Semi-random Question: Sub-Mariner 1 Value? 2 2

[Straw-Man]

cat, it is a terrific item, invented by the outfit on the label.  
 

have a wonderful t’giving, brother. 

[Bronty]

On 11/24/2021 at 5:15 PM, Cat-Man_America said:

There's some truth to this as undoubtably there's truth in what Bob has advocated.  What's a shame is that it's gotten so muddled that no one can be absolutely sure of any facts beyond the books being beautiful high quality examples.

The Reilly stamps on the back of many SF pedigreed books seems to suggest that Tom Reilly is the proper designation, but this only serves to heighten the unresolved mystery.  No one has been able to ascertain whether a Tom Reilly served and died at the end of the war based on records which seems odd and curious.  It's logical that the collection ceasing at the end of the war suggests part of this story is true, but what if the family name was something else? What if the Reilly stamps were merely a location ...drugstore or newsstand... where the books were bought before being meticulously stored by the parents?  Or what if the books belonged to Tom Reilly, but he served under an assumed name because he enlisted underage? What if the relatives initially selling this collection to Bob and his partners made up part of the story because there was some question of ownership? Or just out of privacy concerns?

A lot of the pieces of this puzzle don't fit and too many missing pieces to establish one clear timeline.  I have no doubt that Bob's involvement in purchasing the books and other insights are credible, regardless of how cantankerous he gets over the absolute correctness of his own opinions about how this collection came to be.  But there is so much about the origins that aren't fully known that one tale is almost as good as another in lieu of ironclad documented evidence.  

All good questions.   That’s the thing.   Bob comes across as a fountain of chaos.   No surprise that he didn’t ask the questions at the time or document it in any way.   And now the truth is hopelessly muddled with the forgotten and the misinterpreted and the misremembered.

[Cat-Man_America]

On 11/27/2021 at 10:16 AM, Bronty said:

All good questions.   That’s the thing.   Bob comes across as a fountain of chaos.   No surprise that he didn’t ask the questions at the time or document it in any way.   And now the truth is hopelessly muddled with the forgotten and the misinterpreted and the misremembered.

Lack of documentation makes more sense than any of the stories.  Until the Church pedigree designations didn't exist, just books in whatever quantities were brought in and sold, usually at pennies on the dollar of then current values.

Edited November 27, 2021 by Cat-Man_America

[Bronty]

On 11/27/2021 at 12:02 PM, Cat-Man_America said:

Lack of documentation makes more sense than any of the stories.  Until the Church pedigree designations didn't exist, just books in whatever quantities were brought in and sold, usually at pennies on the dollar of then current values.

Yeah.   It was so early.   There was really no reason to care about that sort of thing yet. 

[Professor K]

Hey everyone, I know this is a old topic but for whatever it's worth there is no Tom Reilly on the memorial plaque in Piedmont California. 50 soldiers from there died in WWII according the plaque outside their Veterans building. I would think they would have noted every one. 

[PDGray]

Fascinating story - I hadn't read this thread until now.  Thanks for reviving this!

 

 

PDG

[sfcityduck]

On 10/10/2023 at 1:57 PM, Professor K said:

Hey everyone, I know this is a old topic but for whatever it's worth there is no Tom Reilly on the memorial plaque in Piedmont California. 50 soldiers from there died in WWII according the plaque outside their Veterans building. I would think they would have noted every one. 

Piedmont is a small location with no obvious borders. Folks who claim to live in the "Piedmont neighborhood" may actually live in Oakland. Has Bob ever stated the parents names or address? 

I've always just assumed that while the books are undoubtedly real and very high quality, the story may have just been puffery to buyers and/or misdirection to keep sellers anonymous. The kind of thing Heritage did with Promise which was nearly the same story.

[Cat-Man_America]

On 10/12/2023 at 12:55 PM, sfcityduck said:

Piedmont is a small location with no obvious borders. Folks who claim to live in the "Piedmont neighborhood" may actually live in Oakland. Has Bob ever stated the parents names or address? 

I've always just assumed that while the books are undoubtedly real and very high quality, the story may have just been puffery to buyers and/or misdirection to keep sellers anonymous. The kind of thing Heritage did with Promise which was nearly the same story.

I think the San Francisco Collection/Reilly story is more interesting than the Promise Collection because many of the books had never been opened from descriptions contemporaneous to their acquisition. Also, the stamp on the back of some of the books is unique and very distinct to this collection. The misdirection part is certainly possible, but GA comics weren't as BIG a consumer market back in the early 70's with sky high or rather Mile High values.  If there was misdirection it was to insure the buyers would have continued access since my recollection is that the collection was bought in lots over several weeks. I wish Bud Plant would come back to the board and share his knowledge as I'm sure he has knows a lot more about these books than most of us.

My simple observation is that the stamp on the back could be an owner's stamp or a bookstore, newsstand, drugstore, or other store or chain of stores in operation during WWII. The stamp could be the origin of the name "Reilly" or something like it with a "T" or "Tom" in front of it. It looks a bit more like a business design than a name to me, but it could be either or something else altogether. However, given the sources at our disposal these days, it wouldn't surprise me if some of this information can be tracked down with a little ingenuity and research. It's certainly one of the more intriguing mysteries in our hobby.