MARVELous Fan

Many thanks for the sage advice, MattTheDuck and Paqart! Some great information there that I’ll definitely be taking on board! Thanks again. Regards, Andy

Are there any defects listed on the grader notes of a CGC book that is a no, no for most collectors, because it would make it harder in the future to sell or trade that book on? Things like light/heavy tanning, light/heavy water stains, heavy spine stress to cover, long color break creases etc., or does it really not matter if the book has one or more of these defects, if it’s never going to be cracked open and read, and the book in question is say, a low grade ASM#3 (first Doc Ock?) Would most collectors still buy it in a 1.0, 1.5, 1.8, condition (just to have the book), because it’s more about owning the title than about having a good condition book to own and look at? Are there always going to be new collectors who will be happy to start buying/trading for a key book at a low level entry grade? Thanks in advance. Andy

Hi, If you submit a book for grading, but it has rusty and/or discolored staples, is that only mentioned in the grader notes, or is it noted on the CGC label itself? If it is noted on the CGC label, does that deter collectors from buying the book, or are they more concerned with the grade and the overall appearance of the front and back covers? Many thanks. Andy

Thank you to everyone who responded to my post! I will certainly check out all the dealers that have been mentioned, as well as the links that have been supplied! Kind regards, Andy

Hi, I’m looking to buy raw Silver and Bronze Age Marvel books only, from recommended sellers on this forum, eBay and IG. Sellers who can be trusted to sell complete books, with no hidden restoration, no hidden missing or trimmed pages, no hidden staining, etc. etc. Had too many sellers recently (mostly on eBay), selling badly graded books, or at near slabbed prices, or being vague when asked certain condition questions (or not replying to my questions at all), so want to deal with professional people from now on! Ideally, would like to hear from sellers who are happy to sell using FMV! I realise that some of these companies like GPA (who I use), can sometimes be a little out of date with current pricing, but if sellers are happy to show past sales (either by themselves or other reputable sellers), on same issues sold, that would put me at ease that I’m not paying over inflated prices! I’m looking for Silver and Bronze Age ASM, DD, FF, Avengers and X-Men. Don’t mind low grades (3.0 and upwards), but front cover must present well, with minimum spine tics/wear and minimum unobtrusive color breaks! I live in England, but have a US address via my Stackry account, so sellers must be happy to ship to this US address, as I know not all US sellers like to ship internationally. So if anyone can steer a newbie in the right direction on where to buy these books, please DM me. It will be much appreciated! Thank you! Regards, Andy

Hi everyone, I collect SA and BA slabbed books, and front and back covers are very important to me, presentation wise. I try if I can to go for WP, OW/WP, OWP (in that order), but have always shied away from books that are C/OWP, even though I sometimes see a better presented book in that grade/PQ, than I do in so called better grades/PQ! Is there a stigma regarding buying and owning slabbed C/OWP books, especially if, down the line, you may want to sell to trade up a grade and/or improve PQ, or is it more about just wanting better PQ? Any insights would be greatly appreciated! Best, Andy

SOTIcollector and joeypost, Thank you so much for your replies, knowledge and helpfulness. I am certainly more enlightened than I was before about all this, so thank you. Kind regards, Andy

Hi, I would like to purchase this book, but wanted to know if a press could restore this badly aligned wrap around, back to its former self, or would it cause any stress or damage to the spine? Thanks in advance, Andy

So, When (and when) then?

Hi, thanks for your reply. It wasn’t the start of the Bronze Age I wanted to know about, but the number of the last issue that ended the Bronze Age and started the Copper Age. The Bronze Age began at the start of 1970 (January) so did it end at the end of December 1983 or December 1984 (as has been mooted by other collectors), and the Copper Age began in January 1984 or January 1985, or did the Bronze Age just happen to end in any one of the months in 1983 or 1984? Any help on the above would be much appreciated. Many thanks. Andy

Just wanted to say this has been a wonderful thread. Congratulations Get Marwood & I (and other contributors), for delving into and explaining the US cents/UK pence differences. I have a question which I’m hoping one of you can answer for me. I was born in April 1964, and would love to celebrate that by buying a copy of ASM 11 (2nd Doc Ock) which, in the US, was published in that month/year. On the US cover you can clearly see the box which has 11 in it, followed underneath by the abbreviation for April. On the UK edition box it just says 11 and there is a small blank white space underneath it. Were all early UK editions printed that way because Marvel in the US, having shipped their UK comics by sea, couldn’t guarantee that their editions could hit the newsagents in the same month as their US counterparts? So, if I owned a UK ASM 11 (without the April month wording), can I be 100% sure that this issue did hit the newsagents in April 1964 or, because of the sea shipping time, did all Marvel UK editions hit the newsagents a month + behind the US editions? Any help on this would be much appreciated. Thank you. Kind regards, Andy

Thanks so much for your helpful contribution!

Thanks!

Hi, I’m interested in what ASM issues started and ended the Bronze and Copper Ages. As everyone knows, Spidey first appeared in Amazing Fantasy 15 in August 1962, and the first ASM #1 was in March 1963 (both part of Marvel’s Silver Age). The Bronze Age began in 1970, so would I be right that ASM #79 was the last Spidey issue of the Silver Age, in December 1969, and the Bronze Age began with ASM #80, in January 1970? If so, what year did the Bronze Age finish (as I’ve seen both 1983 and 1984 cited), and what year did the Copper Age begin? Depending on whether it was 1983 or 1984, did the Bronze Age end in either December 1983, or December 1984, and did the Copper Age begin in January 1984 or January 1985? What were the issue numbers for December 1983 and January 1984, and the issue numbers for December 1984 and January 1985? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance, Andy

I wasn’t asking if one guide was better than the other - I was asking if these guides were still relevant now, because sellers are now asking whatever they want for their books. Personally, I don’t think these guides are relevant now, because not every seller wants to adhere to the sales listed in them. I think you would agree, that if sellers priced their books accordingly, they would sell more of them, and more buyers would get the books they want. A win-win situation all round. When sellers hike up the price of a book, are they just doing that because they’re hoping some collector is gullible/desperate to have that book at any cost, or are they doing it because they’re expecting that particular book to spike soon, so the price their asking now, will be the right price to sell it when it has spiked? It would be nice to think it’s the latter, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if it were the former!

I know prices for some major keys are insane at the moment, with some sellers seemingly plucking any old figure from out of the air, so are websites like go collect, GPA and covrprice still relevant now? An example being, I’ve seen one seller offering a minor key book, on a FB comic group, graded at 7.0, for $200 more than one that sold (according to covrprice) in Jan of this year for $750. Now, I don’t want to name the seller or what book it is, but has this book really shot up $200 in 3 months, or is the seller hedging his/her bets that it will do soon, so is making sure they are not losing out by selling their book for the $750 it last went for, thereby doing themselves out of $200 a bit later? I guess I could contact the seller and mention covrprice, but I run the risk that this seller could get prissy with me if i start throwing stats at them. I could, maybe, ask if the seller would meet me half way, and lower the price by $100, but then I have a strong moral compass that would say to me, “Hey! There’s a reason for these price comparison sites. Stick to your guns and hold out for the $200 reduction.” I’m sure I’m not the only collector out there that wishes sellers would just stick to one of the price guides. If their book has gone up, great, sell it and make some kind of profit from it. If the seller checks first, before putting the book out there, and they’ve found they have either lost money on it, or maybe it’s still at the same price as what they bought it for, then don’t sell it! It gets very frustrating to see a book appear that you want, only to find out that the seller has hiked the price up, and could, potentially, not be interested in making any kind of deal with you for it! Regards, Andy

Hi, Can the spine of a book which is not centered, and therefore has part of its front cover wrapped a little bit round on the back cover, be realigned and brought round to the front with a press? If the answer is yes, will the press cause any damage, like giving the spine colour breaks, or will it just look as though the book had had nothing wrong with it in the first place? Thanking you in advance. Andy

Hi, Can anyone tell me, percentage wise, how much less should a raw copy of a book cost, compared to the same book but in a slabbed grade? An example: a 4.0 ASM 4 raw book would be, say, a 20% drop in price, compared to the cost of a 4.0 ASM 4 graded slab. Does that same percentage drop of 20% stay the same, regardless of what book it is, or it’s age or what character it is (popular or not), as long as it’s the same issue # raw vs slabbed? So, the above ASM example would be the same 20% drop as a 6.0 Tales of Suspense 39 raw book, compared to the cost of a 6.0 Tales of Suspense 39 graded slab (regardless of whether you think Spider-Man is/isn’t more popular than Iron Man)? Any help or advice would be much appreciated. Kind regards, Andy

Hi, I live in the UK and always check members on here selling their Silver Age books (I’m into Marvel only), and some of these members do state they will only ship within the US, and to Canada. Many members do not say if they are prepared to sell internationally (one being the UK), so I was wondering if all on here who sell Silver Age (and perhaps Bronze Age) Marvel books could let us International members know they are happy to ship to certain countries around the world? Personally, I would be happy to pay the sellers full shipping price and insurance, as well as any import fees I would have to contend with, once a book/s land in the UK. It would be good for international members to know they can straight away bid on a sellers book, knowing they will ship to your country, as when these books appear, time and speed is of the essence to secure them quickly. Many thanks, Andy

Thanks to everyone who replied to my post. Quite a few insights that I can use when looking at raw books. Andy

Thanks comic ginger for your insight. Much appreciated! Regards, Andy

I hear you, but if the seller doesn’t list certain “problems” and I discover them upon receiving the book, what’s to say that he/she wouldn’t accuse me of causing the problems and then refuse to give me a refund? I just wanted to know the main “problems” to look out for, on a raw book, especially if it is low to mid grade, that’s all. Perhaps someone else can help? Andy

Hi, As a newbie looking to buy raw Silver Age Marvel comic books for the first time, do collectors on here have a check list of condition questions that they ask the seller, before making a purchase? I understand numerous photos of the book in question is a definite must, but they won’t necessarily pick up everything. Is there an online guide that lists all the questions you need to ask? If not, then I’d be more than happy to hear from anyone on this forum that can help me! Many thanks, Andy

Thanks to everyone who replied to me. I have a better understanding of the trade differences now. Thanks again, Andy

Hi Ryan, Thanks for your reply. So I guess it’s really the question then, that the 1st question you need to ask the seller is, “Do you trade just for the book you want, and not for its value, rarity or if it’s more sought after?” If it’s any of the latter, then the conversation ends there, I guess. Sorry, one more question: Would the 1 for 1 scenario still apply if both books were raw copies, but the buyer’s copy was say a 5.0, but the book the seller was offering was a 7.0? Would it be expected then that the seller would trade his higher grade book for the lower grade book, but would want cash on top, equivalent to what he would have got, if he had decided instead to sell his book for cash at a 7.0 price? Thanks, Andy