Defects to avoid in low grade collection 1 1

[horrorfan70]

I was looking to start a lower grade (3.0-5.0) Golden Age collection and was interested in what defects you would look for and avoid in this grade range of books. 

[csaag]

6 minutes ago, horrorfan70 said:

I was looking to start a lower grade (3.0-5.0) Golden Age collection and was interested in what defects you would look for and avoid in this grade range of books. 

brittle pages are usually avoided.

You may want to post this on the Golden Age forum for chances of more replies

[theCapraAegagrus]

Brittle pages, rust, etc.

[KCOComics]

Brittle pages and rusted staples are the big ones. A little rust isn't a deal breaker for me personally, but rust migration will turn off allot of buyers. 

Water damage can be something to watch for as well. Stains may run through the entire book. 

Split spines will impact the grade dramatically, but allot of times the books will present really nice.  So if you slab books, split spines can get you low grade prices with higher grade presentation. 

[GermanFan]

Bug, rat and mice chew.

[rumrunner71]

This probably goes without saying, but if you are buying raw copies on eBay and such, watch for missing wraps and centerfolds. Ran into that problem before. Also, any kind of mold.

[Ryan.]

Brittle pages. Rusty staples. Completely split spines. Avoid. 

[steveinthecity]

For GA definitely count the pages if buying in person.

[Mercury Man]

The hint of cat wee....

[Kripsys99]

I never buy GA, so I'm seldom in a position to have to worry about it, but I'm curious about foxing? Does it tend to self-propagate/spread, or is it a "what you see is what you get" kind of an issue?

[Doctor Dositheus]

32 minutes ago, Kripsys99 said:

I never buy GA, so I'm seldom in a position to have to worry about it, but I'm curious about foxing? Does it tend to self-propagate/spread, or is it a "what you see is what you get" kind of an issue?

Many members here have said that the foxing has not gotten any worse in their older slabs. If the book is kept in a slab or a mylar with a buffered backing board in an environment without excessive humidity the foxing shouldn't noticeably spread.

[William-James88]

On 5/13/2021 at 1:55 PM, Ryan. said:

Brittle pages. Rusty staples. Completely split spines. Avoid. 

I never saw the issue with completely split spines. I prefer those over the covers that are barely hanging on since they cant get worse. And those books end up looking really good in a slab, it's my preferred way to buy the more expensive GA books.

[horrorfan70]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I now have a good idea of defects to look for.