scburdet Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 (edited) Also Frank. Just a personal choice here as a fan of Miller & Universal Monsters Edited May 30, 2023 by scburdet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvelmaniac Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 Slightly miscut top edge, slightly fanned pages, slightly blunted corners on outer edge, wrinkled/creased top left corner of rear cover, slight foxing and a small stain on rear cover. IMO...VF+ 8.5 9.0 VERY FINE/NEAR MINT (VF/NM): Back to Top Nearly perfect with outstanding eye appeal. A limited number of bindery/printing defects are allowed. Cover is almost flat with almost imperceptible wear. Inks are bright with slightly diminished reflectivity. An 1/8" bend is allowed if color is not broken. Corners are cut square and sharp with ever-so-slight blunting permitted but no creases. Several lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable. Very minor foxing. Spine is tight and flat. Staples may show some discoloration. Only the slightest staple tears are allowed. A very minor accumulation of stress lines may be present if they are nearly imperceptible. Paper is off-white to cream and supple. Very minor interior tears may be present. 8.5 VERY FINE+ (VF+): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Very Fine but with an additional virtue or small accumulation of virtues that improves the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 8.0 VERY FINE (VF): Back to Top An excellent copy with outstanding eye appeal. A limited accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Cover is relatively flat with minimal surface wear beginning to show, possibly including some minute wear at corners. Inks are generally bright with moderate to high reflectivity. An unnoticeable 1/4" crease is acceptable if color is not broken. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. Minor foxing. Spine is almost completely flat with a possible minor color break. Staples may show some discoloration. Very slight staple tears and a few almost insignificant stress lines may be present. Paper is cream to tan and supple. Centerfold is mostly secure. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. scburdet 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mars76 Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 9.0 as is. I think it will grade higher if you get that TLBC creased pressed out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grendelbo Posted May 26, 2023 Share Posted May 26, 2023 9.2 Thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scburdet Posted May 30, 2023 Author Share Posted May 30, 2023 This one is on me for not inspecting this book closely, but I have a "good" excuse. I first tried to get some books to FM when CGC announced a private signing at NYCC, which my brother attended. They announced this with <2 weeks notice I recall. I sent them priority mail to NY from CT & they arrived at the distribution center near his house within 24 h. The USPS then sent them to NH, letting them sit there for over a day before sending them back to the same NY distribution center. Needless to say the books got a tour of the Northeastern US, not signed by FM. Then a facilitator announced a FM signing in Orlando, but that meant the books had to get there within ~2 weeks, so I had to get my brother to send them back to me (this is ~5 months after NYCC) before I could mail them to FL. This one wasn't actually in that group, but I pulled it out at the last minute. The grade from an almost always too conservative seller was a 9.2, so I don't think I checked this over thoroughly. Some of my FM signed books have traveled more in the last 6 months than I have in over a year. TL;DR I missed the stain. IMO, this is the different between something at least in the low 9s & this 8.0. I wasn't gunning for a 9.8 or anything, I just wouldn't have sent CGC another book with a stain even though it's a newsstand. To me, this is way too harsh with a small stain on the back cover. I do like this book though. It merges my love of comics & the classic Universal Monsters. I'm taking pics of my taped window bags from now on. I swear I had the box along the bottom. grendelbo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lninefingers Posted May 30, 2023 Share Posted May 30, 2023 I feel your pain. I have a beautiful book with a stain like yours (front cover though) that's over a darker section so it's really hard to see. Came back a 6.0. Don't know if I'll ever get over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTheSpike Posted May 31, 2023 Share Posted May 31, 2023 I have been able to almost completely remove a similar stain with very small amounts of peroxide. scburdet 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
