How old are Golden Age Collectors? 4 4

[sfcityduck]

On a related now, I wonder if new GA collectors are being attracted by the books or the money.  What inspired me back in the day were things like CBM which conveyed knowledge and love about GA books that wasn't tied to the money.  How do the younger collectors get that inspiration?

[gadzukes]

On 9/30/2021 at 3:12 PM, Point Five said:

At this point, HA is sending me reminders to schedule my colonoscopies.

 

They do that cuz they get a 10% "Doctor's Premium"

[Cat-Man_America]

On 10/4/2021 at 2:59 PM, sfcityduck said:

On a related now, I wonder if new GA collectors are being attracted by the books or the money.  What inspired me back in the day were things like CBM which conveyed knowledge and love about GA books that wasn't tied to the money.  How do the younger collectors get that inspiration?

This one is easy.  If you're a GA collector it's about the books, if you're a GA speculator it's about the money.  

I'm of the opinion that no collector gets into one aspect of the hobby or another without love of the books they get into.  While there are some GA collectors who were around at a time they could buy those books off the newsstand, most are inspired younger collectors.  That's true of a lot of SA collectors as well.  In some cases, the inspiration is mentoring from older collectors, but some cases it's just curiosity and appeal of the art.  My long winded two cents.

[Cat-Man_America]

On 10/4/2021 at 3:11 PM, gadzukes said:

They do that cuz they get a 10% "Doctor's Premium"

That's a surgical fee for non-invasive walletectomy.

Edited October 6, 2021 by Cat-Man_America

[KCOComics]

On 10/4/2021 at 3:59 PM, sfcityduck said:

On a related now, I wonder if new GA collectors are being attracted by the books or the money.  What inspired me back in the day were things like CBM which conveyed knowledge and love about GA books that wasn't tied to the money.  How do the younger collectors get that inspiration?

I think it's a progression. I grew up reading 90s stuff.  Loved the Punisher, SS, Batman, X-Men and wolverine. 

But I didn't consider myself a collector until I started collecting silver age Silver Surfer books.  That progressed into a lot of FF books and eventually keys, starting with DD and Avengers because I could afford them. 

But GA books seemed out of reach for two seasons. First, you didn't see GA super hero books at shops very often and it was hard for 15 year olds to get to big shows. And second, even when eBay came around GA was expensive compared to SA in those days.  So a younger collector working at Kmart couldn't jump into cool GA books. 

So I can probably point to three reasons I transitioned to GA. 1) access 2) I stopped working at Kmart and 3) As I grew as a collector, I started really learning about the history of our hobby. The artists, publishers and writers. And suddenly owning books drawn by guys like Eisner, Cole, and Schomburg became more interesting to me than owning a Hulk 181 or ASM300. 

[paqart]

I'm 55. All of my GA comics are Barks ducks. Although I grew up in the 1970's, I collected GA back then. I also had a much better collection then than now. I once was the proud owner of Batman #2, Wonder Woman #2, Action 25, Sub-Mariner #2, Comics Cavalcade #3, World's Finest #2, Many ECs and Barks ducks, including US #1 and Christmas on Bear Mountain, all in NM condition (the Barks, not the others), along with many Eisner/ Lou Fine, LB Cole comics like Spirit, Plastic Man, Uncle Sam, and others. Now, though I started with the goal of recreating my 1979 collection, I am buying modern newsstands for their high value to cost ratio. Hoping to sell those for enough profit to get some of the more valuable comics that are now out of reach financially.

[Terry JSA]

On 10/4/2021 at 3:59 PM, sfcityduck said:

On a related now, I wonder if new GA collectors are being attracted by the books or the money.  What inspired me back in the day were things like CBM which conveyed knowledge and love about GA books that wasn't tied to the money.  How do the younger collectors get that inspiration?

I was attracted by the books. I mean.. who wouldn’t want to own some of those sexy mega keys. I would love to own a TEC #27, All-American Comics #16, or a Marvel Comics #1 as they’re all a piece of comic book history! 

[N e r V]

On 10/5/2021 at 6:00 PM, KCOComics said:

I think it's a progression. I grew up reading 90s stuff.  Loved the Punisher, SS, Batman, X-Men and wolverine. 

But I didn't consider myself a collector until I started collecting silver age Silver Surfer books.  That progressed into a lot of FF books and eventually keys, starting with DD and Avengers because I could afford them. 

But GA books seemed out of reach for two seasons. First, you didn't see GA super hero books at shops very often and it was hard for 15 year olds to get to big shows. And second, even when eBay came around GA was expensive compared to SA in those days.  So a younger collector working at Kmart couldn't jump into cool GA books. 

So I can probably point to three reasons I transitioned to GA. 1) access 2) I stopped working at Kmart and 3) As I grew as a collector, I started really learning about the history of our hobby. The artists, publishers and writers. And suddenly owning books drawn by guys like Eisner, Cole, and Schomburg became more interesting to me than owning a Hulk 181 or ASM300. 

As a young kid in the 1970’s and even into the 1980’s you could still find golden age books tucked away at times in used book stores. No, not Action #1’s but sometimes some decent finds. They were usually around their piles of pulps and old science fiction paperbacks section. Depending on the comic shop they’d usually have some GA stuff too.  I was lucky to have spent most of my early youth in SoCal because we had some heavy hitters with comic stores as well as the largest yearly conventions in San Diego. It wasn’t to big a deal to see old EC’s right next to SA books on a backdrop or case in a comics store or a vintage DC or Timely or whatever.

My biggest observation over the past decades is the amount of dupes that people have has greatly diminished. Rick Durell was said to have owned 2 dozen Action comics #1 at one time in great shape. Before getting into the business myself my future booth buddy at the SDCC I helped set up brought 9 copies of Marvel comics #1 to the SDCC one year. Most sat in a box because his backdrop was full of GA and SA books already. When I went into business myself I was always 2-3 deep (usually) in key SA like AF #15 or FF #1. It was just a given. I had a short box of Hulk #181’s all nice I’d pop out as they sold for $30.00 a piece. Really big books like Action #1 or Tec #27 were always a big deal to see but I had multiples of books like Tec #31 that was just another really cool bat cover and not something that would impress the really big fish collectors of the time. So as prices increased and I’m including up to BA now it’s really less common to see someone with dupes like in the past. I mean people get excited here when someone post multiples of Hulk #181 or Marvel Spotlight #5 or Spiderman #129 and I remember sitting on boxes of those myself. When I was looking for a high grade Amazing Fantasy #15 in the 1980’s the dealer I purchased it from had over 30 copies in various grades to choose from. You just don’t see most people with those numbers these days. 
 

Several months ago I found a box of about 75-100 copies of Spider-Man #252 and Secret Wars #8 all purchased off the newsstand and left in a box since the 1980’s. Besides that there were several copies of Spider-Man #129 and Ghost Rider #1’s left in there. Based on the sticker prices I had they probably have been there since the 1980’s too. All worth grading at CGC now but at the time it was ho-hum stuff to have. At some point I’ll probably dump them for GA or whatever. 
 

I think if you’ve been collecting in or around my era it’s liking comparing a downpour to a drought with not only GA but silver and bronze too. It really is a stark difference today.

[goldust40]

On 10/6/2021 at 8:23 PM, N e r V said:

As a young kid in the 1970’s and even into the 1980’s you could still find golden age books tucked away at times in used book stores. No, not Action #1’s but sometimes some decent finds. They were usually around their piles of pulps and old science fiction paperbacks section. Depending on the comic shop they’d usually have some GA stuff too.  I was lucky to have spent most of my early youth in SoCal because we had some heavy hitters with comic stores as well as the largest yearly conventions in San Diego. It wasn’t to big a deal to see old EC’s right next to SA books on a backdrop or case in a comics store or a vintage DC or Timely or whatever.

My biggest observation over the past decades is the amount of dupes that people have has greatly diminished. Rick Durell was said to have owned 2 dozen Action comics #1 at one time in great shape. Before getting into the business myself my future booth buddy at the SDCC I helped set up brought 9 copies of Marvel comics #1 to the SDCC one year. Most sat in a box because his backdrop was full of GA and SA books already. When I went into business myself I was always 2-3 deep (usually) in key SA like AF #15 or FF #1. It was just a given. I had a short box of Hulk #181’s all nice I’d pop out as they sold for $30.00 a piece. Really big books like Action #1 or Tec #27 were always a big deal to see but I had multiples of books like Tec #31 that was just another really cool bat cover and not something that would impress the really big fish collectors of the time. So as prices increased and I’m including up to BA now it’s really less common to see someone with dupes like in the past. I mean people get excited here when someone post multiples of Hulk #181 or Marvel Spotlight #5 or Spiderman #129 and I remember sitting on boxes of those myself. When I was looking for a high grade Amazing Fantasy #15 in the 1980’s the dealer I purchased it from had over 30 copies in various grades to choose from. You just don’t see most people with those numbers these days. 
 

Several months ago I found a box of about 75-100 copies of Spider-Man #252 and Secret Wars #8 all purchased off the newsstand and left in a box since the 1980’s. Besides that there were several copies of Spider-Man #129 and Ghost Rider #1’s left in there. Based on the sticker prices I had they probably have been there since the 1980’s too. All worth grading at CGC now but at the time it was ho-hum stuff to have. At some point I’ll probably dump them for GA or whatever. 
 

I think if you’ve been collecting in or around my era it’s liking comparing a downpour to a drought with not only GA but silver and bronze too. It really is a stark difference today.

Oh for a time machine and a case of benjamins. Hard to believe now how having big GA keys on your wall wasn't all that big a deal at SDCC...

[KCOComics]

On 10/6/2021 at 3:23 PM, N e r V said:

As a young kid in the 1970’s and even into the 1980’s you could still find golden age books tucked away at times in used book stores. No, not Action #1’s but sometimes some decent finds. They were usually around their piles of pulps and old science fiction paperbacks section. Depending on the comic shop they’d usually have some GA stuff too.  I was lucky to have spent most of my early youth in SoCal because we had some heavy hitters with comic stores as well as the largest yearly conventions in San Diego. It wasn’t to big a deal to see old EC’s right next to SA books on a backdrop or case in a comics store or a vintage DC or Timely or whatever.

My biggest observation over the past decades is the amount of dupes that people have has greatly diminished. Rick Durell was said to have owned 2 dozen Action comics #1 at one time in great shape. Before getting into the business myself my future booth buddy at the SDCC I helped set up brought 9 copies of Marvel comics #1 to the SDCC one year. Most sat in a box because his backdrop was full of GA and SA books already. When I went into business myself I was always 2-3 deep (usually) in key SA like AF #15 or FF #1. It was just a given. I had a short box of Hulk #181’s all nice I’d pop out as they sold for $30.00 a piece. Really big books like Action #1 or Tec #27 were always a big deal to see but I had multiples of books like Tec #31 that was just another really cool bat cover and not something that would impress the really big fish collectors of the time. So as prices increased and I’m including up to BA now it’s really less common to see someone with dupes like in the past. I mean people get excited here when someone post multiples of Hulk #181 or Marvel Spotlight #5 or Spiderman #129 and I remember sitting on boxes of those myself. When I was looking for a high grade Amazing Fantasy #15 in the 1980’s the dealer I purchased it from had over 30 copies in various grades to choose from. You just don’t see most people with those numbers these days. 
 

Several months ago I found a box of about 75-100 copies of Spider-Man #252 and Secret Wars #8 all purchased off the newsstand and left in a box since the 1980’s. Besides that there were several copies of Spider-Man #129 and Ghost Rider #1’s left in there. Based on the sticker prices I had they probably have been there since the 1980’s too. All worth grading at CGC now but at the time it was ho-hum stuff to have. At some point I’ll probably dump them for GA or whatever. 
 

I think if you’ve been collecting in or around my era it’s liking comparing a downpour to a drought with not only GA but silver and bronze too. It really is a stark difference today.

I love hearing these stories and yes I'm extremely jealous of guys like you and @Robot Man who had access to books of that stature and the interest to pursue them. 

I can't complain about my collection. I feel like I've had some amazing opportunities and taken some shots where I could.  But when I think of books like Action 1, Tec27, and even MM1 and CAP1, I honestly just hope I'm lucky enough to see one, one day.  

 

 

 

[Robot Man]

On 10/6/2021 at 2:53 PM, KCOComics said:

I love hearing these stories and yes I'm extremely jealous of guys like you and @Robot Man who had access to books of that stature and the interest to pursue them. 

I can't complain about my collection. I feel like I've had some amazing opportunities and taken some shots where I could.  But when I think of books like Action 1, Tec27, and even MM1 and CAP1, I honestly just hope I'm lucky enough to see one, one day.  

 

 

 

Never owned an Action 1 or a Detective 27 but got to sit on my buddy’s bedroom floor as a kid and read them both...

[KCOComics]

On 10/6/2021 at 9:53 PM, Robot Man said:

Never owned an Action 1 or a Detective 27 but got to sit on my buddy’s bedroom floor as a kid and read them both...

First off, it's kind of crazy to think of two kids treating those two comic books like comic books... sitting on the floor and reading them. 

I mentioned you because you have so many great stories about going to those California shows, meeting creators and seeing incredible books.  

 

[Robot Man]

On 10/6/2021 at 7:06 PM, KCOComics said:

First off, it's kind of crazy to think of two kids treating those two comic books like comic books... sitting on the floor and reading them. 

I mentioned you because you have so many great stories about going to those California shows, meeting creators and seeing incredible books.  

 

My buddy, Gary Coddington, who some of you older SO CA collectors might remember, had a complete Superman collection and his brother had a near complete Batman collection. He got a lot of them at Cherokee Books and Collector’s Book Store in Hollywood. He was a few years older than me and had a drivers license. He would take me with him. 

We would sit on the floor and read unbagged comics. Was pretty exciting holding books like that in my hands. 

[N e r V]

On 10/6/2021 at 7:06 PM, KCOComics said:

First off, it's kind of crazy to think of two kids treating those two comic books like comic books... sitting on the floor and reading them. 

I mentioned you because you have so many great stories about going to those California shows, meeting creators and seeing incredible books.  

 

I think what you just said about meeting the creators of not just comics but many actors, etc over the years at the SDCC was the one thing that was the best. Lou Fine died before fandom took hold but I met someone that did actually meet him and I had a family member that crossed paths with Bill Everett which was great too although both were gone before I got into collecting 

[KCOComics]

On 10/6/2021 at 11:38 PM, N e r V said:

I think what you just said about meeting the creators of not just comics but many actors, etc over the years at the SDCC was the one thing that was the best. Lou Fine died before fandom took hold but I met someone that did actually meet him and I had a family member that crossed paths with Bill Everett which was great too although both were gone before I got into collecting 

I believe Bill died fairly young (in his early 50s).  I remember reading an interview with his daughter a few years ago and he seemed like a really cool guy. 

I've read a number of accounts of guys meeting Craig Flessel (not at a show), Al Feldstien, Eisner to name a few and I wish i had the awareness back then to track those guys down and meet them.... Though, truth be told, I was still just a kid by the time most of them passed. 

5 or 6 years ago my brother I spent a few hours with Allen Bellman and his wife at the Boston Comic Con.  Every actor and Stan had lines out the door, but Al's booth was empty and we could just talk about what Timely was really like back in the 40s. His relationship with Joe and Jack and Stan. It was very cool!  My oldest son was about 2 years old at the time and he wrote a really nice message to him on a Cap poster. 

Edited October 7, 2021 by KCOComics

[Robot Man]

Back in the day most every GA and SA artist was alive and many went to shows. SDCC was one of the big shows and seems like everyone was there at one time or another.

I remember looking at the guest list and pulling out a couple books of artists I admired for signatures. They were usually in Artists Alley. I looked for the oldest guys with white hair and there was rarely much of a line. I remember looking for Irv Novak of MLJ game. I finally found him looking frail with an oxygen tube. So friendly and was so happy anybody remembered him. Sadly, time has claimed most of them.

Feldstien and Eisner were at many of them. Both incredible guys who always took time with their fans. I missed Alex Schomburg at his only SDCC. One of my top 5 favorites. 

I was looking forward to Alan Bellman at WonderCon in 2020. Sadly, he passed away about a month before the Con and a month later life went haywire and the Con was canceled anyway. 

Was the GA for comic cons. 

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

On 10/7/2021 at 10:04 AM, Robot Man said:

I remember looking for Irv Novak of MLJ game. I finally found him looking frail with an oxygen tube. So friendly and was so happy anybody remembered him. Sadly, time has claimed most of them.

If for no other, Novak has left his imprint with this unforgettable cover

[N e r V]

On 10/7/2021 at 8:04 AM, Robot Man said:

Back in the day most every GA and SA artist was alive and many went to shows. SDCC was one of the big shows and seems like everyone was there at one time or another.

I remember looking at the guest list and pulling out a couple books of artists I admired for signatures. They were usually in Artists Alley. I looked for the oldest guys with white hair and there was rarely much of a line. I remember looking for Irv Novak of MLJ game. I finally found him looking frail with an oxygen tube. So friendly and was so happy anybody remembered him. Sadly, time has claimed most of them.

Feldstien and Eisner were at many of them. Both incredible guys who always took time with their fans. I missed Alex Schomburg at his only SDCC. One of my top 5 favorites. 

I was looking forward to Alan Bellman at WonderCon in 2020. Sadly, he passed away about a month before the Con and a month later life went haywire and the Con was canceled anyway. 

Was the GA for comic cons. 

Hmm. I met Alex Schomburg more than once. If he had only the one SDCC appearance I wonder where else we met? Still got some art of his I packed up with my LB Coles originals. Those two were biggies for me since I grew up around the Schomburg Timely’s and was obsessed with Coles art after the 1981 Price Guide. As pricey as they were at the time getting some Cole recreations was killer. If I was a bit older like some family members were I’d have been all over the Barks recreations too but I was a bit young to get those too. I think that was more of a 70’s happening. My family has some video and pictures I’ve been trying to obtain copies of for years of the 1976 Star Wars panel stuff at the SDCC. I think there’s like a couple hours of footage from that year with a lot of it on the Star Wars stuff. I remember speaking with Arnold Drake and I think Steranko one year  on my way out and by the next year Arnold Drake was gone. Probably two that didn’t surprise me though were Jack Kirby and Carol Kalish. Kirby looked really weak at the end. I met him first in the 1970’s but he really wasn’t that old at the time of his death. Maybe the smoking did him in but he looked a lot older than what he was in the end. Carol died unexpectedly but she also looked unwell and a bit “aged” for her years the last time I saw her too. Those two stick with me because I made a remark to friends that neither might be around for the next con and well, neither were…

[Bookery]

On 10/4/2021 at 3:59 PM, sfcityduck said:

On a related now, I wonder if new GA collectors are being attracted by the books or the money.  What inspired me back in the day were things like CBM which conveyed knowledge and love about GA books that wasn't tied to the money.  How do the younger collectors get that inspiration?

They might be attracted to the books because of the money... but maybe not in the way you suspect.  If you avoid a few of the big runs, a lot of GA is now pretty cheap compared to SA and BA.  In the past few months I've started selling Fawcett and Quality hero books that sat here for years, often to younger collectors.  For around $100 they can buy a nice condition hero book from the '40s for a fraction of what many '60s and '70s books now sell for.  

[KCOComics]

On 10/7/2021 at 11:32 AM, N e r V said:

Hmm. I met Alex Schomburg more than once. If he had only the one SDCC appearance I wonder where else we met? Still got some art of his I packed up with my LB Coles originals. Those two were biggies for me since I grew up around the Schomburg Timely’s and was obsessed with Coles art after the 1981 Price Guide. As pricey as they were at the time getting some Cole recreations was killer. If I was a bit older like some family members were I’d have been all over the Barks recreations too but I was a bit young to get those too. I think that was more of a 70’s happening. My family has some video and pictures I’ve been trying to obtain copies of for years of the 1976 Star Wars panel stuff at the SDCC. I think there’s like a couple hours of footage from that year with a lot of it on the Star Wars stuff. I remember speaking with Arnold Drake and I think Steranko one year  on my way out and by the next year Arnold Drake was gone. Probably two that didn’t surprise me though were Jack Kirby and Carol Kalish. Kirby looked really weak at the end. I met him first in the 1970’s but he really wasn’t that old at the time of his death. Maybe the smoking did him in but he looked a lot older than what he was in the end. Carol died unexpectedly but she also looked unwell and a bit “aged” for her years the last time I saw her too. Those two stick with me because I made a remark to friends that neither might be around for the next con and well, neither were…

I've read lots of accounts of Jack chain smoking in those days.  

Did you ever meet Cole? I never hear much about him doing shows. 

What was Schomburg like?