jimbo_7071

Really big hand to really big hand.

I submitted a couple of file copies to CGC a few years ago, and they added the notation without asking for proof. The next time I submitted a file copy, they did not note it on the label and did not contact me to ask for more information. None of the file copies I submitted were marked, and I had no proof beyond the word of whatever dealers the books came from. File Copies don't command a premium, so I didnt really care whether they made the notation on the label.

My goal is to start buying again after being too busy over the past year. I've been browsing through auction results, though, and I've been kind of shocked by the prices some books have been fetching. I'm honestly not sure whether it's worth it to me to own books at the current price levels.

Many of my older slabs have gaps along the edges. The edges of the outer well are not meant to be sealed. If the corner posts are intact, the slab is probably fine. You might want to make sure the slab isn't warped, though. A badly-warped slab could damage a comic.

I like that cover, but I agree with you, Collector, about that book being overvalued. Like Sqeggs indicated, back in the 80s and 90s many of us thought it was rare. We know now that it isn't rare at all, but many collectors still have the idea that it's rare stuck in their heads, so it still fetches rare-issue prices.

I like that cover, but I agree with you, Collector, about that book being overvalued. Like Sqeggs indicated, back in the 80s and 90s many of us thought it was rare. We know now that it isn't rare at all, but many collectors still have the idea that it's rare stuck in their heads, so it still fetches rare-issue prices.

It's possible. I used to want to upgrade my SS4, but with the kind of prices they're getting now, it wouldn't be worth it to me. The one book I was intetested in was the Planet 58, but I'm scratching my head over the price. It's a pretty common issue that usually has nice colors and nice pages. Maybe someone thinks it can be pressed to a 9.6?

You may be onto something. I like GA sci-fi, but Contact 12 doesn't do much for me. If we're talking similar covers, I much prefer Captain Aero 26.

I didn't realize he was 88. I never met Adam West, but I did see him in person in the men's room of the Motor City Comicon back in 2001. He must have been 72, but if you had told me that he was 52, I would have believed you. RIP

I can see your being disappointed if you sold a book that was important to you, or if you sold a book from a run because you were hoping to upgrade, but I've rarely felt bad about being outbid in an auction or about selling a book that wasn't a key part of my collection. I try to bid what I think a book is worth—maybe a little more—but if the only way to "win" a book is to overpay, I'm always happy to let someone else overpay. I'll wait until the next time it sells, or until another copy comes along, or until a different book that I like just as much comes along. (Sometimes a book will take off in value weeks or months later, and then I'll start to kick myself.)

Well, I learned something from looking at the Jon Berk collection on CConnect: I never realized that the first appearance of Andy Panda was in Crackajack Funnies! (I may be the only one who cares.) The book that stood out to me the most (other than the Fantastic #3) was the Punch #12. I won't be a contender, but I'll be curious to see what it sells for. I think it's safe to say that it'll leave the guide price in the dust.

No argument. Without Stan's genius for marketing and his overall success with Marvel's silver age, the superhero genre may well have died out decades ago, and collecting comic books might have died with it. Bob Overstreet and Jerry Bails would come next, but it's hard to pick just two to round out the list. Bill Gaines, Jerry Weist, Steve Geppi, Shel Dorf, and Chuck Rozanski all deserve mention.

It stands to reason that a fair number of pedigree books have been lost to fires by now. I'm still trying to find out which Church books were ruined when the Greg Manning Auctions basement was flooded. I asked Bill Hughes, but he didn't remember.

A name written on a book isn't a deal breaker for me, but I think CGC goes too easy on that defect, so I probably won't be buying any slabbed examples any time soon. I remember seeing a Marvel Mystery in the last CLink auction that was graded 9.0 even though it had a name written fairly obtrusively across the cover. For me, even calling that book a VF would be a stretch, let alone VF/NM. This will not be a popular opinion, but I think that even pedigree books with writing on the cover (Larsons, Okajimas) or name stamps (SFs) should be downgraded.

I don't consider them trustworthy. Whatever book they've got, it isn't worth the risk. Wait for another copy. There's always another copy.

Among the earlier covers, #5 and #17 are my two favorites, but I like C. C. Beck's interior art much better than I like most of the covers from the run. I like some of the outer space/sci-fi covers from later in the run, too (#106, for instance).

I don't know much about romance covers and don't really have a favorite (except for maybe GCE 12), but I like the way colors were used in this one. I'd never seen one of these prior to reading this thread.

I doubt he's interested in much of the offbeat material in Jon Berk's collection. He seems far more interested in mainstream books. Now, if the Dentist's books are auctioned off, then I think he'll be a player, assuming he's still in the hobby at that time.

I didn't even bother to bid. I e-mailed CLink weeks ago asking whether several books I was interested in had any rust on the staples, and they didn't bother to reply.

I stopped investing in my 401K a few years ago in order to pay down the credit cards I had run up with comic book purchases after returning to the hobby with a little too much zeal, but that's because I'm sort of addicted, not because I've ever thought comic books in general were a good investment (although I never doubted that the mega-keys were relatively safe).

I agree with Mitch that a downturn is on the way, but I don't think it will be that bad for mainstream GA titles and classic covers. I do think mid-to-late SA and BA will get hammered.

I usually put a lot of thought into my purchases, but this Catman no. 26 comes to mind. I was lukewarm about it because the grade was lower than what I would have liked, but it has grown on me, and the cover has become one of my favorites. (I'd still upgrade if I had the chance, but only if I found a high-grade copy with equally fresh pages and vivid colors.)

As someone who collects based mostly on cover art, I'd have to say that I like both well enough but like 41 a little better. Still, I wouldn't consider either book important. I doubt I'd buy either one at current prices unless I were attempting to build a run. Robin appearing solo doesn't mean much, and the Joker story being the first one in Detective Comics doesn't mean much either since there had already been Joker stories in Batman. Both of those facts seem like trivia to me--part of the trend of trying to make every other book a key.

What other techniques are you thinking of? Some people have mentioned that the extra humidity present in a book immediately after a press makes the pages feel more supple temporarily, so books that are graded within days of being pressed often get a page quality bump.