PGM Sub-Mariner #5

[vaillant]

Another high grade book.

Most of the stress (see bottom front cover, or the small "rip" in the back cover) looks production-related and due to cutting, but again I have little expertise on high grades.

 

Visible defects appear to be a pair of tiny color-breaking tics on the spine (and one non-color breaking) and another small area with wear. The light pink colored areas are just color which transfered from the inside cover ads.

High resolution scans provided.

 

As usual, many thanks in advance! (thumbs u

 

 

High res: http://i.imgur.com/CD7pP77.jpg

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/s81VO2H.jpg

[timfinz]

Another high grade book.

Most of the stress (see bottom front cover, or the small "rip" in the back cover) looks production-related and due to cutting, but again I have little expertise on high grades.

 

Visible defects appear to be a pair of tiny color-breaking tics on the spine (and one non-color breaking) and another small area with wear. The light pink colored areas are just color which transfered from the inside cover ads.

High resolution scans provided.

 

As usual, many thanks in advance! (thumbs u

 

Blunted corners on the back cover, maybe some cover tears lower LHS or tape pulls top LHS towards the middle as well? Several spine ticks with colour breaks, some impact damage along the lower FC and there's that damn line again! Out damn line, out!!

 

Nice book regardless and I'm thinking along the lines of 8.0 to 8.5. Again if the flaws are production related then I would push the grades up .5!

[vaillant]

What is LHS? Left hand side?

 

Yes, there is minor wear on the lower left corner, but the impact damage looks 100% production related. The spine ticks, as I explained, are two plus one non-color breaking, and there is a small color abrasion below.

 

Honestly I would not give it less than a 8.5: I have seen far worse VF+ so far, raw or slabbed.

 

Thanks for the input! (thumbs u

[timfinz]

What is LHS? Left hand side?

 

Yes, there is minor wear on the lower left corner, but the impact damage looks 100% production related. The spine ticks, as I explained, are two plus one non-color breaking, and there is a small color abrasion below.

 

Honestly I would not give it less than a 8.5: I have seen far worse VF+ so far, raw or slabbed.

 

Thanks for the input! (thumbs u

 

Yes LHS = Left Hand Side

 

Okay here's where the large scans get tricky. I counted five (5) spine ticks with colour breaks. Now are all of them visible with the naked eye? I don't know because I don't have the book in hand. But here are the ones I see from the large scan:

 

1). 'M' in Marvel (Title Block)

2). Midway between the second and third water lines (might even be two there)

3). Midway between the third and fourth water lines

4). At the fifth water line

5). Where the dark and light blue colour of the rock meet

 

This is what I mean about the large scans. You see alot more than you do with the naked eye and sometimes it looks an awful lot worse than it really is.

 

If the other flaws are production related then I agree in bumping the grade but I am not sure how CGC determines what is and isn't production damage! I would submit it and see where they grade it! But overall it's a gorgeous book!

[vaillant]

Yes, it’s the same problem I have, but since I am a graphic designer and accustomed to scanning, I can see how the scanner light tends to highlight defects which would not be visible.

 

The spine ticks in this #5 are worse than those on #6, which are barely visible, but I assure you that the color-breaking ones are really subtle.

 

This one, for example:

 

3). Midway between the third and fourth water lines

 

is actually non-color breaking, and this gives you an idea on how all are magnified because of the scanner light, which is grazing and "casts a shadow", so to speak.

 

I would like to grade some books whenever I could decide to sell them, but it would be pretty much impractical from there, so if I decide, I may wait to have some, and ask some US friend to act as a facilitator for those.

But in general, I like to buy and even sell books raw.

[Hado]

I'm right at the 8.5/9.0 mark, nice book with a great cover (thumbs u

[vaillant]

Thanks Glenn – I am a late Subby discoverer but I have had these books in my collection for over 20 years! (thumbs u

 

Now I must read them all, after I have filled the gaps. That’s a great and undervalued series, especially after the more obvious first issues with "expected" undersea villains like the Tiger Shark or the Orka.

[marvelcollector]

9.0

[SkinnerSweet]

Looks like a solid 8.5

[Wilson3d]

I think this is a 9.0 at least.

[ROBTOTHEC]

Blunted corners on the back cover, maybe some cover tears lower LHS or tape pulls top LHS towards the middle as well? Several spine ticks with colour breaks, some impact damage along the lower FC and there's that damn line again! Out damn line, out!!

 

Nice book regardless and I'm thinking along the lines of 8.0 to 8.5. Again if the flaws are production related then I would push the grades up .5!

 

+1 That lower left corner!! 8.0

[Jaylam]

I have a 9.4 of this book and this one is very close, but I'd say low end is 8.5 and high is 9.2.

The first 20 or so issues of this Sub-Mariner run are really well done, excellent stories and art and some really great covers too. Very much undervalued and overlooked as far as I'm concerned.

[vaillant]

Yes, in the end it looks like a VFNM to me. Too much minor wear to be a full NM, but not enough for a VF – your copy is surely better, although I have a deslabbed FF in 9.2 which looks flawless.