Tom Reilly Collection Master List

[BLBcomics-migration]

No, just curious. The Edgar Church collection was fairly well documented, except for the books sold before the catalog's release. I don't know if the Tom Reilly collection was at the time, allowing it to get a "Pedigree" or "Collection" statis. No trick question.

 

The Tom Reilly Collection's stature as a "pedigree" came about after Mile High Books began to circulate - it was Ron Pussell (later of Redbeard's Book Den) who, when coming to his comicons which were called Super Sunday shows near Hollywood co-hosted by the American Comic Book Company guys Terry Stroud and David Alexander, wanted quality high grade, and knew I was coming down from the Bay Area to those shows, along with other Bay Area guys who had Reilly books filter thru their operations (like Sal Dichera of Amazing Adventures, etc), bringing stuff out of this collection which came back thru the doors - in & out on some books over the years - who coined the term "Frisco Copies" which latewr enlarged to San Francisco.

 

This was solely based on we came down from the San Francisco Bay Area and anybody from there was from "Frisco" or "San Franciso" no different than if some lived in the LA basin area, one is from "Los Angeles".

 

The books were never in or found in San Francisco until after we took some over to our Columbus Ave Comics & Comix outlet to showcase what was available over in much larger Berkeley store with its special Collectors Comics Room we built there.

 

We also had some on sale display at our San Jose (before the move to Palo Alto) and Sacramento facilities. All meant to funnel into the Berkeley store, which for many years was half of C&C's cash flow.

 

I made up this parameter list soon after the Edgar Church batch was gaining in stature.

 

and i have gotten tired of banging my head against walls in vain to have them known as The Tom Reilly Collection - those which canbe identifed as such. Nothing from 1946 onwards qualifies.

 

And you all should thank Alan for prompting me to dig the listing out i had transcribed within two years of Chuck's Mile High good fortune. I used to index all kinds of comics related stuff - all us serious about the hobby types worked to that end.

 

Mant of us inhabit the Grand Comics Database chat line located at www.comics.org

 

it ain't about mercantile concepts there, but what is inside the books

 

Both ends are OK - cuz higher prices brought stuff onto the market place before it got thrown away by civilians who do not care one whit about old comic books. That was then, this is now.

 

These days i tell people i meet i deal in old comic books. Many assume me to be rich. Wel,, yes, in one way, but in ever re-growing piles of old books -

 

But to answer the query, nope, we had no idea then until later of the utter scope of the Tom Reilly Collection - it came to us in three batches spread out mid April 1973, then mid May 1973, then a couple months later when the 3rd batch came to us from the 3rd heir group who lived back East on the right side of the USA map. Each time we did not know there was more stuff to be had later. We kept hoping that one or another batch of heirs might have a few more tucked away for later sale such as the Superman 1 2 Mystery Men 1, Marvel Comics 1, or Marvel Mystery 2 3, etc hwich eluded us. Such were the grandeour delusions of youth. I was 21 when we found this stuff. So was Bud Plant. John Barrett was 22.

 

We paid 40% of 1972 Guide for Batch #1, 60% of 1972 Guide for Batch #2 and then 60% of 1973 Guide for Batch #3.

 

We went into the Berkeley Con 1973 not knowing if we would lose our shirts pumping thousands of dollars into hosting the first comic book convention held in the Bay area, and came out of it within six months trying to control 4 stores spread out 100 miles. On the show itself, we ended up pulling a modest profit we figured worked out to 50 cents an hour time invested.

 

We felt almost at times we were on a mission from God to save the comic book from extinction back circa 1973. The new comic book market was rstill eeling nationwide from the after-market effects of the collapse of the late 60s Batman TV show craze

 

There were a lof of us in fandom back then then who felt the same way in the days which used to be. Many later comic book stores began early on following our pattern placing their outlet as near to a college or university campus as possible.

 

Out of all that energy came the Direct Sales Market, patterned on the growing alternative comic book industry which used to be HQ'd in the Bay Area. We used to call them underground comix per their methodology of distribution.

 

best

 

robert beerbohm

[BLBcomics-migration]

I think the other point to remember is that by the late 70's (and yes I was collecting then), books started to be collected for condition (and therefore extra handling care was given).

 

Therefore, I am quite sure that there were many collections with high grade books that were sold in the 50's, 60's and early 70's that had tons of books, but the real question is:

 

Were they properly handled and preserved after that?

 

In most cases, probably not like they started to be stored and handled by the late 70's (a la Mile High) and beyond. The fact that many Mile High's have some type of Restoration shows that even then, collectors did minor fixes to books.

 

I remember going to conventions in the late seventies and rarely seeing a backing board (and most of the time they didn't even have bags) on Golden-Age books.

 

Mark Edmonds and I began putting hand made backer boards on this highgrade floating around the Bay Area. It was his idea which i radily agreed to.

 

- and Hi De Ho of Santa Monica Calif was the first comic book company to begin factory manufacturing concepts for backing boards. This was the mid 1970s.

 

At my earliest comicons beginning in 1967 (I got to my first Seuling NYC show July 1970) one would find any old box to place a stack of books in, and many would empty the stacks out onto a table, no bags, definitely no boards and people would thumb thru a stack like a deck of cards

 

that was the norm for a long time, you are correct

 

It was not until Bill Surrill and Ernie Gerber began their quests re tape on spines (removal thereof was the first restoration some years after a circa 1968-69 Stan Lee Soap Box page told all of us to use the then new "Magic" clear tape from 3M along the spine as a pre-emptive strike against books getting hurt)

 

Ernie Gerber came along and sold us - veryslowly for some - on the virtues of something he was selling called MyLar-D. This was not until the 1980s, if i remember correctly

 

Even the MH Superman #1 has color touch - done 20-25 years ago

 

best

 

robert beerbohm

[BLBcomics-migration]

Bob,

 

I have a hand-drawn comic style drawing of an English courtroom scene apparently drawn in 1792 (according to the date at the bottom) with a character called "The Sedition Hunter" that I want you to take a look at some day. It is drawn in comic line art style and there are crude word balloons used as well. Let me see if I can find it (I won it at a charity auction several years back and then put it in storage a few years ago when I couldn't find out anything about the piece). If I can find it, I'll take a picture to post it here. It was a weird piece.

 

The owner before I bought it at the auction was Stanley Mosk, former Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court.

 

where do you live?

 

I will be at Wondercon in Feb, LA Wizard show in mid March,

 

i should be at Carbonaro's April show in NYC as well as many of the majors this summer.

 

would love to see this. i assume you live in California where i was born?

 

word balloon use is documented as far back as the mid 400 AD era - proven with pics on the Platinum Age comics discussion group i started in late 1999 now housed onyahoogrouops. It started on onelist.com, then moved to e-list.com when onelist was bought, then yahoogroups bought e-list. There we are. More than 13,000 comics archeology posts archived there.

 

best

 

robert beerbohm

[BLBcomics-migration]

 

 

Your followup letter appeared in CBM #42, Bob.

 

Thanks Al,

 

i actually stopped looking with #41 last night -

[Forbush-Man]

Wow! Great posts, Bob!

 

Sorry I didn't get the connection of Tom Reilly being the San Fransisco pedigree.

 

I now have information I will carry with me for the rest of my days, thanks to you & your posts. Thank you again for all the really great info! If I ever get the chance, maybe at the San Diego Con, I would love to talk with you about anything you'd be willing to share. I am always interested in the history behind our hobby.(thumbs up

 

I will always refer in the future to this Pedigree as the "Tom Reilly/San Francisco Pedigree".

[nearmint]

I'd love to see a pedigree panel discussion in San Diego, perhaps made up of West and John Verzyl to talk about Mile Highs, Jon to discuss Larsons, and Bob to talk about O'Reillys. I'd bring my video camera to that one.

[BLBcomics-migration]

> Four Color 1-25 First Series

> Large Feature Comics 1-30 First Series

> Walt Disney Comics & Stories 1-56

 

As a high grade Disney collector, I am really happy to hear that these books survived. I'd hoped there'd be a set like this around somewhere but never knew of one until now. Thanks a lot, Bob!

 

Btw., I used to live on Arch Street, right on the other side of the Berkeley campus. If only I'd been around 15 years earlier...

 

Hi - we some times investigated whether or not to open over on the north side of the UC-berkeley campus because some times being on Telegraph Ave was like being in a war zone.There was also a lot of foot traffic over there, and much calmer and more peaceful.

 

I'll be at the Wondercon in San Fran in a couple weeks, set up next to Brian Peets A-1 comic operation

 

- I am hauling out a couple tons of old comic books inside a 10x20 foot booth. Just come in the comicon, hang a left, and one will easily find my booth space. Feel free to come up and say hi

 

best

 

robert beerbohm

[BLBcomics-migration]

Wow! Great posts, Bob!

 

Sorry I didn't get the connection of Tom Reilly being the San Fransisco pedigree.

 

I now have information I will carry with me for the rest of my days, thanks to you & your posts. Thank you again for all the really great info! If I ever get the chance, maybe at the San Diego Con, I would love to talk with you about anything you'd be willing to share. I am always interested in the history behind our hobby.(thumbs up

 

I will always refer in the future to this Pedigree as the "Tom Reilly/San Francisco Pedigree".

 

You are very welcome,

 

One thing though: i have been saying for more than a decade now that Tom Reilly's books should NOT be called "San Francisco" copies in any way shape or form.

 

They were mischaracterized as being "San Franciso" copies solely because of being in the San Francisco Bay AREA.

 

Mile High fits the Edgar Church collection due to being in Denver, but, if anything, these books should be called "The Piedmont Collection" cuz that is where the Reillys lived.

 

They should only be referred to as "Tom ReillY" collection or copies.

 

but that is just me, one of the co-founders of the collection.

 

And i have been to every San Diego comicon since their inception by Shel Dorf in 1970, who was also one of the co-founders of the legendary Detroit Triple Fan Fairs dating back to 1965. Thirty five years later, i still enjoy the Comicon, even if its emphasis is not on comics any more. Time change, and we need to roll with the punches.

 

best

 

robert beerbohm

[Red Hook]

one of the most interesting threads I've read in quite some time. Thanks for sharing!

 

ditto!

[BLBcomics-migration]

I'd love to see a pedigree panel discussion in San Diego, perhaps made up of West and John Verzyl to talk about Mile Highs, Jon to discuss Larsons, and Bob to talk about O'Reillys. I'd bring my video camera to that one.

 

what, no Chuck?

 

and it could also include Bud Plant, David Belmont, also "there" when the Reilly books were acquired - the night we split up that first batch pulling an all nighter, finishing after the sun came up, is a fun tale of crazed comic book collectors trying to figure out what to pick next.

 

Mike Manyak would also have a few cents to throw in

[nearmint]

Hey, the more the merrier. How can we make this happen?

[Apotheosis]

Does anybody know if any of the Wings Comics from his collection are available anywhere? I'm trying to put a run from that together and would love to have a Reilly copy or two.

[Silver Surfer]

Bob,

 

I thought Jon Berk's recent threads were over the top but this one has me glued to your every word. I still can't believe how many awesome books are listed in that collection. Just can't get enough of the history behind these GA finds.

[BLBcomics-migration]

Yo Surfer

 

One thing i feel i must point out that not EVERY book in that list I posted was in the collection - i wish to stress once again, which i mentioned previously a couple times, that the list is 99% pure. The Reilly collection was the major educational experience i underwent learning what the initial Golden Age contained.

 

When we got 2/3rd of the collection, Overstreet #2 was the "new" Guide.

 

Overstreet #3 was what we used to buy the last 3rd from the Back East Reilly Heir (name unknown)

 

I was struck by the concept that there were books in the collection which were not yet in Overstreet's listings. Of course, that changed over time.

 

I had fun informing Bob O of some of the books to be entered in upcoming Guides. I did wait a few years before passing on the info, because "back in the day" knowledge most others did not possess was comics power.

 

One year in the early 1980s, i still found something like 30 books, mostly last issues, which were not yet listed. I think pretty much everything (except promo giveaways) from the 1930s up has now been accounted for.

 

The last great area still with uncharted waters is in the 1800s. I think i have something like thirty grand invested into comics research in the last ten years. This comics field is a way of life for me - and many others.

 

It has been fun jogging my memory on the Reilly collection, not something i think about every day. I have to point out i am leaving out for Wondercon in San Francisco Friday Feb 11 and will be gone a couple weeks, away from emails - so, anything one wants to know asap, get it in now. Come Friday, you are all going to have to wait, unless some one brings a lap top to Wondercon.

 

best

 

robert beerbohm

[CentaurMan]

You're an inspiration to us all, Bob!! How many conventions is this for you, over 1000? And still going strong!

 

You don't even remember our conversation, I'm sure, but swapping books with you at Chicago this past year was one of the highlights of the convention for me. I talked trade with a dozen dealers, but you were one of only two (Vince being the other) who seemed to have great passion for the comics themselves, not the money involved. I swapped an early Human Torch (2nd issue, I think) plus something else to you for a rare Whirlwind and something else. Gotta check my notes.

 

There are a lot of dealers much younger than yourself who seem burnt out, conniving, and bitter. Your excitement for comics came through loud and clear throughout our discussion, and I couldn't have been more impressed. Enjoy Wondercon!!!

[BLBcomics-migration]

Sure i remember the trade - but it is a bit difficult knowing names cuz so many posters here do not list their names, but use eBay style handles, so it is hard for some older-type guy like me to keep everybody's IDs straight -

 

Wondercon is a fun show - i co-hosted the very first Bay Area comics festival back in 1973. Everybody is invited to come to my booth and at least say hi

 

i will be set up next to Brian Peets A-1 comics.

 

come in main entrance and hang a left along the aisle wall - you cannot miss me then

 

and i will be back again at the Chicago Wizard show this summer as well

 

best

 

bob beerbohm

[jbcomicbox]

Sure i remember the trade - but it is a bit difficult knowing names cuz so many posters here do not list their names, but use eBay style handles, so it is hard for some older-type guy like me to keep everybody's IDs straight -

 

best

 

bob beerbohm

 

 

Geez i am with you Bob.....names would be nice....of course, we won't share with "them" our secret handshake.....Jon Berk

[mrwoogieman]

Sure i remember the trade - but it is a bit difficult knowing names cuz so many posters here do not list their names, but use eBay style handles, so it is hard for some older-type guy like me to keep everybody's IDs straight -

 

best

 

bob beerbohm

 

 

Geez i am with you Bob.....names would be nice....of course, we won't share with "them" our secret handshake.....Jon Berk

 

You guys of all people should appreciate the necessity of keeping A SECRET IDENTITY!

 

signed,

 

Mr. W.H. Woogieman

(billionaire industrialist, there you dragged it out of me!)

[Silver Surfer]

Bob,

 

This stuff is great and is the shot in the arm these boards needed as almost every single topic regarding SA books has been covered at least a dozen times over. I have always been an SA fan and never bothered to venture over to the GA forum but over the last year it has become my favorite by far. However, I do need to get up to speed on the history.

[nearmint]

Just to be clear...

 

nearmint=Jeff Delaney