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Comics Restoration and ConservationGrading Help NeededQuestions

Comic Books with detached covers?702

I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
What would you grade or value a detached Amazing Spider-man #1? Mine is complete, staples firm, but cover is detached and some flaking, and a piece fell off that I still have. Is it worth restoring and do they even reattach covers during a restoration? I planned on taking this book to Portland in September to get Stan Lee to sign but now the cover has become detached.

Here's some photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10207990532494340.1073741832.1028855689&type=1&l=d3c717b97e


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Collector TimBildhauser private msg quote post Address this user
The highest it could grade with a detached cover is 4.5

The cover can be reattached through restoration. Whether it's worth it or not is all a matter of perspective. There are those that don't care if a book is restored and those that won't touch a book if it is.
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COLLECTOR DarthLego private msg quote post Address this user
If you plan to sell it and spending $500-$1000 on resto is pocket change to you then it might be worth restoring. Otherwise I'd slab it up as is.
Post 3 IP   flag post
I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
How much would it cost to reattach the cover and reattach the piece that came loose? I'm finding out through research that it is acceptable now to use archival tape for reattaching covers and loose pieces?

I would like to keep it and slab it for protection yet have it for a rainy day, say, in 10-20 years as well, too. Mostly for the benefit of my wife and son down the road if need be.

Another issue is the book is so fragile transporting it to the convention to get a Stan Lee signature on it also risks further damage as well.
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COLLECTOR DarthLego private msg quote post Address this user
Just the thought of getting a rare, valuable, and fragile comic signed (especially by Stan Lee, did you miss the other thread where an incident was described where he creased a book before signing it?) makes my spider sense tingle, but that's just me.

Since you have the intention of keeping it at least another 20 or 30 years I would get it slabbed and protected. Slabbing will also tell you where it's at grade wise, and you will know for sure the worth. If you ever have the spare cash one day to do the resto you can have the restoration expert crack it out. Good resto is expensive. With a book like that you don't want to take short cuts or do it cheap because your book is already worth thousands as is. Deffinately do not put tape on it.
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
What I am going to do for the convention is I double boarded the comics, including this one, but placed the second board in the front. I then cut out a big 2x3 square out of the board and bag where I want Stan to sign them. This way they stay protected tight in the bag/boards and they are all whited-out except for a color 2x3 rectangle for him to sign on, plain as day! I hope this works and I hope they allow it.

I agree, no tape. I will get it graded and slabbed for sure after he signs it. If a good restoration is in the $1000 ballpark then I will definitely do it if it preserves it and makes it more valuable down the road.

So my guess is it would pass for a 1.5 blue label cover detached. Possibly a 1.8 blue label cover detached. $3600 raw maybe. I can't see it being more than a 1.8 especially with the corner piece on back now separated and the cover detached from spine. The cover is connected front and back, just not to spine.
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Collector VaComicsGuy private msg quote post Address this user
I'm not sure if it's still the case, but a few years back, I was at a con with a friend. He tried the same protection method (cutout on a front board). Stan Lee wouldn't sign the book. He was very polite, but said he wound't sign something unless he knew for certain what he was signing. Lee's handlers allowed my friend to step away to remove the book and when he was ready, they put him back in front of the line to get a signature.
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Collector Stelbert_Stylton private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by kaptainmyke
What I am going to do for the convention is I double boarded the comics, including this one, but placed the second board in the front. I then cut out a big 2x3 square out of the board and bag where I want Stan to sign them. This way they stay protected tight in the bag/boards and they are all whited-out except for a color 2x3 rectangle for him to sign on, plain as day! I hope this works and I hope they allow it.

I agree, no tape. I will get it graded and slabbed for sure after he signs it. If a good restoration is in the $1000 ballpark then I will definitely do it if it preserves it and makes it more valuable down the road.



Will restoration make it more valuable? Hmmm...
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Please continue to ignore anything I post. southerncross private msg quote post Address this user
I would not restore it. I'd just get it cerified and be done with it. If signing may damage book further I would not risk it. cost of restoration for the bump up in grade may not be cost effective
Best case if restored look at prices realised for a restored 3.0 up to 4.0 professional restoration
then look at prices for certified 1.5 to 1.8
give you an idea at whether its worth the cost of restoration
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Collector The_Curmudgeon private msg quote post Address this user
Considering you don't plan to sell any time soon,
If it were me, I would have the cover leafed and reattached with no other work done, just to preserve it, no color touch etc.
That way the resto is obvious and anyone who looks to buy it at a future time can see plainly that the goal is just to preserve the book, not to deceive.
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COLLECTOR DarthLego private msg quote post Address this user
The more stories I hear about Stan Lee the less I want his autograph.
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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
I'm starting to agree, DarthLego. But I already paid for the VIP pass, LOL
Post 12 IP   flag post
I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
I decided get it signed by Stan Lee but will have it in a bag/board with a huge hole cut out in the front for him to see the book and sign without disrupting it further. Taking the advice from VAComicsGuy and I will not have a front board so he can clearly see what he's signing.
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Collector Mathyus_42 private msg quote post Address this user
I had Stan sign my book back in 2013, and I was not into the grading game back then. So it went onto his table bare. No bag or board to protect it. Obviously it is not as old as the ASM 1, but still it is now 41 years old. I had CBCS grade it for the red label. I would still protect that book the best you can if you get it signed.


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I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life. kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user
my goal is to get all red labels on everything I've had signed by him. I am getting all my Conway signed Spider-mans signed by Stan. However I need to pay for some of this stuff so I am getting some key books signed to sell since I have no desire to keep them. New Mutants #98 signed by Liefeld and now Stan Lee, old Journey Into Mystery comics signed by Stan Lee such as first Magneto and vs Hulk, etc...A solid 8.5 JIM 83 GRR signed by Stan...

I'm keeping all my Spidermans though. I have 1-700 almost complete, still missing a few issues obviously. 2-18, some 20s, a few 30s. I have all 100-700 though.
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