Spine Stress Lines Spine (and other pressing questions) 1 1

[ExNihilo]

So I got my first batch of books back (which you can see in the following link) and I had a few questions regarding pressing and whether it could potentially increase my scores.  I know it's all conjecture, but I figure those of you with more experience would know which grading notes can be fixed through pressing and which cannot.

For starters, every book with grader notes came back with "Spine Stress Lines Spine", but what exactly does that mean?  As I look at the spine on my ASM #300, I see no flaking or color breaks of any kind that would indicate stress.  So what is it and is it something that can be addressed through a press?

My ASM vol2 #36 (9.4 copy) notes a fingerprint on the front right center (if it's there, I can't see it).  Can this be removed through cleaning?  I read that you can remove fingerprints immediately, but it has now obviously been a long time since that print was probably placed there.

And the big one, Incredible Hulk #271 has a "readers crease full right of back cover."  Upon closer inspection, I can see what they are referring to.  Fortunately, there doesn't appear to be any color break as a result of the crease.  So overall, would it be wise to have the books cleaned/pressed before they're re-graded (since I still want to get sigs of the series artists/writers).  Am I at risk of a cleaning/press ruining Stan's sig that is already on there?  Thanks in advance for your advice.

[Bomber-Bob]

First off, I do think that reader's crease breaks color, forget that book. Regarding the spine stress, keep in mind that the book has some pressure on it in the slab, sometimes making the lines hard to see. Sometimes you have to deslab the book to see what they are talking about. Fingerprints on a black cover will be tough to remove. Remember, fingers leave oil and it cannot be 'erased'. It would have to be dabbed off, not a sure thing. I think your best chance of improvement is on the ASM 300 with the spine stress.

[ExNihilo]

18 hours ago, Bomber-Bob said:

First off, I do think that reader's crease breaks color, forget that book. Regarding the spine stress, keep in mind that the book has some pressure on it in the slab, sometimes making the lines hard to see. Sometimes you have to deslab the book to see what they are talking about. Fingerprints on a black cover will be tough to remove. Remember, fingers leave oil and it cannot be 'erased'. It would have to be dabbed off, not a sure thing. I think your best chance of improvement is on the ASM 300 with the spine stress.

So what is a spine stress though?  I guess in my head it's like the image below where it's merely a product of the book being opened and effectively a color breaking crease along the spine.  The below example seems to have a color break along the entire spine, but some books have less of this.  Is my understanding of a spine stress correct or is it something else?

It sounds like I'm SOL on the fingerprints and that's understandable.  I am glad to hear that a press might be able to positively affect the ASM 300 since that is the one book that would benefit the most from an increase in the grade.

Thanks.

[Bomber-Bob]

2 hours ago, ExNihilo said:

So what is a spine stress though?  I guess in my head it's like the image below where it's merely a product of the book being opened and effectively a color breaking crease along the spine.  The below example seems to have a color break along the entire spine, but some books have less of this.  Is my understanding of a spine stress correct or is it something else?

That's a reader crease, totally different than the spine creases the CGC notes are referencing. The spine creases would be horizontal breaks along the spine.

 

[ExNihilo]

Alright, I do see 3 creases on the back cover, with the one near the staple being the worst of it.  They actually look worst in the photos (not sure if the lighting or what makes it look like a color break), but to the naked eye, there's no color break on the middle one.  The one nearest the staple does appear to have a slight color break.  All in all, i'm starting to second guess how much a press would actually benefit this book.

[Bomber-Bob]

11 hours ago, ExNihilo said:

Alright, I do see 3 creases on the back cover, with the one near the staple being the worst of it.  They actually look worst in the photos (not sure if the lighting or what makes it look like a color break), but to the naked eye, there's no color break on the middle one.  The one nearest the staple does appear to have a slight color break.  All in all, i'm starting to second guess how much a press would actually benefit this book.

Yes, those are definitely color breaking spine creases. Fair warning, in the hands of the wrong presser, a crease at the staple can become worse with a press.

[joeypost]

11 hours ago, ExNihilo said:

Alright, I do see 3 creases on the back cover, with the one near the staple being the worst of it.  They actually look worst in the photos (not sure if the lighting or what makes it look like a color break), but to the naked eye, there's no color break on the middle one.  The one nearest the staple does appear to have a slight color break.  All in all, i'm starting to second guess how much a press would actually benefit this book.

What is a .5 or .2 grade bump worth these days on an ASM 300? If it is more than the CPR costs it may be worth the risk. If this book is for your private collection, leave it as is until you decide to sell. 

[ExNihilo]

On ‎10‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 11:20 AM, joeypost said:

What is a .5 or .2 grade bump worth these days on an ASM 300? If it is more than the CPR costs it may be worth the risk. If this book is for your private collection, leave it as is until you decide to sell. 

What does CPR stand for?

And thanks everyone for the advice here.