• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Clean and Press question
1 1

13 posts in this topic

Ok I posted an 1991 X-Men #1 in the 'Hey Buddy Can You Spare a Grade?' And besides the tiny color rub which I think I can take care of I see nothing else wrong with the comic. I bought it brand new picking out one off the rack that looked the best and immediately put it in a hard mylar bag and had it stored since it was bought. Has no bends or creases or any kind of dirt. Nothing. And one of the suggestions said 'with a C&P maybe a 9.2 or 9.4. 

Has the C&P thing become the default standard that all comics need a C&P in order to get the highest grade or does it really only help with a comic that has some slight soiling and slight creases or bends but people are just used to saying it now? I mean in my mind a perfectly clean comic with no bends shouldn't need it in order to get the highest grade. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/18/2022 at 2:16 PM, JRTownsend said:

Has the C&P thing become the default standard that all comics need a C&P in order to get the highest grade or does it really only help with a comic that has some slight soiling and slight creases or bends but people are just used to saying it now? I mean in my mind a perfectly clean comic with no bends shouldn't need it in order to get the highest grade. 

For many C&P is the norm before submitting to a grading service. I tend to agree with you when you said "a perfectly clean comic with no bends shouldn't need it in order to get the highest grade."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/18/2022 at 5:16 PM, JRTownsend said:

Has the C&P thing become the default standard that all comics need a C&P in order to get the highest grade or does it really only help with a comic that has some slight soiling and slight creases or bends but people are just used to saying it now? I mean in my mind a perfectly clean comic with no bends shouldn't need it in order to get the highest grade. 

For some, it has become a standard. For those with educated eyes, we know know how to pocket unnecessary expenses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/18/2022 at 5:16 PM, JRTownsend said:

Ok I posted an 1991 X-Men #1 in the 'Hey Buddy Can You Spare a Grade?' And besides the tiny color rub which I think I can take care of I see nothing else wrong with the comic. I bought it brand new picking out one off the rack that looked the best and immediately put it in a hard mylar bag and had it stored since it was bought. Has no bends or creases or any kind of dirt. Nothing. And one of the suggestions said 'with a C&P maybe a 9.2 or 9.4. 

Has the C&P thing become the default standard that all comics need a C&P in order to get the highest grade or does it really only help with a comic that has some slight soiling and slight creases or bends but people are just used to saying it now? I mean in my mind a perfectly clean comic with no bends shouldn't need it in order to get the highest grade. 

Hold it under good lighting outside of a comic bag. If you see any indentations at all or faint bends, then a press will likely remove those so it is as flat as can be.

Reality is though yes, people in the grade me forum will say "clean and press" despite a book actually needing it. And 99% of pressers will say "press for best possible results" in part due to honesty but also, they want the work. It's rare to find someone who looks at any modern book and says "nah, it is as it is" but there are definitely books like that.

I'll use Secret Wars 8 that I recently sent in. To me, flawless. No spine ticks, no creases, no dirt. However, when I took out of the bag and look at it under goo lighting, I saw a faint indentation at the top edge of the book. Very very minor but present. I opted for a press as it could be a difference maker. However, had I not seen this, I would have asked for it to be left alone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah I get that a press can take out minor dents etc. But if a comic has none whats the point of a press? 

I guess a follow-up question would be if CGC gets two identical clean and flawless comics where one is pressed flat and the other was not... would they grade the pressed comic one tier higher than the not pressed book? Because in my mind they shouldn't. But with so much pressing going on and it becoming the "standard" before submitting anything.. does it lower the grade of an unpressed (unaltered) book by comparison?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does cleaning/pressing a comic do any sort of damage to the comic? I feel like it would strip away some of the original color or something. I'm no expert of course but it feels like when people try to "restore" old coins or guns by using sand paper or a wire brush and they end up destroying a lot of the value. Is the comic community like basically united on this? That cleaning and pressing can do nothing but help the comic? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/21/2022 at 8:21 PM, JRTownsend said:

Yeah I get that a press can take out minor dents etc. But if a comic has none whats the point of a press? 

I guess a follow-up question would be if CGC gets two identical clean and flawless comics where one is pressed flat and the other was not... would they grade the pressed comic one tier higher than the not pressed book? Because in my mind they shouldn't. But with so much pressing going on and it becoming the "standard" before submitting anything.. does it lower the grade of an unpressed (unaltered) book by comparison?

Most people are not experts at grading and many don't even know how to view potential defects let alone identify them. People typically press with a submission in order to squeeze out whatever benefit they can from the book, and I'd say it's the norm because everyone wants the best grade possible. Since nobody knows why CGC grades the way they do, then at least you can say you tried your absolute best.

On the second question, technically no one's supposed to know whether a comic was pressed or not, graders included, so there's not really a question to be answered beyond what grade the two books actually are. More important to know is that even if you sent in two books where one was a literal clone of the other, there's no guarantee they would get the same grade.

Good luck! 🏆

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/23/2022 at 12:18 PM, Travaran said:

Does cleaning/pressing a comic do any sort of damage to the comic? I feel like it would strip away some of the original color or something. I'm no expert of course but it feels like when people try to "restore" old coins or guns by using sand paper or a wire brush and they end up destroying a lot of the value. Is the comic community like basically united on this? That cleaning and pressing can do nothing but help the comic? 

It's actually one of the most divisive issues in the comic world!

In the hands of a true expert, neither pressing nor dry/wet cleaning is really risky. What's risky is using someone who isn't insured, so it often makes sense to entrust the press and dry clean to the grading company to cover yourself in the event of a mess-up.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/23/2022 at 1:38 PM, KirbyTown said:

It's actually one of the most divisive issues in the comic world!

In the hands of a true expert, neither pressing nor dry/wet cleaning is really risky. What's risky is using someone who isn't insured, so it often makes sense to entrust the press and dry clean to the grading company to cover yourself in the event of a mess-up.

 

So does CGC do the clean/press process? And if so, should I trust them? I mean how's their track record with that sort of thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/23/2022 at 1:40 PM, Travaran said:

So does CGC do the clean/press process? And if so, should I trust them? I mean how's their track record with that sort of thing.

Trust might be too strong a term here :)

They will take a long time, that's for sure.

There is a ton of debate on the topic, as mentioned above. One of the questions I would wonder is whether it's worth it for a comic like this. That era of comics has a lot of high grade examples,and even in the best of grades, you're looking at a bit over $100 reliably. Given its lack of rarity and its age, do you want it enough to be worth it? Are you thinking about pressing because you really dig the cover and want a clean example?  Or, are you thinking it will help the monetary value? If the latter, you might be better off saving the time and trouble and just buying a 9.6 or 9.8 already slabbed. If it's just for your own aesthetics, then yeah,CCS pressing through CGC should work. Get ready to wait, tho :)

If one day you do go and sell it, it's a common courtesy to let the buyer know it has been pressed and cleaned, since that wont be in the grader notes. Not required, just a courtesy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/23/2022 at 2:23 PM, rumrunner71 said:

Trust might be too strong a term here :)

They will take a long time, that's for sure.

There is a ton of debate on the topic, as mentioned above. One of the questions I would wonder is whether it's worth it for a comic like this. That era of comics has a lot of high grade examples,and even in the best of grades, you're looking at a bit over $100 reliably. Given its lack of rarity and its age, do you want it enough to be worth it? Are you thinking about pressing because you really dig the cover and want a clean example?  Or, are you thinking it will help the monetary value? If the latter, you might be better off saving the time and trouble and just buying a 9.6 or 9.8 already slabbed. If it's just for your own aesthetics, then yeah,CCS pressing through CGC should work. Get ready to wait, tho :)

If one day you do go and sell it, it's a common courtesy to let the buyer know it has been pressed and cleaned, since that wont be in the grader notes. Not required, just a courtesy.

Well for me I'd be worried about cleaning/pressing the older comics cause they're not nearly as strong as the modern ones. For example, pressing/cleaning World War Hulk would be a lot safer than some comic from the 80s lolz 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/23/2022 at 2:25 PM, Travaran said:

Well for me I'd be worried about cleaning/pressing the older comics cause they're not nearly as strong as the modern ones. For example, pressing/cleaning World War Hulk would be a lot safer than some comic from the 80s lolz 

 Not necessarily. A good presser will be able to deal with comics of multiple ages. And a good presser will let you know if the comic might get damaged. (Speaking of which, DEFINITELY get it pre-screened. There was at least one thread where CCS damaged a comic that might have not been damaged had the owner known through a pre-screen of the risk.) The bigger problem than age seems to be page quality. If you got chipping pages or brittle pages or pieces hanging by a thread,then yeah, you might be asking for trouble.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/23/2022 at 2:25 PM, Travaran said:

Well for me I'd be worried about cleaning/pressing the older comics cause they're not nearly as strong as the modern ones. For example, pressing/cleaning World War Hulk would be a lot safer than some comic from the 80s lolz 

Each era of comic has its own challenges. In the hands of someone inexperienced, you can mess up any book. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
1 1