Or...How I learned to relax and love the bomb

As we all know - the registry assigns a point value to every book that is in a competitive set ranging from single digits to thousands of points for individual issues.

And - there is (or was - I haven't looked in some time) a fairly straightforward explanation of the point process which says that points are assigned based on the perceived value, desire by collectors, and how rare/scarce the book is - point value is then assigned for a particular universal grade and then an algorithm is applied to assign grades for all the other possible combinations of grades and restoration and signatures to arrive at a value for each particular book. This seems fair.

If each of my readers don't know I have two primary collections - Strange Adventures, which I won't discuss here, and the go-go check collection. The go-go check collection has the advantage of being limited to a very specific time frame - 1966 & 1967 - so when I compare equal grades from books in this set, the point values should be reasonably similar, with the exception of key issues. But, well - let's look below.

For NM books (9.4) in the go-go check collection that I currently have, point values range from 144 to 480 points. Since the single 480 book is a minor key (first SA Plastic Man) I will exclude it from this discussion. The next highest point value is 420.

So the least valuable book (in points) is Young Love 57 at 144 points. Right - try to find romance books in high grade - the demand may be low, but the scarcity is through the roof and the final hammer price at auction is quite high - substantially more money was spent on this book than any of the four books that the set gets 420 points from, or even the single book that brings in 480.

The next lowest point totals come from Strange Adventures 200 (150 points), Plastic Man 2, 4, & 5 (160 points) Challengers of the Unknown 54 (165), and Capt. Storm 14 & 18 (195)...hold on a moment, Capt. Storm? Really? Again - try to find any high grade issues of Capt. Storm.

In the 200s - World's Finest 164, Strange Adventures 191, 192, & 198 (210), Tales of the Unexpected 94 (240), Teen Titans 9 (240 - really? Teen Titans? you can't give this away and it is readily avaiable for purchase).

In the 300s - Adventure Comics 344, Brave & the Bold 70 (300), Sea Devils 34 (360 - ok, this makes sense - grey toned cover), Justice League of America 52 (360), Our Army at War 173 (375 - all the war books should be this high).

400s - Wonder Woman 164, 165, 170, and Flash 166 (420 points)...at least these books have demand - even if there are plenty of copies...

So - where do the points really come from? Superheroes.

But why? Superheroes are the most readily availble books in high grade...

I don't know - but I feel better for having had my rant for the quarter.

Happy Hunting!

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