Thoughts on Slightly Brittle Pages

[Silver Surfer]

Good points. I guess for now there are other books that can warrant more attention and probably be better purchases in the long run.

[PedigreeMan]

The aging and lifecycle of paper is one of those mysteries that scientists still don't have a firm grasp on. Most of their theories come from empirical evidence, which is really only reproducible in the broadest of senses. For example, it is known that storage in an anaerobic enviornment halts the aging process of paper almost entirely. Conversely, heat and humidity (or is it wide changes in heat and humidity? ... no one knows for certain) appears to have a negative effect. But because the only true way to measure any of this is to do it over long stretches of time, no one has any firm answers.

 

That being said, a lot of the empirical evidence on brittle pages points to paper eventually reaching a stable point wherein even a trivial effort at preservation will halt any further damage. This stage of brittleness is fragile -- meaning the paper can be handled, but with care -- but is by no means at the "turning to dust just by looking at it" stage. Supposedly, the paper can last at this stage for decades.

 

I'd love it if the new owner of the "brittle paged" All American #16 that just sold on eBay could somehow get it back to "adamstrange" for a bit so that a comparison of its deterioration from when "adam" owned it could be performed. If "adam" said it was pretty much the same as when he had it almost twenty years ago, that would be saying a lot about the longevity of "brittle pages."

 

In other words, I think most of you are being unfairly harsh against these books.

 

(Of course, I only buy white-pages beauties, so keep those brown betties away from me at all costs! )

 

Alan

[Mr. Zipper]

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?

 

It depends on the level of rust. I have a few books with light rust spots or corrosion, but it hasn't transferred to the paper. Given that they are being stored properly, I believe this will arrest the progression of the rust and the book should be fine. I can live with it.

 

If I had a book with severe rust that had transferred to the paper, I'd probably consider selling. If the book was extremely hard to replace, I'd send the book to a conservationist/restorer to have the staples replaced.

 

BTW, I believe that if only the staples have been replaced, the book will get a Green Label, not Purple.

[Durden08]

BTW, I believe that if only the staples have been replaced, the book will get a Green Label, not Purple.

 

Yes, thats been my experience as well. I had a GA book grade out at 3.0 with replaced staples that got the green label.

[CentaurMan]

I'd love it if the new owner of the "brittle paged" All American #16 that just sold on eBay could somehow get it back to "adamstrange" for a bit so that a comparison of its deterioration from when "adam" owned it could be performed. If "adam" said it was pretty much the same as when he had it almost twenty years ago, that would be saying a lot about the longevity of "brittle pages."

 

[PedigreeMan]

I'd love it if the new owner of the "brittle paged" All American #16 that just sold on eBay could somehow get it back to "adamstrange" for a bit so that a comparison of its deterioration from when "adam" owned it could be performed. If "adam" said it was pretty much the same as when he had it almost twenty years ago, that would be saying a lot about the longevity of "brittle pages."

 

 

 

Now I can stop harrassing you to bust open that Nick Cage copy!

 

So who's springing for a plane ticket to bring "adamstrange" out to Chi-town, you or me? And more importantly, who's going to put him up for the night?

[Point Five]

As for how the buying public outside this board feels about slightly brittle pages...

well, this book might be an interesting test case...

 

No reserve, so we'll see how it does. Given the OS price of $762 cited in the auction for a raw 6.0, what's the max you personally would pay for this book once you've factored in the page quality, or would you just not touch it at all?

[CentaurMan]

It went for $610. Seems about right. Below guide for sure, but not something people were unwilling to buy at any price (as it attracted 21 bids from many different bidders).

[rjpb]

That USA might have sold for more raw. I admit I'm loath to use the term "brittle" when describing comics- and will use terms like, "slight flaking at page corners, but otherwise supple" to describe what might be considered "slightly brittle". Fortunately I've never bought or sold a book with truely brittle pages.