CGC slabs - White Pages

[dzminn]

CGC notes the page quality on slabs, what if any premium does the collecting market place on white pages in relation to off-white etc.

[Scheradon]

CGC notes the page quality on slabs, what if any premium does the collecting market place on white pages in relation to off-white etc.

 

I would say there is a small premium for white pages. More on some books than others perhaps depnding on the known scarcity of white to lesser PQ issues. I'd also say this premium would be more evident in the 9.8+ grades..maybe some 9.6s.

[dzminn]

 

I would say there is a small premium for white pages. More on some books than others perhaps depnding on the known scarcity of white to lesser PQ issues. I'd also say this premium would be more evident in the 9.8+ grades..maybe some 9.6s.

 

So it appears to be more grade driven (understandable) than anything else. In other words, two comics, let’s say batman 227 in 8.0, one with white pages the other with off-white - the valuation in the marketplace would be negligible.

[BuckeyeChaos]

As with anything it all depends.

 

I think White pages will command a premium, just not from every collector. What I mean is that there people who will pay big premium in any grade for white. Flip side, is that many won't.

[Scheradon]

 

I would say there is a small premium for white pages. More on some books than others perhaps depnding on the known scarcity of white to lesser PQ issues. I'd also say this premium would be more evident in the 9.8+ grades..maybe some 9.6s.

 

So it appears to be more grade driven (understandable) than anything else. In other words, two comics, let’s say batman 227 in 8.0, one with white pages the other with off-white - the valuation in the marketplace would be negligible.

 

There may still be a slight bit of an edge towards the one with white pages, but I think they'd both have to be up for sale at the same time to notice it. Naturally, collectors would choose the better PQ, thus giving that book a slightly higher end price (assuming they are both similar in QP -structure, centering, etc.).

[Mr. Zipper]

I look at white pages as a bonus, but I am not necessarily willing to pay a premium for them.

 

For Silver Age or later, as long as the PQ is better than CREAM, I don't pay it much mind.

[dopy02]

pq is VERY important to a lot of collectors. I focus on late SA high grade slabs and pq is right up there with eye appeal.

[jokersrevenge]

older books with white pages means a lot to me....I think that they must have had better storage than books with lesser PQ, and are likely to last longer. IMHO.

[ft88]

At all grade levels it adds liquidity. You could argue that instead of liquidity you increase the price to a book and then it's as illiquid as if it had only OW pages. Good registration/centering, no writing, no date stamps, no interior notes, and minor pedigree status also seem to provide liquidity. I guess I'll define liquidity as ability to get full market price pretty quickly but not much room for increased price even if you were willing to sit on it.

 

Even at low grades G to VG certain things help liquidity like no tape, clean staples, no spine splits, no detached c.f. or covers.

 

Some of these things are non starters for buyers. Grading is a personal thing. Personally I have no problem with average centering, or date stamps, or Cr to OW pages. But I do have a problem with interior notes, like "piece missing on 3 interior pages - doesn't affect story" or some such. Those first things I may try for a discount and not expect one. For the later I pretty much know the seller won't hit my buy point.

 

Ed

[drbanner]

CGC notes the page quality on slabs, what if any premium does the collecting market place on white pages in relation to off-white etc.

 

Yes, there's a premium and if you had 2 otherwise identical copies to choose from, most would prefer the one with better PQ. Unfortunately, as ft88 notes, other characteristics like centering, writing, date stamps, etc.,. are just as, or more important so it would be difficult to assign a % increase in value on anything other than books like Hulk 181 or Spidey 300 where there are hundreds of high grade copies.

 

For GA books, it seems paper quality should affect the price moreso than on SA/BA books as there just aren't many 50+ year old books with fresh, white pages, and in fact, many have cream/tan/brittle pages such that the book is in danger of falling apart.

[dzminn]

Great insight from all, thanks so much.

 

One of the reasons I posed the question is CGC has the PQ on the slabs, as if to reinforce its significance. They do not consistently give the same status to registration/centering, writing, date stamps, etc. Some of this I realize one can do via a visual check looking at the slab close-up.

 

My feeling is PQ will always be important in the long run and the ability to preserve a comic 35-50+ years old with white pages via a CGC slab is a wonderful use of their service. It is one area of condition that is so easy to lose in just a short period of time, even when great care is given to the preservation of the rest of the book.

[Dark Knight]

PQ means everything to me. I only collect books with offwhite pages and up. Can't really deal too much with cream pages. White pages are a bonus and I believe they sell for a little more than a book with off-white pages and so forth. Having a GA or SA book with white pages can demand a big premium I believe.

 

PQ will definitely be important in the long run. The better the PQ, the less likely the pages will get tan or brittle 50+ years from now.

[arexcrooke]

While I dont turn my nose up at C/OW pages, I would still prefer to have a book with OW/W or better.

[grider67]

I hate cream pages!... I HATE CREAM PAGES!

 

[comicdonna]

CGC notes the page quality on slabs, what if any premium does the collecting market place on white pages in relation to off-white etc.

 

Yes, there's a premium and if you had 2 otherwise identical copies to choose from, most would prefer the one with better PQ. Unfortunately, as ft88 notes, other characteristics like centering, writing, date stamps, etc.,. are just as, or more important so it would be difficult to assign a % increase in value on anything other than books like Hulk 181 or Spidey 300 where there are hundreds of high grade copies.

 

For GA books, it seems paper quality should affect the price moreso than on SA/BA books as there just aren't many 50+ year old books with fresh, white pages, and in fact, many have cream/tan/brittle pages such that the book is in danger of falling apart.

I agree that white pages on GA is more rare, and would offer a higher premium. I have 1 an Action #75 or #79 I forget which one.

[Foolkiller]

I'm into the PQ designation except that it's pretty hit or miss. When I start cracking books open, I've gotten some really strict cr/ow and then some super loose ones.

 

PQ is important as is eye appeal. I'd rather have a F+ white paged, strong eye appeal book, than miswrapped cr/ow VF-

[djpinkpanther67]

I've noticed Metro can have two slabbed books with the same numerical grade, but charge more for W pages (ref: FF# 48 in 9.6 - two books, identical grade; different PQ = $80 difference)

[Dad&Son-migration]

I recently cracked open my slabs to get a look at what is considered "white" and what is considered "cream to off-white" and uhm... there's not a heck of a lot of difference to the untrained eye, nor the trained eye under different lighting. Again it's chasing the label. If I was after a book, I'd have no problem taking the cream to off-white due to it being less desirable. (That's if I was going to keep the book for my personal collection) but to flip.. I'd go with white to make the label chasers happy and cover more demographic of clientele.

[Norrin_Radd]

CGC notes the page quality on slabs, what if any premium does the collecting market place on white pages in relation to off-white etc.

 

Yes, there's a premium and if you had 2 otherwise identical copies to choose from, most would prefer the one with better PQ. Unfortunately, as ft88 notes, other characteristics like centering, writing, date stamps, etc.,. are just as, or more important so it would be difficult to assign a % increase in value on anything other than books like Hulk 181 or Spidey 300 where there are hundreds of high grade copies.

 

For GA books, it seems paper quality should affect the price moreso than on SA/BA books as there just aren't many 50+ year old books with fresh, white pages, and in fact, many have cream/tan/brittle pages such that the book is in danger of falling apart.

I agree that white pages on GA is more rare, and would offer a higher premium. I have 1 an Action #75 or #79 I forget which one.

 

I have one.

 

[thedude]

well if were all gonna post our GA white pagers, I have two so far.. I love white pages on any book.

 

nice book btw Norinn Radd

 

Action Comics #46

 

and

 

Superman #24