M-F0uRce99

I was a long-time collector of comics. I stopped collecting comics around 20 years ago and turned to original art. I'm in the process of liquidating the bulk of my comics. I have several comics Stan signed for me which I won't be selling. Stan's my hero, and these comics are part of my permanent collection. They'll go to my wife and kid, and I gave them instructions on how to have the signatures verified if they want to sell them when I've moved on. This is the first time I've given an opinion on these forums, as I've just been asking for advice on selling my comics. So here goes- If I were a seller of a signed Stan Lee comic, IMHO, I'd sell now. If I were a buyer, IMHO, I'd wait 6 months to a year or longer to buy. Unless, of course, you see something you can't live without. Sadly, a lot of people are going to bust their comic book budget trying to get rich in the short term on Stan Lee signatures. I saw the same thing happen when Frank Frazetta (another hero of mine!) passed away. I also own several Frank Frazetta signed items, including a sketch, which are also part of my permanent collection. Upon his passing, everything with his signature skyrocketed in price. I remember joking with my wife "Wow, you're going to be rich when I pass away!". But after a few months, the price of his signature leveled off, and then actually dropped to prices that were lower than before his passing. The only signed Frazetta item I own that has continuously appreciated nicely in price since his death is the sketch. In fact, I think I recently saw some of his signed items being sold on Ebay for around 50 bucks or less. I would guess there are millions of Stan Lee signatures out there. He's probably been signing for 75 years, and way back when, he used to sign everything for free - anytime, anywhere. And when he signed at cons back in the 80's (when I got his signatures), he was signing for free. The event owner would pay him for his time, and people would line up for his signature. He'd sit there for HOURS and HOURS, the line never ending, chatting and smiling with every fan, signing away, no charge! I'm not sure when he starting charging for his signature. I'm sure someone else can answer that. And I noticed a few people in these forums getting upset about this topic being discussed, and that's understandable. No one's a bigger fan of Stan Lee than I am! But ,IMHO, I think it's okay to bring the subject up. Young folks have questions, and I'd hate seeing an uninformed fan with a tight budget getting taken advantage of. That's my 2 cents! Thanks for your time! And remember- this is only an old man's opinion! Please feel free to repost this.

Thanks for your reply. Do any of you Golden Age collectors know if this is the first comic book cover appearance of The Phantom? I googled it but can't find any. I did see Some Big Little Books from around 1936.

Any other opinions? Thanks!

Thanks for your responses. Overstreet has 2.0 priced at $161. Does that sound correct? I've posted a couple other comics that I found out are undervalued by Overstreet and are worth slabbing, thanks to some great input from CGC members. But none of them had possible restoration or cover reattachment like this. I'm selling my collection, including this book, and I really don't want to go through the CGC process if it's only worth $161. Let's assume it get's a purple label. Anyone have a ballpark idea on price? Don't be afraid of hurting my feelings. I think I paid around 20 bucks for this book way back in the early 80's ! If I'm putting anyone on the spot, I understand if you don't answer. From what I've seen on these forums in my short time as a member, it looks like a restored comic is kind of like the black sheep of the family that no one wants to talk about. Thanks again for your time. I really, really appreciate you all!

I just looked closer at it with a magnifying glass. It does't look like any pieces have been reattached. It looks like the small pieces of tape around the edges are holding some tears together. But I don't see any tears where the large piece of tape is. It looks like someone took a black marker to the outline of the Phantom character. I wonder if they used the large piece of tape to cover some bleed through. Also, it looks like the cover has been reattached to the spine.

Wow! Great news! Thanks! Yeah, I'm sending mine off for grading.

He's an underrated character. I wonder if he's considered the first teleporter to appear in Marvel comics.

Thank you!

Great advice. Thanks!

Here's another one I need help on. Front cover looks nice, I think a press would make it nicer. But check out the big ol' ink stamp on the back cover! Looks like it says "PAID (can't read next word or ?). There's another ink mark also on back cover about 3" below top left corner, looks like same type of ink. I'm assuming it happened at the same time as "PAID" stamp. None of the ink bleeds through the back cover or affects interior pages. My price point on this is 5.0 or higher for sending off for grading. Sorry about some blurry photos, but I figured everyone would get the gist of this post. Thanks in advance for your input and advice!

Thank you!

Thanks

Thanks

Anyone have an opinion on pressing this book? Would it bump the grade up if I have it slabbed? Also- Would cleaning get the pencil marks off the Lady in Red's leg? Or is the comic too old?

Thank you!

Thanks!

No. Never heard of it. I haven't been an active collector for a long time and haven't kept up with much comic news or business. I pretty much just go see the movies and watch the TV shows. I'm organizing my collection, getting it ready to be sold. If you want to send me info or a link, that would be great. Thanks!

Thanks for the great information. I wonder why it's still so inexpensive if it's a grail.

Pretty sure it's not a cigarette burn. There's no hole, and the spot doesn't appear to be brittle. Looks like something dripped on it. But, I'm not sure if it make's much difference with all the other things going on. Thanks for looking and replying!

Yes, great cover! Kirby's my favorite! The only reason I bought this comic is for the Kirby art! I wasn't a Golden Age collector while I was collecting, but I saw this at a convention 30+ years ago, and i't must have been pretty cheap as I was on a small budget. I haven't seen it for awhile, since I last re-bagged and boarded. It was nice to hold it again and really appreciate it. And thanks for your input!

That's what I was thinking. I'm still new to this grading thing, so I wasn't really sure. And I saw some posts talking about different grading standards for Golden, silver and bronze age comics. At this grade, it looks like it's only worth a around a couple hundred bucks per Overstreet. I'm guessing it would be easier for me to sell it raw than sending it off for grading. Anyways, I appreciate your input!

Hey! Some nice stuff on this thread! Is anyone familiar with this comic? "Crime Stoppers of America" by Beto. It's a limited edition of 30, with a sketch and signature on the inside cover by Beto. From Beto at the the 2002 San Diego Con. Just wondering if there were more of these printed without the sketch, limited edition and signature. I was hoping to find a reading copy. Thanks!

Hello! Thanks for creating this thread! Really cool stuff! I'm just wondering if anyone is familiar with this comic. Crime Stoppers of America. Sold by Beto at the 2002 San Diego Con. It's limited edition 30 copies with a sketch and signature by Beto on the inside cover. Any idea on the value? Thanks again!