4GEMWORKS

I posted it in the wanted to buy section, but if anybody has a lead on 1962 Dell Brenda Lee's Life story, let me know. Thanks-

Wow! Great work. Even more books for the FC completist to track down! Do you have any thoughts on why these issues didn't receive the FC numbering? Dell had lost a lot of Licenses taken away by Western Publishing which went to Gold Key. and the writing was on the wall with respect to their ability to continue to publish existing titles that they were losing. I would guess that the Four Color Team was disassembled to try and work out a survival strategy. These books had already been assigned to writers/artists and I am guessing they were just titled and sold. Dell went in a new direction thereafter which culminated in their closing down.

I was updating my Four Color Collection Description in advance of the annual awards. I thought I'd share the last part which is new this year: I'll post some pictures that will likely be new to a few people. Missing Four Colors: I have previously discussed the missing Four Colors. Here now is a list of comics that might well be the “missing Four Color issues”. These were derived by looking at date marks on the cover and determining if they were part of another numbered series of comics that might have existed. For example if Bonanza #5 was trtuly #5 it would say so in the indica. Most of the missing Four Colors simply used a cryptic code of letters that few people understood. But what could be done was to match up dates and the issues that were not part of another series match up nearly perfectly with the missing issues: 1217: Ken and Barbie #1 01-053-207 1228: Bonanza 01-070-207 1292: Cain’s Hundred #1 01-094-207 1314: Donald Duck Album 01-204-207 1315: Follow the Sun 01-280-207 1316: King Leanardo 01-390-207 1317: Laramie: 01-418-207 1318: Leave it to Beaver 01-428-207 1319: Lolly and Pepper 01-459-207 1320: Man From Wells fargo 01-495-207 1321: Marge’s Lulu and Tubby in Japan 01-476-207 1322: The Prince and the Pauper 01-654-207 1323: National Velvet 01-556-207 1324: Pixie Dixie and Mr. Jinx 01-631-207 1325: The Real McCoy’s 01-689-207 1326: The Twilight Zone 01-860-207 1327: The Untouchables 01-879-207 1329 This is unusual. Ben casey seems to fit the spot (#1 ) 12-063-207 However Gyro Gearloose also seems to fit the spot. In fact I have a Gyro Gearloose in a CGC case titled Four Color #1329, despite the fact that 1329 is listed nowhere on the title or indica. 1331: Blue Phantom #1 01-066-208 1334: Dazey’s Diary 01-174-208 1338: Fury 01-292-208 1339 Rawhide 01-684-208 1340: Beany and Cecil 01-057-209 1342: Brenda Lee’s Life Story 01-078-209 1343: Bullwinkle 01-090-209 1344: Drift Marlo #1 01-090-209 1345: Famous Indian Tribes #1 12-264-209 1346; Jungle War Stories #1 01-384-209 1347: King Of Diamonds 01-391-209 1351: The Magic Sword 12-496-209 1352: Ponytail #1 12-641-209 1353: 77 Sunset Strip 01-742-209 One book that seems to be lost and would also fit in this slot (1353), is The Twist 01-864-209 1355: Bonanza 01-070-210 1356: The Three Stooges Meet Hercules 01-828-208 1357: Mickey Mouse Album 12-518-210 1358: National Velvet 12-556-210 1359: The Twilight Zone 12-860-210 1360: The Untouchables 12-879-210 1361 (questionable?) Walt Disney’s Goofy: Scoutmaster I have added a great many of these to my collection, but like a lot of the later Four Colors, many are seriously elusive in high grade or in any grade. Cain’s Hundred. King Of Diamonds, Dazeys Diary, The Twist and Jungle War stories are just a few of the titles that many people have never seen, unless they were really looking. Even Marge’s Lulu and Tubby in Japan is practically impossible to find in higher grade. Frankly, you might not see it show up for months at a time.

I'm still hunting for one, 6.0 or better Great book but Ouch! with respect to the gap between Metro's grade and the actual grade. They may well be counting on few of their raw books being graded, which I think is a reasonable assumption even these days. And, of course, by the time a graded book returns from Florida, their return window has long since closed. I should be clear. I recognize when I get these books that the grade has been inflated.. Metro does offer the ability to return and I have returned plenty. Sometimes though you think you can save a book by pressing. Once it hits the press I think that takes Metro (or whoever) off the hook. It's now my responsibility. If I buy a 2-300 book in 8.0 and it comes to me as a 6.5 or 7.0 and I think I can press it to 7.5 or 8.0 I will usually keep it. It might be my best chance to get the book in the desired grade. Roy Rogers 144 is not exactly a book that you find every day, especially as a file copy , which I have gathered quite a few of. But the point is, I think places like Metro sell books that are over-graded and they are asking full guide for that higher grade. I think that is unscrupulous. I have submitted thousands of books for grading including many of the four colors ion my run. I consider myself a reasonably good grader. It explains why I suggest that many buyers ought to simply buy graded material in the first place. Otherwise they send a book in for grading years later, only to find they were ripped off because they did not know how to grade very well themselves.

That was it for this submission. Thanks for looking. The last few will be even tougher, of course.

FC 253 Christmas With Mother Goose :: Another big disappointment. I had hoped for 9.0 or better...I now have this to compliment the 6.5 I was upgrading!

FC 296 Mickey Mouse Here is an example of how stupidity can cost you money. By Mickey's arm on the spine you can see a tiny white spot next to the 52. That is where I accidently hit the spine with a piece of really stick tape taking it in/out of a bag. I didn't think it would hurt it that much. I was wrong.

FC 144 Roy Rogers I am not exactly thrilled with this copy but I couldn't help myself. Another great example of poor grading at Metropolis Where this was sold as VF. Pressing saved it from worse. Metropolis seems to grade books as if the grade today is what it might get after it was pressed by us saps. Poor grading may not make a difference for a 10-15 dollar book but with Golden Age books like this you are talking about 50-$100 or even a lot more. Another good reason why many people are better advised buying ONLY graded copies.

FC 1304 Nellie the Nurse VERY difficult copy to find in high grade...or any grade. This is the only graded copy. I'm not sure if that says more about the lack of value of lack of copies. Normally 1 or 2 copies emerge when they are higher grade. Anyway, it was in the high branches for me.

FC 1259 El Cid This shows up routinely in low grade but is very tough in high grade. First good copy I ever bought was about 5 years ago. It was packed so "securely" and with so much tape that by the time I got it out I had shredded a few previously beautiful edges. It was probably the best copy I was ever going to see. Lost forever...

FC 1234 The Phantom Planet :: Insanely difficult book to find in any grade.

FC 1231 Danger Man Here is an example of a book I never should have bought. It was a poor decision brought on by my desire to complete the run. Nevertheless it's impossible to find in high grade. There was a 9.4 on the census that seems to have been pressed and reemerged as a 9.6 after pressing. It's on sale at Pedigree for an insanely high $1000 after selling as a 9.4 for $2-$300.

FC 1227 Morgan and the Pirates Near the end of the run when books like this became scarce and nearly impossible to find in high grade today.

FC 1110 Bonanza :: Super Tough book with the black borders. Only a single better copy. It ws sold to me as a NM- or something crazy like that.

FC 1084 Speedy Gonzales : great book that was tough for me despite several better copies in the census.

FC994 Sea Hunt, FC 1052 Ben Hur, FC 1236 King of Kings and FC 1237 The Untouchables. For a variety of reasons I was a bit disappointed with all these books, especially the Untouchables. I originally bought it from Ted at Superworld comics as a 9.0 or so. I thought it looked all that and better. A great reason to buy only graded comics. I expected better from all, but they have been incredibly difficult to find, no matter the condition.

FC 990 Huckleberry Hound # 1 Another book that simply evades easy capture. Only five graded copi8es of which this is the lowest. But go try to find one. I bough tthis from Duck-R-Us on EBay as a VF or better. They seem to be grading ability challenged. Even a press could get it no better.

FC 975 Fury #1 :: I must just be in the wrong place as several better copies exist. Just not when I have been looking.

FC 918 Beep Beep The Roadrunner :: Monster tough book to find. Super popular title with a huge following. Yet there are only 3 graded copies on the books of CGC. It rarely shows up for sale at all and almost never above VG.

FC 842 The Nature of Things Not exactly scarce with several graded copies higher. But for some reason it was tough for me.

FC 642 The Two Mousketeers Another Metropolis book. I think sold as a 9.2-9.4, a press did salvage the book.

FC 603 The Two Mousketeers A great example of why I am leery of Metropolis grading to this day. This was sold as something like VF/NM. Even a good press could not save this book.

FC 568 Gypsy Colt Even at a modest 8.0 it's the ONLY graded copy. Shows up in low grade and that's about it.

FC 567 Prince Valient #1 with none other than Robert Wagner on the cover. This is going to be a book that a few people on these boards have never seen. Talk about impossible to find. It is the top graded copy, by far, at just 8.5!

Fc 575 Pinocchio With only three copies graded it is just another tough book, especially in higher grade.