CLOSED/SOLD: Crime Does Not Pay lot/Walt Gibson collection

[The Less Blob]

I purchased these from Overstreet Advisor/Dealer Stephen Ritter in the early 2000's along with some other Golden Age material. At the time, I was advised that these CDNPs had come from the collection of Walter Gibson, who created such notable pulp characters as The Shadow and apparently accumulated a fair number of comics. It appears that his CDNPs were sold as a lot by Christie's in 1995. I believe Mr. Ritter acquired them as a result of this. I am including the Christie's related info along with each comic, which is scanned below. While I don't think this can be considered a "pedigree" or anything along those lines (while it seems likely he bought them new or got them as freebies from the publisher given he had multiples of several issues, at this point all you have is my hearsay from Ritter), it is an interesting and fun tidbit.

 

Someone "bought" most of these on ebay via best offer a while back (at substantially higher prices than I want here) and a few weeks went by and he came up with some tragic story of breaking his back, a coma, surgery...blah blah blah and if I could please hold these books for a few months he swore upon his first born he'd find the money. Being the generous oaf I am it's hard to kick a guy when he's supposedly down...well, of course, he never came through, not 2 months later, not 6, etc. Some of the books I bought from Ritter were slabbed and the highest grades of those issues in the census...needless to say, they were in better condition than these and also fetched very nice prices when I sold them a couple of years ago. As for these raw copies, I suspect they are "cursed" by this deadbeat bidder and as far as I am concerned, aren't going to sell on ebay. The curse, of course, doesn't apply here, nor would it carry over to any of y'all!

 

Anyway, I am looking for $120 for the lot, shipped in the U.S.A. This is a nice chunk below OPG for the group and these are some nice early 50's painted cover crime comics. I can do Canada or the U.K. for a bit more shipping-wise to cover my costs if you are a regular here I know. I would like them to find a new, happy, home.

 

The grades I have given are a bit below what they seem to have been graded on the comics (notations on the tape holding the bags closed). I have no idea if these were Ritters notations or Christie's or what.

 

The wavey light reflections are from the comic bags, not the comics.

 

Here they are:

 

 

CDNP 92: I grade it at a VG Minus, mainly due to the chips out of the bottom right, the two creases on the cover in the bottom right 1/4 of the cover and some damage to the spine at the bottom left. The comic actually has some pretty nice eye appeal if you don't look at the bottom.

 

 

CDNP 94: I grade it at a Fine Minus to Fine, mainly due to a 3/8" or so split on the spine on the bottom left and some light wear elsewhere.

 

 

CDNP 95: I grade it at a VG+ to VG/Fine due to the chip out of the bottom right corner, a chip around the bottom staple, staple discoloration on bottom staple, the small chip out of bottom left corner.

 

 

CDNP 96: I grade it at a VG due to the chip out of the top left, there's also a traingular stain on the top left corner and a 1 1/2 - 2" spine split. Honestly, the cover is really attractive otherwise, flat and glossy.

 

 

 

CDNP 97: I grade it at a Fine Minus, though I have seen CGC Fines that that look no better. Generalized wear along the spine is the main issue. Nice Charles Atlas ad on the back. Nice supple pages.

 

Here's a scan of the Christie's info:

 

 

[Detroit MIke]