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What is the most expensive book you have ever put a tape-pull on?

Started by slym2none,

79 posts in this topic

fantastic_four

fantastic_four

Posted
Posted

I think I've only ever caused damage to one book, a copy that once was a 9.6/9.8 copy of Fantastic Four #156. Not a huge loss, but it was pretty painful since the book was so gorgeous and since I love the Dr. Doom cover a lot. :cry:

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Moondog

Moondog

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I was showing a Blue Beetle (GA) 1 to a customer at the 1979 Chicago Comicon. The perspective buyer caught the tape putting it back in the bag.

 

Arrgh - I was asking $300 for the book. :makepoint: Ended up selling it for $100 to a different guy.

 

I had a similar experience back when I had my shop. I made the customer pay full sticker

 

I remember considering doing that, but for whatever reason I didn't. But it never happened again for anything valuable as I went to open-at-the-top Mylar Snugs for big books.

 

 

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Bronty

Bronty

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Glad you never had a problem, but many an edge tear, and many a thumb crease (crescent shape top middle edge) has been created by putting books in and out of mylars. More of a damage rate than with tape I dare say! ( although the damage is a bit less dramatic)

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mysterio

mysterio

Posted
Posted
I was showing a Blue Beetle (GA) 1 to a customer at the 1979 Chicago Comicon. The perspective buyer caught the tape putting it back in the bag.

 

Arrgh - I was asking $300 for the book. :makepoint: Ended up selling it for $100 to a different guy.

 

I had a similar experience back when I had my shop. I made the customer pay full sticker

 

I remember considering doing that, but for whatever reason I didn't. But it never happened again for anything valuable as I went to open-at-the-top Mylar Snugs for big books.

 

 

This is why I always have the dealer remove books from and replace in the bag/mylar. I never want to be in that position, and if they choose to risk a tape pull that is on them with their property.

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AlexanderM

AlexanderM

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My one and only tape pull was a Strange Tales 110. It was very low grade anyway as it looked like someone had decided to use the back of it to protect their workbench while spray painting a pinewood derby car bright red.

 

Ouch.. Strange Tales 110 is still a classic book no matter the grade...

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kav

kav

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spiderman #50. I had just listed it on ebay i cant remember why but i pulled it out of the bag and the tape snagged. And I knew better-I saw a guy in a comic store accidentally do this and look around, then replace the book....I had to cancel bids rescan etc. It still bugs me.

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underthebigw

underthebigw

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When I was 15, I destroyed the sweetest SA book in my collection --a solid NM Silver Surfer 14. I've never been able to part with it and it sits in my collection to this day. I've haven't looked at it since 1980.

 

Now for the dumb-azz adult f-up story. Last year at Mega-con, I was looking at an early GA Looney Tunes file copy while yucking it up with Al Stoltz.I'm still unsure about what the hel I was doing. I NEVER leave tape on a bag. But I must have this time, and as I was re-inserting the book, the flap flipped from my hand. Al and I both gasped as the magic tape slapped firmly against the cover.

 

We both had a freaking fit. I stood in the aisle carefully using my finger-nails to pull up one corner of the tape, then SLOWLY pulled. Al coached me, shouting advice, screaming I was pulling too fast, too slow, too hard, at the wrong angle, etc. A small crowd had gathered and was mildly amused.

 

I got it off.

 

We both breathed a sigh of relief, laughed our butts off for about 2 seconds.

 

Then the flap slipped from my hand, and the tape once again became firmly attached to another spot on the cover.

 

There was much screaming, expletives flowed. Al was shouting something to the effect that in 40 years, he never saw anyone do this twice to the same book. I was literally grabbing my hair, one step away from yanking it out by the handful. The whole process started over. Yelling, screaming, careful pulling.

 

And I got it off again.

 

I ripped the tape off the bag. Then we laughed. Neither of us could believe it came off twice. (so I guess this story doesn't really belong here).

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skypinkblu

skypinkblu

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Glad you never had a problem, but many an edge tear, and many a thumb crease (crescent shape top middle edge) has been created by putting books in and out of mylars. More of a damage rate than with tape I dare say! ( although the damage is a bit less dramatic)

 

I always take tape off and put it on the back of my hand if I'm at a convention, but I once got a resealable bag stuck on the top edge (all across) of a Superman 16 on my one and only trip to the San Diego Con....I bought the book because I messed it up, but I sold it a little while later, because I couldn't bear looking at it.

 

Then I went and put my Superman 7 in a Mylar and sliced the right edge. It was graded a 6.0 with the slice, so I'm figuring it had to be 7.0 or better before...

 

Now I sandwich the book between two boards if I use a mylar...(and I've given up buying old Superman books;) It was a sign;)

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slym2none

slym2none

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Glad you never had a problem, but many an edge tear, and many a thumb crease (crescent shape top middle edge) has been created by putting books in and out of mylars. More of a damage rate than with tape I dare say! ( although the damage is a bit less dramatic)

 

I always take tape off and put it on the back of my hand if I'm at a convention, but I once got a resealable bag stuck on the top edge (all across) of a Superman 16 on my one and only trip to the San Diego Con....I bought the book because I messed it up, but I sold it a little while later, because I couldn't bear looking at it.

 

Then I went and put my Superman 7 in a Mylar and sliced the right edge. It was graded a 6.0 with the slice, so I'm figuring it had to be 7.0 or better before...

 

Now I sandwich the book between two boards if I use a mylar...(and I've given up buying old Superman books;) It was a sign;)

 

Ooh... the "Mylar Slice!" We may need a new thread...

 

:lol:

 

 

 

-slym

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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One time I bought a cheap lot of books with a Hulk 180 and 182 in them, and the seller was a taping-maniac, totally encasing the bagged comics in thick packing tape. I wasn't able to remove it all without potentially cutting the books inside, but when I carefully removed the Hulk 180, it caught on the outside of the bag and ripped a small bit off the front cover.

 

I was so pizzed with Mr Tape, that I crumpled the book up and tossed it in the garbage. :mad::mad:

 

I have never tape-pulled a book on my watch, and I always cut the tape and then reapply it.

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