Best site to buy Golden Age Comics? 2 2

[SKing]

My buddy is looking for a specific Human Torch book back from his original run. I've been randomly clicking through different google searches with little luck. Does anyone know a good site to buy old Golden Age Books from?

 

[Courageous Cat]

On 9/12/2023 at 10:55 AM, SKing said:

My buddy is looking for a specific Human Torch book back from his original run. I've been randomly clicking through different google searches with little luck. Does anyone know a good site to buy old Golden Age Books from?

 

GA books are sprinkled in here and there at various internet sites, but Richard at Tomorrows treasures has a good selection at 2031 pricing

Edited September 12, 2023 by Courageous Cat

[Kevin76]

On 9/12/2023 at 3:32 PM, Courageous Cat said:

GA books are sprinkled in here and there at various internet sites, but Richard at Tomorrows treasures has a good selection at 2031 pricing

He's not that bad considering how tough some stuff is to find, want rare books?  Pay up   

[Point Five]

Is "ebay" too obvious an answer? It's where 90+% of my GA collection comes from. For rare books you really can't beat it.

Honorable mentions: Superworld, ComicLink, Reece's Rare Comics, Dale Roberts, Metropolis, Bedrock City and probably a few others I'm forgetting.

 

[thehumantorch]

On 9/12/2023 at 8:19 PM, Point Five said:

Is "ebay" too obvious an answer? It's where 90+% of my GA collection comes from. For rare books you really can't beat it.

Honorable mentions: Superworld, ComicLink, Reece's Rare Comics, Dale Roberts, Metropolis, Bedrock City and probably a few others I'm forgetting.

 

Heritage Auctions, Bob Storms, mycomicshop, Dave and Adams, Facebook. worldwide comics, large comic shows like Baltimore, Chicago, San Diego.

[thehumantorch]

On 9/12/2023 at 8:55 AM, SKing said:

My buddy is looking for a specific Human Torch book back from his original run. I've been randomly clicking through different google searches with little luck. Does anyone know a good site to buy old Golden Age Books from?

 

Here's a thread devoted to comic dealers

 

[Point Five]

On 9/12/2023 at 10:28 PM, thehumantorch said:

Heritage Auctions, Bob Storms, mycomicshop, Dave and Adams, Facebook. worldwide comics, large comic shows like Baltimore, Chicago, San Diego.

Sheesh, how could I leave out Heritage? Excellent source for tough GA books, and in the last two years I’ve spent more there than anywhere else. (I guess I think of them less as an online store and more as a second mortgage.)

 

[AJD]

On 9/13/2023 at 1:15 PM, Point Five said:

Sheesh, how could I leave out Heritage? Excellent source for tough GA books, and in the last two years I’ve spent more there than anywhere else. (I guess I think of them less as an online store and more as a second mortgage somewhere where having a spare kidney is handy.)

 

FTFY

[jimbo_7071]

On 9/12/2023 at 10:55 AM, SKing said:

My buddy is looking for a specific Human Torch book back from his original run. I've been randomly clicking through different google searches with little luck. Does anyone know a good site to buy old Golden Age Books from?

 

What sort of grade is he looking for? If he's willing to accept a raw low-grade copy, then the options become more plentiful. The high-grade material tends to make its way to the auction houses or the high-volume dealers on eBay who take consignments.

[Silver Surfer]

Here might be the best place to start.

[Robot Man]

What is the book? Might be worth posting it here in the “wanted to buy” thread. I’ve had some luck just asking the CGC community.

Doesn’t seem like most Torch issues are really all that rare (I know there are exceptions). Just expensive.

The “thrill of the hunt” is the best part. 

[Hudson]

On 9/13/2023 at 12:11 PM, Robot Man said:

What is the book? Might be worth posting it here in the “wanted to buy” thread. I’ve had some luck just asking the CGC community.

Doesn’t seem like most Torch issues are really all that rare (I know there are exceptions). Just expensive.

The “thrill of the hunt” is the best part. 

I agree with Bob, on two counts...

1) I too have had some luck (although not a lot) by posting in the "Want to Buy" thread.  Given it is a free resource and it has worked for me a number of times, I too recommend it.

2) I love this statement, "The "thrill of the hunt" is the best part".  Although the internet has made collecting somewhat "easy" (as long as you are long on cash), I miss the old days of searching through paper catalogues and going to comic conventions to fill in the "holes" in my collection.  Now, just about any hole can be quickly filled (especially if grade is not a deal breaker), provided one has enough cash.  Sadly, the "thrill of the hunt" is not what it used to be.  Just my 2 cents.

[Robot Man]

The problem with the “Wanted to Buy” thread is that every time I respond to some one, it is never the right grade or price or some other reason why they don’t want what they asked for. I have spent way too much time wasted to help someone out. I just don’t bother anymore.

Same thing with “trades”. Everyone wants the edge. In these days of run away pricing no one wants to show their cards. Was a whole lot easier when we just used “the guide”. 

[adamstrange]

On 3/19/2024 at 9:05 AM, Hudson said:

"thrill of the hunt" is not what it used to be.  Just my 2 cents.

The young 'ins don't know what it was like to walk uphill in the snow to the convention to buy books. 

The digital marketplace is easier to navigate, but a lot less fun.

[Hudson]

On 3/19/2024 at 12:32 PM, Robot Man said:

The problem with the “Wanted to Buy” thread is that every time I respond to some one, it is never the right grade or price or some other reason why they don’t want what they asked for. I have spent way too much time wasted to help someone out. I just don’t bother anymore.

Same thing with “trades”. Everyone wants the edge. In these days of run away pricing no one wants to show their cards. Was a whole lot easier when we just used “the guide”. 

I can see how that would be frustrating and cause people not to want to go to that thread.

I have not used the WTB thread too often, however, I believe anytime someone has contacted me with a book I am looking for, we have made a deal.   Then again, I am not a "dealer" or "flipper"; I am a collector.  As such, the exact price point is not as important to me, as it would be if I were trying to locate a book to make a profit.  In the cases when I want a certain grade, I always am specific about that (as to avoid the situation you described).  In MOST cases, I will take any grade if it is a book I am trying that hard to find.  Honestly, I sometimes like a "well loved" copy of a book (books after all were intended to be read).

[samfromcalifornia]

I had a table at San Diego in the mid-80s and a young man came up, asking me if I had a copy of Nature Boy. I said yes, issue #3. He was dumbfounded, He said he couldn't count the number of conventions he had gone to, trying to find a copy of that run. I sold it to him for a reasonable price and he thanked me vociferously. I'll bet he remembered that find for quite a while. It gave me a good feeling as I hitched up my covered wagon for the trip back to LA, of course carrying my long rifle in case of grizzly attack.

Now he could go online and find 50 copies offered for sale, most of them encapsulated to protect the market value. I sorry, I just don't see the same magic of collecting as I experienced. 

[thehumantorch]

On 9/13/2023 at 10:07 AM, Silver Surfer said:

Here might be the best place to start.

And that's a good point.  I've purchased a lot of books here and I prefer dealing with boardies I've interacted with that some anonymous auction site. 

[thehumantorch]

On 3/19/2024 at 11:36 AM, adamstrange said:

The young 'ins don't know what it was like to walk uphill in the snow to the convention to buy books. 

The digital marketplace is easier to navigate, but a lot less fun.

The harder it is to find the more satisfaction you experience when you find it.  

[buttock]

On 3/19/2024 at 8:33 PM, samfromcalifornia said:

I had a table at San Diego in the mid-80s and a young man came up, asking me if I had a copy of Nature Boy. I said yes, issue #3. He was dumbfounded, He said he couldn't count the number of conventions he had gone to, trying to find a copy of that run. I sold it to him for a reasonable price and he thanked me vociferously. I'll bet he remembered that find for quite a while. It gave me a good feeling as I hitched up my covered wagon for the trip back to LA, of course carrying my long rifle in case of grizzly attack.

Now he could go online and find 50 copies offered for sale, most of them encapsulated to protect the market value. I sorry, I just don't see the same magic of collecting as I experienced. 

Collecting is still magical for me after 30 years.  Sorry to hear it's not enjoyable for you any longer. 

[jimbo_7071]

On 3/19/2024 at 11:07 PM, thehumantorch said:

The harder it is to find the more satisfaction you experience when you find it.  

The most fun I had collecting was digging through unsorted boxes of comic books at used book stores and antique stores as a kid before I even knew that comic book conventions or dedicated comic books stores existed.

Edited March 20 by jimbo_7071