Questions regarding restoration - Flash #105 2 2

[comicsbuysell]

I got a great deal on this issue of Flash, first appearance of Mirror Master. I would like to slab this and add it to my personal collection. The spine is completely split with both the back and front cover are detached. . I want to get the best grade possible, universal grade isn't so important to me.

My questions:

Would it increase the grade by having the cover restored and attached?

What kind of grade range does a comic with completely detached covers usually get?

[joeypost]

Restoration rarely increases the value. It will improve eye appeal, if that’s all your looking for. 

[Topnotchman]

If it’s not missing to many pieces from chipping, I’ve seen split covers get a 1.0.

Edited February 6 by Topnotchman

[comicsbuysell]

Thanks so much!!!

[shadroch]

That is Flash 105, his first issue in the Silver Age.  It is one of the top SA DC issues.

[BA773]

On 2/7/2024 at 4:10 AM, shadroch said:

That is Flash 105, his first issue in the Silver Age.  It is one of the top SA DC issues.

Yes i was going to say it. I dont really care of mirror master  this book is much more important than that, the first issue of the new Flash title, after 10 years of absence!

[Paul Kosnik]

Congratulations on an awesome book!  For the record, completely split spine starts at 1.8.  That is the highest grade you can achieve with a split spine, if the book is in otherwise OK shape and complete.  This one has quite a few defects so i think you are looking at 1.5 or perhaps 1.0, but i don't think it's lower than that as long as the back cover is complete.  While i agree with @joeypost that restoration is unlikely to increase the value, there is another alternative that is likely to increase the value, and that is going the conservation route.  If properly conserved with archival material and techniques, the spine split and little edge tears can be repaired, preserving the book and making it readable and handleable.  The grade will be elevated to at least a 2.0 and possibly higher in my opinion, and the discount of a conserved comic to a universal is not nearly as severe as the discount placed on a restored comic.

Edited April 11 by Paul Kosnik