Slightly Brittle & Brittle Page Quality Definitions 2 2

[10centcomics]

I recently won a CGC 6.5 All-Star Comics #15 at auction and cracked it open (as I do with everything in my PC). The label states the pages are "Cream to Off-White" so I was shocked to discover flaking pages when I inspected the book. I've attached close-up pics of the flaking bottom right corners as well as the cracked bottom left spine. Unless the definitions (see below) have changed recently, isn't this a textbook case of "Slightly Brittle" pages? Even in the grader notes, the bottom right corners are characterized as "light brittleness chipping right bottom of interior." Shouldn't this have made it onto the page quality section on the label? Would love to hear what everyone thinks and if folks have had similar experiences with SB or B pages. Thanks!

Slightly Brittle - This grade refers more to the structural integrity of the interior paper than its color. Slightly brittle pages exhibit slight splitting to top and bottom spine of interior pages or minor chipping to the corners. Both slightly brittle and brittle pages may not necessarily appear brown or tan in color, particularly if the brittleness is relegated to only one edge or corner of a comic book. The highest grade achievable with a slightly brittle page designation is 6.5.

Brittle - This page designation refers strictly to the compromised structural integrity of the interior paper, which exhibits either heavy multiple spine splits, corner and edge chipping, or both. In some cases pages can appear off-white or white, but suffer from an isolated area of brittleness along the spine that has caused heavy splitting. Brittle pages are sometimes impossible to restore because of their fragile nature. The highest grade allowed for brittle interior pages is 3.5.

 

 

[zzutak]

On 2/18/2023 at 6:59 PM, 10centcomics said:

The label states the pages are "Cream to Off-White" so I was shocked to discover flaking pages when I inspected the book.
Isn't this a textbook case of "Slightly Brittle" pages?
Even in the grader notes, the bottom right corners are characterized as "light brittleness chipping right bottom of interior"
Shouldn't this have made it onto the page quality section on the label?  Would love to hear what everyone thinks.

Yes, this may have been a PQ whiff on the part of CGC.  The grader may have judged this to be a 'tweener -- on the cusp between two possible designations.  When I'm faced with such decisions, I'll generally use the stricter (rather than more lenient) characterization.  But that's just me.  Most of the comic collectors/sellers I've encountered over the years are just the opposite -- they tend to minimize a book's blemishes/flaws ("light" rust, a "tiny" tear, a "nearly invisible" crease, etc).  This is especially true on venues like eBaay.  

All this being said, seeing "light brittleness chipping right bottom of interior" in the Grader Notes (which are available to all prospective bidders/buyers) would be a huge red flag for me personally.  I still may have bid on the book (if the price was favorable), but I certainly would not have been "shocked" to discover brittle-type chipping to one or more corners/edges.

"Due diligence is a process or effort to collect and analyze information before making a decision or conducting a transaction so a party is not held legally liable for any loss or damage. The term applies to many situations but most notably to business transactions."

One man's opinion.    Cool book. 

[LowGradeBronze]

How long ago was the book graded? That could be a factor here as well as the conditions in which the book has been stored since grading. But I feel your pain/shock at finding this state of affairs!

Agree totally about the PQ section of the label as it merely denotes Page Appearance in this case.

Edited February 19, 2023 by LowGradeBronze

[10centcomics]

On 2/19/2023 at 4:18 AM, zzutak said:

Yes, this may have been a PQ whiff on the part of CGC.  The grader may have judged this to be a 'tweener -- on the cusp between two possible designations.  When I'm faced with such decisions, I'll generally use the stricter (rather than more lenient) characterization.  But that's just me.  Most of the comic collectors/sellers I've encountered over the years are just the opposite -- they tend to minimize a book's blemishes/flaws ("light" rust, a "tiny" tear, a "nearly invisible" crease, etc).  This is especially true on venues like eBaay.  

All this being said, seeing "light brittleness chipping right bottom of interior" in the Grader Notes (which are available to all prospective bidders/buyers) would be a huge red flag for me personally.  I still may have bid on the book (if the price was favorable), but I certainly would not have been "shocked" to discover brittle-type chipping to one or more corners/edges.

"Due diligence is a process or effort to collect and analyze information before making a decision or conducting a transaction so a party is not held legally liable for any loss or damage. The term applies to many situations but most notably to business transactions."

One man's opinion.    Cool book. 

Oh yeah totally agree about the due diligence. I usually do extensive homework before buying but got sloppy in the heat of a live HA auction! I saw I needed a book to fill a gap in the All-Star run and got lulled into a sense of safety with the CGC 6.5 grade. Never doing that again

Regarding the judgment call from the grader, I guess what I'm trying to say is...I don't think this is a tweener case, especially with 2 areas of brittle chipping.

On 2/19/2023 at 4:31 AM, LowGradeBronze said:

How long ago was the book graded? That could be a factor here as well as the conditions in which the book has been stored since grading. But I feel your pain/shock at finding this state of affairs!

Agree totally about the PQ section of the label as it merely denotes Page Appearance in this case.

According to the notes it was graded in Sept 2022. I bought it in Dec. 2022 and cracked it yesterday. 

[zzutak]

On 2/19/2023 at 8:58 AM, 10centcomics said:

I usually do extensive homework before buying but got sloppy in the heat of a live HA auction!

Even the most disciplined among us occasionally slip up.    At least I know I have.    Fortunately, one doesn't need to bat 1.000 to get into the Hall of Fame!   

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 2/19/2023 at 4:31 AM, LowGradeBronze said:

...the conditions in which the book has been stored since grading.

My immediate wonder.

[10centcomics]

On 2/20/2023 at 8:38 AM, theCapraAegagrus said:

My immediate wonder.

This seems unlikely given the timeline though? It was graded in Sept 2022, and then I presume it spent some time in the climate-controlled warehouse at HA awaiting sale in Dec 2022. I've kept it in my air conditioned apartment in a long box until 2 days ago!

For comparison purposes, I looked through my collection to see if I had bought any books that actually had the "Slightly Brittle" designation on the CGC label. Like most people here, I avoid brittleness but made an exception for my copy of All-Star Comics 3. Here's a pic of the damage, which is isolated to the bottom part of the spine. 

 

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 2/20/2023 at 1:03 PM, 10centcomics said:

This seems unlikely given the timeline though? It was graded in Sept 2022, and then I presume it spent some time in the climate-controlled warehouse at HA awaiting sale in Dec 2022. I've kept it in my air conditioned apartment in a long box until 2 days ago!

Then we can agree, incompetence it is.

[nubis]

I just bought a mystery men 7 with stated cream to off-white pages only to discover the grader notes stating "brittleness splitting interior." I find this extremely frustrating because I usually do not buy brittle page books. I feel duped by CGC not the seller. So frustrating!

[10centcomics]

On 5/9/2023 at 8:20 AM, nubis said:

I just bought a mystery men 7 with stated cream to off-white pages only to discover the grader notes stating "brittleness splitting interior." I find this extremely frustrating because I usually do not buy brittle page books. I feel duped by CGC not the seller. So frustrating!

Ugh sounds like a similar situation to mine! I feel like if the words "brittle" appear in the grader notes, then it must make it onto the label in the PQ section. Out of curiosity, what was the overall grade of the book?

(On a separate note, it looks like my image links are broken. I'll re-upload a photo later tonight)