50 Rarest GA Books - CBM Survey (1993)

[GreatEscape]

In 1993, Comic Book Marketplace #11 published an opinion survey on the 50 Rarest Golden Age comics:

 

 

Can anyone who has a copy please post the CBM rankings . I'd be curious, 15 years later, what people think about the list. Specifically,

 

(1) Are the "rarest" issues near the top of the 1993 survey consistent with today's CGC census data and everyone's own collecting experiences?

 

(2) Did Gerber's rankings (published 2 years later) agree with CBM's survey? Any Gerber 9-10s conspicuously absent from the CBM list?

 

(3) In general, have market values for extremely rare GA comics (ie, Gerber 9/10 or CBM Survey's rarest issues) increased over time relative to more expensive, but with more copies available, GA keys?

 

Should be very insightful ... can anyone kick-start this thread by posting the CBM rankings from 1993?

 

GE

 

[buttock]

It wasn't too useful IIRC. My copy is buried somewhere. Lots of ashcans and oddball things that didn't fit well in the pantheon of what most people consider "real" GA books. Then a lot of early DCs without much attention paid to random rare issues (e.g. Detective 1 being rarer than other issues, just because it's #1). Still an interesting read.

[esquirecomics]

It wasn't too useful IIRC. My copy is buried somewhere. Lots of ashcans and oddball things that didn't fit well in the pantheon of what most people consider "real" GA books. Then a lot of early DCs without much attention paid to random rare issues (e.g. Detective 1 being rarer than other issues, just because it's #1). Still an interesting read.

 

If it had info on ashcans, it must have been incredibly useful!!

 

BTW, Moondog and I have an article in the latest OSPG on ashcans. Feedback appreciated!!!

[agro23]

It's about time to archive CBM on CD. I used to do magazine archiving for a while.

 

Maybe a future project to undertake...

[aardvark88]

All I remember from that CBM survey that later seemed to be revised in a squarebound UK Comic Bk Price Guide was the hype generated for the scarcest 1950s DC of Danger Trail #3 (with Alex Toth art flipped for a quick 3 x Ostreet ) and super-hype for Cdn b/w Timely "annuals". Only 3 know copies extant, etc.

[markseifert]

the hype generated for the scarcest 1950s DC of Danger Trail #3

 

Oh jeez, I remember that too. Might have been some mention of the Congo Bills also?

 

And was this the list that mentioned The Witness and Comedy Comics?

 

 

[Ivanko]

It wasn't too useful IIRC. My copy is buried somewhere. Lots of ashcans and oddball things that didn't fit well in the pantheon of what most people consider "real" GA books. Then a lot of early DCs without much attention paid to random rare issues (e.g. Detective 1 being rarer than other issues, just because it's #1). Still an interesting read.

 

If it had info on ashcans, it must have been incredibly useful!!

 

BTW, Moondog and I have an article in the latest OSPG on ashcans. Feedback appreciated!!!

 

I think I'd have a much better opinion of the article if I had a copy of Flash or Thrill next to me while I read it

 

I wonder what the "list" would look like today if it included regular production books only?

[adamstrange]

I wonder what the "list" would look like today if it included regular production books only?

 

Early comics and obscure funny animal and romance books.

[Crowzilla]

Ahhh, I remember that issue. There was an article on a super-cool dealer in there.

 

[Ivanko]

I wonder what the "list" would look like today if it included regular production books only?

 

Early comics and obscure funny animal and romance books.

 

If there was a "Rarest production list" would Double Action be on it, or does it not count because of the limited distribution?

[esquirecomics]

I wonder what the "list" would look like today if it included regular production books only?

 

Early comics and obscure funny animal and romance books.

 

If there was a "Rarest production list" would Double Action be on it, or does it not count because of the limited distribution?

 

I wonder if we will ever know the true story about this book.

[G.A.tor]

there is going to be a double action in 9.0 blue, I believe, in the next heritage auction

[esquirecomics]

there is going to be a double action in 9.0 blue, I believe, in the next heritage auction

 

This is the "married" copy, is it not?

 

I wouldn't be able to afford it anyway given what the prior copies have sold for.

 

In any event, I gots me one.

[Ivanko]

I'm curious to see what the 9.0 sells for...

[swapto]

what 8.0 ?

[Ivanko]

what 8.0 ?

 

edited

 

no more Bailey's for me

[esquirecomics]

I'm curious to see what the 9.0 sells for...

 

Hopefully over $100k. (thumbs u

[Moondog]

Ahhh, I remember that issue. There was an article on a super-cool dealer in there.

 

[cloudofwit]

Ahhh, I remember that issue. There was an article on a super-cool dealer in there.

 

:think: Mr. Linkenback, I presume? Let me put on my math hat for a minute: then 23, now 39?

[cloudofwit]

In 1993, Comic Book Marketplace #11 published an opinion survey on the 50 Rarest Golden Age comics:

 

 

Can anyone who has a copy please post the CBM rankings . I'd be curious, 15 years later, what people think about the list. Specifically,

 

(1) Are the "rarest" issues near the top of the 1993 survey consistent with today's CGC census data and everyone's own collecting experiences?

 

(2) Did Gerber's rankings (published 2 years later) agree with CBM's survey? Any Gerber 9-10s conspicuously absent from the CBM list?

 

(3) In general, have market values for extremely rare GA comics (ie, Gerber 9/10 or CBM Survey's rarest issues) increased over time relative to more expensive, but with more copies available, GA keys?

 

Should be very insightful ... can anyone kick-start this thread by posting the CBM rankings from 1993?

 

GE

 

It was actually from March 1992, and here goes ("The 50 Rarest Golden Age Comic Books: An Opinion Survey" by Duncan McAlpine)--with the known/estimated # of copies in existence at the end of each entry...

 

1) All Star Comics, Ash Can (1940)--1

2) Blood is the Harvest (1950)--1

3) Amazing Mystery Funnies (1940?)--1

4) Is This Tomorrow? (1947)--2

5) Action Funnies, Ashcan (1938)--3

6) Syndicate Comics Features (1937)--3

7) Thrill Comics (1939)--3

8) Feature Book (Popeye, 1937)--3

9) If the Devil Would Talk (1950)--4

10) Flash Comics, Vol. 1, No. 1, Ash Can (1939)--4 to 5

11) Flash Comics, Ash Can (1939)--4 to 5

12) Slam Bang Comics, Ash Can (1940)--4 to 5

13) Five Cent Comics, Ash Can (1940)--4 to 5

14) Nickel Comics, Ash Can (1940)--4 to 5

15) World's Best, Ash Can (1939)--4 to 5

16) Wow #2, 1st series (1936)--4 to 7

17) Blood is the Harvest (1950)--5

18) Double Action Comics (1940)--5 to 7

19) Flash Comics, Ash Can (1939)--8

20) Marvel Mystery Comics (1943/44)--9

21) Feature Book ( Tracy, 1937)--9

22) Famous Funnies (Series 1, 1933)--10

23) Comics Magazine #1 (1936)--10

24) Comics Magazine #2 (1936)--10

25) New Comics #2 (1936)--10

26) New Fun #2 (1935)--10

27) Stuntman #3 (1946)--10

28) Danger Trail #3 (1950)--10

29) Famous Funnies #2 (1934)--10

30) Famous Funnies #9 (1935)--10

31) More Fun #9 (1936)--12

32) Blood is the Harvet (1950)--13

33) Big Book of Fun Comics (1936)--14

34) All New #15 (1947)--9 or 10

35) Detective Comics #3 (1937)--13

36) New Fun #6 (1935)--15

37) Green Giant #1 (1940)--16

38) New Fun #1 (1935)--17

39) Wow Comics #1 (1936)--17

40) More Fun #8 (1936)--18

41) Wow Comics #3 (1936)--20

42) Detective Picture Stories #1 (1936)--22

43) Detective Comics #2 (1937)--23

44) New Adventure Comics #13 (1937)--25

45) If the Devil Would Talk (1950)--25

46) More Fun #7 (1936)--26

47) Boy Explorers #2 (1946)--27

48) Detective Comics #1 (1937)--30

49) Famous Funnies #1 (1934)--30

50) Funny Picture Stories #1 (1936)--30

 

Whew... :tongue: