fifties

Nice pick up! One of the few Mystery In Space issues I'd like to get.

No list PPL, 7 day return privilege for any reason, free domestic shipping, Canada add $7.00. Offers welcome. Strange Mysteries #5, Superior Publications, May, 1952, with an eye-catching red background cover featuring a green monster with four arms and hands. Even a little GGA. Condition wise about a G, with cover attached, but two inch bottom SS, and three small pieces out on the upper left corner and upper right corner. Supple, flat, and white-off white pages. $140. Science Fiction Space Adventures #9. Winter,1954. The cover is detached, with one small piece of tape at the center of the inside spine, POFC, and a horizontal color break across the center left half of the FC. Looks like a tear, but it's not. Otherwise flat, supple, good cover reflectivity and off white pages. Five stories, three of them pretty good, including a Science Fiction horror tale. $140. Gangsters Can't Win #4, August-September 1948. Grades about a G-VG with a spine roll but nothing missing and all attached. White-off/white pages and moderate cover reflectivity. Plenty of violence in 48 pages, with cars, machine guns, knives, pistols, a guy getting thrown off a building, and acid throwing as weapons. Only selling because I have two copies. $80.

ACG's formula seemed to be one actual horror story ending and three lame ones. It apparently kept them afloat however, after the CCA restrictions took effect, with Adventures Into The Unknown, and Forbidden Worlds. Gone were Skeleton Hand, Out Of The Night, and the one issue of The Clutching Hand.

Since I collect to read and keep (as long as there's at least one good story, or a desirable cover illustration), my collection contains down to Fair in some cases, just so long as I HAVE the book. I paid two bucks for this one in the early '70's, and saw a 1.8 at H.A. auction for 1000 times that amount a few years ago. so the point is, grab when you can; you can maybe U/G later.

In my view, you're dreaming if you think PCH has cooled regardless of grade, & whether slabbed or raw. Try and find a deal on a cover illustrated by L.B. Cole, Matt Fox, or any of the EC artists. Years back, there was a plethora of of PCH on eBay, at reasonable prices. Not so anymore; very few for auction. Yes, many for BIN offerings, but at ridiculous asking prices. At H.A., you have to bid strongly, in that there is always competition for the books. Same with Comic Link and My Comic Shop auctions. Many pre code crime books with violent covers are also gaining price appreciation. In either genre, blood or skeletons/skulls on the cover will spike the price.

ONE G.A. book?

Here are two of mine; I have a good part of the run.

Red one, eh? Here's an even half dozen.

Score! Came in today, and I'm finally able to complete my HOF run. This was the most elusive issue.

They also obviously don't care that before the auction, others will be bidding the price up, costing them more. To avoid that I personally won't bid until the book is up for bid.

Nice snag. "The Treacherous Genie" is an excellent story.

Lessee, Atlas, Atlas, Hell, I can't even get out of the "A"s with only 5 choices.

I gots one of them.

The most logical answer would be to simply sell one of your kids, then use their bedroom as your storage unit.