Should one always press their "high grade" key books before slabbing? 1 1

[William-James88]

I know for some obvious flaws (like staining, missing pieces, tears) a press won't do much to the grade. But for high grade books (meaning books that would fall under a NM- or better grade), do most of you press them before/during a submission? Or do you sometimes not think it's worthwhile?

Just wondering because I have some nice key books but never thought of pressing until I found this board.

[seanfingh]

1 minute ago, William-James88 said:

I know for some obvious flaws (like staining, missing pieces, tears) a press won't do much to the grade. But for high grade books (meaning books that would fall under a NM- or better grade), do most of you press them before/during a submission? Or do you sometimes not think it's worthwhile?

Just wondering because I have some nice key books but never thought of pressing until I found this board.

No.

(1) There are many books where the press will not improve the technical grade, so why spend the money.

(2) If #1 is true then you will also turn off all the buyers who will not buy pressed books.

You are best off if you learn how to grade to CGC's standards and then you will be able to make informed decisions as to whether a press is the right move or not.

 

 

[William-James88]

2 hours ago, seanfingh said:

No.

(1) There are many books where the press will not improve the technical grade, so why spend the money.

(2) If #1 is true then you will also turn off all the buyers who will not buy pressed books.

You are best off if you learn how to grade to CGC's standards and then you will be able to make informed decisions as to whether a press is the right move or not.

 

 

Thst second part is something I did not know. I was unaware of people who cared if a book was pressed or not. How can one tell then? Especially if it's slabbed.

[theCapraAegagrus]

Always? Not unless you have money to just throw around.

[csaag]

16 hours ago, William-James88 said:

I know for some obvious flaws (like staining, missing pieces, tears) a press won't do much to the grade. But for high grade books (meaning books that would fall under a NM- or better grade), do most of you press them before/during a submission? Or do you sometimes not think it's worthwhile?

Just wondering because I have some nice key books but never thought of pressing until I found this board.

get yourself a magnifying glass/jewelers loupe & a good light source and learn/practice going over a book to find flaws.  No shortage of videos on YouTube

[seanfingh]

16 hours ago, William-James88 said:

Thst second part is something I did not know. I was unaware of people who cared if a book was pressed or not. How can one tell then? Especially if it's slabbed.

Some people will ask. Assuming you would tell them the truth, there will be some (many of whom were instrumental in discussing the nature of pressing as a potentially restorative process on these very boards) who will not buy. They are not the majority any more, but they are still out there.

[shadroch]

Admittedly, I don't set up very often but in the couple dozen times I have in recent years I've yet to have anyone ask if a particular book was pressed or not. I'm not sure how many outside this forum know or care much about pressing. 

[davidtere]

I agree with seanfingh but there are also individuals that prefer to only purchase unpressed books so that they can have the opportunity to press them and possibly raise the grade. 

[William-James88]

15 minutes ago, davidtere said:

I agree with seanfingh but there are also individuals that prefer to only purchase unpressed books so that they can have the opportunity to press them and possibly raise the grade. 

Your referring to the whole crack, press, regrade process? I can see that, but also wouldn't a book already pressed mean they don,t have to go to the trouble themselves? It's a bit confusing to me. 

[davidtere]

1 minute ago, William-James88 said:

Your referring to the whole crack, press, regrade process? I can see that, but also wouldn't a book already pressed mean they don,t have to go to the trouble themselves? It's a bit confusing to me. 

I am referring to the crack / press / regrade and yes, getting a book pressed means that a person buying the book wouldn't have to go to that trouble. They just want a good looking book. Buying a book that is worth being pressed / submitted and is not pressed gives an individual the chance to raise the grade themselves. Not in all, but in a lot of cases 'higher grade = higher value'. If a book has been pressed already there is less chance of an additional pressing raising the grade. You get what you get. I am specifically speaking of individuals who purchase books to resell them. Nothing wrong with that IMHO but that is a solid reason why some individuals would not want to purchase a pressed book. 

 

[The Lions Den]

21 hours ago, William-James88 said:

Thst second part is something I did not know. I was unaware of people who cared if a book was pressed or not. How can one tell then? Especially if it's slabbed.

I like unpressed books, but it isn't because I want to have them pressed and increase their value. It's because I prefer seeing them in their natural unpressed condition. Call me crazy, but I will only submit a book for pressing if it has flaws that are simply impossible to ignore and the overall eye appeal can be substantially increased.

There are certain things to look for to help determine whether a book has been pressed or not. To me, some of the more obvious clues are as follows:  1) The vertex of the spine is substantially flattened, almost to the point of being sharp.  2) The cover has receded a tiny distance from the edges of the book, and almost appears as if it's been trimmed slightly. 3) The corners of the cover appear to be unusually sharp and flat, with a noticeable overhang which appears unnatural. This is usually more visible on the back cover. 4) Slight ripples or warps to the cover, similar to what you'd see on squarebound books, but they're not on the spine, they're usually found on the edges of the cover.

I do realize that I'm a dying breed. Like the dinosaur, the carrier pigeon, and cassette tapes, I'm gradually being phased out of existence...ah well...c'est la vie...   

Edited February 14, 2020 by The Lions Den

[csaag]

39 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

Your referring to the whole crack, press, regrade process? I can see that, but also wouldn't a book already pressed mean they don,t have to go to the trouble themselves? It's a bit confusing to me. 

Slabbed books don't automatically mean it was pressed.  If it's a valuable enough book with flaws which a press can improve (ie per graders notes), then a 0.5 or 1.0 bump can result in a significant bump in value.   

[comicginger1789]

I would always say yes to the press, especially for books I believe are 9.0+

Why? At best, you can get a nice bump. At worst, I feel like it ensures the grade I was hoping for (maybe I see a 9.0 but CGC sees 8.5 however the press puts in where I would like).

I am not saying a press will solve everything and always get you a bump. But I am saying it happens more often than not. Especially if you consider to sell or one day sell the book you are having encapsulated.