sfcityduck

Barks' Ducks are super-plentiful in lower grades. But, I think they are not so plentiful in the highest grades. Most of the highest graded copies are file copies, and those don't necessarily have the best PQ. Still, I view nice presenting CGC 7.5 to 9.0 with at least ow/w as a safe purchase that will likely hold their value moving forward and worth doing because these books are one of the pillars of the hobby. I don't think it is worth slabbing many Barks' books below 7.5. But, I think the appeal will be lasting because these are iconic stories, by an iconic storyteller, about an iconic character. You can never know what the future will hold. Sure certain lurid covers get a lot of love now, but the next generation of collectors can see much more lurid pictures on the internet and might find that collecting goal a bit creepy in a "me too" world.

I was the under-bidder on the above copy. Broke my heart, but I thought I could find a better copy. Turns out I did: 2nd Highest (1/1), the only better copy is an 8.5. First Uncle Scrooge cover by Barks!

Why? Highest graded is highest graded. Let's assume the MH Action 1 is the single best copy in existence (a safe assumption, I think), will it really matter to its price whether it grades out as a 9.2 (Fishler's view) or 9.4 (Borock's view)? I don't think [so]. World's best Action 1 is worth what its worth because it is the best, not because its a 9.4 or 9.2. So if the previously highest graded copy of a book was a 2.0, and then a 9.4 copy is graded, the 9.4 copy should sell for only slightly more than the 2.0 copy because "highest graded is highest graded"? We're comparing 9.2 to 9.4. I gave you a real world example of the MH Action 1 (Borock says 9.4, Fishler 9.2, in either case it is highest graded). I think it holds up.

MC 1 > CA 1 Earlier Rarer Greater comic history significance

Here's my question: There is a J. Siegel copy of Action 7. What about a Siegel (or Shuster) copy of Action 1?

Supposedly DC, or the then head, had a really really nice Action 1, but they took it apart in the early 70s to make the Famous First Edition and then laminated the pages and threw them in a three ring binder which they put in the lobby of the office.

Why? Highest graded is highest graded. Let's assume the MH Action 1 is the single best copy in existence (a safe assumption, I think), will it really matter to its price whether it grades out as a 9.2 (Fishler's view) or 9.4 (Borock's view)? I don't think. World's best Action 1 is worth what its worth because it is the best, not because its a 9.4 or 9.2.

X-Men 143:

Avengers 185-187:

Steve, Good news! You've got more targets to collect. Where are all the newspaper articles? Have you got a clippings file? Near and dear to your heart, for example, there are some really interesting articles on The Nightingale.

I just got the grade for another book from this collection - a WDCS 125 (first Junior Woodchucks). I'm not disappointed with the grade of 9.0 white (1/1 with three copies higher - 2 9.2s and a 1 9.4), which is right in my favored wheelhouse. However, I am perplexed by a grading note which makes me wonder if they downgraded my book for something that I think enhances its value. Here's the note: "address/date/name stamp bottom of right cover" WTF? That's a reference to the the PRINTED subscription address on this incredibly high grade white SUBSCRIPTION VARIANT! Does the fact its in the grader's notes mean that they down-graded my book for being a subscription variant!?! I ask because THIS GRADER'S NOTE WAS NOT PUT ON THE ABOVE WDCS 137 THAT ENDED UP GETTING A RECORD PRICE IN HERITAGE'S LAST AUCTION. But, they did put the same note on another books from this collection - a WDCS 139 9.0 White (1/3; 4 higher - 2 9.2 and 2 9.4). Opinions wanted and welcome! I'm thinking about pestering CGC about this one. These high grade subscription variants deserve accolades not a down grade because they have a subscription address!

Lots of Timely WWII on Heritage now. Probably a great time to buy.

Thats because a lot of folks don't collect titles anymore. When I started collecting in the 70s, the goal was to get every appearance of the titles or characters you loved. ItThis was before the volume of reprints (archives, masterworks, omnibus) we have now, and the goal was to get the full story. Collecting SA comics was NOT about "keys" (most of what are now called keys were just issues back then), unless you were a "speculator" (which was a bad word). So if you were collecting ASM, but not other spidey titles, you might want ASM 1 more than AF 15. The better analogy might be to comics like Special Edition Comics 1 (8/40 - the first comic book devoted solely to GA Captain Marvel) versus Captain Marvel Adventures 1 (Spring 1941 - first issue of Captain Marvel's solo series) or Harvey Hits 3 (11/57 - first comic devoted solely to Richie Rich) versus Richie Rich 1 (11/60 - first issue of his solo series). Ponder this basic quesiton: Which of these comics are more valuable and why? From today's perspective, it might be hard to tell. From the perspective of the 70s and 80s? It's obvious.

Do you have the Saturday Reviews between May 1948 and the end of September 1948 that had responses to Wertham?

Off-white.

Are you sure that is a reprint? Typically, law and academic journals give authors the opportunity to obtain a bunch of copies of their articles in that format for personal distribution. They are typically printed the same time as the journal. I still have copies of the article I did in law school in that format.

The Kree-Skrull War was legendary when I first started collecting in the later 70s. Before anyone was talking about "story arcs," because everyone was a completest or artist collector back then, Kree-Skrull War was a story arc collected in its whole for the story, as the first half was not Adams art. But all Thomas-Adams books got a premium.

Yep. Jack Kirby literally was Joe Simon's junior partner back then.

Updated status on books submitted at San Francisco Con: VALUE Stated turnaround times when submit: CCS = 45 b days; CGC = 57 b days Date of Con Drop Off - 6/10/2018 CGC Received Date ("Rec-CCS Required") - 6/14/2018 "At CCS" - 7/3/2018 "Received" - 9/7/2018 "Verified" - 11/27/2018.

Dell allowed comic buyers to subscribe to WDC&S. The newsstand copies and the subscription variants, depending on what part of the run we're discussing, either (1) had different back cover art - with the subscription variant having the subscribers name and address printed on the back cover or (2) had the subscribers name and address printed in a black space on the front cover (sort of like a UPC symbol). Because the subscription variants were often vertically folded straight down the middle, they are very hard to find in high grade.

The 9.6 FC 328, on the other hand, did not get the same respect. I was expecting this book to sell for less than the 9.6 FC 328 sold in Heritage's last auction. But, I thought it would be about $600 less, not the $1,200 less that was the result. The back to back auctions of 9.6s probably hurt - the lack of that one bidder who got one last auction made a difference. I also think the date stamp probably hurt the book compared to the file copy. However, collectively the FC 328 and WDC&S 137 yielded almot exactly what I expected, in fact a bit more - $6,240; just not the way I expected.

9.4 file copy sold in 2009 for $1,792.50. 9.4 subscription copy sold in 2018 for $2,880.00. For those that know the Duck market, that's a really really strong result. Looks to me like the high grade subscription variant got the respect it deserved.

I would not put unslabbed comics on a spinner rack. Over time, the rack will damage the comics. The boards can help, but don't eliminate the risk. I use mine for archives/masterworks, and I know others who use racks for reading copies. But, I wouldn't put comics on a rack when you care about their condition.

"New" GA comics that everyone thought were a myth have popped up in recent times, the Double Action 1 (ashcan) being the most obvious example. (I've also had the pleasure of finding comics people knew existed but just never, and I mean that literally, saw: The Nightingale - the only "good comic" according to Wertham; and the original Four Immigrants graphic novel). There are comics that are known to have been printed, but which were seized by the government back in the 40s and destroyed because they were printed in violation of paper publication restrictions. I would not be surprised if some of those supposedly destroyed comics still exist in a government archive. My recollection is that they may have been Rural Home publications (Blue Circle maybe?). I have seen newspapers articles from back then on the incident. Edited to add: Read this: