• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Rare! Scarce! Etc.!

Started by Spider-Variant,

62 posts in this topic

action1kid

action1kid

Posted
Posted
From my perspective as a Golden Age Collector I would say the following

 

Scarce...200 or less copies....examples, Action 1, Detective 27,

Rare.......50 or less copies.....examples, MF52, Adventure 40

Very Rare...10 or less copies..MPFW#1, Famous Funnies Series 1

 

Just my perspective consolidated into a few sentences.

 

I think this ia good starting point, but how do you satisfy these variables in the context of:

 

1) how many were originally printed

2) how many were actually distributed vs rate of attrition pre-distribution (i.e. defects)

3) current market availability

4) census population

5) infrequent sales activity

 

I think without knowing the first two, it will always come down to empirical research and to some extent a form of knowledge that leaves far too much room for interpretation that its deemed by those outside of the "know" to criticize or cast doubt on claims.

 

Of course! By no way am I stating that these are facts.This is merely the limited research numbers we have so far. This I do know , high prices have brought these books out of the woodwork and by that measure there arnt to many.Its a starting point at the very least.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
comicwiz

comicwiz

Posted
Posted

I don't know whether its a snub or just a lack of knowledge or understanding, but you don't need to go that far back in time to reference a book that would fit the bill of our loose interpretations of scarce/rare/very rare.

 

GA is a ready-made answer in these discussions but there are books from more recent times that we know far more information about in terms of print numbers, and from the view of quantifying relative scarcity/rarity, would know the socks off of some of the best GA examples touted by Overstreet and Gerber.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Silver

Silver

Posted
Posted

I always felt that "scarce" and "rare" shouldn't have any qualifers such as "in high grade" or "for a bronze age book" etc. To me, personally, a scarce or rare book is scarce in any grade, from any time period.

 

I think the 200 or less is scarce and 50 or less is rare is pretty good.

 

There are just some books that you never see. Collectors who go after complete runs get a real good idea of which books are harder to find than others. They usually don't want to talk about it publicly, they "earned" that knowledge and don't want to give it away. They scour convention floors looking for books they know are scarce.

 

My favorite example from my own experiences is Superboy 21. You can buy that book any day of the week between the various websites and eBay. It is impossible to find above VG. Is it scarce, no, simple as that.

 

Of course these are just my opinions. :shy:

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
comicwiz

comicwiz

Posted
Posted
I always felt that "scarce" and "rare" shouldn't have any qualifers such as "in high grade" or "for a bronze age book" etc. To me, personally, a scarce or rare book is scarce in any grade, from any time period.

 

I think the 200 or less is scarce and 50 or less is rare is pretty good.

 

There are just some books that you never see. Collectors who go after complete runs get a real good idea of which books are harder to find than others. They usually don't want to talk about it publicly, they "earned" that knowledge and don't want to give it away. They scour convention floors looking for books they know are scarce.

 

My favorite example from my own experiences is Superboy 21. You can buy that book any day of the week between the various websites and eBay. It is impossible to find above VG. Is it scarce, no, simple as that.

 

Of course these are just my opinions. :shy:

 

 

I think this argument (grade not a variable determining scarcity/rarity) is made even more compelling to the oft cited reason for the low numbers on the census. From the reliability aspect of using the census as a barometer for scarcity/rarity, one can't overlook that there is a financial incentive for grading books, and how that financial incentive is lost in a grade obsessed market.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
action1kid

action1kid

Posted
Posted

Probably in about 10 to 20 years out I see the CGC census as being a Much better barometer of what actually exsists[number of copies] CGC is currently just to young to give you that feel right now in time..Id like to ad that it is an excellent starting point for now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
comicwiz

comicwiz

Posted
Posted

On the point about qualifiers, as an underground comix collector, I view print number as the clincher and any/all examples absent of this important data point which use information to validate the claim as qualifiers.

 

Taken from another perspective, there is at least one underground comix example I can think of which is known to have had less books printed than the 50 required for the rare category. How then can we place books like MF52 or Adventure 40 in the same category?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
action1kid

action1kid

Posted
Posted
On the point of qualifiers, as an underground comix collector, I view print number as the clincher and any/all examples absent of this important data point which use information to validate the claim as qualifiers.

 

Taken from another perspective, there are examples of underground comix which are known to have had less books printed than the 50 required for the rare category. How then can we place books like MF52 or Adventure 40 in the same category?

 

Well how far back are you going with the comparible Underground comics?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
G.A.tor

G.A.tor

Posted
Posted
we have the Windex and I have established some "scarcity" assumptions on all the titles I have collected

Do you have any examples you could post ?

the search function is your friend (thumbs u
Link to comment
Share on other sites
G.A.tor

G.A.tor

Posted
Posted
I think that Rick and Mark[Zaid] being a collector of More Fun in particular can shed some good insight into the scarcity of early More Funs.
loved the More Fun run (I am strictly spectre on up!)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
action1kid

action1kid

Posted
Posted
I think that Rick and Mark[Zaid] being a collector of More Fun in particular can shed some good insight into the scarcity of early More Funs.
loved the More Fun run (I am strictly spectre on up!)

 

Forgot Rick . #51 and up. Gotcha.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites
comicwiz

comicwiz

Posted
Posted
On the point of qualifiers, as an underground comix collector, I view print number as the clincher and any/all examples absent of this important data point which use information to validate the claim as qualifiers.

 

Taken from another perspective, there are examples of underground comix which are known to have had less books printed than the 50 required for the rare category. How then can we place books like MF52 or Adventure 40 in the same category?

 

Well how far back are you going with the comparible Underground comics?

 

I don't have a guide in front of me, but my recollection is one from 1962 and the other from 1963 (the one from 1963 I don't recall the exact numbers printed - less or slightly more than 50)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Go to topic listing