PGM: Avengers #1- looking for opinions 1 1

[Uncle Gene]

i've just found a stash of comics from the1940's-1970's that belonged to my uncle with a variety of good, bad, and ugly conditions. i've gone through them and am trying to figure out if they should be pressed (some are fragile) and which ones i should get graded. this Avengers is in the 'definitely get graded' pile, but i'd like to know if i should get it pressed first and what grade i should expect, along with any other words of wisdom you would all like to share. i have much bigger files but tried to resize these to fit the spec in the forum. big thanks in advance. 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 31, 2023 by Uncle Gene

[Nilo2]

That is quite a find! If the condition of your Avengers 1 is anything to go by, you should be pretty happy with the grades that will be coming your way. This book appears to be an excellent survivor with bright colors and only a little spine wear. The only really noticeable issue is the page tanning. As long as the pages aren’t brittle, it certainly looks like a great candidate for a Clean and Press (C&P). After pressing. I’d guess a grade of 6.0-6.5. Congrats! What else did you find in your Uncle’s stash??😁

[zzutak]

On 1/31/2023 at 9:18 AM, Uncle Gene said:

any other words of wisdom you would all like to share.

Sure.  If your Avengers #1 is representative of the whole, your uncle's books have oxidized over the years (as a result of non-optimal storage conditions).  Oxidation is what causes the tan halo shown on your images of the inside front cover and outside back cover.  Oxidation/tanning makes paper less supple and more susceptible to tearing during a "careless" dry cleaning.  Oxidation of the spine paper makes it more likely that the spine will split and/or that the cover will detach from the staples when the book is pressed.  The bottom line?  Understand that a poorly executed dry cleaning and/or pressing carries risks.  Remember the myth of Daedalus and Icarus. 

[grendelbo]

About a 5.0. I don't see it needing a press.

Thanks for posting.

[scburdet]

It's correct to say that C/P is not without risk, and the potential gains are minimized by the heavy tanning. Someone who's accustomed to working with old, potentially delicate books should look at this in-person b/c we'd all be making WAGs about weighing the risks/benefits from photos. In addition to the tanning, I see a stain of some sort around the word 'Loki' and the long color breaking crease through the TRFC. The best this comes in is a 5.0, and I am closer to a 4.5. 

[travizb]

Rad book.  I was thinking 5s

[comicginger1789]

5.5 from me. Great books and do share more about this find!!!!

[Uncle Gene]

thank you for all of the perspectives- very much appreciated! i'm just wrapping my head around what he has and still figuring out what should be graded. as i mentioned- many are in good shape (as good as the Avengers #1 or even much better) but a few are the fragile type that zzutak mentions in the previous post. i assume the only way to preserve these from any further deterioration is to get them graded and slabbed? they are a pretty cool group of late 50's and early 60's Action Comics, Adventure Comics, Worlds Finest Comics, Justice League, etc, but is there enough of a market for lower graded examples like these to make it financially worthwhile to get them graded? if nothing else i'd like to do it just to make sure 60+ years of his hobby are preserved and can get to someone who appreciates them but i'm also hoping that these lower graded books arent a futile attempt at a break even possibility. thoughts?

i'll put some shots of other cool finds in this PGM section to see what everyone's opinion is but i'll start a new topic when i do. thanks!

[grendelbo]

On 2/1/2023 at 10:31 AM, Uncle Gene said:

i assume the only way to preserve these from any further deterioration is to get them graded and slabbed?

No. If you're not going to sell them and unless you really like the look of a slab, a good Mylite 2 with a backing board will preserve your comic just fine. 

[zzutak]

On 2/1/2023 at 9:31 AM, Uncle Gene said:

they are a pretty cool group of late 50's and early 60's Action Comics, Adventure Comics, Worlds Finest Comics, Justice League, etc, but is there enough of a market for lower graded examples like these to make it financially worthwhile to get them graded?

No.

You're looking at a per-book CGC certification cost of about $40~60 (depending on whether a 2-month or 12-month turn-around-time is most acceptable to you).  There may only be two dozen Action, Adventure, JLA, and World's Finest issues from the 1955-65 period worth slabbing (if we're talking about low- to mid-grade copies), and your uncle may only have a small percentage of those in his collection.  Most DC titles were way more popular then than now.  As a result, the supply of low- and mid-grade copies (of most DC titles) far exceeds current demand. 

Fortunately (for you), the Marvel superhero titles are a completely different matter.     

[shadroch]

A book with those flaws and tanning doesn't grade above a VG.  I might go 4.5 but no higher and pressing won't help and might harm it, imo.

It's a great book as is.

Edited February 1, 2023 by shadroch

[LowGradeBronze]

I hope you will share a few more of these treasures with us as time permits. 

[ROBTOTHEC]

I'd be afraid to press it as that spine looks like it could be very fragile.  Probably a 4.5 as is but presents nicer. 

[grebal]

5.0 is "average."

I'd guess you'd get a 5.0 (small chance of 5.5) from CGC if you sent it in to be suffocated.

[mephistopheles]

5.0 which puts in the 6k-7k dollar range. 

[Mars76]

This is a nice copy but the tanning keeps at a 4.0-4.5 range. I'd be happy to have it in a 1.0. Please post any other good finds😎

[southern cross]

5.5 👍

[Nilo2]

I think this book could definitely benefit from a press as long as it isn't brittle. If it were mine, I would submit it to CCS. A book like this always gets a thorough review before a C&P. If they are not comfortable pressing it, the book will be passed on to CGC and graded in its current state. A while back, I submitted a JIM 83 that CCS rejected for pressing due to fragility concerns. Your book is in far better shape than mine but my point is, you wouldn't be risking much by trying for a C&P. Just my 2 cents.