Pressing Low Grade books - Worth It? 0

[O Doyle Rules]

I have a ton of great Silver Age keys in the low grade range of between 2.0 to 5.0. I know without pics of the books you cannot give a specific answer - I am asking generally - Have any of you had success getting lower graded comics pressed? Any brags on how much of a bump you got? 

I read the list of defects described as far as when to consider pressing - but lets face it most comics 5.0 and below are probably going to exhibit some of those faults. Does just one or two of those faults means a definite no on pressing? 

Also when do you consider having a 7.0 resubmitted to get pressed and re-graded that has mostly just the good defects?

Thank you to everyone in advance for any answers! 

[LowGradeBronze]

Hi and welcome to the boards! I'm going to stick my neck out and say that the law of diminishing returns is probably at play here. The lower the grade, the less of a bump you'll likely get. You may well improve the appeal and appearance of the book without actually improving on the grade and that might be your intention for your own collection. For books that are 7.0 and above (maybe even 6.0 and above,) you'll get the best chance of a real grade improvement. Although at much higher grades the law of diminishing returns comes into play again, the tiny grade improvements you might get on a 9.0 and above might actually be where the real money is to be gained, depending on the book. From a 9.2 to a 9.6 might be a huge gain in value. 

I think a pre screen will help determine which books won't really benefit from pressing. It does nothing for colour breaking creases but could improve the appeal of the book 'in hand'. 

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 4/28/2022 at 10:32 AM, O Doyle Rules said:

I have a ton of great Silver Age keys in the low grade range of between 2.0 to 5.0. I know without pics of the books you cannot give a specific answer - I am asking generally - Have any of you had success getting lower graded comics pressed? Any brags on how much of a bump you got?

Also when do you consider having a 7.0 resubmitted to get pressed and re-graded that has mostly just the good defects?

I don't have any Silver Age "keys" to press, but unless there are defects that will certainly be alleviated/removed by a press, I never advocate putting the money into it. Things like bends or creases that don't break color are among defects that will definitely be removed by a competent presser.

A 7.0 would fall under the above advice.

[joeypost]

All depends on the value of a book. Anything above a certain price threshold I press. In some cases, a .5 bump is $$$ in your pocket or a better-looking book in the slab. You have to do your due diligence before to keep costs low and make sure they are good candidates. 

[O Doyle Rules]

Thanks for the replies. Much appreciated. I was probably looking at it does make financial sense, not so much personal satisfaction. The 7.0s which are graded I have appear to mostly have defects that can be fixed by pressing. Possible to press a 7.0 to a 9.0? 

[thehumantorch]

On 4/28/2022 at 1:17 PM, O Doyle Rules said:

Thanks for the replies. Much appreciated. I was probably looking at it does make financial sense, not so much personal satisfaction. The 7.0s which are graded I have appear to mostly have defects that can be fixed by pressing. Possible to press a 7.0 to a 9.0? 

Sure, depends on the defects and the severity of the defects.  Take some pictures for us.

[zzutak]

What you should be gleaning from the responses made above is this: In order to make reliable incremental cost-benefit analyses, you should: (1) be able to accurately predict the grade CGC will assign to your unpressed books; (2) understand what blemishes/defects can be eliminated via a proper cleaning/pressing; (3) be able to accurately predict the grade CGC will assign to your newly-pressed specimens; and (4) be able to accurately estimate the "before" and "after" fair market values.  If you don't have this knowledge, it's going to be difficult to choose the path that makes the most financial sense.

Since you're dealing primarily with Marvel keys in the 2.0 GD to 5.0 VG/FN range, even a pressing that raises the grade by one increment (for example, from 2.0 to 2.5) may make financial sense.

Is it possible, via pressing, to raise the grade from 7.0 to 9.0?  Dave/Torchy gave you the proper answer, so I'll only add this real-life example (thanks to the professional skill of our very own @joeypost -- in my book, still the best in the biz!).

 

   

[comicginger1789]

I think when pressing low grade books, the best you can hope for is a 0.5-1.0 grade bump. Even for a book at the higher end of low grade (like a 5.0), it would be unlikely to ever see one pressed into VF range or better (unless it was littered with non colour breaking flaws and was dirty).

I would say 7.0-9.0 range books are the best bets for being bumped up 1-2 grade ranges or better. 

[comicginger1789]

The craziest bump I have ever seen on the higher grade side was a 7.5 copy of New Mutants 98 that was bumped after a press and clean to a 9.6

The original notes on the 7.5 stated "multiple crease to the center of the front cover". These were obviously not colour breaking (and must have been numerous) for it to get a bump like this.

Oh and another...a 6.5 to a 9.0 on a Marvel Premiere 28. No notes on the original 6.5 copy but obviously had similar creasing issues as the New Mutants that could be pressed out. 

Edited May 12, 2022 by comicginger1789

[comicginger1789]

On 5/12/2022 at 11:55 AM, Mr. Gueermo said:

 

Alas, the exception to the probably rule (of not being able to get a 5.0 or lower book up into the 8's or 9's. This book is confusing as I do not see how they simply reattached it by opening the staples and reattaching. The detached pages must have slid out perfectly or in a way that they could even be reassembled and had something to hold onto.