Remember the days when people paid huge money for old comic books? 2 2

[Professor K]

On 9/5/2023 at 11:05 PM, thehumantorch said:

Bill Mumy posts in  GA facebook group I belong to.  He still has a large collection of amazing books.

 

On 9/4/2023 at 9:46 AM, Dr. Balls said:

I follow his Facebook ‘Bill’s Book of the Day’ posts - his collection is unreal.

Hey fellers, I found his regular FB page but having trouble finding and of his posts of those killer books he has. I'd just love to see 'em. What search should I use in FB please?

On 9/4/2023 at 10:02 AM, MrBedrock said:

I am sure they left an incredible mess.

Jack could you please watch your ashe? Ok who's not using a coaster? Which one of you scuffed up my linoleum? 

[MrBedrock]

On 9/6/2023 at 8:39 PM, Professor K said:

 

Hey fellers, I found his regular FB page but having trouble finding and of his posts of those killer books he has. I'd just love to see 'em. What search should I use in FB please?

I think he posts in a group called "Comic Books: the Golden Age".

[jpepx78]

 
Newsreel footage from a New York Creation Con from the 1970s that some of you might have seen before. “Yesterday’s trash is today’s masterpiece”.

$7000 for Motion Pictures Funnies Weekly 1
$1500 for Marvel Mystery #5

More Fun 52 & 53 priced at $2500 for the pair. Listen to the funny exchange between a collector and dealer where the guy asked why dealer turned down an offer for More Fun 52.
Dealer: I was offered 900 for the More Fun 52 but I turned him down.
Collector: Why’d you turn him down? That’s a pretty good price.
Dealer: I didn’t want to break ‘em up. It’s a set.
Collector: That’s $2000 above guide and books aren’t even mint!
Same guy later pointing toward the More Fun 52 & 53: You know I’ve been looking for these a long time…
If you want the books badly enough, you have to pay the price!
Try saying “your books are way over guide and they are not even mint” to any dealer nowadays when you are interested in his books and see how they respond.

https://sendvid.com/yq3fnyqe

sorry I couldn't figure how to embed video...some tips?

Edited September 7, 2023 by jpepx78

[Tri-Color Brian]

On 9/6/2023 at 8:38 PM, jpepx78 said:

 
Try saying “your books are way over guide and they are not even mint” to any dealer nowadays when you are interested in his books and see how they respond.

 

I say that all the time.  Just ask Robot Man...

[aardvark88]

Think Adv's of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck 1842 by Topffer reprinted from Sweden used to sell for about $25k at SDCC?

[MusterMark]

On 9/6/2023 at 8:38 PM, jpepx78 said:

 
Try saying “your books are way over guide and they are not even mint” to any dealer nowadays when you are interested in his books and see how they respond.

Ooooohhh, what a great idea!  An experiment!

Yeah, you’re right, we collectors should all try this.  And then we can come back here and report on our experiences.

I love experiments like this.

[Robot Man]

On 9/6/2023 at 10:04 PM, Tri-ColorBrian said:

I say that all the time.  Just ask Robot Man...

Oh, I don’t use that antique Overstreet guide any more. I prefer this…

[Robot Man]

Back in the day before many comic shops in LA, this was the place to go. David T told me one day that collections of old “valuble” comics came in so fast they didn’t have time enough to process them all. A trip to the back room verified this. There were stacks and unsorted boxes all over the place. In the upper left window from left to right, Carl Macek, Terry Stroud, Bill Stout (who took comics in leu of payment for these ads), unknown guy and David T Alexander. These were VERY savvy guys and nothing was cheap but they had the goods. 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Robot Man

[MattTheDuck]

On 9/7/2023 at 9:42 AM, Robot Man said:

Back in the day before many comic shops in LA, this was the place to go. David T told me one day that collections of old “valuble” comics came in so fast they didn’t have time enough to process them all. A trip to the back room verified this. There were stacks and unsorted boxes all over the place. In the upper left window from left to right, Carl Macek, Terry Stroud, Bill Stout (who took comics in leu of payment for these ads), unknown guy and David T Alexander. These were VERY savvy guys and nothing was cheap but they had the goods. 

Is that you in the lower right?

[shadroch]

On 9/7/2023 at 9:42 AM, Robot Man said:

Back in the day before many comic shops in LA, this was the place to go. David T told me one day that collections of old “valuble” comics came in so fast they didn’t have time enough to process them all. A trip to the back room verified this. There were stacks and unsorted boxes all over the place. In the upper left window from left to right, Carl Macek, Terry Stroud, Bill Stout (who took comics in leu of payment for these ads), unknown guy and David T Alexander. These were VERY savvy guys and nothing was cheap but they had the goods. 

Those ads, and Bruce Hamiltons are what inspired me to open a comicbook store.  In 10th grade, I wrote a paper about owning a comic store when I was older.  The teacher wasn't impressed .

[Robot Man]

On 9/7/2023 at 10:38 AM, MattTheDuck said:

Is that you in the lower right?

No, I was the same age as they were. They wern’t considered geeks but more like rock stars. They had some amazing parties with actually attractive girls. I might still have some photos.

[Robot Man]

On 9/7/2023 at 10:59 AM, shadroch said:

Those ads, and Bruce Hamiltons are what inspired me to open a comicbook store.  In 10th grade, I wrote a paper about owning a comic store when I was older.  The teacher wasn't impressed .

I never wanted to open a store other than the walk in collections. I wasn’t smart enough nor did I want to work that hard.

I wrote a paper on the “Social and Artistic influences of EC comics” in my art history class in college. The professor obviously wasn’t impressed as I got a C on it…

[lou_fine]

On 9/7/2023 at 10:59 AM, shadroch said:

In 10th grade, I wrote a paper about owning a comic store when I was older.  The teacher wasn't impressed .

 

On 9/7/2023 at 11:58 AM, Robot Man said:

I wrote a paper on the “Social and Artistic influences of EC comics” in my art history class in college. The professor obviously wasn’t impressed as I got a C on it…

Obviously not as impressed as Fishler's public school teacher must have been, as he was apparently already selling comic books to him at such a young age.    

[Mmehdy]

On 9/6/2023 at 3:07 PM, Tri-ColorBrian said:

In 1966 there was a copy of Batman 11 in the window of Cherokee Book Shop for $25.  It sat there for years until it was extremely faded by the sun.  In 1966, if you could find a copy of Action #1 it would have been $100.  I saw one at Collector's Books that year, but $100 might as well have been a million dollars for me back then. 

I can remember early 1960-1 and they used have a thing called "gas wars" and my dad commenting on the fact we were paying only 25 cents a gallon. So I agree with you that money was hard to come by,scarce. We bought a single family house with a detached garage and nice yard  house in Belmont California circ I think very early 1962..Jan for $17000. When we left to go to Sacramento cira 1964 we sold it for a amazing profit of like 5K...I think we got 21K or 23K. Today that house on Zillow is way over 3 million dollars....3.5-3.7.

Which brings to me an interesting point. A point I have never addressed publicly about my purchase of the Action #1 for an astounding over 3x time price guide at the time. What in my DNA cause me to do that. Well it was something that was taught to me by my parents. something learned.

 My parents were avid coin collectors. Not jus the run of the mill "Red Book" go to the coin store typical collectors. They joined a local coin club, went to shows, and their best friends were big time coin collectors. Their Son older than me was a comic collector...big time, I was too I had say 300 and he had several thousand. I can remember a time of tension, and outright disagreement as to how dedicated collectors they  really  were. My father was the go for broke collector and my was too buy say 90%. Anyway my dad wanted to purchase a set one round and one with edges Pan Pacific Gold coin set which I think..don't hold me to it was $5000 at the time...maybe 10K....now Mom wanted a bigger house, a lot bigger house than we had, Dad wanted the coin set. They went back and forth on which way to go. Their coin collector friends sided with dad I was there like a sponge  ....."saying that the value of the coins will never go down only up and they were in top condition and  That is rare to get a set. It was a stretch all the way. My dad said something I will never forget....This is what a true collectors do...go to scary places sometimes....that was my understanding as best for my age. Well today they probably worth say 400-500K or something like that set wise. My dad did sell them when we moved to Sacramento to help pay for the more expensive bigger house with a giant yard in a quite suburb called Carmichael CA so it was a win-win in way for the family.

 I learned that, when I paid a absurd price  at the time, and some say reckless price...I did not care if I lost all the money....if I was laughed at, if a comic book dealer at a convention refused to see me books because I  ruined the comic book market so be it.

 True collectors, comic, coin,and stamp sometimes  have to...take a chance and go with your gut....it seems when you do...the rewards for far far greater than the purchase itself.

Edited September 8, 2023 by Mmehdy

[Robot Man]

On 9/7/2023 at 12:23 PM, lou_fine said:

 

Obviously not as impressed as Fishler's public school teacher must have been, as he was apparently already selling comic books to him at such a young age.    

The Fish hard at work...

[lou_fine]

On 9/7/2023 at 6:30 PM, Robot Man said:

The Fish hard at work...

Apparently, even at such a young age, it was not those types of books that the Fish was dealing in.   

[Robot Man]

On 9/7/2023 at 12:46 PM, Mmehdy said:

I can remember early 1960-1 and they used have a thing called "gas wars" and my dad commenting on the fact we were paying only 25 cents a gallon. So I agree with you that money was hard to come by,scarce. We bought a single family house with a detached garage and nice yard  house in Belmont California circ I think very early 1962..Jan for $17000. When we left to go to Sacramento cira 1964 we sold it for a amazing profit of like 5K...I think we got 21K or 23K. Today that house on Zillow is way over 3 million dollars....3.5-3.7.

Which brings to me an interesting point. A point I have never addressed publicly about my purchase of the Action #1 for an astounding over 3x time price guide at the time. What in my DNA cause me to do that. Well it was something that was taught to me by my parents. something learned.

 My parents were avid coin collectors. Not jus the run of the mill "Red Book" go to the coin store typical collectors. They joined a local coin club, went to shows, and their best friends were big time coin collectors. Their Son older than me was a comic collector...big time, I was too I had say 300 and he had several thousand. I can remember a time of tension, and outright disagreement as to how dedicated collectors they  really  were. My father was the go for broke collector and my was too buy say 90%. Anyway my dad wanted to purchase a set one round and one with edges Pan Pacific Gold coin set which I think..don't hold me to it was $5000 at the time...maybe 10K....now Mom wanted a bigger house, a lot bigger house than we had, Dad wanted the coin set. They went back and forth on which way to go. Their coin collector friends sided with dad I was there like a sponge  ....."saying that the value of the coins will never go down only up and they were in top condition and  That is rare to get a set. It was a stretch all the way. My dad said something I will never forget....This is what a true collectors do...go to scary places sometimes....that was my understanding as best for my age. Well today they probably worth say 400-500K or something like that set wise. My dad did sell them when we moved to Sacramento to help pay for the more expensive bigger house with a giant yard in a quite suburb called Carmichael CA so it was a win-win in way for the family.

 I learned that, when I paid a absurd price  at the time, and some say reckless price...I did not care if I lost all the money....if I was laughed at, if a comic book dealer at a convention refused to see me books because I  ruined the comic book market so be it.

 True collectors, comic, coin,and stamp sometimes  have to...take a chance and go with your gut....it seems when you do...the rewards for far far greater than the purchase itself.

I doubt that any comic I bought in my life has gone down in value. Maybe just lucky for me. I have never bought for a financial “investment”. I bought them because I loved them and more importantly, could afford them without going out on a limb to do so.

At a certain time in my life I became a lot more sensible and responsible. I sold a lot of wonderful books to buy a home for my family and later on for my kid’s college educations. I have bought other properties sometimes using the proceeds from my collections. Maybe a little sad at the time but somethings are far more important than my collection.

I can’t think of anything I have bought, I have taken a loss on and I have zero regrets on what I bought or didn’t buy. Possibly because I hung on to it long enough for it to appreciate in value.

I do consider myself a “true collector”. I am not a gambler though. At the end of the day, it is just all “stuff” that I can’t take with me when I’m gone. And money is just a number…

[pemart1966]

On 9/4/2023 at 12:02 PM, BitterOldMan said:

Back in 1967, I didn’t have $25.  Hourly wage was $1.40 per hour.☹️

Back in 1967 I didn't have $1.40.   BUT there were plenty of discarded pop bottles whose gathering up and redemption at the local corner store allowed me to buy comics and gum cards...

[shadroch]

On 9/8/2023 at 8:26 AM, pemart1966 said:

Back in 1967 I didn't have $1.40.   BUT there were plenty of discarded pop bottles whose gathering up and redemption at the local corner store allowed me to buy comics and gum cards...

I guess it depended on where you lived. I remember visiting my grandmother in Queens around 1967, and my temporary best friend and I would go bottle hunting. I don't recall what they were worth, but the bigger ones were grails. We made almost nothing, and after a week I let him hunt solo. 

[Robot Man]

We used to hit up trash day with our little red wagon. Also alleys and the park. My grandparents would rent a beach house in the summer for a week. Found loads there. Small ones were 3 cents each and the big ones 5 cents each. More than enough to trade in each week for early 12 cent comics, monster card and baseball packs as well as a candy bar at the local liquor store. Always an even trade.