marvelmaniac

I never heard of Atomic Mouse, any relation to "Mighty Mouse"? Anyway according to MCS you have issue #40 published in January 1961, they are currently out of stock. The books in that # range appear to be selling for about $7.00 in GD 2.0 - VG 3.0. Either way, Nice Obscure Book!!!

Sounds like a good plan. You can possibly do both since "most" of the Iron Man books are probably not pricey unless you are looking for all 9.4's and up. keep an eye out and if you spot a Silver Age Key you want at the right price, grab it.

Just an FYI... IMO "REAL" baseball bats are made of wood, there is nothing like the sound of the crack of the bat when it connects with the ball or your brothers head. , again, just kidding.

I have always looked to complete runs and in the computer age that became much easier than before the internet when I had to buy what I could find/afford at the LCS or local show. I do however remember the excitement and joy I felt when I walked into an LCS and there was a new (old) book on display or in the bin that I needed/wanted that was not there the month before, the hunt and finally finding "that book" and the joy that it brought me was a big part of collecting for me, eBay and the internet kind of took that away. Look deep down inside, what will bring you the most joy and excitement and make you feel like a kid again?

I started collecting in late 64, early 65 and when we had to move in 69 I was not allowed to bring my books with me because space was at a premium so I gave all of my books except for a couple to my only friend that also collected. Two of the books that I kept were F.F. 25/26, 25 is the book that got me excited about Marvel and 26 was an "Amazing" crossover completion of the story. A friend later on (70/71?) asked if he could borrow those two books to read and I agreed, over time and with Girls on my mind I forgot about those books, he joined the Navy and I never saw those books again.

I am a run collector, my OCD would not allow me to just collect random books with no semblance of order/sequence or reasoning, thats just chaos. CHAOS; disorder, disarray, disorganization, confusion, mayhem, bedlam, pandemonium, madness, havoc, turmoil, tumult, commotion, disruption, upheaval... Just kidding... , but seriously... It all depends on your collecting goals, are you looking to be the first kid on the block with ALL of the Silver Age Keys, are these books being bought as an investment for you, your spouse or your children or do you want to read and enjoy a continuous storyline? Me, I would want both, the continuous storyline and the keys that go with that run. however I know first hand how hard it is to choose, human nature says we want it all. "Assuming" money is not an issue, which will make you the happiest?

Although I apparently did not spell it correctly and my computer did not offer a correction... Keeping up with the Joneses is an idiom in many parts of the English-speaking world referring to the comparison to one's neighbor as a benchmark for social class or the accumulation of material goods. To fail to "keep up with the Joneses" is perceived as demonstrating socio-economic or cultural inferiority.

I do not get involved with new books, however... The same thing held true in the early 90's with books like X-Men 1 and Ghost Rider 15 so my guess would be speculation, why one over the other, I don't know, eye appeal, human nature, word of mouth, keeping up with the Jones???

For me that is what collecting is about, completing runs so I have the whole story to read but I must add that I am only interested in the era I grew up with in the 60's and after completing those runs to where I wanted to go I went backwards in time, newer books do not really interest me. I also count reprints of Key/Expensive books as completing My run since the story is complete and I will never own the original such as AF 15, ASM 1, Avengers 1, F.F. 1, IH 1, JIM 83, TOS 39, X-Men 1, other than those listed all other books are original first prints. My completed Super Hero runs include... ASM 1 - 200 Annuals 1-5, Avengers 1 - 125 Annuals 1, 2, D.D 1 - 132, Annual 1, F.F. 1 - 200 Annuals 1 - 8. IH 1 - 6, 102 - 200 Annuals 1 -3, JIM 83 - 125 (83 is the GRR) Annual 1, ROM Spaceknight 1 - 75 Annuals 1 - 4, ST 101 - 134 Annual 2, TOS 39 - 99, TTA 35 - 101, X-Men 1 - 66. I also have Pre-Hero runs that are complete... Amazing Adventures/Adult Fantasy 1 - 15, TOS 1 - 38, TTA 1 - 34, Two Gun Kid 1 - 60 (10 cent covers only + #60) Other runs that are not as yet complete are... Journey Into Mystery (only need certain issues from 1 - 33), Kid Colt Outlaw (10 cent covers only, need 1, 2, 12, 24) Rawhide Kid (10 cent covers only, need 1, 15), ST (only need certain issues from 1 - 42), these books all became expensive to obtain, even for low grade readers and at my age I am no longer interested in spending money on these. I also have completed runs of Sad Sack and Sad Sack related titles (10 cent covers, one shots and #1's) as well as Limited Series such as Beany and Cecil (including Four Color Comics appearances) and Tom Terrific. Thanks for letting me share.

The "Overall Grade" of the book will be the determining factor on how much if at all the initials written on the book will lower its grade. The condition of the book shown above looks to be a VG 4.0, initials written on the cover have no affect on this grade or lower grades. 4.0 VERY GOOD (VG): Back to TopThe average used comic book. Cover shows moderate to significant wear, and may be loose but not completely detached. Cover reflectivity is low. Can have moderate creases or dimples. Corners may be blunted. Store stamps, name stamps, arrival dates, initials, etc. have no effect on this grade. Some discoloration, fading, foxing, and even minor soiling is allowed. As much as a 1/4" triangle can be missing out of the corner or edge; a missing 1/8" square is also acceptable. Only minor unobtrusive tape and other amateur repair allowed on otherwise high grade copies. Moderate spine roll may be present and/or a 1" spine split. Staples may be discolored. Minor to moderate staple tears and stress lines may be present, as well as some rust migration. Paper is brown but not brittle. Minor to moderate interior tears may be present. Centerfold may be loose or detached at one staple

I have not read Mad magazine in 40 years, Ahh, the memories.

I am torn on this one due to the slight stress lines on the spine, I want to say FN/VF 7.0 but I can't bring myself to possibly overgrade so I will go with a FN+ 6.5. 7.0 FINE/VERY FINE (FN/VF): Back to Top An above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with outstanding eye appeal. A small accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor cover wear beginning to show, possibly including minor creases. Corners may be blunted. Inks are generally bright with a moderate reduction in reflectivity. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. Minor foxing. The slightest spine roll may be present, as well as a possible moderate color break. Staples may show some discoloration. Slight staple tears and a small accumulation of light stress lines may be present. Slight rust migration. Paper is cream to tan. Centerfold is mostly secure. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. 6.5 FINE+ (FN+): Back to Top Fits the criteria for Fine but with an additional virtue or small accumulation of virtues that improves the book's appearance by a perceptible amount. 6.0 FINE (FN): Back to Top An above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with no significant creasing or other serious defects. Some accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases. Inks show a significant reduction in reflectivity. Blunted corners are more common, as is minor staining, soiling, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor spine roll is allowed. There can also be a 1/4" spine split or severe color break. Staples may show minor discoloration. Minor staple tears and a few slight stress lines may be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown and fairly supple with no signs of brittleness. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. Centerfold may be loose

5.0 VERY GOOD/FINE (VG/FN): Back to TopAn above-average but well used comic book. An accumulation of bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor to moderate cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases and/or dimples. Inks have moderate to low reflectivity. Blunted corners are increasingly common, as is minor to moderate staining, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. A minor to moderate spine roll is allowed. A spine split of up to 1/2" may be present. Staples may show minor discoloration. Minor staple tears and minor stress lines may also be present, as well as minor rust migration. Paper is tan to brown with no signs of brittleness. Centerfold may be loose. Minor interior tears may also be present.

I had no idea that either one of those books was selling for that much, always figured they were $10 - $15 in lower grade.

Exactly what "Old Batman Book" are we talking about?

Glad to hear you decided to just "Love" your comic.

Did anybody ever sell "Grit"?

I inventoried, graded and cataloged my collection of 2000+ books back in 2015, it took me 6 month's. I am by no means a "professional" grader (but who is unless you are employed by CGC) but I am able to use my eyes and printed info to recognize accumulated defects on a comic book and come up with an accurate "overall" grade. IMO you should take a couple of the books you are thinking about submitting and attempt to grade them yourself noting all of the defects, then post pics on the site and see how close you are in grade to what the community thinks. The biggest issue is to be honest with yourself when you are grading your own books, you cannot look at your books though "rose colored glasses". https://comics.ha.com/tutorial/comics-grading.s?show=comicdefinitions

IMO the book looks like a FN 6.0 without the corner piece missing,how much of a hit will it take,VG/FN 5/0? Looking at completed eBay auctions, books in your grade have sold for $130.00 - $170.00 Raw, a CGC FN 6.0 sold for $242.00 and a CGC FN/VF 7.0 sold for $280.00. So...Should you have it graded or just place it in a Mylite with Board?, All depends on what your plans are for the book.

I bought the "Charles Atlas" course when I was about 14 and my Sister bought "Sea Monkeys" and the "Polaris Nuclear Sub" which she says she was extremely disappointed with when it arrived 8 weeks later and it was cardboard. Sorry, no longer have any of them.

Welcome To The Boards. Two things... You should have posted this in the "Hey Buddy Can You Spare A Grade" section. You will need to remove the book from the bag to get accurate/clear pictures if you expect an accurate grade. Also,is the Marvel Value Stamp still intact? http://www.mvstamps.com/issues.htm

Just out of curiosity where in S.J. are you?

If you send those books to CGC for grading the books will be removed from the polybag by CGC for grading and the bag will be disposed of. From what I have read on the site you are better off removing the books from the bag yourself before submitting for grading. Being in the polybag does not mean the book is a MT 10.0, the book can be damaged in the bag just as easily as out of the bag. On the other hand if you are looking to keep the books as they are then just place the book/bag into a Mylite with Board and store it away with the rest of your collection. Does the book being in the original bag make it worth more $?, probably only to someone who collects original polybagged comics. Either way, in the original polybag or CGC graded you can never read it.

All depends on what your main reason is for collecting... To collect/complete runs, read and love your books or... Profit.

Congrats is right!!! It seems we/me were too harsh. When I gave an "estimated" value is was a guess based on my VG/FN 5.0 grade and eBay sold auction sales for a GD/VG 3.0, never expected a FN/VF 7.0.