• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

CL's October Golden Age auction looks to be a good one...

Started by nearmint,

361 posts in this topic

The Black Hand ®

The Black Hand ®

Posted
Posted

I view comic collecting as a disorder. As each of us look deep inside ourselves, we must admit this to be true.Of course there are different degrees of this disorder and it's not only shady dealers who are afflicted but also collectors who will do anything to get their hands on a book. Lie, cheat, steal, hang out at funerals and contact widows afterwards to get their dead husbands books. Then there's the competitive aspect of this disorder, the one where you have to have more and better books than the other guy and become over aggresive in your competitiveness. I won't even get into one of my favorites.... the one with women with big cha-chas on the covers collecting disorder.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Silver Surfer

Silver Surfer

Posted
Posted
Not a bad final price tage for he Sub-Mariner #37 and #41. Harvey any luck with these?

 

Just getting around to this thread. I did not pickup anything though I was watching these auctions. Hard not to love those GA Sub-Mariner covers. thumbsup2.gif

 

Past on them as well, just picked up the one Cap book as you can see.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sacentaur

sacentaur

Posted
Posted
Fair enough. However, I've always considered the term hobbyist to be used by dealers who can't bear to call themselves dealers.

 

Stephen

 

Good point - that's actually covered in Chapter 3 of the handbook:

 

"Hobbyist to Dealer:

 

(1) Purging your collection of books that were misrepresented to you.

(2) Flipping other books for fun & profit.

(3) Hope and pray that (2) can balance out (1)."

 

STEVE

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tth2

tth2

Posted
Posted
Fair enough. However, I've always considered the term hobbyist to be used by dealers who can't bear to call themselves dealers.

 

Stephen

That's better than hobbyists who call themselves dealers but aren't.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MasterChief

MasterChief

Posted
Posted

Steve,

 

Bravo my friend, outstanding post!

 

I truly hope readers of your words appreciate and embrace the sentiments underlining its well-thought out meaning.

 

Perhaps it’s through individual efforts such as yours – to sow a broad based understanding with the hope of cultivating unity of purpose – that an honorable interest will galvanize a cause to effect positive change.

 

--Mitch

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Silver Surfer

Silver Surfer

Posted
Posted

I might be interested in parting with Subby #1 & #2, both CGC 8.5 unrestored.

 

First off welcome. Secondly if you have a Sub-Mariner #1 CGC 8.5 hail.gif we are not worthy. If you are willing to part with that issue I am interested to know if you have any other gems you'd be willing to part with? Marvel Mystery #9 perhaps? 893crossfingers-thumb.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Silver Surfer

Silver Surfer

Posted
Posted
Actually, I do have a Marvel Mystery #9. Unrestored 9.0. Not really looking to part with it, though.

 

Well I can't blame you (not that I can afford it anyways). Please post these if you can in the "Show us your Timely's" section. thumbsup2.gif Did you ever consider chasing the CGC 9.0 copy of issue #2 (not sure if it met reserve at Heritage this past week?).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
PUNYHUMAN

PUNYHUMAN

Posted
Posted
Despite the disappointment, I would have no problem dealing with them again in the future.

 

You're much more forgiving than me, P5... I've found over the years that we - as hobbyists - are often a very forgiving lot.

 

STEVE

 

What's a hobbyist?

 

<long post>

 

Good Question - according to the introduction of the "Collecting Golden Age Comics for Dummies" handbook:

 

"What is a Golden Age Hobbyist ?

 

A hobbyist belongs to an unusual club, a grouping of talented and intelligent individuals who are passionate about and dedicated to their collecting hobby yet they almost universally display one tragic flaw - they allow [insert name of Big Name disreputable Dealer or manipulative Auction House here] to sell them overgraded and overpriced books, sometimes with undisclosed restoration, on a recurring basis. After a period of incredulity and frustration, they invariably return to the same source and the cycle repeats itself all over again.

 

No one has been able to explain this phenomenon, but several likely theorys about the Golden Age hobbyist do exist.

 

First, as a niche collecting environment there exists few venues for hobbyists to pursue the rare objects of their desire. It's not like the hobbyist can simply walk into the local market and pick up old and valuable books off the rack. Some purveyors of these rare comics are well aware of the facts of a restricted market economy, so they stretch grades, push prices, and foist comics with hidden restoration upon unsuspecting buyers because they know that they can.

 

Second, the hobbyist is in a sense an 'addict' for these books so they often return to the 'dealer' for product to satiate their need, even after being taken advantage of (often repeatedly). Why does the wife stay with the husband who abuses her? Why do the residents of our nation's capital elect a crack cocaine user as their Mayor? Why do women line up by the dozen to marry serial killers? Why do Golden Age aficionados do business with entities that they know continue to display unethical business practices? We suspect the answer lies somewhere in the realm of yet unexplained human nature.

 

Third, Golden Age hobbyists are ultimately optimists who hope that their books will increase in value and though they may have been burned this time around, the next transaction will go better (we hope). They are a very forgiving bunch, still willing to eat the soup served by the waiter though the fly is still swimming in the broth. We have also learned that many comic collectors are [insert name of floundering and hopeless baseball team here] fans displaying a 'wait till next year' philosophy for their team to finally win the World Series.

 

Fourth, mitigating factors such a collector gatherings, mutually satifying private deals, and chat boards help ease the pain for the hobbyist who has been misled down a path of thorns more times than they care to recount. These gatherings, private deals, and chat boards restore a sense of balance to the hobbyist and so allows them to continue on before anger, frustration, and remorse can overwhelm them.

 

Finally, the Golden Age hobbyist does not yet comprehend that they - and not [insert name of Big Name disreputable Dealer or manipulative Auction House here] - are the ones in power in this whole business. Both the comic dealer/auctioneer and the collector are stakeholders in a hobby with a fragile existance. If either supplier or consumer shuts down completely, the other would surely wither away and die. If Golden Age collectors - as a group - would stop rationalizing away the egregious actions of the shady characters and greed merchants who rule their beloved hobby, positive changes would have to occur. Collector confidence could be restored as the more infamous comic book sellers would have to display more integrity, thus invariably increasing their sales. A new surge of energy could infuse the Golden Age market, transforming a collecting arena of overhype, wary and caution to one of dynamic vitality. More cash would flow and more books would be sold - everybody wins.

 

But as it stands now, a heavy cloak of uncertainty often hangs over old comic book collecting as new and insidious ways are devised to fleece the hobbyist sheep of their wool, sheep whom the farmer knows will rapidly grow a new coat to soon be harvested once again (and over and over and over again). Though a few rays of sunshine and rapture indeed do break through this mantle of disappointment, it lingers on nonetheless because the hobbyist permits it to do so.

 

So who will prevail, [insert name of Big Name disreputable Dealer or manipulative Auction House here] or [insert your name here]? Will deception and fraud triumph over honest disclosure and fair play? Will pernicious practices be overcome by fortitude and a determination to invoke change? Will irresolute buying habits be replaced by confident spending? Will market manipulation continue on unabated because hobbyists have already resigned themselves to its perpetuation?

 

These are questions that only time - and the hobbyist - will be able to answer."

 

I hope that answers your question, Stephen.

 

STEVE 893scratchchin-thumb.gif Steve , food for thought. Thanks for posting!!! thumbsup2.gifthumbsup2.gifthumbsup2.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Filter81

Filter81

Posted
Posted
Jive Turkey:

I'm new to the Boards, but have been collecting high grade timelies for about 5 years.

I might be interested in parting with Subby #1 & #2, both CGC 8.5 unrestored.

 

Got a scan & price? Sub-Mariner 1 is the last Timely #1 that I need.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JiveTurkeyMoFo

JiveTurkeyMoFo

Posted
Posted
Jive Turkey:

I'm new to the Boards, but have been collecting high grade timelies for about 5 years.

I might be interested in parting with Subby #1 & #2, both CGC 8.5 unrestored.

 

Welcome to the Boards and thanks for the offer. I'll probably settle for a nice mid grade Subby # 1 when the time comes to buy one. As for your # 2, I assume its the same one on Comiclink (the only 8.5 on the census)? Nice book to be sure, and something I might be interested in down the line.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Go to topic listing