Weird

Luis Dominguez is one of my favorite illustrators. His DC covers are the best.    

On 5/10/2022 at 5:45 PM, Mr.Fantastic said:

 

 

One of my favorites of the run for sure. Great LD cover.

Awesome! Thanks so much, Weird!

(thumbs u

I'm one issue away from completing my SSWS mini-run featuring the Unknown Soldier.

 

I broke down and picked up the 171 CGC 9.4 and a 175 9.6 in a Clink auction awhile back. Now I just need to find 172 in grade. Tough, tough black cover on that one. I'm going to look for a copy at the NYCC, and I'll probably be happy settling for a strict VF.

Worldwide Comics has a CGC 9.6 copy on their site.

FYI, 2010 looks like Bobcat's last year of selling, as he should be finished off selling everything and enjoying his retirement.

 

This is from a prior email conversation.

You just have your finger on the pulse of the collecting community don't you? Thanks for the info.

Good for Bob.

Who is this bobcat you speak of?

bobcat.enterprises

Awesome grading or sometimes under grading that was flying semi-under the radar years ago. Then the cat got out of the bag. Sometimes offers slabs. Extremely nice guy with impeccable service.

I totally wish he would put up those last few SSWSs I need to complete my Registry set.

As for WWT #7, I've found that to be reasonably common. The one that's killing me is #6. Still looking for a 9.2 or better.

I meant 6.

I saw a slabbed copy recently, but it went for way more than I wanted to pay.

SSWS 154 I think used to be tough, but I see high grade copies popping up on Clink all the time...hmmm...no, I won't go there.

Totally with you on this one. They have been crawling out of the woodwork lately and besides the 9.8 that just got put back on the market (I think it was the old one) were tough to find even raw in high grade.

G.I. Combat 141 was hard for me to find in even a VF (thanks, thirdgreenham!).

I have two VF+ copies of this one - one from Superworld and one from bobcat. I am content with those.

GIC 151 was tough for me to find in HG.

Lucky to get a bobcat NM- of this one. Paid through the nose though.

Weird War 5 and 36, YES! Super tough, I'm still looking for HG copies.

Not super high grade, but I bought a CGC 9.0 of 5 for $50 3 1/2 years ago. Bought a CGC 9.0 of 36 for $26 a few months before the 5. I think both were eBay. I have had a hard time getting a nice WWT 7.

When I started collecting war books, I went for the 52-pagers first. Most of them I could track down in VF-VF/NM, but there were a few tough hold-outs.

 

SSWS 158, 162

OAAW 236 (I see more now), 241,244

GIC 146, 151

OFF 134

 

I'm also still looking for HG copies of SSWS 171,172 and 187.

I have seen 158 slabbed a lot and was lucky to get some raw bobcats of the GIC issues you mention. OAAW 241 is another that has eluded me, seems like a decent number of them in the census.

Anyway, it is interesting to see the issues each collector has problems getting. I'd love another Rosa type collection to hit the market. I don't really care about the name per se, but quality later Bronze is so hard to find raw and costly to grade on your own.

Pulling a little blast from the past here.

 

I'm wondering what war collectors think about the toughness of finding SSWS 204 in high grade. I have not actively looked but it seems, anecdotally at least, like it might be one of the tough ones. Any thoughts?

I have the CGC 9.4 204 and it appears there is a CGC 9.6 out there as well.

I personally think the lack of slabbed copies corresponds to the relative lack of interest in the title and low sales figures for the non-keys.

Grading costs are up, listing sites get a cut, etc., - it just may not be worth it for most dealers to CGC most of this latter day bronze or copper war stuff.

Now, I am not talking about raw stuff, just graded books. Although, I will say I also look for raw copies of SSWS issues I need to complete my registry set and have not come across NM or NM+ examples for about 6 books. And I have actively been collecting that specific set for years in both slabbed and raw forms.

SSWS 192 and 193 do not even have a single issue graded and many later issues only have one or two issues slabbed.

Valiantman's Census for SSWS 151-204

Slabs are awesome and all, but for ba war the deals are still in raw. I just picked up a sweet, sweet run of OFF from the #125 to #136 range in grade, at great prices. Those are some of the toughest books from that era to find above VF.

 

I'll try and post them later this weekend... they were all ebay books too, gotten over the past couple of months.

 

Shep

 

I do have quite a few raws for all the war titles, just not everything. I did pay through the nose and picked up some Oakland and non-pedigree DC War on eBay about a year and a half ago from a single seller. The high grade raw stuff is almost as costly as the slabbed in some cases.

I find myself moving into the later bronze or copper age for my slabbed books recently. I don't think many people get those issues graded and demand isn't what it is for silver or earlier bronze. What that means to me is that they aren't easy to get, but when they do pop up, they are usually way more affordable.

 

Are you the dude outbidding me on those slabbed late Bronze SSWs with the Unknown Soldier?

 

 

(thumbs u

 

5 more books and I am done with the SSWS registry run I was after and they're all yours. Unfortunately, 2 of the 5 don't even have a single issue graded and 2 of the remaining 3 only have one issue graded.

Damn, I sure wish I could have gone for this one.

 

OAAW 242 on CLink

It seemed all of the DC War I was watching went for very solid prices. Judging by his market place post, I believe many were board member tth2's (not saying the 100 pager was his), so good for him. (thumbs u

I find myself moving into the later bronze or copper age for my slabbed books recently. I don't think many people get those issues graded and demand isn't what it is for silver or earlier bronze. What that means to me is that they aren't easy to get, but when they do pop up, they are usually way more affordable.

Kudos to lizards2 for a nice CGC Bronze war trade. Thanks Mike!

What a Fantastic Cover!! Congrats on your purchase

 

One day I hope to join your Kubert Cover Club!!

 

Larry

Thanks Larry. Just got it in the mail on Tuesday and have lined up a time to get it framed after Christmas.

I think you definitely will have an opportunity in the future if the last auction was any indication.

You got that at a great price, IMHO. I was all prepared to bid live on it, the auction was approaching, a customer came in to sell me some coins and I stupidly took a quick look through them and bought them for $12. I seriously ran back to the computer and the lot had just finished. You may have still won that great piece of art, but you would have paid about half a grand more. Fricken $12 in crappy coins!!!

 

I had actually logged into Heritage Live as well. I was going to up my bid a bit, but was prepared to watch someone else take it for $3500 to $4k or thereabouts.

I was ecstatic when I didn't hear a peep out of the crowd on the streaming video.

That is one of the most iconic Unknown Soldier covers. Good score, Bill!

I know all the other guys, but who's the guy above the Churchill mask s'posed to be?

Franco of Spain?

Thanks guys. I cannot wait to get it in a frame and up on the wall. Also curious as to what other great Kubert war art will be turning up in these auctions.

It's Haile Selassie of Ethiopia.

My favorite cover of the Unknown Soldier run in SSWS is #156. It has great Kubert line work and he uses a ton of ink. The cover also contains a fantastic gallery of many of WWII's greatest (or most notorious) leaders - which the old history major in me loves.

Thanks to last week's Heritage Signature auction, I had the opportunity to acquire the piece and am happy to now have a Kubert war cover in my original art collection.

Was anyone else able to get anything from the first of what I believe will be multiple Kubert Signature auctions?

Thanks to Sterling for a couple of great Bronze War slabs!

I know this is Silver age largely, but I was pleased to see that the 9.0 Our Fighting Forces #71 (which has the best war cover of all time, imho) has trotted out to a nice, early lead. I think that could top $700.00.

 

Great stuff to see, and btw, nice to hear from you Bill - the old BA war list has been quiet, so it's nice to hear from the BA war buffs like yourself. Pick up anything cool lately?

 

Shep

 

 

The craziest part is... I think those were his DOUBLES.

Yeah, the CL copies are the higher grades so far as I have noticed. I have a couple of the same issues from his Heritage consignments in '07 and '08 and they are lower grades. I have to wonder if he left some money on the table by not selling the higher graded copies first when the economy was better. Either way, crazy nice stuff and should be fun to watch.