(Red) color fading and grading - do not get! 0

[AsterixTheGaul]

Wonder what opinions are on this. To me (and I know everyone is different) a faded cover (usually the reds, I talked to someone from the National Archives, and red is the color that always fades first) ruins a comic for me long before things like tears, chips, folds etc... as to me the whole artwork of the cover is ruined. But yet faded covers don't seem to be an issue to graders. And I just wonder why?

Examples in my pic. The left is a 7.0 (restored) VOH 12 where you can see that the red is extremely faded. In the middle is one where the red's are nice and deep, no fading. Note I put the middle one (which I bought) at a grade of 1.8, and I paid less then half of what the 7.0 one sold for recently (keep in mind mine is all original, the 7.0 has restoration). But I would take the middle one over the left one even if the price was the same! To me a comic that faded would not get more then a 4.0 from me, and to be honest, I would not want it.

But then I was astounded to see the FF #1  for sale right now with a faded red 'The Fantastic' (the 'Four' is a little better) with a 9.4 grade! How on Earth does something that faded get a 9.4? Even if everything else about the comic was a perfect 10, I would not give something like that with mild to moderate fading on a main part of the cover any more then a 7.0 or so.

Maybe it's just me, but I wonder what other think about the issue of faded reds on covers and how it should effect grade and value?

[theCapraAegagrus]

In time, all comics fade to a certain degree. Neither of the examples you've cited are "extremely" faded at all. They fall in line with typical fading you would expect from inks printed 60+ years ago.

The yellow on the leftward example of VOH 12 is much nicer than your copy's yellow. There are also likely discrepancies based on the scanners (or imaging object) used to capture the images.

[FFB]

On 5/15/2022 at 8:15 AM, AsterixTheGaul said:

 

Examples in my pic. The left is a 7.0 (restored) VOH 12 where you can see that the red is extremely faded. In the middle is one where the red's are nice and deep, no fading. Note I put the middle one (which I bought) at a grade of 1.8, and I paid less then half of what the 7.0 one sold for recently (keep in mind mine is all original, the 7.0 has restoration). But I would take the middle one over the left one even if the price was the same! To me a comic that faded would not get more then a 4.0 from me, and to be honest, I would not want it.

But then I was astounded to see the FF #1  for sale right now with a faded red 'The Fantastic' (the 'Four' is a little better) with a 9.4 grade! How on Earth does something that faded get a 9.4? Even if everything else about the comic was a perfect 10, I would not give something like that with mild to moderate fading on a main part of the cover any more then a 7.0 or so.

Maybe it's just me, but I wonder what other think about the issue of faded reds on covers and how it should effect grade and value?

It sounds to me like you value color strike and ink preservation over structural defects.  That's fine and it's your prerogative.  But the grading standards aim at achieving consensus among the collecting community, and structural defects carry a lot of weight among the vast majority of collectors.  

While you might prefer your copy to a 7.0 with faded reds, most collectors would not.  

Having said that, the fading on the reds in the trade dress of the FF#1 would keep me from grading it anywhere near a 9.4 too.  

[The Lions Den]

I'll be honest, it's a tough call when it comes to fading. 

As Capra pointed out, a certain amount of color fade is allowable, especially on books this old. And for all we know, the book on the left was downgraded for the fade---it could be the reason it received a 7.0 instead of a higher grade. And the book in the center would certainly have some serious flaws to receive a 1.8---color fading on the cover wouldn't affect the grade much at that level. If you prefer that copy, you'd be in the minority, but to each his own.

Which leaves the FF #1...an interesting call, because the reds do appear to be slightly diminished. And I have seen other books graded by the same company allowed a similar amount of leniency with regard to faded covers. My feeling here is this would come down to the discretion of the graders...ultimately, it's their call. 

I hope this helps, and thanks for an interesting post...

[LowGradeBronze]

Grading companies have seen enough examples of the same comic to know how much variation there is throughout the print run. What must also be factored in, is fading is a symptom of UV exposure. High exposure will have a detrimental impact on structure, not just colours especially if the spine has been in the sun for any length of time, so I agree with you that a 9.4 should really look bright & fresh as a daisy, regardless of age, not just "quite nice for its age". 

Edited May 26, 2022 by LowGradeBronze
Amended wording

[PovertyRow]

The typical fading, especially in the reds (magenta and yellow inks) and sometimes the blues (cyan ink) in some of the publishers is due to what are called "fugitive pigments" or "fugitive inks". Fiction House is especially prone to this due to their use of fugitive pigments. These are inks that are especially prone to fading from environmental factors such as humidity, heat light etc. I don't see this as a typical "defect" but more a "manufacturing defect". I think of it as I would a miswrap, which usually does not impact the grade. Fugitive pigments and miswraps do not impact the structural integrity of the book but both are obvious enough that the individual collector can readily discern them, regardless of the number grade, and come to their own conclusion as to the desirability of the book. For me, especially with the Fiction House etc. GA, I will take a lower numeric grade with a good color strike over a higher grade with typical fading.