Grading question on a possible production issue

[Tomega]

I just received an Plop! #19 in what appears to be 9.4/9.6 shape. When I hold the cover at an angle, you can see what appears to be some type of production roller marking ( which does not make total sense to me.) It is impossible to see in a scan but it looks similar to a sine wave

 

 

The "amplitude" of the marks is not quite as high but the "frequency is about right and it goes across the center of book, left to right. There are no color breaks.

 

I have seen this on many books over the years so it must be something related to production. My questions are - has anybody seen this, what is it, how does this affect grade and will pressing take it out? It's the only issue I need to complete my run and I am having the hardest time finding it in high grade so I want to make the best of the one I have in hand.

 

Any input would be appreciated.

[LordRahl]

I just received an Plop! #19 in what appears to be 9.4/9.6 shape. When I hold the cover at an angle, you can see what appears to be some type of production roller marking ( which does not make total sense to me.) It is impossible to see in a scan but it looks similar to a sine wave

 

 

The "amplitude" of the marks is not quite as high but the "frequency is about right and it goes across the center of book, left to right. There are no color breaks.

 

I have seen this on many books over the years so it must be something related to production. My questions are - has anybody seen this, how does this affect grade and will pressing take it out? It's the only issue I need to complete my run and I am having the hardest time finding it in high grade so I want to make the best of the one I have in hand.

 

Any input would be appreciated.

 

Yes, minimally, yes

[Tomega]

Do you know what causes it?

[LordRahl]

I assumed a roller that isn't spinning properly as the paper looks like it is very lightly "bunched up"... kind of. But no I don't know the answer, that is purely speculation on my part

[Bomber-Bob]

Once I purchased a small run of some really nice Silver Age books. Only after getting them home did I notice this same flaw you are referring to, on one book only. Looking directly at the book, you could not see the flaw. It was only visible in the right light at an angle. All the books were pressed and submitted. All received 9.4's, except for the problem book. It received an 8.5 . In my case, the press did not get out the flaw. The flaw drove me nuts, that's all I could focus on when looking at it. I sold the book.

[Tomega]

Once I purchased a small run of some really nice Silver Age books. Only after getting them home did I notice this same flaw you are referring to, on one book only. Looking directly at the book, you could not see the flaw. It was only visible in the right light at an angle. All the books were pressed and submitted. All received 9.4's, except for the problem book. It received an 8.5 . In my case, the press did not get out the flaw. The flaw drove me nuts, that's all I could focus on when looking at it. I sold the book.

 

Interesting. Did you think the book with flaw should have been higher than 8.5?

In looking at it, I do not think pressing will take remove the issue.

 

 

Thank you everyone for responding.

[Bomber-Bob]

Once I purchased a small run of some really nice Silver Age books. Only after getting them home did I notice this same flaw you are referring to, on one book only. Looking directly at the book, you could not see the flaw. It was only visible in the right light at an angle. All the books were pressed and submitted. All received 9.4's, except for the problem book. It received an 8.5 . In my case, the press did not get out the flaw. The flaw drove me nuts, that's all I could focus on when looking at it. I sold the book.

 

Interesting. Did you think the book with flaw should have been higher than 8.5?

In looking at it, I do not think pressing will take remove the issue.

 

I'm a believer that a flaw is a flaw, no matter how it happened, bindery or otherwise. With that in mind, I do believe an 8.5 was appropriate. Regarding the pressing, I too was advised that pressing would help but it really didn't do anything.

[namisgr]

It's not a bundling mark from a book on top of a bundled stack, is it?

[deathtohemingway]

Bundled with a wire / rope / string that looks like a sine wave?

[namisgr]

The angle of the helix differs depending on how tightly wound the string is. I've owned and seen plenty of comics with this type of pattern embedded into the cover paper, and wondered whether that might also be what's being discussed here.

 

[Tomega]

The angle of the helix differs depending on how tightly wound the string is. I've owned and seen plenty of comics with this type of pattern embedded into the cover paper, and wondered whether that might also be what's being discussed here.

 

I'm not sure it is from bundling, I think you would see more damage. I just got another Plop! 19 in the mail and it was there again - this time on the lower third of the book.