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Action 1 in next Heritage sale with new CGC resto label

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As the new grading system is trying to show, there are very different types of restored books (and the differences between conserved and restored).

 

Personally, I own books that have the tiniest amount of resto, to frankenbooks. I'm always happy to buy them when

 

a) I want them for my collection (perhaps the blue label is too expensive)

b) I think they're a solid investment for trade or resale

 

There are plenty of people who simply refuse to buy restored books (which is totally fine, though I wonder if they have restored raw books and don't know it). But there are plenty of folks buying restored books as well and I think the new grading will help the market here, once it ramps up a bit.

 

joey

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The way I look at it, there are two types of restoration in comics; to preserve the low grade copies that are on the brink of destruction, and the minor touch-ups to higher graded copies. CGC's purple label lumped the two together, and the investment-minded collectors for CGC product naturally eschewed them. So I watched values plummet on everything from fully restored Action #1's to AF #15's with very slight work.

 

Since then, I've noticed some full jobs have rebounded in value, as well as many slight jobs. Some have not. If a key is rare in any grade, then people pay more for fully restored copies since they have little choice. And as collectors have grasped the possibilities of removal over years, many slight jobs have sold closer to unrestored values.

 

The argument involving fully restored books is pretty straightforward; a comic may have been saved from destruction and made presentable for a collector, but an 8.0 that was restored from a 2.0 is not going to ever be worth anywhere near an unrestored 8.0. Whether that value falls at 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 or higher simply depends on supply vs. demand for that issue.

 

But it gets very complicated at the top end when we're talking about the slight jobs and the possibility of removal, which changes everything. A restored 9.0 may sell for a fraction of an unrestored 9.0, but that book was likely a lower grade before restoration, so it should sell for less. What is boils down to is 1) what was the grade of the comic before it was touched, 2) what grade is it now, and 3) can removal return that comic book to the #1 grade, or below? The average collector cannot answer #1 nor #3, so as a whole they have avoided restored books, or paid little for them.

 

When made aware of the possibility of removal, more collectors have looked beyond the purple label, but the lack of information hurts their confidence, and ultimately their desire for that book. That's one point of the new scale, to provide that specific information to them. The point is not to drive removal business to CCS. I get enough removals. The point is to drive demand on slightly restored comics. (There are also many instances where slightly restored comics are further restored to achieve a higher apparent grade. This has been gaining a lot of traction the past couple years)

 

I do want to point out that I turn away most removal jobs that involves defacement of a comic. If it's one or two very small hits of color touch with bleed, or a small tear with hard glue, I'll consider it, but I firmly believe that removal should be relegated to restoration that easily comes off. The goal is to achieve the prior grade of the comic. Anything below that grade is a result of defacement from removal. Sometimes this is called for when the safety of the work is in question (like glue that breaks down paper), but simply for the sake of a value increase is not enough of a reason.

 

In its inception, restoration was meant to resuscitate low grade books, which bled into touching up higher grade books, deception, and ultimately a disdain for the whole thing. After decades and thousands of restored books, the new scale is an attempt to provide clarity to all of this work. The scale didn't expand much. What may appear daunting to some is a more specific identification of what and where the restoration is. But that transparency is so important for the future of restored comics, since it is a very complicated and critical aspect of valuing a comic book.

 

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I would think another selling point of providing this information is to help protect those who unknowingly bought slightly restored books in the days before CGC. In the early days of CGC many who were surprised by receiving a purple label on a book they assumed had been untouched overreacted and dumped that book on the marketplace, willing to sell at any price in the hopes of distancing themselves from a bad memory. In many instances they gave away significant amounts of money as those books were subsequently unrestored and flipped for big price swings. By introducing these differing levels of restoration information hopefully CGC can help long dormant collectors understand a little more about what it is they are actually in possession of so those folks can make better decisions when selling those kinds of slightly restored or conserved books.

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When made aware of the possibility of removal, more collectors have looked beyond the purple label, but the lack of information hurts their confidence, and ultimately their desire for that book. That's one point of the new scale, to provide that specific information to them.

 

What may appear daunting to some is a more specific identification of what and where the restoration is. But that transparency is so important for the future of restored comics, since it is a very complicated and critical aspect of valuing a comic book.

 

Hi Matt;

 

Greatly appreciate your response here on this particular issue as it is important to us to understand the new restoration rating system. (thumbs u

 

Just a couple of quick questions here for you......since the intent is to provide this information to potential buyers in the marketplace, will the grader notes and restoration identification details be provided free of charge to the marketplace for restored books or will every individual interested in a restored book have to pay the additional fee to obtain this critical information?

 

Will GA books with only certain minor restoration that were slabbed in blue labels under the old system continue to retain their "blueness" or will they be emtombed in the new Purple slabs upon resubmission in light of the more detailed restoration rating system that is now in place?

 

Thanks again as it is important for all of us to gain a better understanding of this new system.

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I think this thread went off on a bit of a tangent. It would be very informative for Matt and CGC to start a new thread about the stigmas of restoration.

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When made aware of the possibility of removal, more collectors have looked beyond the purple label, but the lack of information hurts their confidence, and ultimately their desire for that book. That's one point of the new scale, to provide that specific information to them.

 

What may appear daunting to some is a more specific identification of what and where the restoration is. But that transparency is so important for the future of restored comics, since it is a very complicated and critical aspect of valuing a comic book.

 

Hi Matt;

 

Greatly appreciate your response here on this particular issue as it is important to us to understand the new restoration rating system. (thumbs u

 

Just a couple of quick questions here for you......since the intent is to provide this information to potential buyers in the marketplace, will the grader notes and restoration identification details be provided free of charge to the marketplace for restored books or will every individual interested in a restored book have to pay the additional fee to obtain this critical information?

 

Will GA books with only certain minor restoration that were slabbed in blue labels under the old system continue to retain their "blueness" or will they be emtombed in the new Purple slabs upon resubmission in light of the more detailed restoration rating system that is now in place?

 

Thanks again as it is important for all of us to gain a better understanding of this new system.

 

Sorry for the delay responding. As of right now the restoration notes are part of the overall grader notes that can be purchased. But if any CGC graded book is submitted to CCS for screening to improve the work (restoration improvement, purple to conso, etc), then I will access the notes with no charge to the submitter.

 

Just an observation--usually it's the buyer who is looking to improve a book in this scenario, after the book has been graded and is up for sale or auction. So providing notes to the submitter would likely not prove much use. What would be more useful would be a service that identifies candidates during the grading process. The submitter would be contacted to make a decision on whether he wants that work performed.

 

Regarding books in blue holders with notes....that will stay the same. The criteria for that has not changed.

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