tth2 Posted October 30, 2005 Author Share Posted October 30, 2005 The fact that file copies appear with many combinations of all these markings suggest to me that a substantial number of sets survived in various places. Based on my own observations and what I've heard, I'd estimate the number to be somewhere between half a dozen (lower bound) and two dozen copies per book. The vast majority, however, would grade 9.0 or lower. I'd be very interested in hearing other observations on file copies, especially about other identifying markings. Thanks for the great info! I absolutely agree that Dell file copies are not all from one source, but must`ve been kept in different places, and that the grades vary. Mark Wilson has commented upon this too, and I`m guessing he probably knows as much about the different file copies as anyone. I`m still trying to figure out how the Random House Archive copies that have surfaced recently (which cover Dell and GK, I believe) fit in with the other known file copies. Gorgeous FC 456, by the way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tth2 Posted October 30, 2005 Author Share Posted October 30, 2005 I was actually geared up to try and pick up one of execsec's books for a decent price but davesdugout pretty much has the highest bid on all of them (most at > 2x guide). What stops me from bidding higher is that say a 9.0 is the highest graded copy right now...if someone gets a 9.2 or a 9.4 graded of a relatively common late-issue WDCS your 3-4x guide you paid will suddenly seem pretty foolish, I think. Sure, this is always a factor in one`s pricing decision. You can`t substitute the Census for experience. Sometimes from experience you`ll know that a particular copy is impossible to find in high grade, and therefore if a 9.0 copy appears you better jump on it at just about any price because you`re almost certain that a nicer copy will never appear (or even if it exists, will never come on the market). Other times, you know from experience that better copies very likely DO exist, so not much of a premium (if any) should be paid for a 9.0 copy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psiknight Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 I was actually geared up to try and pick up one of execsec's books for a decent price but davesdugout pretty much has the highest bid on all of them (most at > 2x guide). What stops me from bidding higher is that say a 9.0 is the highest graded copy right now...if someone gets a 9.2 or a 9.4 graded of a relatively common late-issue WDCS your 3-4x guide you paid will suddenly seem pretty foolish, I think. Sure, this is always a factor in one`s pricing decision. You can`t substitute the Census for experience. Sometimes from experience you`ll know that a particular copy is impossible to find in high grade, and therefore if a 9.0 copy appears you better jump on it at just about any price because you`re almost certain that a nicer copy will never appear (or even if it exists, will never come on the market). Other times, you know from experience that better copies very likely DO exist, so not much of a premium (if any) should be paid for a 9.0 copy. I agree completely. In the case of these later WDCS books, I am pretty sure nicer books exist (at least in some cases) and I'm thinking it's probably not worth paying 3x guide for them right now. *shrug* If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tth2 Posted October 30, 2005 Author Share Posted October 30, 2005 In the case of these later WDCS books, I am pretty sure nicer books exist (at least in some cases) and I'm thinking it's probably not worth paying 3x guide for them right now. *shrug* If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. What do you define as a "later" WDCS book? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psiknight Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 Issue 60 and on...maybe I'm way off base here. I know chronologically they are still fairly early in the mid-to-late 40s... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ft88 Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 I'd even suggest issue when it goes from 64 pages to 52(?) pages around issue 53 or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tb Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 (edited) Right now, there are a few collectors competing for top census WDC&S. I am patiently waiting for their runs to saturate as I expect prices for the 3rd to Nth nicest copies will become more reasonable then. A similiar trend is currently happening for Four Colors in the 8.5-9.2 range (the CGC 9.0 FCs 178 and 199 I posted a few pages back are examples). From what I've observed, the supply of early WDC&S increases roughly by a factor of 2 for every 10 issues up to #60 or so: 20-30 seems four times as common as 1-10 etc. The CGC 9.0 copy of #6 below is one of my favorite books. Finding the first 10 issues in this shape doesn't happen often. Since I already posted the above book in 2003, here's a new one. This file copy with a classic Mickey cover cost me over 2x guide but was well worth it. Edit: here's another FC 238 (CGC 8.5). Early appearance of Scrooge - see one of my recent posts for an interior scan). Edited October 31, 2005 by hkp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psiknight Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 See the 9.0 WDCS # 69 on eBay now is probably one of my favorite overall Duck books (and my fav. cover)...but paying 3-4 times guide seems too insane IMO. Eh, we'll see... My major concern is that this issue is much more common than the census indicates and that there will be more graded in the future (making a high dollar purchase less and less enticing). AWESOME BOOKS, btw hkp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tth2 Posted October 31, 2005 Author Share Posted October 31, 2005 From what I've observed, the supply of early WDC&S increases roughly by a factor of 2 for every 10 issues up to #60 or so: 20-30 seems four times as common as 1-10 etc. I would agree with this, although I think if grade is no concern then for the most part almost any issue can be found. The thing about Duck books in general is that their print runs were huge, because they had the Disney brand going for them. On the other hand, their core market was little kids, who clearly didn't do a good job of keeping or preserving them. Except for FC 9, it seems like a majority of the known HG copies of many GA ducks are file copies. The number of duck books from recognized pedigree collections is miniscule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tth2 Posted October 31, 2005 Author Share Posted October 31, 2005 See the 9.0 WDCS # 69 on eBay now is probably one of my favorite overall Duck books (and my fav. cover)...but paying 3-4 times guide seems too insane IMO. Eh, we'll see... My major concern is that this issue is much more common than the census indicates and that there will be more graded in the future (making a high dollar purchase less and less enticing). AWESOME BOOKS, btw hkp. I agree that paying 3-4X for a 9.0 copy of a relatively late WDC&S is very aggressive (although I believe WDC&Ss are for the most part undervalued in the Guide). I think you're correct that higher grade copies COULD emerge, although I'm not as familiar with WDC&Ss and don't have a good sense of whether any particular issue is notably difficult to find in grade or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ft88 Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 Looks like the high grade ducks in question went for a pretty penny. $800 for an 8.5 and 1000 to 1200 for the 9.0 to 9.4's Thats not bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psiknight Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 Hah! Not bad... Leaves us poorer duck collectors in the dust. Here's a book I just picked up relatively cheap on ebay (PGX 7.0): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tth2 Posted November 2, 2005 Author Share Posted November 2, 2005 Nice pick up! That's a very sharp looking 7.0. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tb Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 (edited) Congratulations! -//-. The "Ghost of the Grotto" story was not published back in Scandinavia before the mid 1980s. I still remember reading it for the first time. The panel with the octopus jumping from the ship is one of my favorite of all time. Anyway, here are a couple more scans I did. The first should need no explanation (my apologizes if the resultion causes problems, but I thought it deserved it), the second is the back cover of the Danish edition of Donald Duck from January 1951 (probably best existing copy). --- Edit: > That FC 199 is a 9.2?! I would have graded it differently myself. The front cover looks virtually unimprovable to me: not a stress line at the spine and just about perfect edges. The slight "dent" in the lrc must be a scanner artifact; my scanner magnifies otherwise invisible perturbations. The bc has one or two small stress lines at the spine and that's about it. Btw., the second scan came up because I am getting this book appraised. Although it is a relatively anonymous issue from Vol. 3, someone just offered me $600 for it. A NM V1#1 would run around $8-10,000. Edited November 3, 2005 by hkp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RareHighGrade Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 As with all your other books hkp, simply outstanding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tth2 Posted November 3, 2005 Author Share Posted November 3, 2005 That FC 199 is a 9.2?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psiknight Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 If anyone has a 199 in 6.0-7.0 that they simply can't stand having around anymore let me know. *cough* ahem. Anyway, 199 is probably the consensus best cover of the high-dollar duck books, no? It's certainly one of my favs and I've been looking for a decent upper mid-range copy for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psiknight Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 Nice pick up! That's a very sharp looking 7.0. Thanks! It looks a bit nicer than a 7.0, IMHO, but PGX has a reputation for grading GA books as MA ones...probably the way it should be. I could crack it and sent it to CGC but I probably won't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tb Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 (edited) This book made the CGC gallery a while back, but here's a hires version. For those who are not familiar with this 8 page promotional, it is actually one of the most sought after ducks (guides for $3,600 in 9.2). Edit: Sorry for the poor photos. Edited November 5, 2005 by hkp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tth2 Posted November 5, 2005 Author Share Posted November 5, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
