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Heritage pulp auctions
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280 posts in this topic

On 5/26/2024 at 9:13 PM, Point Five said:

Nice! Don't forget to send this back to CGC to get the "CLASSIC MONKEY COVER" label note.  :gossip:

 

The monkey LIVE here ******, you just visitin'! ... Richard Pryor

GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)(thumbsu

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The 7.5 W "Bat Woman" October 1933 Weird Tales went for $30,000, exactly the same price that the 7.0 W copy went for in April this year.    

Has the shine already come off slabbed pulps?  Among the slabbed pulps I was following, with the exception of the 9.0 C-OW May 1934 Weird Tales that went for $11,400, I thought prices in the Signature Auction were not very strong, particularly considering how high the grades on some of the books were.  The 8.5 OW-W September 1933 Weird Tales, at $4,080, was particularly disappointing given the high grade, Brundage nude/bondage/whipping cover and bright red color. 

Are the high grades we're seeing from CGC actually causing potential bidders to pause, as they suddenly realize that pulps in 7.0 and above might be more common than expected, and they don't want to be caught out like early CGC buyers who paid up for 9.4 BA comics only to learn that CGC was going to assign a 9.4 or higher grade to a LOT of  BA books?

 

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On 6/23/2024 at 7:25 AM, tth2 said:

The 7.5 W "Bat Woman" October 1933 Weird Tales went for $30,000, exactly the same price that the 7.0 W copy went for in April this year.    

Has the shine already come off slabbed pulps?  Among the slabbed pulps I was following, with the exception of the 9.0 C-OW May 1934 Weird Tales that went for $11,400, I thought prices in the Signature Auction were not very strong, particularly considering how high the grades on some of the books were.  The 8.5 OW-W September 1933 Weird Tales, at $4,080, was particularly disappointing given the high grade, Brundage nude/bondage/whipping cover and bright red color. 

Are the high grades we're seeing from CGC actually causing potential bidders to pause, as they suddenly realize that pulps in 7.0 and above might be more common than expected, and they don't want to be caught out like early CGC buyers who paid up for 9.4 BA comics only to learn that CGC was going to assign a 9.4 or higher grade to a LOT of  BA books?

 

You might have a point there. Very high grade pulps have always been unicorns. Lots of 7.0-8.0 slabbed pulps floating around.

I think grading has also produced high price fever. Not a good thing. Prices should rise gradually not over night. Look at what Covid pricing has done to comics.

I was talking to a couple of guys at Pulpalooza who were new pulp collectors. They thought they were getting on the “ground floor” but were shocked at prices. Really turned them off. Worked out well for me because I had a lot of ungraded pulps at decent prices. Most of the big dollar, high grade ones went home with their owners. 

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On 6/23/2024 at 10:25 AM, tth2 said:

Has the shine already come off slabbed pulps? 

This is what I have always believed about collectibles markets. It's not so much percentages and the dollar figures, but more about what I call "glass ceilings." They represent economic castes, and a 30K tag occupies a rarified ceiling. Most who are interested, are stopped at the door, so to speak. No matter how hot something gets, The ceilings rarely change ... at price points like the 30K figure, the criteria begins to be more of a question of "is it a key date, despite it's appealing design? Can I recover my money if the need arises?". That becomes more of a concern rather than "Should I keep paying more? Is it THAT cool?" One thinks that pulps were already at a premium before the recent uptick. Sure, many have MUCH more growing room. Despite how many of us feel comfortable with meteoric rises, this is a hobby that has been around and thriving, albeit quietly, for over a Century. Sudden and sustained eruptions are the exception rather than the rule. The comic market (and Pulp ...) market has most closely paralleled the card and coin market, in my opinion. Studying the history of prices realized in those markets will shed much light on these others. Bearing in mind that the amount of disposable income the average collector enjoys, has never been ideal for the majority of them. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)(thumbsu

Edited by jimjum12
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On 7/12/2024 at 11:53 PM, Darwination said:

One last one, might be a good time to pick this one up, too.

30369639%5D&call=url%5Bfile:product.chai

Price 504, a total stunner and absolutely beautiful right there at a 6.0, too

Wish it had been me because that is a beautiful copy but the auction didn’t hit my radar. Happy to see quite a few I own sell for healthy prices even without my bids propping up the market. 

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On 7/12/2024 at 8:50 PM, Darwination said:

I 100 percent slept on the Roger Hill pulp auction last night.  Sometimes it's like I get so many emails from Heritage I tune out the ones that actually matter :makepoint:

A few from my watching.  That I guess I wasn't *really* watching. :691460725_armsraised: Not that these first two would have been in my end of the pool anyways

30356836%5D&call=url%5Bfile:product.chai

Beautiful copy. Truly.  Look at those colors.  I like the cover but this is a case where I just like the beauty of the specimen, too. Price = $3,360, bravo.

30356849%5D&call=url%5Bfile:product.chai

Cool cover, very nice copy (and I don't know how many supernice copies you'll be seeing in this title, though @detective35 seems to have some nice ones).  Sales price = $4,080.  Strong!

A third one before I go checking ones not in my personal tracking. This one I certainly would have bid on if I'd been watching, down in my end of the pool.  A nice Canada only cover.  I just like it.  Gotta be tough.

30289054%5D&call=url%5Bfile:product.chai

Price = 216 :I

Mmkay, so my take on these that follow is that these are solid benchmarks for some "hot" now and perennially wanted high grade books but maybe not the absolute top specimens out there?

Everybody knows these covers, so I'll just do the smaller screenshots with the price on em unless I see one that justifies a spotlight.  A lot of good data in this auction if you ask me, and I see a settling of the market towards actual value (and actually many soft prices, it might have been overlooked or overloaded with certain titles). And I should slap myself for even talking about markets and the like :shiftyeyes:

Screenshot(286).thumb.png.e008c8e1b0dc547ed03b721b5a8ba249.png

Purple label not nearly as big of a deal in the pulps, as predicted?  Jury's still out, but this one did OK

Screenshot(287).thumb.png.1d0bde21ccc507598173adb9efb2d36c.png

Timely lovers always crazy for that one for the comics stuffs inside.  Highest graded copy (early in the ballgame)

Screenshot(288).thumb.png.c0b40be8e0c283262ce1e66691e56921.png

A top tier Brundage, high grade, again (so far) top of the census.  All Brundages are not created equal as other issues in the auction show (and c'mon the paintings themselves, too - not to mention if a big author is inside)

Screenshot(289).thumb.png.91ced456873925eb2581d27afbf7ef74.png

Screenshot(290).thumb.png.3dfd647d5e36fa9a85e20f8b6fa6a79c.png

The ceiling on a Startling right now?

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Screenshot(293).thumb.png.4ae88eaa616c0714b36dcaab8210378d.png

A mid-grade "key" -

Screenshot(294).thumb.png.3425a701f265a1bdf3968ae247abc098.png

One of the things that gives me heart is that the books you don't see often get good action just cuz of a coolness/rarity factor

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The rise of Matt Fox.  Maybe it's cuz Roger wrote the book, or maybe it's cuz the PCH fans have migrated over to the pulps a bit.  There's no way I could have imagined even this high grade copy of a late Weird Tales going for that much a few years ago.

Screenshot(297).thumb.png.602fe8fbfd93213577638b4ae1f776ba.png

Screenshot(299).thumb.png.d1d82212c806697925f9645a65a32ec0.png

Meanwhile Bok's stock is down? Time to grab some Bok beauties -

Screenshot(298).thumb.png.b4e6947b451a01fa2e90d6da911c200c.png

Sticking this one up as just a representative.  A lot of great deals on Startling last night?  Or are people just realizing they are more common?  Hard to imagine some of these copies weren't snagged for a song considering the source and pedigree...

I had a couple of real nice Matt Fox Weird Tales up for sale on these boards recently. At $100. They didn’t sell. Although gaining popularity, I can’t see them anywhere getting figures like that. Must have been the Roger Hill pedigree?   (shrug)

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On 7/12/2024 at 10:53 PM, Darwination said:

One last one, might be a good time to pick this one up, too.

30369639%5D&call=url%5Bfile:product.chai

Price 504, a total stunner and absolutely beautiful right there at a 6.0, too

But not a "classic" cover, according to CGC.

St. John's "Golden Blood" is the finest fantasy illustration on any magazine published in the 20th century, IMO. That CGC would designate all sorts of very average pulp covers "classic" but not this one is ... well, I don't know what to say. Their judgement has no credibility at all, in my opinion. 

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On 7/13/2024 at 10:38 AM, Robot Man said:

I had a couple of real nice Matt Fox Weird Tales up for sale on these boards recently. At $100. They didn’t sell. Although gaining popularity, I can’t see them anywhere getting figures like that. Must have been the Roger Hill pedigree?   (shrug)

There are a lot of people, many overseas, who trust Heritage to be discreet and to deliver. Despite the efforts of Facebook "influencers" who would be better served looking for some sort of a life, the reputation and track record of HA.COM truly does matter. They have the attention and trust of the buyers who don't necessarily care as much about cost. To me, bargains still abound with Startling, Amazing, and later Weirds ... with a nod to Matt Fox and Virgil Finly as well. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)(thumbsu

Edited by jimjum12
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On 7/13/2024 at 10:17 AM, Sarg said:

But not a "classic" cover, according to CGC.

St. John's "Golden Blood" is the finest fantasy illustration on any magazine published in the 20th century, IMO. That CGC would designate all sorts of very average pulp covers "classic" but not this one is ... well, I don't know what to say. Their judgement has no credibility at all, in my opinion. 

Wow, I didn't even notice that it didn't get the classic notation. That's just nuts.

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On 7/14/2024 at 10:59 AM, RedFury said:

That's my fault.  I did the notes for Weird Tales for CGC.  I meant to mark this as a Classic Cover but simply missed it.  

I had a lot of problem doing the notes due to limited space.  So many issues of Weird Tales have notable authors and stories, and there is not enough space in their notes fields (3 fields of 40 characters, IIRC).  But in the case of the Apr 1933 issue there was room, I just forgot.  I'll see if I can get it changed.  

With great power comes great responsibility. 

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