fifties

http://www.jamespayettecomics.com/catalog_list2.cfm?cat_num=1703&cat_descr=TOM %26 JERRY&hold_cat_descr=T&cat_family=1&family_name=Comics

On 11/26/2023 at 2:30 PM, stormflora said:

It's a bit too late for those auctions now (they've ended already), but they had already rose to prices I wouldn't really want to pay, anyway.

IDK how long you've been into this hobby, but what you posted is unfortunately the way it is more often than not, regardless if at eBay, HA, Comic Link, etc.

Here's a link to the eBay category, golden age comic book lots; https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=golden+age+comic+book+lots&_sacat=259103&rt=nc&Era=Golden%20Age%20%281938%2D55%29&_dcat=259104

"Th e Dead Don't Sleep" is a pretty good story.

Although there were a few horror titles and cover illustrations in the post war period (Adventures into the Unknown, Eerie), I would suggest that PCH really started in 1950, with EC's three horror books.  From that year until the end of '54 was the PCH period.  I'm good with all those years.  Here's my copy of a mid 1950 Vault.

I jailbreak every slabbed book I get, as I too buy them to read.

On 11/24/2023 at 6:29 PM, LadyDeath said:

You won those really cheap. Surprised more weren't interested. I have a 5.5 of #14, great cover.

ACG's, at least in the horror genre, get little respect.  The covers can't match many of the other publishers fare at the time; Atlas, EC, Charlton, etc.  Their four stories usually only included one W/O a happy ending.

As I had posted previously, I consider GA to be the period 1938-1955, and SA to be 1956 and up (IDK when the next age began).

If you look at two giants on the net, Heritage and eBay, both refer to the same time period for Golden Age.  I think that pretty well standardizes it, in broad terms.

On 11/24/2023 at 2:40 PM, Patriot6 said:

 

I guess you need to decipher your intentions. 

Exactly!  You're either buying as a collector, to keep and read, or as an investor, to flip.  If the latter, research sold sales on eBay for the same or similar grades.

I'm afraid that you're both somewhat wrong.  If you look at my post showing some of my 3D fare, you will see that St. John put out "3D Comics", with both a one and a two issue.

There was no "Tor" title; the name was simply referenced under the masthead.  Adamstrange is correct in that there were two sizes of the first.  The one I bought off the news stand is larger.

On 11/23/2023 at 5:19 AM, Silver said:

@fifties is the green cover issue the exact same interiors as the blue cover one?

Negative, it has entirely different stories, and titled the same as number 1.  There were not two number 1's and no number 2.

On 11/20/2023 at 11:23 PM, stormflora said:

One thing I noticed from the indicia of the comics I purchased was that the Canadian versions were (obviously) printed in Canada, not the USA. This implies that a local corporation was sold the IP to produce their own copy of the original American version. Hence, in regards to printing and material quality, it would likely be more of a Canadian-specific issue, not necessarily an American one, as they were never imported to begin with. Perhaps Canadian corporations had no choice at the time but to offset the expenses of licensing by cutting corners wherever possible, knowing that Canadians would likely never be able to find out back in the day.

I'm afraid that you have it wrong.  Certain American titles gave license to Canadian publishers to print their fare in Canada, exactly as the U.S. edition.  About the only restriction was that the term, "Crime", could not be used in the title.  Atlas and EC were two of them.  

On 11/22/2023 at 9:24 AM, adamstrange said:

 

I personally think the Atomic Age is best described as starting with the dropping of the Atomic Bomb and ending with the advent of the Code.

The Silver Age was about the re-introduction of superheros with a science-fiction twist as a way to take advantage of Sputnik/space race era The sci-fi aspects were critical to innovating a commercially successful approach within the restrictions imposed by Comics Code..

I would agree on your description of the Atomic Age start and end dates, although I've always considered my post war and early '50's crime and horror books as GA.

  I feel however that I have to clarify the beginning of the Silver Age, at least from my own perspective.  I bought a copy of Showcase #4 (October, 1956 cover date) off the news stand in the autumn of 1956 (read it, and gave it to my little brother as it was ho-hum for me).  My understanding is that that issue was the first Silver Age book, and it was a good year before the USSR launched Sputnik 1, in October of 1957. 

AFA comic books dated from March or April of 1955 to September of 1956, certainly not GA, but I wouldn't know how to classify them, maybe pre Silver Age?

I've previously posted that I buy mainly pre-code comic books to read and enjoy, and not for any commercial gain.  The only time I might let one go is if I upgrade.  

That said, the books will be with me until the time they carry me out, tits and toes up.  Although I have a few books obtained in the '50's, I didn't casually start collecting until the '70's, and then with the advent of the internet and eBay, earnestly in the later '90's, for another 10 years or so, then once in awhile to the present time.  The prices I paid for reader copies, mostly VG, were largely in the lower double digits.  I'll put a small sticker on the backside of the Mylar sleeve for each book, having the grade and cost notated.

With the general post pandemic inflation and astounding rise in many pre-code book values,  I thought it might be wise to copy auction results displaying what some of the more sought after book values are now at, and put them behind the backing board, inside the sleeve.  Of course I will be showing my kids some of them, so if they sell, they'll be aware that what I paid may be vastly different than what the current market supports.

Just last year I paid $528 for an EC Tales of Terror annual in VG, and the current auction displays a similar one selling for $1920.  a Witches Tales I bought for $38 now going for $4320, and a Witchcraft that set me back $80 now fetching $1560, one grade less.  Some years ago a Mister Mystery 12 sold on The Bay for $3530 in G condition.  I had bought that issue in 1973 for $2, same condition.

On 11/17/2023 at 7:00 AM, picon3 said:

So a friend of mine, and I were discussing stories that we remembered from our childhood. And he talked about a story where the main character hit a guy who was walking along the street and he didn’t stop. He drove into a town, and everyone was staring at him with horrified looks. it turned out that the body was stuck in the grill of the truck.  
I could have sworn that I read the same story, and I was thinking Black Magic.  I bought all of the omnibuses for that book and it was not in there. Can anyone help?
I’ve had great luck finding two other stories when posting, so I am hoping for the trifecta here.

Many thanks,

Paul

 

I remember reading a story similar to that, and it could be the same one.  I believe it was in an Atlas horror title, if that helps to narrow it down.

On 11/16/2023 at 8:08 PM, Vintage_Paper said:

Please stop your attempt at trying to bully me by shoving your viewpoint down my throat as if you are the arbiter of truth. You sure didn't make any comments when I gave my strict viewpoint on the subject on the first page of the thread. Take your toxicity elsewhere.

I'm not here to get into a war with anybody; just expressing my viewpoint.  Nothing says that you or anyone else has to agree with it.

And don't presume to tell me what to do.

On 11/16/2023 at 4:35 PM, Vintage_Paper said:

Easy peasy. Those are silver.

Not in either my view or what seems to be generally accepted by many.  AFAIAC the Golden Age ended in 1955.  Your definition is apparently different.