The defects you have shown in the pictures seem, to me, to be very consistent with a 9.6 bronze age book.

[THE_BEYONDER]

Any appearance of impact on the top/bottom spine?

[The Kaptain]

In answer to your original question, I do not believe that this spine damage happened while the book was in the slab.

 

The slab would crack before it bent enough to bend the comic within it.