Newbie board member and new to grading. Amazing Spider-man 299 0

[nisora33]

Hey, folks. I'm new to the board, and having just gotten back into collecting, I'm very, very new to grading. I think the biggest question plaguing me is how heavily interior page quality affects the grade of the comic vs. the exterior; most of what I've turned up here and elsewhere references the exterior, and what little I have found regarding interior page quality is contradictory and inconclusive, to me at least. 

I recently purchased a copy of AMS #299. The eBay seller listed it as VF or higher grade, but the more I inspect the comic, the more I doubt the grading.

I'm going to post a link to some photos I took, but I'll also provide a description of some of my observations:

I took the photos under yellowish light, so the exterior doesn't look as white as it appears in person, and the interior pages appear a darker tan, while nevertheless  being somewhat tan IRL. Cover is rich in color and glossy with just a few almost imperceptible impressions on the cover (see photos 1 and 2). Among my biggest concerns are the bends to the upper left corner of the back page; the largest of the two is a little greater than a fourth of an inch in length. Next up: a handful of the pages have what appear to be faint folds or creases, which I didn't even notice at first; but the more I've inspected them under differing lighting, the more apparent they become. Lastly, nearly all the pages have a slight (maybe 2/8 inch) bend to the upper corner, an example of which you can see in the final photo.  

Here's the link to the album: my copy of Amazing Spider-man #298. I tried to take the most unflattering photos as possible. While the outside condition isn't terrible, the interior pages give me strong concerns/doubts over the total grade. 

I paid 65$ for it. At this point, I'm not sure whether it was worth it or not. Thanks in advance to all of you in this community for your time and attention. I look forward to participating more!

Edited June 14, 2018 by nisora33

[Not A Clone]

The biggest thing that immediately stands out is the slight reading crease on the spine. That knocks it down to around a 7. The interior looks ok. The bends don't look like they break color. A press could help this get back to a grade worthy of what you paid for it. Ebay and raw books rarely work out in the buyers favor.

[nisora33]

Thanks Not a Clone. I was thinking between a 6 and a 7. But I'm still sharpening my judgment and don't feel confident yet. I'd like to get to a point where I can determine whether certain comics are worth sending in for grading. I've been looking at lots of grading guides and scans to make a comparative judgment in order to get better at this. Obviously, I still have a ways to go.

[kav]

7.0 here

[FineCollector]

"8.0 or better" is probably how it looked through the bag.  I think it might squeeze 7.5.

[nisora33]

Thanks all. That helps.

I have an additional question: I hear talk of pages having an "acidic smell, is that the same thing as old paper smell, or is that something different? Because I actually love the smell of old pages.

[nisora33]

12 hours ago, Not A Clone said:

...The bends don't look like they break color. A press could help this get back to a grade worthy of what you paid for it. Ebay and raw books rarely work out in the buyers favor.

I know that pressing is considered restoration, but if the creases don't break color, would evidence of pressing even be detectable to a grader after the fact? Or would the grader look at the comic and think, "All things considered, this comic looks a little TOO perfect?"

[Not A Clone]

6 hours ago, nisora33 said:

I know that pressing is considered restoration, but if the creases don't break color, would evidence of pressing even be detectable to a grader after the fact? Or would the grader look at the comic and think, "All things considered, this comic looks a little TOO perfect?"

Pressing is allowed. It doesn't cause you to get the dreaded purple restoration label. You can request them to press it when you submit books to CGC for a small fee. 

Edited June 14, 2018 by Not A Clone

[nisora33]

2 hours ago, Not A Clone said:

Pressing is allowed. It doesn't cause you to get the dreaded purple restoration label.

Okay, don't know where I got that, probably from Reddit. Thanks for your help and insight.

[nisora33]

On 6/13/2018 at 10:09 PM, Not A Clone said:

The biggest thing that immediately stands out is the slight reading crease on the spine. 

So I got it back out and examined it, and the "crease" of the spine is actually the outline of the 1st page panels showing through the cover--it's not a crease after all.

Edited June 15, 2018 by nisora33

[The Lions Den]

On ‎6‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 10:38 PM, nisora33 said:

Hey, folks. I'm new to the board, and having just gotten back into collecting, I'm very, very new to grading. I think the biggest question plaguing me is how heavily interior page quality affects the grade of the comic vs. the exterior; most of what I've turned up here and elsewhere references the exterior, and what little I have found regarding interior page quality is contradictory and inconclusive, to me at least. 

I recently purchased a copy of AMS #299. The eBay seller listed it as VF or higher grade, but the more I inspect the comic, the more I doubt the grading.

I'm going to post a link to some photos I took, but I'll also provide a description of some of my observations:

I took the photos under yellowish light, so the exterior doesn't look as white as it appears in person, and the interior pages appear a darker tan, while nevertheless  being somewhat tan IRL. Cover is rich in color and glossy with just a few almost imperceptible impressions on the cover (see photos 1 and 2). Among my biggest concerns are the bends to the upper left corner of the back page; the largest of the two is a little greater than a fourth of an inch in length. Next up: a handful of the pages have what appear to be faint folds or creases, which I didn't even notice at first; but the more I've inspected them under differing lighting, the more apparent they become. Lastly, nearly all the pages have a slight (maybe 2/8 inch) bend to the upper corner, an example of which you can see in the final photo.  

Here's the link to the album: my copy of Amazing Spider-man #298. I tried to take the most unflattering photos as possible. While the outside condition isn't terrible, the interior pages give me strong concerns/doubts over the total grade. 

I paid 65$ for it. At this point, I'm not sure whether it was worth it or not. Thanks in advance to all of you in this community for your time and attention. I look forward to participating more!

This is a nice looking copy. For me, the small crease/bend which goes through the book at the top corner looks to be your biggest flaw. I would grade this a 7.5 based on what I saw... 

[nisora33]

5 hours ago, The Lions Den said:

This is a nice looking copy. For me, the small crease/bend which goes through the book at the top corner looks to be your biggest flaw. I would grade this a 7.5 based on what I saw... 

Thanks. The crease wasn't apparent in the photos on Ebay, so I was pretty bummed when I received the comic. That said, I've long wanted to get back a copy of this issue, as I traded it away as a kid (along with some other McFarlane Michelinie issues) and my mother ended up getting rid of a lot of my other stuff, too.

[DavidTheDavid]

I'd have to see better pics of the cover to form an opinion. 

[nisora33]

On 6/15/2018 at 7:25 PM, DavidTheDavid said:

I'd have to see better pics of the cover to form an opinion. 

Front cover and back cover + 1st page showing comic panel
Click zoom to see high res photos.

Edited June 18, 2018 by nisora33

[gradejunky]

from the photos I would say this is at least a 7.5.  even with a corner crease that travels from front to back like that, if it doesn't break color and was on say an overall 9.8 copy, I would knock the book down to a 8.5/9.0.  Add in the minor finger dents you got an 8.0/8.5.  Add in the minor things going on in the interior and you have at least a 7.5 if there is no other glaring defects not noticeable in those pics.  seller was not far off but should have noted that corner bend if it was not apparent from the scan/pics. 

[nisora33]

5 hours ago, gradejunky said:

from the photos I would say this is at least a 7.5.  even with a corner crease that travels from front to back like that, if it doesn't break color and was on say an overall 9.8 copy, I would knock the book down to a 8.5/9.0.  Add in the minor finger dents you got an 8.0/8.5.  Add in the minor things going on in the interior and you have at least a 7.5 if there is no other glaring defects not noticeable in those pics.  seller was not far off but should have noted that corner bend if it was not apparent from the scan/pics. 

Thanks gradejunky. The seller included a photo of the corner but it did NOT really showcase the full reality of its appearance. I will say that the seller was very communicative and more than willing to offer a refund if I wasn't happy. Not a bad experience, over all, but like I said, I'm new to grading so I wanted some other opinions on the grade/condition.