THIS MONDAY RESTORATION EXPERT SUSAN CICCONI ON THE COMIC ZONE!

[Mushroom]

As always doc you try and be as pedantic as possible. I did not quote him saying that it was pressing, it was my judgement call and belief that is why i said i.e.

 

In this world we are allowed to make our own deductions from the information provided.

[drbanner]

As always doc you try and be as pedantic as possible. I did not quote him saying that it was pressing, it was my judgement call and belief that is why i said i.e.

 

In this world we are allowed to make our own deductions from the information provided.

 

Ok, I figured you were putting words in Matt's mouth but I thought I'd confirm it with you!

[Matt Nelson]

Actually, I wish we had taken phone calls. Vinnie told me after the show that his producer did not notify him of any calls that came through. He said this happened when Todd Macfarlane was on. Hard to believe...! I hope to be on again in the future. It was a lot of fun.

 

For the record, I have never worked for Heritage. They are a client of mine, as most major dealers have been at one time or another. I am not bound by any rules Heritage has set forth for their employees.

 

They are treated the same as I treat all of my other clients. Privacy is paramount, as it would be for anybody on these boards who used my services. Services which, by the way, are not a big secret. Anybody who wants to inquire about them, by all means, call me.

 

drbanner, the purpose of Vinnie's radio show was to discuss issues concerning restoration and related issues, not to get into the personal side of my business. If you have any questions regarding this, you're more than welcome to contact me.

 

Matt Nelson

[Mushroom]

As always doc you try and be as pedantic as possible. I did not quote him saying that it was pressing, it was my judgement call and belief that is why i said i.e.

 

In this world we are allowed to make our own deductions from the information provided.

 

Ok, I figured you were putting words in Matt's mouth but I thought I'd confirm it with you!

 

That's the point doc.....i didn't. I don't know how you do it in the states but where I come from the use of i.e. (that is) is used as a means of interpreting the previous sentence.

[Mushroom]

So Matt.....of all the work that you have done this year what % would be attributed to non disassembly pressing?

[Matt Nelson]

Very interesting that he stated that in his early years he was doing major resto of keys but most of his work lately is less involved.....i.e. pressing.

 

Did he really say that a lot of his recent work has involved "pressing"? I heard that segment about the types of work he's doing now versus then, but I didn't hear him actually say "pressing", did you?

 

I did find it curious that he basically disavowed all his "early" resto work - I wonder what books he fooked up?? A friend of mine showed me a Hulk 6 that he had restored by someone advertising out of OS (I believe), and basically the whole front cover appeared to have been redrawn and painted, a total frankenstein book!!

 

Luckily, I didn't "" up many. It was mostly beat up books, like Detective #45, Whiz #7 and a few Silver Age books. Nobody was going to hand me an Action #1 at that point. But I will say the materials used where archival, and the work can be improved! I never trimmed anything, or used unsafe materials. And I never "painted" a book, unless it was trashed (poor).

[Matt Nelson]

So Matt.....of all the work that you have done this year what % would be attributed to non disassembly pressing?

 

I won't disclose that. But I will say that the demand for non disassembly pressing is more now than it has been in the past.

[nearmint]

Vince was right when he said you guys could have talked for 2-3 hours. The time just flew by.

[Matt Nelson]

Vince was right when he said you guys could have talked for 2-3 hours. The time just flew by.

 

Yeah, I really hope he has me on again. I could have talked a lot longer. There's still a lot of issues to discuss.

[jbud73]

So Matt.....of all the work that you have done this year what % would be attributed to non disassembly pressing?

 

I won't disclose that. But I will say that the demand for non disassembly pressing is more now than it has been in the past.

 

I wonder why that is.........

[PovertyRow]

If the fingers can't simply roll something back to what it once was, then the structure IS being impacted by greater force or greater force and heat, which WILL modify the existing structure.

 

All the Mile High pedigrees were in such beautiful condition because Edgar Church had stored them in such a way that the weight of the piles of comics on top of them kept the books pressed perfectly flat and even. Not his finger, but huge heavy piles artificially flattening them down.

 

So that counts as pressing.

 

Hee heee,

 

Are all the Mile Highs "restored"

 

No, it does not count as pressing and I am SO sick of this ancient "argument" being offered as if it were some unique gem being uttered for the first time! The statement shows a lack of real understanding about restoration (to everyone who has said it to me, not just Ian).

 

Pressing is designed to UNDO SOMETHING. A crease, a spine roll etc. The Church books most likely did not suffer such defects - so there was nothing to undo.

 

The stacks of the CHruch books preserved the condition of the books. I seriously doubt the books started as creased, spine rolled etc etc etc.

 

That is the real core difference that few people seem to either understand or accept. It is why I say pressing IS restoration. Because it is designed to alter the book. Some folks pressing say it is not because nothing is "added" to the book, and their view of restoration requires something being added like color or paper etc. Where THIS idea came from I have no idea but it is pretty scary.

 

I thank you.

[*paull*]

POV

[drbanner]

Actually, I wish we had taken phone calls. Vinnie told me after the show that his producer did not notify him of any calls that came through. He said this happened when Todd Macfarlane was on. Hard to believe...! I hope to be on again in the future. It was a lot of fun.

 

For the record, I have never worked for Heritage. They are a client of mine, as most major dealers have been at one time or another. I am not bound by any rules Heritage has set forth for their employees.

 

They are treated the same as I treat all of my other clients. Privacy is paramount, as it would be for anybody on these boards who used my services. Services which, by the way, are not a big secret. Anybody who wants to inquire about them, by all means, call me.

 

drbanner, the purpose of Vinnie's radio show was to discuss issues concerning restoration and related issues, not to get into the personal side of my business. If you have any questions regarding this, you're more than welcome to contact me.

 

Matt Nelson

 

Hey Matt - good show, make plans for a return!

 

Thanks for clarifying your relationship with Heritage, it seems many here, myself included, were under the impression you were a Heritage employee. Do they have any "restorers" working for them currently?

 

Let me ask you a question about removing cover translucency - are you aware of anyone that has been able to solvent wash a cover to remove the oils contributing to translucency without removing the cover from the interior? If you have seen the "before/after" scans of that Amazing Fantasy 15 that was upgraded from a 5.5 to a 7.0, it appears as though the translucency has been dramatically reduced. I wish CGC would use darker colored microchamber paper to help reduce the scan-worsened translucency effect you get with the bright white paper they currently use...maybe someday?

[Ian_Levine]

Luckily, I didn't "" up many. It was mostly beat up books, like Detective #45, Whiz #7 and a few Silver Age books. Nobody was going to hand me an Action #1 at that point. But I will say the materials used where archival, and the work can be improved! I never trimmed anything, or used unsafe materials. And I never "painted" a book, unless it was trashed (poor).

 

 

I can hold up my hand and attest that my Detective 27 looked like a rag till Matt lovingly restored it, and turned it into a restored VF. Harley saw it and his mouth fell open. It is perhaps the most beautiful object that I own. No-one, including Susan Cicconi, could have done a better job. Ten out of ten.

 

As for the speed of finishing my facsimile Double Action 1s, now that's a different story.

[fantastic_four]

For the record, I have never worked for Heritage. They are a client of mine, as most major dealers have been at one time or another. I am not bound by any rules Heritage has set forth for their employees.

 

They are treated the same as I treat all of my other clients. Privacy is paramount, as it would be for anybody on these boards who used my services. Services which, by the way, are not a big secret. Anybody who wants to inquire about them, by all means, call me.

 

What made you end up not working on-staff at Heritage? Back in 2002 Heritage actually sent out one of their newsletters via email announcing that they had brought you in as an employee, but I noticed you never made it into their catalogs or onto their web site along with the Heritage Comics names like Petty, Jaster, etc. Shortly after the email newsletter, you moved to Dallas, Texas. Because of the newsletter and move, I just assumed you were on-staff and was surprised to learn a few months later that you weren't.

 

There have been many-a-conspiracy-theory bandied about around here that Heritage thought better of bringing a pro restorer officially on staff given the amount of resubmitting they do and the ire this raises in many collectors...

[Matt Nelson]

If the fingers can't simply roll something back to what it once was, then the structure IS being impacted by greater force or greater force and heat, which WILL modify the existing structure.

 

All the Mile High pedigrees were in such beautiful condition because Edgar Church had stored them in such a way that the weight of the piles of comics on top of them kept the books pressed perfectly flat and even. Not his finger, but huge heavy piles artificially flattening them down.

 

So that counts as pressing.

 

Hee heee,

 

Are all the Mile Highs "restored"

 

No, it does not count as pressing and I am SO sick of this ancient "argument" being offered as if it were some unique gem being uttered for the first time! The statement shows a lack of real understanding about restoration (to everyone who has said it to me, not just Ian).

 

Pressing is designed to UNDO SOMETHING. A crease, a spine roll etc. The Church books most likely did not suffer such defects - so there was nothing to undo.

 

The stacks of the CHruch books preserved the condition of the books. I seriously doubt the books started as creased, spine rolled etc etc etc.

 

That is the real core difference that few people seem to either understand or accept. It is why I say pressing IS restoration. Because it is designed to alter the book. Some folks pressing say it is not because nothing is "added" to the book, and their view of restoration requires something being added like color or paper etc. Where THIS idea came from I have no idea but it is pretty scary.

 

I thank you.

 

I mentioned this in the interview...you're saying the intent is what seperates the Mile High book pressings from someone doing it today. You are totally correct in this. But when grading a book, CGC has no way of knowing for sure the motive behind that book. They only see what's in front of them. And if the book is pressed safely and correctly (i.e. no signs of pressing), then they cannot assume any motive behind it, and must grade it as it is.

 

If there are tell-tale signs someone has pressed the book, it has been pressed incorrectly, and will receive a purple label.

[fantastic_four]

I mentioned this in the interview...you're saying the intent is what seperates the Mile High book pressings from someone doing it today. You are totally correct in this. But when grading a book, CGC has no way of knowing for sure the motive behind that book. They only see what's in front of them. And if the book is pressed safely and correctly (i.e. no signs of pressing), then they cannot assume any motive behind it, and must grade it as it is.

 

If there are tell-tale signs someone has pressed the book, it has been pressed incorrectly, and will receive a purple label.

 

Is someone TELLING CGC they pressed a book a tell-tale sign? Courts of law seem to accept that, but CGC just sort of ignores it...

[Ze-man]

If there are tell-tale signs someone has pressed the book, it has been pressed incorrectly, and will receive a purple label.

 

 

Hey Mat.. Welcome to the boards.

 

And my question is..

What if the book was just stored improperly over the years..?

If the Church books we stored correctly,and benifited from this storage method..then how can we know if a book was just improperly pressed by a person, or just stored improperly in a stack for many years..similar to the Church Books?

Because that means a book could then recieve a PLOD for just being stored incorrectly?

 

Does that make sense?

 

Or are there tell tale signs a book was badly pressed, vs bad storage methods?

 

Ze-

[Darthdiesel]

Privacy is paramount, as it would be for anybody on these boards who used my services.

 

This is what I've been getting at before, and some of you misconstrued it for your own agenda that dealers are deceptive by nature and want to hide something in order to screw over their customers for more money.

[comicwiz]

If there are tell-tale signs someone has pressed the book, it has been pressed incorrectly, and will receive a purple label.

 

Hey Matt

 

Welcome to the boards. I've been following your research on pedigrees since I found out about them about a year ago. I'm glad someone is keeping the information and history on them alive.

 

I have one question for you: why won't restorers guarantee a press job? More specifically, guaranteeing that the book won't revert back to its original pre-pressed state.