For the knowledgeable ones

[Forbush-Man]

Years of pouring over the Overstreet Price guide, many resource books (Steranko's History of the Comics still a favorite), watching eBay, dealer websites and online auction houses, here on these boards. It never stops, you can learn something everyday.

[moloch]

I think there is a generation of us who subscribed to CBG in the 70's and 80's and that opened up fandom in general for a lot of us.

 

I always found the Comics Journal to be dense reading back then as well. More cerebral.

 

 

 

 

These plus Overstreet. Then the last few years these boards.

[goldust40]

My Dad collected old books, and I recall going with him to Camden Market in the early 70s (when It had bookshops) and finding a stall selling old U.S. comics amidst all the hippie paraphernalia.

 

Probably started to take the hobby seriously when I went to Comic Showcase in central London (run by Paul Hudson, who is still dealing, although only at marts) in the late 70s / early 80s. Basically hung out there as often as I could and learnt from more experienced collectors about the market. They advised me to pick up an Overstreet and just read it.

 

After a long absence from the hobby, the major quantum leap was when I started buying and selling (in the early 90s) which meant travelling to U.S. Cons for the first time. The first San Diego I went to (in 1995) was a real eye-opener which made me realize how much I had to learn, especially about Golden Age and Atom Age. I'd say that it took three or four years at least of going to U.S. Cons before I really began to understand that market (I'd never been into GA back in my original collecting days). Of course, regularly buying Overstreet, CBG, CBM and forking out for a set of Gerber guides helped a great deal.

 

When I found these boards back in '03 I again had that feeling that there was far more to learn than I had thought, again concerning pre-1960 books. Even now I'm still learning stuff here, and the board has influenced my collecting habits considerably over the last 7 years.

[Cimm]

One thing I forgot to mention, and it's fairly important. My dad was an avid wax and vinyl collector/dealer, and it was from him that I learned from my earliest memory that grade/condition was very important, and that you should always take care to return a book or record to its place in the same condition you pulled it in... this too has stood me in good stead all of born days. The actual "how to" of determining a book's grade, I learned from D. W. Howard, but I had already been grading and pricing vinyl for years for my dad at record shows and conventions by the time D. W. took me under his wing.

[HouseofComics.Com]

I think there is a generation of us who subscribed to CBG in the 70's and 80's and that opened up fandom in general for a lot of us.

 

That's for sure! I didn't know anyone in my small town who had a collection--CBG was very important.

 

In terms of knowing about golden age comics, I'd also add The Great Comic Book Heroes and the 30s to the 70s hardcovers and the Famous First Editions. Huge helps.

[comick1]

The Great Comic Book Heroes was one of the earliest things I read that was a portal in to the world of comics characters that preceded me. I was poring over it before I could read full sentences, but I was undaunted and returned to it time and again until I could read the stories AND the text part of the book. I was totally awed by the origins of DC characters that I was already familiar with, but reading the Subby story was just spellbinding. I couldn't figure out whether he was a good guy or a bad guy, but Subby sure was a compelling character either way.

 

Around the same time, I started studying Overstreet. I remember, as a 6 or 7 year old, that I honed my alphebetizing skills by searching for comics that appeared in the color section in the main part of Overstreet.

 

It didn't hurt that my mom and dad were cool enough to take me and my siblings a number of times to the San Diego Comicon back in the mid-70s. Looking at comics on the racks and walls like they were works of fine art was an introduction to the notion that not all old things should be destined for the trash and some old things had value.

 

My neighbor across the street (when I was a teenager) just HAPPENED to be a Silver Marvel fan and had near-complete runs of FF, Spidey, Avengers, DD, and the like. That was the first time that I actually saw the spoils of painstaking effort over an extended period of time.

 

CBM was a helluva lot of great info and the vehicle for meeting a bunch of like-minded collectors.

 

These boards are a tremendous source as well.

[nmtg9]

My Dad taught me what I needed to know about comics in terms of the the Marvel Universe and the DC Universe. He was a font of knowledge back in the day having read most Marvel/DC's from the 60's and 70's.

 

He gave me the background to characters before I got round to back issues. He doesn't collect anymore but still remembers a lot of stories.

 

Knowledge about collecting and the hobby I kinda taught myself. Ron from the Skyrack Bookshop in Leeds helped, as do this forum and Comicopolis (thumbs u

[jimhouston1]

I read The Great Comic Book Heroes at the library.

 

I collected all Batman related books. My brother collected Flash and Superman. My friend Rocky collected Thor and Sgt, Rock. My friend George collected Spiderman and convinced me to start collecting Marvel comics. I started with Cap related books.

 

We all became experts on what we read and taught each other about powers, weaknesses, villians and first appearances.

 

Letters in the comics taught me about continuity, Marvel comics taught me about Continued Next Issue.

 

I always read Comics Buyers Guide and even bought someone's collection in Queens NY and graded and priced the comics for sale in a catalogue.

 

Robert Bell and Howard Rodgofsky catalogues were used as my Price Guide,

 

I went to Phil Sueling comic conventions and was told to apply Elmers glue to covers before they became detached on 80 page giants instead of scotch tape.

 

Steve Fishler talked to me in 1983 about grading and why I should buy high grade issues and not just complete my collection. I wish I listened to him.

 

I enjoy reading these boards too!

 

 

[HouseofComics.Com]

My friend Rocky collected Thor and Sgt, Rock.

 

Whatta combo!

[HouseofComics.Com]

It didn't hurt that my mom and dad were cool enough to take me and my siblings a number of times to the San Diego Comicon back in the mid-70s.

 

Ya think?

 

Great post.

[RockMyAmadeus]

I read it in books.

 

Reading about something isn't the same thing as studying it...

 

 

I'm glad you finally learned something

 

You'll get there in the end (thumbs u

 

You so funny.

 

 

(thumbs u

[RockMyAmadeus]

I think there is a generation of us who subscribed to CBG in the 70's and 80's and that opened up fandom in general for a lot of us.

 

I always found the Comics Journal to be dense reading back then as well. More cerebral.

 

 

 

 

CBG + The Comics Journal + Overstreet Updates + Comic Book Marketplace =

[RockMyAmadeus]

There was a time when I could quote the entire Update from memory. Every single price.

 

Those were the days....

[Jeffro.]

In the beginning............

 

Let's see.

 

Early 70's - my parent's supplying me with Uncle Scrooge, Richie Rich, and bronze DC war comics. My dad read them at that time as well.

 

Late 70's/early 80's - Overstreet, Fireside's America at War book, Superhero comics

 

90's - More Overstreet and the Comic Book Marketplace mag.

 

Present/Future - Have a copy of the book, 10cent plagues but haven't started reading it yet.