Golden Age pressing 0

[Steelrain41]

I'm relatively new to comic collecting. Is there a chance of damaging a golden age book by having it pressed and cleaned? I have a Superman 29 that has a lot of waviness and a bit of a spine roll. I would like to get it pressed so I can have it graded as high as I can but not if it's going to damage the book. Any thoughts are appreciated.

[B2D327]

If done by an experienced cleaner/presser and the methods they use, your book could be improved nicely to lessen those flaws. However, a book of that age should be inspected thoroughly to have been well preserved and stored properly. Any dry, brittle pages, stains and smells will only get worse and damage an otherwise nice looking book beyond reviving. That will be pointed out again,by someone experienced before making an attempt so if you have someone in mind, ask for examples of past work and references. Better safe than sorry with your valued books.

[Steelrain41]

32 minutes ago, B2D327 said:

If done by an experienced cleaner/presser and the methods they use, your book could be improved nicely to lessen those flaws. However, a book of that age should be inspected thoroughly to have been well preserved and stored properly. Any dry, brittle pages, stains and smells will only get worse and damage an otherwise nice looking book beyond reviving. That will be pointed out again,by someone experienced before making an attempt so if you have someone in mind, ask for examples of past work and references. Better safe than sorry with your valued books.

Thanks I appreciate it

[aardvark88]

GA DC paper is stronger than SA DC or SA Marvel paper so you should not have a problem with damage after a pro clean and press. Up to you, if you wish to have the covers de-acidified due to the comic being about 78  years old.

[Tony S]

Golden Age is no more likely to be damaged by pressing than by other age books. What matters is if each individual book  regardless of age is book is safe to press. That can only be determined for certain by inspecting the book. You mention it is wavy which would likely be from getting wet, which can weaken paper. On your book, the biggest concern is the bottom right corner. It is very brown and looks it might be brittle. That bottom corner looks like it might be torn and barely hanging on. 

So your book may well be a risky press that could get damaged, with that bottom corner flaking off. 

Deacidification of your book if detected by CGC would earn a purple, restored label. So NO to that. 

[Steelrain41]

Thanks, I appreciate everyone's help. Merry Christmas.

[aardvark88]

11 hours ago, Steelrain41 said:

Thanks, I appreciate everyone's help.

Some water or chemical cover and/or interior page cleaning is now blue label conserved per CGC's own definitions:

pro Conservation defined

[Tony S]

On 12/23/2019 at 8:15 PM, aardvark88 said:

Some water or chemical cover and/or interior page cleaning is now blue label conserved per CGC's own definitions:

pro Conservation defined

Yes, thank you for the clarification. 

The "blue label" conserved has a grey bar across the top that says "conserved".  So far, the market appears to pay more for conserved books than restored - at least on expensive key issues. But conserved is still worth far less than Universal blue label. 

If you have an unrestored, unconserved blue label eligible book and then clean it and get a conserved label, you have lost lots of financial value to have a cleaner looking book. 

[theCapraAegagrus]

Get a "pro" to advise. It appears to me that this should be press-able without risking damage.

I'm no pro, though.

[Shoomanfoo]

Can interior pages be breaded?

[Steelrain41]

2 minutes ago, Shoomanfoo said:

Can interior pages be breaded?

Sorry I'm not quite sure what breaded means

[Shoomanfoo]

5 minutes ago, Steelrain41 said:

Sorry I'm not quite sure what breaded means

Oh I didn’t see the typo..

Pressed. Can interior pages be pressed?

[joeypost]

10 minutes ago, Shoomanfoo said:

Oh I didn’t see the typo..

Pressed. Can interior pages be pressed?

The short answer is yes. You have to determine if the pages are brittle or not BEFORE attempting to work on them. As has been previously stated, you need to have this done by someone well qualified (and insured). 

[Shoomanfoo]

12 minutes ago, joeypost said:

The short answer is yes. You have to determine if the pages are brittle or not BEFORE attempting to work on them. As has been previously stated, you need to have this done by someone well qualified (and insured). 

It’s an honor to hear from the famous presser himself.

How do I use your services?

thank you

Edited January 3, 2020 by Shoomanfoo