Buzzetta

Going outside my Amazing Spider-man collection and Marvel Keys, I drifted into the world of DC Golden Age. I was sitting around going through eBay and Comiclink auctions these last few months and found myself staring at some of the DC Golden Age books. These publications were crafted in a simpler time. Sure, there was nothing that compared to what Jim Lee does with Batman and Superman. However, that does not mean that these books do not stand out on their own beauty. In the last few months I have picked up Batman 41 in a 6.0, Action Comics 36 in a 6.0, Action Comics 65 in a 7.0 and Action Comics 81 in a 5.0. I also picked up a copy of Superman 15 with slight restoration as it was too beautiful a cover to pass up on. What attracts me to each of these books? In the case of the Batman 41, it was the first Sci Fi cover and to me it opened the door and hinted at the bizarre things to come later on in the run. The Action Comics 65 and 81 were WWII issues and pleasant additions especially because the 81 tells a story by the cover alone. I cannot wait to get the Superman 15 graded as it screams Fleischer Cartoon series. The book I am most proud of is one that I know I overpaid for. The Action Comics #36 was recently won on Comiclink. Winning this book essentially came down to a contest of who would open their wallet the most. I rarely see the book in this condition and for some reason... I cannot explain it... I REALLY wanted it. Where does it stop though? Only time and money will tell. While even a low grade copy of Action Comics 1 is out of the question there are plenty of other books out there that are still within range. I am looking at you Detective Comics 48. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

First submission is finally back in my hands... Let's see what happened. Some pleasant surprises... some no pleasant So back in May, I submitted the following: Amazing Spiderman: 8, 22, 31, 37, 51, 61, 69, 84, 89, 121, 122 X-Men 58, Daredevil 4, Avengers 3, Hulk 340 Let's see what what happened and then I will vent on ASM 8: Hulk 340 - 9.6 Avengers 3 - 5.5 Daredevil 4 - 4.0 X-Men 58 - 6.5 ASM 37 - 6.0 ASM 84 - 9.4 (woohoo!!) ASM 51 - 6.0 ASM 121 - 9.4 (woohoo!!) ASM 122 - 9.2 (woohoo!!) ASM 89 - 8.0 ASM 61 - 7.0 ASM 31 - 6.0 ASM 69 - 9.0 ASM 23 - Restored 3.5 ASM 8 - Restored 7.0 Now, aside from the wait which has been well documented on the message boards by various members, I was very pleased with the service. The grading of my personal books was consistent with what I have seen with other books that have already been slabbed. Where is my gripe then? Well it is not with CGC. It is with a particular comic book dealer. You see, I have been buying books for many years as I assume many of us have. Years ago, I purchased the ASM 8 in what I thought was a nice grade for around $200. (We comic book fans have good memories like this) I have purchased restored books before but only those that have been slabbed and documented by CGC. To me, slight color touch is acceptable. I would have never purchased what I received back from CGC. The book came back as Slight P Trimmed. That was never disclosed to me upon purchase of the book. A question that I have always asked when purchasing a raw copy of a book of this price has been, "Has any work been performed on the book?" Now, I am left wondering, did the dealer know? Did the dealer choose not to tell me in order to move the book out of their inventory? Do I boycott this dealer completely even if I am interested in an already CGC graded book? I am left wondering how many of us have purchased books only to find that they were restored? I do not blame CGC at all. They merely identify and report. I do not see the difference in cover width between my CGC 7.0 Restored and my CGC 6.0 Universal copies of ASM 8. It is hard to see while they are still slabbed and I am not interested in taking them apart so I will trust CGC on this matter. Pleasant surprise on the ASM 69, 84, 121, and 122. The ASM 69 was the very first Silver Age book I ever bought. I remember paying $5 for it back in middle school because I wanted to own something that had a 12 cent cover. So while it is not so much a surprise, I am proud to see a 9 on it with white pages as I actually read that book a few times. Any time a Silver Age Spiderman comes back with a grade higher than 9.0 it is a nice feeling. The 84 was pretty cool but the gems of this order were the 121 and the 122. Besides the bump in registry points, almost 3000 between them, the books were always nice looking copies and graded at what I expected from them. Next step... joining CGC, and submitting a few other items. I am thinking of sending a beautiful copy of ASM 129 to be graded along with a raw copy of ASM 1 and AF 15. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

Varying grades of Silver Age books... So, I went to the Big Apple Comic Con with the sole purpose of submitting fifteen books from my collection. The separation anxiety was nerve wracking. My selection included books that I had duplicates of in varying degrees as this was my very first submittal. I wanted to see if my grading by CGC standards would hold up. Everything I own has been purchased post CGC grading. I submitted the following: Amazing Spiderman: 8, 22, 31, 37, 51, 61, 69, 84, 89, 121, 122 X-Men 58 Daredevil 4 Avengers 3 Hulk 340 I am anxious to see the ASM 121 and the 122 as they should grade high and am curious to see what the Daredevil 4 and Avengers 3 rate out as. Depending on the grades and the turnaround time and my own nervousness, I would like to eventually finish having my complete Spidey collection from 1-100 graded to fill in the gaps that I am missing in my competitive set. To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.