100+ Raw Bronze Age Comics 2 2

[Tut]

Let me start by saying that I am a complete noob to comic book collecting.  I have done a bit of online research, but have no skill or experience in actually grading comics. 

I have been tasked by my son to help him sell his collection of more than a hundred bronze age comics.  These range from 1974 to 1987. They have been well cared for, but not bagged and boarded.  I started by making an inventory on an Excel spreadsheet to get a handle of what he had actually saved as a child.  I have assigned a grade to each comic in the list.  These grades are my best guess of what a very conservative grader might assign. 

I am posting this to solicit opinions from real collectors as to the best way for me to sell this group.  That includes some questions:

1)    Is it possible for me to upload the spreadsheet to this forum, so you could see what I have?

2)    The collection includes some sets of three comics sealed in their original poly bags.  The bags still have their original retail price stickers.  I assume that I should not attempt to remove any retail labels from poly bags.  Is that right?

3)    The collection includes a few tabloid size comics that still have their original retail price stickers.  I assume that I should not attempt to remove these retail labels.  Is that right?

4)    Many of the older comics have been defaced by having additional staples added to their bindings.  I presume that Mom was trying to “kid proof” them.  I have been told that this destroys any value that they might have had to a collector, and that I might as well trash them.  I am reluctant to do that, as the first three Star Wars comics fall into this category, and I would think that someone might still value them.  I assume that removing the added staples would be a mistake.  Is that right?

5)    I am willing to have some of these graded, but have no idea how to identify those that are worth the time and expense of professional grading.  I would appreciate advice as to how to proceed.

6)    I have access to a scanner.  Should I scan and upload pictures of a few of these to the forum?  A few representative copies might be sufficient for you to get an idea of their real value. 

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

[Galen130]

Welcome to the boards!! 
I’m guessing your kiddo doesn’t have time for this stuff, so he asked you to do it?  It’s a labor of love, is my point…it will take some time. 👍

[shadroch]

6) Yes

5) Plenty of time to think about that later

4) It hurts the value, and pretty much destroys the value of common books but not expensive books. Star Wars were reprinted so their values vary greatly depending on which version you have

3) Send us pictures. Labels can be removed using products but dont do anything right now

2)Same as #3

1) I wouldn't. Post some photos. 

[comicginger1789]

Hi,

Welcome to the boards! If you wish to have some help sorting through and pricing books, I am fairly in tune with current values as I frequently buy and sell and pay attention to several sources that highlight books that are considered "hot" or valuable due to whatever circumstances (movies, TV shows, etc.). I would be happy to take a look and offer some assistance as well as advice on how to sell them. In the meantime, to answer some of your questions

2)    The collection includes some sets of three comics sealed in their original poly bags.  The bags still have their original retail price stickers.  I assume that I should not attempt to remove any retail labels from poly bags.  Is that right?

Depends...some multi packs as they are called from the 70s and 80s can sell quite well sealed. Other stuff, like 90s era books in the polybags, do not.

3)    The collection includes a few tabloid size comics that still have their original retail price stickers.  I assume that I should not attempt to remove these retail labels.  Is that right?

I would not remove any stickers on an actual comic or magazine size comic unless you have had experience doing so without harming the book

4)    Many of the older comics have been defaced by having additional staples added to their bindings.  I presume that Mom was trying to “kid proof” them.  I have been told that this destroys any value that they might have had to a collector, and that I might as well trash them.  I am reluctant to do that, as the first three Star Wars comics fall into this category, and I would think that someone might still value them.  I assume that removing the added staples would be a mistake.  Is that right?

Again, if you have never done this, removing the staples yourself could result in more damage, although compared to removing a price sticker, it is much easier. But even with the staples removed and staple holes showing, it still kills the value. A VF range book could drop down quite a bit. If it is a VG or less range book to begin with, there is a chance the drop will be minimal if at all

5)    I am willing to have some of these graded, but have no idea how to identify those that are worth the time and expense of professional grading.  I would appreciate advice as to how to proceed.

A list of books would help here...along with pictures so people can give opinions on grades

6)    I have access to a scanner.  Should I scan and upload pictures of a few of these to the forum?  A few representative copies might be sufficient for you to get an idea of their real value. 

Yes...you can upload them here or if you want a grade estimate, there is a forum called "Hey Buddy Can you Spare a Grade..." where fellow board members will chime in with grade estimates on comics. Just make sure you get a front, back and if possible, closer up images. A full scan of front and back at least will work though. 

 

Hope this helps to start. Good luck with the endeavour!

[KCOComics]

Like @comicginger1789 if you would like to send me the list, I would be happy to look it over and see if anyone jumps out. 

If you have bigger books mixed in there condition and accurate grading will be critical.  These forums are an excellent resource to help out. 

Good luck!! 

 

 

[Tut]

Thanks for the responses. I won't do anything rash.

The CGC website does not allow me to upload an .xlsx file directly.  I suspect that I will need to email the file directly to anyone who is interested. Drop me a note if you wish to receive it.

I don't believe I have any reprints. All the Star Wars books (including 3-packs) are from 1977.  I'll scan and upload a few here.

[shadroch]

On 3/26/2022 at 10:53 AM, Tut said:

Thanks for the responses. I won't do anything rash.

The CGC website does not allow me to upload an .xlsx file directly.  I suspect that I will need to email the file directly to anyone who is interested. Drop me a note if you wish to receive it.

I don't believe I have any reprints. All the Star Wars books (including 3-packs) are from 1977.  I'll scan and upload a few here.

Star Wars sold out almost immediately and the reprints came out soon after. They were all from 1977/78. I'm not an expert but I believe all the multi-pack Star Wars are reprints.

[Tut]

Well, I guess my 3-packs are reprints after all. Without opening them I cannot tell if I have #1, #2 and #3 or #1, #2, and #2. Any suggestions?

In any case I made some scans to upload. Note that the platen on my scanner is too small for the tabloids, so I had to do some magic to take multiple scans and create a merged image that will at least give you some idea of what I have.  In doing these scans I noticed that the back of the Superman tabloid and the front of the Star Wars tabloid appear to have been in contact with something prior to storage.  Can this possibly be cleaned?

[Tut]

Not really. I have done some poking around, but I don't know enough to recognize the differences between variants.  Since there are over a hundred of them I was hoping to separate the wheat from the chaff, and then concentrate on those that are worth the effort.

[shadroch]

On 3/27/2022 at 7:38 AM, Tut said:

Not really. I have done some poking around, but I don't know enough to recognize the differences between variants.  Since there are over a hundred of them I was hoping to separate the wheat from the chaff, and then concentrate on those that are worth the effort.

There aren't that many variants in that era. How do you plan on separating them without putting any effort in to it? 

[revat]

100 or so books doesn’t take that long to look up on the internet, especially eliminating the ones w extra staples

Use eBay sold prices

 

[shadroch]

I would go to www.mycomicshop.com and  start looking up books.  

[StillOnly25Cents]

On 3/27/2022 at 10:09 AM, revat said:

100 or so books doesn’t take that long to look up on the internet, especially eliminating the ones w extra staples

Use eBay sold prices

 

 

On 3/27/2022 at 10:49 AM, Sold! said:

100 books is nothing, should take 1/2 hour at the most 

to be fair, the OP said there are more than 100 books, so it could be a million or tree fiddy which are both more than 100

 

let me help knock one off your list, Heathcliff #1 looks to be worth less than $10 and would cost you more to grade than its worth

Edited March 27, 2022 by StillOnly25Cents

[shadroch]

On 3/27/2022 at 8:49 AM, Sold! said:

100 books is nothing, should take 1/2 hour at the most 

If you don't know what you are doing, it can take some time.  Yesterday I was checking prices on a book that said King Size Special #1 with Daredevil under it. The top box said King Size Special, the writing on the spine said Daredevil Special.  I finally found it listed as Daredevil Annual #1. 

When you get a book that says Marvel Premiere 2 The Power of Warlock, it can be confusing.  What we take for granted can be confusing to the novice, but you have to start somewhere.

 

[boomtown]

Well, unless there is something special in there, you can assume the books with extra staples are low value. The tabloid size books shown are under $10 each. The only thing shown with any type of value are the sealed Star Wars packs with issues #1-3. If the books look in nice shape and bags are not torn up these have been selling for around $125-$150 each on ebay. I'd think it is safe to assume that a child's bronze collection that has been stapled to protect against damage, doesn't have anything worth having graded.

If you want to create a list of the books involved it would take maybe 10 minutes to look it over and separate the junk from anything with value.

Edited March 27, 2022 by boomtown

[shadroch]

On 3/27/2022 at 10:36 AM, Sold! said:

What did the indicia say? 

I'm not sure.  It was in a mylar 2 and it seemed easier to waste ten minutes than to open it.

[KCOComics]

On 3/27/2022 at 1:13 PM, shadroch said:

If you don't know what you are doing, it can take some time.  Yesterday I was checking prices on a book that said King Size Special #1 with Daredevil under it. The top box said King Size Special, the writing on the spine said Daredevil Special.  I finally found it listed as Daredevil Annual #1. 

When you get a book that says Marvel Premiere 2 The Power of Warlock, it can be confusing.  What we take for granted can be confusing to the novice, but you have to start somewhere.

 

I agree.

I think many of us take for granted how confusing comic collecting can be for someone with no experience. 

The OP did do leg work, by reviewing and cataloging the comics. When you get to the nuances of a comic book like Star Wars 1, it can be pretty overwhelming. There are price variants and reprints from the same year as the first print. 

So personally, I have no issue with him asking for help.  That's what the newbi section is for. 

Besides, I've spent half my life accumulating a vast knowledge of something 99% of society could careless about. It's nice to put that knowledge towards helping people with questions. 

[shadroch]

Very few of those books have variants, but he started with Star Wars so I can see how he doesnt know those are the exception.

[Tut]

Well, having spent most of Sunday afternoon on Ebay - and a few other sites ...  And yes - the variants are interesting.

It appears that most of this batch should go to a local comic shop for whatever I can get, and some might actually have some value.  I think I'll move over to the suggested forum "Hey Buddy Can you Spare a Grade..." and ask for opinions on a select few.

Thanks for your help.

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 3/25/2022 at 1:13 PM, Tut said:

4)    Many of the older comics have been defaced by having additional staples added to their bindings.  I presume that Mom was trying to “kid proof” them.  I have been told that this destroys any value that they might have had to a collector, and that I might as well trash them.  I am reluctant to do that, as the first three Star Wars comics fall into this category, and I would think that someone might still value them.  I assume that removing the added staples would be a mistake.  Is that right?

Additional staples do not destroy all value. I would not just throw them away before you know exactly what you have.