Your Opinion on What I Should Do About a "Restored" Book

[RCheli]

So here's my situation.

 

Earlier this year, I purchased a small group of books from a collector -- the first several Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles -- who had purchased them all from the shelves. This included a second print of #1. I turned around and sold them -- mostly here on the board -- and the guy who bought the #1 sent it off to have pressed and graded.

 

I sold it as a VF, but after the press, it graded out as a 9.4. Winner, right? Well, it also came back with a purple label for "small amount of color touch on cover."

 

Here's the thing: I don't believe that it was restored. The guy bought it from a comic shop off the shelves in '85. He was not a comics collector by any means, so I sincerely doubt that he put a marker to it.

 

So here are my options:

 

Sell it as is -- a 9.4 with a purple label. I'd probably lose a bit of money, but not much.

 

Crack it open and search for the color touch and... re-submit it? Sell it raw?

 

Wait until the company whose name shall not be uttered starts slabbing magazines and send it off to them?

 

What are your opinions?

 

(Also, because there's a chance that someone may bring it up, I am neither accusing the purchaser of wrongdoing nor do I think anything shady happened. This is not on them.)

[porky]

i had the same thing happen with one out of a group of Sandman issues i sent to get signed. imaginary color touch.

[shadroch]

It's not unthinkable that either a shop employee or even someone at the distributor may have touched it up. When Solson was a major player in printing black and white Indies, they were known to touch up a few printing flaws.

Back then, it was much more accepted.

[shadroch]

This might be a case where grader notes might be worth buying

[RCheli]

This might be a case where grader notes might be worth buying

 

Good point, although I wouldn't expect much in that area.

[jsilverjanet]

I've seen this question before

[mysterio]

This might be a case where grader notes might be worth buying

 

If the notes are as useful as most I've seen they'll say "small amount of color touch on cover." You don't get location. For a 9.4 it's conceivable that there would be no notes.

[Ryan.]

How much do you want for it?

[Iceman399]

How much do you want for it?

 

Rake him over the coals for it cause Ryan is a cheater pants.

[RCheli]

I've seen this question before

 

I tried to do a search, but I couldn't find anything on the Google.

[Ryan.]

How much do you want for it?

 

Rake him over the coals for it cause Ryan is a cheater pants.

 

[InvstmntComcSuply]

Maybe a confidence poll would be in order. Given the circumstances laid out:

 

 

[mschmidt]

This book is very commonly color-touched - I think it's far more likely that the resto is legit than not.

[telerites]

I would for sure want to know that restoration had been detected if I were a buyer and it was being sold as raw even if you crack it and can't find any and you are confident that it is unrestored.

 

Hopefully you would disclose the history if you go that route.

 

 

[RCheli]

I would for sure want to know that restoration had been detected if I were a buyer and it was being sold as raw even if you crack it and can't find any and you are confident that it is unrestored.

 

Hopefully you would disclose the history if you go that route.

 

 

I will definitely do that.

 

I just wonder what a fair price would be for this book as it.

 

If you look up the CGC census, there is a really large percentage of copies of this book that are restored (around 10%).

[chrisco37]

Did it come back pro or amateur resto?

 

Pro? Get a black light and crack it. Find the resto and have it removed.

 

Amateur? Crack it. Should be easy to find.

[RCheli]

Amateur.

[Senormac]

wait wait..... you have a 9.4 copy of TMNT #1 who somebody made a mark on with a colored pen ...... without doing a single other damaging thing to.....like a crease, or a wrinkle or a fold.....

 

and you are not happy with it

[Ryan.]

Second print.

[Doohickamabob]

So here are my options:

 

Sell it as is -- a 9.4 with a purple label. I'd probably lose a bit of money, but not much.

 

Crack it open and search for the color touch and... re-submit it? Sell it raw?

Sell it as-is (in the 9.4 slab), and when you're selling, disclose the story/background and mention that you think it either is not color-touched, or has a very minimal amount of color touch. Take the hit on the money (which might not happen -- you could come out even or ahead), and chalk it up to a CGC "oops" or some mysterious color touch that might even have happened during the production/distribution process.

 

What level of restoration/conservation did CGC designate? I am hoping that buyers are more willing to accept low levels of restoration, or professional conservation, instead of all restoration being treated as equally "PLOD" offensive.