Yellow Kid

All the usual rules. Payment in cash, various types of checks or money orders, PayPal Shipping is free. Returns okay if not as advertised. Brown's Blue Ribbon Book of Jokes and Jingles, 1904, 16 pages, art signed by R. F. Outcault. This is likely the first nationally distributed comic premium. What most people don't realize is that four different varieties of booklet #1 exist. There is a green one that is probably a publisher's proof, a first printing with Pore Li'l Mose on the back cover, a second printing with the Yellow Kid replacing Pore Li'l Mose, and a third printing calling it Buster Brown's Blue Ribbon Book. The copy I am advertising is the first printing, and when the Price Guide lists the different varieties, it will be the most valuable. This is a very low grade copy, probably fair, and you need to look at the pictures carefully. Cost is $200 Booklet #2 is in nice condition except it is missing the first wrap. A color Xerox is attached. Interior pages are VG/F. This was published in 1906, also with 16 pages and art by R. F. Outcault. Cost is $75 Booklet #4 is nicer but has tape on the spine. It was published in 19j10, also with 16 pages, but the art is nice but is not signed by R. F. Outcault and probably was drawn by a house artist. Cost is $200 Buy all three for $400 Please ask any questions before buying.

Tobacco shops had a large bowl of pinbacks and when you bought cigarettes, you could take one. As I recall without checking, I think they started in 1896 with a run of 16 buttons with publishing information in blue on the bottom center of the face of the pin.. They were very popular and another batch was ordered that included #1-39 with information in red and a paper insert in the back. They remained popular and new orders included a filled shiny black back and the easel backs. The next orders enlarged the scope of the set with filled metal backs from #1-94. As popularity started to decrease, the focus of the poins switched from comic sayings to flags and they ran from #101-160. Some groups just advertised Admiral Cigarettes, some also featured High Admiral Cigarettes, and finally some featured Yellow Kid Cigarettes. All cigarettes were made by the National Tobacco Company. If you think about it, this is why the low numbers are common as they were reprinted to many times, and the higher numbers are more difficult to find

I have been looking at my ducks and enjoying the memories associated with most of them. Dangerous Disguise (FC 308) has always been a favorite from the time I bought it at the drugstore and found Barks using real people in the story.

The Yellow Kid easel back pins are quite distinctive. The front has a rolled wire rim framing the button. The reverse has a metal back with an attached easel frame that allows the pin to stand. If you raise the easel piece, you can easily read the information on the metal back. If you raise the easel part way, the pin will stand just like an artist's easel.

Good point, Frank, and I have always considered the first one from 1931 and I like your logic. Also, taxes were a red hot topic in 1933 and Gray hated taxes and so that might well date the other card.

Thanks for your research, Frank. It does show that 1931 was their first year at the Croton address, but unfortunately for my purposes they also sent cards from there for the next several years so I don't think I can use the address to distinguish between the years that the cards were sent. The cards were mailed nearly 100 years ago, so it is really hard to find families who saved them.

I am trying to complete a research project on Harold Gray's annual Little Orphan Annie Christmas cards. I have been fortunate to get most of the information, but I still have two major questions. 1. Harold and Doris sent a very nice LOA card when the strip began in 1924. They were probably going to send another one in 1925, but Doris died around Thanksgiving and I have not been able to find any indication that he sent their card after she died, and I usually assume that he didn't send it. Does anyone have an example of the 1925 card? 2. The other problem is that although he remarried and began sending cards again, he rarely dated them. If you don't find the envelope with the card, it is hard to know the year of the card. I have two examples of their cards from the early 1930's but they aren't dated. Does anyone have an early card from that period of 1931, 1932, and 1933. I am sure I have two of them, but I don't know which years they are for sure. If you can identify the years either or both of my cards were mailed, I would really appreciate the information. And of course if you have the card from that period that I am missing, I would appreciate seeing it. I am attaching the two cards that I have from those years. I am interested in a Xerox or scan, or the card itself. I would be happy to trade for or purchase either of the missing cards. Thanks, Richard

Thanks for the kind words. Long ago my big goal was to complete my set of WDCS, but I did that 50 years ago. When I subsequently discovered the Yellow Kid, I also learned what rare really means in a hobby. Something is rare when you can't find the item for sale in any condition at any price.

The Yellow Kid pinbacks were published in a variety of formats but most collectors agree that the easel back variety is the most desirable. I have been trying to complete the.39 pin set for over 30 years and this week I was finally fortunate to achieve that goal. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only complete set so I wanted to share it with you.

Check my website if you want to read about the Yellow Kid in Truth Magazine.

Thanks, I've always treasured Disney comics.

Somewhere out there is a duck collector with very deep pockets who really wanted the FC 178, CGC 9.6, in yesterday's Heritage auction. It made me take a look at mine which sadly reminded me that the cover had experienced a production error and wasn't cut straight. Obviously not a CGC 9.6 but I have always been happy with it.

I don't know Tom, I just saw a painting on ebay and asked him if he had more. He sent me pictures of ten covers and said he was starting to sell his collection. I got the one I liked the most, so I was happy.

In 1973 a St. Louis collector, Tom Kelley, commissioned R. Beaubien to paint ten oil paintings of Barks FC covers. The paintings are such accurate reproductions that the images must have been transferred to the canvass board mechanically and then painted. Like so many senior collectors, Tom began selling his collection a few years ago and I got the pick of the litter: FC 199.

As long as there are at least two serious bidders, it will be the kind of auction that sellers dream of, and I have no doubt that it will bring a record high price for that issue.

I have always been drawn to rarity like a moth to a flame. Because of that I have noticed that when a book is indicated as rare in the Price Guide, it is quite common for the CGC Census to only list at most half of the population. The easy explanation is that older collectors rarely submit their books for grading. In the case of the WDCS #4 CC, I have one friend with a book in the Census and another friend who has a raw copy. So now there are at least seven copies in the hobby and we both suspect there are more than that. It is still very rare and deserving of a nice premium.

The Price Guide states that five copies of the Complimentary Copy of WDCS #4 are known, making it the rarest duck book known. The Price Guide lists it at about a 50% premium to a regular copy of WDCS #4. Some people think it is worth less, some people think it is worth more, what do you think? I thought it would be interesting to see what a you think as most of you are active collectors.

Over the past several years, a lot of the Barks classic covers and paintings have been reproduced on canvas, sometimes even with a change in the coloring scheme. Recently I saw a variation of the cover for FC 238 that was so attractive that I couldn't resist it.

Hey, enjoy the show, Frank. It's always fun to see old friends and maybe even find a book or two.

To be honest, I just assumed it was Kelly because I knew he did the second one. Mea culpa!

The recent interest in Barks Donald Duck books outside of the Four Color series prompted me to take a look at my collection. I had forgotten how much I liked the March of Comics issues after #4, 20, and 41. The next two issues, #56 and #69 each had covers by Walt Kelly and a small amount of art by Barks on the back cover . I thought Kelly's cover on #69 was especially striking.

The sales results for DD #27 and #28 were driven by covers but not stories from Barks. It makes me wonder what DD #45 and #54, each of which has a great full length story, would sell for in this market. I;m sure it won't be long before we find out.

What a beautiful first year set! Congrats!

Fortunately a good friend at OSU found the information for me. You can read the article in the next issue of the Comic Book Price Guide.