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More Responses to Making The Grade - Part 1
Michael Tierney Retailer How would you define "Restoration" in comics? Any work done to repair or enhance the condition and grade of a book above its original condition. What would you include and not include? I wouldn't include flattening. Anything repaired, added, bleached, or retouched should be included. Would you delineate between professional restoration and amateur restoration? And if so, what would be the determining factors? I can see having a definition between professional and amateur. It's a matter of how good a job was done... and how obvious it is that there was restoration. It's all part of the quality of a book's condition. What, if any, forms of restoration are acceptable to you? Flattening a book and straightening out the creases. And why? Nothing was changed as far as the actual book itself. A book can be spine rolled from being poorly stored. Or it can be flattened by being at the bottom of the stack. And under what circumstances? I don't see a difference between accidental or intentional. The book is still 100% genuine. Nothing material was changed. Matt Nelson Classics Incorporated How would you define "Restoration" in comics? The dictionary's definition of restoration is to bring something back to its original condition. Some people may use this definition to make the argument that pressing should be considered restoration, but it's not that simple. Even though pressing does remove very small defects in a book, such as non-color breaking dents in a cover, or a slight spine roll, the same effect can be achieved by placing a book under heavy objects. Edgar Church's simple storing technique of stacking his famous comic collection in six foot high piles gave the same result as a professional would if he pressed a comic today. But the Church books are of course not considered "restored." People then say intent is the issue, but books cannot be graded based on intent. They can only be graded as they are. CGC does not know the long history behind each comic they grade; the number of owners, the storage conditions (Two years in Maine? Ten years in Louisiana?), or whether the book was pressed under heavy weight for 40 years, or pressed by a pro last week. Restoration can be detected because they leave a trace of their existence, such as color touch and rice paper, or a different feel and tint from cleaning, or staple removal from the way the prongs sit at the centerfold. But, if done safely and correctly, professional pressing does not leave any trace, and cannot be detected. The line between what is considered restoration and what is not is simply what can be detected. It is impossible to include intent as a factor. Pressing has been around in some form or another since the beginning of collecting. It is not a new phenomenon. In fact, there's a strong possibility you've got pressed comics in your collection right now, even if you stopped collecting in the '70s. It is in our nature to want our comics to look as good as they can, which has led many to perform work on their own comics. These amateur techniques have run the gamut from tape repairs and marker touchup to applying high amounts of heat or moisture to remove spine rolls and creases. Regardless of why a collector does these things, whether it be for personal appeal or to make money, the fact is the motivation to improve one's comics will always exist. The art of restoring and pressing on a professional level has been evolving for many years, and allows a safe alternative to the destructive techniques used by amateurs. What would you include and not include? Restoration includes anything that is traceable, including rice paper repair, piece fill, color touch, replaced staples, replaced pages, solvent and water cleaning, and reglossing. Trimming is not restoration because it does not add anything to the book for enhancement's sake. By doing the opposite, I consider it a defect, similar to tearing off a corner of the cover. I do not consider pressing to be restoration (see above). Would you delineate between professional restoration and amateur restoration? And if so, what would be the determining factors? Yes. It pertains to the materials used. Pro restoration uses archival materials such as rice paper, wheat paste, and acrylic or water colors for color touch. Amateur restoration uses unsafe materials, such as white glue, tape, and markers or pens for color touch. Whether a book appears to be restored by a pro or amateur is reflected in the apparent grade and ranking of the quality of restoration. What, if any, forms of restoration are acceptable to you? Anything that extends the life of a comic or adds to its aesthetic appeal using archival materials. And under what circumstances? Always consult with a professional when considering restoration for your comics. Thousands of hours of research and development have gone into the current practices of professionals. There are no shortcuts. Marnin Rosenberg CollectorsAssemble.com How would you define "Restoration" in comics? Any and all comic books that no longer remain in their original state of preservation. What would you include and not include? (NDP), Non-Disclosed intact Pressing of course. I do not consider trimming to be restoration. Would you delineate between professional restoration and amateur restoration? And if so, what would be the determining factors? Absolutely. Unfortunately, I am not one to answer this question any further because I have never had a book extensively restored. The last time I had any type of restoration performed on a comic book was the last group of books I had intact pressed about 3 1/2 years ago. What, if any, forms of restoration are acceptable to you? And why? Though I have no interest in restored books of any kind, all would be acceptable if disclosed. And under what circumstances? Only if the restoration is performed with the intent of conservation and/or preservation. D'Arcy Farrell Pendragon Comics I'm glad to see Overstreet taking this to the next step. For too long collectors have totally shunned anything restored at any level. For your questions in order: Restoration Anything foreign applied, added to surface(even chemical sprays etcetera) of covers or within, including spines and staples, or marriages of wraps and folds to me is restoration. Professional or amateur An accredited company with certificates only counts to me as professional. If they give out invoices and pay the IRS taxes based on their services, then that is professional. The guy in the basement, with the same gadgets and technique/skills, is still amateur. color t-up is amateur, taking off writing and foreign material is professional. Better yet, what is not acceptable, because anything professional restored is fine to do. Things like color touch up (amateur) and trimming is not unless it is a redundant restoration. By that I mean is this: I have a Detective Comics #36 that is restored. It has/had a 3/4" rip on bottom of spine. Split was sealed with glue, then on the glue some color touch up. The color added does not touch the comic, only the glue. This book is CGC certified and reads as follows "...spine split sealed, color t-up, glue on cover." Basically I see that as 1 problem fixed, but CGC labels it as if three things were done. This scares a collector, but really this is minor. Whereas a comparable book with pieces added, or is trimmed (the worst form of amateur/fraud), that same collector would think more or less the same, avoiding it. I see a deal for this Detective Comics #36. In general, restored books are fine dependant upon age and scarcity (another point, many refer to a Gerber scale for scarcity...as a suggestion, nix a line in values, VG I suggest since it falls 1/2 way between G and Fine anyhow, and make an Overstreet scarcity scale). Mid-late Silver Age to modern basically is crap if restored professional or amateur. Once you begin to look at early silver to turn of the century, it begins to be acceptable. On a value level, decent golden age books (DC, Fox, Timely, Centaur, for example) I tend to value most within 1/3-2/3 value of Overstreet dependant upon the level of restoration. Lesser books or Silver Age, I go at most 1/2 value, but again this depends upon the level of restoration and if professional or amateur. Trimming, major color touch up, marriages, pieces added are the biggest no-no's. Not so bad restorations: replacing staples, I mean, why worry? It's not the comic, the staple may be rusting hurting the cover? As long as the holes for the staple are not extended, why not? If the frame to the Mona Lisa had termites, replace the frame, right? It's like those idiot CGC collectors, it is the comic that is the value, not the plastic slab. Spine split seals, and other rip seals. As long as professional, this may help avoid further extention of the rips. So minor and not too bad. using glue is not great, but restoration can remove that, so more hurtful, but not damning like a trim. Stephen H. Gentner Collector Restoration: means to me that you have replaced a clipped coupon, color touched, bleached the cover and guts, replaced parts of the book, or altered the book specifically to enhance its monetary value. Not OK by me NOT Restoration: means a small tear seal, pressing the book, removing dirt or grit from the book, or as I would term it 'conservation' All you are doing is preserving and protecting what is there, not necessarily to enhance value. OK by me. PRO versus Amateur: means if some person tries their best to color touch, or replace parts of the book in a uneducated or crude way, it is amateur. If Susan Ciccione or Matt Nelson lay hands on a book carefully, in a considered fashion, mindful of the chemistry of the paper involved and using accepted scientific processes to restore a book, THAT is professional. When a PRO is done with a book, you would be hard pressed to see or know the difference. Some PROS will restore in a way that could be reversed if desired. But crude, irreversible major work done to books is amateur, and lousy. Restoration Acceptable: Any PRO restoration that is done is OK by me, if and only if, there is full disclosure of the work done prior to any sale predicated by the condition or represented condition of the book. If an Action #1 is badly torn on the cover and separated from the interior, to repair and preserve it is warranted. To color touch a Mile High, is abhorent, and ridiculous. Todd McDevitt New Dimension Comics How would you define "Restoration" in comics? Any deliberate attempt to alter the condition of a comic. What would you include and not include? I would even include tape. That would be an obvious attempt to secure the comic improving its original state. Would you delineate between professional restoration and amateur restoration? And if so, what would be the determining factors? Sure. I would expect a certificate from either detailing the work. Preferably before and after pics. What, if any, forms of restoration are acceptable to you? Cleaning, when disclosed. And why? Enhancing, not altering. And under what circumstances? Paper rapidly declining and in need of being "saved" My contention about restoration has always been that collectors desire originality. If a comic is plucked from an attic in trashed shape, it's in its original state at the time it's found. To "fix" it makes it a much tougher sale to a very specific clientele. I say the only people who should get books restored are the collectors themselves with the intention of keeping it for themselves forever and it being their personal preference to have it repaired. Rich Olson Collector, Historian A few thoughts for you on "restoration." First, all of the world's greatest works of art, from the Mona Lisa to the Sistine Chapel, have been cleaned and restored a number of times over the years to try to get them to look like they did when originally completed. In the world of multi-million dollar art the question of whether to have restoration is not an issue--the only question is who will do the best job. Note: As long as restored books sell at a discount, a great investment area is buy key books that have had excellent work performed on them because eventually all books will have restoration. Second, comics are ticking along on the clock that leads to browning, brittleness, chipping, and ultimately, disintegration is we don't do something to intervene. Sure, some comics are in better shape today than others because of what state they were stored in, how carefully they were handled, etc., but they are all going to get there eventually. As the temporary owner of a comic, you should do what you can to help preserve it for as long as possible. This is one reason why back in the late 1960s or early 1970s I got involved with a few other collectors to provide comics for a color microfiche project. We wanted to at least have images of the books as they existed in their prime. Today I have a large color microfiche collection of virtually every book of significance and many more. Third, if I buy a book, I want to enjoy it and receive pleasure from looking at it. If I didn't buy a book in at least fine condition, then I might have it restored to both help save the book and give me greater pleasure from owning it. I don't mind if a book has had restoration if it looks great and it is mostly a real book. For example, I would not buy an Action Comics #1 that had a real page #33 and #34 and the rest of the book was "restored." Fourth, there is really no point in distinguishing between professional and amateur restoration because you can't always tell. Further, I have seen some jobs by pro's that looked like they had been done by a first grader. I think the only thing that should matter is the quality of the job. This means that usually the best jobs will be done by the best pro's, but not always. It is the case that some of the pro's give you a listing of what was done which is nice to have, but even then you don't know if everything was listed. So, quality of work is all that really matters. Fifth, it may be my imagination because I haven't recorded any prices, but it seems that after an original over-reaction in which the hobby said that restorations were almost worthless, people have been paying more and more of what a non-restored book would bring. Again, I think the amount of restoration and the quality of the work are the key factors. I am sure I haven't said anything you haven't heard before but I did want to throw my two cents in the pot. Terry O'Neill Terry's Comics How would you define "Restoration" in comics? Adding ink, glue or paper that was not already part of the book. What would you include and not include? I would not include tape or Archival tape as restoration, I would not include eraser cleaning but probably would include chemical cleaning. I would not include pressing, but would include any kind of additions of ink, glue or paper. Would you delineate between professional restoration and amateur restoration? No, really the only delineation needed is the apparent grade after work is done as opposed to the original un-restored grade, (call it the" Restoration factor") And if so, what would be the determining factors? What, if any, forms of restoration are acceptable to you? I believe there is a vast difference between Restoration and Preservation. I believe we should all accept minor preservation to keep vintage comics as close to their current grade as possible. I think restoring a book just to try to get extra money for it is a bad practice and should be discouraged. And why? Preservation is to keep the book from getting to a worse condition and included: archival tape, Tear seals and Tape Removal. Restoration includes Color touching, adding pieces, chemical cleaning, re-glossing, trimming and pressing And under what circumstances? Re-attaching loose covers or centerfolds, mending edge tears or flattening out heavy spine roll should be accepted by most collectors. Gary Colabuono Moondog's I define restoration as any process that tries to reverse damage done to a comic book. The mending of tears, the addition of new paper, color touch, etc. I do not consider pressing restoration since it's not reversing anything it's just bringing the book to it's full potential. It's enhancing the book by not adding anything to it. There's a huge difference between amateur and professional restoration. In many cases a book improved with professional restoration is a very desirable addition to a collection. Clunking amateur restoration on the other hand does nothing to aesthetically enhance a book. It's like cleaning a coin with a hole in it. Why bother? All professional restoration is acceptable to me on those books that obviously had little problems to begin with. If minor repairs were made and the book exhibits great eye appeal, I would have no problem adding it to my collection. |
