CGC graded Pulps - my first experience and results. 3 3

[Point Five]

On 6/23/2024 at 3:08 AM, Darwination said:

There's a lot to learn.  The trimming is something that's important to people coming from comic culture (and perhaps to very certain types of old school collectors, likely the high end kind), but it's not something that I've never noticed too much concern with (or frankly paid much attention to), and I'd guess I'm fairly typical of a lot of pulp readers.  It's not the sort of information magazine indexers (I'm in this group) have tended to pay attention to, because it's a very peripheral bit of information.  Usually the only time I've noticed trimming is when it's very poorly done.

Yep, agree with all this. I'm 100% a cover guy and not a reading guy when it comes to pulps, but I can't bring myself to care about trimming on pulps the way I do about trimming on comics. I've said this before... I feel like I'm looking at pulps with completely different eyes than I do comics, and they are even more fragile. Unless I'm spending four figures on a pulp (hint: I'm not) it feels odd to be applying the same criteria.

And honestly, many pulps have cover edges that are bashed and battered and don't look that great. I'm actually fine with really good-looking ones with trimmed edges as long as they're done reasonably well.  

 

[Robot Man]

On 6/23/2024 at 8:54 AM, Point Five said:

Yep, agree with all this. I'm 100% a cover guy and not a reading guy when it comes to pulps, but I can't bring myself to care about trimming on pulps the way I do about trimming on comics. I've said this before... I feel like I'm looking at pulps with completely different eyes than I do comics, and they are even more fragile. Unless I'm spending four figures on a pulp (hint: I'm not) it feels odd to be applying the same criteria.

And honestly, many pulps have cover edges that are bashed and battered and don't look that great. I'm actually fine with really good-looking ones with trimmed edges as long as they're done reasonably well.  

 

Comics and pulps are two different things. Pulps have mostly always come with overhangs which I have accepted. I have always preferred the edges to be rolled into the pulp with minimal tears. I have often overlooked this depending on rarity, price and how much I want it.

But, like comics, I have always been a buyer of “opportunity”. A recent example. I bought this rather severely trimmed example for $20. I loved it and couldn’t leave it. I have zero regrets.

[jimjum12]

On 6/22/2024 at 6:41 PM, Darwination said:

I'm pretty sure I've seen references by Street & Smith back when The Popular was taking off that it was a cost-saving thing.  As in, we are doing everything we can to bring the public quality authors and have a high page count but keep costs low.

It's not just overhang, but you'll see all sorts of variance in signature edges and paper in some pulps.  Disposable reading materials

And disposed of before the wife or Mother in Law found them. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[Robot Man]

On 6/23/2024 at 10:53 AM, jimjum12 said:

And disposed of before the wife or Mother in Law found them. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

Most every type of comic and magazine has disappeared. Heck, magazines are hard to find in many stores.

About all I regularly still see at flea markets are Ntl Geographic, Car Mags and Playboys all the way back to the late ‘50’s early ‘60s. Every guy had them and never threw them away. Hidden out in the garage.

As a kid, I kept mine in the treehouse…

Edited Sunday at 06:19 PM by Robot Man

[jimjum12]

On 6/23/2024 at 2:19 PM, Robot Man said:

Most every type of comic and magazine has disappeared. Heck, magazines are hard to find in many stores.

About all I regularly still see at flea markets are Ntl Geographic, Car Mags and Playboys all the way back to the late ‘50’s early ‘60s. Every guy had them and never threw them away. Hidden out in the garage.

As a kid, I kept mine in the treehouse…

Mine typically came from a dumpster, and then back they went when Ma found them. I would then retrieve them, making the cycle complete.  GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[Bookery]

On 6/22/2024 at 11:51 AM, Dr. Love said:

Not my submit - but what's up with the trim notation on what I believe is production trimmed for this title?  

 

No.. Street & Smith's 1st factory-trimmed Shadow was the Oct.15 1939 issue.  Though I don't have similar data for Doc Savage, I would assume it would have started about the same time.  S&S did begin earlier with Astounding (1936), but I believe the 1937 Doc's still had overhang at time of production.

[Sarg]

On 6/23/2024 at 3:56 PM, Bookery said:

No.. Street & Smith's 1st factory-trimmed Shadow was the Oct.15 1939 issue.  Though I don't have similar data for Doc Savage, I would assume it would have started about the same time.  S&S did begin earlier with Astounding (1936), but I believe the 1937 Doc's still had overhang at time of production.

Strange that the publisher would trim some titles but not others. What could be the explanation? 

[Bookery]

On 6/23/2024 at 5:47 PM, Sarg said:

Strange that the publisher would trim some titles but not others. What could be the explanation? 

I'd have to check, but I think they eventually got around to factory-trimming most of their titles.  Doc Savage went to digest-format in 1944 (possibly due to paper shortages).

The difference in timing may have been due to possibly sending their titles to different printers?  Not sure.  Also... just a theory... but I think S&S always rather detested being lumped in with "pulps" per se.  I think they saw themselves as a cut above the "trashier" examples of the medium.  Immediately after obtaining the properties from Clayton, they abandoned bug-eyed monster covers for more sedate, earth-toned cover-art.  Covers across their titles have more muted palettes  than most pulps.  When Campbell became editor at Astounding, he leaned toward a more literary and science-based sf than the "Buck Rogers" style space adventures of earlier pulps.  I think S&S wanted the cost-savings of the pulpish format, but wanted the respect given costlier slick magazines.  Perhaps getting rid of overhangs was a method to make their publication appear more mainstream-magazine like.  Eventually even "Doc" and The Shadow disappeared from their own covers to be replaced with mystery-themed subjects, and back-up stories were added by the likes of John D. MacDonald and others.

[OtherEric]

On 6/23/2024 at 4:24 PM, Bookery said:

 Eventually even "Doc" and The Shadow disappeared from their own covers to be replaced with mystery-themed subjects, and back-up stories were added by the likes of John D. MacDonald and others.

The Shadow & Doc Savage covers got WEIRD for a while there, to put it mildly.  But I've got all the Doc issues with JDM, and a few of the Shadows.

[PhantomLadyKiller]

My first experience -- a lot of waiting, reminds me of the Iran Hostage Crisis.  I bought a new membership and the ad copy made it sound like I was to be automatically upgraded in my submissions, so I expected 20 day turnaround instead of 40 days.  Not so, have to pay to jump the line, no matter what.  But, jump the line you can (reminds me of cheesy amusement parks where those less well off spend all day in line - moral of the story, don't come to this table poor).  Now I just found out those 40 days are "working" days, so that's at least 8 weeks.  I also just found out that along with the grading service I bought frustration, which I could have done without, wouldn't have done it had I known it would take 2 months.  My image of CGC was of a company that grades vintage collectible comics.  Now my image of CGC is that my previous image is the front for a very profitable business that facilitates Franklin Mint-style "collectibles".  Much faster service for those items.

 

I've already complained about pulp slabs so for the rare souls out there that have read me before, call me a hypocrite!  There is a value to this service of course, cgc is the great destroyer of sleaze in the business, (who wants to be ripped by predators who misrepresent doctored collectibles to collectors)? I have my reasons, first are I will be attempting to sell these pulps and I'm testing to see if value will be added.

My take away: Use this service if you are incredibly patient and have no pressing need for it(?!?) or pay the $100 minimum for a 2 day turnaround.

[Robot Man]

On 6/23/2024 at 11:25 AM, jimjum12 said:

Mine typically came from a dumpster, and then back they went when Ma found them. I would then retrieve them, making the cycle complete.  GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

Mine as a kid, were remaindered copies all from the dumpster in an alley of a local liquor store. Comics and Playboys mostly. We never told anyone where we got them. Playboys were GOLD. We could trade them to the local kids and get a handful of comics.

My mom never knew. Me and my brother kept them in a locked wooden box up in our treehouse. Anything my mom felt “objectionable” including MAD magazines which she thought subversive, were stored there. When we got older, it was our hideaway to smoke weed and read undergrounds as well.