Is this color rub on this Flash? 0

[Venomous72]

Never seen this before (haven't been collecting too long) but there is a sort of blueish tint near the back staple on the back.  Is this color rub?

 

I attached a photo of the staple on the front as well, doesn't appear to be any rust or anything so I doubt it is rust migration or something.

 

Thanks!

[faster friends]

Ink transfer from being on top of another book.

it can be removed/cleaned

[James J Johnson]

1 hour ago, faster friends said:

Ink transfer from being on top of another book.

it can be removed/cleaned

+1. Comes right off easily. Not restoration and doesn't mar or impact the cover or the gloss.

[Venomous72]

21 hours ago, faster friends said:

Ink transfer from being on top of another book.

it can be removed/cleaned

 

20 hours ago, James J Johnson said:

+1. Comes right off easily. Not restoration and doesn't mar or impact the cover or the gloss.

Thanks guys.  One more question, does this staple look ok/not rusty?  There is no orange or chunky rusty stuff, just seems grimy/dirty like a lot of my older books

 

 

[Bomber-Bob]

Yes, that staple is rusty.

[Venomous72]

11 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

Yes, that staple is rusty.

Damn really? I thought it looked like just dirt and grime that I see on a lot of the older books I have.

The book is supposed to be here tomorrow so I should be able to get a closer look. I’ve had so many books with funk on the staples that looked like that. Isn’t rust typically darker orange/chunky?

Edited February 28, 2018 by James Lawry

[Bomber-Bob]

3 minutes ago, James Lawry said:

Damn really? I thought it looked like just dirt and grime that I see on a lot of the older books I have.

I am paranoid about rusty staples and try to avoid them. It's one of those flaws that can get worse over time, even in the slab. Make sure you keep this book in a humidity controlled environment. I wish CGC would list this flaw on the label.

[Venomous72]

4 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

I am paranoid about rusty staples and try to avoid them. It's one of those flaws that can get worse over time, even in the slab. Make sure you keep this book in a humidity controlled environment. I wish CGC would list this flaw on the label.

Yeah I asked the guy and he said no there is no rust, and followed up with pics. I’m going to hope that it is just dirt and . I have a lot of books that have staples that look like this so I guess we’ll see

[James J Johnson]

37 minutes ago, James Lawry said:

Yeah I asked the guy and he said no there is no rust, and followed up with pics. I’m going to hope that it is just dirt and . I have a lot of books that have staples that look like this so I guess we’ll see

The top staple has not accrued any rust. The bottom staple looks to be of a slightly different type. Many books were manufactured with dissimilar staples. Some even with one copper colored one and one silver colored one! The bottom staple appears to be of the type with indentations machined into the shaft. Not smooth, like the top one. A recurring pattern. These are the type of staples that more easily oxidize and to me, based on the images, that bottom staple is not yet rusty, but on it's way. There's a coating of oxidation on the metal that will eventually develop into a coating of rust, now very slowly since removed from the damp environment that caused it.  

Edited February 28, 2018 by James J Johnson

[Venomous72]

9 minutes ago, James J Johnson said:

The top staple has not accrued any rust. The bottom staple looks to be of a slightly different type. Many books were manufactured with dissimilar staples. Some even with one copper colored one and one silver colored one! The bottom staple appears to be of the type with indentations machined into the shaft. Not smooth, like the top one. A recurring pattern. These are the type of staples that more easily oxidize and to me, based on the images, that bottom staple is not yet rusty, but on it's way. There's a coating of oxidation on the metal that will eventually develop into a coating of rust, now very slowly since removed from the damp environment that caused it.  

Thanks! That is kind of what I was thinking. Some oxidation and such. I live in Utah so it is very dry here luckily

[Bomber-Bob]

1 hour ago, James Lawry said:

Thanks! That is kind of what I was thinking. Some oxidation and such. I live in Utah so it is very dry here luckily

You can call it oxidation if you want but oxidized iron is rust. Those spots on the bottom staple is rust forming, not dirt. If you haven't already purchased the book, I would pass on it. Sorry.

[James J Johnson]

37 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

You can call it oxidation if you want but oxidized iron is rust. Those spots on the bottom staple is rust forming, not dirt. If you haven't already purchased the book, I would pass on it. Sorry.

Like anything else, there are varying degrees. This is the beginning stages of the staples rusting and then after awhile, the paper surrounding them as well, which I don't see any evidence of now. It's still surface level, coating the surface of the metal. The next stage is to infiltrate then permeate, turning the staple into rusted metal, that process now arrested with the book removed from the moist environment that exacerbated the rusting process.

[Venomous72]

So this is a spidey book I bought forever ago. It had this on the staple, very similar to the Flash book I posted. I took a small sharp knife and the crud came right off. Didn’t have to work much at it, and it seemed like gummy-dirt . Initially I thought it was rust as well. I know rust can be scraped off, but this wasn’t rust and looked very similar to this flash book and other books I have. Just something I have noticed on books I have. A lot of them have some gunk it seems.

[Venomous72]

1 hour ago, Bomber-Bob said:

You can call it oxidation if you want but oxidized iron is rust. Those spots on the bottom staple is rust forming, not dirt. If you haven't already purchased the book, I would pass on it. Sorry.

 

1 hour ago, James J Johnson said:

Like anything else, there are varying degrees. This is the beginning stages of the staples rusting and then after awhile, the paper surrounding them as well, which I don't see any evidence of now. It's still surface level, coating the surface of the metal. The next stage is to infiltrate then permeate, turning the staple into rusted metal, that process now arrested with the book removed from the moist environment that exacerbated the rusting process.

Here’s another example. Just pulled this X-Men 266 and the staple looks almost identical to the Flash one. Shiny parts and dull parts. I’m not really arguing that it isn’t the beginning of rust or not, it just seems to be common on a lot of books. Frankly if it is just the beginning stages of rust and it isn’t already orange and migrating (orange rust I will not be ok with) and just some light oxidation, I’m really ok with it. Just have to keep it in a dry environment, like all books. 

[Venomous72]

On 2/28/2018 at 4:56 PM, Bomber-Bob said:

You can call it oxidation if you want but oxidized iron is rust. Those spots on the bottom staple is rust forming, not dirt. If you haven't already purchased the book, I would pass on it. Sorry.

 

On 2/28/2018 at 5:40 PM, James J Johnson said:

Like anything else, there are varying degrees. This is the beginning stages of the staples rusting and then after awhile, the paper surrounding them as well, which I don't see any evidence of now. It's still surface level, coating the surface of the metal. The next stage is to infiltrate then permeate, turning the staple into rusted metal, that process now arrested with the book removed from the moist environment that exacerbated the rusting process.

 

Getting it in hand it seems that it is light rust/tarnish, but the staple still has a good shine.  No migration or anything like that, it basically looks like old silver plate/dish sets your grandma has that need to be cleaned lol.

I live in a dry environment, you guys think I'll be alright?  The book displays so well for a 3.5 that I really don't mind this amount of light rust I think.

 

 

[Bomber-Bob]

2 hours ago, James Lawry said:

 

 

Getting it in hand it seems that it is light rust/tarnish, but the staple still has a good shine.  No migration or anything like that, it basically looks like old silver plate/dish sets your grandma has that need to be cleaned lol.

I live in a dry environment, you guys think I'll be alright?  The book displays so well for a 3.5 that I really don't mind this amount of light rust I think.

 

 

You are probably alright.

[Venomous72]

9 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

You are probably alright.

Thanks Bob. I figure it is minor enough that I’ll be long dead before/if it gets worse. Thanks for helping my OCD

[Venomous72]

On 2/28/2018 at 3:30 PM, James J Johnson said:

The top staple has not accrued any rust. The bottom staple looks to be of a slightly different type. Many books were manufactured with dissimilar staples. Some even with one copper colored one and one silver colored one! The bottom staple appears to be of the type with indentations machined into the shaft. Not smooth, like the top one. A recurring pattern. These are the type of staples that more easily oxidize and to me, based on the images, that bottom staple is not yet rusty, but on it's way. There's a coating of oxidation on the metal that will eventually develop into a coating of rust, now very slowly since removed from the damp environment that caused it.  

 

About to pull the trigger on a Flash 110 that I have been looking at for a while.  Seller has sent me more pics and they look good.  The top staple is mostly gray but appears to have some mild discoloration at the top.  I asked him and he said it is not rust (he has high feedback, sells a lot of high end slabs, and offers returns).  I zoomed in a bit and screenshotted, what are your thoughts?  

I am inclined to think it is fine.  I have seen many discolored staples that are not rusty.

 

Thanks guys

[Venomous72]

I have the book in hand and it looks good.  Some mild oxidation on the top staple it looks like (couple light orange spots) but not bad.  Still has a healthy shine to it.  If I keep this book in a dry environment you guys think it'll be alright?

 

 

[James J Johnson]

Noteworthy is that the majority of Silver age books do not have shiny staples, whether gold, copper, bronze, or silver in color. Most Silver age comics have staples with a cloud-grayish coating on them that mutes the brilliance or shine of the metal. It's tarnishing, like on a coin, the mildest form of oxidation. This can lead to actual full scale rusting of the metal, which will have a corrosive effect eventually on the staple and surrounding paper, both inside and out. That Flash is a beautiful book and the staples are what's to be expected of Silver age staples, unless scraped/cleaned. A cloud-grayish coating on the metal, quite normal, and at that stage nothing to be concerned about since the book is now optimally environmentally housed and stored.