path4play

Off comic topic, but oh so robotic good. We've taken too much for grantedAnd all the time it had grownFrom techno seeds we first plantedEvolved a mind of its ownMarching in the streetsDragging iron feetLaser beaming heartsRipping men apartFrom off I've seen my perfectionWhere we could do as we pleaseIn secrecy this infectionWas spreading like a diseaseHiding undergroundKnowing we'd be foundFearing for our livesReaped by robot's scythesMetal GodsMetal GodsMetal GodsMetal GodsMachines are taking all overWith mankind in their commandIn time they'd like to discoverHow they can make their demandBetter be the slavesTo their wicked waysBut meeting with our deathEngulfed in molten breath Songwriters: Glenn Raymond Tipton / Kenneth Downing / Robert Halford "British Steel" (1980)

The sky is the limit. Art purchased for $25k in 1997, $21MM in 2018 (that's x1,000). http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-p-diddy-kerry-james-marshall-buyer-0518-story.html. "The actual sale price stood the art world on its ear."

imo, its all cool stuff to chase based on opportunity, budget and what peaks your interest - genre, character, story arc, cover, artist and pedigree are all in the same beautiful GA mix. If your in it for profit, I guess that's part of the capitalistic way. If your blinded by hype, well then buyer beware - I personally would not presume there is any intrinsic value to any comic book. Every book I buy I consider in its essence is just paper. One difference perhaps from a stock bubble and a comic bubble is that I suspect a large portion of the supply will remain tightly held (i.e. not flushed in mass onto the market in a panic). In fact, probably the bulk of holdings are with long term owners who bought much, much lower years ago so they are not underwater regardless. I'd go so far as to say that in today's market if every camp era Okajima that existed came up for sale at once, it would probably only enhance the value there are so few copies. I guess a bubble would be created by lots of speculators coming into the market running up a small number of books. I have really no sense to evaluate if today's buyers are mostly speculators. In the end, I just spend what my wife allows lol.

I know I should never sell past the close, but I see this weekend a Mile High Pedigree Tessie the Typist #13 8.5 sold for $6,572.50 (an easy 20x guide). I have a copy of that issue I paid $22.49 for. I'm sure others here can cite many examples. If there is a bubble, its not isolated to one thing. Personally, I think Okajima still has a very long ways to go.

Wow

I understood the meaning of the image, and the suggestion behind it. What I am less clear on is if your serious or trolling? My question that hasn't been answered is, why is the pedigree different than say the price premium between a Baker cover, and a non-Baker copy of an issue in the same series one number off? Or say the differential between a Cindy #37 vs a Cindy #36? You can't eat a comic any more than a $115 million painting (though both might provide kindling for roasting some food in a SHTF situation) so safe to say buy what you can afford and makes you feel good during your time on earth.

Its kind of a funny debate to focus on a pedigree that exists within a larger pool of perishable collectibles often rendered unreadable within a plastic slab that can pretty easily go for 10x or more than even the highest price of a copy from said pedigree. What's the highest priced Baker cover, or highest priced GGA book? I'd be curious about the corresponding price run ups within those genres over last several years.

I was going to say that. 85 camp books known, maybe 170-180 exist. That's pretty rare and tough to get into into. It goes well beyond the specific comic into the history of the pedigree. You are owning a museum piece. That being said, I've tracked sales as well the last few years and perhaps to Mr. Bedrock's point the 10x rule is not universal (by my count only two books have passed over that level). I think it also varies by the base value of the book, in other words the multiple goes lower for higher value books (which even those peaking out around 6k) and higher for lower value books. So there is a base bottom entry point with high multiple and then perhaps diminishing returns for the higher demand books, as the book itself begins to overtake the interest in owning the pedigree. Longer term perhaps big pocket international collectors will be taking notice of the history and ramp the higher base value book's multiple too.

Me too.

For me, its Cap #27 (someday, I hope to eventually get this back from restoration).... Ok, I know, THE best. So this would be second... in my collection... because of the context.

I purchased a handful of Howard the Ducks to fill a run from him a few years back. Transaction went fine.

"writing on the cover but a stain in a special shape" Quote of the year. Times, they are a changing. I guess that Ferrari that never leaves the garage is real cool too. So I respectable disagree. You can by buy all the pure "perfect" copies (perhaps printed in outer space so not even disturbed by the breath of a human, or God forbid touched by a finger of a human hand) your heart desires. Me? Leave me the ones I can love with the historic context.

Start and end of board knowledge comic-wise overlaid on the Gila timeline. The most straightforward "camp-era" dividing line is end of '44, switch from fountain pen to stamp certainly could have been made in camp. A mystery as well comic-wise if issues other than a single unmarked Red Dragon from Nov. 42 to July 43 still exist, were lost, or were ever even collected during that time to begin with. Original chart: https://www.cwu.edu/geography/sites/cts.cwu.edu.geography/files/chapter10gilariver.pdf

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/539842 This photo shows internees goods boxed for freight shipment. If you zoom in on the image, you can see internees names and addresses to move the goods on the boxes. I would imagine the comic books possessed by the collector were transported back to her family's central valley California farm in this manner. "The full caption for this photograph reads: Gila River Relocation Center, Rivers, Arizona. On September 15, two weeks before the Canal Camp at Rivers, Arizona, was to close, only 635 people remained and 370 of these had bus or train reservations for the following week (the Canal Camp once had more than 5,000 residents). Most of the people are going out by special Greyhound buses. Their property, crated for freight shipment, is picked up at their homes and stored in project warehouses until it is loaded on the heavy trucking vans. Before the relocators leave the Center they secure their travel vouchers and their ration books from the Leave Office and get their special Relocation Grant from the Agent Cashier."

I don't think there is a definitive known cut-off date. In fact, even the informal division between camp era and regular Okajima might have developed right here from these discussion boards? If you go by scripted, signed books it would end around 9/6/44. I think it is possible she left the camp between that book and the next known book (which appears a month later). That book began the "non-signed" date stamp era. Most internees were able leave as early as Dec 44/Jan 45, and camp administration actually actively promoted leaving after the executive order was rescinded. Other internees who did not have a ready place to relocate stayed longer (90% had left by Sept. 45) and Canal Camp officially closed Nov. 45, which would be certain hard date.

And a motorcycle cover! The date tie in is cool historic bonus

Two outstanding questions (that may never have an answer): 1. The first book apparently is Red Dragon Comics #7, released 3/30/1943. I presume this must of had a certificate of authenticity, as I don't believe it contains any of the traditional identifying markings? The next known book is Startling Comics #24 "Okajima" - released a full 150 days later (8/27/1943). Given the systematic comic purchases that follow, is this when she started collecting or were earlier books lost to time? 2. The last known coded book is Sensation #35 "Okajima 4y" (no date written, issue released 9/6/44). A Fighting Yank #10 (released 10/3/44) is listed as sold on GPA, and after that we have a Mystery Comics #4 (released 10/27/44) with the date stamp known mainly for post camp books - no writing. I have read that some internees were able to leave prior to the December '44 suspension of Executive Order 9066 (particularly if they owned property, had employment etc.,). So the question is when did she leave and move back home? Did she acquire the stamp in camp, and switch from writing to stamping? Or was she able to move in late '44 and upon returning home relatively seamlessly continue purchasing comics and switch (from what looks like fountain pen) to stamp?

Few fun facts, having used the listing shared here, marked the day of week from written cover dates and pulled in the released dates for the issues. She made purchases about every three days. Mainly on Saturday's or Tuesdays (never Sunday). Friday 7% Monday 9% Thursday 11% Wednesday 12% Saturday 30% Tuesday 32% About 1/4th of the time, she purchased more than one copy (2 to 3 copies). Gaps in the codes from the list correlate pretty nicely with gaps in the dates, aka periods of say 12 days between dates also tend to have missing codes. The most "missing" copies or gaps are prior to 2/12/1944, where I would say about 1/2 the still unknown copies are likely from. The other biggest gap (maybe 30% of missing copies) are at the end of the camp time frame between 6/30/44 and 9/6/44, a period notable for also containing "camp 1" and "camp 3" marks on two copies.

Huh, wow yeah look at that and 5 days left to go. Given a current count of 81 of camp era copies (borrowing heavily from the list maintained here) and just 180 or so total that could exist (based on date and code gaps) that's not a lot of supply.

Definitely highlights of my collection.

Last one, 2-22-44 "2j"

Also 6-15-44 "3x"

Yikes, horror story/cautionary tale/nightmare of what could happen to your collection if you don't have a will or plan.