To what degree does back cover scuff affect grading?

[Lantzbg]

Hello, yes I am a newbie to this board and I was looking for a forum to help with a question. To what degree does a small piece of tape (not from a repair--it was placed accidentally) or scuff (from the tape removal) affect the grade of a comic if it is on the back cover? This is a silver age X-Men that is otherwise a 7.5. Also, could someone explain the difference between a scuff/abrasion and color lift (i.e., from amateur tape removal). Thanks for your input and happy collecting.

[Comicdey]

Tape removal typically will remove the gloss and the artwork down to the paper fibre and is unsighly on the front or back. Partial tearing through the fibers of the book.

 

A scuff is an abrasion that can vary dramatically and has to be taken on a case by case basis.

 

Post a scan if you really want some opinions that reflect the conditions of your book.

 

Welcome to the boards.

[Point Five]

Hi, and Welcome to the boards!

 

If you can put up scans of the book in question, we can probably be of more help. My guess is the book would grade somewhere between 5.5-6.5, but it would depend on the severity of the tape pull.

 

As to your general question, a scuff would be pretty much what you'd think (some foreign object coming into contact with the book and leaving a dent/impression), while a tape pull lifts off a lot of surface ink leaving the white of the paper, which unfortunately tends to affect the book's eye appeal more and would hurt the technical grade quite a bit.

 

(Oh yeah, and if you're the one who caused the tape pull on the book, don't beat yourself up. We've all been there at one time or another!)

 

Regards,

Jon