Question for the Experts

[David Swan]

It's always shocking to me to see a comic almost 70 years remain in a 9.6 condition. The comic below is a beautiful copy but I notice that the cover is slightly translucent so I wanted to ask a few questions related to this condition.

 

My assumption is that a translucent cover is the result of excessive exposure to ultra violet rays. Perhaps the comic was displayed on a wall by a proud owner. Would this be an accurate assumption or could something else cause this condition?

 

How much, if any, does this take away from the CGC eventual grade? Given that it got a 9.6 either a semi-translucent cover has little to no effect on grade or this condition occurred after the comic was slabbed.

 

This leads into my next question which is do the CGC cases offer UV protection? In other words could I take a slabbed comic and frame it without worry about damage from UV rays?

 

My biggest concern in considering this comic for purchase is that the semi-translucent condition occurred AFTER the comic was slabbed and it would no longer be considered a 9.6. I can tell by type of case that this was an early comic to be slabbed.

 

See more journals by David Swan

[Rune]

UV has been discussed here (in short there is no UV protection in the CGC holder):

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=7201617&fpart=1

 

Gerber states that their Mylar D blocks 99% of UV light:

 

"Ultra-Violet Light - UV

All plastics and glass stop some UV light, so many advertise that their "Protector" blocks UV. The truth Is that they stop only some of the damaging rays. Even Mylar will not stop all UV.

Our specially Impregnated Mylar D stops 99% of the UV light. Mylar D is accepted as photo safe to direct contact and is used internationally by archives and museums.

Yes, it costs 8 times more than standard Mylar, but it blocks UV hundreds of times more than other plastics."

 

914M2 2 mil Mylar D will fit your book (just bought some myself, they fit just fine):

 

http://www.egerber.com/category.asp?CategoryID=450&SubcategoryID=566

 

They have archival tape (=acid free) too:

 

http://www.egerber.com/category.asp?CategoryID=451&SubcategoryID=558

 

Regarding the translucent cover, Adamstrange wrote in another post yesterday:

 

[A translucent cover is due to a transfer of oils from the interior pages to the cover. It will add a very slight yellowish cast to the entire cover. The net effect of these is to dull the color and to throw off the original color design of the cover making it much less attractive in the process.

 

Early GA covers do not exhibit this because their cover stock is so much thicker than the paper used for 50s and 60s books. Marvel SA covers have thinner paper stock/sizing than their DC counterparts and are, not surprisingly, more likely to have transfer stain. Avengers 4 has the distinction of not only being printed on poor quality paper but also a heavy transfer stain.

 

I don't know whether pressing accelerates that oil transfer or not. Microchamber placed between the cover and the first and last page will inhibit it but the paper must be changed periodically. In general, the fresher/whiter the interior pages, the more oil they have and the more likely there has been/will be transfer stain. Pedigree copies, therefore, are more likely to have some transfer stain.

 

Cover colors can fade due to exposure to light, with the UV wavelengths being especially pernicious. Some comics are particularly susceptible due to the use of metallic inks which oxidize even under minimal light exposure. Mid to late 50s DCs fall into this category as do many of the last Fawcetts.

 

An example of color fade:

 

Salida copy -- newsstand fresh

 

I was reading not long ago that even in the absence of UV there is still some danger to fading and for that reason I minimize how often I expose both comics and art, even conservationally framed art. In general, my goal is to expose an item for no more than a week or two over the course of a year and that exposure never involves any sunlight.

 

Hope it is OK for Adamstrange that I paste his info here!

 

I do not think CGC cares much for cover colors, unless there is substantial easy-to-see damage. Your book looks like a nice 9.6 to me - although I am no expert on GA books.

 

 

 

[MatterEaterLad]

Also, part of it might be the scan. The intensity of the light on my scanner can sometimes give a transparent look that isn't there beneath normal lighting.

[telerites]

Here is a book I have. You can see the print on the back side of the cover. Solid cover colors, no fading.

 

[Rune]

PS. Just to put the importance of UV protection into perspective:

 

"According to the National Fenestration Rating Council, only 40% of artwork fading is caused by UV radiation.[24] The remaining damage comes from the visible light, heat, humidity and material chemistry.[24] This means that increasing visible light transmission by an anti-reflective coating actually increases the amount of damaging radiation on an artwork".

 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture_framing_glass

 

So UV protection does not give you that much protection - nothing compares to constant 64 F and 40% relative humidity in completely dark storage room... ;-)

 

In short, even with 100% UV protection (where you can still clearly see the book), I would never set up your book in a permanent wall display. A good rule of thumb may be to avoid exposing your books to light, when there's nobody around to appreciate them...

[surfer99]

So UV protection does not give you that much protection - nothing compares to constant 64 F and 40% relative humidity in completely dark storage room... ;-)

 

In short, even with 100% UV protection (where you can still clearly see the book), I would never set up your book in a permanent wall display. A good rule of thumb may be to avoid exposing your books to light, when there's nobody around to appreciate them...

 

Personally, I would much rather enjoy viewing my books and art on display hanging on the walls of my home rather than have them tucked away in a closet where I periodically take them out for viewing...UV rays be damned. Maybe that's just me. I do make a conscience effort to limit the amount of light exposure, but that's about the extent of it.

 

 

[Triskelion]

So UV protection does not give you that much protection - nothing compares to constant 64 F and 40% relative humidity in completely dark storage room... ;-)

 

In short, even with 100% UV protection (where you can still clearly see the book), I would never set up your book in a permanent wall display. A good rule of thumb may be to avoid exposing your books to light, when there's nobody around to appreciate them...

 

Personally, I would much rather enjoy viewing my books and art on display hanging on the walls of my home rather than have them tucked away in a closet where I periodically take them out for viewing...UV rays be damned. Maybe that's just me. I do make a conscience effort to limit the amount of light exposure, but that's about the extent of it.

 

 

Great exchange of thoughts and information guys.

 

I find this especially helpful personally since I live out here in Southeast Asia where it can get really humid. After reading these and other posts, seems to me the best approach, if one wishes to display stuff in a normal room, is keeping the item away from direct light, providing some form of UV protection for the slabs (I already see several kinds of frames with UV-proof glass out there in the market, plus UV sticker films for slabs held in normal display stands), and if humidity simply cannot be controlled maybe putting regularly replaced or dried desiccants near the display area.

 

Bottom line is I'd love to display my stuff at home too. Seems like a shame to just keep 'em mostly hidden.

[David Swan]

Thanks everyone. The responses have been extraordinarily helpful and thought provoking. I may write a new posting just on my musings on all the information given here.

[cheetah]

As an aside, flourescent lighting also leads to fading. So framing something and hanging it in you basement can also end up causing problems depending on your lighting.

[Triskelion]

As an aside, flourescent lighting also leads to fading. So framing something and hanging it in you basement can also end up causing problems depending on your lighting.

 

Good point cheetah. Here's an article I came across: http://www.leapfroglighting.com/lighting_and_uv_radiation/

 

Sounds like LED lighting, if one can afford the upfront investment, is the way to go. Cheaper to maintain also in the long run (longer life & lower electricity bills).

 

Barring that, only sure fire alternative I can think of is viewing displayed slabs in a dark and dry basement room using night vision goggles

[Jaws1965]

I've also seemed to notice (and I sincerely hope it's my imagination) that my pressed and graded books seem to have more translucent covers than I remember upon submitting them. Has anyone else noticed this? I sure hope I'm wrong...