How do you feel about date stamps on front covers?

[arexcrooke]

On someone else's Green Rivers that is.

[Stronguy]

I have absoluely no problem with date stamps. In fact I like them. They add character. For my personal collection, given the choice between two identical 9.4 books at the same price I would take to stamped one.

[tth2]

On someone else's Green Rivers that is.

 

Red, meant to say that I didn't intend to sound like I was dissing GRs on the "Rank Pedigrees" thread. I think you knew what I was trying to say.

[PovertyRow]

On someone else's Green Rivers that is.

 

Red, meant to say that I didn't intend to sound like I was dissing GRs on the "Rank Pedigrees" thread. I think you knew what I was trying to say.

 

Yeah - Red knew what you were sayiong but he is a cranky old so and so and likes to read explanatory posts bowing obeisance to his hookedness!

[Red Hook]

On someone else's Green Rivers that is.

 

Red, meant to say that I didn't intend to sound like I was dissing GRs on the "Rank Pedigrees" thread. I think you knew what I was trying to say.

 

Yeah - Red knew what you were sayiong but he is a cranky old so and so and likes to read explanatory posts bowing obeisance to his hookedness!

 

I sit here at my keyboard, basking in my omnipotence.

 

"Oh serving lad, fetch me my Ultimate Nullifier! And be quick about it! "

 

And Tim,....twasn't even a thought! I never take peoples' low opinion of my most cherished collectibles seriously. It's just.....stuff!

 

Oh krap....did I properly punctuate people's.....peoples'..........shieit! Arnold's gonna be on my azz for this again!

[Harvey Dude]

A small stamp near the top of the book doesn't bother me. I don't particularly care for a stamp placed on a character's face, or on the highlight of a "headlight" comic.

 

I have to agree. I like date stamps but it is a plus if they are slightly unobtrusive.

 

Here is an example of a date stamp that does not take away from the art.

 

[rjpb]

If I collected uber-high grades I suppose they would bother me - as it is I don't really care - as long as they're not so obtrusive as to mar the cover art - far worse are hand written dates - especially, large grease pecilled arrival dates, but they don't stop me from buying a book. I do remember thinking it was cool when as a teenager I found a copy of Showcase #22 that had a hand written arrival date that was within a few days of my birthday - another book I should have kept.

[Larryw7]

A small stamp near the top of the book doesn't bother me. I don't particularly care for a stamp placed on a character's face, or on the highlight of a "headlight" comic.

 

I have to agree. I like date stamps but it is a plus if they are slightly unobtrusive.

 

Here is an example of a date stamp that does not take away from the art.

 

 

 

That's a beautiful book!

[tth2]

If I collected uber-high grades I suppose they would bother me

 

I collect uber-high grades and date stamps don't bother me very much at all! Redhook has created a monster!

 

[Mushroom]

As a Bethlehem fanatic I absolutely love date stamps..............

 

 

Since most are on the back, they don't bother me at all. The dust shadows are a different story.

 

I have over 50 Bethlehem and the date stamps are all on the front....

[blazingbob]

Well the rhetorical question is - Do you like tattoo's on women?

 

Stamp on a book, stamp on her butt? Hmmm, Is it a nice butt or an ugly butt? Is it good ink or bad ink? Lovely looking butterfly or a picture of her former boyfriend staring up at you.

[DKB]

I think date stamps add something as well. Matter of fact, going even a step further, I even think penciled in dates are fun and add to the provenance. I have a bunch of Ohios and kinda dig the arrival date.

 

 

[goldust40]

I don't care for date stamps, but grease pencil marks or writing are IMO, worse. Besides, the pencil or pen often leaves an indent in the book.

[DKB]

The provenance of it appeals to me, partially because it is tied to a pedigree. Its hard to explain really. Needless to say, I have multiple copies of that issue, so one pretty one without markings makes it ok to have one with. =)

[sfilosa]

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As a Bethlehem fanatic I absolutely love date stamps..............

 

 

 

 

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Since most are on the back, they don't bother me at all. The dust shadows are a different story.

 

 

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I have over 50 Bethlehem and the date stamps are all on the front....

 

 

I was talking about the big store stamp on the back cover. I have tried to avoid the ones with date stamps on the front, but if the book is GA or Atomic Age, then I'll let it slide.

 

The only Silver-Age books I buy with any writing is White Mountains. I don't particularly like the two digit year pen date, but usually it's in a OK spot (and they are White Mountains).

[12c_Comic]

For me the "date stamp" does not bother me,anyway I thought it was to show when it would spoil..go bad,.......

[the blob]

if find date stamps (and dates written) annoying and can't consider a book NM if it has one

 

i understand cgc and OPG disagree with me on this. i just remember discussing this with an old time dealer in pre-cgc days and he thought the OPG standards were a joke for allowing it in NM... i agreed then and agree now.

 

just my opinion (luckily i don't have any otherwise NM books with stamps, otherwise i sure would be a hypocrite if i listed them and say: "OPG allows a date stamp in NM")

[sfilosa]

I can see your position.

 

That said, many of the finest GA books have date stamps, writing on the cover.

 

So just using the criteria you spelled out, EDGAR CHURCH, LARSON, WHITE MOUNTAINS, SPOKANE, etc. could never be NM, even if the book lacks structural defects and looks like it was printed yesterday.

 

As a matter of fact, it seems that maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of all GA books have some type of marking.

 

So the question is, do you draw the line somewhere (say SA or BA), and then you have to ask WHY?

[FFB]

if find date stamps (and dates written) annoying and can't consider a book NM if it has one

 

i understand cgc and OPG disagree with me on this. i just remember discussing this with an old time dealer in pre-cgc days and he thought the OPG standards were a joke for allowing it in NM... i agreed then and agree now.

 

just my opinion (luckily i don't have any otherwise NM books with stamps, otherwise i sure would be a hypocrite if i listed them and say: "OPG allows a date stamp in NM")

 

That is why it is called "NEAR mint." Not MINT. A date stamp is just a tiny bit of ink that does not affect the structural integrity of the book one bit.

[im-bi-migration]

Hello everyone,

 

I have been collecting comics ever since I was a teen. When CGC came out, I never took it that serious at all. Sad cause when I look back at it, I did have the money pre-1999 to buy up all these keys. Anyways, I constantly see auctions on Ebay where they indicate the comic has a date stamp or written stamp. Was there some kind of acceptance by CGC that allows hand-written dates on the comics and just pass it off as a minor defect?