Rarest Golden Age Books

[nearmint]

This one's tough...

 

 

 

[*paull*]

Can someone explain the Thrilling 33 cover? Why does the devil have a can of bug killer?

[shrunkenhead]

too many cockroaches in hell?

[namralos]

I'm working on a "pre-hero" DC list, covering the following --

New Fun (all)

More Fun (through #52)

Big Book of Fun Comics

New Comics (all)

New Adventure (all)

New Book of Comics (both)

Detective (1-27)

 

So far, my list (in Excel) includes...

> quantity in CGC census

> quantity in census that are unrestored 6.0 or higher

> quantity sold on eBay "recently"

> quantity sold through Heritage

> quantity available through Metropolis (current)

> quantity available through various others (current)

 

> Gerber scarcity rating

> Carter/Carter ranking (they only rank the "rarest three")

> Ian Levine's ranking (from these forums)

> RareHighGrade's ranking (from the top of this thread)

 

The only issues for which I have recorded no copies surfacing (eBay = 30 days, Heritage = 3 years, others = current), and which are mentioned on others' "rare" lists, are:

 

Big Book of Fun Comics; New Comics #2; New Adventure #13, 26, and 27.

 

There were also other books that have not surfaced (quite a few More Funs, e.g.) but which no one has categorized as "the rarest". Also, the only books (apart from the irregularly-sized ones) for which no slabbed copies are recorded are:

 

Big Book of Fun Comics; New Adventure 26, 27.

 

Gerber rates the above five books as follows:

Big Book of Fun Comics -- 9

New Comics #2 -- 7

New Adventure #13 -- 10

New Adventure #26 -- 7

New Adventure #27 -- 7

 

I'd like to devote part of my site to these early DC's, including pages devoted partially to each book, with pix. I'm still developing the pages, so nothing is online yet. Now, if you have any (all?) of the books on my greater list, please e-mail me (or post here) indicating which issues you have and how scarce YOU think them to be. Thanks.

 

Frank

[batman_fan]

Maybe it is a torch and not bug spray.

[Silver Surfer]

I'm surprised that there hasn't been any disagreement (yet) over any of the lists posted. I'm also surprised that there haven't been more scans of some of the choices. To get the ball rolling, here's a scan of one of the rare DC's:

 

 

Do you own that copy? Does anyone here own a copy of that book. Isn't this the one that Ian is after?

[nearmint]

I think he does and yes it is.

[Silver Surfer]

So I take it that because its a Church copy and a fantastic one at that its worth a small fortune? How much? This isn't the same guy that Ian slammed for being greedy is it? I mean throw guide out the window on this puppy.

[Thegoldenage]

I think the most difficult to find are currently New Adventure 26, the Big Book and New Adventure 13. I say currently because at any given time any of these books can pop into the marketplace. I used to think Detective 2 was among the toughest, but now I don't. There have been seven slabbed copies and I know of three others that haven't been sent to CGC.

 

One of the most difficult to find has flown under the radar for years. It's Detective Comics 24. I looked for one for more than 10 years before recently locating a copy. It's a Gerber 8.

[nearmint]

So I take it that because its a Church copy and a fantastic one at that its worth a small fortune? How much? This isn't the same guy that Ian slammed for being greedy is it? I mean throw guide out the window on this puppy.

 

No, it's not the same guy. I think this copy just isn't for sale.

[namralos]

I agree that Detective 24 is tough. It's another one that hasn't turned up on Heritage (in three years). More Fun 9 is another toughie. Like I said in my earlier (long) post, I'm trying to survey to see what's out there and how many there are.

 

Heritage has proven very interesting. The same item not only turns up multiple times, but sometimes it has been slabbed more than once with different grades. Folks have been talking about that phenomenon on other threads. So, the CGC count is actually an "overcount"; who knows how many of them were submitted more than once?

 

I guess people know this, but of all the pre-hero DC's, only NA 13 is labeled a "10" by Gerber.

 

Frank

[RareHighGrade]

Frank, your list sounds interesting. Are you going to post it when it is finished?

[Crowzilla]

> Also, the only books (apart from the irregularly-sized ones) for which no slabbed copies are recorded are:

Big Book of Fun Comics;

 

The Big Book of Fun is an oversized book also - it can't be slabbed.

[namralos]

Yes, I'm going to post web pages devoted to the pre-hero material, once I get a

reasonable idea of their true scarcity. Right now, I'm going back through my old

copies of Overstreet to see if there are any copies there that aren't accounted

for already. I used to have guides back to #7, but early on I sold off some of the

"outdated" ones, so now I only have 'em back to #12.

 

Now this makes me wish I had saved my old issues of the (Comics) Buyer's Guide like I did for Goldmine (a record-collectors' mag). That would make it easier to track sales. It's too bad we can't just "call them all in" for a census!

 

Frank

 

PS: Yes, I knew that the Big Book couldn't be slabbed, but I needed it to make

the short list because it's clearly one of the rarest. :-)

[CentaurMan]

Good call on Detective 24. Very tough book.

 

I would also encourage you to take a look at the pre-Green Lantern All-American Comics, especially from #2 to #6, and then again from #13-#15. A few of those are surprisingly tough. I've been looking for an All-American 4 for quite a while now.

 

Given that I try to collect exactly the types of books you're looking for, here's a list of what I own.

 

Detective 1, 6, 9, 11, 12, 21, 22, and 23

New Adventure 14, 20, 24, 28, 29, 30, 31

New Comics 1, 6, 9, 11

New Fun 5

More Fun 10, 12, 13, 19, 21, 23, 26, 42, 43, 48, 50

 

Generally speaking, I don't have access to obscure suppliers for these things, so if I've got a copy, it's not ridiculously rare. I'd say the rarest books from that above list are New Adventure 14 & 28, New Fun 5, Detective 6, 9, 21, 22, and 23, and More Fun 10, 12, and 13.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing your work!

[Ian_Levine]

I'm curious to know what the posters on this board believe to be the 5 rarest Golden Age books by each publisher. For example, based on my experience, the Gerber Guide and the CGC census, I have concluded that the 5 rarest DC's are:

 

1. Double Action # 2

2. New Adventure # 13

3. New Adventure # 26

4. New Adventure # 27

5. New Fun Comics # 2

 

By the way, post them if you've got them.

 

RHG

 

I have come across several Double Action 2, two New Adventure 27, an incomplete New Adventure 13 apart from my own copy, a couple more New Fun 2 (I think Metropolis has one right now in fact), but NO NO NO NO NO NO NO COPY of that miserable wretched New Adventure 26.

 

Which makes THAT the rarest unfortunately for me.

[Ian_Levine]

But Big Book of Fun Comics definitely needs to be on the DC list.

 

Correct.

 

So does Buzzy 70, It's Gametime 3, Girls Love 5, All Flash 32, and the one you've all left out which is rarer than any you've mentioned apart from New Adventure 26, and that's New Comics 2.

 

Which is MILES rarer than New Fun 2.

[Ian_Levine]

Hi Metarog

 

I reckon the DC 1950s giveaway comic to promote the comic code when it was created, called "What Do You Know About This Comic's Seal Of Approval" is even rarer than the New Adventure 26. At least I know of three copies of New Adventure 26 (the one DTA tried to rip me off with, the one owned by rarehighgrade which is the Mile High copy, and the one I assume Christine Farrell must have), whereas I know of NO-ONE who has ever even seen this Comic Code DC comic.

[Ian_Levine]

Also, the only books (apart from the irregularly-sized ones) for which no slabbed copies are recorded are: Big Book of Fun Comics; New Adventure 26, 27.

 

The Big Book Of Fun Comics is the same size as the six New Funs, exactly the same size.

[Ian_Levine]

I agree that Detective 24 is tough. It's another one that hasn't turned up on Heritage (in three years). More Fun 9 is another toughie.

 

I had no trouble at all with Detective 24, and two entirely different and unconnected copies of More Fun 9 even turned up on e-Bay last year