PRESSING AND CLEANING = RESTORATION (Comic Book Forums)

• PRESSING AND CLEANING = RESTORATION

Author	Discussion
stormraider Teacher Posts: 265 My Collection	Posted: February 5, 2026 1:20:22 am Back in my day, pressing and cleaning was considered restoration. Just because CGC doesn't recognize this fact doesn't mean that it's not restoration. I understand why CGC doesn't disclose this because they make more money offering to perform these services (for a fee, of course) but it's so wrong.
DagNab-iT Collector in Training Location: Florida Posts: 2 My Collection	Posted: February 21, 2026 12:19:12 am yeah, I understand, and mostly agree. I've "cleaned" a comic book I've bought at a yard sale before. I basically just gently wiped down the cover and back, nothing too serious; definitely not professionally done. I suppose that the defining line in my mind; a casual clean for one's collection vs a professional job done to get a book graded higher for profit. I don't think it will go away. And, i do think CGC does a disservice, to collectors, if they offer professional cleaning & pressing/restoration without making a clear distinction on it's book case labels. We'll all need to develop our collective skills in order to spot restored books! *but, how can one examine a slabbed book? sigh* "The news isn't there to tell you what happened. It's there to tell you what it wants you to hear, or what it thinks you want to hear. They already have their stories worked out. They just wait for events to fill in the blanks. When they don't fit, they get sidelined or twisted till they do." (Cyclops - Astonishing X-Men #7)
AmZoMBiE Wise Beyond the Years moderator Location: Michigan Posts: 7116 My Collection	Posted: February 21, 2026 2:08:50 am I kind of disagree. Cleaning is a matter of maintenance...i press my own books, its quick and simple, I'm not performing surgery or doing any deep cleaning... just stabilizing an old book... because pressing a book also stiffens the book a bit... then I switch bags and boards, which is also a matter of maintenance. When you are altering something, that is where restoration starts... Altering, Fixing, or Hiding... all restoration... "How to destroy a man... Grant him his heart's desire." --Victor Von Doom - - - - - - - - - Sent to CGC: Incredible Hulk #340 ... 7.0 Marvel Zombies #1 ..... 9.2 Venom #24 Skottie Young Variant ... 9.4 Recent Pick-Ups: Doomed 2099 #1 Foil Variant Amazing Spider-Man #571 2nd Printing Venom #250 Foil Variant Web of Venomverse: Fresh Brains #1 Design Variant Amazing Spider-Man #61 Doom Variant
stormraider Teacher Posts: 265 My Collection	Posted: February 21, 2026 5:01:08 pm Sports cards are generally not allowed to be pressed—or considered "altered" if they have been—because it is a form of artificial modification used to hide damage and deceive buyers . Professional grading companies like PSA, Beckett, and CGC view pressing as a method that changes the original, natural state of the card. So why does CGC comic book grading turn a blind eye to it in the last few years? Pretty much a lack of integrity and lots of greed, in my opinion. It's the whole industry that has turned a blind eye to it but I name CGC specifically because they are the face of comic book grading. Last edited February 21, 2026 5:11:19 pm
AmZoMBiE Wise Beyond the Years moderator Location: Michigan Posts: 7116 My Collection	Posted: February 21, 2026 5:15:58 pm please explain what you are "Altering" lol... if i stuck a card in a thick book.. i am not altering anything... whys a press any different lol Are you restoring your car everytime you wash it? these words are not synonymous... they do mean different things... Here's an example... Fine Art... The Mona Lisa... If you are simply cleaning the piece it is described as just that, the painting is being cleaned. BUT if you are removing the varnish, fixing patches and re-stretching it onto new wood, you are now restoring the painting, and it's then labeled as such... not the prior... the one place this example differs from comics or cards is the pressing part. A painting would need to be removed from its wood to be pressed, so here it is part of the restoration process, not simply cleaning... Due to Modifying the original... Last edited February 21, 2026 5:32:02 pm "How to destroy a man... Grant him his heart's desire." --Victor Von Doom - - - - - - - - - Sent to CGC: Incredible Hulk #340 ... 7.0 Marvel Zombies #1 ..... 9.2 Venom #24 Skottie Young Variant ... 9.4 Recent Pick-Ups: Doomed 2099 #1 Foil Variant Amazing Spider-Man #571 2nd Printing Venom #250 Foil Variant Web of Venomverse: Fresh Brains #1 Design Variant Amazing Spider-Man #61 Doom Variant
stormraider Teacher Posts: 265 My Collection	Posted: February 22, 2026 1:32:20 am Not going to get in a heated debate about this because everyone has their own opinion on the subject. Bottom line is I'm trying to make a point about the integrity of the comic book grading world. Simply state if a comic has been pressed, cleaned or whatever has been done to it and put it on the CGC Label and let the buyer know (ie: full transparency)..If CGC doesn't want to put a purple label on it then fine but disclose it. Buyers can decide if pressing/cleaning is restoration (it is in my opinion). Just be open about it which is what CGC is not doing. Seems like the CGC doesn't care as long as they can make more money so it's up to the collectors to make CGC disclose the information.. Last edited February 22, 2026 1:38:36 am
AmZoMBiE Wise Beyond the Years moderator Location: Michigan Posts: 7116 My Collection	Posted: February 22, 2026 9:07:50 pm I can fully agree with that... total transparency is definitely the way to go, to give people a choice... at the same time, for example solely... if i pressed my own say 8 years ago, and forgot about it, sent it to get graded, could they tell if i did, if i dont let them know i did? i think that is where a prob could arise from that scenario... i understand though about the ones they do themselves, that would be nice to know... but i stick to my opinion that i dont think pressing and light cleaning is altering a book... "How to destroy a man... Grant him his heart's desire." --Victor Von Doom - - - - - - - - - Sent to CGC: Incredible Hulk #340 ... 7.0 Marvel Zombies #1 ..... 9.2 Venom #24 Skottie Young Variant ... 9.4 Recent Pick-Ups: Doomed 2099 #1 Foil Variant Amazing Spider-Man #571 2nd Printing Venom #250 Foil Variant Web of Venomverse: Fresh Brains #1 Design Variant Amazing Spider-Man #61 Doom Variant
stormraider Teacher Posts: 265 My Collection	Posted: March 6, 2026 12:59:58 am Just watched the film "Selling Superman" and it's a shame that they are pressing and cleaning their comics. There is a scene where you can see an entire row of comic presses all lined up But the scene I really get a kick out of is where the mother is "going to town" on a comic book with an eraser. Such a shame to have a collection like that being cleaned and pressed. On the positive side, CGC is inadvertently doing us a favor by giving them their own label called the "Fantast Collection" so we can identify all these comics as cleaned and pressed.
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