I guess you are right, I just checked and saw that I paid $700 for my mister mystery 7 which is a graded 4.5. That comes to over 2 times guide. Well, one never knows, with a lot of patience and a bit of luck......
Thanks for your input!!
Indeed, I didn't mean to make it sound like an impossible task! Though the books are both very much in demand, they are out there -- and you may even be able to work a favorable deal when you do come across them. Also, be sure to keep an eye on the BST boards here, as every so often, someone will offer one up! Good luck! I'll hopefully own copies eventually too, just need to save for them.
Thanks! the thing with saving enough cash to buy a specific book is that one always finds some other book or page to buy.....