Axe Elf Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 So I just noticed not too long ago that my nice-ish copy of VAMPIRELLA #16 actually has a little piece of tape on the cover! It's a small piece at the bottom of the spine, wrapping from back to front, apparently put there to keep the little bindery tear at the bottom of the spine from getting worse. I've read the Official CGC policy on tape--if the tape is there to correct a defect, the tape is ignored and the book is graded on the basis of the defect alone without the tape. But this would likely still be an 8.0ish book if it was graded without the tape, even with that little bindery tear--but it has tape on the cover! Surely you can't have an 8.0+ with TAPE ON THE COVER--can you??? So what's your wild guess as to how this book would be graded? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvelmaniac Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 I am not entirely sure how the tape will affect the grade, the tape is attempting to repair a tear, without the tape and defect I would have graded this book in the FN/VF 7.0 range, according to the grading standards (Overstreet/Heritage) tape is not allowed in any grade above VG 4.0, however, books are graded in their entirety, not on one lone defect, giving you the benefit of the doubt, IMO...VG/FN 5.0 VG 4.0 - Only minor unobtrusive tape and other amateur repair allowed on otherwise high grade GD/VG 3.0 - Tape and other amateur repair may be present. GD 2.0 - Tape and other forms of amateur repair are common in Silver Age and older books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzutak Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 My money would be on this being a post-manufacturing defect. "Little bindery tear" sounds nice, but the missing chip and bottom edge wear makes me lean towards it being a handling defect. It's certainly not common to any of the 9.4+ copies of this issue I've seen. One man's opinion, naturally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Elf Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 On 4/8/2024 at 11:58 AM, marvelmaniac said: VG/FN 5.0 It's a really interesting question, because to me, tape on the cover is one of those "hard" defects where there's no "slight" or "moderate" tape on the cover; if there's tape on the cover, then there's tape on the cover, and the highest the book can possibly grade is a 4.0. If you have tape on the cover of a Gem Mint book, then it becomes a 4.0 book. Period. But if CGC was forced to abide by their own policy on tape, then this book would have to receive (in your estimation) a 7.0, because their official policy is to ignore the tape and grade on the basis of the defect that is addressed by the tape. I'm just really curious how CGC would actually grade this book, given their policy (but not curious enough to pay them to find out.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scburdet Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 I am disinclined to call this a bindery tear, or at least a if it started as a bindery tear, it has been enlarged (and therefore starts getting treated as a tear). A close reading of the CGC guide does describe tape not being a separate defect when used for repair (& does not lead to a restored grade), but they do characterize it as a "substance," so any discoloration, residue, etc. could be dinged. I think they leave some of these things ambiguous intentionally. I thing this scores a 6.0 if submitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Elf Posted April 9 Author Share Posted April 9 On 4/8/2024 at 6:43 PM, scburdet said: they do characterize it as a "substance," so any discoloration, residue, etc. could be dinged Good call! That's probably the middle ground between ignoring the tape and not ignoring the tape. Parenthetically, I may be using the term incorrectly, but I was considering a "bindery tear" to be any tear to the binding, not necessarily a production defect. The way a couple of you have answered, I get the impression that the term "bindery tear" refers only to production flaws? Yes, I think this cover started to tear at the bottom of the spine, after it was in circulation, and someone applied tape to stop the spread of the tear. Sorry if calling it a "bindery tear" caused any confusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scburdet Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 Yes, a bindery tear is a specific term for the little tears at the corners from production. IDK about magazines, but they're pretty common in some 80s Marvel comics. Axe Elf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvelmaniac Posted April 9 Share Posted April 9 According to the grading standards, bindery tears are only mentioned in NM+ 9.6 (No bindery tears are allowed,) and NM 9.4 (Bindery tears must be less than 1/16" on Silver Age and later books), there is no more mention of any bindery tears/spine splits in grades NM- 9.2, VF/NM 9.0, VF 8.0, FN/VF 7.0, the next mention of any vertical corner spine tears is FN 6.0.(There can also be a 1/4" spine split) My interpretation of all of this is that if it is longer than 3/16" it is a spine split, regardless of how it started, the question of course then becomes what exactly is the tape attempting to repair, a spine split, a small piece(s) missing or both? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
