Upgrayedd2 Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 I just received my copy of Metal Men #39. Described by the seller as FN 5.5-6.0. Here's a description: (1) lots of gloss on the front and back cover, bright colors (2) two color breaking creases on front left cover 2 1/2" (3) piece missing from lower right front cover 1/8" (4) spine split at top left cover 1/2" (5) spine split above bottom staple 3/8" (6) edge missing from front right cover 3/4" (7) heavy tanning on back cover edges and inside of front cover (8) tear through entire comic including front and back cover 3/8" (9) tear on back page and several pages 1/8". A little back ground. When I received the comic, I removed it to count the pages and inspect the comic. As I removed the comic, a small piece of the front cover (lower right edge) fell off. The next thing I noticed was every page had a rip. When I got to the back of the comic, I found a second rip. I was very careful not to open the comic all of the way, but when I returned to the front page, I saw both staples detached from the cover. This is now item (9) detached cover. When I first inspected the comic, I did not see if the cover was attached or detached. It's possible this happened while I was inspecting the comic. So I am asking for a Spare A Grade with and without the cover detached. Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzutak Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 Silver Age DC comics were produced with relatively thin cover stock. Even when stored under ideal conditions, DC books from this era often suffer from blown staples. Seeing a tan halo on the inside covers should put you on notice that the paper has lost much of its original suppleness and is prone to brittle-type chipping, tearing, and splitting. Books with tanned edges/spines should always be handled with extreme care! The inside cover tanning and top edge tears would cap my initial (attached cover) grade at VG to VG+. The newly detached cover warrants a downgrade to GD. Upgrayedd2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...