I think I'm going to have to start learning to press books because...217 working days ~10.5 months is too long to wait for books to be pressed with uncertain results 7 7

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 11/1/2022 at 11:52 AM, Dr. Balls said:

The greatest debates in history always start out with name calling. I believe Abraham Lincoln opened with that comment towards Winston Churchill.

This isn’t the start of the great pressing debate.  As mentioned, there’s thousands of posts on the subject.  
 

As for name calling....

I called him a muppet & he returned fire and called me a dunce.  Par for the course

[Dr. Balls]

I do not "restore" my wrinkly bedsheets by getting them wet and ironing them out. It could be said I am "washing" them, because I am using detergent to get the smell out and then "ironing" them to make them flat. Those are the proper words to use in that example. If I had some valuable limited edition bedsheets that I were inclined to sell, ironing them out so they look more presentable to the buyer would not be considered "restoration" despite the fact I did "restore" them to their previously unwrinkled state.

These bedsheets could be every bit as important as a modern comic book. There are bedsheet collectors out there, probably looking for sheets in like-new condition, rather than tattered or with holes. As a matter of fact, the bedsheet collectors who love their old bedsheets consider washing them as a "revival" of their sheets.

I propose a "revival" label for comics. These pressed books have been "revived" to appear nicer than they were, shinier, less wrinkly. Since I am not adding material that was not originally there, I wouldn't consider that restorative.

[Dr. Balls]

On 11/1/2022 at 10:07 AM, THE_BEYONDER said:

This isn’t the start of the great pressing debate.  As mentioned, there’s thousands of posts on the subject.  
 

As for name calling....

I called him a muppet & he returned fire and called me a dunce.  Par for the course

Ahh, well I felt that you had called me a muppet, so I decided to fire back with some wit. Thanks for clearing that up.

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 11/1/2022 at 12:17 PM, Dr. Balls said:

Ahh, well I felt that you had called me a muppet, so I decided to fire back with some wit. Thanks for clearing that up.

You’ll know when I’m talking to you 

 

 

 

 

 

[MetalPSI]

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 11/1/2022 at 12:16 PM, Dr. Balls said:

I do not "restore" my wrinkly bedsheets by getting them wet and ironing them out. It could be said I am "washing" them, because I am using detergent to get the smell out and then "ironing" them to make them flat. Those are the proper words to use in that example. If I had some valuable limited edition bedsheets that I were inclined to sell, ironing them out so they look more presentable to the buyer would not be considered "restoration" despite the fact I did "restore" them to their previously unwrinkled state.

These bedsheets could be every bit as important as a modern comic book. There are bedsheet collectors out there, probably looking for sheets in like-new condition, rather than tattered or with holes. As a matter of fact, the bedsheet collectors who love their old bedsheets consider washing them as a "revival" of their sheets.

I propose a "revival" label for comics. These pressed books have been "revived" to appear nicer than they were, shinier, less wrinkly. Since I am not adding material that was not originally there, I wouldn't consider that restorative.

[MAR1979]

I agree and disagree with both sides of the debate.

 

[MAR1979]

On 11/1/2022 at 12:17 PM, Dr. Balls said:

Ahh, well I felt that you had called me a muppet, so I decided to fire back with some wit. Thanks for clearing that up.

I dont understand why a hottie like Miss Piggy has any interest in a lamo frog like Kermit.

[MetalPSI]

On 11/1/2022 at 12:35 PM, MAR1979 said:

I dont understand why a hottie like Miss Piggy has any interest in a lamo frog like Kermit.

 

[Dr. Balls]

On 11/1/2022 at 10:35 AM, MAR1979 said:

I dont understand why a hottie like Miss Piggy has any interest in a lamo frog like Kermit.

Have you seen frogs use their tongues? There ya go.

[lizards2]

On 11/1/2022 at 9:16 AM, Dr. Balls said:

I do not "restore" my wrinkly bedsheets by getting them wet and ironing them out. It could be said I am "washing" them, because I am using detergent to get the smell out and then "ironing" them to make them flat. Those are the proper words to use in that example. If I had some valuable limited edition bedsheets that I were inclined to sell, ironing them out so they look more presentable to the buyer would not be considered "restoration" despite the fact I did "restore" them to their previously unwrinkled state.

These bedsheets could be every bit as important as a modern comic book. There are bedsheet collectors out there, probably looking for sheets in like-new condition, rather than tattered or with holes. As a matter of fact, the bedsheet collectors who love their old bedsheets consider washing them as a "revival" of their sheets.

I propose a "revival" label for comics. These pressed books have been "revived" to appear nicer than they were, shinier, less wrinkly. Since I am not adding material that was not originally there, I wouldn't consider that restorative.

 

[seanlinc]

Well 2 small test submissions with my own pressing done and results are both promising and disappointing and probably inconclusive. 13 books 

1 8.0

4 9.0

2 9.4

6 9.6

Now the 8.0 had some issues I saw but also a couple I missed same with 3 of the 9.0s the other was ok as it was an avengers annual 10 that I knew was maybe a 9.2 at best so not unhappy with a 9.0. Now my take on 9.6s and maybe 9.4s as well is they could easily go 9.8 that it's kinda a graders opinion kind of thing  so it's disappointing not to get a couple of 9.8s out of that bunch. Dollarwise with what I had in the raw books which wasn't much and the grading cost it's still been a win just have to keep working at the technique I guess.

 

[GACollectibles]

On 11/1/2022 at 1:18 PM, Dr. Balls said:

Have you seen frogs use their tongues? There ya go.

I thought I had advised NOT opening those links from lizrds2

[Poekaymon]

One problem is I'm not sure people are even asking the same question.  For instance, one person might write "Pressing is NOT restoration" but what they actually mean is "Pressing, in 2023, should not result in a purple CGC Label" while another person will respond "Pressing IS restoration" but what they actually mean is "Pressing is, by definition, a restorative process."  Reworded thusly, some people may actually agree with each other.  I'm actually not sure how you can really disagree with either of those reworded statements due to our current practical reality.  Because the inescapable fact is that decades ago ago CGC made a decision to not treat pressing as restoration for the purpose of its labels.  (Some explanations for this have been advanced in this thread, but CGC's decision also seems logical to me due to the physical manipulation involved in pressing as compared with, say, color touch and trimming, and the relative greater difficulty in finding evidence that a book was pressed at all.)  Whatever the reason initially, CGC's industry presence and 20+ years of precedent make it pretty well settled that CGC's definition is the law.

So, then, pressing certainly is a method to "repair to original condition" and is therefore a form of restoration.  But it is not restoration.  I expect that I have now brought peace to the Middle East.

Edited January 5, 2023 by Poekaymon

[eastbayrudy]

For me im done with pressing. I have been paying the extra fees to CGC for my last several submissions with not very good results. Most stayed the same or not much better. Some even appear to look worst then before lol. So that being said, from now on I will try and buy highest grade possible im done with pressing. Just not worth the extra cash and wait times. 

[PeterPark]

My ASM 300 suffered a terrible staple tear at the hands of CCS. I would've thought they'd know how to handle a book like that.

[Aman619]

On 1/6/2023 at 1:48 PM, eastbayrudy said:

For me im done with pressing. I have been paying the extra fees to CGC for my last several submissions with not very good results. Most stayed the same or not much better. Some even appear to look worst then before lol. So that being said, from now on I will try and buy highest grade possible im done with pressing. Just not worth the extra cash and wait times. 

well, thats the best course of action for you. If someone isn't well versed in spotting good candidates for pressing AND the pressing actually fixes the problem, (its not a guarantee) -- overall its easier and better to just buy the grade you are looking for already slabbed.  of course, you are pretty likely to be buying a book that WAS successfully upgraded, or just pressed to that grade by someone who DOES know how to navigate the process.