Post Your Top 3 Golden Age Books

[jbcomicbox]

At one time, it was listed as a Lou Fine cover in Overstreet. I ordered it from Harley, sent the check, received the book, and thought it was an ugly Lou Fine cover and sent it right back.

 

Adam, are you referring to the WW #13 or another book? Is the cover on #13 done by Fine?

 

I was referring to the #13, the same copy (Allentown) mentioned by Lou Fine and Timely.

 

13 is not Lou Fine, last I knew but Joe Simon.

 

Actually if you hunt carefully you can find Simon's signature on some of these fox covers...jon

[Crowzilla]

Actually, that must have been THE year for Fox books since they all took a huge jump in prices during that year.

 

I remember that year. We actually had a nice assortment of Foxes in our catalog that year including a nice F+ #7 copy of Wonderworld - only copy I've ever had. Sold it a day or two after they were mailed (remember mailing catalogs?) ofr like 1.5x guide and within a week we had gotten over 15 calls for it. I realized then maybe it was a little better than the other books.

[lou_fine]

Actually, that must have been THE year for Fox books since they all took a huge jump in prices during that year.

 

I remember that year. We actually had a nice assortment of Foxes in our catalog that year including a nice F+ #7 copy of Wonderworld - only copy I've ever had. Sold it a day or two after they were mailed (remember mailing catalogs?) ofr like 1.5x guide and within a week we had gotten over 15 calls for it. I realized then maybe it was a little better than the other books.

 

Yes, that was the time period when a collector friend of mine's sold his Allentown copy of Mystery Men #3 for what he said was $10K.

 

This must have been in 1996 after OS had raised the price from $700 in '95 all the way to $2,500 in '96. I knew then and there that my window for collecting early HG Fox books had come to an close.

 

I remember he also had the Allentown copy of WW #7 which he decided to hold onto for a few more years before selling it. From what I could see, an absolutely gorgeous copy of the book which I knew I would never be able to buy.

[Crowzilla]

I believe it.

I had the Allentown Wonder Comics #1 and #2 also around that same time.

Stunning books, excpet the #1 had a small split at the bottom of the spine.

Still brought a nice multiple even after guide had exploded that year.

[tb]

We have seen a lot of great books from GA forumites over the years. It would be interesting to know which of these books are the owner's prized possessions. In other words, what are the 3 books that are the jewels of your collection, your Holy Grails, your Silmarillions, etc., and why do they hold that distinction? Monetary value is not necessarily a criterion. Scans, however, are requisite.

 

Discussing our favorite books and why we treasure them will help remind us of the joy we get from being in this hobby, and help us look past some of the unpleasantness that can be found in the Comics General Forum.

 

RHG

 

When I got the book below back from CGC, it made me think of this thread. As some of you will have noticed, I've been trying to put together a high grade run of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories 1-31 for the past 10 years. Twice since 2006, I've tried to win a high grade copy of #2 at Heritage (CGC 9.0 and 8.0) and both times I ended up the underbidder. Making things even worse, Bob Overstreet quoted both those sales in the same paragraph as the two Four Color 386 CGC 9.4 sales in this year's market report. Last summer, I got so frustrated that I made a rare departure from my usually more conservative buying tactics and bought this copy raw and uninspected. Given all this, I was really happy and relieved to see not only a blue label but also the second highest grade in the census.

 

 

It is hard for me to pick the top 3 books in my collection because of the way I collect. I like to pick extremely difficult, clearly defined, overlooked niche areas and then work for many years to assemble the best possible sets of individual high grade copies within these. I am not a completionist but like to see as many exceptional copies from the same area/run as possible. While I obviously can get excited about individual books, the real kick is for me to see a cohesive set of books that money alone would never be able to buy. It would be tempting to pick the most valuable copy from my complete high grade run of Mickey Mouse Magazines (1935-40), but it somehow doesn't feel right since the whole is much more interesting than the sum of its parts to me. If I have to pick one issue, it will have to be the one below. This book was a 96 page experiment that K.K. Publications tried to sell at a 25 cent price tag in 1936. It must have failed miserably since it is probably the rarest of all 60 issues to find. This particular copy, which I bought in 1999, is in unbelievable condition. I'd grade it 9.2 or so whereas no other copy I've seen would get close to FN. It is probably not particularly valuable since very few collectors would recognize how freakishly impossible it is, but good luck finding one like it - regardless of how much you are willing to pay.

 

 

The 3rd top comic from my collection is unfortunately a secret.

 

---

 

As much as I enjoy collecting comics, my collection of early inked comic book art by Carl Barks is probably my own favorite area. You have to see these drawings in person to understand their appeal, but the more I see of them the more admiration I gain for Barks' talent. I've posted scans from my art collection elsewhere - just had to mention it when talking about favorite possessions.

[G.A.tor]

We have seen a lot of great books from GA forumites over the years. It would be interesting to know which of these books are the owner's prized possessions. In other words, what are the 3 books that are the jewels of your collection, your Holy Grails, your Silmarillions, etc., and why do they hold that distinction? Monetary value is not necessarily a criterion. Scans, however, are requisite.

 

Discussing our favorite books and why we treasure them will help remind us of the joy we get from being in this hobby, and help us look past some of the unpleasantness that can be found in the Comics General Forum.

 

RHG

 

When I got the book below back from CGC, it made me think of this thread. As some of you will have noticed, I've been trying to put together a high grade run of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories 1-31 for the past 10 years. Twice since 2006, I've tried to win a high grade copy of #2 at Heritage (CGC 9.0 and 8.0) and both times I ended up the underbidder. Making things even worse, Bob Overstreet quoted both those sales in the same paragraph as the two Four Color 386 CGC 9.4 sales in this year's market report. Last summer, I got so frustrated that I made a rare departure from my usually more conservative buying tactics and bought this copy raw and uninspected. Given all this, I was really happy and relieved to see not only a blue label but also the second highest grade in the census.

 

 

It is hard for me to pick the top 3 books in my collection because of the way I collect. I like to pick extremely difficult, clearly defined, overlooked niche areas and then work for many years to assemble the best possible sets of individual high grade copies within these. I am not a completionist but like to see as many exceptional copies from the same area/run as possible. While I obviously can get excited about individual books, the real kick is for me to see a cohesive set of books that money alone would never be able to buy. It would be tempting to pick the most valuable copy from my complete high grade run of Mickey Mouse Magazines (1935-40), but it somehow doesn't feel right since the whole is much more interesting than the sum of its parts to me. If I have to pick one issue, it will have to be the one below. This book was a 96 page experiment that K.K. Publications tried to sell at a 25 cent price tag in 1936. It must have failed miserably since it is probably the rarest of all 60 issues to find. This particular copy, which I bought in 1999, is in unbelievable condition. I'd grade it 9.2 or so whereas no other copy I've seen would get close to FN. It is probably not particularly valuable since very few collectors would recognize how freakishly impossible it is, but good luck finding one like it - regardless of how much you are willing to pay.

 

 

The 3rd top comic from my collection is unfortunately a secret.

 

---

 

As much as I enjoy collecting comics, my collection of early inked comic book art by Carl Barks is probably my own favorite area. You have to see these drawings in person to understand their appeal, but the more I see of them the more admiration I gain for Barks' talent. I've posted scans from my art collection elsewhere - just had to mention it when talking about favorite possessions.

great books....

#3 is a secret

[Scrooge]

 

One heck of a VF+ too. I'm not in general attracted to yellow covers (but I do like yellow titles, call me weird) but this is on nice yellow cover.

 

 

The 3rd top comic from my collection is unfortunately a secret.

 

Having an idea of what you have disclosed you have, I can only imagine what that book is but I know it's got to be impressive. (thumbs u

[comicdonna]

Wow! Congratulations on the file copy.

 

Here's my top 3

 

 

 

[G.A.tor]

my current top 3 would easily be (even though techincally one of them is "mine" but not yet in my possession due to a little thing called time payments ) :

 

[RareHighGrade]

Nice to see this thread resurrected.

 

tb: Wow, that WDCS #2 looks like a 9.4 to me. And you're right about the 25 cent MM book; I've never seen one in a grade even close to that one. You are definitely the King of early Disney.

 

Comicdonna: Those sure are nice Actions. I can see why they are your favorites.

 

Rick: What can I say? Two super-keys and a pedigree Centaur key.

[G.A.tor]

Nice to see this thread resurrected.

 

tb: Wow, that WDCS #2 looks like a 9.4 to me. And you're right about the 25 cent MM book; I've never seen one in a grade even close to that one. You are definitely the King of early Disney.

 

Comicdonna: Those sure are nice Actions. I can see why they are your favorites.

 

Rick: What can I say? Two super-keys and a pedigree Centaur key.

RHG, would sure luv to c 3 of your purties

[sacentaur]

Two great books, tb!

 

You'll have to clue me in on your "secret book" the next time we meet.

[comicdonna]

Nice to see this thread resurrected.

 

tb: Wow, that WDCS #2 looks like a 9.4 to me. And you're right about the 25 cent MM book; I've never seen one in a grade even close to that one. You are definitely the King of early Disney.

 

Comicdonna: Those sure are nice Actions. I can see why they are your favorites.

 

Rick: What can I say? Two super-keys and a pedigree Centaur key.

Thanks! I sure would like to see your 3 as well.

[Socratic Wonder]

Wow tb that WDCS #2 is just insane!!

[Brenmark]

 

 

There are some beautiful books on this thread. Here are my top three:

 

First up is an early Joe Simon cover for Champion #8. The very next issue of Champion, number 9, features the first appearance together of Simon and Kirby cover work.

 

 

Next is one of my favorite Tarzan covers from Single Series #20. Although the cover art is not by Hal Foster, the interior art is reprinted from his Egyptian period of Sunday strips (1933-34). Many collectors consider the Egyptian sequence to be the best work he ever did on Tarzan before he moved on to Prince Valiant. I agree.

 

 

 

And last but not least is Blackhawk by Reed Crandall.

 

[batman_fan]

my current top 3 would easily be (even though techincally one of them is "mine" but not yet in my possession due to a little thing called time payments ) :

 

Sweet selection Rick, I especially like this one.

[seank]

#1, absolutely:

 

 

Hitler gets an -kicking from Futuro and Satan. I got this in the 1980s and would never be able to replace it nowadays. Sure it's not as nice as Bangzoom's or Bedrock's, but I still pull it out to read the Futuro story every few years.

 

#2:

 

 

I spent almost a year looking for a copy then this one fell into my lap unexpectedly. Competition for these, when they show up, gets fierce on the auction sites. GGA, hula girls, WWII, Senorita Rio, Tiger Girl, Rip Carson, need I go on? I cracked this copy today so I can read it. I have no idea why CGC gave it a 6.0. It looks much better. Only thing it's missing is Matt Baker art. Which leads to:

 

#3:

 

 

Matt Baker Phantom Lady. 'Nuff said!

 

 

[tb]

Thanks for the nice comments and the very cool follow-ups. It's fun to see the variety and fantastic quality represented here.

 

> Many collectors consider the Egyptian sequence to be the best work he ever did on Tarzan before he moved on to Prince Valiant. I agree.

 

This made me very curious... Do you happen to know where this sequence might have been reprinted? I'd definitely want to buy it right away.

 

---

 

Btw. RHG's 3 favorite books are shown on the first couple of pages.

[RareHighGrade]

RHG, would sure luv to c 3 of your purties

As tb mentioned, my favorite 3 are at the beginning of this thread. But this slightly different grouping is a close second.

[sacentaur]

Btw. RHG's 3 favorite books are shown on the first couple of pages.

 

And having seen those three books in person, they are rather...amazing, incredible, and stunning!

 

And another for the New Adventure Comics...