TBP1 Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 Hello All, I’m new to the grading part of comic book collecting and I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can before diving in. I’ve been planning to submit an Amazing Spider-Man comic for pressing and grading. I was comfortable about the quality of the book, but now I’m concerned about restapling. (Please refer to the pictures below: 1. Top Cover 2. Top Interior 3. Bottom Cover 4. Bottom Interior)My initial goal was to get a decent grade but now I’m trying to avoid a Restored or even a Qualified label. In your vastly superior wisdom and experience, could you please provide guidance on my following questions: 1. Per the pictures below, is there evidence of restapling? 2. If so, could I still receive a Universal grade or would I need to settle for a Restored or Qualified grade? 3. If this is a restapling job and I can receive a Universal grade, how many points would my grade be knocked down based on what you see in the pictures alone? I appreciate any help that you can provide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattTheDuck Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 Those with more experience will no doubt weigh in, but that doesn't look like re-stapling to me. I have plenty of books that show similar stresses/tears around the staples and I know they are original staples. If it is different staples you would probably get a note for restoration if you submitted it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony S Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 I don't see anything that says "staples replaced". And it's worth noting that the magnification of the image appears to be 4x-5x range, so ordinary wear looks like something "wrong". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theCapraAegagrus Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 Quote 1. Per the pictures below, is there evidence of restapling? 2. If so, could I still receive a Universal grade or would I need to settle for a Restored or Qualified grade? 3. If this is a restapling job and I can receive a Universal grade, how many points would my grade be knocked down based on what you see in the pictures alone? Evidence? No. If they were replaced with era-appropriate staples, it'd be Conserved. Otherwise, Restored. As mentioned, Universal would not be possible if the staples were replaced. The stress lines at the staples appear 'normal' to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBP1 Posted September 19, 2022 Author Share Posted September 19, 2022 Thanks for all of your help. I’ll have some more confidence when making my submission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...