Record Magazine Prices - Throw out your Overstreet Guide! 11 11

[Randall Dowling]

I'm just going to add one more thing based on my experience.  Because of their size, the prevalence of black front covers and/or black back covers, the paper stock, and the fact that they didn't fit well into most comic boxes in the 70s and 80s (early days of comic book storage), magazines are generally tougher in high grade than their comic contemporaries.  Significantly tougher.  

It's one of the fun parts of collecting them.  It's not like if you have enough money, you can just buy a 9.6 or 9.8 of pretty much any issue.  There are certain books that are legitimately scarce in high grade.  

Edited December 13, 2021 by Randall Dowling
Spells bad

[oakman29]

On 12/12/2021 at 8:29 PM, Randall Dowling said:

I'm just going to add one more thing base on my experience.  Because of their size, the prevalence of black front covers and/or black back covers, the paper stock, and the fact that they didn't fit well into most comic boxes in the 70s and 80s (early days of comic book storage), magazines are generally tougher in high grade than their comic contemporaries.  Significantly tougher.  

It's one of the fun parts of collecting them.  It's not like if you have enough money, you can just buy a 9.6 or 9.8 of pretty much any issue.  There are certain books that are legitimately scarce in high grade.  

You are a master, and I am but a student in this world of comic horror magazines. 

Edited December 13, 2021 by oakman29

[Randall Dowling]

On 12/12/2021 at 10:33 PM, oakman29 said:

You are a master, and I am but a student in this world of comic horror magazines. 

As if I know anything that you don't!      

[bounty_coder]

On 12/12/2021 at 7:12 PM, Jayman said:

BTW, that is my original owner copy I bought off the rack…

😍👏👏👏😍

[bounty_coder]

@Randall Dowling hit the big points 👏👏👏

Re-emphasizing a few things. Skywalds and Eerie Pubs are NOTORIOUS for having finger prints. It’s a combo of the usually black back covers and cheap ink on the backs. 
 

I wasn’t alive when they were being distributed, but I’ve always heard that the distribution was not as wide as Marvel or Warren. Thus many markets simply didn’t have them. 
 

I’m curious to hear from those that remember seeing them on the store shelves. Where were you buying them? And in what region? For example I feel like the Eerie Pubs were more common in Gas Stations and Convenience Stores when found 

[Jayman]

In the summer my family had a house at the Jersey shore. A 10 minute walk or 5 minute bike ride would take me to a local 5 &10 variety store named Hyde’s. You could buy beach chairs, towels, etc. but they of course sold newspapers, magazines and comics. They had two spinner racks and when comics had that “Still only 20c” price, for a dollar I could buy 4 comic books and have 20c left for some candy! Bazooka was only 1c there. 

Anyway besides the two spinners they had a magazine wall rack that was always full. The excess mags were placed on the floor in front of the wall racks in piles. I seem to remember the titles arranged by publisher so Famous Monsters, Creepy, Eerie & Vampirella would be grouped together and Likewise for the Skywalds. Hyde’s also carried all the Marvel mags but only a few if any Eerie pub. titles. Interesting enough, they did not carry any Castle of Frankenstein. This I distinctly remember as I found my first copy in the next town over and had never seen it before. 
Most of my original Skywalds were bought there and at another local book and newspaper store called the Book Wharf.

Edited December 13, 2021 by Jayman
Can’t add

[wombat]

I never collected magazines as a kid. Pretty much just collected Conan comics with a few others mixed in. On one hand I wish I had collected magazines, but then I realize it doesn't matter. My mother sold all of my comics at a garage sale one day because she didn't think I wanted them. I'm still in therapy. 

[The Lions Den]

On 12/11/2021 at 11:15 AM, batmiesta said:

Decent price realised on this beauty. $7299

 

[The Lions Den]

On 12/13/2021 at 1:49 AM, bounty_coder said:

@Randall Dowling hit the big points 👏👏👏

Re-emphasizing a few things. Skywalds and Eerie Pubs are NOTORIOUS for having finger prints. It’s a combo of the usually black back covers and cheap ink on the backs. 
 

I wasn’t alive when they were being distributed, but I’ve always heard that the distribution was not as wide as Marvel or Warren. Thus many markets simply didn’t have them. 
 

I’m curious to hear from those that remember seeing them on the store shelves. Where were you buying them? And in what region? For example I feel like the Eerie Pubs were more common in Gas Stations and Convenience Stores when found 

In my town, Skywalds and Eerie Publications mags were spotty at best. Usually the only places I could find them were the local drug stores, but one of the sporting goods stores had a magazine rack that catered to the more adult and offbeat titles, and occasionally I would see them there.

From what I remember, Marvel was ultimately responsible for ending the smaller magazine publishers due to their ability to flood the market with product in the early to mid 1970's...

[The Lions Den]

On 12/12/2021 at 11:16 PM, Randall Dowling said:

Others can chime and feel free to clarify/correct me, but my understanding of the census reflects the following factors:

• Skywald was a "me too" company in many ways in that they were following a few years after Warren had established itself.  I think part of the motivation for starting the magazines was based upon a period at Warren when the quality of material dropped substantially and they saw an opportunity to upend their position.  
• As such, their initial print runs were a bit more substantial but nowhere near the runs for Marvels and Warrens.  Later the print runs would drop substantially as they found their market position and Warren caught it's next wave with the Spanish Invasion and took off again.
• Even though the covers were well done, the interiors were substantially less in quality from other material, another reason for comparatively lower demand and print runs.
• By the end of the runs, as with all companies at the end of their life, cashflow becomes an issue and you start trying to cut costs to stay afloat.  One of the ways publishers do that is by using cheaper printing materials, cheaper printers, cheaper content creators, etc.  By the time Nightmare 20 was getting produced, they were pretty much done (last issue was 23).  

All of these factors contributed to magazines that had lower print runs, were collected less for decades, and had cover stocks that are more easily damaged.  There are certain common flaws in the later issues like staple tears at the top staple (or at least stress there).  So, the result is that Nightmare 20 would be a tough book no matter what, but on top of all that, it's John Byrne's first published work and so there are non-magazine Byrne fanatics that have copies as well.  Current census is 10 copies with (1) 9.4, (1) 9.2, (1) 9.0, and (2) 8.5s.  And that's after 20 years of some very dedicated magazine collectors trying to get the absolute best copy in a 9.8 or a 9.6.  

I'm not saying that they aren't out there.  But the best I've ever seen in person was probably a 9.0.  And I'm kind of a Byrne fanatic...

Well said, my friend.

To be honest, the earlier Skywald mags are the only ones I remember seeing on the stands. By 1973 or 1974 they were practically non-existent in my region...  

 

[The Lions Den]

On 12/11/2021 at 8:42 PM, Rip said:

I was tempted but I really didn't like that bottom spine corner. Otherwise it would have been mine.

[Jayman]

On 12/13/2021 at 1:40 PM, The Lions Den said:

To be honest, the earlier Skywald mags are the only ones I remember seeing on the stands. By 1973 or 1974 they were practically non-existent in my region...  

likewise. In fact I remember seeing Nightmare and Psycho at around issues 3-4 at first and my store stopped carrying them before the final issues came out. However, Scream came out later and I remember being blown away when I saw that dark purple cover to number 1 on the rack!

[Jayman]

Still is an awesome cover! 

[batmiesta]

WTF? Planet of the apes #1 9.8   Great to see this mag get some respect but there are 2 on ebay for less. (insert my favourite emoji that CGC has done away with, the one Greggy uses all the time)

[Stevemmg]

I underestimated the hammer on this guy. Gets to $1,000 with tax and shipping. 
 

[Stevemmg]

Another one of note. 
 

[Gregd]

Eye popping numbers- is this a rise or have they been consistently high of late?

[Stevemmg]

The Eerie is the first and only one in 9.8, but I would have expected this to be a $500 mag.  I have the lone 9.6. Marvel Preview 2 has been on the rise, but this is a record by a long shot. It was a $900 book 14 months ago. 

[batmiesta]

On 12/22/2021 at 1:37 AM, Stevemmg said:

The Eerie is the first and only one in 9.8, but I would have expected this to be a $500 mag.  I have the lone 9.6. Marvel Preview 2 has been on the rise, but this is a record by a long shot. It was a $900 book 14 months ago. 

Yeah! I think it is the 9.8 factor, similar thing going on with 9.8 comics.

[fett]

On 12/13/2021 at 11:10 AM, wombat said:

I never collected magazines as a kid. Pretty much just collected Conan comics with a few others mixed in. On one hand I wish I had collected magazines, but then I realize it doesn't matter. My mother sold all of my comics at a garage sale one day because she didn't think I wanted them. I'm still in therapy. 

myself and my brother got into comics originally because of an older cousin, and he had a Savage Sword #1, and we were already into Conan comics. Sooo my brother picked up this one at the local magazine outlet and got in so much trouble from our Mom that we had to settle for just comics for the next several  years.