@Improve-Collecting Comics there is a bad crease that is well known from the manufacturer on Canto #1. Black cover too. So i cracked an 8.5 to try to fix that crease. Man this is so stubborn. I've never had a crease need multiple presses. The crease comes right off the spine starting with a tiny color breaking spine tick. The crease has 2 sides - so maybe it's 2 creases... Thanks for all the tips on CPR because it's getting a little smoother / better each press. For the current press, I prepared it by using Rick's chamfered board, rolling a stainless ball WITH the grain of the crease instead of perpendicular. I think that may have helped. I also am going to leave the chamfered board from Immaculate / Rick that inside the front cover. Inside the front cover i have a bright copy-paper sheet, then the chamfered board, then another sheet, then page 1. I used the copy paper on top of the chamfered to help "fill in" any imperfections of the chamfered board. i left the chamfered board in so the crease has a hard surface to press against, and not just it's own pages (plus Rick leaves the chamfered board inside when he presses so i figured that was ok). If it does not come out, what do you suggest i try as a trick to get it out? Some other stainless ball method? Some other type of sandwich for the press instead of the chamfered board? etc.
I've never worked on that book and it may not be good for the newer types of paper, but a bone folder tool can work really well on stubborn creases. You just gotta be really careful on newer thicker cardstock covers
@@ImproveCollectingComics This book came out in 2019, normal paper thickness, normal gloss. Think a bone folder could be effective with the normal cover paper? I'll get out of work in a couple of hours and i'll pull the book out of the press to see if the chamfered press helped.
Jim, I signed up for your newsletter when it was very first announced and launched. I haven't received anything since the confirmation email I believe. There have been times when you were doing a giveaway, and I was afraid to try and make sure I was subscribed because I knew it would void my entry. How do I make sure I am actually signed up?
Hey, good to hear from you! Actually, my first newsletter goes out tomorrow. If you're signed up, you can make sure that it won't go to your junk mail by whitelisting jim@improvecollecting.com on your chosen email platform
HI. I think your content is great. Quick question. In your "Modern" CGC submission; when you get a 9.8 book that exceeds the $400 threshold for modern submission are you getting automatically placed in the "High Value" tier for that book? For example, the Hulk #340 was in the $400 range for Modern, but with the 9.8 grade it far exceeded $400. Did CGC automatically place that book in the "High Value" tier for you? Did you get notified by CGC if they did? I sure appreciate it. Keep up the great content!
I always submit books based on the raw value of the comics. Yes they do sometimes move it to a different tier and I get an email about being charged more. It doesn't always happen though and sometimes they are way off on the value. I usually don't complain, though.. unless it is excessive.
Do you end up returning a lot of your E-Bay purchases. No matter how perfect they look on pics they always show up with defects? Your 9.8 record is something to be admired
I rarely return books, I'd say about 70% of the books I buy end up being great 9.8 candidates, with about 20% being "outside chance" of 9.8 books. The other 10% I usually just resell or keep. I don't think it'd be honest to return books just because I don't think they can get 9.8, as long as the seller didn't obviously try to hide defects in their photos. By the way, I can usually spot the sellers who are doing this.. if the photos aren't perfectly clear and I am reasonably sure of the bump potential, I move on. There aer a lot of books in the sea. Okay bad analagy, but you get the point. :)
@@ImproveCollectingComics I think just in general cause that's happend to me before cause yes I get excited but then when I see it it's like should I be mad?
Working on the new cleaning and pressing community so I am having to sacrifice a bit of the time spent making YT videos for a bit, it'll be back to normal soon :)
Respectfully, everyone finds joy in different ways. While you obviously aren't intentionally doing it, black and white statements like this can have a shaming effect on some. Everyone loves raw, but some like to preserve and display special books. I have over 3,000 raw books but really enjoy slabbing high grade comics and helping ensure their grade for the long term. Long story short, we all love these books, how we enjoy them is a personal decision and we should celebrate everyone's personal preference
