Defects on Four Tops and Martha 50th Anniversary Sets

[daviddesper]

Like many of you, I purchased and treasured these two sets when they came out. However in both cases, the spine has come unglued so that when you open the package, the outside casing separates from the booklet and the CDs. The best way I can describe it is to picture a cover that might come off a hardbound book leaving you with the front and back covers in one hand, and all the pages of the book in the other.

In addition, on the Tops set there is an odd quirk in the book. Pages 43-44 were cut strangely, so that page is larger than the others and sticks out. Did anyone else experience any of these defects with their copies? it was certainly not from my neglect. In fact I stored them very carefully and each one had probably only been played once or twice.

My two follow-up questions are: Could these possibly be re-glued so that the books would hold together as intended? and If I should attempt to sell one or both, how much of a price concession should I make if I disclosed the defects so that a buyer would know what they were getting? After all, the music and the informational booklets are great, except for that one defect with the Tops.

[kenneth]

My standard on things like that are that if I plan to keep it, then I repair it. If I plan to sell it I’ll leave it as is and sell it that way, because there’s likely people who are better at me then repairing such items. And in some market places, the repaired item is never worth as much as if you left it alone even if there’s a defect. Just a couple things to consider.

[fightingirish46]

Last year I bought the collections you mentioned and had one of them with them seam loose. I basically took a little glue to it and clamped it. I figured it would have happened if I bought it when it came out.

[woodward]

I checked mine but I only have the M&V one. Mine has the top cover seam loose, but not the back cover loose. My speculation from looking at mine is that the glue was not a high quality glue and eventually dried out. It seems as though that is what happened to mine.
As long as it is not torn, I would simply explain the matter to a prospective buyer. If selling it on eBay you could set a higher price that you hope to obtain [Buy It Now] or make offer and see what results from that. As long as it is intact and not torn loose, I would not fret about it. Pages all intact and no defects whatsoever.

[luckyluckyme]

My 4 Tops is, my Martha & the Vandellas isn't unglued.