Avengers #57 High-Grade trimmed?

[JakeM]

Pondering a purchase from a local dealer. Beautiful Avengers 57, but in comparison to other copies of the book, doesn't look like a miscut to me and looks trimmed on the top and/or bottom edges. Anyone care to share their opinion? Best pictures I can get at the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks in advance!

[Mystafo]

Color touch on the spine? Top edge does look a little wavy...could be the pics tho.

[DR.X]

I'm cringing a the way you are holding that book and your fingers on the outside edge.

[joe_collector]

I'm cringing a the way you are holding that book and your fingers on the outside edge.

 

Same here. and that top corner is not looking too good.

[Hulksdaddy1]

Based on other images of the book, I'd say that was trimmed. 99.99% sure.

[Artboy99]

I am not sure about trimming, but I see definite color touch. Do not buy the book.

[The-Collector]

I don't know about trimming which is really hard to tell from scans but it 100% has CT on the spine.

[JakeM]

In my defence, not me holding the book! That's the dealer.

Wavy, but it's not terrible. I can never detect colour touch, so thanks for pointing that out. Trimming really does seem likely, but I'd hope it's just a miscut. Either way, won't be taking a chance on this at the price he's asking. Shame...

Thanks so much for the help, guys!

[Artboy99]

Here is my cgc 9.2 to compare to.

 

Definitely seems to be a lot of top missing. In the side bar look at Giant-Man's antenna and compare yet the bottom of the books are similar.

 

Yes I say trimmed as well. Avoid completely.

[Lazyboy]

In my defence, not me holding the book! That's the dealer.

 

Well, there you go. Never buy high value books (at least not for FMV) from dealers who don't know how to handle them properly.

[bighairjer]

Wow that book has been lopped plus at least one spot of crappy CT. Yikes, what a waste. Run, and don't ever return to that place if the seller was trying to hook you as an unrestored/unaltered copy.

[JakeM]

Wow that book has been lopped plus at least one spot of crappy CT. Yikes, what a waste. Run, and don't ever return to that place if the seller was trying to hook you as an unrestored/unaltered copy.

 

We'll see. He's been a trusted source in the past, and we may have to stop dealing with him. Shame, because he some beautiful books besides this resto'd and cut one.

[Phicks]

With regards to trimming, were all comics from the same printing plant and the same era exactly the same size, to the millimeter? One would think the cutting blades at the plant would be pre-set at an exact size. But is it instead a case that the blades could vary by half an inch depending on who set them that day?

[Artboy99]

Wow that book has been lopped plus at least one spot of crappy CT. Yikes, what a waste. Run, and don't ever return to that place if the seller was trying to hook you as an unrestored/unaltered copy.

 

We'll see. He's been a trusted source in the past, and we may have to stop dealing with him. Shame, because he some beautiful books besides this resto'd and cut one.

 

I would just simply advise the seller that the book has color touch. He may not have seen it. I am usually a good detector of color touch but I have missed it before. Give the seller the benefit of the doubt to make good.

 

Left of the Black Panther on the spine is a spine tick filled in with red that I can definitely see. Is likely to be other spine ticks filled in as well. Most amatuer color touch is done with a marker that will bleed through so you can ask to have the seller open the book and look at the offending area from inside. I am pretty sure you will see red blotches from ink bleed through on the inside front cover.

[Lazyboy]

With regards to trimming, were all comics from the same printing plant and the same era exactly the same size, to the millimeter? One would think the cutting blades at the plant would be pre-set at an exact size. But is it instead a case that the blades could vary by half an inch depending on who set them that day?

Not all copies of the same issue are cut the same (height, width or registration), let alone the same month, same year or same era. But the differences are generally pretty minor.

 

However, on an example like this where the top AND bottom are significantly shorter than another copy of the same issue, a much closer examination is warranted at the very least.

[PovertyRow]

 

However, on an example like this where the top AND bottom are significantly shorter than another copy of the same issue, a much closer examination is warranted at the very least.

 

I am late here but was seeing that too. Both the bottom and the top are cut short. Certainly a red flag to investigate.

 

But this image:

 

 

Especially next to the word September...you can see the dot pattern filled in around an obvious color break. The color break looks to be the target. But they used a paint/ink/whatever and filled in the white area of the dots pattern as well.

 

To my eye that is definitely color touched.

 

As far as the trim? In conjunction with the color touch (just that one was enough for me) it may well have been. Too short on the top/too long on the bottom may disprove trim. But too short both top and bottom? Suspicious to say the least.

[kav]

Such a nice book ruined by a tiny touch...WHY do people do this?? Well, I know why, I'm just sayin....WHY?

[JakeM]

 

Especially next to the word September...you can see the dot pattern filled in around an obvious color break. The color break looks to be the target. But they used a paint/ink/whatever and filled in the white area of the dots pattern as well.

 

To my eye that is definitely color touched.

 

As far as the trim? In conjunction with the color touch (just that one was enough for me) it may well have been. Too short on the top/too long on the bottom may disprove trim. But too short both top and bottom? Suspicious to say the least.

 

Thanks for the analysis, Poverty Row. I'm new to collecting and can't spot CT to save my life. Hopefully more advice like this will help in the future when the price seems too good to be true. Thankfully I was right about the trimming! Shame too because I'm finding it progressively harder to buy this book in a high grade with Vision now appearing in Avengers 2. *sigh*

[Chadwick]

Looks like color added near the bottom of the bottom staple as well, and the way he's holding the book