This Month in My Magazine Collection, or "How I Got Most of the Warren Mags in a Month" 2 2

[This is Who We Are]

On 3/7/2022 at 5:49 PM, Axe Elf said:

I wrote the above response while you were posting, which touches on that grading issue.  He was selling his dad's collection, and he said he took a lot of the grades from the bags that his dad had bought the books in way back when--so I'm guessing that a lot of them were graded using much more lenient pre-2000 standards.

I scrutinized the first 11 issues that he had listed as "VF/NM" or higher, and other than the one with the big waterstain, of course, they were mostly grading out in the 7.0-8.0 range; a couple of them might go a little higher; hard to tell from just a front and back cover.  Anyway, it's a nice-looking collection, but I don't think it's the kind of pristine set that @oakman29 and others have assembled.

I will probly do some PGM posts of a few of them just to see what everyone else thinks.

Even if not pristine, that's an outstanding collection with some of the greatest artists of all time.  And honestly, these just continue to climb in price as more and more people realize what they've been missing out on in the horror mag world

[Axe Elf]

On 3/7/2022 at 7:52 PM, This is Who We Are said:

Even if not pristine, that's an outstanding collection with some of the greatest artists of all time.

Herd dat.

[Axe Elf]

Big Box arrived undamaged.

Unboxing complete.

First one posted for PGM...

 

[Axe Elf]

On 3/6/2022 at 6:06 PM, Axe Elf said:

and the CREEPY #32 I found on Bonanza

Which the seller accidentally sent to someone else...  Weirdest thing is that the tracking information says it was delivered to a front porch in New Jersey on March 2.  I placed the order on March 3.  So I guess it went back in time.  Maybe it will be new and in Gem Mint condition again by the time it gets to me.  Fortunately the 3rd party has apparently agreed to re-label the package and ship it directly to me.

Fingers crossed...

[Axe Elf]

On 3/9/2022 at 9:26 PM, Axe Elf said:

Which the seller accidentally sent to someone else...  Weirdest thing is that the tracking information says it was delivered to a front porch in New Jersey on March 2.  I placed the order on March 3.  So I guess it went back in time.  Maybe it will be new and in Gem Mint condition again by the time it gets to me.  Fortunately the 3rd party has apparently agreed to re-label the package and ship it directly to me.

Fingers crossed...

And YAY!  CREEPY #32 arrived by way of third party forwarding today!

Unfortunately, the time machine wasn't working this trip, and it did not arrive in Gem Mint condition.  Still, it's in better condition than most copies I've seen at this price point ($37/free shipping).  If it wasn't for the 1/4" triangle out of the upper right of the front cover, and the 1/8" corner off the bottom right, the rest of the book is pretty 7ish.  Probly still around a 5.0-5.5 or so...?

[oakman29]

On 3/16/2022 at 1:56 PM, Axe Elf said:

And YAY!  CREEPY #32 arrived by way of third party forwarding today!

Unfortunately, the time machine wasn't working this trip, and it did not arrive in Gem Mint condition.  Still, it's in better condition than most copies I've seen at this price point ($37/free shipping).  If it wasn't for the 1/4" triangle out of the upper right of the front cover, and the 1/8" corner off the bottom right, the rest of the book is pretty 7ish.  Probly still around a 5.0-5.5 or so...?

This issue holds a very special place in my heart.

I did a commission of this cover for a board member, and it took me nearly 6 months to try and recreate something Frazetta could do in his sleep. By the time I was done with the artwork I was hooked on Frazetta and Creepy magazine artwork. 

[Axe Elf]

On 3/16/2022 at 7:40 PM, oakman29 said:

This issue holds a very special place in my heart.

I did a commission of this cover for a board member, and it took me nearly 6 months to try and recreate something Frazetta could do in his sleep. By the time I was done with the artwork I was hooked on Frazetta and Creepy magazine artwork. 

I remember seeing that you had reproduced that cover somewhere on the boards; maybe it was in your journals.  I didn't know it was the one that introduced you to Warren/Frazetta though.

It was also because of your thread on the hardest CREEPYs to find that I went out looking for this one.

Next stops, 19 and 29 maybe...?

Still need 10, 22, 34, 40, 41, 44, 48, 55, 56, 123, 137 and 146 after those two...

[oakman29]

On 3/16/2022 at 7:16 PM, Axe Elf said:

I remember seeing that you had reproduced that cover somewhere on the boards; maybe it was in your journals.  I didn't know it was the one that introduced you to Warren/Frazetta though.

It was also because of your thread on the hardest CREEPYs to find that I went out looking for this one.

Next stops, 19 and 29 maybe...?

Still need 10, 22, 34, 40, 41, 44, 48, 55, 56, 123, 137 and 146 after those two...

Nice! I'm very happy some of my advice works for others. 😉

[Axe Elf]

On 3/16/2022 at 9:16 PM, Axe Elf said:

Still need 10, 22, 34, 40, 41, 44, 48, 55, 56, 123, 137 and 146 after those two...

This CREEPY #41 is Awfully Tempting.

Ignore for the moment that it's Near Mint up there and Mint down here (at least they admit it's uncertified).  Just the fact that it was professionally bagged and boarded as soon as they received it, as opposed to all those slapdab amateur bag/board jobs you see these days, makes it worth the $170 price tag alone--but wait, there's more!

How many sellers take the time to actually wipe down your Mint, Near Mint (whatev) books with some kind of disinfecting alcohol solution before sealing them off in the mail to you!

That's the kind of service that's worth paying for!

[Axe Elf]

On 3/16/2022 at 9:16 PM, Axe Elf said:

Still need 10, 22, 34, 40, 41, 44, 48, 55, 56, 123, 137 and 146 after those two...

"NEAR MINT" #56!

Yeah, right--check out that back cover!  At least it's only $5...

Who was it said collecting was more fun one issue at a time...?

[Randall Dowling]

@Axe Elf Unfortunately, you'll find that there are many sellers on eBay, at conventions, and in local comic shops that are all over the place on grading.  FWIW, I've come to the point where unless I know the seller and have a good sense of how they grade, I don't really pay attention to what other people grade raw books.  If there are high resolution scans, I trust my own grading from those and assess price accordingly.  If not, I recognize I'm taking a gamble and I price that in to what I'm willing to pay.  In either case, I make my own assessment of grade and whether I'm a buyer.  

I've purchased thousands of magazines over the last 30 years and, although there have been lots of winners and losers, this is the best way I've found.  

[Axe Elf]

On 3/17/2022 at 4:52 PM, Randall Dowling said:

Unfortunately, you'll find that there are many sellers on eBay, at conventions, and in local comic shops that are all over the place on grading.

Yeah, that's kind of to be expected.  But it moves from expected variance to highly amusing when a book that has a 2 inch square torn off the back cover is listed as "Near Mint."

Plus the place that "professionally bagged and boarded" their little gem.  Ya just gotta laugh.

[oakman29]

On 3/17/2022 at 4:29 PM, Axe Elf said:

Yeah, that's kind of to be expected.  But it moves from expected variance to highly amusing when a book that has a 2 inch square torn off the back cover is listed as "Near Mint."

Plus the place that "professionally bagged and boarded" their little gem.  Ya just gotta laugh.

Let me tell you I would rather buy one book at a time, and buy from people like Randall Dowling,  DeadOne,  Bounty Coder, Wombat, and a few others here . That way I know what I'm getting. Ebay is not the place for high grade examples.

[Axe Elf]

On 3/17/2022 at 6:33 PM, oakman29 said:

Ebay is not the place for high grade examples.

Nor is my bank account. 

[batmiesta]

On 3/17/2022 at 12:40 AM, oakman29 said:

This issue holds a very special place in my heart.

I did a commission of this cover for a board member, and it took me nearly 6 months to try and recreate something Frazetta could do in his sleep. By the time I was done with the artwork I was hooked on Frazetta and Creepy magazine artwork. 

And it was the dogs bollocks. 

[Axe Elf]

I started a GALLERY for the CREEPY collection, but I don't really like how it displays the images and how you can't move things around--the last ones added show up first.

So I don't know how I'm going to be able to add in the missing issues later as I acquire them, without just tacking them onto the end--and that seems weird.  I'm not sure if I want to pursue this whole Gallery idea any further.

[oakman29]

On 3/17/2022 at 4:46 PM, batmiesta said:

And it was the dogs bollocks. 

Yes, yes it was. Took me right down a huge rabbit hole. 🙄

[Axe Elf]

On 3/6/2022 at 6:06 PM, Axe Elf said:

And that full run of Vampirella still sits there on eBay...

I did it.

Evan Williams talked me into it.

[oakman29]

On 3/27/2022 at 12:23 AM, Axe Elf said:

I did it.

Evan Williams talked me into it.

WHAT! Did you buy a complete Vampirella run?

[Axe Elf]

On 3/27/2022 at 2:46 AM, oakman29 said:

WHAT! Did you buy a complete Vampirella run?

Somebody had to.