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Hey, pulp collectors! What's your focus?

Started by MisterX,

68 posts in this topic

MisterX

MisterX

Posted
Posted

I'd like to say thanks to the folks here in the Gold forum for pointing me toward the Bookery Guide to Pulps. As I browsed through it the other day, a number of things occured to me--

 

1) Collecting pulps could be more expensive than I originally thought

 

2) There are alot of interesting titles out there, but actually completing a run could be impossible due to price/availability

 

3) I am a condition snob and clearly this is a problem I need to get over if I'm going to enjoy pulp collecting

 

4) I have no idea where to start

 

As a comic collector, I don't mind being unfocused, but for the money/time/effort it may take to collect pulps, I think I need some kind of game plan.

 

So, what do you folks collect in pulps and why? Here are some categories I've read about in the Bookery Guide--

 

Hero (Shadow, Doc Savage, Spider, etc.)

Science-Fiction

Detective

"Spicy"

Key Issues

 

Plus some others that occured to me--

 

Writer

Artist

Cool Covers

GGA

Oddball genre (Jungle, Aviation, Western, etc.)

Condition/Price

 

I know the saying "collect what you like," applies (and is one I believe in), but I'm hoping for more insight for the pulp-collecting veterans out there.

 

Thanks for your time!

 

 

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Cimm

Cimm

Posted
Posted

The only series I set out to collect every issue of is Planet Stories... For everything else, it either has to have a cover I like or an author I like.

 

When I started this collection (I had one growing up, partly my Dad's and partly mine, it was all about complete runs... The Shadow, Doc Savage and Weird Tales, but that one got stolen)... anyway with this collection, I decided to not get any pulp that I didn't want to look at and/or read. That's it... my sole criteria.

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Forbush-Man

Forbush-Man

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Here' s my advice:

 

1) find the one, two or three titles you want to collect

2) Pick the issues or years that matter the most to you

3) Learn to like VG's (and reader copies if it's scarce to rare)

 

Hero (Shadow, Doc Savage, Spider, etc.): Collect the first 1-2 years and last couple issues, they are usually a little scarcer than the regular issues.

 

Science-Fiction: Most SciFi is abundant. Clayton pulps are pricey in the begining, Amazing Stories started the genre (first regular anyway) and lots of nice covers, 1st printings of stories, ect. But most are common & cheap

 

Detective: Hard boiled pulps from the 1930- to say 1938 can be pricey and there is competition.

 

"Spicy": You can't go wrong with Spicy titles, be prepared to spend $$$

 

Key Issues: Depends on the key; some are easy and cheap, some could take years and $$$

 

Writer

Artist

Cool Covers

GGA

Oddball genre (Jungle, Aviation, Western, etc.)

Condition/Price

 

Most common pulps are Romance, Western, Sci Fi & Aviation.

 

If you like a particular writer, go for it, but be prepared to buy pulps regardless of the covers

 

Cool covers: Buy what you like, always a fun way to go

 

GGA: See Spicy's. A little less expensive way is to go with Speed titles, but they are less desirable as well.....still some nice covers.

 

Make a list of which pulps you really like and why. Look at that list and see what you could & could not live without in collecting. Do this until you come down to a manageable list and then go for it. Be happy with VG's with supple cream pages, tanning halo around the edges.

2c

 

Feel free to send me a PM of the list you make and I'll try to help point you in the right direction.

 

PS: Scrooge, feel free to jump in and add your insight. (thumbs u

 

 

 

 

 

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Scrooge

Scrooge

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Feel free to send me a PM of the list you make and I'll try to help point you in the right direction.

 

You mean you fill want list for people out of your warehouse of stuff :baiting:

 

I don't have anything to add really. Like in comics, finding one's focus is personal. We've seen boardies already differ widely: one is a cover collector and collects one specific run, another is a writer focused collector, and several other are opportunistic collectors which can be very fun.

 

I have a synchronic pulp collection going on even though I don't pursue as actively as I do comics. I have 54 pulps from March 1942 out of the 164 I need. Even though they are later dated, they are not easy to turn up.

 

I also collect(ed) Famous Fantastic Mysteries b/c 1) it's a cheap series, 2) it reprinted the best stories of fantasy / sci-fi, and 3) the run has fantastic covers, a nice trifecta for a collector on a budget.

 

I have a few Shadows but as I read those stories in reprint format, I don't the originals anymore and that's why I have been selling them off.

 

I do collect opportunistically issues of Detective Fiction Weekly, a solid consistent run of detective fiction, not so much hardboiled, but fun enough. I'll also buy any issue of Adventure or Argosy for $1 or $2 a piece, the only downside that it's tough to put together sets with complete stories as long novel were split into 5 installment and require all 5 issues to enjoy.

 

Note: pray that none of the books you are trying to collect contain story by L. Ron Hubbard b/c it will mean fiercer competition than on other pulps. Plenty of Hubbard fans out there.

 

Consider checking out the Thrilling line of books: plenty of great covers.

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Cimm

Cimm

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Posted

Well put, Fuelman! Every pulp collector I've talked to has different tastes, with areas of convergence. The absolute best advice is, as Fuelman said, decide what you want before you dive in, because it is REAL easy to get distracted and lose focus...

 

As for the actual "how to find" advice...

 

Once you decide what you want to collect, run your list past the boardies, in the WTB section, and see what floats up... failing there...

 

www.abebooks.com - search is your friend

 

on eBay, go to

 

books/magazines/pulps

books/magazines/science fiction

books/magazines/horror & monster

 

comics/magazines/pulps

 

as these are where most pulps are listed on the bay...

 

Other than that, DTAcollectibles.com has a lot of hard to find pulps, but most are at the extreme top edge of FMV (proceed with caution on his grades as well... I've bought some that were dead on, and others that... lacked)...

 

Have fun!

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Cimm

Cimm

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Note: pray that none of the books you are trying to collect contain story by L. Ron Hubbard b/c it will mean fiercer competition than on other pulps. Plenty of Hubbard fans out there.

 

Are you serious?

 

Oh, he's dead on on that... try bidding on a South Sea Stories v01n03... last one I watched went for 200 more than my high bid, all because of the L. Ron Hubbard story in it... Same goes for the L. Ron Hubbard Astoundings... crazy bids (from Scientologists, I assume, seeking everything the Master wrote :insane: )

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Scrooge

Scrooge

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Note: pray that none of the books you are trying to collect contain story by L. Ron Hubbard b/c it will mean fiercer competition than on other pulps. Plenty of Hubbard fans out there.

 

Are you serious?

 

Oh, he's dead on on that... try bidding on a South Sea Stories v01n03... last one I watched went for 200 more than my high bid, all because of the L. Ron Hubbard story in it... Same goes for the L. Ron Hubbard Astoundings... crazy bids (from Scientologists, I assume, seeking everything the Master wrote :insane: )

 

Yup, really serious as Cimm mentioned. Thanks for the assist (thumbs u

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Point Five

Point Five

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Other than that, DTAcollectibles.com has a lot of hard to find pulps, but most are at the extreme top edge of FMV (proceed with caution on his grades as well... I've bought some that were dead on, and others that... lacked)...

Yikes -- the idea that collecting pulps might lead to making a purchase from DTA is pretty sobering. :eek:

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TheEyeSees

TheEyeSees

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Other than that, DTAcollectibles.com has a lot of hard to find pulps, but most are at the extreme top edge of FMV (proceed with caution on his grades as well... I've bought some that were dead on, and others that... lacked)...

Yikes -- the idea that collecting pulps might lead to making a purchase from DTA is pretty sobering. :eek:

 

I'd say don't go there... the pulps will always be priced at AT LEAST twice of what they would sell for in an ebay auction. (and the condition twice as bad as the grade described....)

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Cimm

Cimm

Posted
Posted
Other than that, DTAcollectibles.com has a lot of hard to find pulps, but most are at the extreme top edge of FMV (proceed with caution on his grades as well... I've bought some that were dead on, and others that... lacked)...

Yikes -- the idea that collecting pulps might lead to making a purchase from DTA is pretty sobering. :eek:

 

I'd say don't go there... the pulps will always be priced at AT LEAST twice of what they would sell for in an ebay auction. (and the condition twice as bad as the grade described....)

 

too true... the ones I have bought from him were off of eBay, with the "make offer" option... I offered around half what he was asking, and he accepted (shrug)

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shiverbones

shiverbones

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I agree about DTA, in fact I offered 40% on this one & he accepted. It was still a gamble because the only other one I ordered was described a GVG and was a Fair. I lucked out this time though

 

3876195348_6705f654f5_o.jpg

 

As for focus, I went through the cover galleries at the pulp gallery and got a feel for what I really liked. I also wanted interiors by Matt Fox and stories by Lovecraft. After I looked at everything I did research to see what ones I liked were actually affordable. For me, Dime Mystery was the winner, it has wonderful covers, but they can be found in VGish shape for much less then similar pulps like horror stories & terror tales. I also found many I liked with Finlay covers aren't expensive at all, so that was great! From that basic focus point I just went after other examples I really liked that I knew I could get solid low grade copies of without spending a fortune, even a lot of the Brundage covers fall into this range. I also decided to not go after the common pulps right away no matter how much I liked them since there are always copies available. Scarce pulps always come first since you may not get another chance. If i want to spend $10 on a common, I'll do so here or there. The average I have spent per pulp is under $100, with a few more desirable ones in the high $100's. If you are happy with VG, you would be shocked at what you can get for $40-$150.

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