Piece Replacement
A few things a collector can look for when trying to detect if any pieces have been replaced.
Comic Book Daily
Discussing the minutiae of comic book collecting.
Comic Book Daily
Discussing the minutiae of comic book collecting.
detection
Read MorePiece Replacement
Staple Manipulation
A book might have its staples restored – either through cleaning or outright replacement.
Trimming
Trimming is easily the most difficult form of restoration to detect, at least with any degree of certainty.
Halftone patterns and overpainting
But more than a quick glance at almost any comic book cover in existence will reveal that all the blue’s, red’s, green’s and especially grey’s are far more than a simple blotch of colour on paper.
Blacklights
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.