A well timed video Keston. I just got back an All-Flash #1 from CGC. I bought it raw from Heritage. It was sold as a 1.5 Universal. CGC graded it a 1.8 Restored. I can't say I wasn't disappointed but not enough to sell it. Great analysis as per usual!
Hey Shane. The same happened to us with Heritage this year. We contacted them about it, and they compensated us for the difference, and we kept the book. I'm not sure how long ago you bought yours, but you might want to contact them and see if you can get a partial refund since they didn't list it as restored. .
HI Shane. Sorry to hear this. Yeah, Hazeldan is right on. Heritage generally does a great job checking for resto. They want you to be confident with your purchase. All-Flash 1 is a great book btw!
i recently purchased a cgc hulk 181 restored 2.0 and i've been trying to get one for over 10 yrs but i've always been priced out of the blue label market so when the restored one came up for sale i jumped on it and i could not be happier, i personally like the purple label cgc books i own a few myself. the ones i steer clear of is the qualified cgc green books. great video by the way.
Hi coinhunter! Congrats on the Hulk 181. That's an interesting take on the green label. I don't mind the green label but have the hardest time thinking through how to price them. To me, they are more difficult to price than purple.
The only purple label in my collection is a CGC-R 6.0 All Winners #10 (Alex Schomburg WWII cover). I have no problem with Golden Age restored books if they have a low population count. I'd rather have a restored copy than none at all. With only 66 total in the CGC census (13 restored) it's a no-brainer. For me it's the purple label of happiness.
Great video, very interesting to see those numbers regarding the percentage of restoration in the different ages, I do think purple labels will have their days in the sun because so many of the big keys in blue labels are going out of most peoples price range, thanks for sharing, continue to take care Keston.
Thanks Cap. Yeah, looking up the numbers by ages was definitely the most fun part of the project. I knew restoration was more common moving backward through time but was surprised about the degree.
Great vid. Anyone that knows a thing or two about comics should be open to buying a Purple label book when it’s called for. I hope this vids educates Naysayers and helps erase the negative stigma.
Hi David. Thanks for the comment. Some folks are going to dislike restored books no matter what but hope to give folks more info to make an informed judgment.
You make a great argument for considering purple labels. Regarding that Batman 1 argument... I'd take that 9.0 restored (with only cover cleaning) over any blue label in anything less than a 7.5. With color touch or trimming... definitely not. But cover cleaning really seems very minor in my book.
Hi PB. You are a purple label fan, more generous than I am. That Bat 1 9.0 is a sweet book, actually the Denver pedigree. Would be interesting would it would go for today.
Great video, Keston. Very educational and well thought out as always. In many cases, we have zero issues with the Golden Age books being restored. Some of them are extremely rare and don't change hands often. Not all low grades are created equal. Some have nice enough eye apeal, and some are really rough looking. While a decent looking low grade universal may be preferred in some cases, if we get a shot at a very attractive restored book at a price we are willing to pay, that book will be ours and we will love it. ❤️
If someone chooses to only collect blue labels that is their decision. What I have issue with is calling a purple labeled book worthless. They are not and I recently bought one (golden age)! Great video!
Love the great data points! Honestly, I consider many of those books, especially older books (even bronze) a piece of history and I will do what I can to preserve them. I don’t care if it is a key or not, I don’t care if it’s a rag or not. Without preserving what we have, that piece of history is lost forever. When I see books like that as simply loved A LOT by some kid sixty or eighty years ago - they aren’t trash or worthless at all.
Hi Patrick. Totally agree. I think now there is more clarity between restoration and conservation, which I think is a good distinction. Sometimes books are altered to stop decay or to save pieces that are nearly torn off.
I just bought my first restored comic book. A CGC 4.0 Detective Comics 122. It was only slight restoration because someone tried to seal a small tear on the cover. It's a gorgeous copy and I'm glad it's now in my collection.
Hi VivalaRedSox. Congrats. Great book. Love those slight resto books. My guess is that you got the book for 1.5 or 2.0 blue money...and it is much better looking! Perhaps the best old school Catwoman covers imho!
I actually LOVE Purple labels especially on big keys as my goal really is to own something raw and to be able to hold and read it with my son. We just cracked open a coverless .3 Action Comics 9 and made a video for it. Love your videos. Much more to come.
Keston, another fantastic video. The style, content, information, and presentation of your videos is just on another level. One of my prized books is a raw copy of Daring Mystery 1 that I bought from a trusted seller many years ago. He explained in detail about the degree/level of resto & it was priced accordingly. I’m super happy with that book & have never encountered another one for sale. I’ll never sell it. Looking forward to your next video!
Thank you for this video. Acquired a C-1 restored Silver Surfer #4 8.5 white pages and the cover’s color absolutely blows away any other copy I’ve ever seen of this book! It only had a little spot of amateur black sharpie along the spine, hardly noticeable at all. It didn’t make any sense to me to pay more for a lesser grade and more faded book. I would’ve lost this book to some other lucky collector had I approached this with the sticky goose bias 😂.
Top notch stuff. I’ve always been open to purple thinking of it as a gateway to a book I would not be able to afford otherwise (AF15, FF1, Hulk 1, etc) with the intention of trading up to better grades when possible. You’ve done EVEN BETTER. First video I’ve seen on the value a purple label provides when getting into silver (and especially) into gold era books. That is, supply. They make up 20%-50% of a low volume market which makes considering purple a no brainer.
Appreciate it Kozy. Yeah, I tried to treat the topic with more nuance. There's a big difference between "settling" for a purple label book for a Hulk 181 vs an AF15 or a Bat1 :-)
Great video Keston! I have a few purple labels, but only 1 of which I regret. I have a fantastic four 1 in a 2.0 signed by Stan Lee. It's awesome and I got it for like a third of the equivalent blue label. I wasn't willing to spend the money for the blue label and I'm not going in debt for a comic book. The next is a golden age Captain America. I just wanted a golden age Schomburg Cap without breaking the bank. Next is a MAD comics 9 and I don't care one way or another if it's restored or not. The one I regret is I got an Avengers 1 restored and really I was just being cheap, it wasn't really even that expensive at the time to get the equivalent blue label. I'll most likely trade up on that one. Anyways I wish some UA-camrs would be a bit more mindful of how they come across. An opinion is fine but when you are talking like a purple label is trash then that's going too far. The 2 UA-camrs that are pretty out spoken against this probably couldn't afford your Captain America 1 (I couldn't either) Anyways I don't like books that look like rag muffins and would rather have a nice looking purple label but I'm not going to dog someone's choice.
Hi WG. That's a nice collection you have. Good move on the Schomburg Cap, especially. The Marvel Mystery and Cap cover runs are likely the best series among all the golden age. I get your judgment on the Avengers 1.
Proud owner of a restored AF15 in an A3 restored 9.2. I paid under 4% of the blue label price, which I find ridiculous. Something that no one has touched on in this discussion yet is the cost of restoration. Let's say my book started at a 2.5 (which I think is low, but whatever) - shouldn't we add the price of the restoration to the 2.5 blue price? I'm sure it isn't cheap.
Congrats for getting a great book nixknacks! Usually a book will get punished so that the restored copy will cost less than when it was unrestored. The prevailing notion is that collectors should disincentivize restoration. If value were added by restoring books to look nicer, few books would remain universal, so the logic goes. Appreciate the comment, my friend.
I recently just acquired my first Restored book (Hangman 3 5.0). I can confirm though it may be anecdotal, that there wasn’t a another copy readily available. I love the WWII cover and the Hangman is a very interesting (antihero) character.
I've been a big promoter of purple label books. Currently I'm making payments on a Detective 38 7.0 restored. The funny thing is the price for it was significantly cheaper than 0.5 blue label. This really doesn't make sense to me. The restoration was moderate probably would be a 4.0 or 5.0 if the restoration was removed.
CCG! I knew you would enjoy this video. Certainly at .5 and 1.0 blue prices, I think purple label books are a god deal. Congrats on that amazing book btw!
One of those TMNT #1's is my 9.4 "restored"! I have to send ir back to them to get the restoration removed as it is a C-1 restoration on 2 small spine tics.
restoration is looked down upon by almost all comic collectors and its sad. Comic books were NOT meant to last forever. Sooner or later everyone is going to have to take all those comics out of their plastic tombs and have them worked on. ALL of our worlds artworks and historical documents have at one time had restoration done. If its good enough for multi million dollar pieces of art its good enough for comics. There are some things that people do to comics that are NOT restoration tho. Trimming, photocopying pages with value stamps - stuff like that is NOT restoration. Restoration is done for the welfare of the book, not so someone can make more money. Keep up the awsome videos :)
Hi Terry. That's a good point. I don't know if we can stave off deterioration forever. Will conservation be ok to do over time? I think CGC is trying to address conservation with their relatively new gray label. For example, replacing rusty staples with good ones would be considered conservation (gray label) as opposed to restoration (purple label). I do think they should be considered differently.
I call BS on anyone who says a Restored Comic is not valuable or worthy of a Mic-Drop.... How is it restored cars, paintings, homes, or any other item in the world of collecting is super valuable but a Comic Book isn't... I think everyone who believes that has been brain washed by CGC into believing what is valuable and what isn't... I buy Purple restored books all the time as they look amazing and are just as valuable.
I do have a specific question in mind that I can't seem to get a satisfactory answer to online, even on the CGC boards. This only concerns low-end CGC graded GA books, I guess 2.5 and under, with a purple label that says "glue on spine". Wouldn't the glue on spine make it a 2.0 +/- anyway? Isn't glue indicative of a low grade, with or without CGC? How is it an anomaly in that grade? And why is old glue considered restoration but old tape is considered a "defect" when tape so often causes more damage in both eye appeal and page destruction? Why would the glue matter that much anyway at such a low grade - while a taped spine gets a blue label? Isn't it only the scarlet letter of the purple label that condemns the book, and not the grade itself? Is it possible that CGC "restored" label is (or should be) negligible on low-end GA more or less, especially when it is only glue? And wouldn't it be a good idea to de-slab purple-label low grade GA books? I can't see the benefit in keeping it slabbed in the purple, not only with the onus of the "label of death" but in future sales as well, considering it's low grade anyway. Wouldn't it be easier to sell and more desirable to buy without the purple slab, as long as the buyer is aware of the glue? Thank you everyone for any insight you can give into the dreaded purple label.
Hi Bull. Great questions. Those are tricky. The relative recent CGC book on grading has helped me answer similar questions. Definitely worth buying. In the next few months I hope to make a video on the labels. Often it's clear cut about what the label should be but sometimes it's tricky and I want to address some of those issues. Thanks for commenting.
I’m really interested in the price of conserved books vs restored as I personally see conserved books on the same level as blue label. I wouldn’t bat an eye buying a conserved book like it’s literally not even a factor for me personally.
That's interesting Randall. Yeah, I'm not quite knowledgeable about the topic but I may dive in at some point. Here's a sticky issue for me. Some time leafcasting to add pieces is conservation...I guess because it helps protect the integrity of the book. I'm still forming an opinion :-)
I have a conserved Action Comics 12 4.5. General thought is that it’s worth half of what a blue label action 12 would go for around my peeps. Which sucks, but better than the restored 1/10th value calculation I often see.
So I pretty much am scoring a Showcase 22 in 4.0 at half the price. It's my grail and it is affordable. It is STILL THE BOOK. It also allows shlubs like me to get books that are otherwise never available to us. Anyways. Good to hear positivity in regards to this label.
Hi Matt, Glad to give a little love to the purple label. And, yo'u've got great taste. Showcase 4 is a book I've had my eye on for a while. One of the top 5 most important books in the hobby, imho.
@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842 I agree. I noticed the seller upped the price by almost 800 overnight. It is ranked as a C-1 too. That gives me some pause. At that money, I am better off buying a 1.0 or 2.0 blue label. I found that I have to be very judicious when looking at Purple label books. You got to check the FMV. I found that some were charging at or more than Blue label prices. That seems a bit off to me.
So I’m the Steven from the video. Never saw this video until today. Well made as always. Exactly what cover cleaning did they do to that Batman 1 that is even noticeable by CGC? You think this cleaning raised the book’s grade from a 7.5 to a 9.0. That’s a huge jump… so what did they do? Also, I have a 7.0 Batman 1 with moderate restoration. I’d give that and a good chunk of cash for an unrestored 1.8 which just sold for $138,000
Thank you. Good observation. I was being conservative with the 7.5. Probably would have gotten higher. Sounds like you have an amazing collection (with the Bat1). Do you have a special collecting niche? I'm a classic cover guy more than anything else.
@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842I’m boring. 1st appearances, 1st appearances and 1st appearances. I have some nice books, but i’m more about high grade stuff, so the precludes me from going too far into the Golden Age. My biggest GA books are the aforementioned Restored Bat 1, the Conserved Action 12 4.5 (1st appearance of Batman!) and the 2nd highest graded 1st Alfred, a Batman 16 9.0 white pages. That’s about it. Everything else is silver age or newer with some Big Boy Bronze and newer books. Working on a TMNT #1 9.8 which would quickly become my most valuable book.
@stevenloube6784 Very nice! That explains your less-than-enthusiastic response to the restored MF52 (which I still love). I like high grade and golden age but major first appearances are out of reach for me. At one time I had some big boy silver-age books: 9.2 copies of ASM1 and TOS 39, and an 8.0 JIM 83. ...good luck with your pursuits. I hope you get that TMNT 1, 9.8. Super sweet book!
@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842well I’m just not ready to “drop the mic” for a book that’s worth like ~$20,000 considering all the other cool books you guys were showing. You’re 8.0 Cap 1, even restored, is way cooler!
I bought a Hulk Annual #1 with two front covers from a comic book shop years ago for under $20. I sent it in to CGC a couple of years ago and received a purple label because the first cover was married to the second cover using glue. It received a 3.5 for the top cover and 4.5 for the second cover as a C-1. I'm really not sure how you would price something like that because it has two covers with restoration.
Hi Robert. Wow, that's a weird one. From your description it sounds like the 2nd cover was added as opposed to the book being manufactured that way. I'm guessing the book won't get a bonus for the 2nd cover and will be treated like a 3.5 or 4.5 C-1. Regardless, it's a cool conversation piece.
My grandad comes from the antiques world, and the opinion of restoration there is very different to comics. In antiques they recognise the difference between GOOD restoration and POOR restoration. It's as if the comic collecting community, on average, can't think about levels of restoration; they can't see past the colour purple. It's a hilariously simplistic view, and it's testament to how CGC has got way too much influence...
Hi alpertroncp2198. Thanks for taking time to comment my friend. It's interesting how different hobbies treat restoration. In my opinion, CGC has done a better years describing the degree and quality of restoration over the years. Totally agree with your main point: many (most?) comic book collectors don't look into the details. They see the purple label and they run.
Just another option if you want a book and can't afford a blue label. I'd rather have a high grade qualified book instead. What I really have a problem with is people having color touch removed to get a blue label. Just took a good looking book and made it look bad. Just leave it alone. It is what it is.
If the book is from the last 30-35 years then there should be no reason to pick up a purple label but if it old then that take a lower grade or a purple copy. It always better to own a book then not to.
Exactly. I lump 0.5s 1.0s and moderately and extensively restored books in the same category for the old-timey, expensive books. Any book in any condition feels alright to me. :-)
The fear of restoration is pathetic. Some people accept clean+press, writing on covers, even tape but freaks out over a reinforced centerfold. Seriously? old yellow tape by little Timmy is better than archival material from a pro? Scribble over a slight color touch?
Hi Poison. Yeah, the lines drawn between what counts as restoration and what doesn't is blurry. I will say that the CGC grading guide (the book published last year) does a nice job of providing rationale.
The same company, that trashes minor color touch on comics with the purple label of death, grades signed comics as high as 9.8 and considers store stamps no big deal. There is no such thing as a NM signed book. Sorry, it's not really a thing. Someone wrote on your book These are not serious people
Haha. Thanks Ben. Cap 1 is in that middle ground of ultra-golden age grail. Can't quite hang with Action 1, 'Tec 27, Bat 1, Supe 1, and Marvel 1...but is a step or two ahead of most others.
Openly scorning purple labels is an exercise in spitefulness. A religiosity that a rational person would never embrace as dogma. The act of restoration is an observance of a higher reach in collecting. It is the preservation of limited print sequential art. Explaining it to an irrational blue label exclusivist is a matter of them understanding that they in fact actively view comics as a commodity, and not an art. They all get my condemnation.
Thank you Joshua for your comments. Purple labels are certainly a polarizing topic. To each their own, but I personally think that restoration (and certainly conservation) should not be scorned.
Appreciate the input kevns689. They certainly aren't for all people. I'm especially looking forward to hearing people's reaction to this video. It's a topic that divides the community.
Is it me or does it look like that 9.0 Detective comics has been cut on the top and right edges? Or is this not counted? Sorry just cane across the vid and not that knowledgeable about such things
Hi Flex. Yep. I agree with MetalBum. Some of these books were manufactured poorly so all the edges aren't cut perfectly. CGC will definitely check for trimming. Trimming can be tough to detect on your own, unless you have another universal copy to compare it to.
I am interviewing Ivan Briggs tonight on my channel. You’re one I was thinking about bringing on to talk briefly about the restored data and history with Golden age. What is your email and we can connect?
You've built up a strong case for when to be open to purple labels, great work.
Thanks Dan. Appreciate it. Sometimes I think of you as the audience I'm going after. What can I do to impress Dan? :-)
not sure if intended, but this is a sly pun... "strong case... open... purple labels" 😅
@@horvathsogranfume658 Haha. Good catch. Unintended.
A well timed video Keston. I just got back an All-Flash #1 from CGC. I bought it raw from Heritage. It was sold as a 1.5 Universal. CGC graded it a 1.8 Restored. I can't say I wasn't disappointed but not enough to sell it. Great analysis as per usual!
Hey Shane. The same happened to us with Heritage this year. We contacted them about it, and they compensated us for the difference, and we kept the book. I'm not sure how long ago you bought yours, but you might want to contact them and see if you can get a partial refund since they didn't list it as restored. .
@@hazeldan1216 That's a great suggestion. Thanks!
HI Shane. Sorry to hear this. Yeah, Hazeldan is right on. Heritage generally does a great job checking for resto. They want you to be confident with your purchase. All-Flash 1 is a great book btw!
i recently purchased a cgc hulk 181 restored 2.0 and i've been trying to get one for over 10 yrs but i've always been priced out of the blue label market so when the restored one came up for sale i jumped on it and i could not be happier, i personally like the purple label cgc books i own a few myself. the ones i steer clear of is the qualified cgc green books. great video by the way.
Hi coinhunter! Congrats on the Hulk 181. That's an interesting take on the green label. I don't mind the green label but have the hardest time thinking through how to price them. To me, they are more difficult to price than purple.
The only purple label in my collection is a CGC-R 6.0 All Winners #10 (Alex Schomburg WWII cover). I have no problem with Golden Age restored books if they have a low population count. I'd rather have a restored copy than none at all. With only 66 total in the CGC census (13 restored) it's a no-brainer. For me it's the purple label of happiness.
Love this! Purple label of happiness 😊 Congrats on the All Winners 10. It's a fantastic book.
Hi Rocket. Great book. PLOH -- I like that.
Great video, very interesting to see those numbers regarding the percentage of restoration in the different ages, I do think purple labels will have their days in the sun because so many of the big keys in blue labels are going out of most peoples price range, thanks for sharing, continue to take care Keston.
Thanks Cap. Yeah, looking up the numbers by ages was definitely the most fun part of the project. I knew restoration was more common moving backward through time but was surprised about the degree.
@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842 Yes the same for me when I saw the numbers.
Great vid. Anyone that knows a thing or two about comics should be open to buying a Purple label book when it’s called for. I hope this vids educates Naysayers and helps erase the negative stigma.
Hi David. Thanks for the comment. Some folks are going to dislike restored books no matter what but hope to give folks more info to make an informed judgment.
You make a great argument for considering purple labels. Regarding that Batman 1 argument... I'd take that 9.0 restored (with only cover cleaning) over any blue label in anything less than a 7.5. With color touch or trimming... definitely not. But cover cleaning really seems very minor in my book.
Hi PB. You are a purple label fan, more generous than I am. That Bat 1 9.0 is a sweet book, actually the Denver pedigree. Would be interesting would it would go for today.
My question is wtf did they do to the cover when “cleaning it” that made it a purple label. Sounds minor but clearly it wasn’t.
Excellent video. Top quality as always. Lots of wonderful things to think about.
Thank you my friend!
This video helped a lot, got my first purple label for a comic recently and now I’m more comfortable with it.
Appreciate the kind words YLC. Glad the video was helpful to you.
Great video, Keston. Very educational and well thought out as always. In many cases, we have zero issues with the Golden Age books being restored. Some of them are extremely rare and don't change hands often. Not all low grades are created equal. Some have nice enough eye apeal, and some are really rough looking. While a decent looking low grade universal may be preferred in some cases, if we get a shot at a very attractive restored book at a price we are willing to pay, that book will be ours and we will love it. ❤️
HD! What's up my friends? "...that book will be ours and we will love it." That is the way.
If someone chooses to only collect blue labels that is their decision. What I have issue with is calling a purple labeled book worthless. They are not and I recently bought one (golden age)! Great video!
Thanks Mel. What book did you get?
@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842 nothing big. Thrilling #13.
@@melw2100 Sweet. I have seen the book before but never looked at it closely until now. I like the dudes in the background who chopped the cable!
Your videos are really really well done!
Thanks Sticky. I thought you'd enjoy the over-the-top Hulk 181 9.8 vs the restored Cap comparison.
Love the great data points! Honestly, I consider many of those books, especially older books (even bronze) a piece of history and I will do what I can to preserve them. I don’t care if it is a key or not, I don’t care if it’s a rag or not. Without preserving what we have, that piece of history is lost forever. When I see books like that as simply loved A LOT by some kid sixty or eighty years ago - they aren’t trash or worthless at all.
Hi Patrick. Totally agree. I think now there is more clarity between restoration and conservation, which I think is a good distinction. Sometimes books are altered to stop decay or to save pieces that are nearly torn off.
Restored Book to Universal Book. “I am your father.”
Universal Book (Uncontrollable Shrieking). “Nooooooooo!”
😂
Jame. You are a riot. Haha.
I am a sucker for restoration videos but it depends on the type of restoration and the year of the book
Thanks ifreeze for leaving a comment. I'm similar to you. Type and year weigh on my decision.
I just bought my first restored comic book. A CGC 4.0 Detective Comics 122. It was only slight restoration because someone tried to seal a small tear on the cover. It's a gorgeous copy and I'm glad it's now in my collection.
Hi VivalaRedSox. Congrats. Great book. Love those slight resto books. My guess is that you got the book for 1.5 or 2.0 blue money...and it is much better looking! Perhaps the best old school Catwoman covers imho!
Brilliant. Thank you so much for this!
Great to hear from you Bry. I've seen a few of your videos featuring restored books. Glad you enjoyed this one.
@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842 your videos have incredibly valuable info, and excellent editing! Thanks for putting them out…
50% golden age restored?! Thanks for the data professor Keston!!
Even though I knew the resto % was high among the GA grails, I wouldn't have guessed that high. Thanks MB.
I actually LOVE Purple labels especially on big keys as my goal really is to own something raw and to be able to hold and read it with my son. We just cracked open a coverless .3 Action Comics 9 and made a video for it. Love your videos. Much more to come.
LMC. Great to hear from you. Agree. I'll have to check out that video. To hold an early Action in your hands is very cool.
Keston, another fantastic video. The style, content, information, and presentation of your videos is just on another level.
One of my prized books is a raw copy of Daring Mystery 1 that I bought from a trusted seller many years ago. He explained in detail about the degree/level of resto & it was priced accordingly. I’m super happy with that book & have never encountered another one for sale. I’ll never sell it.
Looking forward to your next video!
Congrats on the DM1. That book is amazing and TOUGH to find in any condition. Also...very much appreciate the kind words!
Wonderful upload. Enjoyed my friend.
Jerry. Talking about a man who understands restoration. Appreciate the kind words!
Thank you for this video. Acquired a C-1 restored Silver Surfer #4 8.5 white pages and the cover’s color absolutely blows away any other copy I’ve ever seen of this book! It only had a little spot of amateur black sharpie along the spine, hardly noticeable at all. It didn’t make any sense to me to pay more for a lesser grade and more faded book. I would’ve lost this book to some other lucky collector had I approached this with the sticky goose bias 😂.
Hi Yolobro. thanks for sharing. Silver Surfer 4 is my favorite cover from the silver age. Congrats on getting that book.
Triple liked 👍 👍 👍 for the deep analysis. Keep it up Keston
heh, heh. I see you got to the "outlier like" part.
Top notch stuff. I’ve always been open to purple thinking of it as a gateway to a book I would not be able to afford otherwise (AF15, FF1, Hulk 1, etc) with the intention of trading up to better grades when possible. You’ve done EVEN BETTER. First video I’ve seen on the value a purple label provides when getting into silver (and especially) into gold era books. That is, supply. They make up 20%-50% of a low volume market which makes considering purple a no brainer.
Appreciate it Kozy. Yeah, I tried to treat the topic with more nuance. There's a big difference between "settling" for a purple label book for a Hulk 181 vs an AF15 or a Bat1 :-)
Outstanding as always Keston!!
Thanks RCC! Good to hear from you.
Great video Keston! I have a few purple labels, but only 1 of which I regret.
I have a fantastic four 1 in a 2.0 signed by Stan Lee. It's awesome and I got it for like a third of the equivalent blue label. I wasn't willing to spend the money for the blue label and I'm not going in debt for a comic book.
The next is a golden age Captain America. I just wanted a golden age Schomburg Cap without breaking the bank.
Next is a MAD comics 9 and I don't care one way or another if it's restored or not.
The one I regret is I got an Avengers 1 restored and really I was just being cheap, it wasn't really even that expensive at the time to get the equivalent blue label. I'll most likely trade up on that one.
Anyways I wish some UA-camrs would be a bit more mindful of how they come across. An opinion is fine but when you are talking like a purple label is trash then that's going too far. The 2 UA-camrs that are pretty out spoken against this probably couldn't afford your Captain America 1 (I couldn't either)
Anyways I don't like books that look like rag muffins and would rather have a nice looking purple label but I'm not going to dog someone's choice.
Hi WG. That's a nice collection you have. Good move on the Schomburg Cap, especially. The Marvel Mystery and Cap cover runs are likely the best series among all the golden age. I get your judgment on the Avengers 1.
Proud owner of a restored AF15 in an A3 restored 9.2. I paid under 4% of the blue label price, which I find ridiculous.
Something that no one has touched on in this discussion yet is the cost of restoration. Let's say my book started at a 2.5 (which I think is low, but whatever) - shouldn't we add the price of the restoration to the 2.5 blue price? I'm sure it isn't cheap.
Congrats for getting a great book nixknacks! Usually a book will get punished so that the restored copy will cost less than when it was unrestored. The prevailing notion is that collectors should disincentivize restoration. If value were added by restoring books to look nicer, few books would remain universal, so the logic goes. Appreciate the comment, my friend.
2.5 restored up to a 5.0 is worth a fraction of what it was originally as a 2.5
I recently just acquired my first Restored book (Hangman 3 5.0). I can confirm though it may be anecdotal, that there wasn’t a another copy readily available.
I love the WWII cover and the Hangman is a very interesting (antihero) character.
WOW! Those early MLJ books are super tough. Hangman 3 is the best cover out of the bunch imho. Congrats.
When i buy purple labels I always think of the ship of Theseus to gage what restoration I’m okay with , how much was added.
hi Zach. Great imagery and analogy there. Thank you.
I've been a big promoter of purple label books. Currently I'm making payments on a Detective 38 7.0 restored. The funny thing is the price for it was significantly cheaper than 0.5 blue label. This really doesn't make sense to me. The restoration was moderate probably would be a 4.0 or 5.0 if the restoration was removed.
CCG! I knew you would enjoy this video. Certainly at .5 and 1.0 blue prices, I think purple label books are a god deal. Congrats on that amazing book btw!
One of those TMNT #1's is my 9.4 "restored"! I have to send ir back to them to get the restoration removed as it is a C-1 restoration on 2 small spine tics.
Hi Rodney, Thanks for commenting. I hope that the color touch can be removed without much harm to the book.
restoration is looked down upon by almost all comic collectors and its sad. Comic books were NOT meant to last forever. Sooner or later everyone is going to have to take all those comics out of their plastic tombs and have them worked on. ALL of our worlds artworks and historical documents have at one time had restoration done. If its good enough for multi million dollar pieces of art its good enough for comics.
There are some things that people do to comics that are NOT restoration tho. Trimming, photocopying pages with value stamps - stuff like that is NOT restoration. Restoration is done for the welfare of the book, not so someone can make more money. Keep up the awsome videos :)
Hi Terry. That's a good point. I don't know if we can stave off deterioration forever. Will conservation be ok to do over time? I think CGC is trying to address conservation with their relatively new gray label. For example, replacing rusty staples with good ones would be considered conservation (gray label) as opposed to restoration (purple label). I do think they should be considered differently.
If I had some of these comics with defects I would be happy 😊
I hear ya!
Great video.
Thank you Roy!
I call BS on anyone who says a Restored Comic is not valuable or worthy of a Mic-Drop.... How is it restored cars, paintings, homes, or any other item in the world of collecting is super valuable but a Comic Book isn't... I think everyone who believes that has been brain washed by CGC into believing what is valuable and what isn't... I buy Purple restored books all the time as they look amazing and are just as valuable.
I do have a specific question in mind that I can't seem to get a satisfactory answer to online, even on the CGC boards.
This only concerns low-end CGC graded GA books, I guess 2.5 and under, with a purple label that says "glue on spine". Wouldn't the glue on spine make it a 2.0 +/- anyway? Isn't glue indicative of a low grade, with or without CGC? How is it an anomaly in that grade? And why is old glue considered restoration but old tape is considered a "defect" when tape so often causes more damage in both eye appeal and page destruction? Why would the glue matter that much anyway at such a low grade - while a taped spine gets a blue label? Isn't it only the scarlet letter of the purple label that condemns the book, and not the grade itself?
Is it possible that CGC "restored" label is (or should be) negligible on low-end GA more or less, especially when it is only glue? And wouldn't it be a good idea to de-slab purple-label low grade GA books? I can't see the benefit in keeping it slabbed in the purple, not only with the onus of the "label of death" but in future sales as well, considering it's low grade anyway. Wouldn't it be easier to sell and more desirable to buy without the purple slab, as long as the buyer is aware of the glue?
Thank you everyone for any insight you can give into the dreaded purple label.
Hi Bull. Great questions. Those are tricky. The relative recent CGC book on grading has helped me answer similar questions. Definitely worth buying. In the next few months I hope to make a video on the labels. Often it's clear cut about what the label should be but sometimes it's tricky and I want to address some of those issues. Thanks for commenting.
I’m really interested in the price of conserved books vs restored as I personally see conserved books on the same level as blue label. I wouldn’t bat an eye buying a conserved book like it’s literally not even a factor for me personally.
That's interesting Randall. Yeah, I'm not quite knowledgeable about the topic but I may dive in at some point. Here's a sticky issue for me. Some time leafcasting to add pieces is conservation...I guess because it helps protect the integrity of the book. I'm still forming an opinion :-)
I have a conserved Action Comics 12 4.5. General thought is that it’s worth half of what a blue label action 12 would go for around my peeps. Which sucks, but better than the restored 1/10th value calculation I often see.
So I pretty much am scoring a Showcase 22 in 4.0 at half the price. It's my grail and it is affordable. It is STILL THE BOOK. It also allows shlubs like me to get books that are otherwise never available to us. Anyways. Good to hear positivity in regards to this label.
Hi Matt, Glad to give a little love to the purple label. And, yo'u've got great taste. Showcase 4 is a book I've had my eye on for a while. One of the top 5 most important books in the hobby, imho.
@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842 I agree. I noticed the seller upped the price by almost 800 overnight. It is ranked as a C-1 too. That gives me some pause. At that money, I am better off buying a 1.0 or 2.0 blue label. I found that I have to be very judicious when looking at Purple label books. You got to check the FMV. I found that some were charging at or more than Blue label prices. That seems a bit off to me.
So I’m the Steven from the video. Never saw this video until today. Well made as always. Exactly what cover cleaning did they do to that Batman 1 that is even noticeable by CGC? You think this cleaning raised the book’s grade from a 7.5 to a 9.0. That’s a huge jump… so what did they do?
Also, I have a 7.0 Batman 1 with moderate restoration. I’d give that and a good chunk of cash for an unrestored 1.8 which just sold for $138,000
Thank you. Good observation. I was being conservative with the 7.5. Probably would have gotten higher. Sounds like you have an amazing collection (with the Bat1). Do you have a special collecting niche? I'm a classic cover guy more than anything else.
@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842I’m boring. 1st appearances, 1st appearances and 1st appearances. I have some nice books, but i’m more about high grade stuff, so the precludes me from going too far into the Golden Age. My biggest GA books are the aforementioned Restored Bat 1, the Conserved Action 12 4.5 (1st appearance of Batman!) and the 2nd highest graded 1st Alfred, a Batman 16 9.0 white pages. That’s about it. Everything else is silver age or newer with some Big Boy Bronze and newer books. Working on a TMNT #1 9.8 which would quickly become my most valuable book.
@stevenloube6784 Very nice! That explains your less-than-enthusiastic response to the restored MF52 (which I still love). I like high grade and golden age but major first appearances are out of reach for me. At one time I had some big boy silver-age books: 9.2 copies of ASM1 and TOS 39, and an 8.0 JIM 83. ...good luck with your pursuits. I hope you get that TMNT 1, 9.8. Super sweet book!
@@kestonsoldschoolcomicbooks6842well I’m just not ready to “drop the mic” for a book that’s worth like ~$20,000 considering all the other cool books you guys were showing. You’re 8.0 Cap 1, even restored, is way cooler!
You have an instagram or email?
People assume like sticky or other random people that Golden Age comics are worthless but they do not know what they are missing out on.
I surely covet the golden age! :-)
Sickygoose is my boy but I could careless about a purple label, heck I just picked up a AC 242 restored color touch last night lol.
There ya go. Congrats on the AC 242, OAC. Really tough silver age book to acquire.
Great video bud. Spot on!
Laurence, my man! thanks my friend.
I bought a Hulk Annual #1 with two front covers from a comic book shop years ago for under $20. I sent it in to CGC a couple of years ago and received a purple label because the first cover was married to the second cover using glue. It received a 3.5 for the top cover and 4.5 for the second cover as a C-1. I'm really not sure how you would price something like that because it has two covers with restoration.
Hi Robert. Wow, that's a weird one. From your description it sounds like the 2nd cover was added as opposed to the book being manufactured that way. I'm guessing the book won't get a bonus for the 2nd cover and will be treated like a 3.5 or 4.5 C-1. Regardless, it's a cool conversation piece.
Sorry. I meant it was a 3.5 for the top cover and a 4.5 for the original cover.
My grandad comes from the antiques world, and the opinion of restoration there is very different to comics. In antiques they recognise the difference between GOOD restoration and POOR restoration. It's as if the comic collecting community, on average, can't think about levels of restoration; they can't see past the colour purple. It's a hilariously simplistic view, and it's testament to how CGC has got way too much influence...
Hi alpertroncp2198. Thanks for taking time to comment my friend. It's interesting how different hobbies treat restoration. In my opinion, CGC has done a better years describing the degree and quality of restoration over the years. Totally agree with your main point: many (most?) comic book collectors don't look into the details. They see the purple label and they run.
Just another option if you want a book and can't afford a blue label. I'd rather have a high grade qualified book instead. What I really have a problem with is people having color touch removed to get a blue label. Just took a good looking book and made it look bad. Just leave it alone. It is what it is.
Hi 50TBRD. Yeah, sometimes it can be removed with little loss of eye appeal....but other times...ouch.
If the book is from the last 30-35 years then there should be no reason to pick up a purple label but if it old then that take a lower grade or a purple copy. It always better to own a book then not to.
Exactly. I lump 0.5s 1.0s and moderately and extensively restored books in the same category for the old-timey, expensive books. Any book in any condition feels alright to me. :-)
Great video!
Appreciate it VV. Thanks for stopping by.
The fear of restoration is pathetic. Some people accept clean+press, writing on covers, even tape but freaks out over a reinforced centerfold. Seriously? old yellow tape by little Timmy is better than archival material from a pro? Scribble over a slight color touch?
Hi Poison. Yeah, the lines drawn between what counts as restoration and what doesn't is blurry. I will say that the CGC grading guide (the book published last year) does a nice job of providing rationale.
The same company, that trashes minor color touch on comics with the purple label of death,
grades signed comics as high as 9.8 and considers store stamps no big deal.
There is no such thing as a NM signed book. Sorry, it's not really a thing. Someone wrote on your book
These are not serious people
Hi Holy. Yeah....I am not a fan of signatures on books either. To each their own. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Capt America 1 is a great book, so the Action comics 1 rule applies -- purple ok
Haha. Thanks Ben. Cap 1 is in that middle ground of ultra-golden age grail. Can't quite hang with Action 1, 'Tec 27, Bat 1, Supe 1, and Marvel 1...but is a step or two ahead of most others.
Openly scorning purple labels is an exercise in spitefulness. A religiosity that a rational person would never embrace as dogma. The act of restoration is an observance of a higher reach in collecting. It is the preservation of limited print sequential art. Explaining it to an irrational blue label exclusivist is a matter of them understanding that they in fact actively view comics as a commodity, and not an art. They all get my condemnation.
Thank you Joshua for your comments. Purple labels are certainly a polarizing topic. To each their own, but I personally think that restoration (and certainly conservation) should not be scorned.
I'll take a 1.0 blue Detective 27 over a restored 9.0, can't stomach the purple label
Appreciate the input kevns689. They certainly aren't for all people. I'm especially looking forward to hearing people's reaction to this video. It's a topic that divides the community.
Is it me or does it look like that 9.0 Detective comics has been cut on the top and right edges? Or is this not counted? Sorry just cane across the vid and not that knowledgeable about such things
They would have put it on label if it was cut
Hi Flex. Yep. I agree with MetalBum. Some of these books were manufactured poorly so all the edges aren't cut perfectly. CGC will definitely check for trimming. Trimming can be tough to detect on your own, unless you have another universal copy to compare it to.
I am interviewing Ivan Briggs tonight on my channel. You’re one I was thinking about bringing on to talk briefly about the restored data and history with Golden age.
What is your email and we can connect?
Hi Alex. Thanks for reaching out. khoo75@yahoo.com. Also, sent you info re instagram. -Keston
Excellent video.
Thanks Mark. Appreciate the kind words.