I just got my grail and now wondering what I could do to improve it 3 3

[William-James88]

10 minutes ago, Randall Dowling said:

Last, this isn't that rare of a book.  If you're patient and resourceful, you can find a legitimate 6.0 or whatever grade you have in mind.  It may take you a year or so, but it will be much better to invest your money into the upgrade rather than paying others to tinker with this copy.

It's more a price than a grade that I have in mind. My budget for this issue would be at most $500 and so far this is the nicest copy I could find within that budget. I do really apprciate your input and I see how tinkering with it may not be the best solution. That's why I made this post, I wanted all your thoughts so as not to make a mistake I may regret.

Edited August 16, 2020 by William-James88

[Randall Ries]

5 hours ago, William-James88 said:

Thanks for the thoughtful post. I wouldn't want a purple holder at all. And yes, one of my main questions here was if this would be considered colour touch by CGC and give me a purple label or blue label and how to determine that.It's definitely something I have to find out. I would rather this be blue. If purple, then there is no use to change the slab from as it is now. But this book in a blue label would definitely benefit in a value boost.

I don't know if I would be happy with the result. I know I'd preffer the book not to have all those engraved markings and look smoother (especially since that is an aspect which was not described nor properly shown when I purchased it initially), but scraping it does make me wince.

IMO, those markings from a pen are part of the charm of the book. I know it isn't ideal and I would rather NOT have them than have them, but they sort of add to the history of the book. Like date stamps, store stamps or a kids name. I have a wall clock from Germany made in about 1900-1910. It still runs great but has some issues. Like the ceramic is worn where the numbers are from generations of people adjusting the time. So, I stand there thinking about all the people who have handled the clock and "If this clock could talk, what would it say" kind of stuff.

To me, that adds to the eye appeal. Perhaps you could get just the cover pressed to get rid of most of the indentations. But then you will get it regraded and maybe it will score higher, maybe it will score lower. The nice thing is you have a really early Capt Marvel Jr Master Comics that's in really decent shape.

Edited August 16, 2020 by Randall Ries

[The Lions Den]

Most color touch is on the spine, the edges and the corners. Other common areas are on creases that break color. These are the areas I would closely inspect. If I found nothing on any of those areas, I would expand my search to the rest of the cover. It may be a bit harder to see the color touch through the slab, but most of the time it's fairly easy to spot with a loupe. Knowing the extent of the color touch and where it's located could be an important factor in whether or not CGC would give it a blue label. 

The pressing is another issue. My rule of thumb regarding pressing is based on a couple of factors:  1) Am I planning on selling the book? If the answer is yes and the book is a good candidate for pressing, then I would consider pressing it to maximize the eye appeal.  2) Is the book a good candidate for pressing? Carefully evaluate the strength and integrity of the book itself, taking into account things like staple integrity, spine integrity, paper quality and the like. Also, are the flaws the book has likely to be completely eliminated with a proper pressing? If I have any doubts at all, I generally won't do the procedure. 

I hope this is helpful, and congratulations on your purchase...   

[Keys_Collector]

If it's your "grail" why not just leave it alone and enjoy it for what it is?

[Will96]

Would that number 5 over the 25 be color touch. Honestly, I think it's a great looking book as is, but I'm certainly not knowledgeable as others on this....

[Joosh]

I’d have it pressed by Joeypost and regraded by Mr. Borock’s current company. 
Label stays blue even with CT noted, and their new slabs are quite nice. 
I would not have CT removed.

I think this particular book’s sale value will not be hindered by being slabbed by CGC’s sole legitimate competitor.

 

[Turnando]

Normally I'd say don't touch it, you haven't had any time for it to soak in that you finally reached an ultimate collecting goal of yours.  After you have spent some time with your treasure you will realize you don't want to let it out of your sight.

But... In this case I'm going to say it isn't really a grail.  An ultimate, almost unattainable item in your collection.  You said a reason to try to change the grade is to make it worth 4 figures instead of the couple hundred you spent on it.  A  grail is not for sale so who cares what it is worth?

Think about it, is that book really your grail?  Not really, so go ahead and yank it, crank it, smack it on a bing bong, and sell it for a profit.

[William-James88]

7 minutes ago, Turnando said:

Normally I'd say don't touch it, you haven't had any time for it to soak in that you finally reached an ultimate collecting goal of yours.  After you have spent some time with your treasure you will realize you don't want to let it out of your sight.

But... In this case I'm going to say it isn't really a grail.  An ultimate, almost unattainable item in your collection.  You said a reason to try to change the grade is to make it worth 4 figures instead of the couple hundred you spent on it.  A  grail is not for sale so who cares what it is worth?

Think about it, is that book really your grail?  Not really, so go ahead and yank it, crank it, smack it on a bing bong, and sell it for a profit.

All good points. 

[James J Johnson]

20 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

All good points. 

Also, just because they graded it restored for color touch, in this case, this book, that would not deter me from submission to CGC for a 2nd opinion on that ruling because I've blown this image up, gone over the image very thoroughly, and I can't find a tell for color touch. That's not to say it's not there, and book in the hand a tell for color touch may become apparent, indicating areas for close scrutiny. But going by the image, I'm stumped. And that doesn't happen often unless either I'm looking for something that isn't there, or it's just not presenting itself visibly on the image. 

[William-James88]

34 minutes ago, James J Johnson said:

Also, just because they graded it restored for color touch, in this case, this book, that would not deter me from submission to CGC for a 2nd opinion on that ruling because I've blown this image up, gone over the image very thoroughly, and I can't find a tell for color touch. That's not to say it's not there, and book in the hand a tell for color touch may become apparent, indicating areas for close scrutiny. But going by the image, I'm stumped. And that doesn't happen often unless either I'm looking for something that isn't there, or it's just not presenting itself visibly on the image. 

I can't either. I've been over this book since I got it. Looked at the spine especially, like LionsDen suggested. I don't see it. The only thing I can think is that they interpreted the blotch at the bottom corner to be a colour touch, rather than a printing defect (and honestly, not sure I should call it that either since all copies have it, so it's not really a specific defect on my copy). But if that's the case, then CBCS just went down an extra notch since they should have done their due diligence.

[James J Johnson]

2 minutes ago, William-James88 said:

The only thing I can think is that they interpreted the blotch at the bottom corner to be a colour touch, rather than a plate feature

Yes. +1  That was my first impression. Mismatched/botched color touch attempt. Certainly looks like it until you realize they all have it.