trimmed books9678
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NightRelic private msg quote post Address this user | |
| One thing I'm finding frustrating is going through my collection and finding issues that were trimmed. most of my collection was purchased before anyone was paying all that much attention to grade. I remember the stores I grew up shopping in didn't really grade their books and everything was priced with the mint price tag regardless of grade. There was no internet. The only way to buy comics was a store or a garage sale or mail order. Mail order wasn't an option for me, so being a completist (most of us were back then) I picked up the issues I didn't have regardless of grade. So, as a result, I'm finding the occasional trimmed book in my collection. My question is, how much does trimming reduce the grade? |
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Chino24 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Well, depending on who is doing the grading it would probably come back as restored. That might not hurt the number grade you receive back, but it will say "restored" below the number grade. CGC gives these a purple label, but CBC gives these a blue label with the word "Restored" on it below the grade. If you don't want them to grade it that way (as restored), it would probably depend on how many edges were trimmed and if it was done well or not. Less trimming would mean a better grade, but I think they would still note that the comic was "trimmed" on the label somewhere. I could be mistaken about some of that, but it should be at least mentioned in the grader's notes somewhere. It really just depends on how much of the comic was trimmed and if it affected to book in any way. Those things help determine the final grade. |
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 I live in RI and Rhode Islanders eat chili with beans.
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esaravo private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @NightRelic - Ah the good old days. I was a stupid young guy/kid when I started buying back issues from mail order catalogs, comic book stores, and shows (they weren't called conventions then). So I started submitting books for grading around 4+ years ago. And in my first order to CBCS I found out my Iron Man #8 had color touch on its cover. I had bought that book 40 years earlier from what I thought was a reputable dealer. I was so mad I sold the book for $25. Since then I have submitted about 200 more books, and have had no more color touch issues, but two of my X-Men came back trimmed. There is no good formula that I know of for estimating the value of trimmed or color-touched books. But in general and in my opinion, restored books are always worth less, and sometimes it's even up to 25% to 50% less (or more). Here's my two trimmed X-Men, bought decades ago. I am pretty sure I got them from the same dealer at a show in Boston. My #12 and #13 came back okay, but I haven't submitted my #15 or #17 yet.   |
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QuaBrot private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Trimmed usually sells at 30% of valu3 in grade, if you can find a buyer. Also depends on all sides trimmed (obviously not the spine side, duh!), or just one or two? Still a death knell for value. | ||
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shrewbeer private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by QuaBrot Yep. Worse than restoration. Cannot be reversed. |
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Terry88 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| My X-men 13 came back with a trimmed top edge too. Wasn't a happy camper. Personally, if the book still presents well, I'd likely buy something trimmed. Id rather that than a terrible stain or something. |
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NightRelic private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I hadn't come up with a good way to do it until now. I searched Marvel CGC trimmed in sold items. I found a few books and then searched them in the same condition not trimmed. Amazing Spider-Man 9, 1st Electro in 6.5 and 6.0 went about 1/2 price if it was trimmed. Incredible Hulk 181, 8.5, signed by Stan Lee went about 3/4 the price if it was trimmed. So, I think I'll shoot for about 1/2 price on my FF 45 and Iron Man 54. They were looking like $350 between the two of them until I noticed they were trimmed. I'll be happy with half that. I'm still not entirely convinced the Iron Man 54 is trimmed, but better safe than sorry. The top outside edge looks right, but the bottom doesn't. I have a whole collection of Deadly Hands Of Kung Fu that's partially trimmed. I finally bit the bullet and bought a lot of most of the series on eBay a few years ago. I had always wanted them. I think I'd paid like $300 for them. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered they varied in height by as much as 1/2". The seller and I ended up coming to a partial refund agreement. I think I ended up paying $75 for them. I figured 1/2 were correct and the rest were worth it for reading copies. Thanks for everyone's comments. |
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NightRelic private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Chino24 It's funny trimming is considered a form of restoration. In my mind, it's more akin to damage than restoration. |
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NightRelic private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by QuaBrot Actually, 30% less doesn't seem all that bad to me. I'm thinking, if they hold some value, it could be worse. |
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I live in RI and Rhode Islanders eat chili with beans.
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esaravo private msg quote post Address this user | |
| It’s actually quite difficult to “see” trimming. All books, especially older ones like SA and GA, vary in dimensions. It’s more the angle of the paper. Edges are not supposed to be perfect, and the right edge should be slightly step-like since those pages are folded over at the staples. On the top and bottom, there should be some overhang by the cover. That overhang tends to get flattened and damaged (chipping and splitting), so I guess trimming it off was supposed to make the book look better. Look at a few other threads on this forum. Even the experts don’t always get it right. |
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 SpongeBob Comics #1 sells for $991!
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Joosh private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Trimming cover overhang is anathema but removing color touched pieces of a cover is restoration removal deserving a grade and label equal to an unmolested book... I’d rather have a trimmed book. |
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