Okajima pedigree 25 25

[bluechip]

On 3/23/2017 at 6:54 AM, october said:

Great post. 

I can't help but wonder what she was thinking and feeling when she bought some of these wartime books...especially those picturing Japanese people in a caricatured and deeply unfavorable light. Did she consider those portrays justified because of Pearl Harbor? Did she identify with the Americans on the cover, or the Japanese? How did her internment complicate her feelings? Did she dismiss all of it as just entertainment, pick up the comics like any other and write her name across the top? 

Those Timely camp books perfectly encapsulate a period that is deeply sad, but also compelling...and they put a personal face on it all. 

That factor is what makes the story behind this pedigree most interesting to me.   I wouldn't care if the grade was technically lower than other books; they would be as desirable as ones in higher grade.    (I don't own a single example from this pedigreem though it was one of the few that really interested me).

 

[Robot Man]

Yes, the story of a pedigree is often more important to me than the actual technical grade. There is just something hard to explain the feeling I get holding say a Church book or an Okajima or many of the other ones. It's a piece of comic book history. It connects you to the original owner in a cool way. 

Now, that aside, nothing like having a beautiful white paged book with dripping colors and gloss no matter where it came from. But knowing it came from that fabled closet in CO is just the cherry on the top!

One I have never owned is a Green River. Such a dark story attached to them that just makes we want one even more.

[october]

21 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

 

One I have never owned is a Green River. Such a dark story attached to them that just makes we want one even more.

I agree, it's one of the few pedigree stories that would be interesting to non-collectors. Such a strange back story all around. 

A few years ago the Green River X-Men 1 came up on eBay and I was lucky enough to win it. I was floored when it sold for the same price as a regular copy, despite the pedigree and white pages. 

[MrBedrock]

47 minutes ago, october said:

1 hour ago, Robot Man said:

 

One I have never owned is a Green River. Such a dark story attached to them that just makes we want one even more.

I agree, it's one of the few pedigree stories that would be interesting to non-collectors. Such a strange back story all around. 

A few years ago the Green River X-Men 1 came up on eBay and I was lucky enough to win it. I was floored when it sold for the same price as a regular copy, despite the pedigree and white pages. 

What is the story of the Green River collection. I know it is related to the Green River killer, but how exactly?

[october]

13 minutes ago, MrBedrock said:

What is the story of the Green River collection. I know it is related to the Green River killer, but how exactly?

The original owner, or one of them at least (the collection was compiled by two brothers) was kind of a fringe nutjob. He did several stints in jail/prison, owned dozens of weapons and piles of police gear, and was a suspect in the Green River serial killings. He sold off pieces of the collection over the years, ostensibly to pay off legal debts and obligations, to a store owner local to Spokane. He was actually arrested in connection with the murders but was eventually released, as he had strong alibis for some of the crimes. 

Here is the full story, well worth reading. On a collecting related note, the store owner he originally sold to (Craig Barnett) was also the guy to recently bring the ill-fated 6th Street books to market on eBay.

http://www.greenriverpedigree.info/longstory.html

 

Edited March 24, 2017 by october

[entalmighty1]

Well, I know it's not a camp book, but I couldn't help myself.  My 1st Okajima!

[bluechip]

4 hours ago, bluechip said:

That factor is what makes the story behind this pedigree most interesting to me.   I wouldn't care if the grade was technically lower than other books; they would be as desirable as ones in higher grade.    (I don't own a single example from this pedigreem though it was one of the few that really interested me).

 

Agreed.   For a long time it seemed to me that the only books that got special status were high grade books saved by a collector and the story attached to the book was pretty much the same every time; a guy who liked comics bought them and carefully saved them.  Fine.   But there are other stories which can be just as interesting.   And to CGC's credit they are, more and more, designating books that are special for reasons other than being high grade and coming from an original collector's collection.  

If you like the "Jap" war covers because they sum up the WW2 era golden age books, then to me the most interesting copies would have to be the books from the ONE collection we know of that was assembled by a Japanese child while they were interned in a camp.   The covers depict "Japs" like demonic animals and yet somehow it was allowed in the PX at a Japanese internment camp, and some kid (a girl, even) bought them??  It says volumes about where we were at the time.  I would value one of those more than any other copy, even if the other copies were in far better condition.   Even if the girl had pasted them all into a scrapbook I would value them more.    And I reiterate, I do not yet own a single example.   

Edited March 24, 2017 by bluechip

[jbud73]

On 3/23/2017 at 6:44 AM, Straw-Man said:

nope keep posting them, this books is all kinds of awesome

[Robot Man]

9 minutes ago, bluechip said:

Agreed.   For a long time it seemed to me that the only books that got special status were high grade books saved by a collector and the story attached to the book was pretty much the same every time; a guy who liked comics bought them and carefully saved them.  Fine.   But there are other stories which can be just as interesting.   And to CGC's credit they are, more and more, designating books that are special for reasons other than being high grade and coming from an original collector's collection.  

If you like the "Jap" war covers because they sum up the WW2 era golden age books, then to me the most interesting copies would have to be the books from the ONE collection we know of that was assembled by a Japanese child while they were interned in a camp.   The covers depict "Japs" like demonic animals and yet somehow it was allowed in the PX at a Japanese internment camp, and some kid (a girl, even) bought them??  It says volumes about where we were at the time.  I would value one of those more than any other copy, even if the other copies were in far better condition.   Even if the girl had pasted them all into a scrapbook I would value them more.    And I reiterate, I do not yet own a single example.   

I only got 3 or 4 that I got when the collection was originally marketed. I didn't buy them because of the specific book. It didn't have to be a huge title or super high grade, I just fell in love with the story of the collection. VERY glad to have them. You really should have at least one in your collection. Just like having a Church book. No GA collection is complete without one.

[Sqeggs]

7 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

I only got 3 or 4 that I got when the collection was originally marketed. I didn't buy them because of the specific book. It didn't have to be a huge title or super high grade, I just fell in love with the story of the collection. VERY glad to have them. You really should have at least one in your collection. Just like having a Church book. No GA collection is complete without one.

Can I have Billy's? 

[jbud73]

Did anyone get this? closed for 6,300 at Comic Connect

 

Edited March 24, 2017 by jbud73

[bluechip]

3 hours ago, Robot Man said:

I only got 3 or 4 that I got when the collection was originally marketed. I didn't buy them because of the specific book. It didn't have to be a huge title or super high grade, I just fell in love with the story of the collection. VERY glad to have them. You really should have at least one in your collection. Just like having a Church book. No GA collection is complete without one.

So true   If anyone has a war cover example they are tired of, I am interested

Edited March 25, 2017 by bluechip

[Larryw7]

7 hours ago, october said:

The original owner, or one of them at least (the collection was compiled by two brothers) was kind of a fringe nutjob. He did several stints in jail/prison, owned dozens of weapons and piles of police gear, and was a suspect in the Green River serial killings. He sold off pieces of the collection over the years, ostensibly to pay off legal debts and obligations, to a store owner local to Spokane. He was actually arrested in connection with the murders but was eventually released, as he had strong alibis for some of the crimes. 

Here is the full story, well worth reading. On a collecting related note, the store owner he originally sold to (Craig Barnett) was also the guy to recently bring the ill-fated 6th Street books to market on eBay.

http://www.greenriverpedigree.info/longstory.html

 

What are the "ill fated 6th Street" books?

[Comicdey]

There are multiple reasons that I love this pedigree as a collector and as the history is so intriguing.  My Uncle Bob was interned during WWII and deported back to Japan with his family as a young man.  It took him many years to make it back.  He was out of place in Japan as having been born in the USA he wasn't Japanese anymore but an American.  He has written a book about Japanese soldiers that fought for the US in WWII and has also recorded some videos which are now online as part of his experience and documentation of history.  Love you Uncle Bob Kono.  Google him and learn something new.?

[batman_fan]

On 3/23/2017 at 7:44 AM, Straw-Man said:

That's a great copy 

[deadleg]

13 hours ago, entalmighty1 said:

Well, I know it's not a camp book, but I couldn't help myself.  My 1st Okajima!

Congrats! Glad this went to a boardie. I love the colors on the cover.

Edited March 25, 2017 by deadleg

[skypinkblu]

14 hours ago, entalmighty1 said:

Well, I know it's not a camp book, but I couldn't help myself.  My 1st Okajima!

Beautiful, the first one I bought was a Rangers, also! Congrats, you are now officially hooked;)

[Sqeggs]

10 hours ago, Larryw7 said:

18 hours ago, october said:

The original owner, or one of them at least (the collection was compiled by two brothers) was kind of a fringe nutjob. He did several stints in jail/prison, owned dozens of weapons and piles of police gear, and was a suspect in the Green River serial killings. He sold off pieces of the collection over the years, ostensibly to pay off legal debts and obligations, to a store owner local to Spokane. He was actually arrested in connection with the murders but was eventually released, as he had strong alibis for some of the crimes. 

Here is the full story, well worth reading. On a collecting related note, the store owner he originally sold to (Craig Barnett) was also the guy to recently bring the ill-fated 6th Street books to market on eBay.

http://www.greenriverpedigree.info/longstory.html

 

What are the "ill fated 6th Street" books?

It was a collection Baker St John romance books that Barnett was bringing to market.  They were selling for strong prices and apparently that upset the applecart for some of the OO's heirs.  I guess whoever had been assigned the books in the division of the estate was getting a larger slice of the pie than the other heirs had expected.

Barnett had to pull the unsold books from eBay and the remaining raw books weren't slabbed.  The case went to court.  The last I heard from him, more than a year ago, the books were still tied up in litigation and he had washed his hands of the matter.

It's a shame because the books were mostly high grade, although they had been stored in a basement and some had problems with dampness -- and some had residual coal dust! Maybe they will resurface again someday. 

[Larryw7]

Thanks for the info, Sqeggs.

[tabcom]

On March 24, 2017 at 7:58 PM, jbud73 said:

Did anyone get this? closed for 6,300 at Comic Connect

 

 $6300

This was the only item I was watching in this auction. I thought it was nuts when it was in a holding pattern at $4500 before the sniper fire .