Albert Tatlock

According to PM Harold Wilson at the time: “From now on, the pound abroad is worth 14% or so less in terms of other currencies. That doesn’t mean, of course, that the pound here in Britain, in your pocket or purse or in your bank, has been devalued.” Sure, of course not. It just means you can buy less with it. Before, a quid got you 24 comics, but after, you could only afford 20. The quote says that the Stock Exchange was closed Monday. Maybe the newsagents were too, to allow for frantic sticker-related activity around the comic racks.

Chancellor James Callaghan released a statement at 9.30pm on Saturday 18 November 1967 stating that the Government had decided to lower the exchange rate from $2.80 to $2.40 per £1, a 14.3% change. Interest rates were raised from 6.5% to 8.0%, cuts to defence budget announced, and banks and the stock exchanges would be closed on Monday. The statement notes the “heavy cost” of this move in terms of higher prices in imports but also “fresh opportunities”. Like an opportunity to put the price of comics up by 2d.

Dunnit, thanks. Didn't work at first, then I realised I needed to log back in. All this was over 50 years ago, and we are still like a dog with a bone over it.

02 Nov. 2020 Dear Mr Gold, I know that you are an extremely busy man, but I hope that you will pardon this intrusion. I had formed the intention to write to you some time ago, although I always found something else put it off, but I have now read (or possibly re-read) your autobiography, with considerable interest, especially the section on your early career selling comic books and related items, so I will press on. I am helping to research the importation and distribution of American comic books into the UK in the 1960s, and have made some progress, although the period immediately following the relaxation of the prohibition on importation in mid-1959 still has unanswered questions. The period I would like to get some information from you, however, is the narrow timeframe in late 1966. At that time, the main importer, Thorpe & Porter, seemed to run into a problem, and most titles published by Marvel Comics had a 1 or 2 month gap. The ‘missing’ issues surfaced, in much smaller quantities than usual, in the summer of 1967, about 6 months late, and I seem to recall that they were distributed by your firm, Gold Star Publications. I can find no reliable information elsewhere, so I am turning to you in case you can provide any particular details that may be of assistance, particularly as to why those issues did not appear when they should have done. I realise, of course, that a lot of water has flowed under the many bridges of your multifaceted career, and that this matter, which may have assumed an importance at the time, has receded beyond recall, but I am hoping that you may have some information, however slight, that may advance the frontiers of our current knowledge. I, and my fellow researchers, would be most grateful for any help you are able to provide. My contact details are to be found above. With best regards

I did try writing to David Gold a few months ago, at his home, not business, address on this very subject. Signed for the day after I sent it, but so far I have not had the courtesy of a reply. Wouldn't it be nice if we had a poster on these boards who held a couple of shares in West Ham who could buttonhole him at the next AGM?

Lots of food for thought here, good work. I am sure that if we ever get to the bottom of this, the motivating factor will be unmasked as filthy lucre and little else.

Here is what I remember, just to take one title, at that time Marvel's flagship, Fantastic Four. FF 54, arrived as expected, no problem. ditto FF 55. 56 and 57 did not show up. 58 arrived as expected, we wondered why 56 and 57 were late. 59 arrived as expected, we stared to worry. We theorised at the time that one of the then frequent dock strikes was to blame, but I no longer, for reasons set out earlier in this thread, believe that to be the case 60 arrived as expected, now it was panic stations. Everyone had a gaping hole in their collection. 56 and 57 finally arrived, together, at about the same time as 62, but in drastically reduced quantities. I had to cycle all over town to get all the missing issues. I bought all i could find of them, as they were immediately saleable at a profit (3/6 was about the going rate, although some people were asking, and getting. 7/6 for the FF). Fantasy Advertiser had sales and wants lists which illustrate the situation. Quite a bit later on, before US supplies had filtered in from various entrepreneurs, Alan Austin's UK Price Guide (late 1970s) still had these late '66 issues noted as 'scarce'. They still are scarce with the Gold Star stamp, I reckon they are now well outnumbered by copies without the stamp. Daredevil 22 arrived about the same time as 29. Not quite sure how David Gold got some of those.

Do you reckon the Upper Brook Street address, in the West End and therefore expensive, could have been used by T & P/Strato purely as an accommodation address? If so, it would show up as such in a 1959 business directory for London.

They were in London much earlier. See attached the inside cover of Mad magazine UK edition No 1, October 1959.

From all accounts he was looking forward to that knees-up.

No room there for spinner racks, unless the city authorities would permit them to encroach upon the pavement, beg your pardon, sidewalk. And they would only be an option on a fine day, and possibly an unwanted temptation to the dimeless and/or light-fingered. But nationwide, there would have been many outlets not subjected to such constraints, with plenty of room for 3 months supply. Not everywhere is as crowded as Manhattan. And 3 months to cross the Atlantic? Any shipping line that could not do a lot better than that would have gone out of business. NYC to Liverpool is 3300 miles. A three month voyage covering that distance would proceed at 1 and a half knots. Good job the U-boat menace was over.

Yes. Shame the old boy didn't quite manage to knock up his century.

Not so. They would still be available for customers. At any time he would hold 3 deliveries, and return the oldest when a new delivery arrived. In case of any confusion over cover dates, many retailers wrote or stamped the arrival date on the cover.

There is more (much more, in fact) on the fancy financial footwork of Martin Goodman here: http://timely-atlas-comics.blogspot.com/2016/10/atlas-errata-cover-alterations-and.html

The changeover from £-s-d to decimal pence was not a clean cut affair. Mr Google informs us that: 'For a short time the old and new currencies operated in unison, whereby people could pay in pounds, shillings and pence and receive new money as change. Originally it was planned that old money would be phased out of circulation over eighteen months, but as it turned out, the old penny, halfpenny and threepenny coins were officially taken out of circulation as early as August 1971.' So nothing unusual about seeing comics, or anything else, still priced in old money many months after decimalisation began. The old 1 and 2 shilling coins were still in circulation many years after 1971, by which time everyone knew that they were now valued at 5 and 10 pence. Full details of the eventual fate of the sixpence, half crown and their brethren are easily found on numismatic websites. When looking for £-s-d/pence anomalies, 1971 is the go-to year.

And how much were they thinking of charging for HOM 133, before someone noticed and applied a stamp?

A couple of Silver Age, 5 years apart. The card with the Action is from the Comics Code Authority - they attached one to their file copies, which unfortunately leaves staple holes. These are also visible on the Adventure.

Kirby had a thing about giant stone men, especially those lurking on Easter Island, awaiting the signal to wipe out us puny humans.

If this isn't British humour, I don't know what is.

Still too much of a gamble, I reckon, without having the chance to inspect them. You would have to have them slabbed, and would be relying on the last .2 or .4 of a grade to get into profit. Still, if you think they are a worthwhile investment, just sit on them for a while. Why not ring Capes Dunn and ask them to get the bestest, bestest old pal's price from the vendor for the unsold lots. One thing I am pretty sure of, is this is the time to get out of paper money - it is not worth what Uncle Sam and the Bank Of England are telling you. Any port in a storm, and why not high end comic books for a safe haven?

Looks like they were all passed, except lot 5 at 6700, with surcharge nearly 9K.

From Capes Dunn terms and conditions: Every Lot is sold with all faults and errors of description and the auctioneers disclaim, for themselves and for the vendor, all responsibility for authenticity, age, origin, condition or quality. All statements on such matters whether printed in the Catalogue or made orally are statements of opinion and not representations of fact. Purchasers are deemed to have satisfied themselves on authenticity, condition, etc., before bidding and no-one in the Auctioneers’ employment has authority to make any representation of fact. Translation: Once we've got your cash, that's it.

Managed eventually to get Capes Dunn to call me back. None of the books are in the CGC, etc, cases. There is a spreadsheet detailing where the vendor initially purchased them, Metropolis, Harley Yee, etc, so he will have paid top dollar. A couple sourced from private individuals, whose names I do not recognise. The Capes Dunn fellow (Capes Crusader?) was very nice, but it doesn't sound like his firm would be in a position to guarantee the grades, and he admitted that they were relying on info from the vendor as regards grades.. He said there had been a lot of hits on them on the saleroom.com, but that was no guarantee of bids. The vendor is keen, he said, to dispose of them by the end of the tax year, so if he bought them as an investment there may be a CGT liability. The vendor originally wanted to sell them as one lot, but CD advised against it. I cannot see dealers getting too heavily involved, the estimates, with the surcharge for buyers total 60/70K so the margin, if any, would be slim. I would have liked to inspect them, but the price would have deterred me anyway. Anyone else want to bid, fire away, but my bargepole is staying in the shed, I think. I will have a look tomorrow, but only out of curiosity.

Lot 1 - estimate of 13/14K. With buyers commission added, that is 17/18K, for 74 issues circa 250 quid each. Looking through all 6 lots, you can see that the really important early issues are not included. Presumably the vendor is awaiting the results of this auction before coming to a decision on their disposal. Also, they do not appear to be GCG, etc copies, so the grades are estimates from the vendor, the scans are not hi-res enough to be much help, and there is no live viewing.. I will ring them tomorrow to ask if they will guarantee the grades, but I think I know the answer. I will be surprised if any of these reach the reserve, let alone the estimate, but I have fallen over backwards before.

Posted 5 minutes ago https://www.easyliveauction.com/catalogue/lot/0515a5fdcbcc2cf9d1bc4611d6afcaf5/0af8d24542e81eb9357e7ef448a6646f/collectors-online-only-lot-1/?iFrameView=1 Not sure if I have taken leave of my senses, or the auctioneers have. The first 6 lots in this sale - are the prices wildly optimistic? Quote