How many Marvel zombies collect pre-hero Marvels as well?

[jimjum12]

I recall the only pre-hero that was at or above guide in the 80s was TTA #27. What was guide for a VF/NM pre-hero in the mid-70s..$4-$8?

 

I remember looking over my old catalogs (mid-late 70s) from Brooklyn's Comic Sales Comany (aka Grand Bookstore) awhile back and noticing that the pre-heros were really cheap. Of course, CSC grading was very hit and miss...still if only I was collecting pre-heroes back then.

 

Comic Sales Company was the first mail order dealer I used back in the late 60's....BEFORE grading Everything I got from them back then was high grade. Thanks for answering a long standing question of mine...who were they ? GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[Hepcat]

What was guide for a VF/NM pre-hero in the mid-70s..$4-$8?

 

I remember looking over my old catalogs (mid-late 70s) from Brooklyn's Comic Sales Comany (aka Grand Bookstore) awhile back and noticing that the pre-heros were really cheap. Of course, CSC grading was very hit and miss...

 

Grading standards were not the same in those days. The stress in NM was on the "near" part. In fact, one of the key drivers in the escalation of comic book prices over the years is that the condition of comics at whatever grade level has also dramatically improved.

 

Other than Silver Age Marvels, finding high grade books (by present day standards) from the fifties and sixties at shows or comic shops was only a very occasional occurence. The nice ones were being hoarded by longtime collectors and dealers. Prices weren't high enough to induce these books onto the marketplace.

 

I have only a handful of books in my collection anymore that I initially bought in the 1979-1985 period. I have upgraded just about every one.

 

[Hepcat]

Comic Sales Company was the first mail order dealer I used back in the late 60's....BEFORE grading Everything I got from them back then was high grade.

 

How did you stumble across Comic Sales Company then? Where did they advertise?

 

 

I remember taking trips to places such as New York and Chicago back in the eighties thinking that big time advertisers in Overstreet such as the Batcave in New York and Moondog's in Chicago would have marvelous books in inventory. Well they had spoon. (In fact Moondog's made no bones about the fact that they didn't stock high price books because their local client base just wasn't interested.)

 

 

In short, it's today's high prices that have brought the high grade books out of the woodwork.

 

[AtlasFan]

Comic Sales Company was the first mail order dealer I used back in the late 60's....BEFORE grading Everything I got from them back then was high grade.

 

How did you stumble across Comic Sales Company then? Where did they advertise?

 

 

If you look at an ad page in just about any DC or Marvel comic from the mid-70s to early 80s, you will see a little ad for the Comic Sales Company or Grand Bookstore.

[Silver Surfer]

I love them and will grab the odd high grade copy when I can but the cat is out of the bag and these are getting expensive.

[Dick Pontoon]

I recall the only pre-hero that was at or above guide in the 80s was TTA #27. What was guide for a VF/NM pre-hero in the mid-70s..$4-$8?

 

I remember looking over my old catalogs (mid-late 70s) from Brooklyn's Comic Sales Comany (aka Grand Bookstore) awhile back and noticing that the pre-heros were really cheap. Of course, CSC grading was very hit and miss...still if only I was collecting pre-heroes back then.

 

I don’t know if I’ll have time to pull out my old guides tonight, but my point was regardless of whether, say, a particular grade of TOS 36 was at $5, $15, $25 or whatever in Guide, that’s what they were selling for in my area. I didn’t say they sold for multiples of guide. I’m not looking for an argument, simply stating fact. In the 35 years I’ve been collecting back issues, I have never seen a Marvel pre-hero book in the 3 for a $1 or bargain bin.

[AtlasFan]

ok, maybe i was exagerating a little bit when I said 3 for a dollar

 

but, I do recall finding some nice pre-heros in the "bargin box under the table" on a couple of occasions. I remember going thru some boxes under the Sparkle City tables and finding some gems!

 

...and before you say it, let me just say that nothing else was going on under that table!

[Dick Pontoon]

(thumbs u Fair enough!

 

I have a few of your old undercopies don't forget.

[AtlasFan]

I think I picked those copies up under the Sparkle City table ...

[adamstrange]

I used to collect both hero and pre-hero Marvels in addition to DCs and a number of other things. As prices went up something had to give and eventually the 12 cent and later books were traded in for earlier material.

[jimjum12]

ok, maybe i was exagerating a little bit when I said 3 for a dollar

 

but, I do recall finding some nice pre-heros in the "bargin box under the table" on a couple of occasions. I remember going thru some boxes under the Sparkle City tables and finding some gems!

 

...and before you say it, let me just say that nothing else was going on under that table!

 

......gems are OK....just so long as you didn't find any "jewels" under the table GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[KirbyJack]

In the late 80s, it felt like, comic-wise, I had Omaha to myself. If a dealer (usually just Bob Gelner) had some pre-heroes or ECs that I couldn't afford right then and there, those comics would wait patiently for me until I was flush again. The competition for the hero issues was much stronger.

 

There were other tire kickers around, but I don't recall ever missing out on a wanted pre-hero. It was probably because they were all in horrid shape and a buck or two! I have some really whooped books in my collection. But the rare pretty ones were never that costly, either then.

[david20009]

Just heroes for me but I would like a copy of the man in the bee hive and having the first issue of JIM, St, TOS aond TTA would be cool.

[Ken Aldred]

At present the only pre-hero Marvel material I have is in Masterwork reprint format, some horror / monster / SF, western and super-hero titles, but I can see myself buying a few originals in future. As a Quasar fan I have the early Marvel Boy and Astonishing issues in mind first of all.

[jimjum12]

At present the only pre-hero Marvel material I have is in Masterwork reprint format, some horror / monster / SF, western and super-hero titles, but I can see myself buying a few originals in future. As a Quasar fan I have the early Marvel Boy and Astonishing issues in mind first of all.

 

Astonishing 4 is a must have......awesome. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[BB-Gun]

I probably have more DC comics than Marvel but I do like those pre-hero Marvel books.

 

[AtlasFan]

Just heroes for me but I would like a copy of the man in the bee hive and having the first issue of JIM, St, TOS aond TTA would be cool.

 

The Man in the Beehive cover and story is one of my pre-hero favorites.

[Korvac Saga]

Just heroes for me but I would like a copy of the man in the bee hive and having the first issue of JIM, St, TOS aond TTA would be cool.

TOS #32!!

 

I started off collecting just the hero books. About 5 years ago I started collecting the preheros. At first it was just midgrade books just to have presentable copies, but the HG bug bit + now its 7.5 to 9.2 mostly. I had no intentions initially to put together whole title runs, but that darn completionist tendency kicked in. I now have completed my TOS prehero run + am 1 book, TTA #4, away from completing the entire TTA run #1-101. I have enjoyed collecting the preheros immensely!!

[AtlasFan]

TTA #4, eh? That is a great book!

 

Some of the pre-hero (and early hero) Marvels sometimes suffer from too many word ballons on the cover, but this one works just swell!

[sakaridis]

I probably have more DC comics than Marvel but I do like those pre-hero Marvel books.

 

I definitely have more DC comics than Marvel, but I love the pre-hero books

 

(Low grade, of course, since my pockets are not deep enough )