What is Everyone's Opinion on Color Touch? 4 4

[Comicdave]

How do you all feel in regards to slight color touch on comic books? Do you avoid them like the plague? Do you accept them as long as the book is priced accordingly? How much of a percentage should a book with slight color touch be marked down? Let's say you have a Silver Age DC super hero comic graded CGC 9.4 that would possibly sell for around $300 if it was Universal, but it received the Purple Label of Death. The only restoration is slight color touch. Let's assume the book would have graded maybe 9.0 without the color touch. If you are selling, do you price the book as if it were graded a 9.0 or maybe less if you feel the book would have graded lower without the CT? Or do you price it around a VG price? If you are buying, what percentage of the 9.4 price would you be willing to pay assuming you want the book for your collection. Are you willing to pay a higher percentage for a book with CT if it's raw but noted that the book has CT? Curious minds would like to know.

[Myowncollector]

I love every aspect of color touch. A little a lot doesn't matter. Removable or not doesn't matter. They usually sell 50 to 70 percent less. All depends on book and if it can be removed. Hopefully the book is raw and they don't disclose it. Slab is fine as well.

[kav]

Personally if I have a book with black CT which is the most common, dots of black, I go over it with a silver sharpie.  I'd rather have a book downgraded due to a dot of silver sharpie than a 50% loss in value due to CT.  I do not submit books but this is my stance.
I can do what I want.

[Buzzetta]

4 minutes ago, kav said:

Personally if I have a book with black CT which is the most common, dots of black, I go over it with a silver sharpie.  I'd rather have a book downgraded due to a dot of silver sharpie than a 50% loss in value due to CT.  I do not submit books but this is my stance.
I can do what I want.

I don't get that.  What do you mean?  Are you being serious?  Because wouldn't it have the same coverage of new color on it whether it was black or silver?   My eyes are killing me after doing what I just did btw... so I might have an internet fog over this. 

[Myowncollector]

5 minutes ago, kav said:

Personally if I have a book with black CT which is the most common, dots of black, I go over it with a silver sharpie.  I'd rather have a book downgraded due to a dot of silver sharpie than a 50% loss in value due to CT.  I do not submit books but this is my stance.
I can do what I want.

Old man stan was good for this, and defects as well. Just cut your signature window out, and he would cover up anything you wanted hidden with that square blob of ink signature. 

[kav]

3 minutes ago, Buzzetta said:

I don't get that.  What do you mean?  Are you being serious?  Because wouldn't it have the same coverage of new color on it whether it was black or silver?   My eyes are killing me after doing what I just did btw... so I might have an internet fog over this. 

Think abt it-dot of silver sharpie-maybe 0.2 point downgrade, blue label.  dot of black CT-50% loss in value, purple label.

Edited June 22, 2020 by kav

[Lightning55]

4 minutes ago, kav said:

Think abt it-dot of silver sharpie-maybe 0.2 point downgrade, blue label.  dot of black CT-50% loss in value, purple label.

Interesting approach, @kav.  What if the dot is silver where you covered it up, but bleeds through black where the original color touch was?  Is it both a CT and a silver dot?  Or is it a puzzle for the grader to figure out?

[kav]

1 minute ago, Lightning55 said:

Interesting approach, @kav.  What if the dot is silver where you covered it up, but bleeds through black where the original color touch was?  Is it both a CT and a silver dot?  Or is it a puzzle for the grader to figure out?

Honestly I dont know how CGC would approach this but its my policy.  maybe dot silver on the back too.  what could they say?  CT?  nope.

[kav]

Isnt my method better than scraping off CT??

[Myowncollector]

2 minutes ago, kav said:

Isnt my method better than scraping off CT??

Most of the time I would say yes. And it does work. Next these guys are going to tell us that they think the tape on the spine was put on there by a lil kid in the 1960s.

[HuddyBee]

11 minutes ago, kav said:

Isnt my method better than scraping off CT??

I would agree, and it does makes sense.

The silver sharpie and CT removal both make sense from a financial perspective. However it begs to ask the question why these methods are somehow preferred over the already present CT. I don't mind minor CT, and personally I wouldn't preform either of these procedures. I think here in lies the problem. Why is the market so "scared" of color touch and it prefers methods that damage a book (ie. scraping or adding more ink) rather that having a small amount of CT?

I would say that books with minor color touch seem to be undervalued. I have to admit, I don't really understand the "conserved" label, but I know it can include a limited amount of recasting/reinforced spines, and tear seals. Maybe minor CT would fit better in the "conserved camp." 

[spreads]

I got a TOS 39 arriving at my house tomorrow graded C1 with minor color touch, let's hope the market feels receptive to it as well, lol. 

[Doctor Dositheus]

3 hours ago, Comicdave said:

How do you all feel in regards to slight color touch on comic books?

Very often "slight" isn't as slight as one would think. There is a thread around about having slight CT professionally removed and it was much more CT than expected.
 

47 minutes ago, kav said:

Think abt it-dot of silver sharpie-maybe 0.2 point downgrade, blue label.  dot of black CT-50% loss in value, purple label.

This is actually brilliant. To the naysayers, don't hate the player hate the game.

[Readcomix]

I think the strong opposition to CT, like trimming, comes from it having its roots in amateurs trying to deceive rather than people with the skills of a paper conservationist trying to preserve an artifact with disclosed techniques. If you grew up, let's say, in the bronze age, buying SA or GA back issues you were wary of those sellers who used these approaches simply to make something appear nicer than it was and to charge as if it were of a higher grade. I would think that's where the strong disdain originated -- a practice intended to deceive, not preserve; and one not easily undone in any way that allows the book a return to its previous state (and not doable at all in the case of trimming). 

[Mr. Lady Luck]

All restoration has it's roots in deception. I will never knowingly buy a restored book, unless I'm looking for a low grade reader copy.

[Gaard]

Let's take a jaunt over to an alternate reality. In this reality CT is regarded similar to pressing - some people hate it, some people don't care for ir, but in the end it has no effect on the FMV.  I ask, of the 'anti-ct' people, what percentage would change their stance?

I am so glad that I don't live in that reality. I have absolutely no problem with a little color touch for books going into my PC. I can pick them up for a song.

[comicginger1789]

I don’t have a large collection compared to many and I only have two slabs that were gifts in my PC. I would be bummed if a book I thought was unrestored came back with colour touch.

Now there could very well be a book in my PC that has colour touch. I am in the process of going through my books (verrrryv slowly) and regrading and bagging and boarding and reading stuff, and I feel like I can envision a book I bought a long time ago with weird marker bleeds through the front cover which I now know could be colour touch. So I will keep my eyes peeled but even if there is one I am not bothered by if. 

Basically I wouldn’t buy a purple label. But if a raw issue had some touch on it, and the price was right I wouldn’t say no.

[MatterEaterLad]

11 hours ago, kav said:

Think abt it-dot of silver sharpie-maybe 0.2 point downgrade, blue label.  dot of black CT-50% loss in value, purple label.

I'd never considered it that way, but yeah, it's crazy how much a book can be devalued for even a tiny bit of CT. 

I hate that minor CT can devalue a book almost as much as trimming. Seems like those two types of restoration are miles apart, but that PLOD doesn't offer much distinction.

I know, the resto is described on the label, but it doesn't matter. That PLOD is the kiss of death for some collectors. 

[Comics181]

I have a couple purple labels with color touch. Obviously I dont want it super obvious but a little isn't bad. A good book for less because a lot of people avoid purple. So all great for me

[Unstoppablejayd]

For a long time I was a purple label snob like most- and did not want to entertain the thought of it but as I started to buy some mega keys and seeing what the prices on those and the appearance  of a plod vs very low grade books I rethought that stance and have become open to resto. Ultimately because if I can get a book that looks beautiful and is in better condition to last vs a rag of a book that may have many issues that continue to degenerate (like rust or weak staples etc) I prefer to have the plod- here is a recent example- I picked this up for less then the going prices of 1.8s - if you have the budget of a 1.8 and we know what kind of condition that is . Which would you rather have?