fifties

On 5/1/2024 at 4:47 PM, Chip Cataldo said:

Again, the conversation was about a high-value book. Read through the recent posts, please.

So you didn't insure the slab for the full amount. That affects the shipping cost, obviously.

1" thick mailer? Like a Gemini mailer? That's NOT a well-protected slab, sorry to inform you.

What were the actual dimensions of the package?

You made a generalized statement, which prompted my response.  IDK what a Gemini mailer is, but this one had corrugated cardboard all around, and an extra cardboard inside. The slab just fit, so it's dimensions were just slightly larger.

I've been selling & mailing comic books for 25 years, and not once have ever had a complaint about packing.

On 5/1/2024 at 3:56 PM, Chip Cataldo said:

Was it a high-dollar slab insured like the one we've been talking about? $100 insurance is automatically included, so there's $0 additional cost there. Above that, you get charged.

Also, how was yours packed? I find your total amount claim dubious since one side has to be over the 12" threshold for cubic weight surcharges.

How big was the package? I can't ship a loose Star Wars or GI Joe figure in a 4oz package from South Carolina to California for less than $5.

Again, it seems dubious.

I have no reason to lie.  It was a $160 slabbed book, sent in a small box mailer of the type used to send comic books, 1" thick. 

  And BTW, your statement, "Shipping a well-protected slab from the East Coast to the West Coast is over $13 now with zero insurance for just USPS shipping" is not only incorrect, but did not state any particular value of the book.

Here's proof of the cost.

On 4/30/2024 at 10:17 AM, Chip Cataldo said:

If it's insured the seller is losing money at a $15 shipping charge. Shipping a well-protected slab from the East Coast to the West Coast is over $13 now with zero insurance for just USPS shipping.

Actually I sent a slab from California to Virginia a few weeks ago for $6.33, USPS Ground Advantage W/ $100 insurance.

On 5/1/2024 at 8:24 AM, fast eddie said:

It's funny...... at the Atlanta comic show a few weeks ago, I mentioned I was a retired paperboy and would be good to give correct change to a dealer,,, the guy next to me piped in "I was a paperboy as well,,,I wonder how many of us were"  Made me think about it a minute,,,, probably quite a few of us!

I never had a paper route, but rather sold them -two different- first at a busy intersection, and later at the entrance to a supermarket.  That's how I started collecting coins; Indian head pennies, Buffalo nickels, Mercury dimes, & standing liberty quarters.

On 4/30/2024 at 3:11 PM, thewritestuff said:

This is such a brutal cover, it must've terrified children who saw it on the stands. I love it.

The comics that terrified me in the early '50's were the ones depicting supernatural creatures, ESP skeletons, overpowering PPL.  Atlas and Story Comics come to mind.  LB Cole never really did skeletons.

I've got almost the full run of CDNP.  Here's my copy of 133.

On 4/21/2024 at 7:06 PM, Tri-Color Brian said:

Been looking for a decent copy of this at a reasonable price for a long time.  Finally found one at the Scottsdale show today. 

 

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.

On 4/15/2024 at 2:11 PM, LadyDeath said:

Adventures Into the Unknown sold very cheap at the recent Heritage auction.

Though they never seem to be in demand and I'm the only person who likes those covers. 

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.

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?

On 3/25/2024 at 8:14 AM, sfcityduck said:

They really want it and don't care who knows?  They don't want any problems with last minute bidding to cost them the book?  They want to scare others away and deter them from bidding the book up out of the heat of the moment? Might be a good strategy.  We'll see. 

 

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.

On 3/25/2024 at 3:51 AM, Mr. Lady Luck said:

Recent acquisition (upgrade) 

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

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.  

On 3/15/2024 at 7:00 PM, Hepcat said:

As a general question, do you think Atlas comics from the 1950's are tougher to find than Timely comics from the 1940's these days?

That's really too broad of a question; some Atlas titles seem common, others are rarely seen.  As a horror collector, I can tell you that for example, pre-code  Journey into Mystery is a tough run to complete, as is, to a lesser extent, Strange Tales.  But issues of Marvel Tales, Suspense, and Spellbound often pop up.

On 3/11/2024 at 12:40 PM, Frisco Larson said:

Found a few random comics in a stack.

Notice there's no price on it; they were give-aways.