To Tape, Or Not To Tape 1 1

[jjfversion1]

That Is The Question...

[theCapraAegagrus]

I would use archival tape. Why not? Keep it together the best you can.

[marvelmaniac]

I agree with the above statement, I have numerous books in the PR 0.5 - FR 1.0 range that I have used tape on to prevent them from falling apart more than they already are when handled, tape to keep small pieces attached, prevent a tear from getting worse, keeping a spine split from getting worse, etc., the tape will not affect the grade on books like this or any book graded up to GD/VG 3.0 unless tape is the only major defect. Yes, tape will eventually/possibly create more damage in the very long term (Acids) but how much damage would occur without the tapes reinforcement?

FR/GD 1.5 - Tape and other forms of amateur repair are increasingly common in Silver Age and older books.

GD 2.0 - Tape and other forms of amateur repair are common in Silver Age and older books.

GD/VG 3.0 -  Tape and other amateur repair may be present.

[KirbyTown]

On 8/10/2022 at 11:38 AM, theCapraAegagrus said:

archival tape. Why not?

If submitting to CGC it might be a consideration, because they will ignore Scotch tape (cellophane):

 

"After consideration of the expressed views of the community and assessment of the practice, beginning with submissions postmarked after May 3, 2013, CGC will modify its grading standard and ignore the presence of tape if it serves a function (such as fixing a tear or spine split) and instead grade the book as if it was not present. Therefore, any existing defect will be graded accordingly. If the tape does not serve a function, the tape will be treated as a defect and the book will be downgraded. By doing this, books will still receive a Universal Label but the grade will better reflect the actual condition of the comic book."

[rexinnih]

Echo the above. I've had a few Silver and my lone Golden Age books come back blue label but with "tape" noted. 

[grendelbo]

Tape it.

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 8/10/2022 at 2:50 PM, KirbyTown said:

If submitting to CGC it might be a consideration, because they will ignore Scotch tape (cellophane):

 

"After consideration of the expressed views of the community and assessment of the practice, beginning with submissions postmarked after May 3, 2013, CGC will modify its grading standard and ignore the presence of tape if it serves a function (such as fixing a tear or spine split) and instead grade the book as if it was not present. Therefore, any existing defect will be graded accordingly. If the tape does not serve a function, the tape will be treated as a defect and the book will be downgraded. By doing this, books will still receive a Universal Label but the grade will better reflect the actual condition of the comic book."

My, "why not" was more, "why not use tape at all?"

[Gary Strange]

I just taped a low grade Tales from the Crypt with this exact same damage.  It cant get any worse.

[Tony S]

I will chime in and say tape it.  There are instances where tape makes sense and this is one such example. 

if you sent it in to be graded as is, there is no guarantee CGC will keep track of the pieces. No guarantee that when it's encapsulated - even if all the pieces are there - that they will end up neatly arranged to look the best.  Even if slabbed that way (neatly) it probably doesn't STAY that way during shipping. CGC will give it the same grade regardless, so might as well hold it together.  

Archival tape vs regular is just something not 100% clear.  Based on published guidance, it would appear archival tape risks a conserved label.  But the books I've seen with (only) archival tape got blue. The problem I believe is archival tape can look similar to mending paper and archival glue repair.  Which is conservation.  So my experience suggests the graders can tell the difference and are giving blue label regardless of the type of tape used.  For obvious reasons, archival tape is a better tape for paper. 

[jjfversion1]

Thank you everyone for all the feedback! I ended up going with the consensus here and taping the interior cover to help preserve this book. I was able to do it with only two (albeit long) pieces of tape. I left the spine of the book alone, as aesthetically, I have never been a fan of exterior tape on covers.

[marvelmaniac]

This book was purchased for $50.00 about 20 years ago, tape is the only thing holding the cover of this book together.

[KirbyTown]

On 8/11/2022 at 7:03 PM, Tony S said:

Archival tape vs regular is just something not 100% clear.

For Joey's perspective from a recent tapey thread:

 

[frozentundraguy]

I have a book (Thrilling Comics #54) that presents well, except for one chunk that's out of the front cover. I bought the book 6 years ago. It was noted as cover reinforced by the seller. I carefully removed the book from the bag and board and slid it into a mylar sleeve. I should have left it in the bag and board, but had not had any experience with mylar before. While doing this a small chunk of the cover came loose. I considered tape at the time, but have just tried to ignore the issue. Now I'm thinking of having the book encapsulated so I would like to have that piece of the cover firmed up so it will not move.

The book as it was before I attempted to slide it into a mylar sleeve.

A new scan of the book, and you will note that in the upper left hand corner from just above "Thrilling" and extending down to just below the top of the ten cent circle is where the chunk of the cover separated. The chunk get narrower as it extends downward in a narrow triangular shape. 

So if I opt to have this book slabbed, should I leave the book as is? Should I use a small piece of a post it note on the inside of the cover to anchor the piece in place? Or, should I use cellophane tape on the inside to keep the loose piece in place. Is there a better option than those I mentioned?

[KirbyTown]

On 8/12/2022 at 7:08 PM, frozentundraguy said:

cover reinforced by the seller

Hi! If you'd prefer to receive a Blue "Universal" label rather than a Purple "Restored" label, it will be important to determine what reinforcement the seller may have done.

It's hard to discern from the images, but would you say that the piece is a flap? Open on the right side, but at least partially connected on the left side, possibly intersecting the staple at the bottom horizontal tear?

It'd be helpful if you could take the following five photos when you have a chance:

Opened front cover, opened back cover, closed back cover, and two close-ups of the problem area (one from the outside and one from the inside.)

Thanks!

Edited August 13, 2022 by KirbyTown

[frozentundraguy]

On 8/13/2022 at 2:25 AM, KirbyTown said:

Hi! If you'd prefer to receive a Blue "Universal" label rather than a Purple "Restored" label, it will be important to determine what reinforcement the seller may have done.

It's hard to discern from the images, but would you say that the piece is a flap? Open on the right side, but at least partially connected on the left side, possibly intersecting the staple at the bottom horizontal tear?

It'd be helpful if you could take the following five photos when you have a chance:

Opened front cover, opened back cover, closed back cover, and two close-ups of the problem area (one from the outside and one from the inside.)

Thanks!

Thanks, I hope to get to that this evening. The piece unfortunately is not a flap, it's fully detached. The area near the top staple didn't look quite right before I attempted to store the book in the mylar sleeve, so a peek inside might prove to be informative.

[KirbyTown]

On 8/13/2022 at 12:54 PM, frozentundraguy said:

Thanks, I hope to get to that this evening. The piece unfortunately is not a flap, it's fully detached. The area near the top staple didn't look quite right before I attempted to store the book in the mylar sleeve, so a peek inside might prove to be informative.

I appreciate the additional info.

Since your piece is detached, the advice in this thread referencing CGC's tape policy applies. That is, repairing the problem with cellophane tape is strictly an aesthetic consideration. Neither the piece nor the tape will be "visible" to graders, they will see only the hole. This policy enables a collector to improve presentation without affecting the grade in either direction. If you think taping it from the inside will look best, then according to the policy you should consider using cellophane tape to do that.

Your remaining decision becomes, "If I identify prior restoration, should I remove it before submission?" Those specifics could be the difference between a blue or purple label.

I look forward to seeing more of this comic!

Edited August 13, 2022 by KirbyTown

[frozentundraguy]

After I opened the book I noticed I had already attached a small piece of a post-it-note over the loose piece. I tried to gently remove it and found it was attached firmly, so rather than make matters worse I left it in place. I also discovered that there is a spine split in the problem area that extends 2 1/2 inches downward from the top of the front cover.

The inside of the front cover

 

Inside the back cover

 

The back cover

 

Close up of the inside front cover

 

Closeup of the outside of the front cover. You can see the tear follows the edge of the letter "T" and ends at the middle of the staple.

[KirbyTown]

Wow, clearly you should not attempt to remove that strip!

As your fix seems to be the only "restoration" present (unless there's something like rice paper hidden under the post-it), your comic should receive a blue label. The presence of paper tape on the interior cover shouldn't be noted on that label either.

I would submit this as-is and hope that CGC honors their own policies. Even if they don't and you end up with a purple label, I think leaving it alone was still the best option.

As far as the potential grade, consider this Wings Comics #1 from the Winter grading contest. It doesn't have the hole, but it has quite the split.

If you submit, please let me know what comes back!

Edited August 14, 2022 by KirbyTown

[frozentundraguy]

On 8/14/2022 at 3:47 AM, KirbyTown said:

Wow, clearly you should not attempt to remove that strip!

As your fix seems to be the only "restoration" present (unless there's something like rice paper hidden under the post-it), your comic should receive a blue label. The presence of paper tape on the interior cover shouldn't be noted on that label either.

I would submit this as-is and hope that CGC honors their own policies. Even if they don't and you end up with a purple label, I think leaving it alone was still the best option.

As far as the potential grade, consider this Wings Comics #1 from the Winter grading contest. It doesn't have the hole, but it has quite the split.

If you submit, please let me know what comes back!

Thanks. I do have a couple of other books that I would like to submit anyway, and this book would potentially come back as a 3.5 to 4.5. Also this issue rarely seems to comes up for sale, though there is a raw copy for sale on ebay at the moment.