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Old high grade comics...how the heck did they stay so nice????

Started by Inhuman Fiend,

127 posts in this topic

Inhuman Fiend

Inhuman Fiend

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It has been much discussed how there are tons of high-grade (9.0 or better) copies available of virtually every Silver and early Bronze book. Whenever I see or hold one of these beauties, it always makes me wonder how it stayed so nice over so many years. I mean, I know there were hundreds of thousands of each copy printed. But, it is not easy to maintain a comic book in nearly perfect condition for decades...especially considering the lack of knowledge and supplies to properly store high-grade comics back in the 60's and early 70's. Thinking back upon my own early collecting days (12-15 years old)...I gave it my best effort, but I doubt very many of my original books would have made it until today in the same condition (I don't know for sure because I sold most of my original collection frown.gif ) So did that many kids and adults buy perfect books and leave them untouched for all these years? And without the benefit of mylar, full-backs and comic boxes...how did they keep them so nice? Or did most of these nice books come from undistributed warehouse stock? Your thoughts...?

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Foolkiller

Foolkiller

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Well, that's why high grade is so much more desirable to a lot of people, because it is rare for the books to have stayed so nice!

 

Anyway... some of it is warehouse finds, some of it is collections, some of it is anal retentive collectors, some of it is just luck (Harry's -- Burntboy's -- collection wasn't meticulously cared for it just didn't move around or get handled that much).

 

Regardless, high grade is like crack: once you have a taste, you want more.

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The Black Hand ®

The Black Hand ®

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As far as siver age goes, I rember that about the time Spiderman 10 came out, me and my buddies started buying two copies each, one to read and one to save. I iamgine a lot of other people did similar things.By the time Conan 1 came out a friend of mine was buying ten or more copies of some books. Of course I blew my collection as many others did. But a few of those friends I knew didn't. That's one small way to explain bronze and silver in high grade.

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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That's foresight.

 

Maybe, but virtually any mass market pop culture item from the last century is out there in quantities that far exceed even your wildest imagination. It's not sayng they're all common, but that the current estimates are way, way, way low.

 

If there was a way to do an actual population report, 99% of comic book speculators and investors would run screaming into the night.

 

1960's comics are nothing - it's far more amazing when some of these massive OO 1920's-30's baseball card collections comes to light. Or those toy collections from the 1800's, or those...

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Inhuman Fiend

Inhuman Fiend

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Joe...what makes you think the supply is so vast? I'm not disputing you, I just can't figure it out. Comic books are so very fragile, and it is hard to believe there were that many people (like Black Hand) buying multiple copies off the newsstand and then somehow finding a way to store them in perfect condition for 30-40 years!

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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Please reread my reply. I am not saying the "supply is so vast" only that there are more 1960's and up comics out there than you can even imagine. How many HG AF 15 copies do you think exist in the entire world? Multiple that figure by 20X or more.

 

Did any of you read that blurb in the 2005 OS about a dealer having an old guy walk into his ship with 50+ Boxes of OO Golden Age comics? Did anyone really think that kind of GA quantity was sitting in the hands of a single old guy? And those were from the 30's and 40's, back when there were paper shortages/drive that contributed to the relative scarcity of these books - otherwise they'd be quite common.

 

Now can you imagine how many 1960's and 70's comics from collections and warehouse stores are sitting out there, just waiting to be piled onto the market.

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FlyingDonut

FlyingDonut

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Please reread my reply. I am not saying the "supply is so vast" only that there are more 1960's and up comics out there than you can even imagine. How many HG AF 15 copies do you think exist in the entire world? Multiple that figure by 20X or more.

 

Did any of you read that blurb in the 2005 OS about a dealer having an old guy walk into his ship with 50+ Boxes of OO Golden Age comics? Did anyone really think that kind of GA quantity was sitting in the hands of a single old guy? And those were from the 30's and 40's, back when there were paper shortages/drive that contributed to the relative scarcity of these books - otherwise they'd be quite common.

 

Now can you imagine how many 1960's and 70's comics from collections and warehouse stores are sitting out there, just waiting to be piled onto the market.

 

I don't know about that. Lots of AF 15s? Yes, I'm sure there are. HG copies? That I don't know. I'm not sure about HG copies of books before 1965 or so.

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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I don't know about that. Lots of AF 15s? Yes, I'm sure there are. HG copies? That I don't know. I'm not sure about HG copies of books before 1965 or so.

 

Again, I am not talking common v.s rare, only that history has proven that any pop culture collectible is out there in numbers dwarfing current estimates.

 

Remember that thread about the Action #1 selling for a record price in the 1970's and there being only a few (less than 10?) copies known to exist? Many forum members laughed at that figure, just as future generations will laugh at our inane estimates.

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shadroch

shadroch

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Comics in the 40s had print-runs in the millions,comics in the 60s had numbers in the hundreds of thousands.

The vast majority of HG copies out there of 60s books have ome from warehouse finds or original dealers stock. I don't think there is much of this sitting around undiscovered.The stock of 60s dealers like Max Seeley,Robert Cresthol(sp?) and Robert Bell has dwindled and will soon be exhausted.

One person showing up with multiple boxes of 1940s comics does nothing to prove they are common. If anything,it shows the inverse.

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sfilosa

sfilosa

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Did any of you read that blurb in the 2005 OS about a dealer having an old guy walk into his ship with 50+ Boxes of OO Golden Age comics? Did anyone really think that kind of GA quantity was sitting in the hands of a single old guy? And those were from the 30's and 40's, back when there were paper shortages/drive that contributed to the relative scarcity of these books - otherwise they'd be quite common.

 

Except these weren't in HIGH GRADE. makepoint.gif

 

 

 

As my pedigree study on SA Marvel's shows, probably 20-50% of all CGC 9.4 pre-1965 Marvels have come from pedigree collections (i.e. one owner and probably never read or read once). So to think that there are plenty more HG copies (and I'm talking CGC 9.4 or better) is probably a fallacy.

 

What that shows is that it is very tough for a SA book to maintain being NM, unless it was a one owner book. If it's been a copy that's been trading for many years, regardless if the owners took good care of it, it's probably not NM anymore.

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Shield

Shield

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As far as siver age goes, I rember that about the time Spiderman 10 came out, me and my buddies started buying two copies each, one to read and one to save. I iamgine a lot of other people did similar things.By the time Conan 1 came out a friend of mine was buying ten or more copies of some books. Of course I blew my collection as many others did. But a few of those friends I knew didn't. That's one small way to explain bronze and silver in high grade.

 

Hey! What are you doing wandering out of the golden age section! Back to your cage, knave! poke2.gifpoke2.gif

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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So to think that there are plenty more HG copies (and I'm talking CGC 9.4 or better) is probably a fallacy.

 

From that era (pre-65) I classify HG as VF/NM - 9.0 or higher, with or without the CGC grade or the noted Pedigree-bump. And I'm sure that the pressers/restorers will re-manufacturer a few of those in CGC 9.4's or higher. thumbsup2.gif

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divad

divad

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Posted
Please reread my reply. I am not saying the "supply is so vast" only that there are more 1960's and up comics out there than you can even imagine. How many HG AF 15 copies do you think exist in the entire world? Multiple that figure by 20X or more.

 

Did any of you read that blurb in the 2005 OS about a dealer having an old guy walk into his ship with 50+ Boxes of OO Golden Age comics? Did anyone really think that kind of GA quantity was sitting in the hands of a single old guy? And those were from the 30's and 40's, back when there were paper shortages/drive that contributed to the relative scarcity of these books - otherwise they'd be quite common.

 

Now can you imagine how many 1960's and 70's comics from collections and warehouse stores are sitting out there, just waiting to be piled onto the market.

 

Vince,

 

Don't you ever get tired of shooting from the hip? I swear, you'd think this was a barber shop, the way you spout . . . grin.gif

 

stooges.gif

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sfilosa

sfilosa

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Posted

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

So to think that there are plenty more HG copies (and I'm talking CGC 9.4 or better) is probably a fallacy.

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

From that era (pre-65) I classify HG as VF/NM - 9.0 or higher, with or without the CGC grade or the noted Pedigree-bump. And I'm sure that the pressers/restorers will re-manufacturer a few of those in CGC 9.4's or higher.

 

Fair enough. thumbsup2.gif

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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Don't you ever get tired of shooting from the hip? I swear, you'd think this was a barber shop, the way you spout

 

Hey, I'm only repeating what many dealers, antique store owners, auctioneers, and Americana experts have been saying for years.

 

Americans hoard like packrats and anything as recent as from the 1960's should be considered relatively common in terms of real-world numbers. For example, if you think we've seen the END of Silver Age Pedigrees, you're seriously misinformed. screwy.gif

 

I know an old dealer (store closed) right here that has a pedigree-level SA/BA collection and is planning to sell within the next few years to help fund his retirement.

 

This guy cannot be alone.

 

Now all you guys holding CGC 9.4 SA as your "investment portfolio" can now slam me for a few more pages, if that will make you feel any better about it. thumbsup2.gif

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divad

divad

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Now all you guys holding CGC 9.4 SA as your "investment portfolio" can now slam me for a few more pages, if that will make you feel any better about it. thumbsup2.gif

 

I'm not sure this fits the profile of any board members I know . . . grin.gif

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