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Infinite Bronze War Thread
11 11

Started by bronze johnny,

3,139 posts in this topic

johnenock

johnenock

Posted
Posted
My lord, I'm so glad that I've come to this forum. You guys are showing me fantastic finds beyond belief. Great SSWS #141 9.6 hail.gif, sweet 5 pack of DC books hail.gif (I've never seen one of those before either), I've got a nice copy of Showcase 45, so everything you boys are saying, I can relate to. Great meeting all you guys, and as soon as I get my books all scanned, I'll be posting some pics as well.

 

Andy

 

Can't wait to see them Andy. There are so many covers I have yet to see. thumbsup2.gif

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johnenock

johnenock

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I was just wondering which one he was gonna sell me? 893crossfingers-thumb.gifflowerred.gif I've had a few beers and immediate cash available -- you might be able to take adantage of me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't even say it... sumo.gif

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bigfiver69

bigfiver69

Posted
Posted

Hey fellas,

 

Just came back from the Toronto Comic Convention (happily, I am in Toronto on work today!) and nailed three nice books....

 

A solid 9.0, possible 9.2 copy of G.I. Combat #145. One of my favorite books. I've already got a CGC 9.4 of this book, but seeing this one in the stacks was such a treat, I had to buy it. And I got an excellent deal.

 

Sgt. Rock DC Special from 1977. Another solid 9.0./9.2 book, and at a mere $5 (Canadian!) I felt almost guilty - it's one of the toughest late bronze war books. That's a huge tick off my want list.

 

The third book was a solid 9.2 copy of Star Spangled War #151. White as snow pages too. Wasn't cheap, but a book I've been looking to upgrade for a long time, and one that I really wanted to buy live and in person, rather than through the mail. I'm absolutely thrilled. I'll post a scan when I get home.

 

A few observations about buying high grade DC war. And they are all disturbing.

 

First - I checked all the dealers, and found very, very, very few war books.... in any grade. What there was typically didn't make it above FN. Superworld had some okay books - however, the big collection they recently got has obviously been well-picked over. Harley had no notable HG war books. Bob Storms had a couple of copies of Weird War Tales #1 in CGC 9.0 and 9.2, and a single beauty copy of an early OAAW Sgt. Rock book that was priced above guide (though, still a fair price considering rarity and grade). Comic Book Addiction, a Canadian dealer who I have bought many beautiful books from in the past, had virtually NO war books. True also for Paradise Comics, another excellent bronze/silver outlet from Toronto. Stephen Ritter, a very nice dealer, had little war to offer as well. Among the smaller, lesser known dealers, there was little to be had.

 

I talked to a few of the dealers, and the concensus is that DC War books in high grade are simply not out there in any numbers. I asked a couple what they considered high grade on DC BA war, and most said 8.0 or better!!! Raw books in the 9s? Forget it! It was truly disheartening.

 

Another comment, and one that may have some bearing on availability of good books, is that convention turnout is down. Waaaay down from previous years. Why? After all, the economy is pretty good, and disposable income is steady... and indeed up.

 

A big reason that was cited, frankly, was CGC. I won't name dealers, but more than one said that there were very few HG raw books coming available, especially among genre books. And the logic is, most CGC books find a home from internet and mail order selling. It's not like the old days where you could hit a con and expect to find good raw books in grade - so why bother going when I can troll the net to find the books I need?

 

Anyway, as great as it was to nail a couple of lovely books, I was truly stunned by the lack of good material. If you have a nice collection of Bronze Age war books already, count your blessings.

 

Of course, this is a sample of one - how has the supply of war books in grade been at other cons? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

Shep

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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted

 

I talked to a few of the dealers, and the concensus is that DC War books in high grade are simply not out there in any numbers. I asked a couple what they considered high grade on DC BA war, and most said 8.0 or better!!! Raw books in the 9s? Forget it! It was truly disheartening.

 

Another comment, and one that may have some bearing on availability of good books, is that convention turnout is down. Waaaay down from previous years. Why? After all, the economy is pretty good, and disposable income is steady... and indeed up.

 

A big reason that was cited, frankly, was CGC. I won't name dealers, but more than one said that there were very few HG raw books coming available, especially among genre books. And the logic is, most CGC books find a home from internet and mail order selling. It's not like the old days where you could hit a con and expect to find good raw books in grade - so why bother going when I can troll the net to find the books I need?

 

Shep

 

Thanks for the info, you made some interesting observations for us all.

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johnenock

johnenock

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Posted

I haven't been to a con in years...if the pickings are so slim, maybe I won't be at one anytime soon. Harley didn't have any war books? Curious as I know he had a couple. Probably didn't bring them.

 

Oh yeah, Nice pick-up on the 151...still looking.

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bigfiver69

bigfiver69

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Posted
I haven't been to a con in years...if the pickings are so slim, maybe I won't be at one anytime soon. Harley didn't have any war books? Curious as I know he had a couple. Probably didn't bring them.

 

Oh yeah, Nice pick-up on the 151...still looking.

 

 

Hey John,

 

Harley did have some war books, but no DC silver or bronze in high grade. He had a mid grde OAAW 81 that I never even bothered to look at due to sticker shock.

 

Who on the list was in San Diego last year - were there many HG war books to be found? I was there in 2002 and 2003, and there were many excellent buying opportunities. But CGC was really only then beginning to make an impact on the hobby, and the mostly on Gold and big silver books. At those two cons, I was buying all over the DC war map... 1950s books in really nice VG+ to FN, 1960s issues of OAAW and GI Combat in clean 8.0 and up, and bronze age war in 9.0 and up... with lots of volume on 1974 and later books. I remember buying all my Star Spangleds from #180 to #204 from one dealer... all 9.2 and up, with about half being Marks Jewelers copies. The 2001 and 2002 Toronto cons were just as rich - I nailed most of my 20-cent DC war issues at those cons - across all titles - for anywhere from $7 to $15 a piece, in 9.2 or better.

 

Hopefully, this one con was an anomoly (hope I spelled it right). I don't get to the US cons much (Like New Yorkm, Mid-Ohio, Wizard World or Wonder Con). I'm curious as to how those cons are doing.

 

Interestingly, I did see a LOT of 8.0-9.0 DC horror, and priced to sell (Of course, no Weird War). Wonder if that bubble has burst?

 

Just some observations.

Sheo

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Buck Biggins

Buck Biggins

Posted
Posted

 

Interestingly, I did see a LOT of 8.0-9.0 DC horror, and priced to sell (Of course, no Weird War). Wonder if that bubble has burst?

 

Just some observations.

Sheo

 

DC Horror really only sells well 9.2. I ended up selling many vf copies at .99 on ebay which was disturbing.

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HouseofComics.Com

HouseofComics.Com

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Posted

Nice report Shep. HG War books are in low numbers anyway and with CGC etc., it's even harder for dealers to get them. You also have previous big show dealers like Showcase New England that have gone eBay only. (In the 1980s selling comics meant shows. I would do two a month. Now I do two a year.)

 

Your report echoes Wondercon. Mick Rabin came up from San Diego and found ZERO HG war. And this is a pretty big show.

 

Sorry to hear that attendance was bad. Not what I like to hear.

 

Marc

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bigfiver69

bigfiver69

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Nice report Shep. HG War books are in low numbers anyway and with CGC etc., it's even harder for dealers to get them. You also have previous big show dealers like Showcase New England that have gone eBay only. (In the 1980s selling comics meant shows. I would do two a month. Now I do two a year.)

 

Your report echoes Wondercon. Mick Rabin came up from San Diego and found ZERO HG war. And this is a pretty big show.

 

Sorry to hear that attendance was bad. Not what I like to hear.

 

Marc

 

Marc, in all honesty these kinds of con experiences make me wonder about the future of the hobby.

 

I overheard two dealers talking, and saying they were going to take a loss on that show - and they might not be back. Which is a shame, because the guys at Paradise Comics who put it off work really hard at making it happen.

 

I love scoring a nice book off ebay, or from an Internet dealer, but it is nothing to the thrill of picking through several thousand books and finding some nice ones. I live for that. I was stunned that I saw so little great DC war at the con.

 

The only hope is that there continue to be finds of long-run collections, like Oakland and Rosa, to mee the HG demand. But in truth, the train has largely left the station on pre-1975 books.

 

Shep

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sterlingcomics

sterlingcomics

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DC Horror really only sells well 9.2. I ended up selling many vf copies at .99 on ebay which was disturbing.

 

Yes, the current market for dollars in DC horror is high grade...plenty of readers abound make them cheap for those who don't care about quality.

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jbud73

jbud73

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Posted

Wow some great books. Promised someone I'd post my copy of SSWS 154. Picked this up at WonderCon 2006 - definitely the best copy on the floor.

 

Thanks again to Brent at Quality Comix

 

thumbsup2.gif

 

SSWS154.jpg

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