Which is more important? The cover or the interior?

[Bo_Hogg]

I had to ask this question because when I see people on Ebay selling just covers or just one page of a comic for hundreds or even a thousand, I am blown away. 99% of my collection is of complete original books. An exception to this is I have an original cover to Treasure chest of the world's best comics and I have a Marvel mystery 92 with the Witness story missing but that's really it. I also abhor xerox covers!!!!!!!!!!!

 

So my question is would you rather have just a cover or a coverless comic? Both are unattractive to me!

[Marty Mann]

Great question...to me when I was buying a comic book, the cover would get my attention,

but it was the content, the characters and stories that were important to me...of course

that was many years ago and my investment was a dime.

 

mm

[Gotham Kid]

The market is completely cover driven.

 

I'd rather a complete cover to Tec 27 than a complete cover-less copy. It would no doubt sell for much, much more.

 

 

[rjpb]

While we all prefer complete books, I don't fully turn my nose up at buying just a cover or a coverless copy, or incomplete books, but I tend to look at these as parts waiting to be married.

 

My GA collection is cover-centric, and frequently the only reason I buy a book, so 9 times out of 10 I'd prefer having the cover to having a coverless copy, but obviously if the interior is more interesting due to great art, or a classic or important story then that's what I'd rather have, particularly with keys without a cover appearance ( Pep 22, AS 8).

 

Owning a single page of a book I could never otherwise afford doesn't appeal to me at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gino2paulus2]

While we all prefer complete books, I don't fully turn my nose up at buying just a cover or a coverless copy, or incomplete books, but I tend to look at these as parts waiting to be married.

 

My GA collection is cover-centric, and frequently the only reason I buy a book, so 9 times out of 10 I'd prefer having the cover to having a coverless copy, but obviously if the interior is more interesting due to great art, or a classic or important story then that's what I'd rather have, particularly with keys without a cover appearance ( Pep 22, AS 8).

 

Owning a single page of a book I could never otherwise afford doesn't appeal to me at all.

 

 

This exactly for me as well. I only own 2 coverless GA books and have 2 covers waiting on interiors. the US Jones #2 I was almost able to complete just waiting on a wrap. Probably won't ever happen. Pretty stoked with what I have been able to piece thus far though. Also have a Blue Beetle #12 cover which I consider not only classic but important in the history of the publisher Fox as they had to cover up their indicia when switching publisher. I also own a Wonderworld #7 cover which is the definition of classic GA. I would buy an interior if it ever arose. For my coverless books I have gotten reprint covers but like I said that's only 2 books. Would also go for a cover if one arose to marry it. RJPB pretty much nailed it as did Peter

[kinzebac]

The market is completely cover driven.

 

I'd rather a complete cover to Tec 27 than a complete cover-less copy. It would no doubt sell for much, much more.

 

 

This. Slabbing companies have changed everything.

[Randall Ries]

The market is completely cover driven.

 

I'd rather a complete cover to Tec 27 than a complete cover-less copy. It would no doubt sell for much, much more.

 

 

This. Slabbing companies have changed everything.

 

That.

 

CGC'ed Neal Adams Bronze Age Batman/Detective covers but not interiors are shoving the prices up on some pretty mediocre interiors both art and story.

[jimjum12]

I usually agree with Peter, but I believe I'd rather have a coverless Tec 27 than just the cover. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[jimbo_707]

Owning a single page of a book I could never otherwise afford doesn't appeal to me at all.

 

 

Agreed. I don't quite get why that would appeal to anybody. It would be liked going to a dog kennel and getting a bag of hair that they shaved off a dog because you decided you couldn't afford a pet. Weird.

[adamstrange]

I usually agree with Peter, but I believe I'd rather have a coverless Tec 27 than just the cover. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

It would be like collecting just the dust jackets for hard cover books. I get that they are often more valuable but it's kinda missing the point.

[KirbyJack]

I'd rather keep a complete interior, and I'd rather sell a cover.

 

Now the question becomes; do you want money or comics?

[Larryw7]

I think both the cover and interior are of equal value, at least to me. One of the things that appeals to me about pre-code horror is that the covers are great, and the interiors are sometimes even better. But there's no question that the market is oriented towards the cover now.

[Sqeggs]

There were a lot of people -- me included -- who thought that CGC was the dumbest idea ever because, unlike coins or baseball cards, you were losing the most important part of a collectible when you slabbed it.

 

Eventually, though, most -- certainly not all -- got on board (me included, again) with having their books slabbed even though that meant the books could not be read.

 

I think there were a few reasons that slabbing turned out to be such a roaring success;

 

1. Particularly on high-end books, a lot of collectors had become deathly afraid of paying big money for books that might have undisclosed resto.

 

2. In practice, how often do you read most of your books? If you aren't likely to read the book again (or in some cases probably weren't going to read it at all), it's not that big a deal that the book is sealed away.

 

3. As small differences in grades began to result in big differences in value, many people were reluctant to handle their books and wanted them safely preserved in slabs.

 

4. Trade paperback and digital reprints increased the ability to read many books without having to actually own the original.

 

5. The Gerber guides led a lot of collectors to start searching for books strictly because of how cool their covers looked. Some (many? most?) of these cool cover books actually had pretty crappy interiors.

 

So, I think it's safe to say that a good part of the hobby has become cover centric. I would guess that the majority of GA and SA collectors these days are fine with rarely or never reading the books they buy. Not everybody, but a majority, I think.

[jimbo_707]

 

1. Particularly on high-end books, a lot of collectors had become deathly afraid of paying big money for books that might have undisclosed resto.

 

5. The Gerber guides led a lot of collectors to start searching for books strictly because of how cool their covers looked. Some (many? most?) of these cool cover books actually had pretty crappy interiors.

 

 

No. 1 is still the main reason I buy slabbed books. Since most of my purchases are online now—I haven't been to a con since 2001—I don't have the ability to check books for amateur restoration (and I likely wouldn't be able to catch professional restoration anyway).

 

I agree with no. 5 for the most part, but I was collecting books for the covers long before I ever saw Gerber Photo Journal.

[fifties]

Well, if you read my sig you can easily guess where I'm at on this. That being said, I only had two coverless books, a Mad #1 and an Atlas post-code suspense book, and also a partially covered Weird Mysteries #5, for which I recently got copies of their covers.

 

If the price is right I would have NP buying coverless books with which to read, and yeah, I read my books often (but then I got a helluva lot of PC crime and horror to select from).

 

I have no slabs; I bought a few encased lower grade books at a Comic Link auction sometime back, and quickly liberated them, so they could be read and enjoyed.

 

With PCH, I've found that some of the best, gruesomest cover artwork can contain some of the lousiest stories and interior artwork. Anything from Stanley Morse would be a prime example.

L.B. Cole horror covers, while excellent, usually enfold a conglomeration of one horror story, one or two crime stories, and a jungle story, so you got about one fourth of the type of reading that you purchased the book -with your silver dime- for.

[Robot Man]

To answer the title of the post, I guess it would matter which cover or which interior? I agree with the posters who said cover usually. Covers are always harder to find than interiors (until you need one)... If the cover isn't a key but the interior is, I'd rather have the interior.

 

I have no problem buying covers, coverless books or incomplete copies for the right price. I have found many in the years I've been collecting. Sometimes, say a centerfold is from a crappy story is missing but everything I want to read is there, I'm all over it for the right price. I buy what presents itself at the time. I buy 'em 'cause I love comics.

 

I've been able to marry a lot of books especially since the advent of ebay. It's a fun challenge. Some times it happens fairly quickly. Others, it takes forever or maybe never. I've had a nice set of covers for Capt. America #17 that I've had for over 40 years and yet to find a coverless copy. If I were ever to sell any, they would come of course with full disclosure.

[Phantalien]

Golden Age covers are the best and will never lose that title, while the inside stories and art may not hold up.

 

As the ages move on it is what was on the inside of the comic that started to stand out more. So modern comics are nothing for covers but better on content. That opinion is based on the comparison of covers and content within that age and not comparing gold to silver, or modern to gold and etc.

[OtherEric]

Owning a single page of a book I could never otherwise afford doesn't appeal to me at all.

 

 

Agreed. I don't quite get why that would appeal to anybody. It would be liked going to a dog kennel and getting a bag of hair that they shaved off a dog because you decided you couldn't afford a pet. Weird.

 

In general, I would agree. But the one specific case where I have stray pages is the Scribbly story from Big All-American. I do have the full story, and it's the item I most want in the book.

 

Besides, in that case it was only $5 or so. I wouldn't spend hundreds but $5 for a rare story? Different thing entirely.

[AtlasT]

Journey Into Mystery 5 - definitely the cover

Journey Into Unknown Worlds 15 - definitely the interior

Venus 19 - too close to call

[catrick339]

I've had great luck in recent years buying GA pieces and parts, not so much with matching things up. That doesn't stop me from buying them though. It's a great, inexpensive way to read the early GA stories that I otherwise couldn't easily afford, and if I haven't matched them up after a while then I send them on their way to other collectors who want to read them or marry them.

 

Exception:

 

My complete cover wrap for Action Comics 2. Still looking for a coverless copy, people. Any leads appreciated!

 

Bottom line: I rate cover and interior as pretty much equal...at least on the GA books.