Silver age comics with back cover folded in half! 2 2

[phantomdj]

I have a number of Silver age comics from 1964-1966 that had the back cover fold in half so there is a crease from top to bottom!

My first thought was it was a way for the retail stores to "destroy" the unsold books. Why would anyone do that? Has anyone else seen this or knows why it was done?

Finally, even if the front of the books are from a 7.0 to 9.2 but the back is creased like this, how does this affect the grade?  Some are in the white and can't be seen all that well but still reduces the integrity of the book and will show when handled by the grader. Some cause noticeable color break. Thanks in advance.

Edited December 10, 2022 by phantomdj
Added pics

[scburdet]

Sounds like it could be a subscription crease. Pull out a good example and post front and back photos for the best evaluation 

[phantomdj]

@scburdet I didn't want to go past the 3 book limit with front and back pics but here are a few examples from different books. With the loss of integrity of the back cover, color break or not, I wondered if there was typical grade reduction or will it have to be on a case by case basis. Still don't know why this would be done in the first place.

[The Lions Den]

On 12/9/2022 at 6:00 PM, phantomdj said:

I have a number of Silver age comics from 1964-1966 that had the back cover fold in half so there is a crease from top to bottom!

My first thought was it was a way for the retail stores to "destroy" the unsold books. Why would anyone do that? Has anyone else seen this or knows why it was done?

Finally, even if the front of the books are from a 7.0 to 9.2 but the back is creased like this, how does this affect the grade?  Some are in the white and can't be seen all that well but still reduces the integrity of the book and will show when handled by the grader. Some cause noticeable color break. Thanks in advance.

Creases are generally based on location, severity and length. The grade range for creases can run from 4.0 to 9.8, but for creases like these you'd most likely be in the lower regions of that range.  

[phantomdj]

@scburdet you may have nailed it with the subscription crease. So is there a max CGC grade for these?

[The Lions Den]

On 12/9/2022 at 7:13 PM, phantomdj said:

@scburdet I didn't want to go past the 3 book limit with front and back pics but here are a few examples from different books. With the loss of integrity of the back cover, color break or not, I wondered if there was typical grade reduction or will it have to be on a case by case basis. Still don't know why this would be done in the first place.

This may sound strange, but back in those days nobody thought twice about folding books in half and putting them in their back pocket. And subscription copies were generally packaged in a flimsy envelope and folded over by the mailperson so they could fit into cramped mailboxes...   

[The Lions Den]

On 12/9/2022 at 7:26 PM, phantomdj said:

@scburdet you may have nailed it with the subscription crease. So is there a max CGC grade for these?

Each book will be evaluated based on the location, severity and length of the crease. And if you want to spend a little money, having the books pressed by a professional may help reduce the severity and improve the grade. 

[grendelbo]

On 12/9/2022 at 4:52 PM, scburdet said:

subscription crease

On 12/9/2022 at 5:23 PM, The Lions Den said:

Creases are generally based on location, severity and length. The grade range for creases can run from 4.0 to 9.8, but for creases like these you'd most likely be in the lower regions of that range.  

On 12/9/2022 at 5:30 PM, The Lions Den said:

This may sound strange, but back in those days nobody thought twice about folding books in half and putting them in their back pocket. And subscription copies were generally packaged in a flimsy envelope and folded over by the mailperson so they could fit into cramped mailboxes...   

Here's a great video showing this old school procedure.

(Miss ya @etanick.)

Edited December 14, 2022 by grendelbo