shrunkenhead

Kudos to Tod09 for the Blitzkrieg #4 CGC 9.6! Almost got the run in nm or better....3 down, 2 to go!

Kudos to Dr. Banner for the two slabbed Unexpecteds. The DC Giant is particularly awesome!!

Shiver, that Ghost Castle #3 is kinda tough, for some weird reason. I've got one in about VF-, but haven't been able to find much better. Weird, because there seems to be at least 1slabbed NM copy of issue #1 offerred every week on ebay..

Ah, the Star Comics line....

I agree, Keith. Even slabbed precode in VF or VF+ rarely goes for above guide on ebay nowadays, unless it's a key book with a classic cover. 9.0's sometimes get a premium price, but rarely. A few months ago the highest graded copy of Fiction House's Ghost Comics #1 (CGC 9.2) went for guide, which was astonishing to me (if I'd had a grand laying around, that baby would be mine!). I have a suspicion that bronze horror will receive a significant hike in next year's OS, and after that happens, the multiples of guide that these books are going for wlll level a bit. Likewise, I wouldn't be surprised if OS drops guide prices on a lot of precode in VF and lower. Ultra high grade precode, I feel, should always deserve a weighty premium, as 1) it's just about nonexistant, and 2) when you can find precode in VF/NM or better, it's almost always from a classy pedigreed collection (the Spokanes, for example...beautiful books, so many with white pages!), and those collections usually command premium prices anyhow, regardless of grade.

That makes you a comic crackhead!

That dinner sounds good, jbud. If you really want some scoop on pre-code horror, make it lobster thermidor! Actually, chicken wings will be just fine. And thanks for helping me out there, awe4one. As you point out, flipping and investing are two different beasts entirely, and it's important not to confuse one with the other. What I meant about investing in the 21st century is that the days of buying a comic for a dime and getting a multi-thousand dollar return are over, and they're never coming back. That's a comic fantasy held by the non-comic masses, just like when someone not into comics finds a bunch of beat-up 50's books in their attic, they automatically assume they've found a goldmine. That's pipe dream phantasy---the sort of empty rhetoric that dealers often prey upon. I don't really consider buying a book and selling it two years later an "investment;" that sounds to me more like a flip that you sit on for a little while, but hey, the jargon is all relative I suppose. (An MBA might call it a "semi-lucrative short term investment" ) If you're able to buy a book cheaply and later resell it, awesome, but that's not an investment--that's a flip. It's not like there's anything so severely undervalued in guide that you're going to hold it for 5, 10, or 15 years and then suddenly make it big. The very fact that an Overstreet Price guide exists cancels out this kind of possibility. Comics have already been "found out", hence, their "investment" potential is more or less over....their collectability, however, is a different matter entirely. Ok, back to our regularly scheduled bronze horror...

Hmm..maybe I misunderstood Jbud too, but I thought the "I detest" line was a reference to my earlier posting. Sorry if I misinterpreted...

Well, jbud, I'm sorry you thought that my questions were geared towards "what's worth the most $$$", as that was not at all where I was coming from. I'm speaking strictly in terms of what's tougher to get in what grade, because as a collector, that's predominantly my interest. Like almost everybody else on these boards, I have a limited income, and I want to spend what dollars I can afford on the toughest books to find in grade, because as a collector, that's just what's appealing to me. NOT because I plan to flip books someday for untold profits. I think anyone who buys comics in the 21st century as an "investment" should probably take their dollars to the horsetrack. You'll agonize over losing your money quicker and at least you'll have a few exciting minutes to boot. That's why I'm asking around, trying to get a feel for how tough it is to get bronze horror slabbed in 9.6 It would simply disappoint me on a personal level to buy a few books and then find out in 5 years that there's 60 copies of the same book slabbed in identical grade. I wouldn't, however, be disappointed on a financial level, as I only buy what I can afford, not what I hope to get some kind of stellar return on someday. I also think that a lot of people are slabbing books without necessarily having the intention of selling them. Look at greggy's recent registry, for example. He's said on this thread that he only slabs books that he thinks will receive 9.4 or better. Why bother, if he's not going to sell them? (I assume he's not planning to, as he seems to genuinely cherish them so). Because CGC has created a new breed of collector, for good or for ill. Yes, it's definitely easier to sell a slabbed HG book than a raw HG book, but there are a lot of collectors out there who simply prefer having their books in slabs, with no intention of ever selling them. Make of this what you will, but it's a trend that I've noticed has gained some upswing. I'm simply interested in talking to collectors about their experiences in getting cool, tough books. I'm not trying to pick anyone's brain here for financial advice because bronze horror is "hot" or some speculator tripe like that. I thought you guys would've thought I had more integrity than that!

Very true about what you say in regards to precode and condition. If I can find a precode issue I happen to be hunting down in strict VF, I consider it a mega-rarity, a virtually irreplaceable book in fact. The precodes I have in VF or better I am highly reluctant to ever sell or trade, as I know that if I were to do so, I'd most likely never find them again (ECs and Harveys excluded). If I ever was convinced somehow to unload them, I'd have to make out huge in order to feel good about it. Definitely anything precode that gets slabbed at 8.0 or better, is, to me (and I think many other collectors of the genre) very HG indeed. So yes, precode horror in NM is just about nonexistant. I own one slabbed at 9.0 and another at 9.2, and I consider myself damn lucky to have them!! Hmm...the bronze at 4x guide is pretty pricey, but who knows? Maybe 10 yrs from now these will pay huge dividends? Like you say, shiver, much of the market value will be determined in the coming years, depending on those census reports. It's definitely a risk to buy those at high prices right now...but it might not be as big a risk as bronze superheroes, for example. My guess is that as long as these books continue to receive 4x guide, people will be slabbing quite a lot of them in the next year or two. We may get our answer to the scarcity question in the relatively near future. So, ok, how about I revise my original question a little bit. if we all agree that precode horror in NM is just about nowhere to be seen, how about this question....what's tougher, precode horror in 8.0, or bronze horror in 9.6? I would guess pre-code horror still wins by a landside, but I am curious as to others opinions and experiences.

Hey guys, So, as many of you that I've talked to on here know, I'm mostly a pre-code horror guy, but I've been known to flit between 50s horror and high-grade 70s DC horror, when the mood hits me. Many of you, however, are far more knowledgeable of and experienced in this genre than me, so I'd like to pick your collective brain regarding the question of scarcity, if you don't mind the pickin'. (Visions of Paul's awesome Weird Mysteries comic are coming to mind... ) I gather that the general consensus among collectors and dealers is that high-grade bronze horror is a far scarcer commodity than superhero books from the same period, as the horror books were generally not saved with investment appeal in mind. So how tough are these books then, really? I mean, I see a good half-dozen new listings every week on ebay...that may not be a ton, but it's enough to indicate that there's a healthy supply. If there are collectors out there like myself who collect precode horror and bronze, how much tougher is it to find those 50s books than the 70s? I assume it's got to be tougher to get 50s books in grade, but how much harder is it? A helluva lot, or just a little (terribly scientific jargon, I know...reminds me of the "way more" debate a short while back, ha ha). Also curious as to how accurate you all think the cgc census is in regard to high grade bronze. I would guess that there's loads of material out there in raw NM or better, simply because it's from the 70s and not the 50s....but I could be wrong. Am I? Just hoping to get some advice before plunging into the chilling waters of bronze horror any further! Also, about $$$....I'm getting from the ebay auctions I've tracked that the going rate for a slabbed DC bronze horror in 9.4 is 3x to 4x the OS 9.2 price. Would you guys say that's accurate. And how about for a 9.6? (Haven't seen as many of those on ebay lately to get a clear opinion). And how many people here are actively working (close to finishing?) on HG runs of GHosts, HOS, HOM, SOHH, etc? Ok, I'll stop blabbing. Consider your brain picked!

Erm, well, that's just a list of titles. I was hoping for something more specific and related strictly to DCs, you know, with issue numbers, one-offs, specials, giants, etc.

Ok folks, I'm sure this is covered SOMEWHERE in this labyrinthine thread, but could somebody point me to a bronze horror DC checklist? Would be greatly appreciated!

Very nice book, Paull. Looks about VG+ to me. Damn , I gotta get me some Weird Mysteries books!!

What a coinkydink, my latest buy was a Weird Horrors #2 slabbed at VF. Keith, mebbe you can scan some pics of your copy on the board so I can actually read the durned thing.

if you can find one.... That Swamp Monster story is great; it's reprinted in TTTTT, but I can't remember offhand which issue. Great to see it in color!

There's a lot of classic pre-code horror that doesn't clock in any higher than VF or VF+ on the census. I think this probably has a lot to do with the fact that most golden age horror collectors aren't bothering with the census, as most collectors in this category don't bother to slab their books unless they're putting them on the auction block (and how many of you are thinking of parting with your books? Didn't think so!). However, the fact that most horror collectors are also READERS of the books they buy...it might just be that there really are fewer books in high grade. It's an interesting possibility... I've got several slabbed horror books that show as highest graded copies, even though they don't reach into the VF/NM range. I'm not quite sure what to make of this...but if there are any copies in higher grade out there, I think we can all safely agree that they're few and far between. I've got the highest graded copy of Ziff-Davis' Nightmare #1 CGC'd at 8.0, for example.... To our credit, we buy the books we want to buy, and are more interested in the book we want as opposed to whether it's an 8.0 or an 8.5 I say hats off to us!

I've yet to pick up a single Weird Mysteries....and I call myself a pre-code horror collector...

I wouldn't bet on it Paul, that book is very tough indeed. Very nice going!! That's a book that would make any pre-coder proud. Now I'll have to find one in VF someday to top ya!

One of my favorite Bernard Bailey covers is Beware Terror Tales #1. Great collage of ghouls and demons against a white background. I don't know what that book usually sells for, but I would definitely put it in the "underappreciated by fandom" camp.

That really is one of the greatest horror covers ever done. Oh, and I thought of an undervalued book. Beware Terror Tales #8....witches cooking up body parts in the cover. Don't have a copy of it myself...

Hmmm....I think most of the Comic Media horror stuff is underpriced in OS. Not that I'm complaining too loudly, as it works to my advantage (I'm hunting these suckers down). These books are tough to come by in high grade. Same is also true for the Frankenstein books by Prize, but I think guide prices reflect their scarcity with greater accuracy (though OS is still too low). In terms of specific issues.....hmm, I'll have to think about some. I'm sure something will strike me.

Hope this doesn't come across like I'm trying to be difficult, but why wouldn't an ashcan count as a "real" comic? I've read through the posts on the Bradman comic (fascinating, btw), and it seems to me that that book would be comparable to an ashcan, i.e., a book printed by DC exclusively for the private sector, with no intent of sale or promotional/giveaway purposes. Even though there's only one (or a few), doesn't it still count as a bona fide DC publication?

Amazon also shows this one by the same editor, but I don't have a copy so can't vouch for it. I'll probly order one, though. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0944735452/qid=1096126851/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-3916957-8873727?v=glance&s=books

Thanks for the encouragement, keith! Ok, so this link is for Pov and others who are avidly searching out pre-code reprints. Came accross this book at a used book shop recently, was really great. Looks like Amazon has a few on sale at a decent price: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0944735770/qid=1096126727/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/102-3916957-8873727?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 Don't say I never did nothin' for ya!