New 3,000 Golden Age Collection/Pedigree Revealed in CBG

[Warlord]

Just saw the Market Report in the latest CBG. The feature was on a 3,000 original owner golden age comics collection recently purchased by a collector for resale. CGC, Heritage, and Pedigree Comics were all mentioned as being consulted about the purchase of the collection. Sounded like quite a few significant issues in very high grade, the story said the collector spent his life's savings to buy it!

 

So is this news already out and I'm just the last to know, or is CBG breaking the story?

[comicdonna]

[Warlord]

Purchased in PA. Includes Batman #1 up to #120, Superman #2 up to #120, nearly complete set of EC comics, etc.

 

Just noticed a caption under a pic of Batman #59 that says some sample books from the collection were displayed at SDCC.

[divad]

is CBG breaking the story?

 

[Warlord]

[esquirecomics]

If it is the collection I think, I am one of the few dealers - as far as I am aware - who took the time to travel up to PA and look at it. I am on vacation so don't have access to CBG. What else does the report state?

[Aman619]

If you read it in CBG, they are probably talking about the Church collection!

[MCMiles]

I bet Mrs.g02's auctions are getting viewed more than naked girls on a bar in public right now, in hopes of snagging one of those raw books before CGC gives it a pedigree. Nice plug for them. I am sure it will help them sell all of thier other books that don't have anything to do with the collection.

I also bet that Heritage is already pushing for the opportunity to sell all of the big ones once they are graded and possibly pedigreed.

[FlyingDonut]

If it is the collection I think, I am one of the few dealers - as far as I am aware - who took the time to travel up to PA and look at it. I am on vacation so don't have access to CBG. What else does the report state?

 

That one? Really? I wonder what they paid for it!!!

[joe_collector]

That one? Really? I wonder what they paid for it!!!

 

More than any dealer would.

 

I can just imagine Chuck in there with his "Oh, these high-grade Golden Age books are so common, I feel bad even making an offer, since my warehouses are bursting at the seams with this unsellable drek... oh, how about 9-cents a comic - and mark my words, this deal will probably bankrupt me!!"

[esquirecomics]

If it is the collection I think, I am one of the few dealers - as far as I am aware - who took the time to travel up to PA and look at it. I am on vacation so don't have access to CBG. What else does the report state?

 

That one? Really? I wonder what they paid for it!!!

 

JC is right. Far more than we were willing, though I believe we offered the most of the dealers. The guy who purchased it is a really nice guy who I have corresponded with on numerous occasions.

 

If this is the collection I saw, it was a really cool collection. No HG books. At best some of the later issues were maybe F/VF. Mostly average low to mid-grade books around VG. But the scope of the collection was impressive and just wild to see.

[FlyingDonut]

If it is the collection I think, I am one of the few dealers - as far as I am aware - who took the time to travel up to PA and look at it. I am on vacation so don't have access to CBG. What else does the report state?

 

That one? Really? I wonder what they paid for it!!!

 

JC is right. Far more than we were willing, though I believe we offered the most of the dealers. The guy who purchased it is a really nice guy who I have corresponded with on numerous occasions.

 

If this is the collection I saw, it was a really cool collection. No HG books. At best some of the later issues were maybe F/VF. Mostly average low to mid-grade books around VG. But the scope of the collection was impressive and just wild to see.

 

The guy who bought it isn't going to make a whole lot on this, if he paid significantly more than we offered. Buying at retail is no way to go through life.

[MCMiles]

 

The guy who bought it isn't going to make a whole lot on this, if he paid significantly more than we offered. Buying at retail is no way to go through life.

 

Maybe the guy bought them at a price that would be hard to loose money on and might actually make him more money than his current retirement plan is. That way he actually gets to enjoy the actual books, along with the selling, trading and notariety, rather than worry about flipping them and making a living on them. I am sure he was making a living before he bought these books and it doesn't sound like he quit his day job.

[Warlord]

If it is the collection I think, I am one of the few dealers - as far as I am aware - who took the time to travel up to PA and look at it. I am on vacation so don't have access to CBG. What else does the report state?

 

The buyer was John and Julie Juka from Bear Creek PA

 

The collection of more than 3,000 GA comics surfaced in Williamsport PA at America's Most Wanted Collectibles owned by Joseph Figured. Came from a customer of that store. The article doesn't explain why Juka bought the comics, not the AMWC store owner.

 

The buyer says he saw some of the comics at a show in Scranton PA. "Many appeared unread, and the page quality was superb". Other comics not yet mentioned in my posts include a run of Captain Marvel Jr, Air Fighters, and Captain Marvel Adv #3 to #60. Capt America #78 and Tales of Terror Annual #2, both of which there are doubles of, appear "virtually unread".

 

The caption under the sharp Batman pic that mentions the display at SDCC says the sample books "showed sharp spines and crisp covers". The Batman comic looks very high grade.

 

I'd scan the pic but my scanner's disconnected... maybe someone else can help out?

[Warlord]

 

The guy who bought it isn't going to make a whole lot on this, if he paid significantly more than we offered. Buying at retail is no way to go through life.

 

Maybe the guy bought them at a price that would be hard to loose money on and might actually make him more money than his current retirement plan is. That way he actually gets to enjoy the actual books, along with the selling, trading and notariety, rather than worry about flipping them and making a living on them. I am sure he was making a living before he bought these books and it doesn't sound like he quit his day job.

 

J. Juka is a retired photojournalist per the article.

 

Oh yeah, the collection came to market only after the original owner died sometime last year.

[joe_collector]

The article doesn't explain why Juka bought the comics, not the AMWC store owner.

 

Ummm, how about money, as in the shop owner didn't have enough.

 

I assume that the OO was not a senile old lady who would normally walk in with a box of GA and walk back out clutching a handful of shiny nickels.

[esquirecomics]

Definitely sounds like it is the collection I saw. There was also a Showcase #4, which was about fine condition. Basically full runs of all the EC titles (up to a certain point of course). Except for the Superman and Batman runs, most of the collection was from 1949-1956, with some sporadic issues in the 1960s. A mix of love, adventure and misc titles from the 1950s. Interestingly enough, there is then a large number of books (thousands) from the late 1980s/early 1990s. As I was told the OO's children (and I presume grand-children) started buying him comics again.

 

The lower the issue #, the lower the grade. Majority of the issues were in the VG range. Some lower, some higher.

 

The beauty of the collection, however, was just seeing so many books from that long ago in one place.

[esquirecomics]

The article doesn't explain why Juka bought the comics, not the AMWC store owner.

 

Ummm, how about money, as in the shop owner didn't have enough.

 

I assume that the OO was not a senile old lady who would normally walk in with a box of GA and walk back out clutching a handful of shiny nickels.

 

The person selling was sharp. No way somone could take advantage of her. The family also had high (unrealistic quite frankly) values in their mind. Think NM prices for VG books. I don't believe the store owner even came close to offering what they wanted.

[esquirecomics]

Who called it a "pedigree"? Great collection to be sure, but I wouldn't call it a pedigree.

[Warlord]

The article doesn't explain why Juka bought the comics, not the AMWC store owner.

 

Ummm, how about money, as in the shop owner didn't have enough.

 

 

That's what I'd guess.