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Recent Pre-Code Purchases
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22,072 posts in this topic

Posted

Surely I'm not the only one out there who'd plunk good money down on an EC? Are you trying to tell me that ALL those heritage sales aren't REAL??!? 893whatthe.gif

 

smirk.gif

 

Nope, you're not the only one. yay.gif

 

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Posted

I'm definitely not knocking ECs. Like I said, they are some of the greatest comics ever created. There's just too many for me to get involved in collecting them.

 

I will say this about ECs... how much better would the covers have been if they were full bleed, and didn't have that annoying colored background behind the logo? That's probably the only thing I can fault Gaines for.

 

The books are great and I wish I had a ton of them, but enough time, effort and money goes into the esoteric stuff that I can't get started with ECs. I have a few mid-grade ECs with Krigstein art that I love, but I'm not looking to expand at this point.

Posted

Awesome looking books !!! Really sharp,esp. the colors on those covers!!!

again great books!! 893applaud-thumb.gifheadbang.gif

Posted

I definetley own fewer ECs than I would if they had not all been reprinted. Currently the only originals I have are a couple of Crime Suspenstories, a VG 20 and a F/VF 22. I've traditionally been a cover collector when it comes to pre-code books, but I've been picking up more books for their interiors lately - and ebay has definetly brought the prices down on non-classic cover horror books. I just picked up a solid VG+ Thing 6 for the 2.0 guide price.

Posted

Here's a scan of the Thing #6 I just bought on ebay. While the front cover looks alot better than a VG, the book has had a spine roll pressed out, leaving a big crease in the back cover, and has tanning in the page margins, as well as a nearly 1" tear at the bottom of the last few pages. All this was aknowledged by the seller in his listing. The book looks far glossier in person than it did in the listing.

 

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Posted

That Thing cover is a beauty! I don't have any in my collection, but I have seen some really nice covers on a number of the books in the run.

Posted

I agree, that Thing book looks great, certainly would have graded way higher if not for the tears you mentioned. Still, fantastic stuff!

Posted
I dunno, I like the ECs a lot.....generally speaking, they ain't my favorite of the genre, as I do like the crazier "knock-offs" too, but I certainly think that a mid to high grade EC is worth owning. I've got a few slabbed. TFTC #33 is one of my all time favorite comics, period (origin of cryptkeeper story, and a gorgeous cover). I remember reading a reprint of that book to shreds when I was a kid. I can see why the constant reprinting is a turn-off to some, but I don't see how frequent reprints detract from collectability...though I know and understand that a lot of people feel that way. But still, are copies of Action Comics #1 or early spideys rendered less collectible because they've been reprinted a bazillion times? I just don't see it...

 

 

Surely I'm not the only one out there who'd plunk good money down on an EC? Are you trying to tell me that ALL those heritage sales aren't REAL??!? 893whatthe.gif

 

smirk.gif

 

I didn't say EC's weren't collectible! makepoint.gif Nowhere did I state that! There's a huge market for 'em. I sometimes set aside an entire area to report EC sales alone in the Market Mania column of my fanzine.

 

What I said was that for MY money, if I have a choice between an EC reprint for a dollar, an EC LG original for say $35, and a low/mid "other guy" for about $35, then I am going to buy the "other guy" and the reprint, and take a pass on the original EC. Simple. More bang for the buck.

Posted

rarely see the Star (Startling Terror Tales, Terrors of the Jungle, Blue Bolt, etc.) in high grade. And when I do, they are going for a premium.

 

There are some tough to find Cole Star books... Shocking Mystery Cases #51 comes to mind

 

Actually, there are a few graded copies of Shocking Mystery Cases #51. I have the Bethlehem copy but it is ungraded as of yet. Front cover is near perfect, but back cover has 2" crease. Once I get power, I can try to post.

 

Yes, 20% over guide probably won't cut it for CGC 8.0's. I was pointing out that while these books (L.B. Cole cover) might have less interested now than 10 years ago (even Metro said this in their June Market Report), maybe the interested has wanned because "OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND". In other words, why have interest in something that can't be obtained.

Posted (edited)

Wow... that SMC #51 must be amazing... I'd love to see it. I don't want to go so far to say that it's scarce, but it seems to be a little tougher to find, maybe because they reside in collections (mine is a beater place-holder for now). I think the same can be said for Blue Bolt #115... I doubt this book was printed in any less quantity, but it's harder to find because people hold onto them.

Edited by paull
Posted

Wow.... the condition of that book is ridiculous! Back cover crease or not, a Star book in that kind of condition is very rare. The books are usually not a problem to locate in the G to VG range, but anything VF or over is very, very tough.

Posted

The books are usually not a problem to locate in the G to VG range, but anything VF or over is very, very tough.

 

You said a mouthful, pal!

 

 

I KNOW!!!

 

Heritage hasn't had a Star L.B. Cole cover book in CGC 8.0 (or higher) in any auction in over six months. 893frustrated.gif

Posted

The ending price on that Tomb of Terror 15 is steep, but I don't see it as ridiculous - at least not compared to the prices on alot of high grade slabbed Silver, Bronze and Modern books.

 

I think I've seen VG copies sell for around $200 on Ebay a couple of times - after Black Cat #50, it's probably the most wanted Harvey horror book.

Posted (edited)

Here's another recent purchase of mine... Startling Terror Tales #10 (1954) with a Cole cover, of course. I'd grade this at about a 7.0 which is, as we have discussed here, a pretty high grade for a Star book. There's nothing better than Cole's primary colors on a black background (as in Mask #1, Mask #2, Blue Bolt #111, etc.)

 

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Edited by paull

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