Stripped Comics!!!

[PUNYHUMAN]

I was reading the other thread about stripped books in the Superman # 149 post. I have a question for you guy's ,do any of you remember buying bags of stripped books in the 60's or 70's??? I remember back around 1967 I was 10 years old,going over my Grandmothers house for Family Dinners & down the street from her house was a little corner Grocery Store!! Well to make a long story short, I used to run down to that store & pick up Milk , bread, etc. for my Grandmom,well she also gave me some quarters to buy myself comics!!

The store used to sell 3 comics in a bag for 25cents,it seemed it was always Marvel or Charlton comics ,back issues from at least a year ago. I remember one pack esp. it had Avengers # 27 & # 28 & a Judo Master thrown in !!! They used to mix 'em up !! or they would have 3 Charltons together in 1 pack; Blue Beetle "Ditko",Judo Master, Etc. The only problem with these comics at the time was all their Logo's were tore off!!! It didn't seem to bother me though,I was only 10 at the time,what did I know?? I was just happy getting 3, 12cents comics for a whole quarter!!! But you know ,thinking back on this what I remember that was strange was there was no DC's , Gold Keys,Archies,!!! Just Marvels & Charltons,maybe one of you guy's could enlighten me on this !!! "Distribution,affadavits" Sorry about be long winded , but some Great Memories with my Grandmom & comics!!! I truly miss her,she passed away 2 years ago at 87 years old!!

[Aman619]

I only remember seeing them at the barbershops in my neighborhood. The only source for back issues I could find, except they were filled with hair clippings! yeeeccchhh

[DiceX]

The logos were sent back to the distributor (or publisher?) for refunds.

The money you were spending was pure profit.

 

I had a drug store that did the same thing.

At the time, cheap comics were cheap comics.

[ecfanman]

When I was in high school (1969-1973), I used to buy used comics at a little book store that was in a small building (probably no more than 200 square feet) next to a house. The guy there was a retired older guy who used to supply corner grocery stores and confectionaries with used comics, magazines and paperbacks. He used to buy stripped comics in bulk (from somewhere) and package them with used comics that he got from local people that brought them to his store. I think the stuff he bagged up were 3 for 15 cents and were a mix of coverless, stripped and regular comics. He was savvy enough to know that if somebody brought in comics from the 1950's or early 1960's (or first issues), he could get more for them from the 3 or 4 teen-aged collectors that would visit his shop. Depending on how he was feeling, he might or might not show you some of the books he set aside. It was always frustrating when you would see some good books in the corner and he would tell you he had nothing new in.

 

I'm not sure where he got the stripped comics from. I think he ordered them from some place out of the area and would get 1000 or so at a time. Pretty much all of the companies - Charlton, Gold Key, Archie, DC and Marvels. He was particularly happy to have Romance comics because those were good sellers.

 

I've got fond memories of going to his store and seeing if anybody brought in anything older. I never got anything too good, but back then picking up a 20 cent DC for a quarter was a thrilling event.

[Larryw7]

In Philly, there was a place(now long gone) called Normandy Mart that had everything. The place was a dump, but they had coverless and half covered books for a dime apiece, three for a quarter. My grandfather would take me there whenever I went to his house and I would buy a slew of books. I got Spidey #121 there(half the cover missing), and every once in awhile a book with a cover would slip by. I got a nice copy of Brave and the Bold #100 there.

[Moondog]

On Friday evenings in the late 50's my dad would take my mom, my two brothers and me for ice cream at this little store on the east side of Joliet, IL. It was so cool because not only did they have the best ice cream (my dad and I always got New York cherry - my mom got black walnut), they had 3/4 cover comics at a nickel each. My dad would give us a buck and we'd get to pick out 20 comics.

 

I remember a ton of Little Lulus and DC war books. A lot of pre-hero Marvels too.

 

I'll never forget the name of that place: Casablanca's.

[Aman619]

these are great stories... keep em coming!!

[underthebigw]

My stripped story has to do with a used bookstore on Long Beach Island in NJ. Typically, the place was the refuge of bored vacationing tourists during rainy days. However, along with scantily clad teenage girls (I was 13 at the time), it was the highlight of the week long trips for me. I used to pick up lots of early JLA and primarily other DC's, including some GA gems, there that I never came across where I grew up. All for a dime a piece--not a bad deal when you consider new books already cost 30 cents a pop at the time. I always had some good loot to bring back to my friends and we would devour them for a weeks.

[shadroch]

When I moved to Long Island in 1975 from Japan, I used to ride my bike all over in hunt of barbershops that had old comics.Once,in Roslyn, I came across an old pharmecy that had 100s of 1958 coverless books,wraped in a holiday

wrapping. Other than being coverless ,they were in real nice shape.

[Mister_Comics]

Anyone still have these bagged? Like to see a scan of a bagged set.

 

I use to have a couple of these but sold them a few years back. Each had MARVELS without covers. 3 for 15 cents.

[TomG]

I once owned a Superman #6 which was missing the top third of the cover. It was otherwise VF-. I was at a Waldens Books maybe 5 years ago and a employee working at the counter was removing the tops of the remaining books.

[Silver Surfer]

On Friday evenings in the late 50's my dad would take my mom, my two brothers and me for ice cream at this little store on the east side of Joliet, IL. It was so cool because not only did they have the best ice cream (my dad and I always got New York cherry - my mom got black walnut), they had 3/4 cover comics at a nickel each. My dad would give us a buck and we'd get to pick out 20 comics.

 

I remember a ton of Little Lulus and DC war books. A lot of pre-hero Marvels too.

 

I'll never forget the name of that place: Casablanca's.

 

Cool story. Welcome to the boards.

[FFB]

On Friday evenings in the late 50's my dad would take my mom, my two brothers and me for ice cream at this little store on the east side of Joliet, IL. It was so cool because not only did they have the best ice cream (my dad and I always got New York cherry - my mom got black walnut), they had 3/4 cover comics at a nickel each. My dad would give us a buck and we'd get to pick out 20 comics.

 

I remember a ton of Little Lulus and DC war books. A lot of pre-hero Marvels too.

 

I'll never forget the name of that place: Casablanca's.

 

Hi Gary.

[PUNYHUMAN]

Great stories,That's what i love about collecting old comics ,whether it's Silver , Bronze,etc. is the Memories!!! You can look at some of your books & remember that day, ,just like yesterday & remember where you were at & what you were doing!!! Memories: it's what makes us!!!

[Larryw7]

My stripped story has to do with a used bookstore on Long Beach Island in NJ

 

That might have been Atlantic Bookstore. There was one on the boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ, as well. When I went on vacation, I would always buy a ton of books there. They were coverless in the early seventies, but they started getting more and more books with covers in the mid to late seventies. Tons of Charltons and Archies, but every once in awhile a Marvel or DC would turn up.

[sterlingcomics]

My grandmother tended to a local "drug" store in a "Mayberry" type town in North Carolina. In fact, in the 1950's, this same store was selling comics and provided a malt/food area for the after school kids. Well before my time...

 

Anyway, she knew I loved comics, so she would give me tons of comics with the covers stripped, as that is how the store got credit for books not sold. Most of them were Marvels. As you guys know, my love is for DCs.... but it did get me hooked on some of those titles in the early 80s...

[underthebigw]

My stripped story has to do with a used bookstore on Long Beach Island in NJ

 

That might have been Atlantic Bookstore. There was one on the boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ, as well. When I went on vacation, I would always buy a ton of books there. They were coverless in the early seventies, but they started getting more and more books with covers in the mid to late seventies. Tons of Charltons and Archies, but every once in awhile a Marvel or DC would turn up.

 

Sounds about right on the LBI store. It was great--I got to buy SA books I could never otherwise afford.

 

As for the Wildwood store, I was actually there a few times as a kid. My dad's cousing owned a couple of hotels there, and occasionally we would find the time to hit this store, especially around 74-77.

[Larryw7]

and occasionally we would find the time to hit this store, especially around 74-77.

 

Yeah, that's right around when I was going there, too. The store actually survived into the eighties, but the selection of comics really dried up after awhile.

[Moondog]

Since we're telling stories, I've got another one.

 

When I was a freshman at Joliet Catholic High School in 1966 I discovered the most amazing shop on my way to the bus stop after my first day of school. In the front window I noticed tons of used paperbacks stacked everywhere. One of the covers caught my eye, "Dr. No". Now, I was a huge James Bond fan after being introduced to the character a year or so earlier with Goldfinger, and I thought that it would be cool to read the novel of a movie I had yet to see.

 

So I walk in and the smell hits me!

 

Not of old books and paper, but of vegetables and fruit! The name of the place was "Cut-Rate Produce" and it was run by an old Greek fellow named Gus. So here's this produce stand that somehow morphed into a used book store. I walked over to the front window and started going through the paperbacks to see what else he had. The sign said, "Used Paperbacks 10 cents Each Buy-Sell." It turned out that Gus bought the used books for a nickel and sold them for a dime. What a deal!

 

Anyway, then I noticed the stacks of comics! FF's, Spidey's, funny animal stuff, etc. Piles of comics. And the sign said, "Used Comics - Buy/Sell". Again, it turns out that he bought comics for 2 1/2 cents each and sold them for a nickel!

 

This was heaven! Really. I remembers spending 4 hours there the first day, going through every paper back and comic book Gus had. My total purchase was less than a buck and I'll never forget the bemused look on Gus' face with such a small sale after taking so long. I proudly told him I was a collector and that I would buy anything I needed for my collection and that if he would hold stuff for me and give me the first look, I would buy stuff. A lot of stuff!

 

Gus wouldn't have any of that. "Collectors! Bah! All they do is come in here and mess up my stacks! Collectors are pain in [!@#%^&^]! You want comic books? Then buy them! They are only nickel each!"

 

JIM 83 and 84 at a nickel apiece! Avengers 5-7 at a nickel apiece! What a place!

 

So now I had to be very careful not to get Gus riled up. I did my best to not mess up his stacks, but it was hard. There was no room to stand comfortably and the rickety saw horses and plywood weren't stable. I was always afraid that he would ban me from the shop.

 

Then it happened. I go in one day and there are no comics! When I asked what happened, he replied, "paperbacks selling better. Need space for more books." I was ashen faced. Where would I find my bargains in the future? Then he says, "I have all comics in big boxes in back. If you want buy them all - twenty dollars!"

 

20 bucks!? Where could I come up with that much dough? I went home and formulated a plan...I'd ask my dad for the money under the auspices that it was a good business deal! I'd keep the ones I wanted and trade/sell the ones I didn't to my high school friends. Somehow, my dad saw the virtue of this and agreed. He drove me down the next Saturday and I bought everything. I'll never forget the Spidey 3 on the top of one of the piles!

 

Fast forward to 1999. I get a call from a fellow who has a "store full of books" for sale. That's right, Gus had died in the late 1980's and sold the store to a fellow who was retiring. The were going to tear down Cut-Rate Produce to make room for a new gambling boat in downtown Joliet and I had a chance to buy "all the comics" again. After inspecting them, I turned down the deal (too much stuff from the 80's and 90's for my taste), but I turned Ed Jaster on to the deal and he bought them all.

 

I suppose that first big deal I made was a precursor of my adult career. That feeling of finding a hoard and buying it right is a thrill that I'll never get tired of, and I'll never forget that first day of school and discovering the most amazing place on earth.

[burntboy]

Since we're telling stories, I've got another one.

 

When I was a freshman at Joliet Catholic High School in 1966 I discovered the most amazing shop on my way to the bus stop after my first day of school. In the front window I noticed tons of used paperbacks stacked everywhere. One of the covers caught my eye, "Dr. No". Now, I was a huge James Bond fan after being introduced to the character a year or so earlier with Goldfinger, and I thought that it would be cool to read the novel of a movie I had yet to see.

 

So I walk in and the smell hits me!

 

Not of old books and paper, but of vegetables and fruit! The name of the place was "Cut-Rate Produce" and it was run by an old Greek fellow named Gus. So here's this produce stand that somehow morphed into a used book store. I walked over to the front window and started going through the paperbacks to see what else he had. The sign said, "Used Paperbacks 10 cents Each Buy-Sell." It turned out that Gus bought the used books for a nickel and sold them for a dime. What a deal!

 

Anyway, then I noticed the stacks of comics! FF's, Spidey's, funny animal stuff, etc. Piles of comics. And the sign said, "Used Comics - Buy/Sell". Again, it turns out that he bought comics for 2 1/2 cents each and sold them for a nickel!

 

This was heaven! Really. I remembers spending 4 hours there the first day, going through every paper back and comic book Gus had. My total purchase was less than a buck and I'll never forget the bemused look on Gus' face with such a small sale after taking so long. I proudly told him I was a collector and that I would buy anything I needed for my collection and that if he would hold stuff for me and give me the first look, I would buy stuff. A lot of stuff!

 

Gus wouldn't have any of that. "Collectors! Bah! All they do is come in here and mess up my stacks! Collectors are pain in [!@#%^&^]! You want comic books? Then buy them! They are only nickel each!"

 

JIM 83 and 84 at a nickel apiece! Avengers 5-7 at a nickel apiece! What a place!

 

So now I had to be very careful not to get Gus riled up. I did my best to not mess up his stacks, but it was hard. There was no room to stand comfortably and the rickety saw horses and plywood weren't stable. I was always afraid that he would ban me from the shop.

 

Then it happened. I go in one day and there are no comics! When I asked what happened, he replied, "paperbacks selling better. Need space for more books." I was ashen faced. Where would I find my bargains in the future? Then he says, "I have all comics in big boxes in back. If you want buy them all - twenty dollars!"

 

20 bucks!? Where could I come up with that much dough? I went home and formulated a plan...I'd ask my dad for the money under the auspices that it was a good business deal! I'd keep the ones I wanted and trade/sell the ones I didn't to my high school friends. Somehow, my dad saw the virtue of this and agreed. He drove me down the next Saturday and I bought everything. I'll never forget the Spidey 3 on the top of one of the piles!

 

Fast forward to 1999. I get a call from a fellow who has a "store full of books" for sale. That's right, Gus had died in the late 1980's and sold the store to a fellow who was retiring. The were going to tear down Cut-Rate Produce to make room for a new gambling boat in downtown Joliet and I had a chance to buy "all the comics" again. After inspecting them, I turned down the deal (too much stuff from the 80's and 90's for my taste), but I turned Ed Jaster on to the deal and he bought them all.

 

I suppose that first big deal I made was a precursor of my adult career. That feeling of finding a hoard and buying it right is a thrill that I'll never get tired of, and I'll never forget that first day of school and discovering the most amazing place on earth.

 

Excellent "NO Comics for You".........