Title or Condition? 0

[MARVELous Fan]

Are there any defects listed on the grader notes of a CGC book that is a no, no for most collectors, because it would make it harder in the future to sell or trade that book on? Things like light/heavy tanning, light/heavy water stains, heavy spine stress to cover, long color break creases etc., or does it really not matter if the book has one or more of these defects, if it’s never going to be cracked open and read, and the book in question is say, a low grade ASM#3 (first Doc Ock?) Would most collectors still buy it in a 1.0, 1.5, 1.8, condition (just to have the book), because it’s more about owning the title than about having a good condition book to own and look at? Are there always going to be new collectors who will be happy to start buying/trading for a key book at a low level entry grade?

Thanks in advance.

Andy

[MattTheDuck]

I think a couple of things can be said, but they're general in nature because people collect what they like and there are lots of different things to like.  Mostly what I hear is that people on this site "buy the book and not the label."  In other words, they're trying to buy the book that presents the best at whatever grade they're buying. As I'm sure you've noticed, two books in the same grade can look quite different from each other. Honestly, I've seen some great-looking low-grade books where apparently most of the problems were on the interior.

Now, there are definitely collectors that are looking for certain things like cover centering, or especially good color, and some things that are deal-breakers like foxing or rust no matter how good the book looks otherwise. Personally, I try to avoid books where the "Marvel Comics Group" logo is wrapped so far around the book that it reads "arvel omics roup" from the front.  Others couldn't care less about that.

As far as buying with an eye toward a future sale or trade, I'd suggest that the more potential future buyer objections you can eliminate when you purchase a book, the better.  This is mostly because what you're doing is expanding the pool of potential buyers/traders.  Doing this goes well beyond just looking at the grade.

Good luck!

[paqart]

On 2/17/2023 at 6:57 PM, MARVELous Fan said:

Are there any defects listed on the grader notes of a CGC book that is a no, no for most collectors, because it would make it harder in the future to sell or trade that book on? Things like light/heavy tanning, light/heavy water stains, heavy spine stress to cover, long color break creases etc., or does it really not matter if the book has one or more of these defects, if it’s never going to be cracked open and read, and the book in question is say, a low grade ASM#3 (first Doc Ock?) Would most collectors still buy it in a 1.0, 1.5, 1.8, condition (just to have the book), because it’s more about owning the title than about having a good condition book to own and look at? Are there always going to be new collectors who will be happy to start buying/trading for a key book at a low level entry grade?

Thanks in advance.

Andy

I think you'll always have someone willing to buy a low grade comic if it is hard to find and slabbed. That said, I am increasingly not that person. There are certain types of problems I can live with. Others, I won't. The things I won't buy if I know a comic suffers from these problems are:

1) Water damage. These comics often have a pungent odor that never goes away. I get these sometimes in online sales or in a group of other comics that I do want. When I get them, I get rid of them as fast as possible. Sometimes, I literally throw them in the trash. The reason is that the smell comes from mold and the mold can spread to other comics. I don't care how appealing a certain comic is, if it has mold, it can wreck your collection.

2) Brittle pages. I once bought a box of Platinum Age comics. Almost all of them had brittle pages. One was a super rare Feature Book (NN) MR. Tracy. The pages were so brittle that they couldn't be touched or moved without crumbling into dust like a victim of the Thanos snap.

Again, I don't care what the comic is. If it is this fragile, I don't want it.

Edited February 18, 2023 by paqart

[MARVELous Fan]

Many thanks for the sage advice, MattTheDuck and Paqart!

Some great information there that I’ll definitely be taking on board!

Thanks again.

Regards,

Andy

[LowGradeBronze]

I try and avoid anything with a full length spine split. I always feel compelled to repair those and I'm quite good at it now but really, the hassle.