Would You Crack, Clean & Press, Then Resubmit? 1 1

[Math Teacher]

I have two books that I am thinking of cracking, having the books cleaned & pressed, and then resubmitting them for (I hope) a better grade.

The first book is Fantastic Four #1. Below are the grader notes and pictures of the front and back within the slab:

Heavy marvel chipping full right of front cover
Light rippling/warping full left of back cover
Light, multiple crease full right of front cover breaks color
Light, multiple crease full top of back cover
Small stain bottom of spine
Small, multiple tear bottom of back cover
Subscription crease front cover

The next book is Incredible Hulk #181. Below are the grader notes and pictures of the front and back within the slab:

Heavy bends to cover
Light staining to cover
Medium, moderate tear with crease left center of back cover
Moderate spine stress lines to cover

I apologize for not taking them out of the slab, but I don't want to crack the cases unless I plan on resubmitting them.

I have looked at some of the before and after pictures from other people, and it seems that, in some cases, a clean and press can do wonders. I have several books currently being worked by a person not associated with CGC, so I have not seen the results yet. I also decided to do some quick research, using most recent sale for GP Analysis.

FF #1 - 2.5 - $6030
FF #1 - 3.0 - $8200
FF #1 - 3.5 - $9000

IH #181 - 5.0 - $2200
IH #181 - 5.5 - $2365
IH #181 - 6.0 - $2394

It seems to me that FF #1 would be the best candidate, because if the grade can be raised one point (and I don't know if it can), the value of the book would increase by almost $3000. In the case of IH #181, it seems that this might be a better pressing candidate, but the gains would not be as substantial.

So, I'm here to ask if you could PLEASE give me your opinion about what you would do if you were in my place.

Thanks in advance for your time and consideration!

 

Joe

[Bomber-Bob]

Joe, I would advise you study your grader notes on these books carefully. If you see something that a press or cleaning will eliminate or improve, then it's worth a try. If all of the flaws sound like they cannot be removed, then I would not waste money.  Looking at the FF1 notes, the stains, tears , chipping, etc. cannot be improved. In fact, with a book with this many chips, it's possible to make the situation worse. Tears can get bigger, chips can be pulled, etc. 

[c_mkv]

I think the rippling and bends might be able to get flattened out however a press on a chipped book is asking for trouble. My 2 cents - send to CCS if you're unsure for a pre-screen. They'll determine if you can get a grade bump and will crack, press and have the book submitted for you.

[Bomber-Bob]

3 minutes ago, c_mkv said:

I think the rippling and bends might be able to get flattened out however a press on a chipped book is asking for trouble. My 2 cents - send to CCS if you're unsure for a pre-screen. They'll determine if you can get a grade bump and will crack, press and have the book submitted for you.

+1 Good suggestion. Just to clarify, don't deslab the book before shipping. Generally, this is a dangerous thing to do. Send it, in the slab, to CCS for a pre-screen. You will get off much cheaper if the answer is no. 

[Supa-Bad-Mofo]

13 hours ago, c_mkv said:

I think the rippling and bends might be able to get flattened out however a press on a chipped book is asking for trouble. My 2 cents - send to CCS if you're unsure for a pre-screen. They'll determine if you can get a grade bump and will crack, press and have the book submitted for you.

Good call here. High value, low/mid grades are tough...too much risk there to drop a grade. I do believe the IH 181 has the best shot for the upgrade based on the graders notes.

[marmat]

I'd send the notes and detailed pictures to Joeypost 

[James J Johnson]

3 hours ago, marmat said:

I'd send the notes and detailed pictures to Joeypost 

You better redact the part where it states: "Stains"!  Joey P. hates stains.

[joeypost]

3 hours ago, James J Johnson said:

You better redact the part where it states: "Stains"!  Joey P. hates stains.

I do hate stains. 

 

I would leave the FF 1 as is.

The Hulk 181 is a clearer choice to do a CPR on.