Thoughts on Slightly Brittle Pages

[goldust40]

I'd run for the hills. Slightly brittle means only two steps away from crumbling into dust.

[Zonker]

I think it depends on who is saying it. For the average seller, yes "Slightly brittle" is likely an excuse to move a book that is flaking away with every page turn. But in my limited experience of buying slabbed Golden Age books, I have found the CGC label notation "slightly brittle" to be just one step down from "tan pages." Maybe I got lucky, but the Worlds Finest #7 I bought with that label notation has page quality I'd describe as average for Golden Agers I get off of eBay (maybe that's the really scary part, eh?)

[goldust40]

I've had reasonable luck regarding PQ for GA books, but then I try to buy from sellers who make an effort to mention it or show interior page scans.

 

I've also bought a few books which are in the cream/light tan range (mainly from sellers who simply give an overall grade with no further description) when I assumed they might be better. Generally the effect on the book (which may otherwise have decent structure) is that it looks and above all feels tired and worn, but not brittle. That, thankfully, hasn't happened too often.

 

As a rule if the pages are brittle in any way I send the book back. So kudos to CGC for being fairly accurate with PQ...

[Forbush-Man]

Two rules to go by:

 

1) no brittle pages

 

2) no rusty staples

 

 

I don't buy any books with either problem.

[Mr. Zipper]

I run for the hills. The last thing I want to see are little paper chips at the bottom of the mylar everytime I take the book out to look at it. Slightly brittle means the book is nearing the end of its life cycle... one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel.

 

I'd like to know if the breakdown of the paper hits a certain point where it's basically feeding on itself and no amount of environmental controls will stop the process.

 

BTW, in the CLink Timely sale, the only moderately priced books that are left have either tape or slightly brittle pages.

[buttock]

I think it depends on who is saying it. For the average seller, yes "Slightly brittle" is likely an excuse to move a book that is flaking away with every page turn. But in my limited experience of buying slabbed Golden Age books, I have found the CGC label notation "slightly brittle" to be just one step down from "tan pages." Maybe I got lucky, but the Worlds Finest #7 I bought with that label notation has page quality I'd describe as average for Golden Agers I get off of eBay (maybe that's the really scary part, eh?)

 

I agree here. Any raw book means likely true brittleness. However, I sent a book in to CGC that had been opened 180 degrees and xeroxed, as well as read in its entirety by myself with no brittleness that I detected and it came back as "slightly brittle".

 

Maybe Steve wants to comment on this?

[ft88]

As always it depends on price. If its a run of the mill GA from the mystery box collection, I'd just assume forget it. But a Detective 29 for $1000 even with edge chipping pages is worth it. With a complete cover and attached stapes, as long as the pages aren't a dark brown ala "Time Machine" (the scene where he destroys all the books with one sweep of the arm) I'd buy it with a reflected price. Put another way, the front cover alone for a Tec 31 went for $500.

 

The point is, it needs to be heavily discounted. An otherwise VG should probably sell for G- which chips, and so forth. The Comiclink prices probably are trying to get GPA prices when they shouldn't.

[Silver Surfer]

Two rules to go by:

 

1) no brittle pages

 

2) no rusty staples

 

 

I don't buy any books with either problem.

 

I don't even look at books with rusted staples that's for sure. I was looking at the Marvel Mystery Comics #4 on Comic Link that CGC notes as slightly brittle pages. I guess deep down I just can't bring myself to spend over $1,000 on a book that can fall apart in my hands. Cover is detached on the book as well so that bothers me almost as much.

[Point Five]

I ran for the hills too. I love to flip through & read GA books, and even a defect like a missing centerfold doesn't faze me if I really want the book and the price is right, but brittle pages are a huge turnoff.

[CKB]

There's quite a difference between a book being brittle and the edges of the pages being brittle. I have seen plenty of both, and edge brittleness does not scare me. It's pretty easy to tell if the paper is basically stable, but is brittle at the edges. A mylar, acid free board, some microchamber paper, and a favorable environment can really do wonders for a book that has been neglected in storage. I'm not saying age reversal, but certainly age retardation and hopefully some sort of stasis. IMO.

 

Of course, anything brittle, even with mild to moderate edge brittleness, should be in the "Fair" grade range.

 

Dark page quality does detract from the interior colors in the book, and that would be what I would be more concerned over.

[batman_fan]

I had a Detective 33 that I sent in to CGC, came back light tan to off-white pages, but in reality it was slightly brittle (paper was flaking off in the CGC holder). Based on that, I am very careful with books listed as cream to off-white.

[ft88]

So since the Tec 33 has the crappy brittly "Tan pages" you's sell it for Fair?

BTW what is the CGC grade and did you think it was fair?

[lou_fine]

Two rules to go by:

 

1) no brittle pages

 

2) no rusty staples

 

 

I don't buy any books with either problem.

 

I don't even look at books with rusted staples that's for sure.

 

If you have a book in your long-term collection that has rusty staples, what would your game plan be, based upon the following choices if you was planning to keep it for quite a bit longer:

 

1) Sell it outright at a lower grade at a low price; or

 

2) Replace the staples and simply live with the purple label; or

 

3) Just hold onto the book the way it is?

 

BTW: Would replaced staples be considered to be slight resto or moderate resto and what would the normal discount be for this defect if it was a HG GA book other than the rusty staples?

[rjpb]

I have a few GA books with rusted staples, and maybe a couple with slightly brittle pages, but they are generally placeholder copies and/or readers - books that I've paid little money for.

[ronm3-migration]

No no no to brittle pages!

[batman_fan]

I graded it a 4.0, CGC graded it a 5.5. It became part of the "Northern Lights" collection.

[Silver Surfer]

Two rules to go by:

 

1) no brittle pages

 

2) no rusty staples

 

 

I don't buy any books with either problem.

 

I don't even look at books with rusted staples that's for sure.

 

If you have a book in your long-term collection that has rusty staples, what would your game plan be, based upon the following choices if you was planning to keep it for quite a bit longer:

 

1) Sell it outright at a lower grade at a low price; or

 

2) Replace the staples and simply live with the purple label; or

 

3) Just hold onto the book the way it is?

 

BTW: Would replaced staples be considered to be slight resto or moderate resto and what would the normal discount be for this defect if it was a HG GA book other than the rusty staples?

 

Unless the book was ultra ultra rare I'd probably sell it off so I could replace it with a copy that didn't have rusted staples. Not sure what the standard label on replaced staples would be but my guess is that its still only slight.

[CentaurMan]

I can tell my opinion is the minority, but if it's an exceptionally rare book, I'll buy a book with brittle edges at the right price (under Good guide). If it disintegrates within my lifetime, then so be it, I'll have enjoyed the book in the interim. But my guess is, as long as it's rarely handled, it'll remain intact for quite a while to come if properly maintained. There's a price for anything, especially the rarest stuff.

[Silver Surfer]

I can tell my opinion is the minority, but if it's an exceptionally rare book, I'll buy a book with brittle edges at the right price (under Good guide). If it disintegrates within my lifetime, then so be it, I'll have enjoyed the book in the interim. But my guess is, as long as it's rarely handled, it'll remain intact for quite a while to come if properly maintained. There's a price for anything, especially the rarest stuff.

 

I do share some of opinions which is why I posted this thread. The book is slabbed, the cover shows pretty well and its one of my grails so if I could get a good price for it I might consider purchasing it because its likely to remain in the slabb. Its that GA dilema as these books don't come around very often and you either have to spend a lot of money to get a decent copy or wait for years hoping a low grade one comes and stays on the market long enough for you to get your hands on it. We shall see.

[batman_fan]

Surfer, ask yourself two questions,

1. Do I believe this is the only chance I will ever have to buy the issue

2. If I buy this copy and a better one comes along, can I re-coop enough of my investment that I won't feel bad?

 

For myself, I have always waited to a copy I can be happy with long term. I started looking for Mystery Men 3 in 1978. I just bought my copy in 2005. I saw a few copies, but either too low of a grade or heavily restored. The copy I have is pretty clean and if I never see another copy, that is fine with me. The Detective 33 I had, I serious considered passing on because of the page quality, but over time it bothered me more so I opt'd to sell it because I worried about the long term damage it could suffer and also how hard it may be to sell. Fortunitely, the Northern Lights collector came along and bought it even with the poor page quality.