sfcityduck

Sorry, sold that set. The prints are way better than the comics if you want to be able to look at them up on a wall. More durable and no worries.

It is amazing! I feel like this thread has jaded folks a little about Dave. I don't know of an earlier article about a comic collector. I would be shocked if he knew about Thrill 1 and Flash 1. But, he did live in D.C. and maybe the info was available in government records (LoC, copyright, trademark). Still, I was thinking he was looking for Whiz 1 (which didn't exist) and Slam Bang 1.

I thought "whiteness" went to the newsprint pages not the FC.

Now if CGC would just start telling us whether the Superman 1 is a "on sale soon" or "now on sale" edition! You open the books, it is material info (1st/early print versus 2nd and/or 3rd print), it is more worth noting than a lot of things that are noted by CGC (which includes stuff not in Overstreet). Note: I'm not shooting the messenger, just noting something that CGC is hesitant to do on GA books it seems - note variants like Superman 1, Marvel Comics 1, subscription copies, etc. Heck, if you did it, a lot of people would probably need to resubmit their books so you'd make some money.

For those curious as to what happened to Dave's record collection - from Scott County Times, April 22, 1970 - McMullan was a cousin I believe.

Correction: It is two billing increments. Once an attorney hits 7 minutes, you get a .2.

The thing about him, is I've heard he could exagerate.

For those not understanding why I'm asking about the Billy Wright stash: https://lithub.com/the-man-who-made-millions-from-old-comics-in-a-closet/ He has retained a selection of Wright’s comic books and is saving them “for a rainy day.” Until then, he said, “I don’t do anything differently. I still go to work every day. I fish a lot . . . I have to say it really hasn’t changed my life.”

Two questions: (1) Did the stash of the Wright books held back by the original consignor ever come to market and if so when? (2) Did the Jimmy Jacobs collection ever come to market and if so when? Thanks!

New and fascinating Wigransky discovery - a Wigransky Article from the Evening Starr of July 19, 1946: Here's what it says: Here' Here's what we learn: * In 1946, Dave's collection was 1,240 comics. (It would number 5,000 to 6,000 two years later) and he'd joined and had pins for a bunch of comic clubs (remember he won a Pep comic as a member of the Shield club); * He was amassing a "a complete set of the Fawcett publications" which he "never let any one else handle them, and I very seldom handle myself" - again, reinforcing that Dave was keeping his collection in top condition - and was looking for Master Comics 1 and 2 which "he heard about but not seen" which evidence he was in contact with other comic fans as was the fact that other young comic fans were coming to him with questions; * The walls of his room were covered with "his own drawings of comic characters, photographs of admirals and generals and a few Varga girls" showing he had pretty normal WWII young teen boy attitudes; * Dave was focused on "first editions [no. 1s] of comics books, especially valuable numbers in which new characters had appeared for the first time" showing Dave was focused on "keys" at that point; * Dave believed that "comic books started in 1933"; * Dave had a pretty sophisticated opinion that comic quality dropped off in 1943 because of shrunken page counts, increased ads, and the best artists joining the military - this was clearly next level thinking for any comic fan in 1946; * Dave used a "lecture tone" in reciting comic history (probably annoyed the reporter enough that he mentioned it); * His mom wanted him to become a Baptist preacher and was a little disturbed he was a comic fanatic (if only Wertham had known!); and * Dave was advertising a service for researching comic and cartoon history at 5 cents a subject (which is what got him in the newspaper). Amazing stuff! My question: What was the first article about a comic collector?

Its human nature. The controversy according to some was that Bob allegedly dampened the prices on books he needed and inflated the prices on books he had. I don't know if there was any truth to that. All I know is that after the guide came out, comics that hadn't sold for a year were suddenly getting price increases at the comic stores. Even I understood that made no real sense.

Certain undergrounds are incredibly under priced given their literary import. Of the two I'm thinking of, I own the best CGC'd copy of one and the second best of another. Some day the market will realize how important these comix are. The literary world already does. But, there is a strong bias against undergrounds in the comic collecting market even when they transcend the underground scene.

But the Superior-EC's are! WAAAAAHAAAAAHAAAAAHAAAAAA! (but they are foreign editions - just pull an Ian and define your quest as only US comics)

Overstreet definitely pushed up prices because without price increases each year why buy the book? But he also attempted to dampen the price increases. Now, there is no restraint on the market at all. The market has ALWAYS been divorced from any economic rationality other than hype. Comics are truly a "tulip market." Just like art and Bitcoin. There is no rational value proposition (unlike gold, commodities, real estate, and non-fraudulent stocks), so prices could collapse at any moment. But its amazing how hype can make people irrational - maybe even for a lifetime.

Yep. What saddens me is a number of books we see coming up repeatedly for auction have entered a spin cycle of flipping and are not being bought by collectors at all. Hariri, at least, was a collector with a very intense emotional association with Superman. But you know what makes me feel good about the hobby? I know of guys who acquired their action no. 1s in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Some, like Dave Anderson (the king of the hill) will likely never sell. Others I thought would sell by now but would rather hold than sell even with the astronomical increases because (1) they love the book and (2) probably have FOMO of missing the book and the constant increase in value more than they want the money. But the clock is ticking ...

And good news for me, thanks to Kayo Books in SF, I was able to snag one of the 250 (numbered 80/250) Jolsonography books that Dave produced in 1969 (the year he died): It is crazy detailed. Including with pasted in xerox's of record labels: He definitely had a level of OCD that puts a lightweight like me to shame. This book was definitely a major goal for him, all the more strange that after achieving it he committed suicide. Or maybe not.

Congrats to whoever snatched up the "Raising Hell" by Dave Jay for $750 on Biblio or ABE etc.! Welcome to the club.

Ed, I admire your restraint. If I was an EC completist, I don't know how I could not crave these: Heck, all the Superior/EC publications in Canada are super cool, the WF 1 and WS 1 are particularly notable because the interior contents have been switched! And a whole bunch of them have hybrid EC-Superior branding that's cool: But, hey, you've reached pretty much the end of the road right? No need to lengthen the quest, right?

Hi on my list!

This would be a good place to post it.

Thanks saw that about a week ago. Posted it on my main Wigransky thread. Call me crazy but I am ok with the descriptions of me and the thread as they aren’t far from accurate.

Heritage should know. They might not tell you, but wouldn't they pass on the info to the buyer?

Interesting topic. I think you got the first GA (Terry Tunes - although maybe Ka-zar was also technically licensed in MC 1 as he first appeared in a 1937 pulp put out by Manvis Publishing) and the Bronze Age down (Conan), but how about the SA? I'd toss out this to get the conversation started:

The main thread on Wigransky explains that. Basically, he took up that aka for purposes of dealing records, putting out his own 45s, putting out his own book, and for his DJ act. His friends verify. “Dave Jay” not only was a riff on DJ but his friends in the Jolson collecting community said he meant the “Jay” to stand for Jolson. And the address in the ad is his residence. 100% certainty. Grant Geissman confirmed Russ bought the books for $300. That price was more than the then record of $250 paid for an Action 1.

I have been continuing to investigate the ultimate fate of Dave Wigransky's legendary collection of more than 6,000 Golden Age comics (likely thousands more) as pictured here in 1948: It is now clear that sometime between the late 1950s and 1966 he embarked on a selling program. My guess is that the last comics he sold could have been these from a remarkable ad in RBCC 44 he took out under his nom de plume of Dave Jay. A complete mint EC set was sold by him to Russ Cochran through this ad: A complete mint set of the EC new trend really stood out in that issue of RBCC! Sure there were some other great books being sold by founders of comic fandom like Jerry Bails and Glenn Goggin - check out this ad with All-Star 3-7, CA 1, CM Jr. 1, etc.: But they do not include long runs. I have to assume that Dave took out other ads for runs of his comics just like he did for the ECs. Perhaps he sold the ECs last (would make sense as he loved them and was buying MAD up to the date of the ad), but I have yet to find any other ads by Wigransky. Only one other ad in that RBCC had the kind of content that Dave Wigransky would have been selling - this: Dave is reported to have sold a lot of his comics to an early dealer. Perhaps this is the dealer that bought Dave's run and pieced it out? Possible. But that is sheer unfounded crazy baseless speculation. And the thing is that while that incredible run of Batman, described as being "fine" to "almost mint", is the kind of material I'd expect to see Dave Wigransky selling, that ad is by dealer William Ostfeld. Seems unlikely that Dave sold out to him as he was pretty far away from DC - in Chicago: I need some help. I believe Dave took out ads sometime from 1960 to 1966 in a major fanzine or adzine to sell his comics. I have no access to 1965 - 1966 issues of RBCC other than the one I bought b/c I knew Dave was in it. Those are a high value target. It's possible Dave started selling even earlier in 1961 or before. Dave may also have had ads in early issues of Alter Ego and Xero as he appears to have known about those publications. I would be very grateful if anyone who owns those fanzines, especially RBCC in 1965-1966, would give them a run through for sale ads by "Dave Jay" or "Dave Wigransky." It is for a good cause! Look for books being sold in groups (probably full runs). Also let me know if you know links to sites with the content of RBCC or Xero. Thanks for any help! Backstory on why I ask: