Staining - how bad is too bad? 0

[Kelgio82]

I have an ASM 50 with staining that goes almost all the way through to the last page on the bottom right corner. It gets lighter as it goes closer to the middle of book then heavy again as it goes through the end of book. 

Presents ok as long as you don't open the book. Lol but smh

How bad of a hit would the book take if graded? Is there a rule of thumb like "deduct x amount of points for this type of damage"? Thanks in advance for the input

[theCapraAegagrus]

I wouldn't say that there's a "rule of thumb", because stains can differ in size and effect. This one is really bad and may cap it in the 3.0 range.

Edited March 11, 2021 by Angel of Death

[zzutak]

5 hours ago, Kelgio82 said:

Is there a rule of thumb like "deduct x amount of points for this type of damage"?

No.  With very few exceptions, specific defects do not mandate specific deductions.  In general, the more otherwise perfect the book, the greater the deduction for a specific flaw.  For example, an otherwise 9.6 NM+ specimen would normally be awarded a grade of 7.0 to 7.5 if the cover was cleanly detached at a single staple.  An otherwise 2.0 GD or 3.0 GD/VG specimen may not suffer any further downgrade for this same defect.

The "few exceptions" noted above include the following: (1) a book with a completely detached cover that is completely split along the spine should be assigned a grade of 1.0 FR; and (2) a book with a missing page or pages is incomplete and should be assigned a grade of 0.5 PR.  At CGC's discretion, books that are essentially unblemished aside from a single grade-killing defect may be awarded a Qualified (Green Label) Grade rather than a Universal (Blue Label) Grade.  The Qualified Grade should be regarded as a "partial" grade -- it's the grade the book would have if the grade-killing defect did not exist.

Let's move on to your specific ASM #50 example.  Based on what I'm seeing from your scans, I'd assign this book a grade of 4.5 to 5.0 if it had no moisture staining, and I'd assign it a grade of 3.5 to 4.0 in its actual condition.  I hope this helps. 

[James J Johnson]

9 hours ago, BuriedUnderComics said:

Is this staining considered water damage?

Yes. Under the classification of "moisture damage". The surface texture greatly affected and tide lines. Gee, I hope JoeyPost doesn't see this. he hates stains. Ruins his day!  

[joeypost]

On 3/11/2021 at 6:08 PM, James J Johnson said:

Yes. Under the classification of "moisture damage". The surface texture greatly affected and tide lines. Gee, I hope JoeyPost doesn't see this. he hates stains. Ruins his day!  

Sorry...too late. 

Did I mention I hate stains? One of the more avoidable defects, that's why I hate them. 

[William-James88]

Water/moisture stains of that size would only be allowed on a 4.0 range book.

[oldrover]

1. I would still slab that bad boy.  In general, I prefer to slab keys. Only exception: if it's this grade range but ALSO with a cut-out (like ASM 20 often has), then I'd sell it raw. JMHO. Despite the water stains, still a great book! 

[Qalyar]

Staining ... is bad. It's always bad. This stain is very bad. I'm far from the grade estimate expert around here, but I'd guess this would come back a 3.5 (or a 4.0 on a good day). Nothing with this sort of moisture damage / staining is likely to see above a 4.0.

On the other hand... the front cover color conceals the worst of the damage there and the back cover is... not good, but better than a lot of back covers. Which means this will present quite nicely in slab as a 3.5, especially compared to books that arrive at the same grade through more conventional wear patterns and defects. So, basically, real shame about the stain, but nice book you've got there all the same.