Spine Stress...how does it affect the grade.

[Prophet78]

Say you just bought a Batman 608. It has sharp corners and very good cover. Now say that same book has 2 small 1/16" spine stresses, how does that affect the grade? I am still trying to figure out this grading mess....

 

-Jeremy-

[blowout]

Check out the new Overstreet grading guide, it is very helpful at determining what allowable defects and how many for each grade.

[ninanina]

Don't think that could be enough information to grade a comic in general, but I have some CGC comics that were graded down to a VF that had 2 small spine stresses and one damaged corner. I've also heard of some of the members coming across a 9.2 which had only a couple small cracks. Maybe "generally" it would be safe to say that if the comic ONLY had the two stress cracks and all else was ok, 9.0 - 9.2? Whatcha guys think?

[blowout]

Could get a 9.4 or even 9.6 if the stresses don't break color.

[black_terror-migration]

CCG tends to grade modern books like a Batman #608 pretty harshly, IMO. Any noticeable defect is likely to affect the grade. They tend to be a little more easy-going once you get back to 70's-80's comics, I've found.

 

If the book is perfect other than the two spine stresses, it would come down to how pronounced they are - if they break color and are easily noticeable at a glance. I can see a book like you describe coming back a 9.2 NM-. NM 9.4 is probably the best you could hope for, IMO.

[Darthdiesel]

9.2

[ninanina]

Darth, thank you for your insight. Your comments were not only interesting and well thought out but also direct and to the point.

[Darthdiesel]

nina - you wiseacre...

 

I didn't want to get into the qualifying of non-color breaking stresses or crow's feet, or spider lines, but in this case it is a modern book hypothetically being submitted. Any spinal creases/flaws will take it down automatically. There should not be any blatant creases on a 9.8; maybe one on a 9.6; given the description of the creases on this Batman 608, my best estimation was a CGC 9.2 white pages... which my original reply of "9.2" succintly and accurately covered

 

 

[ninanina]

I knew you were going to say that.