Waviness in my Strange Tales 111

[lonecooker-migration]

What's the effect of water damage like this on the grade of this book? From the R to the E there is waviness about 1/2 inch down the top of the cover. There's no real serious discoloration ( the scan shows some shadowing that makes it look discolored). Is this a serious flaw that shoots it down to no more that VG automaticaly? I'm trying to understand this whole comic grading thing.It's all new to me.From what I can gather things drop off pretty quickly when things start to go terribly wrong.

[Aces]

Water damage =

BAD!

 

Your VF- (7.5) book would drop to a VG (4.0) if that is H2O damage.

If it's just a humidity wave than VGF (5.0).

[lonecooker-migration]

Woudn't someone prefer a VG that is VF- with something like that waviness over a VG that has 4 fuzzy corners, a corner crease, some chipping and many small spine creases and a worn look to it? I think I would just on the basis of overall appeal (not thinking like an archivist). I understand that the point of the grading system is to keep as many flawed comics out of high grades as possible, but I think that a side effect of it is that it throws two disimilar books into same grades at times for reasons that are hard to equate. Personaly I think I would always go for a heavily punished book that's still very appealing on the whole to something with a lot of problems but nothing seriously wrong with it if the grade is the same. Of course, that's just me and what do I know, right? If everyone accepts that 2+2=5 then it must be so.Cheers

[Nefaria]

I've gotta agree 100% I'd rather have a clean appearing book like yours than a typical 5.0. But that doesn't make it any easier to sell. Or if your keeping it you'll always wish it wasn't there, keeping it out of the higher grades. IMO

[divad]

If there's no staining on the back cover, and that waviness is all there is . . . then your book is easily a 6.0, perhaps better in hand.

 

Your rationale is somewhat correct. On books below the 8.0 grade, individual defects are more acceptable, and do not readily knock a book down to VG 4.0

[lonecooker-migration]

I wasn't really looking for a grade on the book based on the cover. The equivalent area on the back is showing stain but little warping. The back, being white, does not lie. Anytime there is water there is always a "halo" of brownish color on the leading edge of the exposed area of my books. This cover is well suited to lessen the visual impact, but it is still possible to see the halo near the R. The rest is just shadowing. Interestingly, I found that by just putting a "brick" of paper over the scanner door the book scans better and looks less affected. The pages of the comic itself are hardly affected. I'm wondering if the halo is not the crud from the lower quality paper in the pages bleeding through and being led by the advancing water. Eventualy when it dries out the crud deposits and forms the stain, I guess.