Black Cat Mystery Comics #50 CGC 9.4

[Larryw7]

Still, it's probably not as common as the grossly overvalued Thing #16 - every dealer in America must have a high grade copy in stock.

 

I bought a copy from a LCS that rarely gets anything pre-code or GA, so I agree with your asessment!

[*paull*]

This is one book that I would _not_ ante up for. I'm satisfied with a low-grade copy. In fact, I wouldn't pay a premium for any high-grade pre-code horror Harvey book. I'd rather put my money into books that do not have an unknown multiple of super high-grade copies floating around.

[shrunkenhead]

While I too am hesitant to pony up big dollars for HG Harveys, I'd wonder how many of those warehouse books would slab at true NM. My guess is that the majority of 'em would end up in the VF range, still not too shabby, but not NM. But I guess that's the major difference between the gold market and the bronze and silver markets....gold collectors mostly just want highgrade (or lowgrade with nice eye appeal), and are generally less concerned with "NM" status.

[sfilosa]

But I guess that's the major difference between the gold market and the bronze and silver markets....gold collectors mostly just want highgrade (or lowgrade with nice eye appeal), and are generally less concerned with "NM" status.

 

Yep.

 

 

I look at Harvey books similar to EC books as both will probably have anywhere from 10-15 issues minimum that will grade out in the VF or better range. Many other pre-code horror issues will be lucky if there are more than two or three that end up grading over VF.

 

That said, I still have to believe there are a few collectors who have unbelievably nice collections of pre-code horror, but have no interest in selling or slabbing at this time.

[precodekeith]

.....what sold me was it didn't have the page tanning that is supposedly common with file copies.

 

I thought the page tanning was on the edges of the warehouse copies, which I thought were a seperate find from the Harvey file copies??

[rjpb]

.....what sold me was it didn't have the page tanning that is supposedly common with file copies.

 

I thought the page tanning was on the edges of the warehouse copies, which I thought were a seperate find from the Harvey file copies??

 

 

Could be - Once they enter the marketplace the terms tend to become interchangable. Either way BC #50 is one of those books that probably sells for 2X guide more easily in low grade than high grade. Now that the price spreads are more reflective of the market, it seems to me that alot of GA/Atom age books are easier to sell in VG than VF or higher - in part because many sellers still want a premium over guide for high grade, but will let lower grade books go at a discount, but also because unlike most SA books, even a low grade copy of much GA material will cost $100 and up, and isn't aways easy to find in VG let alone VF, so most GA collectors have a much lower grade cut-off than 8.0,and are probably reticent to spend huge multiples upgrading say a 6.0 to a 9.0, while other books on there want list can't be found even in mid-grade.

[precodekeith]

That said, I still have to believe there are a few collectors who have unbelievably nice collections of pre-code horror, but have no interest in selling or slabbing at this time.

 

You said it!

[drbanner]

I spoke to a dealer over the weekend who told me that there were a _bunch_ of copies of Black Cat Mystery #50 that were in the Harvey warehouse find. Can anyone confirm this?

 

I'm going to see this book in person tomorrow and will let you all know what the new owner has to say about the existence of these in multiples in high grade, file copies or no. I do know he was totally psyched to pick it up as it's a grail book to him!

[precodekeith]

I spoke to a dealer over the weekend who told me that there were a _bunch_ of copies of Black Cat Mystery #50 that were in the Harvey warehouse find. Can anyone confirm this?

 

I'm going to see this book in person tomorrow and will let you all know what the new owner has to say about the existence of these in multiples in high grade, file copies or no. I do know he was totally psyched to pick it up as it's a grail book to him!

 

Cool!

 

Regarding the multiple "warehouse find" copies, I can remember being told as far back as 1993 that there were on average 20 copies of each book in the stash. If that is reliable - the other nagging question would be "what titles/issues" were in the warehouse find? We'll probably never know for sure - as I was told that the find was split up amongst several NY dealers very quickly in the 1980's. Anybody have other or similar info???

[shrunkenhead]

 

I look at Harvey books similar to EC books as both will probably have anywhere from 10-15 issues minimum that will grade out in the VF or better range. Many other pre-code horror issues will be lucky if there are more than two or three that end up grading over VF.

 

This is true in terms of quantity in highgrade, though I'm not sure it's totally fair to compare the Harvey warehouse finds to the Gaines filecopies. The Gaines books are some of the hobby's premier examples of comic preservation, many of them (though not all) with fantastic page quality and that killer gloss "newstand fresh" look about them. The warehouse finds tend to be structurally nice, though the page quality is far less superior and they generally don't look like they just came off the newsrack.

 

In short, I think the Gaines books deserve a greater premium than the Harveys, even if there proves to be an equal amount of each in highgrade.

[*paull*]

From what I understand, they were split up amongst NY dealers. I'm not sure if all issues had multiples, but the dealer I spoke to told me that BCM #50 absolutely was one of them.

[*paull*]

There are NINE copies of Thing #16 for sale at Metropolis, from VG to VFNM.

[sfilosa]

In short, I think the Gaines books deserve a greater premium than the Harveys, even if there proves to be an equal amount of each in highgrade.

 

I agree one hundred percent. And Gaines copies do command a much higher premium.

 

My point was there are way more high grade copies available of these two Pre-Code Publishers than almost any other publisher.

[precodekeith]

There are NINE copies of Thing #16 for sale at Metropolis, from VG to VFNM.

 

I wonder how many copies of THING 16 were in that "warehouse find." Anyone ever heard an estimate? This was among the first HG books I ever bought when I first started collecting pre-code, because I had no idea there was a find of these at the time.

[*paull*]

Was it only Thing #16 or were other books found as well?

 

On Metro's site, they put the following comment next to Thing #16: "The rarest book in the world"

[PovertyRow]

Was it only Thing #16 or were other books found as well?

 

On Metro's site, they put the following comment next to Thing #16: "The rarest book in the world"

 

There must have been a number because I bought a VFish one from Steve Higgins at Superworld in Waltham, MA in the late 80's!

 

But I still have my 9.2 and it has OW pages and is just gorgeous. Persnally, I think if I resubbed it ouwld hit higher - I bought it long before CGC decided to dumb-down the grading by removing the Alpha grades. When I de-slabbed it I almost had to put on sunglasses it was so much more brilliant. Still one f my favorite pre-code vovers and some excellent stories inside!

[october]

Was it only Thing #16 or were other books found as well?

 

On Metro's site, they put the following comment next to Thing #16: "The rarest book in the world"

 

There must have been a number because I bought a VFish one from Steve Higgins at Superworld in Waltham, MA in the late 80's!

 

But I still have my 9.2 and it has OW pages and is just gorgeous. Persnally, I think if I resubbed it ouwld hit higher - I bought it long before CGC decided to dumb-down the grading by removing the Alpha grades. When I de-slabbed it I almost had to put on sunglasses it was so much more brilliant. Still one f my favorite pre-code vovers and some excellent stories inside!

 

How many were found and how much would a fair price be for a VF or so copy? Really like that cover....

[precodekeith]

Was it only Thing #16 or were other books found as well?

 

On Metro's site, they put the following comment next to Thing #16: "The rarest book in the world"

 

I have no idea if it was found alone or was part of a batch, I just know that there was a "warehouse" find. Again, I've never heard an estimate and would love to know how many were found. They were located, I believe, sometime in the 1980's, but I'm not 100% positive on that.

 

Metro lists this as "rarest book in the world?" What an underhanded selling device; trying to take advantage of uneducated buyers like that!

 

THING 16 is probably, IMO, the EASIEST pre-code horror book to get in HG! While the EC Gaines file copies were like what, 13 copies per issue, I'd wager THING 16 is WAY more plentiful than that in HG!

[shrunkenhead]

 

Metro lists this as "rarest book in the world?" What an underhanded selling device; trying to take advantage of uneducated buyers like that!

 

 

Just in case you weren't making a joke, I'm fairly certain Metro was....making a joke, that is.

[*paull*]

It's definitely a joke... there are a ton of them listed on the site. You could probably get a free one thrown in with a big order