FF 45 with water damage questions on water damage grading

[Dabrewman]

I bought a FF45 online from a place that has a good return policy. I tried asking the buyer more about the condition but he wouldn't respond and his copies were selling out quick so I decided to take a chance. What I thought was some water damage was in fact exactly that, but a little more than I was expecting. I'm decent at grading but when it comes to certain defects I am still lacking in knowledge.

 

The comic presents very well. The front cover is very glossy, lays flat and the staples are intact with no rust at all. The comic also does not have any musty smell to it whatsoever. It smells exactly like a back issue at a local comic shop. The only noticeable water damage on the front is the bottom right corner and it has some minor bleed through on the interior front cover. The interior pages show an extremely faint stain from the water damage but only on a couple pages near the outer section of the comic.

 

The back cover has some moderate water damage with the interior back cover being the worst looking page out of the entire comic. I have enclosed some pictures describing all this. Should I return this comic? If it grades in the VG range even in the G/VG range its a keeper for what I paid. If the water damage is too severe and its a 2.0 comic I'll probably return it. I just can't see this being that low for how good the other 80% of the comic is.

 

Any help with figuring this out is appreciated. In the multitude of counselors there is wisdom.

 

Pics:

 

[vaillant]

CGC grading hammers pretty heavily staining, be it from water or any other liquid. It does not matter much if the stains are dark or clear (from water).

 

Said that, honestly that is too much nice copy to grade as low as a GD (2.0). To see how they’d downgrade a lower grade copy, see the CGC 2.0 FF#5 posted awhile ago by Red84. It was graded as a 2.0 but was harsh, and the book was overall a lor more worn than yours.

 

I’d grade this one as a VG-, a GDVD at worst, but again I am no expert. If the price was not excessive I would keep it, as the front cover presents very well. (thumbs u

[zosocane]

I would give this a 3.0. CGC is tough with staining/non-minor water damage. But they also take into consideration that the book, but for the water damage, presents like a 5.0-ish book. So I think 3.0 is a minimum grade.

 

Some might frown upon this while many have no issues with this, but you could get the book pressed to get the "waviness" out of the back cover. That might boost up the grade a .5 into 3.5-ish territory. But the cost to press for a minor grade bump where the book is already in lower-grade territory probably won't be recouped if you were to flip the book.

 

(Soapbox note: I tend to stay away from sellers who do not respond to my inquiries, even if they have a return policy; it tells me that they're just hoping you won't return the book and they have no interest in fair disclosure. The extent of the water damage should have been disclosed in writing in the item listing, not just leaving it to the photos to do the job.)

[rjpb]

The front presents nicely, but for the bottom corner. The back is a little messy, and I'd hesitate to go over 3.0 overall because of it. Still more FC eye appeal than one usually gets for the grade.

[Topnotchman]

Contrary to some but many old school dealers would downgrade water stained books to good 2.0. CGC is more lenient and would put this in the 3.0 range considering the overall wear to the book is 5.0 already.

[MusterMark]

If I owned this book, I would consider it to be around 2.5

[Dabrewman]

Thanks everyone for the info. Now if I ever sell it I'll know what grade range to list it as. I really appreciate the input as I try to list things accurately to avoid problems.

[MyThreeSons]

Just saw you listed the book on feebay. GLWTS

[zosocane]

Just saw you listed the book on feebay. GLWTS

 

Well that didn't take long. I liked the condition description.

[vaillant]

Since it presents pretty nicely hopefully it will sell at the asking price. Here’s some best wishes for you…

[Dabrewman]

Yea I don't have any sales here so went with eBay. Going to try and sell this one and maybe grab another copy before they sky rocket once the marketing hits. I guess I'm nervous keeping something with undesirable issues so just going to try and resale before the return policy time runs out.

 

 

Hey now when I do list things for sale here I can list my eBay account as backup feedback and I can prove it's me. (thumbs u

[Bomber-Bob]

Yea I don't have any sales here so went with eBay. Going to try and sell this one and maybe grab another copy before they sky rocket once the marketing hits.

 

 

Hey now when I do list things for sale here I can list my eBay account as backup feedback and I can prove it's me. (thumbs u

 

Not that it really matters but in your opening statement you said if the book was in the GD/VG range it was a keeper for you. For a 'keeper' that was a quick move to E-Bay.

[vaillant]

Yea I don't have any sales here so went with eBay. Going to try and sell this one and maybe grab another copy before they sky rocket once the marketing hits.

 

 

Hey now when I do list things for sale here I can list my eBay account as backup feedback and I can prove it's me. (thumbs u

 

Not that it really matters but in your opening statement you said if the book was in the GD/VG range it was a keeper for you. For a 'keeper' that was a quick move to E-Bay.

 

He meant that he was not intentioned to return it, because the price was enough reasonable for him at that grade.

He clearly explained that he would like a better copy, so he is trying to sell this and get a better one.

[Dabrewman]

If the water damage wasn't such a collector red flag I'd hold onto it,but anything I keep for a long period of time I want it to move relatively easy when I do decide to sell. Having something that seems to be a collector peeve is something I think Ill personally just let go of sooner rather than later.

 

The more I thought about the more I just wanted to dump it and use the money to try and get another copy without the issues this one would have.

 

Thanks again for the grading help. Makes me able to represent it truthfully and avoid drama.

[vaillant]

To me, if the damage is not exaggerate, meaning it has not left big waviness or really ugly stains, minor to moderate water damage is no big "pet peeve".

[Dabrewman]

Thanks for the feedback vaillant. I'm definitely rethinking it... Your right it's not bad, no mold mildew or even dark staining. Might even be worth a press if the book continues to rise and the front cover presentability is there as well... The things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmm.

 

I lowered the duration on the auction if it doesn't sell I may end up keeping it for a while. Haven't made up my mind.