1975 Cherokee Book Shop Catalog

[rjpb]

Just picked this up at my local comic shop. I came to L.A. too late to buy GA comics at the Cherokee Book Shop. It was still there when I got here, but was more a film book and movie poster shop by then.

 

 

 

The 1975 catalog is 74 pages, but the legendary stash of GA has been largely cleaned out by then. Only a few GA superhero books are listed ( mostly Gleason and Fawcett), and most of the pre-silver stuff is Dell, westerns, and a few crime books and ECs.

 

Most books are listed without a grade, the catalog indicating books are VG-NM unless otherwise stated. A not uncommon practice with 1970s large volume sellers, but by 1975 it rankled a lot of collectors, as even with the loose grading of the era, a "NM" book was around 3 times as valuable as a "VG". For some reason only the E.C.s are individually graded, but a "mint" copy seems to only run about 50% higher than a "good" copy in the same run.

 

Every Silver Age Marvel and DC hero book is listed from about 1956 on, but as they ask you to list substitutes while ordering, my guess is that most 1956-63 books are probably not in stock most of the time, it's just that enough keeps getting replenished that they don't actually list what's in stock.

 

No PCH is listed, except in the Charlton section, but once again, every issue is listed in the runs they mention, so they may not actually have had any.

 

There's a fair amount of Marvel and DC SA original art for sale. No Kirby, but lots of complete or near complete stories. Romita Spidey pages are $30 a piece, and the Gene Colan cover art for Cap 117 is $35.

 

The prices on BLBs are a cautionary tale, as they run $10 to $100, probably what they would sell for now, forty years later.

 

 

 

[lou_fine]

Most books are listed without a grade, the catalog indicating books are VG-NM unless otherwise stated. A not uncommon practice with 1970s large volume sellers, but by 1975 it rankled a lot of collectors, as even with the loose grading of the era, a "NM" book was around 3 times as valuable as a "VG". For some reason only the E.C.s are individually graded, but a "mint" copy seems to only run about 50% higher than a "good" copy in the same run.

 

Now, that's a real beauty of a HTF catakog which you have there.

 

Actually, a lot of the books in the first Overstreet guide did indeed have a price multiple of only 1.0 to 1.25 to 1.5 for books in Good, Fine, and Mint condition. The price multiple which I remember that Overstreet had in place for the longest time was 1.0 to 2.o to 3.0 for his 3 standard condition grades at the time.

 

Boy, has times ever changed this pricing multiple as the chase for high grade copies have accelerated at an almost breakneck pace over the past 25+ years. I almost wonder where and when it will end.

[rjpb]

Most books are listed without a grade, the catalog indicating books are VG-NM unless otherwise stated. A not uncommon practice with 1970s large volume sellers, but by 1975 it rankled a lot of collectors, as even with the loose grading of the era, a "NM" book was around 3 times as valuable as a "VG". For some reason only the E.C.s are individually graded, but a "mint" copy seems to only run about 50% higher than a "good" copy in the same run.

 

Now, that's a real beauty of a HTF catakog which you have there.

 

Actually, a lot of the books in the first Overstreet guide did indeed have a price multiple of only 1.0 to 1.25 to 1.5 for books in Good, Fine, and Mint condition. The price multiple which I remember that Overstreet had in place for the longest time was 1.0 to 2.o to 3.0 for his 3 standard condition grades at the time.

 

Boy, has times ever changed this pricing multiple as the chase for high grade copies have accelerated at an almost breakneck pace over the past 25+ years. I almost wonder where and when it will end.

 

Yeah, I recall it was somewhere in the 1970s that GD-FN-NM guide values went from 1-2-3 to 1-2-4. Of course, back then GD just meant complete with no big chunks out, or the spine split in two, FN was today's VG, and NM meant only small nicks and corner creases.

[Robot Man]

Oh, Memories!

 

I was one of the lucky ones who made it to Cherokee in the late 1960's. I remember Burt Blum showing me a copy of Action #1 for $300. Might as well have been a million for a 11 year old kid.

 

The boxes in the hall were more my speed. Lots of 50 cent to $2.00 books. I got a ton of pre-code horror in them. EC's were like $3-$5. so I could get 3 to 5 times as many books for the cost of one of them. EC was my passion though so I got quite a few there.

 

Also went to Collectors' Book Store but they didn't cater much to kids and their prices were a lot higher.

 

The well kept secret though was Bond Street Books around the corner. The owner was real friendly and he had the best prices in the area. I got a low grade More Fun #52 from Steve for $50. I believe. Had to save up mowing lawns and paper route all summer to pay for it.

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Thanks for posting this. Can you post some pictures of the interior pages?

[Senormac]

Just picked this up at my local comic shop. I came to L.A. too late to buy GA comics at the Cherokee Book Shop. It was still there when I got here, but was more a film book and movie poster shop by then.

 

 

 

Ahhhh.... the days of yore