The Big Book Of Fun Comics

[ghoulaid]

Post deleted by ghoulaid

[FlyingDonut]

"The Wheels Are In Motion!"

[Warlord]

It's a serious one. They might also sell it to you, or give it to you in exchange for a donation to the library or whatever. Can't hurt to ask, right?

 

I agree, and I've asked. The woman told me who to e-mail but she said it was unlikely.

 

Refer them to current Overstreet prices for the issues that they have that you want. Think they have an OPG? If not, scan the pages that include the desired issues. Them for each one make them an offer they can't refuse -- something like cash equal to 5X the OPG value of the comic, plus add in 5X GA or SA DC comics that they don't have. Or maybe a particularly key DC issue, something that would be noteworthy for them to have vs Here's Howie #17 that probably no one would notice if were gone.

 

Given that some of these are very low in the guide, you might just throw out a number like $500 for a comic valued at $50 and they might suddently see things your way.

 

[Warlord]

It's coming!! It's coming!!! The Horror of that beat-up Tec # 27!!! The Horror,The Horror of it all!!!!

 

Yes and when you all see it, you'll all think I'm mad.

But it has fairly white pages, and it will restore up to an apparent VF.

It's the best candidate for restoration I've ever seen.

I wouldn't touch my Action 1, but with this beat up old thing, what choice do I have

Well, at least it's complete and it's the real thing and I've already dealt with the guy previously.

 

It's a beautiful copy actually. Thanks for allowing us to see it!

 

Ditto. There's probably not a 'Tec 27-less collector among us who wouldn't like to own any copy.

[Ian_Levine]

Tell her you want to speak to Randy Scott. He's the one to talk to

 

That's who she told me to e-mail, and that's who I did e-mail.

No reply yet.

Just imagine the unlikely event of something coming of it.........

[EwanUK]

this is a great thread - very interesting to see the ways and means as this quest draws to its close - i'm sure the OPG idea for the museum wil turn it your way

The Tec 27 should be restored - I've never really seen why this is considered a bad thing

[Ian_Levine]

The Tec 27 should be restored - I've never really seen why this is considered a bad thing

 

I couldn't agree more.

It's just that most people on here view restored comics as if they're tainted with leprosy.

My belief is that restoration will protect them for the century to come.

[Ian_Levine]

They might also sell it to you, or give it to you in exchange for a donation to the library or whatever. Can't hurt to ask, right?

 

They haven't replied, and I sent e-mails to the correct guy and so did Flying Donut too.

[Mushroom]

If I donated a whole bunch of stuff to a museum for posterity's sake I wouldn't want them selling parts of it off to a collector.

 

Just my 2 cents worth.

[FFB]

This isn't a museum, is it? I thought it was a library? They are probably not being all that well preserved.

 

And if I were the donor, I would be happy to know that a book I donated to a library was given or traded to someone who was using it to fill in a gaping hole in one of the most impressive comic collections on God's green earth.

 

If I donated a whole bunch of stuff to a museum for posterity's sake I wouldn't want them selling parts of it off to a collector.

 

Just my 2 cents worth.

[Joanna]

This isn't a museum, is it? I thought it was a library? They are probably not being all that well preserved.

 

It's a rather small school and their claim to fame is this collection. They have the largest comic collection of any university in the States. It's not a library in the sense that anyone can come in, fold the cover back and read. It's a research facility and all care is taken. (a friend of mine lives in Michigan and told me all about this collection ages ago).

 

I can't imagine they'll break it up, but I'm sure it won't hurt to try. Personally, I hope Ian finds the books elsewhere. It isn't about value as rarity. If you needed to see a Howie 17 (or whatever it is) then where can you go? More expensive, famous books, like Tec 27, have been reprinted enough so that the collection doesn't need a copy of it. But the really rare books may never come their way again.

 

-- Joanna

[Mushroom]

This isn't a museum, is it? I thought it was a library? They are probably not being all that well preserved.

 

It's a rather small school and their claim to fame is this collection. They have the largest comic collection of any university in the States. It's not a library in the sense that anyone can come in, fold the cover back and read. It's a research facility and all care is taken. (a friend of mine lives in Michigan and told me all about this collection ages ago).

 

I can't imagine they'll break it up, but I'm sure it won't hurt to try. Personally, I hope Ian finds the books elsewhere. It isn't about value as rarity. If you needed to see a Howie 17 (or whatever it is) then where can you go? More expensive, famous books, like Tec 27, have been reprinted enough so that the collection doesn't need a copy of it. But the really rare books may never come their way again.

 

-- Joanna

 

That is where I am coming from. It has obviously been given to an institution so that the many can have access.

[FFB]

Really? That is cool. If I'm ever in the area, I will definitely check it out.

 

I still think they should trade the book to Ian if he gives them 5-10X OPG value in rare Golden Age stuff that they don't already have. My understanding is that Ian has some doubles that are probably just as rare as or rarer than the Here's Howie #17. He could actually significantly improve the collection in a trade.

 

This isn't a museum, is it? I thought it was a library? They are probably not being all that well preserved.

 

It's a rather small school and their claim to fame is this collection. They have the largest comic collection of any university in the States. It's not a library in the sense that anyone can come in, fold the cover back and read. It's a research facility and all care is taken. (a friend of mine lives in Michigan and told me all about this collection ages ago).

 

I can't imagine they'll break it up, but I'm sure it won't hurt to try. Personally, I hope Ian finds the books elsewhere. It isn't about value as rarity. If you needed to see a Howie 17 (or whatever it is) then where can you go? More expensive, famous books, like Tec 27, have been reprinted enough so that the collection doesn't need a copy of it. But the really rare books may never come their way again.

 

-- Joanna

[lighthouse]

Really? That is cool. If I'm ever in the area, I will definitely check it out.

 

I still think they should trade the book to Ian if he gives them 5-10X OPG value in rare Golden Age stuff that they don't already have. My understanding is that Ian has some doubles that are probably just as rare as or rarer than the Here's Howie #17. He could actually significantly improve the collection in a trade.

 

I agree, but I think it is critically important that Ian's initial offer is so overwhelmingly positive for the library that they wouldn't hesitate to take it. Any attempt to lowball, or even to offer "fair" value for the books will brand him as being an arrogant, pompous [!@#%^&^] in the eyes of the library...

 

It can't be that he makes one offer and then gradually improves on it, that's not the way libraries and museums work. His initial offer has to be seen as a massive improvement in the library's collection or there is no way they will ever deal with him.

 

I would suggest something on the order of 20-25 times as many books as he is asking for, worth 20-25 times as much according to the price guide, and carefully matched with the gaps in the libraries current collection. No coverless books should even be considered.

 

If the books he is asking them to part with are four books "worth" a total of $500, his opening offer should be a list of more than 80 books that they don't have totalling $10,000 in "value". Libraries and museums aren't in the habit of selling off their holdings. But if he approaches it as a drastic improvement for them that comes with a small concession to the donor, he has a good chance of success.

 

My wife ran the development department for a large museum in Texas, and anyone calling asking for a "fair" trade of material would have been quickly shown the door and would have been ignored from that point on...

[FlyingDonut]

Really? That is cool. If I'm ever in the area, I will definitely check it out.

 

I still think they should trade the book to Ian if he gives them 5-10X OPG value in rare Golden Age stuff that they don't already have. My understanding is that Ian has some doubles that are probably just as rare as or rarer than the Here's Howie #17. He could actually significantly improve the collection in a trade.

 

I agree, but I think it is critically important that Ian's initial offer is so overwhelmingly positive for the library that they wouldn't hesitate to take it. Any attempt to lowball, or even to offer "fair" value for the books will brand him as being an arrogant, pompous [!@#%^&^] in the eyes of the library...

 

It can't be that he makes one offer and then gradually improves on it, that's not the way libraries and museums work. His initial offer has to be seen as a massive improvement in the library's collection or there is no way they will ever deal with him.

 

I would suggest something on the order of 20-25 times as many books as he is asking for, worth 20-25 times as much according to the price guide, and carefully matched with the gaps in the libraries current collection. No coverless books should even be considered.

 

If the books he is asking them to part with are four books "worth" a total of $500, his opening offer should be a list of more than 80 books that they don't have totalling $10,000 in "value". Libraries and museums aren't in the habit of selling off their holdings. But if he approaches it as a drastic improvement for them that comes with a small concession to the donor, he has a good chance of success.

 

My wife ran the development department for a large museum in Texas, and anyone calling asking for a "fair" trade of material would have been quickly shown the door and would have been ignored from that point on...

 

A couple of things - I saw Ian's email to them, and in both his and mine, we stressed two things 1) he would be willing to give them a lot of stuff and 2) how close he was to getting all the DCs.

 

And, where did you all get the idea that Michigan State is a "small" school? Good grief - MSU is MASSIVE - 34,000 + undergraduates.

[lighthouse]

A couple of things - I saw Ian's email to them, and in both his and mine, we stressed two things 1) he would be willing to give them a lot of stuff and 2) how close he was to getting all the DCs.

 

I hope so. Everyone here is well aware that Ian is fully capable of alienating anyone he communicates with about his collection. And the motivations for a library or museum are markedly different from those of a dealer or fellow private collector. For Ian to apply what he has "learned" about dealing with the rest of us when talking to MSU would be a huge mistake. They won't be motivated by him throwing money at them. They won't be motivated by him throwing a temper tantrum. And they won't be motivated by his impatience.

 

What they will be motivated by is an opportunity for them to improve their ability to accomplish their goals as an institution. If Ian's email to them is all about Ian, he won't get far at all. They don't give a rat's butt about Ian, and him telling them all about his collection isn't likely to do anything to change that.

 

Non-profit organizations care about accomplishing their organizational goals. Period. And Ian's contact with them will stand a much greater chance of success if that's what he focuses on. Any representative of the institution that parts with items from their inventory will have to be able to defend that choice to their board of directors and to the donors who contribute to the upkeep of the collection. They need to be able to defend that decision with ease, or the organization runs the risk of losing key donors. If I donate $10,000 a year to my alma mater to help with the care and upkeep of items they are preserving, and they tell me they parted with some of the items from the collection, they damn well better be able to explain to me why it was a good choice for them to do so. And "helping some random guy from England who called us" won't be a good enough answer.

 

My wife and I donate a reasonable sum every year to help with the upkeep of rare textiles on display at the museum where she used to work. If they started parting with those textiles without a clearcut improvement in the quality of the exhibit, you better believe we would think twice about continuing our donations.

 

Ian has to also recognize that his dealings with MSU aren't just about him and the school. If Ian acts like a total [!@#%^&^] to them, it will sour them on ever working any kind of a deal with any other collector. He could single-handedly kill any opportunity for any of us to ever work a deal with MSU.

 

This can work out to be a great deal for both sides. Ian can get a few of the books he needs, and MSU can improve their collection in the process, with the complete approval of the board of directors and the relevant donors. I just hope he goes about this the right way...

[ghoulaid]

Excellent points, Lighthouse. I dealt with Randy years ago as he acquired some books off me for the library collection. He was an easy-going, friendly guy. Personally, I don't care what he does with the books I sent him but your advice should be heeded.

[spider9698]

My point in negotiating with them would be twofold:

1) Make a significant cash offer.

2) Make a color xerox of the book so they have it for the collection.

Since many libraries are going digital, I think Ian would have a good chance of pulling it off.

Best of luck.

[Ian_Levine]

My point in negotiating with them would be twofold:

1) Make a significant cash offer.

2) Make a color xerox of the book so they have it for the collection.

Since many libraries are going digital, I think Ian would have a good chance of pulling it off.

Best of luck.

 

 

I've sent them a list of stuff that Quicksilver has in stock - four Flash Comics for No 43, four Heart Throbs for No 66, and four Here's Howie's for No 17.

 

He hasn't replied.

But as a straight trade of four issues of the same title in each case for one, I was hoping it was an attractive offer.

Twelve comics of the same titles and nearby numbers for three.

I keep my fingers crossed.

[Warlord]

My point in negotiating with them would be twofold:

1) Make a significant cash offer.

2) Make a color xerox of the book so they have it for the collection.

Since many libraries are going digital, I think Ian would have a good chance of pulling it off.

Best of luck.

 

 

I've sent them a list of stuff that Quicksilver has in stock - four Flash Comics for No 43, four Heart Throbs for No 66, and four Here's Howie's for No 17.

 

He hasn't replied.

But as a straight trade of four issues of the same title in each case for one, I was hoping it was an attractive offer.

Twelve comics of the same titles and nearby numbers for three.

I keep my fingers crossed.

 

This sounds like a good approach. Here's another idea along those lines -- ASK them what comics THEY have tried to acquire but haven't been able to find. If there's something THEY WANT more than the comics that YOU WANT, then that will give you real leverage! With your surplus issues, and with all the dealer contacts you've made over the years perhaps you'll be able to add some real value to the transaction by finding some comics that they've wanted to acquire but have been unable to locate. Providing your time and ability to locate some HTF issues for them that they want and are much more desirable than the issues that you want may tip the scales in your favor.

 

Find out what comics they want but can't find... and find them for them.... that's the way to go.