How important are the following factors to you when choosing which book to buy? 5 5

[JJ-4]

On 3/9/2022 at 5:07 PM, Funnybooks said:

Watch Casablanca in High Def....it will change your life

I mean, no pressure.  Not setting the expectations a bit high? 

[Funnybooks]

On 3/9/2022 at 7:11 PM, JJ-4 said:

I mean, no pressure.  Not setting the expectations a bit high? 

[universal soldier]

A. Grade; - #1 for sure. As I've said, I'm fine with VF on older books

B. Page color; - nothing less than OW unless it's an uber-key. No way to brittle

C. Wrap; - I'm more of a wrap snob than I used to be

E. Holder (old, oldest, new, custom); - Raw

F. Previous pressing; - it's all the rage these days so whatever

G. Holder condition; - crack is whack

D. Pedigree; -

 

Edited March 10, 2022 by universal soldier

[oakman29]

On 3/8/2022 at 7:54 PM, Kripsys99 said:

There was a post in the spring that generated a lot of discussion about how important boardies felt a good wrap was for a slabbed book (unless it's really bad, I couldn't care less). It got me wondering what importance board members place on other factors when choosing a book.

So, assuming it's an issue you want, price is right, etc. - how would you rank the following factors when deciding whether to buy a book?

A. Grade;

B. Page color;

C. Wrap;

D. Pedigree;

E. Holder (old, oldest, new, custom);

F. Previous pressing;

G. Holder condition;

Are there other factors you consider?

Are any of the factors deal breakers for you?

Pressing is a problem for me. If it's a book I've been on the hunt for I would rather buy it raw. Upon inspection I would first check for page count, then spine, edges. Other than tan-brittle page quality on the label means nothing.  I'm not a grade chaser, but I do want to get the best grade I can. I relish in trying to find a great book in the wild instead of pressed manufactured books. The person I buy from is very important to me,  as I really only have a handful of sellers I buy from. Doing this I never have to worry about some nut sending me a a 5 thousand dollar book in a bubble mailer, or some other stupid thing. I know what my chosen sellers are going to do. Cool topic .

[oakman29]

On 3/9/2022 at 1:48 PM, Kripsys99 said:

Yeah, I should have included label type on my list. I agree about yellow labels - I don't own any, and go out of my way to avoid them. I understand the appeal for others - they're just not for me.

Yeah not a fan of signed slabs. I do have signed books, but they are books I got signed which is a personal experience. 

[WoWitHurts]

My OCD has always been an issue for me when buying books. Because what I like is also usually expensive I have had to narrow my collecting focus. I am ok with a little miss wrap IF it is even all the way down the spine and not angled. I hate spine ticks and almost always avoid them. I have some OW/W books but most are WP. When looking at a raw copy it needs to be NM or better and if graded 9.6 or better with white pages. 9.8 above 1979ish. Pressing doesn’t bother me as most of my books were so tight in the box they essentially are “pressed”. For graded I was putting together a direct/Newsie run of ASM 200-299 but Newsies are all the rage and more $ than I am willing to shell out so I may give that up. 

[Kripsys99]

On 3/9/2022 at 9:38 PM, oakman29 said:

I do have signed books, but they are books I got signed which is a personal experience. 

This would definitely hold much more appeal for me than buying an already signed book, it submitting a book for signature.

[Kripsys99]

On 3/9/2022 at 9:39 PM, WoWitHurts said:

I am ok with a little miss wrap IF it is even all the way down the spine and not angled.

Yeah, even though I don't really care about wrap, my preference goes: perfect wrap  > straight miswrap >>> angled miswrap.

[Laszlo the Mudjar]

These days if I buy something it will be with the intention of putting it in a frame and displaying it on a wall.  For me I have found most books over a 6.0 display awesomely so I could care less about higher grades or page color.  It's all about what it looks like framed.  Now if I was concerned about resale, I'd definitely be buying the highest grade I could, but that's not the kind of collector I am.  I recently bought a 6.0 Fantastic Four 50 to go with my 55 and 72 which both came back as 8.0s a couple years back when I was considering selling.  On display the 6.0 looks every bit as good as the 8.0s.  Anyways, that's just me.