86Celtics

The Gerber scarcity index is highly inaccurate as it was published in 1989. The internet, eBay, CGC census, etc have long since proven the inaccuracy of the guide. That guide even recommends cleaning as it's not restoration. Some sellers/dealers use the scarcity rating in their descriptions for their "rare" books. I just can't put any faith in those 1989 estimates when making a purchase or considering one in 2013 nor am I going to clean my books since it's not really restoration.

GAtor, I am curious what you think are the 5 top Hitler covers on the market today? Not necessarily your favourites but the ones that seem to be selling the best and/or most sought after.

wonderful question...

the 5 I have the most demand for are:

Captain america 1

Great 3

MMC 46 (green worm ear)

Real Life 3

Daredevil Battles Hitler

 

again, those are not my 5 fav or even the 5 "best" , but those are the 5 comics I am most asked for at shows, etc, that feature hitler on cover

Gator,

 

Where does Mystic 7 and 9 fall in the Hitler cover demand in you opinion? Also, what's your take on the Destroyer Mystic covers from an investment perspective?

86celtics, are you on you tube under the same handle making all those cool videos of your books?

Yes.

GAtor, I am curious what you think are the 5 top Hitler covers on the market today? Not necessarily your favourites but the ones that seem to be selling the best and/or most sought after.

wonderful question...

the 5 I have the most demand for are:

Captain america 1

Great 3

MMC 46 (green worm ear)

Real Life 3

Daredevil Battles Hitler

 

again, those are not my 5 fav or even the 5 "best" , but those are the 5 comics I am most asked for at shows, etc, that feature hitler on cover

Gator,

Where does Mystic 7 and 9 fall in the Hitler cover demand in you opinion? Also, what's your take on the Destroyer Mystic covers from an investment perspective?

I love the spines on your old label books Sarte. I guess that's what spines looked like on high grade books before they all started getting pressed.

Some day, it'll be one of those things that guys tell their great-grandkids about, like ivory-billed woodpeckers: "When I was your age, Sonny Boy, there used to be some comic books that wasn't all flattened out and creased along the spine, almost like they didn't bother to iron 'em after they was printed. I saw one myself back in aught-nine at Wizard World. Some say a few might still exist somewheres..."

Pressing has been around long before CGC existed. On page 472 of the 17th edition of Overstreet ( 1987 ), there's an advertisement from Fantazia ( Danny Dupcak ), that lists pressing/spine-roll removal among other things. So are these beautiful spines in the old label slabs you're referring to truly untouched or were they pressed 15-20-25 years ago? Can you tell?

Some wartime Subby!!

In the days before CGC a loose centerfold was never that big a deal as a tear on a page was once considered more of a defect, now it's the opposite.. Also, staining or foxing came second to the structural integrity of a book i.e. tear or crease, now it's the opposite.. We used to grade on the aesthetics of a book, it's eye appeal i.e., gloss and color, the whiteness of a book over a loose centerfold, but now its all different. So I sold my 9.4 Chicago Mystic 9 green. Grading standards are no longer pluralistic

.I was just wondering how many of you out there would just rather have a 8.0 blue label with notes.. or a green 9.4 with notes? Which would command more value in the market?

It's hard to tell with this book as there isn't a lot of recent sales data on this one to go on but typically a green label = discount. I feel that when you spend thousands of dollars on a book that you have no choice but to factor in the investment aspect and I personally feel that the high end collector might be turned off by a green label and would rather have a lower but still high grade universal (like you in '05 for example?). Granted the comparison is a VF blue vs. a NM green but I feel the VF would be more desirable within the investment collector crowd although a loose centerfold would be mighty tempting for a possible re-attatchment and flip but that's another story. I think you made a good call. Here's my copy btw.

I once owned the Chicago Mystic #9 in 9.4 Qualified with a centerfold detached I sold it at a premium through Heritage a few years ago in favor of my blue label 8.0.

Wondering now if I made the right choice... What do you guys prefer,,, a higher graded Qualified book or a 8.0 or 8.5 blue? Just wondered...

I'd rather have the Chicago. A loose centerfold doesn't bother me as much, and that book is gorgeous.

 

Centerfolds are reattached to books all the time and they get universal grades. Like pressing though, you have to have the right book with the type of defects, or detachment in this case. Some CF's cannot be reattached because the paper that goes under the staple is missing. However, I have a feeling it won't belong before someone finds a way to get around that problem as well.

Yes that's true but it has been documented in the GP and archived by Heritage as a qualified book which would leave a bit of a stigma on that book if ever repaired. It would bother me anyway.

I once owned the Chicago Mystic #9 in 9.4 Qualified with a centerfold detached I sold it at a premium through Heritage a few years ago in favor of my blue label 8.0.

Wondering now if I made the right choice... What do you guys prefer,,, a higher graded Qualified book or a 8.0 or 8.5 blue? Just wondered...

Blue for me. I own a 8.5 blue copy. Do you have a #10?

Guess this one is considered the best cover of the run..

I agree! I personally feel this one is much better than #7 as the S&K artwork in #7 leaves a lot to be desired (My opinion. No offense to any #7 owners). Do you have a #10? 9 and 10 are my favorites.

 

None taken. (thumbs u

 

It's much easier for me to explain why I like the cover of #7 so much rather than to fault other Mystic Destroyer covers, all of which are magnificent. Of course, having a Kirby cover may give this comic points for dynamic flair, but what really makes #7 stand out from my perspective is that it tells a story all by itself.

 

This particular cover depicts a key scene telling the prospective reader why a war minister has been chained and tortured, and the madness Hitler is willing to unleash to achieve world domination. Maybe it's just me, but that's a perfect cover, a complete visual snapshot of the BIG picture as represented by one of the most dynamic artists of the GA.

 

IMHO, the cover of #7 leaves nothing to be desired, but everyone's mileage varies.

I'm not questioning the subject matter as I think it's both shocking and great from a historical perspective. I was referring to what I feel is a rather crudely drawn cover. Aside from Schomburg, Timely's stable of artists was a mixed bag at best. It's a great issue regardless. Hitler covers always stand out.....just some more than others.

Guess this one is considered the best cover of the run..

 

WTTB. That's a lovely copy.

 

It's certainly one of my favorites, along with #2, though all of the Destroyer coversstand out.

 

Considering that the copy of #9 I previously owned was no better than good I'm more than happy with this copy, courtesy of Mr Bedrock. Still searching for a presentable copy of #2 though!

 

 

This issue has been steadily rising the last few years as illustrated by the GP. A trimmed 4.5 sold for a strong price not long ago and a 3.5 with slightly brittle pages broke 3k a few weeks ago via the Heritage Sunday auction. I tried to post a pic of my #9 yesterday but it wouldn't upload for some reason.

Guess this one is considered the best cover of the run..

I agree! I personally feel this one is much better than #7 as the S&K artwork in #7 leaves a lot to be desired (My opinion. No offense to any #7 owners). Do you have a #10? 9 and 10 are my favorites.

Guess this one is considered the best cover of the run..

Very nice! I was the under bidder on this one in the '05 Heritage auction. I was fortunate enough to find this one however.

Gotta love these ultra viotent Timely war covers!

A few more gems

 

I wonder if people realize how hard it is to find a nice copy of this book. Don't ask me why, but most copies have a dust shadow on them. Batman 10 was the last issue I needed to complete my run.

I'm definitely aware of how tough this one is in high grade. This is one of the toughest in the early GA run to find in the lofty 9.0 and up range as it's the only one. It even beats out the other black cover books 3, 9, 13, 17, etc. Can't figure out why but I'm happy. And yes I've noticed this issue is almost always plagued with shadows and sometimes bad ones although this copy has a hint of discoloration along the right edge. The TEC 55 I posted is also curiously tough as it's by itself in the census with the next one at 8.5 and both originated from the same collection.

A few more gems

After watching the 102 sell for $7250, I'm curious what this ones worth? Only one way to find out unfortunately.

Love these caps

Some more eye candy

Ahhhhh. Love these early Bats.

I'm new to this so if my scan doesn't show up then I'll have to try again. Anyway, big gold/silver fan. Been collecting about four years but since I started making mortgage payments my addiction has slowed. Check out my stuff on youtube if you don't already know.

I've got a few