tth2 Posted March 21, 2012 Author Share Posted March 21, 2012 A new Four Color 386 in 9.6 was added to the census today. It was just a matter of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tb Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 It takes time and luck to build a consistent run of these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50YrsCollctngCmcs Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Rare books indeed in the duck world! They come up rarely and in that kind of condition even less frequently. Great stuff TB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50YrsCollctngCmcs Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 From the other end of the collecting spectrum proving again that patience can pay off when collecting ducks here is my most recent double sub 100 purchase. Sub issue #100 and sub $100!! From the Benny K. collection, a well preserved subscription copy with the owner's name and address on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamstrange Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Beautiful group shot, tb! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicdonna Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Beautiful group shot, tb! +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJD Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 It takes time and luck to build a consistent run of these. Now there's a goup shot I will never be able to stage. And I think one other factor is required to pull together that particular group... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tb Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 40 Yrs: Great copy. I also have a Benny K WDCS somewhere. And I think one other factor is required to pull together that particular group... When I was photographing the books, I was thinking what the group would have looked like if I'd had unlimited funds available in addition to the two other factors. The WDC&S 1 would have been a CGC 9.4 and the #2 a 9.0 (both books from the Leonard Brown/Crescent City collection), but otherwise it would have been exactly the same. You just can't find most of the books in this condition, no matter what you're willing to pay. I think I paid around $200 for the V5#11. I'd love to upgrade it but I've never seen a nicer copy, certified or not, after checking eBay (and all other online sources) weekly for the past decade. That's the kind of challenge that makes collecting fun for me: it wouldn't be any fun if it was just a matter of writing out the checks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJD Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 40 Yrs: Great copy. I also have a Benny K WDCS somewhere. And I think one other factor is required to pull together that particular group... When I was photographing the books, I was thinking what the group would have looked like if I'd had unlimited funds available in addition to the two other factors. The WDC&S 1 would have been a CGC 9.4 and the #2 a 9.0 (both books from the Leonard Brown/Crescent City collection), but otherwise it would have been exactly the same. You just can't find most of the books in this condition, no matter what you're willing to pay. I think I paid around $200 for the V5#11. I'd love to upgrade it but I've never seen a nicer copy, certified or not, after checking eBay (and all other online sources) weekly for the past decade. That's the kind of challenge that makes collecting fun for me: it wouldn't be any fun if it was just a matter of writing out the checks. Apologies tb - I wasn't trying to denigrate your collecting skills. They are obviously first class and it hasn't been a matter of 'writing the checks' at all. Nonetheless, there's a fair amount of opportunity cost in that photo. But I know enough about you to know that those books are treasures that more than compensate for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tb Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Thanks, AJD. I've chosen to keep my collection very small and focused in order to be able to afford a few key books if I am very disciplined with my purchases. I remember being unable to qualify for the "Show us your top 10 books of 2011" thread because I only bought 9. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJD Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Thanks, AJD. I've chosen to keep my collection very small and focused in order to be able to afford a few key books if I am very disciplined with my purchases. I remember being unable to qualify for the "Show us your top 10 books of 2011" thread because I only bought 9. That's really got me thinking. I've just reached the halfway mark on a lot of the runs I'm collecting and am contemplating whether to push on as I've been going about it or whether I'd get more satisfaction doing it some other way. In the last two years I have bought 66 and 60 books respectively and am on track for about the same this year. I guess I'm wondering whether to catch the train to Camp Scrooge or Camp tb... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow Kid Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Over the years I have found that the search for a special item has usually been more exciting than actually owning it. Probably the biggest mistake I ever made in collecting was to buy a friends collection of Yellow Kid rarities. All of a sudden I had virtually everything after integrating it with my own collection. For a few weeks l was thrilled, and then I essentially lost interest in continuing as an active YK collector. Enjoy the hunt, and enjoy sharing knowledge and material with your friends, and you'll always be happy that you are a collector. I know that tb has done that and he is a great guy in addition to having a great collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50YrsCollctngCmcs Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Over the years I have found that the search for a special item has usually been more exciting than actually owning it. Probably the biggest mistake I ever made in collecting was to buy a friends collection of Yellow Kid rarities. All of a sudden I had virtually everything after integrating it with my own collection. For a few weeks l was thrilled, and then I essentially lost interest in continuing as an active YK collector. Enjoy the hunt, and enjoy sharing knowledge and material with your friends, and you'll always be happy that you are a collector. I know that tb has done that and he is a great guy in addition to having a great collection. Rich makes a great point. I only really starting diving into the sub 100 WDCS run over the last ten years. I actually don't even know how many I have (but I know a cover I don't have!) It makes going to the conventions a lot of fun as there are usually not too many there and prices can sometimes be reasonable vs. the superhero books. Picking them off one at a time is really a fun endeavor and you can cherish each book that way. In my case finding a special hour to read them when the kids aren't around (although my daughter is a Lulu and Duck fan so she gets to see them all.) I picked up a copy of WDCS #13 about ten years ago in San Diego from a collection from #1 to #15 or something. I could only afford one so I chose the nicest combination of condition / cover / price. It is one of my beauties and I'm glad I picked it up. I have no illusions about completing this run in the condition I like to buy anytime soon but I hope I have many collecting years ahead and opportunity seems to knock consistently. As for rarity, I have noticed an uptick in the availability of the pre-Barks issues at conventions over the last few years. Interesting, but you used to never see these books and now every show seems to have a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50YrsCollctngCmcs Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Thanks, AJD. I've chosen to keep my collection very small and focused in order to be able to afford a few key books if I am very disciplined with my purchases. I remember being unable to qualify for the "Show us your top 10 books of 2011" thread because I only bought 9. That's really got me thinking. I've just reached the halfway mark on a lot of the runs I'm collecting and am contemplating whether to push on as I've been going about it or whether I'd get more satisfaction doing it some other way. In the last two years I have bought 66 and 60 books respectively and am on track for about the same this year. I guess I'm wondering whether to catch the train to Camp Scrooge or Camp tb... Stick in Camp AJD, the grass is always greener! Or in this case CGC grade lower or higher! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tb Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Over the years I have found that the search for a special item has usually been more exciting than actually owning it. Probably the biggest mistake I ever made in collecting was to buy a friends collection of Yellow Kid rarities. All of a sudden I had virtually everything after integrating it with my own collection. For a few weeks l was thrilled, and then I essentially lost interest in continuing as an active YK collector. Enjoy the hunt, and enjoy sharing knowledge and material with your friends, and you'll always be happy that you are a collector. I know that tb has done that and he is a great guy in addition to having a great collection. Rich makes a great point. I only really starting diving into the sub 100 WDCS run over the last ten years. I actually don't even know how many I have (but I know a cover I don't have!) It makes going to the conventions a lot of fun as there are usually not too many there and prices can sometimes be reasonable vs. the superhero books. Picking them off one at a time is really a fun endeavor and you can cherish each book that way. In my case finding a special hour to read them when the kids aren't around (although my daughter is a Lulu and Duck fan so she gets to see them all.) [...] YellowKid's experience is extremely interesting as I've never heard of a specific example of this phenomenon before. Like 40Yrs, I've built my collection piece by piece over many years. My Mickey Mouse Magazine run is now at a point where, realistically, I will only be able to improve it marginally in the rest of my lifetime. I still enjoy it a lot, though, in part from the sense of accomplishment that comes from all the thought and work, not least being smart about the funding in order to keep it a fun hobby, that went into cherry picking the best parts of many different collections over more than a decade. If anyone ever were to buy it from me intact, they would never have that aspect of gratification. Stick in Camp AJD, the grass is always greener! Or in this case CGC grade lower or higher! +1 Only you can decide what's right for you. If you're having a good time, know what you are buying, and the collection never becomes a distraction from real life, you're doing the right thing. I used to collect more like Scrooge when I was younger, but gradually I found that my own passion was towards very rare and high grade comics. Eventually, I stopped buying filler copies completely in order to focus exclusively on books that I found exceptionally beautiful, i.e. more like a piece of art than a comic book. I do miss reading the stories, though, and at some point I will probably take a step in Scrooge's direction myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moondog Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 40 Yrs: Great copy. I also have a Benny K WDCS somewhere. And I think one other factor is required to pull together that particular group... When I was photographing the books, I was thinking what the group would have looked like if I'd had unlimited funds available in addition to the two other factors. The WDC&S 1 would have been a CGC 9.4 and the #2 a 9.0 (both books from the Leonard Brown/Crescent City collection), but otherwise it would have been exactly the same. You just can't find most of the books in this condition, no matter what you're willing to pay. I think I paid around $200 for the V5#11. I'd love to upgrade it but I've never seen a nicer copy, certified or not, after checking eBay (and all other online sources) weekly for the past decade. That's the kind of challenge that makes collecting fun for me: it wouldn't be any fun if it was just a matter of writing out the checks. The thrill of the hunt cannot be overstated. Great books, tb! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJD Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Stick in Camp AJD, the grass is always greener! Or in this case CGC grade lower or higher! +1 Only you can decide what's right for you. If you're having a good time, know what you are buying, and the collection never becomes a distraction from real life, you're doing the right thing. I used to collect more like Scrooge when I was younger, but gradually I found that my own passion was towards very rare and high grade comics. Eventually, I stopped buying filler copies completely in order to focus exclusively on books that I found exceptionally beautiful, i.e. more like a piece of art than a comic book. I do miss reading the stories, though, and at some point I will probably take a step in Scrooge's direction myself. Thanks for your thoughts guys. I've been having one of those periods of self-doubt that we collectors seem to be prone to. I'd half convinced myself that tb's beautiful books and Scrooge's amazing runs of Dell and Atlas books were both more desirable than my own 'Midway Atoll' collection. But ultimately I think it has to be 'buy what you like'. We'll see where that takes me. (But if I had to make a choice, I think I lean more in the tb direction...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrooge Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 I guess I'm wondering whether to catch the train to Camp Scrooge or Camp tb... Who is this Scrooge you are talking about? :shrug: If this Scrooge, the disadvantage of Camp Scrooge is that, like the fictional Scrooge, you get overwhelmed with the constant arrivals. Just over the last few days, I've received too many packages with books ranging from hole fillers for my Straight Arrow run, a package of Dells (Four Colors, T & Jerry, ...), several of the packages contained issues for my Tarzan run, I also bought a 8 book lot of Long Bow from Fiction House to try and complete that mini-run, Saturday there was a package with a bunch of Atlas War issues and today, I received a package from Jim Payette with some 15 Atlas books, most from 1954 and in the midst of that I also received a Planet for my Mysta run and an issue of Atlas Speed Carter, Spaceman Lots of fun stuff but nothing I'd scan and show as tb does. Nobody'd care but I love the variety. Though, I will say that instead of simply ordering this stuff from a well-stocked dealer, I'd rather pick them off on eBay catch as catch can when they show up for auction or go to a local show and see what I can get there in order to satisfy the thrill of the hunt. Needless to say, I'll have more than 9 or more than 60 books to choose from to build my Top 10 from 2012 next January, except that I won't remember what I bought when Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrooge Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 The advantage though is that I am now the proud owner of possibly the only comic book with a Hyrax-centric story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamstrange Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 But ultimately I think it has to be 'buy what you like'. A route I highly recommend, though not always easy to stay on. (thumbs u Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
