For GA collectors. How much restoration is too much? 0

[Black_Adam]

 

I don't own any Golden Age comics but if I did buy one I am sure, for the right book, I would be willing to consider anything up to Moderate Professional. For Silver Age, I would only consider Slight Professional (i.e. small amount of color touch) and for Bronze Age up, none at all.

 

The one thing I would love to see when considering buying a restored comic (though I know in most cases it isn't possible) is a before and after photo. When I read "piece added" it would be nice to know where and how big!

 

[BoomCity]

I don't overly care myself about the level of restoration, just more so the type.

 

I prefer no trimming and no interior lightnening.

 

I care more about PQ then restoration on these golden age books. I'd rather have a restored book than a blue label brittle book myself. Unless I know the details of how brittle the book truly is (if its just a corner or whatever).

 

Thank you for your response.

 

This brings up an interesting question. I am not a big buyer of restored books, so please help me to understand.

 

You say that you prefer "no trimming", however, you are ok with other restoration. Are you then ok with pieces being added? If so, how big a piece?

 

To me, I think I would rather have a book that had been trimmed, BUT is all original, rather THAN a full size book where pieces have been added. To me, at least the trimmed book is original. Maybe I am way off base here, as you are NOT the first person I have heard say that trimming is a deal breaker.

 

That's an interesting way to put trimming. Does get me to rethink that form of resto. I'm ok with pieces added (depending on the book and price) as it repairs the book vs trimming which is damaging.

 

Also I think pieces added can maybe be reversed, where as trimming can't unless you harm the book more.

Edited December 21, 2016 by BoomCity

[Hudson]

I don't own any Golden Age comics but if I did buy one I am sure, for the right book, I would be willing to consider anything up to Moderate Professional. For Silver Age, I would only consider Slight Professional (i.e. small amount of color touch) and for Bronze Age up, none at all.

 

The one thing I would love to see when considering buying a restored comic (though I know in most cases it isn't possible) is a before and after photo. When I read "piece added" it would be nice to know where and how big!

 

I think this is a great idea, although I am guessing most people who have books restored (and I am NOT one of them), especially if they intend to resell the book, do not want to show the prospective buyer what it looked like before the restoration. Although I believe this is the best and fairest way to do business, I tend to think people who restore books might disagree.

 

Showing before and after photos does not seem to be the norm in the world of comic collecting, even though it is very common in other forms of collecting (such as with antique vehicles).

[jimjum12]

I don't own any Golden Age comics but if I did buy one I am sure, for the right book, I would be willing to consider anything up to Moderate Professional. For Silver Age, I would only consider Slight Professional (i.e. small amount of color touch) and for Bronze Age up, none at all.

 

The one thing I would love to see when considering buying a restored comic (though I know in most cases it isn't possible) is a before and after photo. When I read "piece added" it would be nice to know where and how big!

 

I think this is a great idea, although I am guessing most people who have books restored (and I am NOT one of them), especially if they intend to resell the book, do not want to show the prospective buyer what it looked like before the restoration. Although I believe this is the best and fairest way to do business, I tend to think people who restore books might disagree.

 

Showing before and after photos does not seem to be the norm in the world of comic collecting, even though it is very common in other forms of collecting (such as with antique vehicles).

 

...not sure how it is now.... but Matt Nelson used to include documentation paperwork with his resto work that included a list of all work done plus before and after pictures..... I once owned a Batman 11 (Apparent) 7.0 that had this.... pretty cool actually. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[Hudson]

I don't own any Golden Age comics but if I did buy one I am sure, for the right book, I would be willing to consider anything up to Moderate Professional. For Silver Age, I would only consider Slight Professional (i.e. small amount of color touch) and for Bronze Age up, none at all.

 

The one thing I would love to see when considering buying a restored comic (though I know in most cases it isn't possible) is a before and after photo. When I read "piece added" it would be nice to know where and how big!

 

I think this is a great idea, although I am guessing most people who have books restored (and I am NOT one of them), especially if they intend to resell the book, do not want to show the prospective buyer what it looked like before the restoration. Although I believe this is the best and fairest way to do business, I tend to think people who restore books might disagree.

 

Showing before and after photos does not seem to be the norm in the world of comic collecting, even though it is very common in other forms of collecting (such as with antique vehicles).

 

...not sure how it is now.... but Matt Nelson used to include documentation paperwork with his resto work that included a list of all work done plus before and after pictures..... I once owned a Batman 11 (Apparent) 7.0 that had this.... pretty cool actually. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

Thanks for sharing this info, Jimbo.

 

I did not know Matt did this.

 

Hopefully sellers of such books would include the info and photos when selling.

[lpsunburst]

I have always been pretty much a "no resto" guy but that stance changed when I became a Fox collector, when there are 0 books on the census you sometimes have to take whatever comes along.

[Comicdey]

I'll buy restored raw if disclosed and a tough book priced right.  Amateur/pro 

as far as slabs I have a few slight P GA but I shy away unless very difficult to find otherwise.  I'm not buying 10k plus GA regularly where it's a matter of just getting a copy.  If unrestored is 5k or less in 9.0, why settle if you don't have to.  There's a buyer for every GA book at the right price point.

[rjpb]

I have books with slight restoration that I bought more than 20 years ago without every a thought to upgrading. I've purchased books with moderate restoration, but mainly to flip, and even then I'm somewhat selective as to type of resto, but if professionally done, I don't have a problem with it. I've never picked up a book with extensive restoration, though I suppose I might if the price is right. Still, it's not something I would hold in a collection. I can understand why collectors might go to that level of resto on a particularly tattered copy, but there is a point where resto feels like recreation, and at that point why not just have a nice facsimile cover made for a coverless copy. Not all extensively restored books might fall into that category, but it's hard to tell which do and which don't. 

[Hudson]

55 minutes ago, rjpb said:

I have books with slight restoration that I bought more than 20 years ago without every a thought to upgrading. I've purchased books with moderate restoration, but mainly to flip, and even then I'm somewhat selective as to type of resto, but if professionally done, I don't have a problem with it. I've never picked up a book with extensive restoration, though I suppose I might if the price is right. Still, it's not something I would hold in a collection. I can understand why collectors might go to that level of resto on a particularly tattered copy, but there is a point where resto feels like recreation, and at that point why not just have a nice facsimile cover made for a coverless copy. Not all extensively restored books might fall into that category, but it's hard to tell which do and which don't. 

Thanks for giving this thread a much needed

I appreciate your thoughts and insights on this.

[showcase22gr1959]

This is not considered restoration, but green label books are great too. Married pages or covers, but still all original.

Edited June 1, 2017 by showcase22gr1959

[sacentaur]

On 12/19/2016 at 3:45 PM, Hudson said:

To me, I think I would rather have a book that had been trimmed, BUT is all original, rather THAN a full size book where pieces have been added. To me, at least the trimmed book is original. Maybe I am way off base here, as you are NOT the first person I have heard say that trimming is a deal breaker.

 

Trimming has become one of the biggest deal breakers in the hobby - the associated thought that someone is trying to cheat/fool the buyer by shaving a book is abhorrent to many collectors. Trimming scandals in the past have only reinforced the negativity.

I'm somewhat in line with you on this topic, but I completely avoid trimmed books anyway because of the near complete lack of market desirability associated with such books.

[atomic1950s]

I would not mind archival tape, glue, or staple replacement. I would most likely avoid anything else, may be slight color touch if I knew exactly where it was and it was only on the title or something inconspicuous. 

[lou_fine]

Any guesses as to whether this apparent softening mood towards Conserved and Restored books, as evident by the premiums to guide and in some cases even multiples paid for the truly HTF books in the recent CC auction for the Jon Berk books, is going to hold going forward? 

Or was this just an one-off due to hype and quality of the books that were coming to market?   

[Chicago Boy]

For me trimmed, cover cleaned, and interior lightened are a no-no.  If it can't be reversed than that is too much restoration for me at this time 

[Hudson]