Dealer graded 9.6 - missing bottom staple 0

[Schmakt]

I'm looking at a book that an online dealer has graded as 9.6 with a note that the bottom staple is missing.  It's priced very aggressively for a 9.6, so I'm thinking maybe it should be "Missing bottom staple, otherwise 9.6" or something.

As best I can tell from the scans it *seems* like it's a manufacturing defect, but I'm not sure...

Everything else looks really good, but I'm also not sure what the missing staple would mean for grading... Is it even possible to have a 9.6 missing a staple?

Assuming everything else is 9.6 worthy, what would the missing staple do to a CGC grade?

Thanks...

[seanfingh]

11 minutes ago, Schmakt said:

I'm looking at a book that an online dealer has graded as 9.6 with a note that the bottom staple is missing.  It's priced very aggressively for a 9.6, so I'm thinking maybe it should be "Missing bottom staple, otherwise 9.6" or something.

As best I can tell from the scans it *seems* like it's a manufacturing defect, but I'm not sure...

Everything else looks really good, but I'm also not sure what the missing staple would mean for grading... Is it even possible to have a 9.6 missing a staple?

Assuming everything else is 9.6 worthy, what would the missing staple do to a CGC grade?

Thanks...

I can't speak to the CGC grade, per se, but I can tell you that they would not grade a book that was manufactured without staples.  I would be very leery of sending it in to be graded because (a) they might not grade it and (b) it would be very prone to shifting in the slab and may get damaged.

[Tony S]

CGC grades books that were manufactured with only one staple. Manufactured that way on purpose or as a printing defect.  

Like most manufacturing defects, the impact on grade is  minimal. I've sent in at least one Uncanny X-Men 266 that was manufactured without a bottom staple, The book graded 9.4 or better, I forget. It was a few years ago. The missing staple didn't seem to affect the grade. The label notes said something along the lines of  "manufactured missing bottom staple" or "missing bottom staple - manufacturing". Like I said, been several years. 

Note there is a difference between manufacturing and something done after manufacturing. Books that have had one or both staples removed after they were manufactured will normally get a green Qualified label.

Edited February 11, 2019 by Tony S

[Bomber-Bob]

27 minutes ago, Schmakt said:

I'm looking at a book that an online dealer has graded as 9.6 with a note that the bottom staple is missing.  It's priced very aggressively for a 9.6, so I'm thinking maybe it should be "Missing bottom staple, otherwise 9.6" or something.

As best I can tell from the scans it *seems* like it's a manufacturing defect, but I'm not sure...

Everything else looks really good, but I'm also not sure what the missing staple would mean for grading... Is it even possible to have a 9.6 missing a staple?

Assuming everything else is 9.6 worthy, what would the missing staple do to a CGC grade?

Thanks...

Without more clarity, I would not even consider buying this book. If the dealer's exact words are 'the bottom staple is missing', this would imply it was removed. If he said it was manufactured without a bottom staple, that is a better scenario. If your intent is to buy the book for submission to CGC, you are running a risk as to how CGC will view the situation. In any case, I would not pay a 9.6 valuation. 

[Schmakt]

Yah, that's all it says...

It's definitely priced significantly lower than a graded 9.6 would be... I guess I mostly didn't know if they're saying "otherwise" 9.6 (i.e. "Qualified") or if they're saying it's 9.6 but pricing it lower on the chance it would come back a bit lower if submitted.

I think I'm going to pass and look for something around a 9.4 blue just to be sure.

Thanks everyone!

[Get Marwood & I]

Personally I think a genuine manufacturing error enhances a book. It sets it aside from other copies. If I had a chance at, say, an ASM #129 without staples (I mean genuine manufacturing error - one with no staple holes on the spine) which was structurally a 9.6 I'd take that over a 'complete' 9.6 any day.

There are stacks of them out there. Why not have one that's different from the rest? It's like a double cover. Sets it aside from the rest. 

My brother has a Hulk #5 with no staples. No staple holes and a tight clean holeless spine. It's wonderful.

[Bomber-Bob]

6 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said:

Personally I think a genuine manufacturing error enhances a book. It sets it aside from other copies. If I had a chance at, say, an ASM #129 without staples (I mean genuine manufacturing error - one with no staple holes on the spine) which was structurally a 9.6 I'd take that over a 'complete' 9.6 any day.

There are stacks of them out there. Why not have one that's different from the rest? It's like a double cover. Sets it aside from the rest. 

My brother has a Hulk #5 with no staples. No staple holes and a tight clean holeless spine. It's wonderful.

I agree with your comments on the 'cool' factor, however, the key word here is 'genuine'.  For a dealer to simply say the bottom staple is missing leads me to be very suspect on what is going on. I do not get a warm and fussy that it is a genuine manufacturing error.  

[Schmakt]

20 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said:

Personally I think a genuine manufacturing error enhances a book. It sets it aside from other copies. If I had a chance at, say, an ASM #129 without staples (I mean genuine manufacturing error - one with no staple holes on the spine) which was structurally a 9.6 I'd take that over a 'complete' 9.6 any day.

There are stacks of them out there. Why not have one that's different from the rest? It's like a double cover. Sets it aside from the rest. 

My brother has a Hulk #5 with no staples. No staple holes and a tight clean holeless spine. It's wonderful.

 

9 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

I agree with your comments on the 'cool' factor, however, the key word here is 'genuine'.  For a dealer to simply say the bottom staple is missing leads me to be very suspect on what is going on. I do not get a warm and fussy that it is a genuine manufacturing error.  

That's a cool way of looking at it, but I don't think I would be able to resist pulling out all the pages and laying them on the floor

I was thinking about picking up a second copy of Thor 148 for investment... my raw copy is around 9.0, but certainly not 9.6...

The more I look at this one, however, the more I think I can see where the staple has come out... I also just realized I had GPA prices for 9.4's in my head and not 9.6.  I thought I might have found a deal, but that's just *WAY* too good to be true.  I'm going to try finishing off my FF early SS appearances instead of chasing another copy of this.

If anyone feels like rolling the dice...

https://reececomics.com/product/thor_148_9_6/

[Get Marwood & I]

35 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

I agree with your comments on the 'cool' factor, however, the key word here is 'genuine'.  For a dealer to simply say the bottom staple is missing leads me to be very suspect on what is going on. I do not get a warm and fussy that it is a genuine manufacturing error.  

I've just looked at the link and it's not clear if it's genuine. It doesn't look like a 9.6 to me either as it goes.

24 minutes ago, Schmakt said:

That's a cool way of looking at it, but I don't think I would be able to resist pulling out all the pages and laying them on the floor

I was thinking about picking up a second copy of Thor 148 for investment... my raw copy is around 9.0, but certainly not 9.6...

The more I look at this one, however, the more I think I can see where the staple has come out.

Yes. The seller needs to clarify definitively. A staple missed during manufacture means no spine holes. A removed staple? There will be two holes left behind. Fairly obvious of course, so it should be quite easy for the seller to confirm. 

[Cliff R.]

2 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said:

It doesn't look like a 9.6 to me either as it goes.

That book would not grade 9.0, methinks.

[Bomber-Bob]

3 hours ago, Schmakt said:

 

That's a cool way of looking at it, but I don't think I would be able to resist pulling out all the pages and laying them on the floor

I was thinking about picking up a second copy of Thor 148 for investment... my raw copy is around 9.0, but certainly not 9.6...

The more I look at this one, however, the more I think I can see where the staple has come out... I also just realized I had GPA prices for 9.4's in my head and not 9.6.  I thought I might have found a deal, but that's just *WAY* too good to be true.  I'm going to try finishing off my FF early SS appearances instead of chasing another copy of this.

If anyone feels like rolling the dice...

https://reececomics.com/product/thor_148_9_6/

Also, I don't like the looks of the '11/13' in the title. The ink looks very faded, possible from an aggresive press or hydration. I would pass.

[Get Marwood & I]

13 minutes ago, Cliff R. said:

That book would not grade 9.0, methinks.

Spine ticks, chips out of the edges. I agree.

8 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

Also, I don't like the looks of the '11/13' in the title. The ink looks very faded, possible from an aggressive press or hydration. I would pass.

Good shout. It does have that suspicious halo effect doesn't it

OK, we're all agreed. The books a dog 

[icefires]

Isn't Greg Reece a board member? Get him on here to tell us what's up.

[Get Marwood & I]

Is he?

Drat.

Easy 9.8 Schmakt 

[icefires]

Well, I think his board name is gregreece

How do you search users here these days?

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

4 minutes ago, icefires said:

Well, I think his board name is gregreece

How do you search users here these days?

 

I use @BlowUpTheMoon

It's a great app.

[Bomber-Bob]

16 minutes ago, icefires said:

Isn't Greg Reece a board member? Get him on here to tell us what's up.

Greg is one of my favorite dealers. There's no reason to call him out on this book. I would simply pass on it and move on. No biggie. 

[Get Marwood & I]

9 minutes ago, icefires said:

Well, I think his board name is gregreece

How do you search users here these days?

 

Shout really loudly.

 

Greg.

 

Greg.

 

Greg!

[Schmakt]

2 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

Greg is one of my favorite dealers. There's no reason to call him out on this book. I would simply pass on it and move on. No biggie. 

Yeah, I definitely wasn't meaning to say anything about them as a whole as I've bought from them several times raw and slabbed with zero problems! And hope to do so again... this one was just strange!

[icefires]

1 minute ago, Get Marwood & I said:

Shout really loudly.

 

Greg.

 

Greg.

 

Greg!

That worked! Thank you!