Questions about Pressing

[djpinkpanther67]

What exactly is "Pressing" & what does the process entail? What are the side effects? I notice that CGC doesn't view it as "restoration".

What is an example of why soeone would get a comic pressed? Will it, for instance enable a SA 9.0 to get a higher grade if submitted for slabbing?

(Just trying to learn is all)...

Thanks!

[Theagenes]

What exactly is "Pressing" & what does the process entail? What are the side effects? I notice that CGC doesn't view it as "restoration".

What is an example of why soeone would get a comic pressed? Will it, for instance enable a SA 9.0 to get a higher grade if submitted for slabbing?

(Just trying to learn is all)...

Thanks!

 

[Theagenes]

Seriously, pressing is using heat and pressure to remove things like non-coloring breaking creases. Although CGC doesn't consider it restoration, most other people do, so it has become very controversal. And yes, you can sometimes take a 9.0 with a couple of non-color breaking creases, crack it out of the slab, press it, then resub it for a 9.6. Since people are paying huge multiples for every .2 increase on some books, this becomes very a lucrative business for certain dealers. It's referred to as "the crack and resub game." Part of the problem is that it is almost completely undetectable, so unless the seller is forthcoming and discloses that a book has been pressed, there is no way to know. There have been a million threads on this over the past few years and a number of before and after images of books that have been resubbed for higher grades.

[djpinkpanther67]

Sorry not trying to open up a can of.....just trying to learn...

I take it the major consensus of the boards is that it's not good? Does it actually HARM the comic to remove creases? Isn't it a good thing to remove creases, if it isn't considered restoration? Are there negative side effects of doing it?

[awe4one]

Sorry not trying to open up a can of.....just trying to learn...

I take it the major consensus of the boards is that it's not good? Does it actually HARM the comic to remove creases? Isn't it a good thing to remove creases, if it isn't considered restoration? Are there negative side effects of doing it?

 

There's a group of collectors here that don't like pressing and another that don't mind it. Do a search on "Pressing" and you'll have all your questions answered or at least touched upon...

 

Also, find the "Manufactured Gold" thread to see the results of pressing and other techniques that CGC doesn't consider restoration to include disassembly of a comic not being resto.

 

You can also go here and see some current examples in the new Comiclink auction...

 

Jim

[Mr. Zipper]

For good technical information, go here:

 

http://www.comic-book-restoration.com./Pressing.html

[Sid]

There can be huge grade jumps through pressing. I personally don't mind it/consider it restoration but still would rather have it disclosed. There have been instances from what I've read here where pressing has basically destroyed books, but most of the time they seem to work for the better. My ASM #129 had insane waves all over the edge for whatever reason when I got it, after pressing the book would be a 9.2/9.4 without depending on how anal someone is 4.0-6.0. I sold the book through eBay as a possible "pressing" candidate and it sold right away for a 9.0 price.

[Theagenes]

Sorry not trying to open up a can of.....just trying to learn...

I take it the major consensus of the boards is that it's not good? Does it actually HARM the comic to remove creases? Isn't it a good thing to remove creases, if it isn't considered restoration? Are there negative side effects of doing it?

 

The can of worms thing was just a joke. If you do a search for "pressing" or "pressed" you'll see what I mean. The spectrum of opinions on pressing varies widely and there has been an enormous amount of passionate verbiage on the subject here for the last few years. Some people think it can be harmful to the comic or that anything pressed out might "revert" back after time. Others feel that it is perfectly harmless if done properly. But the biggest problem that most people have is not the pressing itself, but the selling of pressed books without disclosure of it. Many, many people feel that pressing should be considered restoration, despite CGC's opinion on the subject, including one of the most respected professional restorers in the field. It has been suggested that the only reason that CGC does not consider it restoration is because they cannot detect it.

 

Personally, I feel that it is restoration, though the least invasion form of restoration. I personally don't have a problem with it, if done properly and professionally, but absolutely do think it should be disclosed to a buyer. There's a good chance that some of my HG bronze books have been pressed. That doesn't bother me so much as that fact that I don't know for sure if nay have been pressed or which ones they might be. I've never had a book pressed before, but I do have a book that is having taped remove from the spine, that I assume will pressed afterwards and I have a couple of GA books with bad spine rolls that I'm thinking about having pressed out. Any book that I know to be pressed I would disclose it if I sold it. That's my 2 cents, I guess.

[esquirecomics]

What exactly is "Pressing" & what does the process entail? What are the side effects? I notice that CGC doesn't view it as "restoration".

What is an example of why soeone would get a comic pressed? Will it, for instance enable a SA 9.0 to get a higher grade if submitted for slabbing?

(Just trying to learn is all)...

Thanks!

 

This might help:

 

Restoration of the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide’s Definition of Restoration

 

Making The Grade - The Responses Keep Rolling

[Sid]

There was also a very detailed thread with both sides of the view started by Sir Zaid somewhere in the forums... That's definately worth a read.

[djpinkpanther67]

Thanks guys

[burntboy]

Sorry not trying to open up a can of.....just trying to learn...

I take it the major consensus of the boards is that it's not good? Does it actually HARM the comic to remove creases? Isn't it a good thing to remove creases, if it isn't considered restoration? Are there negative side effects of doing it?

 

There's a group of collectors here that don't like pressing and another that don't mind it. Do a search on "Pressing" and you'll have all your questions answered or at least touched upon...

 

Also, find the "Manufactured Gold" thread to see the results of pressing and other techniques that CGC doesn't consider restoration to include disassembly of a comic not being resto.

 

You can also go here and see some current examples in the new Comiclink auction...

 

Jim

 

WOW - had never seen your site before - excellent detective work..............

[awe4one]

Sorry not trying to open up a can of.....just trying to learn...

I take it the major consensus of the boards is that it's not good? Does it actually HARM the comic to remove creases? Isn't it a good thing to remove creases, if it isn't considered restoration? Are there negative side effects of doing it?

 

There's a group of collectors here that don't like pressing and another that don't mind it. Do a search on "Pressing" and you'll have all your questions answered or at least touched upon...

 

Also, find the "Manufactured Gold" thread to see the results of pressing and other techniques that CGC doesn't consider restoration to include disassembly of a comic not being resto.

 

You can also go here and see some current examples in the new Comiclink auction...

 

Jim

 

WOW - had never seen your site before - excellent detective work..............

 

[garthgantu]

 

Making The Grade - The Responses Keep Rolling

 

What strikes me about the posts to the above Overstreet thread/page are the number of people taking the easy way out and saying that "pressing that is undetectable should not be considered restoration; pressing that IS detectable should be noted as restoration." Nice, easy argument, but when the company doing the grading is also doing the pressing, or having an affiliated company do the pressing, they would KNOW in each case that the book has been pressed. So there's no question that CGC could note pressing in each of those instances, but they won't because they realize that would undermine the value of their blue labels considerably.

 

When you muddy the waters with CGC's own definition of acceptable pressing versus unacceptable, it just gets worse. The majority of collectors and dealers seem to agree that pressing that can be detected should be considered restoration. While CGC merely says that the only pressing that is unacceptable (and thus falls into the 'restored' category is pressing that involves disassembly of the book. Not sure we ever got a definitive answer from CGC as to why they make that distinction, but presumably it's because pressing that involves disassembly is much easier to detect. (Is this because the only reason to disassemble a book for pressing purposes is because you have to use chemicals in addition to heat, or because such disassembly inevitably leads to some amount of damage to the staples?)

 

Assuming that's true, it would mean that the only pressing CGC is able to detect is pressing that involves disassembly or pressing that is just so poorly done that it's totally obvious.

 

Has anyone ever seen a PLOD on a book simply because the book was pressed - without any notation about it being disassembled?

 

And isn't it possible that, as with trimming, a new technique for pressing that DOES involve disassembly could be concocted (or already have been), and CGC is simply not able to detect that "improved" pressing that involves disassembly ?

[esquirecomics]

 

Making The Grade - The Responses Keep Rolling

 

What strikes me about the posts to the above Overstreet thread/page are the number of people taking the easy way out and saying that "pressing that is undetectable should not be considered restoration; pressing that IS detectable should be noted as restoration." Nice, easy argument, but when the company doing the grading is also doing the pressing, or having an affiliated company do the pressing, they would KNOW in each case that the book has been pressed. So there's no question that CGC could note pressing in each of those instances, but they won't because they realize that would undermine the value of their blue labels considerably.

 

Quite true.

 

I will continue to stand by my pledge that for those who believe pressing is not restoration because it can't be - assuming for puposes of this statement to be true - detected (duh, I can't see it so it can't be there, which way did he go, which way did he go ), then I will be happy to sleep with their good looking wife and simply keep the secret from them. After all, if you don't know it happened, why should it be of concern?

[FFB]

 

Making The Grade - The Responses Keep Rolling

 

What strikes me about the posts to the above Overstreet thread/page are the number of people taking the easy way out and saying that "pressing that is undetectable should not be considered restoration; pressing that IS detectable should be noted as restoration." Nice, easy argument, but when the company doing the grading is also doing the pressing, or having an affiliated company do the pressing, they would KNOW in each case that the book has been pressed. So there's no question that CGC could note pressing in each of those instances, but they won't because they realize that would undermine the value of their blue labels considerably.

 

Quite true.

 

I will continue to stand by my pledge that for those who believe pressing is not restoration because it can't be - assuming for puposes of this statement to be true - detected (duh, I can't see it so it can't be there, which way did he go, which way did he go ), then I will be happy to sleep with their good looking wife and simply keep the secret from them. After all, if you don't know it happened, why should it be of concern?

 

Seems like getting the wife to agree might be your biggest hurdle there, Romeo.

[october]

 

Making The Grade - The Responses Keep Rolling

 

What strikes me about the posts to the above Overstreet thread/page are the number of people taking the easy way out and saying that "pressing that is undetectable should not be considered restoration; pressing that IS detectable should be noted as restoration." Nice, easy argument, but when the company doing the grading is also doing the pressing, or having an affiliated company do the pressing, they would KNOW in each case that the book has been pressed. So there's no question that CGC could note pressing in each of those instances, but they won't because they realize that would undermine the value of their blue labels considerably.

 

Quite true.

 

I will continue to stand by my pledge that for those who believe pressing is not restoration because it can't be - assuming for puposes of this statement to be true - detected (duh, I can't see it so it can't be there, which way did he go, which way did he go ), then I will be happy to sleep with their good looking wife and simply keep the secret from them. After all, if you don't know it happened, why should it be of concern?

 

Seems like getting the wife to agree might be your biggest hurdle there, Romeo.

 

Oh snap!

[esquirecomics]

 

Making The Grade - The Responses Keep Rolling

 

What strikes me about the posts to the above Overstreet thread/page are the number of people taking the easy way out and saying that "pressing that is undetectable should not be considered restoration; pressing that IS detectable should be noted as restoration." Nice, easy argument, but when the company doing the grading is also doing the pressing, or having an affiliated company do the pressing, they would KNOW in each case that the book has been pressed. So there's no question that CGC could note pressing in each of those instances, but they won't because they realize that would undermine the value of their blue labels considerably.

 

Quite true.

 

I will continue to stand by my pledge that for those who believe pressing is not restoration because it can't be - assuming for puposes of this statement to be true - detected (duh, I can't see it so it can't be there, which way did he go, which way did he go ), then I will be happy to sleep with their good looking wife and simply keep the secret from them. After all, if you don't know it happened, why should it be of concern?

 

Seems like getting the wife to agree might be your biggest hurdle there, Romeo.

 

I'll pretend to be you, it'll be a snap.

[FFB]

 

Making The Grade - The Responses Keep Rolling

 

What strikes me about the posts to the above Overstreet thread/page are the number of people taking the easy way out and saying that "pressing that is undetectable should not be considered restoration; pressing that IS detectable should be noted as restoration." Nice, easy argument, but when the company doing the grading is also doing the pressing, or having an affiliated company do the pressing, they would KNOW in each case that the book has been pressed. So there's no question that CGC could note pressing in each of those instances, but they won't because they realize that would undermine the value of their blue labels considerably.

 

Quite true.

 

I will continue to stand by my pledge that for those who believe pressing is not restoration because it can't be - assuming for puposes of this statement to be true - detected (duh, I can't see it so it can't be there, which way did he go, which way did he go ), then I will be happy to sleep with their good looking wife and simply keep the secret from them. After all, if you don't know it happened, why should it be of concern?

 

Seems like getting the wife to agree might be your biggest hurdle there, Romeo.

 

I'll pretend to be you, it'll be a snap.

 

I was talking about YOUR wife.

[Fazybones]

I know that comic restoration is very expensive and is pressing that's done correctly expensive?

Thanks, fay