Seeking advice on making an offer for two Amazing Stories Pulps

[Annihilus]

Hey guys....I hope you'll all forgive my posting this here, not sure if it's really more applicable for a different forum, but this seems like the best place.

 

I've found a local source for some Gernsback pulps (mostly Amazing Stories) and am interested in a couple and would like to make an offer on them. The one I'm most interested in is the Sept 1927 issue because Lovecraft's 'Colour Out Of Space' is in it, but it also includes part 2 of 'War of the Worlds'. The owner also has an Aug 1927 issue with part 1 of WOTW, but its in considerably worse condition. While neither of them are in the type of shape I'm looking for, I figure I could use them as placeholders until something better comes along if the price is right.

 

My knowledge of pulp pricing is rudimentary (at best), so I was hoping that if I included the owner's descriptions and some visual examples of the issues that someone here would be so kind as to give me a ballpark idea of a fair offer for these particular examples. I realize most here collect much higher grade copies than these, but figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. Any comments appreciated!

 

Here are the specifics - pictures and descriptions from the current owner:

 

 

September 1927

1) Issue is intact and readable.

2) There is a small indent in the right side of the magazine, along the page edges. Some pages inside, mostly near the front, have small (less then 1/4th inch) rips near this... see picture. This does not effect readability or durability.

3) My grandfather wrote pencil notes in the margins of one short story (not the Lovecraft). This was pretty common in the early 20th century and before.

 

 

August 1927

1) The cover is detached and has minor damage, although still bright and whole.

2) The spine is damaged, but all pages are present with minor edge and corner damage on some.

3) A few pages are marked with notes.

 

 

[TheEyeSees]

I'm going to say about $130 to $150 for the Sept issue, $50 to $65 for the August.

 

The Sept issue cover has DEEP reds!! Its a pretty nice looking copy overall, and not easy to find!

[sacentaur]

Pencil notations do seem to be common (I have several pulps from different sources that have pencil notations). For me, this doesn't affect price.

 

RyanH knows better than me (I just started collecting the Amazing Stories bedsheets), but the August '27 (War of the Worlds) issue is considered a "classic" from what I hear, so even with a detached cover I'd figure a little bit higher on the price.

 

The September '27 looks nice and I agree on the price (at least that's what I've been paying for surrounding issues).

 

Gary, if there's any AS bedsheets from the source you don't want, pls feel free to PM me as I may be interested if the paper is decent (thnx).

[Annihilus]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it (anyone else wishing to chime in, please feel free!)

 

Steve, I'm not yet sure of the page quality - if I end up seeing these in person, I'll do my best to ascertain for you. I'm not all that knowledgeable about this title, but if Wikipedia is correct, it was bedsheet sized until October 1933. The list the owner sent to me has 48 of them that fit this date range.

 

The owner is adamant that these go to collectors and not dealers. It sounds like his grandfather gave them to him and he's looking to move them now. Not sure how much wiggle room he has or anything, guess I'll find out. Also on his list are Amazing Stories Quarterly, Wonder Stories, Air Wonder Stories, Wonder Stories Quarterly and Science Wonder Stories (almost all of which I know practically nothing about).

[Bookery]

Both issues list for the same price... the August because of the classic cover, the Sept because of the Lovecraft story.

 

The Sept looks about "vg" for a Guide value of $100.

The Aug is pretty rough... even by pulp standards... List price is $40 in "good", but the issue may be even less condition than that.

[sacentaur]

Also on his list are Amazing Stories Quarterly, Wonder Stories, Air Wonder Stories, Wonder Stories Quarterly and Science Wonder Stories (almost all of which I know practically nothing about).

 

Me neither (I don't own any of those titles - yet), but from what I've seen some cool books and some Paul covers.

 

Do keep us posted, and good luck!

[sacentaur]

The Sept looks about "vg" for a Guide value of $100.

 

The 2005 Bookery Guide?

 

From what I've been told (and please guys correct me if I'm wrong), the Guide prices are stable on Shadow, a bit low on Amazing Stories (I've been paying 1.5x for solid copies), and too low on Weird Tales (I've been paying up to 2x for nice copies).

 

Since Gary asked about pricing, how does the Bookery compare to prices on Oriental Stories and Magic Carpet today? Those are the other two main titles that I am interested in...

[Bookery]

 

I'm the author of the guide... and at 6 years old it's a bit dated in a few areas. However, science-fiction pulps really haven't changed much over the years. I would still price the Amazings at about the same as I did then. One caveat, however, is that truly high grade examples are probably bringing over guide just as they are in nearly all areas. And in issues with wild fluctuations, I definitely sided with the conservative side of pricing at the time.

 

High grade Weird Tales I'm sure will bring premiums (though I've not tracked things as closely as I used to).... however, I'm not sure about more average copies. My guess is, they haven't changed much.

 

Detective pulps however, have dried up, and are probably somewhat over guide now across the board.

 

The problem with SF pulps is that there are no rarities... all are pretty obtainable, even the #1s. Weird Tales are certainly scarcer (from the 20s and early 30s), but aren't truly rare either, as there are a number of complete collections out there.

 

However... all pulps are much scarcer on the marketplace now, than they were 5 and 10 years ago. For true rarities... pulps that are difficult to obtain at any price... look to titles like Submarine Stories, Thrill Book, Cabaret Stories, Detective Trails, Vice Squad Detective, Artists and Models, Stage and Screen Stories, and a number of others that make Action #1 look abundant!

 

[Forbush-Man]

I would suggest doing a cross-reference for pricing. The Bookery Fantasy Guide is now 6 years old, and the pulp market has changed some; some are up & some are down. Make a search on ebay of completed auctions and see what those books have sold for. Try a few pulp web sites and see how pulp dealers have their books priced. Look on Hertiage in their archives to see what sales have been realized.

 

If you get a chance, get the 2001 Bookery Fantasy Guide. All the pricing is for VG grade, but the reference material was better in that issue. 2005 guide included pricing for more than one grade, and some of the refernce information was shortened to make room. Great books regardless. I've seen Tim Cottrill posting here, but I don't remember his screen name.

[Annihilus]

I've done much of that (eBay & pulp sites anyway) and kind of had a general idea of what I figured to be a fair offer, but I'm a gradeschooler when it comes to pulps so wanted to reach out to the college graduates here

 

Of course the grades/conditions of the books don't match the historical sales I've found, but I tried to account for condition, etc. Thus far I wasn't too far off (almost smack in between RyanH and Pulpguide).

 

Looks like I'll have to track down a copy of the Bookery Guide.

[Forbush-Man]

:gossip:Look at the above post from pulpguide, that's Tim Cottrill...author of The Bookery Fanatsy Guide. He just answered you question. You can find a 2005 edition fairly easy. (thumbs u

[Forbush-Man]

Tim, Any chance you'll be releasing an updated version of the guide soon?

[sacentaur]

I'm the author of the guide...

 

Welcome Tim - I'm Steve Carey and have referred several guys to you for the Guide.

 

Thank you for your past splendid efforts, and if it turns out that I am paying a bit more for the early Amazing Stories bedsheets that's OK because I consider them to be an excellent value (covers and contents).

[Bookery]

Tim, Any chance you'll be releasing an updated version of the guide soon?

 

I'm working on it, but very slowly. I spent several hours a day, almost every day, for 8 years putting the first two guides together. Now I'm only sporadically putting time in on the next one. If I ever finish a third one, I intend it to be definitive... an issue-by-issue listing of every pulp (I've got thousands of bits on individual issue data that there wasn't room to include in Guide #2)... though I suspect I may have to accept that some genres, like romance, may have to remain incomplete.

 

The problem is, the guide will need to be over 1,000 pages with that level of inclusiveness, and that's too big for my previous printers to handle. And in this digital age, I'm not sure there is much demand for published guides anymore... at least one company that specialized in pricing guides has gone out of business. Krause might be a possibility I would explore when the time comes. Way back, Gemstone expressed interest before the 2nd guide came out... but we didn't keep in contact, and I decided to do it on my own. Now with their financial difficultiers, I'm sure they'd have no interest.

 

 

[Bookery]

I'm the author of the guide...

 

Welcome Tim - I'm Steve Carey and have referred several guys to you for the Guide.

 

Thank you for your past splendid efforts, and if it turns out that I am paying a bit more for the early Amazing Stories bedsheets that's OK because I consider them to be an excellent value (covers and contents).

 

Thanks!

Well, I'm just guessing anyway, since I don't usually get serious about tracking prices until about a year before I'm ready to publish (otherwise the data is dated). And it's quite possible that just about anything above "vg" may now be bringing higher prices than my book suggests. I've had discussions with several collectors recently, and everyone is amazed at how pulps just vanished from the scene almost overnight.

 

When I put the first guide together, almost every issue of Black Mask turned up on eBay over a 2-3 year period. Now, even the 1950s issues seem to be getting scarce. I acquired about 100 of some of the world's rarest pulps between eBay and the pulp conventions in a fairly short period back then (sure-- I paid a lot for them)-- but I wanted them for research. After the book came out I sold them off. Big mistake! Those books virtually never seem to come up for sale now... at any price!

 

Unfortuantely, I think a lot of the old pulp collectors are donating their collections to libraries when they pass, figuring on some sort of "immortality" by doing so. They have been warned against doing this my many high-ups in the pulp community, but few listen. Libraries don't care about these things (save for one or two specialty libraries), and toss them in unprotected basements or dispose of them outright after a few years. Most of these pulps eventually get damaged or altogether destroyed, and so the attrition of these rarities is far higher than it is in the comics community.

 

Add to that their fragile nature, and old pulps are still disappearing at an alarming rate.

 

[TheEyeSees]

The owner is adamant that these go to collectors and not dealers. It sounds like his grandfather gave them to him and he's looking to move them now. Not sure how much wiggle room he has or anything, guess I'll find out. Also on his list are Amazing Stories Quarterly, Wonder Stories, Air Wonder Stories, Wonder Stories Quarterly and Science Wonder Stories (almost all of which I know practically nothing about).

 

If you need any info on those titles, let me know, I collect them all. I'd be glad to fill you in on current values or scarcity (based mainly on my own observations).

 

Also, let me know if any of those turn up in nice shape... there are some holes I need to fill!

[Theagenes]

I'm going to say about $130 to $150 for the Sept issue, $50 to $65 for the August.

 

The Sept issue cover has DEEP reds!! Its a pretty nice looking copy overall, and not easy to find!

 

I track these as well and I think Ryan is spot on here. The Color Out of Space issue looks pretty good. I would probably pass on the WotW cover though and wait for a nicer one. They aren't really hard to find in VG or better.

[Theagenes]

Tim, Any chance you'll be releasing an updated version of the guide soon?

 

I'm working on it, but very slowly. I spent several hours a day, almost every day, for 8 years putting the first two guides together. Now I'm only sporadically putting time in on the next one. If I ever finish a third one, I intend it to be definitive... an issue-by-issue listing of every pulp (I've got thousands of bits on individual issue data that there wasn't room to include in Guide #2)... though I suspect I may have to accept that some genres, like romance, may have to remain incomplete.

 

The problem is, the guide will need to be over 1,000 pages with that level of inclusiveness, and that's too big for my previous printers to handle. And in this digital age, I'm not sure there is much demand for published guides anymore... at least one company that specialized in pricing guides has gone out of business. Krause might be a possibility I would explore when the time comes. Way back, Gemstone expressed interest before the 2nd guide came out... but we didn't keep in contact, and I decided to do it on my own. Now with their financial difficultiers, I'm sure they'd have no interest.

 

 

Tim, you should think about print-on-demand. I love to see a more definitive reference like you describe for the 3rd edition. You would definitely be getting my hard earned cash. (thumbs u

[Theagenes]

Unfortuantely, I think a lot of the old pulp collectors are donating their collections to libraries when they pass, figuring on some sort of "immortality" by doing so. They have been warned against doing this my many high-ups in the pulp community, but few listen. Libraries don't care about these things (save for one or two specialty libraries), and toss them in unprotected basements or dispose of them outright after a few years. Most of these pulps eventually get damaged or altogether destroyed, and so the attrition of these rarities is far higher than it is in the comics community.

 

Add to that their fragile nature, and old pulps are still disappearing at an alarming rate.

 

Good god, that's a horrible thought!

[Moondog]

I'm the author of the guide... and at 6 years old it's a bit dated in a few areas. However, science-fiction pulps really haven't changed much over the years. I would still price the Amazings at about the same as I did then. One caveat, however, is that truly high grade examples are probably bringing over guide just as they are in nearly all areas. And in issues with wild fluctuations, I definitely sided with the conservative side of pricing at the time.

 

High grade Weird Tales I'm sure will bring premiums (though I've not tracked things as closely as I used to).... however, I'm not sure about more average copies. My guess is, they haven't changed much.

 

Detective pulps however, have dried up, and are probably somewhat over guide now across the board.

 

The problem with SF pulps is that there are no rarities... all are pretty obtainable, even the #1s. Weird Tales are certainly scarcer (from the 20s and early 30s), but aren't truly rare either, as there are a number of complete collections out there.

 

However... all pulps are much scarcer on the marketplace now, than they were 5 and 10 years ago. For true rarities... pulps that are difficult to obtain at any price... look to titles like Submarine Stories, Thrill Book, Cabaret Stories, Detective Trails, Vice Squad Detective, Artists and Models, Stage and Screen Stories, and a number of others that make Action #1 look abundant!

 

I bought your book today at the Windy City Pulp Show. Very nice reference work!