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PGX on notating pressing on the label.....

Started by iron maniac,

210 posts in this topic

iron maniac

iron maniac

Posted
Posted

Daniel Patterson made this announcement earlier on the STL boards if anyone is interested:

 

We are making several changes in the way we do things here at PGX, one of them being that any pressing that can be determined 100% to be intentional will be noted on the label.

 

Here's the full announcement:

 

PGX Announcement

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trevorlsmith

trevorlsmith

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Posted

Daniel's (PGX) announcement contained the following statement: "Most pressing is not difficult to determine if it was intentional or just done through time being in a stack of books, etc."

 

I don't know if Daniel posts here or if he is even allowed to post on these boards, but perhaps someone with knowledge in this arena could explain how it can determined whether a book was "intentionally" pressed.

 

Is it as simple as determining that the book is too flat?

 

Is it only "not difficult" to determine that the pressing was intentional when it is done by an amateur?

 

I really have no idea what the answers are to these questions, and with all the talk of pressing over the past year or so, I'd be very interested in having these questions answered with some definitiveness.

 

Iron Maniac- If you have the time, perhaps you could ask Daniel to go into some more detail on the subject and post it here, or provide a link to his explanation.

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trevorlsmith

trevorlsmith

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Nothing can be detected 100% of the time, but the key is to note it when it can be detected.

 

Why couldn't color touch be detected 100% of the time?

 

 

 

 

Edit: my post did not show up (just the message I was replying to)

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VintageComics

VintageComics

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how are(PGX) going to detect pressing when they can't even detect restoration? foreheadslap.gifChristo_pull_hair.gifscrewy.gifyeahok.gif

 

Easy there, pimp dog, EVERONE has missed resto at one time or another....

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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I don't know if Daniel posts here or if he is even allowed to post on these boards, but perhaps someone with knowledge in this arena could explain how it can determined whether a book was "intentionally" pressed.

 

There are plenty of signs that a book has been put under several thousand pounds per square inch of pressure (+heat, moisture, etc.).. and that differs totally from books that were placed in a stack for years. Creases are flattened and quite noticeable, the book loses some of its elasticity and form, and the basic composition of the book changes quite radically.

 

Now before you jump in with the "stack of books" strawman, understand that you would likely have to stack comics from here to the moon to get the same kind of PSI of even a basic book press. Totally different animals, like comparing a paper airplane to the space shuttle. Stacking books may ensure high-grade books stay flat, but it does not magically create 9.6's out of previously-creased or damaged copies.

 

Also, the ability to detect pressing will depend on the severity of the damage being removed or restored. If someone presses a book by any significant amount, CGC can likely tell, but if a tiny non-color breaking corner wave is removed from a CGC 9.2 and turned into a CGC 9.6, I doubt anyone would be the wiser.

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Darthdiesel

Darthdiesel

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classic opportunism by the competition. Folks were saying CGc was getting lax with their grading, ie giving gift grades to weaker books - CGG comes back with uber strict grading on the moderns, making them look like tougher graders and look like they are protecting the best interest of buyers. Now CGC "appears" to not have their resto detection in check and opportunists with anti pressing agendas jump all over CGC's stated policy, so what does PGX do? Appear to act in the best interest of the buyers again to secure/steal as much business as possible. Predictable smirk.gif and transparent

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trevorlsmith

trevorlsmith

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There are plenty of signs that a book has been put under several thousand pounds per square inch of pressure (+heat, moisture, etc.).. and that differs totally from books that were placed in a stack for years. Creases are flattened and quite noticeable, the book loses some of its elasticity and form, and the basic composition of the book changes quite radically.

 

A book with color breaking creases that has been pressed is probably not terribly difficult to identify. I understand that.

 

I guess my question is, how do you determine whether a book with non-color breaking creases, some waviness, etc...has been pressed.

 

What I understand from your post is that the book is stiffer after pressing, but could you explain in plain English what you meant by, "the basic structure of the book changes quite radically."

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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What I understand from your post is that the book is stiffer after pressing, but could you explain in plain English what you meant by, "the basic structure of the book changes quite radically."

 

That question has a host of answers, and can range from some bozo putting a comic in a monster press and turning it into a pancake, to creating a totally flat spine that literally crackles when you open it. The localized 9.2-to-9.6 pressing of a small portion of the cover is tougher to catch.

 

Marnin has some examples on his site, and I believe others on here have also posted images. I myself own a hilariously pancaked CGC book that you'd have to be blind to think wasn't pressed.

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SignatureSelect

SignatureSelect

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Posted

I am tired of the pressing issue. I am going to hiest everybodies books and press them and return them. So all books are pressed. If you people and PGX are so concerned about pressing then you need to get out of the bussiness. I am not saying that every boody I own is pressed but check this out when you have time. take a book of your with a wave or a dent or non color breaking spine stress and put it under glass for about a month with about 100 pounds on top of the glass and see how much better it makes the book look. Wouldn't that be considered pressing.

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mica

mica

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One question. What would be the harm if I were to convince 99% of the comic book collecting community that pressing should be disclosed?

 

Please think about the question....... What harm? Not really kicking down peoples doors here and stealing their presses, nor am I going to your homes and confiscating any of your books.

 

What would be the harm if I were to convince 99% of the comic book collecting community that pressing should be disclosed?

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trevorlsmith

trevorlsmith

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Yeah, but aren;t obviously pressed books just amateurish attempts, ie., botched.

 

I understand it is tougher, but can PGX of CGC tell when a book has been pressed proffesionally, or subjected to very localized pressure, i.e., the corner bend, small wave on the back cover...?

 

Aren;t the molecular fibers weakened from any sort of pressure?

 

What is worrying me a bit is that at the moment, it is difficult to tell that a book has been pressed. And I think it's only difficult because of the expense. I would think that a microscopic examination of a book would allow someone to tell with 99% certainty whether a book has been subjected to extraordinary pressure.

 

So what happens to all the pressed books in 5, 10, 25 years down the road when there is some cheap scanning software, or some other technological device that can make this determination cheaply and in seconds?

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