Are Condition Issues a Deal Breaker For You? 0

[kbmcvay]

Are Condition Issues a Deal Breaker For You?

Question for the board: If you are interested in buying a page and it has condition issues such as water damage, tears,  heavy tanning, etc. does that prevent you from buying it? Personally, I avoid pages that have any of these condition problems. However, if it was something I really wanted I would be lenient on the tanning.

[delekkerste]

After seeing many pieces hit the auction block in recent years that underwent miraculous (and often undisclosed) transformations, if a piece that had condition issues became available that I otherwise really, really wanted, I wouldn't pass it up, as many/most problems are fixable these days.

One of my bigger collecting regrets is passing on most of the pages to G.I. Joe #2 some years ago because of mold/water damage (which included mold odor... nobody wants that in their life). Had I realized at the time that a restorer could have done much to ameliorate this nasty situation, I would for sure have jumped all over it. 

[JadeGiant]

This is probably going to always be a "it depends" scenario as damage can vary widely. Many of Carlo's Pagulayan's Planet Hulk pages have water/moisture spots from the big tsunami that hit his area many years ago. It didn't stop me from picking up a few pages from those issues due to my extreme appreciation of the story. That said, I know several people that also enjoyed the story but didn't want anything to do with the pages. It also depends on cost - how much is the page discounted due to the damage? 

[MONSTER]

1 hour ago, JadeGiant said:

This is probably going to always be a "it depends" scenario as damage can vary widely. Many of Carlo's Pagulayan's Planet Hulk pages have water/moisture spots from the big tsunami that hit his area many years ago. It didn't stop me from picking up a few pages from those issues due to my extreme appreciation of the story. That said, I know several people that also enjoyed the story but didn't want anything to do with the pages. It also depends on cost - how much is the page discounted due to the damage? 

I lucked out getting my Carlo Hulk pages before they could be damaged.

 

[Mephisto]

It depends. The big Venom vs Spider-Man painting I own actually has a tear in the canvass. I usually would pass on something like this. The tear was actually present when the piece wasn't published for the poster it was made for so that lessened the issue. The tear also blend sink the piece. I was worried my eye would go tot hat area every time I look at the piece but since it doesn't stand out it doesn't and even when I look for it I don't even seem to see it. Pen and ink pieces on white board however will lend to certain damage standing out greater.

[JadeGiant]

8 hours ago, MONSTER said:

I lucked out getting my Carlo Hulk pages before they could be damaged.

 

I also lucked out on a nice splash that got out before the damage happened

[Mighty Hal]

I was thinking about this very issue just minutes ago. There are four Dan DeCarlo Humorama cartoons on eBay at the moment, and all of them suffer from condition issues. To my untrained eye, these are pretty serious issues but the cartoons are otherwise very nice. If they're salvageable at a decent price, I'm interested. But since I don't know....

[DeadpoolJr.]

No, but I'll factor in the cost on what it would cost for a restorer to work on it, which would make me offer less had it not have any issues.

[J.Sid]

I actually like some yellowing and  a couple of minor stains. Makes them feel "vintage."

 

This applies to published pages/covers of course. Pinups or commissions would be a different story.

[Dumur]

I've got to the point in collecting where what I want is very specific, so if I saw a piece I wanted, condition would not play a part, because if I want the piece, I want the piece. Likely not going to be an "equal" piece out there that could substitute.

[Get Marwood & I]

7 hours ago, J.Sid said:

I actually like some yellowing and  a couple of minor stains. Makes them feel "vintage."

 

 

I agree - I like the tell tale signs of age, especially those that are the result of the actual creation process. Stan Lee's coffee cup ring, notes by the artist, that kind of thing.

I grew up with Ross Andru's Spidey, and always wanted a page by him. I finally got one - MTU #3:

 

If it had been in terrible condition, I'd have passed, as it was only important that I had a page of Ross's work. There are many out there. Same with comics - no point buying a trashed copy when you can buy another good one.

But if you want a specific page then you have to go for it whatever it's condition - it's the only one there is! Seems an obvious point, so my answer to the OPs question is that I would only pass on a bad condition page if I wasn't desperate for that specific page.

All that said, I wish I had the money to pick and choose!

[suspense39]

On March 11, 2017 at 6:56 AM, delekkerste said:

After seeing many pieces hit the auction block in recent years that underwent miraculous (and often undisclosed) transformations, if a piece that had condition issues became available that I otherwise really, really wanted, I wouldn't pass it up, as many/most problems are fixable these days.

One of my bigger collecting regrets is passing on most of the pages to G.I. Joe #2 some years ago because of mold/water damage (which included mold odor... nobody wants that in their life). Had I realized at the time that a restorer could have done much to ameliorate this nasty situation, I would for sure have jumped all over it. 

I had the same experience with a Herriman Sunday a couple years ago, mold and water damage.....I passed even though it was under 5k....seeing some great resto work recently gives me some regrets!

[marktom]

I'd only pass on something that could ultimately never be properly restored. Something that has crayon coloring on it for example. 

I personally won't buy anything on vellum, which is a shame since some of my favorite Marvel covers for the 70's were done on vellum.

--Mark T

[Nexus]

It depends on the issue, but in general, no, not a deal-breaker for me. I learned to get over it very early on, when I passed on a piece with "issues" because I simply didn't know any better. Still a regret.