EC Star&Bar

I remember back in the late '70s, a copy of Whiz #2 was brought to the Today show on NBC. But hosting that day was insufficiently_thoughtful_person newsman Garrick Utley, who did nothing but demean comic collecting and not even give the guest a chance to show the book. It was likely one of the highest grade extant copies out there. I can't recall who brought it on set for the "interview" (just Utley's idiocy instead) -- it may have been Steve Geppi. (IIRC there were a couple of huge cover blow-ups on the wall, including Batman #1.)

Easily one of the most esoteric MLJ covers, as far as the humor titles go. Nice book to own.

No apology needed. I admit to being oversensitive on this because back in 1987, termites got into some of my boxed toys from circa '69-'72 (access from a wooden table). Mostly just lost parts of boxes and some instruction sheets, but it's not something easy to get over. Anyway, I'm always glad to talk with comics fans and you're no exception. Thanks for taking the trouble to keep the peace, nice gesture.

'Tec 457 came out when DC raised their cover prices from .25 to .30. I remember the not-so-mild shock when I hit the spinner rack. But I made sure to get my copy of 457, and it's one of the most memorable issues of the era -- with fittingly nice artwork by Giordano.

Some grading guides talk about a 1/4" triangle missing from a back cover. I guess ComicConnect misread that as the ENTIRE back cover missing...! LOL -- pretty bad.

I've never sold anything on ebay, only a buyer. Period. You act as if we're talking about Action #1. Do you know the meaning of "contemplated?" I haven't cut anything. All I'm saying is if you're unfortunate enough to come across that kind of damage, your options are limited: ugly book being the first.

When GA issues of Action and Superman appeared on Antiques Roadshow, the appraiser described them as NM Minus despite spine splits of more than 3/8". They were nice-looking copies, but this guy knows nothing about comics grading if he thinks they still qualify as close to NM.

I wouldn't judge all that harshly without a "before" photo, as the OP mentioned was not available. The damage he stated went right to where he trimmed, so it's not like he made a major major alteration. Vermin and insect damage can be REALLY disturbing to look at. Just my opinion, I've contemplated this kind of cut with a mini paper cutter, but only for a single page or a cover.

I'm approaching 45 years of active collecting, and to be honest at times I likely would still have trouble spotting a 1/32" trim -- even if I had the book in hand. I feel genuinely sorry for younger collectors in particular, as the older these comics get they tend to pass through multiple owners' hands, increasing the likelihood of no disclosure. (And trimming is among the worst offenses as it's irreversible damage.) Buying raw on ebay or elsewhere, it helps not only to work with a reputable seller, but to look for comics in his/her listings of the same era and with the same condition characteristics that suggest they originated from the same oo's collection. So the online buyer of raw books has definite risk, but with some common sense that comes from experience, it can be very satisfactory. (I do agree with the coin analogy, highest-end needs certification.)

I really encourage submissions to the GCD, but I've had some info rejected there. For example, one of the editors turned down my note regarding the creation of the Spectacular Spider-Man title because I had no written documentation. But it can be difficult to cite sources when you're recalling info from 40 years ago. The last time I sent a substantial amount of info to Overstreet was in 2001 or so. They did incorporate my data, almost all DC items.

I knew you were being sarcastic, but I was not really aware that they dabbled in shady grading. In some ways, grading a BLB can be easier than comic grading. If a corner is obviously delaminating badly, I would exclude the book from a FN grade. My dad and uncle's BLBs were in generally nice condition, especially the ones post-1936 or so. I tend to be pretty strict on ones from the '40s on.

It's about credibility. Why bother posting a grade if it's obviously off? I could grade better than that at age 9. Anyway, it would be better if they just checked the books and disclosed any interior damage or flaws. (Not to mention back cover scans or photos of the centerfolds.)

Roy Rogers was a legend -- Who else was able to say that he dropped his hammer on the "Queen of the West" -- ?

Taking a quick look, Dell Lone Ranger #1 & ME Tim Holt Frazetta and #1 look to be present, though some have been graded mid-to-low. I have to question at least some of the assigned grades. Take a look at this Roy Rogers Big Little Book, they've assigned FN 6.0: http://comicconnect.com/item/899231 I think at best I would go VG-, and more likely G-VG.

The 6th photo is actually a centerfold from DC's New Gods.

Thanks for posting the video. If I owned those, I think ebay would be a better option than letting Zurzolo profit from the books.

Really a shame that so many copies of this issue in particular, along with X-Men 94, went up on the walls of comic shops -- subjecting the covers to UV light from tubes and/or sunlight. Those shop owners needed to price lower. If the books sold, they wouldn't have been on display so long...!

I think the cold concrete floor of the basement actually causes moisture in the air to condense on top of it. Anyway, regarding Poly, I much prefer polyethylene over polypropylene. And I've had good luck in having polyethylene last for many years.

1980s and 1990s Harvey Comics were also distributed to newsstands. There are loads of those that exist as both Direct and Newsstand. First (First / Berkley) is believed to have distributed their 1990-91 Classics Illustrated through bookstores, in addition to comic shops. (Some copies have a barcode, others have a blank white box or no box on the back covers.) Also, in 2003 I found Jack Lake Productions' Classics Illustrated Jr. at a newsstand.

I'll be sending in my Batman 313, and expect 9.6 with a shot at 9.8. By the time that hit the stands, I'd been carefully selecting my copies of the title for about 3 years.

I inherited a GREAT collection of radio/Ovaltine premiums from my dad and uncle; most are in their original envelopes, except for a few of the earliest ones. Pretty much any pre-1947 booklet, pin, and ring you can imagine: Radio Orphan Annie, Capt. Midnight, Jack Armstrong, Lone Ranger, Tom Mix, etc. Several in duplicate and even triplicate, as they mailed in multiple times. That's THE box of items I would never consider selling. They were a little to old to "play" with the '40s stuff, so I believe I have some of the best extant copies anywhere. Only one Ovaltine Shake-up Cup (shaker) survived though (Orphan Annie).

I can't say for certain, but it looks as though the lower line of the price box has been extended to the spine, with a touch of black ink. If you look at other copies, there should be a tiny gap there. If that's the case, the spine may be where some ticks have been filled in.

Over the years, I've had several of my subscription copies of magazines like Time and Sports Illustrated with folds like that. If the overhang is more than around one-eighth inch of the trim size, I usually trim some off -- but I leave maybe one-fourth inch. (Cutting to the trim size turns the situation into a simple dog-ear.) I think for mags of no real value, it's a good compromise -- it reveals the manufacturing problem, but otherwise allows to flatten, and doesn't leave much overhang,

I once saw a Tarzan #207 (1st DC) with an extreme example of this. The entire lower right corner area had been folded easily 4" diagonally prior to trimming, so when unfolded I'm not certain even a magazine-size sleeve would contain the book. I really wish I had bought that, as a curiosity -- most extreme case I've seen, and it's not too uncommon among magazine publishing.

Generally, each publisher known to have preserved File Copies represents just one common group per brand -- for example, the Harvey File Copies and the Dell File Copies. And it can be a very large group of books with multiples. Harvey is also known to have archived bound volumes, in addition to the loose comics. This is all a different animal than Pedigree collections, though the bound comics are interesting to consider. Read on: While most publishers' loose File Copies are identified obviously by the publisher's brand, a notable exception are the William M. Gaines File Copies -- which should probably be called the E. C. File Copies. Gaines' father M. C. Gaines is known to have kept bound volumes of All-American titles like Sensation Comics. As the publisher, those seem comparable to his son's loose copies of the comics he (later) published. When we consider a bound volume from the estate of Alfred Harvey or M. C. Gaines, are these rightly considered File Copies -- or would it be more accurate to just say that they are books from their personal libraries? In the case of M. C. Gaines bound vols., William commented that he "took them home" from the offices where they were shelved, in light of the rising value of old comics (fearing potential theft). Their having been in the office leans toward File. Just some comments, I realize I'm complicating the issue by bringing up bound volumes.