Poll: Should a 10.0 be called Pristine or Gem Mint?

[ArAich]

...It should be called NON-EXISTANT. In theorey, a '10.0' is a concept, in practice, it does NOT exist, especially if we're talking about a paper product with the size and components of a comic.

 

Well that's just silly....If you use this theory then Nadia Comenech(sp?) could not have obtained a perfect 10 on the balance beam....

 

It's all relative... and the 10.0 designation is perfection based on the condition of the item as it pertains to other items that are in the same catagory and have similar qualities in thier construction....

 

Oh well....it made sense while I was typing it....

[PovertyRow]

It's all relative... and the 10.0 designation is perfection based on the condition of the item as it pertains to other items that are in the same catagory and have similar qualities in thier construction

 

Makes perfect (pardon the pun) sense. It is like that amplifier in Spinal Tap, that goes up to 11. No matter what you call it, it is what it is. There is a definition for a 10.0 and I believe a book can be examined and still mantain a 10 grade.

[hammer-migration]

I still don't think that the absolutism of a "perfect" grade can apply to a comic. Possibly it can apply to a piece of steel or some far more durable material than pulp paper, a medium with inherent flaws just in the preparation of the product alone before even being transformed into a comic book. Only if the item has been manufactured with extremely exacting tolerances can even a forgiving level of perfection be attained. I think of it in this way.

 

Stare at a night sky that appears starless. Imagine ANY points of light detectible as imperfections distracting the eye from the stark darkness of the sky. Keep staring. Little by little, the tiny points of light will become visible. as you focus and refocus your eyes, just picking one small quadrant of the nigh sky to focus on, soon your field of vision will detect MANY points of light. The same applies when examining a flawless book. The longer you look at it, the less you'll be able to look PAST the flaws that are there, whether they be factory imperfections or signs of handling, but they ARE there and I'm talking about naked eye examination, not using optical magnification. The 10.0 is a theoretical grade based on the comparative, rather than the absolute.

[PovertyRow]

I still don't think that the absolutism of a "perfect" grade can apply to a comic.

 

To my mind 10 does not equate to perfect. The Overstreet definition of a 10 allows for "only the slightest bindery or printing defects" - which eliminates perfection as some defects are acknowledged and allowed. I think things have to be perceived on a relative scale, factoring in the inherent qualities of the medium. As you say, a piece of metal has a better chance at "perfection" than a printed/bound set of paper pages.

 

A 9.9 seems to share the same qualities as a 10 except small inconspicuous arrival dates are accepted, "subtle" as oppsed to "slightest" bindery/printer defects and "generally centered staples" as opposed to "centered" and "minimal fading". The "minimal fading", is the only owner-induced defect listed. Arrival dates are the luck of the draw, so to speak. So a 9.9 could actually have been a 10 if it only had a small arrival date, or the staples weren't exactly centered. I think if one can accept a 9.9, one can accept a 10 using this criteria.

 

Thoughts?

[blowout]

I still don't think that the absolutism of a "perfect" grade can apply to a comic.

 

It can't, and nobody is saying that it can.

The term 'mint' is used to describe the best a comic can be straight off the presses. As others have said it is a relative term when compared to other comics. The word 'perfect' nevers comes into it.

[PovertyRow]

The word 'perfect' nevers comes into it.

 

Yes indeedy! Well said.

[PovertyRow]

It can't, and nobody is saying that it can.

 

Actually if you read Ham's post a few above he is saying it can (I think). This is wjhat I was replying to.

 

ARCH - please please lettuce see responding to names. I know it is a programming thing but this is frustrating.

[Bugaboo-migration]

ARCH - please please lettuce see responding to names. I know it is a programming thing but this is frustrating.

I agree......that is a HUGE pain when you can't see who is being responded to.

[ArnoldTBlumberg]

Yes, thanks. We never say 10.0 means "Perfect," just the best possible condition that can be perceived. Putting it at 10.0 is just a way of maintaining a top end of the scale, as ending the scale at 9.8 or 9.9 seems off-kilter. I think we can all accept the use of the number and still understand that we're not talking about pure perfection here.