Skytripa Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 Bought a 2nd copy. This one looks better than the first imo. I think this one looks like the one I’ll submit for clean, press and grade. Thank you in advance for looking and any comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvelmaniac Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 Slightly blunted corners, slight color loss in the black area along the spine, minor to moderate foxing/discoloration on rear cover along spine. IMO, as the book sits right now with the foxing...VF+ 8.5 to VF/NM 9.0 If the foxing/discoloration can be removed (foxing is biological in nature and cannot be removed) the book will grade higher, NM- 9.2? 9.2 NEAR MINT- (NM-): Back to Top Nearly perfect with only a minor additional defect or defects that keep it from Near Mint. A limited number of minor bindery/printing defects are allowed. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Inks are bright with only the slightest dimming of reflectivity. Corners are cut square and sharp with ever-so-slight blunting permitted. A 1/16-1/8" bend is permitted with no color break. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as they are in an unobtrusive location. Slight foxing. Spine is tight and flat. Staples may show some discoloration. Almost no stress lines. Paper is off-white to cream, supple and fresh. Slight interior tears are allowed. 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. 8.0 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. I do not know what your criteria/reasoning is for having a book graded, looking at eBay sold auctions and MCS, this is a $5.00 book, financially it is not worth grading. Grading and encapsulating a book does not provide any more protection than a Mylite and Acid Free Board, slabs are not airtight nor are they UV protected and must be stored in the same, proper, environmental conditions as raw books. Skytripa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skytripa Posted April 19 Author Share Posted April 19 (edited) Thank you for the insight. I’m new to collecting how can I tell if that’s foxing or dirt/grim that can be cleaned? Edited April 19 by Skytripa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scburdet Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 This all depends on what the gunk is along the spine. Foxing can't be removed. If it's surface dirt, you can get this above 9. Skytripa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skytripa Posted April 19 Author Share Posted April 19 On 4/18/2024 at 11:14 PM, scburdet said: This all depends on what the gunk is along the spine. Foxing can't be removed. If it's surface dirt, you can get this above 9. Do you think this one looks better than the first one I posted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PVOG Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 Just curious, are you using a small penlight or flashlight to critique? May be a silly question, but I'm just wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skytripa Posted April 19 Author Share Posted April 19 On 4/19/2024 at 12:08 AM, PVOG said: Just curious, are you using a small penlight or flashlight to critique? May be a silly question, but I'm just wondering. I don’t is that something that could be beneficial? PVOG 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvelmaniac Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 I am not a "paper conservator" so identifying that staining as pure foxing as opposed to another form of dirt/grime is beyond my areas of knowledge, however... There is not a lot of info online pertaining to foxing on comic books, mostly for art and no clear, concise way for a layman to determine exactly what it is, there are numerous videos claiming to show how to "remove foxing" on comic books. Foxing is integral to the paper, it is not just on the surface, any attempts at cleaning, even by professional conservators are usually only temporary and the foxing returns, proper storage is the key to slowing down/preventing foxing. A Black Light can be used to detect Foxing, Fingerprints, Restoration, etc. as they show up differently under black light than normal paper/dirt, supposedly mold glows and/or changes color under a black light. I bought this when I was selling my Grandson's Pokémon Cards to look for fingerprints, $10.00 at Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08KS7BGN5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Skytripa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skytripa Posted April 19 Author Share Posted April 19 On 4/19/2024 at 12:19 PM, marvelmaniac said: I am not a "paper conservator" so identifying that staining as pure foxing as opposed to another form of dirt/grime is beyond my areas of knowledge, however... There is not a lot of info online pertaining to foxing on comic books, mostly for art and no clear, concise way for a layman to determine exactly what it is, there are numerous videos claiming to show how to "remove foxing" on comic books. Foxing is integral to the paper, it is not just on the surface, any attempts at cleaning, even by professional conservators are usually only temporary and the foxing returns, proper storage is the key to slowing down/preventing foxing. A Black Light can be used to detect Foxing, Fingerprints, Restoration, etc. as they show up differently under black light than normal paper/dirt, supposedly mold glows and/or changes color under a black light. I bought this when I was selling my Grandson's Pokémon Cards to look for fingerprints, $10.00 at Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08KS7BGN5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Good info thank you I'll have to look into getting one of those magnifiers. My first copy of this book that I posted had a dirt shadow at the top back cover. This one looked better but always hard to tell when buying online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PVOG Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 Definitely, small but effective flashlight, blacklight, sterile gloves are three of the tools I use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...