Variations in height and width during production are not only well documented not only from title to title but often within the same title and issue. Over the past several years, i have worked on hundreds of pieces for dozens of clients. Of the,000 copies of the comic sold on the newsstand in 1938, only about 100 remain. Comic book grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a book, which directly influences its value. The best way to detect cleaning is to compare it to other copies of the same book. This link to the restoration detection section was created to answer most questions about the restoration of comic books and help explain the many different processes involved. The illustrated e book on restoration detection for comics. Comicbook comic book pedigrees, the first and only website dedicated to pedigreed comic books. How to spot restoration comic book grading and restoration. Care, handling, and storage of comic books collections care. In the last 14 years, thirdparty grading companies have incorporated restoration detection into their examination process in order to determine if any given book. Restoration comics focuses on creating original stories and characters that expand the imagination, make people laugh, and explore the deeper issues of life. Comic book, marvel comic, cgc comics, crippen collection. An overview of comic book restoration restoration is the act of adding foreign material to a comic book through certain techniques to return its appearance to an ideal or original state.
Our pressing and comic book restoration services can take your most important and valuable comic investments to the next level. Comic book cpr teaches awareness on proper comic book handling, shipping, selling, and buying tactics. Comic book restoration services hero restoration llc. With our comic book restoration services you can take your lowgrade investment and transform it into something with fantastic eye appeal.
This applies mainly to silver age comics, as noted earlier. I usually go in this order bleed through, light the area up good and check at different angles, black uv flashlight and last i inspect the book with my loupe. We opened on august 1, 2012 with a goal of providing hard to find and high grade comics. The illustrated e book on restoration detection for. Care, handling, and storage of comic books collections. But more than a quick glance at almost any comic book cover in existence will reveal that all the blues, reds, greens and especially greys are far more than a simple blotch of colour on paper. As with grading all collectibles, there is a degree of subjectivity as there are many factors to consider and all of them must be weighed to determine an overall grade. Because comic books were often, at certain points in their history, published on low quality. Cbcs has one classification level for conservation and five levels for.
The use of an airbrush can return a faded comic book to appear close to its original version. The restoration of comics has been around in one form or another since the late 1930s and early 1940s. Make your comic grow in value, increase in eye appeal, and most importantly preserve them for the future. I will be interviewing steve borock live thursday night 5pm pst 8pm est. Restoration has become a controversial issue in the comic book hobby because it is not always disclosed by sellers, but can dramatically affect the value of a comic book. The class and lunch will take place on sunday, june 29 at 12 pm. Restoration has existed in some form or another since the inception of comic books, but it has evolved considerably over the past 50 years. Steve brings over 35 years of comic grading and restoration detection experience to the table and along with his expert staff, combined with steve, have over 200 years in grading experience. Before a comic book is graded, it is checked for restoration and conservation by our restoration detection experts. This work involves many different forms of fine art restoration, including lithograph and paper conservation and techniques from silk screen and watercolor restoration. There has yet to be an industrywide standard as to what exactly comprises restoration. In some cases, restoration is not readily detectible to novices or inpiduals lacking expertise in restoration detection. Comic zone radio is the leading voice of the comicbook industry, with interviews. If its not a golden age book, most stress lines will result in color loss because the ink layer isnt as thick as it was on ga books.
I have a restored book where the dot pattern was recreated and it is not hard to see where the recreation was done. Introduction paper conservation, comic book pressing and. Comic book grading, certification process cbcs comics. The repair of collectible and rare comics, especially ones you intend to sell in restored form, is best handled by a professional. Aug 07, 2014 the restoration of comics has been around in one form or another since the late 1930s and early 1940s. Before sending your books to cgc consider comic book pressing. Protect your investment by reading this book today. Mar 30, 2016 cgc offers expert condition analysis, including thorough restoration detection, before grading and encapsulating collectibles in stateoftheart, archivalsafe holders. While some evidence of restoration can be revealed by viewing a book in natural daylight and using a magnification loupe, my favourite tool in detecting restoration both amateur and professional is my uva blacklight. The restoration of comics has been around in one form or another since the late 1930 s and early 1940 s. Learn how to grade comic books and spot a restoration. In the last 14 years, thirdparty grading companies have incorporated restoration detection into their examination process in order to determine if any given book has been manipulated from its original printed appearance. Learn about restoration detection and how you can avoid potential risks.
Providers of professional conservation and restoration services for paper items. Mar 23, 2012 when you come back every book will smell old except the book which was touched. I have heard that some high end restorationists can recreate the 4 color dot effect, but it a very costly option and not commonly done. The illustrated ebook on restoration detection for comics. Borock will show just one lucky winner how topflight grading is done and how restoration is detected. Since any crease or colorbreak can devalue a book, these are prime areas for someone to try and fix. The guarantee does not included comic books that take extra time to grade due to. In my opinion, comics restoration is a great art form in itself, but boy are these guys deceptive and monetarily motivated. Susan ciconni comic book restoration detection nod sdcc 08. Detecting restoration for regular people by povrow aka povertyrow. As well, techniques from watercolor and silk screen restoration have become important parts of the criteria used to restore a comic book. Hero initiative announces wizardworld chicago booth schedule.
Detecting restoration a how to for the convention goer. There are numerous variables that factor into the grade of a comic book. Kav kaviraj sent me an article on comic book restoration tips. Comic book upkeep and storage dry cleaning without restoring. Trimming is easily the most difficult form of restoration to detect, at least with any degree of certainty. For comic books and magazines, we have introduced a pressing service. How do you clean a comic book cover without damaging the. The younger a comic, the less likely the book will increase in value significantly from restoration. This site is devoted to presenting issues in the preservation and conservation of the physical structure comic books. For many years, steve borock has been well known and respected in our hobby, whether it was as the key figure in introducing thirdparty certification to the comic book hobby, as one of the top restoration detection experts in our field, as a senior advisor to the major comic book price guides and grading guides, as the senior consignment director for the hobbys largest auction house, or as. Theres been a multitude of topics regarding detecting restoration please run a search on it. Talking to god live interview with steve borock founder. Most books have solid fields of color in parts that are not dot pattern. Theoretically, the higher the grade of the book, the more desirable the book will be.
Restoration has existed in some form or another since the inception of comic books, but it. Armed with this knowledge and a good understanding of the market, you should be able to make an informed decision about restoration. One thing i recommend if you never seen color touch is take a garbage book with a black cover and color touch it yourself with a black marker and. Because comic books were often, at certain points in their history, published on low quality paper, they often dont age very well. If you see spots where there is stress but no color loss, see if the stress lines have been painted in or colored in. Part of our mission is to present reference material to help you make to informed choices in the care of your comic book collection. Egs follows the guidelines overstreet comic book grading guide in the evaluation of its comic books, as well as for definitions of condition as condition evaluation and restoration detection experts, egs inspects a wide variety of comics from every era. This certificate will also display the name, date and publisher of the book.
Mar 05, 2020 i will be interviewing steve borock live thursday night 5pm pst 8pm est. Comic art restoration service a graphic state of mind. Before a comic book s value is determined, the comic book needs to have an accurate grade assigned to it. Having clean hands and a clean area to use the comic book. Cgc introduces new comic book holder a quantum leap forward. As the primary grader and restoration detection specialist at the floridabased certified guaranty co. In 2005, paul was named an overstreet grading advisor. Restoration on your comics is done not only to make it more desirable to collectors, but also for the sake of our hobby where many of these great treasures are decaying and falling apart due to age and mishandling. At its height, an alltime high of 19 different people were in the business of restoring comic books. So, rubbing your hand across the page loosens and removes some of the molecules which are causing the smell.
If you have an old comic book that needs repair, you may consider restoring it. I can help you decide if cleanpress is a right for your book. Click on any of our services below for more information and example work. If you are a fan of cgc graded comics, tmnt toys, or rick and morty toys this is the place for you. Airbrushing can return a faded comic book to looking very close to new.
Pgx was created to meet the growing demand for professional, thirdparty comic book grading. In comics, quality control can be shoddy and books could and did. Certificate of restoration detection in the event that the book contains restoration, i will note all identified methods and locations. We also strive to provide the very best in accurate grading and restoration detection and have an extensive inventory of.
If restoration or conservation is found, cbcs will include a list of all the work detected on the label, classifying it as either conserved or restored. Books that have been encapsulated and certified by an objective thirdparty grading service take the guesswork out of the grading process for both collectors and dealers. Steve borock is the end all be all in the world of comic book grading. He has been there since its inception, and was instrumental in developing and cultivating the prestigious cgc signature series, cgc magazines and cgc lobby card certification. I remember the first time i submitted some comic books to cgc for. Cgc introduces new comic book holder a quantum leap. Im a big silver age collectoranything with curt swan interior arti want it. Cgc offers expert condition analysis, including thorough restoration detection, before grading and encapsulating collectibles in stateoftheart, archivalsafe holders. This is a collaborated effort of 25 people and 4 writers. Win the chance to play win, lose or draw with hot comic book artists ethan van sciver, shane davis, adi granov, greg horn and aaron lopresti. Our comic book restoration and pressing services can take your most important and valuable comic investments to the next level.
Comic book grading and restoration may 19, 2016 scott robertson 25 comments comic book grading is one of the most important parts of speculating. Comic book certification service cbcs is an impartial certification company for comic books started by comic grading veteran steve borock. In fact, the restoration lessens the value of a comic book even though it is improved because comics are. As condition evaluation and restoration detection experts, egs inspects a wide variety of comics from every era. The book looks good at arms length, but its not going to be hard to detect if youre looking for it.
We have an industryproven system in place that emphasizes an attention to detail in every book we grade. Gloss and reglossing the glossiness of paper comes from a couple of things. Comic book grading learn the scale and how to apply it. Kaptainmyke sells oneofakind rare collectibles such as comic books and ninja turtle action figures. This 156 page field guide and training manual is a musthave for any comic book collector.
Susan ciconni comic book restoration detection nod sdcc. Repair of comic books master restorer art restoration. Ditch fahrenheits grading game archive only contestant threads. Nov 28, 2008 susan ciconni comic book restoration detection nod sdcc 08. This certificate will display the name of the book, date and publisher. As soon as the first collectors placed value on comic books, restoration began. As an archivist, i decided to share some useful tips as well that will aid in restoring your comic books. By reading through the following linked pages you will. Then you open the book in open air page by pagean hour a page as the smell slowly leaves the comic. Taking care when handling any collection item, especially functional items like comic books and magazines with flexing parts, is one of the more effective, costefficient, and easily achieved preservation measures. We are proud of the work we do on comic book restoration and repair.
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