Pressing/restoration removal services

[garthgantu]

Can anyone recommend an upstanding service in the San Francisco bay area for cleaning and pressing of Golden Age comics? On this same note,

1) Would such a company likely provide "restoration removal" services, such as removing a drop of glue that CGC has decided warrants the purple label of doom?

 

2) Am I correct in understanding that CGC does not view pressing as restoration? What about cleaning?

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance/guidance,

 

Garthgantu

[chrisco37]

To answer youquestions:

 

1) There are companies that will do resto-removal, unfortunately I have not really researched restoration companies, so I don't know who would perform these services (Check in an OS Guide for ads). Also, someone on the forum will be able to give you names and website links. I don't know though, if restoration removal would then qualify the book for the Universal Lable.

 

2) I think that is still up in the air, although I think that Steve mentioned that "pressing" would not be restoration. Cleaning a book definately is restoration.

 

Sorry I couldn't provide more info for you.

 

Chris

[garthgantu]

Good info, Chrisco - thanks!

 

I thought that cleaning was definitely considered restoration, until I saw a couple of examples of re-submitted books (Exciting Comics (#64 ?) was one of them) that were clearly not only pressed but significantly cleaned...

 

This whole area seems very gray to me...

[chrisco37]

Yeah. There's something strange going on with that particular book. No reason it should have been given the Blue Lable, and I doubt we'll ever know why.

 

Chris

[blowout]

I thought that cleaning was definitely considered restoration, until I saw a couple of examples of re-submitted books (Exciting Comics (#64 ?) was one of them) that were clearly not only pressed but significantly cleaned...

 

The distinction comes in whether the book was taken apart to be cleaned or not. If it was, the book has been restored, if not it has a shot at a blue label.

[Joanna]

2) Am I correct in understanding that CGC does not view pressing as restoration? What about cleaning?

 

Wouldn't the honest thing be to disclose any work done on a comic? You would be clearly altering the original condition of the book, i.e. 'restoring' it, so it would be restoration and therefore should be disclosed to any potential buyer.

 

-- Joanna

[Aman619]

Wouldn't the honest thing be to disclose any work done on a comic? You would be clearly altering the original condition of the book, i.e. 'restoring' it, so it would be restoration and therefore should be disclosed to any potential buyer.

 

-- Joanna

 

thats the way its SUPPOSED to happen.... but ethics and good intentions tend to take a back seat once Mr Dollar enter the picture.

 

As to removing the glue 'dot"...Id leave it alone until you are serious about selling. If it is that minor, and the book is otherwise very high grade, chances are decent that in time, that one "unfortunate" flaw will be accepted. The number of high grade golden Age books is so low that we may reach a point where your book is more desirable than a lower grade copy with no tiny glue blemish.

[Joanna]

Wouldn't the honest thing be to disclose any work done on a comic? You would be clearly altering the original condition of the book, i.e. 'restoring' it, so it would be restoration and therefore should be disclosed to any potential buyer.

 

-- Joanna

 

thats the way its SUPPOSED to happen.... but ethics and good intentions tend to take a back seat once Mr Dollar enter the picture.

 

I'll bet he wasn't happy that no one told him about the glue dot. So why not stop the chain of subterfuge and disclose everything, instead of passing the rip-off (compounded by further restoration) on to another? To me, no one has a right to complain about frauds and rip-offs unless they do everything they personally can to keep from being a part of that cycle.

 

I've been lied to a lot in my life, and I can't remember the last time I enjoyed it.

 

Maybe I'm just in a mood tonight. Sassle frassle toothache. It's not making me a fun person to be around right now. If all the idjit NPB's would just pay me, I could afford to go to the dentist. Lying NPB freaks. Grrr.

 

-- Joanna (please ignore me. I probably just need some sleep)

[garthgantu]

Thanks for all the salient thoughts, folks.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not considering unslabbing the book and selling it "as is." If I did sell it in its present condition after unslabbing it, I'd certainly note the glue dot - but maybe not the fact that it was slabbed and then unslabbed. Or do you think that must be noted as well? Isn't it enough to note that there's a drop of glue on a staple?

 

And to the other point, I wouldn't consider removing the glue myself, you understand, but would have that done professionally. That was the original point of this thread - I'm hoping to find a "restoration service" - or more accurately, a "restoration removal service" in the San Francisco area, so I can

1) deliver and pick up the comics myself

2) ideally, watch the process firsthand, out of academic curiosity.

 

Garthgantu