Bronze, going for the Gold.

[Timely]

On the other hand, I just bought a Mile High Centaur missing its centerfold, knowing that I have a low grade copy (with nice pages) I can use to fill it out, so who am I to talk?

 

Funny Pages!?!

 

West

[Theagenes]

Have fun.

 

I promise you, this one won't be a problem!

[CentaurMan]

On the other hand, I just bought a Mile High Centaur missing its centerfold, knowing that I have a low grade copy (with nice pages) I can use to fill it out, so who am I to talk?

 

Funny Pages!?!

 

West

 

Yup, you got it, the recent Heritage ACA sale. Low appeal copy, standard funny cover, but I actually now have Church Centaurs than I expected to obtain (since I'm a completionist as opposed to a HG collector on those), and it's kind of fun to pick up another one. Especially when I can make it whole again. I love the double-slash Church copies.

[Point Five]

Wow, this is some good advice. (y) I was even thinking about hitting up eBay and placing some bids on books but now I'm just going to spend a couple of months researching the topic. I've been bit by the GA bug but it's probably best to be cautious before jumping in even if the pools deep. Last thing I want to do is belly flop.

 

 

But at the same time, don't overthink or overplan too much as if you were buying a car; do dive in and have some fun, as long as you're not overspending. Reading copies are a great inexpensive way to test the waters on different genres or different companies as you start to define your focus...I love 'em and pick them up all the time, long as the price is right.

 

Have fun, definitely!

 

Jon

[*paull*]

I'd like to add that if you can go to shows, flip through books and find interior work that suits your taste. There have been threads on the Boards dedicated to showing panels/pages from GA books. Well worth seeking out.

[whetteon]

One of the things that scared me about GA books is the cost of buying one. You're talking to a man who has spent at most for a single comic, $300. And it always seems to me that true collectors of the era were buying handfuls of books each month (which add up to thousands). But after reading the "Best GA Purchase for 2006 ", I realize you all have the same budget I do and buy half a dozen books a year. whew. So now I don't feel so poor.

[seank]

How dare you forget HORROR!

 

(stay away from that, though)

 

I said, "etc." That includes horror.

 

I've been staying away from pre-code horror because I know if I start, I won't stop. I'm trying to stick to my first Golden Age love: jungle girls and GGA.

[october]

One of the things that scared me about GA books is the cost of buying one. You're talking to a man who has spent at most for a single comic, $300. And it always seems to me that true collectors of the era were buying handfuls of books each month (which add up to thousands). But after reading the "Best GA Purchase for 2006 ", I realize you all have the same budget I do and buy half a dozen books a year. whew. So now I don't feel so poor.

 

I don't have a huge budget, and I was able to buy about 50 cool GA books to start my collection. I don't collect superhero though (except for Schomburg covers) so I had a better chance of finding good stuff in the $50-500 price range. If you go for non super hero you can find a ton of things for $300 and under.

[*paull*]

I don't have a big budget either. I target books that I really want and don't let myself be tempted by nice stuff that I'm not going to enjoy for the long-term. I keep my collecting focus narrow. For instance, there are only about two dozen books on my want list right now, and I may only turn up a few a year.

[whetteon]

I bought my first Golden Age books this weekend off eBay!

 

All New Comics 9 which mentioned some glue to reinforce the spine. This didn't bother me since it was mentioned in the thread. I also bought it's lesser brother, All New Comics 10 which has a detached cover. Since they've come from the same collection, I decided 1) to keep them together and 2) venture into the realm of professional restoration and find out what it's all about.

 

Total price for both books including shipping - $121.90

My first forray into the GA of collecting - priceless.

 

Kind of brings a tear to my eye.

 

Other observations included 1) Gerber's photo book is a wondrous thing! 2) Timely's are sweet and I must own a copy soon! 3) There are many cool GA super-heroes with Schomburg ww2 covers that sell pretty cheap. 4) Some of the best super-heroes aren't even DC or Timely properties. 5) Exciting Comics really do look exciting!

[Sid]

I have such a small budget for comics it's laughable and I've ventured into the GA side. So far just low grade copies of Wings and a suprisingly satisfying purchase of Jungle Comics. Few threads here got me very intrigued in GGA covers and that's all I'm shooting for now, nothing more. I've having a ton of fun hunting down books on eBay, LCS etc.

[Comicdey]

I bought my first Golden Age books this weekend off eBay!

 

All New Comics 9 which mentioned some glue to reinforce the spine. This didn't bother me since it was mentioned in the thread. I also bought it's lesser brother, All New Comics 10 which has a detached cover. Since they've come from the same collection, I decided 1) to keep them together and 2) venture into the realm of professional restoration and find out what it's all about.

 

Total price for both books including shipping - $121.90

My first forray into the GA of collecting - priceless.

 

Kind of brings a tear to my eye.

 

Other observations included 1) Gerber's photo book is a wondrous thing! 2) Timely's are sweet and I must own a copy soon! 3) There are many cool GA super-heroes with Schomburg ww2 covers that sell pretty cheap. 4) Some of the best super-heroes aren't even DC or Timely properties. 5) Exciting Comics really do look exciting!

 

Congratulations for taking the plunge....have they arrived and have you read through them, smelled them, and reveled in the history.

[ashrael]

This isn't the issue you bought for $121 is it?

[Point Five]

I bought my first Golden Age books this weekend off eBay!

 

All New Comics 9 which mentioned some glue to reinforce the spine. This didn't bother me since it was mentioned in the thread. I also bought it's lesser brother, All New Comics 10 which has a detached cover. Since they've come from the same collection, I decided 1) to keep them together and 2) venture into the realm of professional restoration and find out what it's all about.

 

I love those esoteric Schomburg covers too. Be sure to post 'em when you get 'em!

 

Since you mentioned restoration, just a word of caution. It's easy to go down the road of buying a cheap low-grade copy and having minor restoration done to improve/stabilize it, only to realize that with the cost of the book + the cost of resto you could have just purchased a better unrestored copy in the first place. More likely than not, it will make more sense just to keep them as they are & enjoy.

 

Congrats on the pickups!

[the blob]

you're going to have to accept some cream pages if you want to own some of these books. one would hope the acid reduction paper, etc. will keep them cream.

[Point Five]

I have such a small budget for comics it's laughable and I've ventured into the GA side. So far just low grade copies of Wings and a suprisingly satisfying purchase of Jungle Comics. Few threads here got me very intrigued in GGA covers and that's all I'm shooting for now, nothing more. I've having a ton of fun hunting down books on eBay, LCS etc.

 

Welcome to GA!

 

Even with a small budget you can pick up a lot of terrific golden age stuff, as long as you're flexible (within reason) on the condition. Ebay is a huge help with that.

[whetteon]

I bought my first Golden Age books this weekend off eBay!

 

All New Comics 9 which mentioned some glue to reinforce the spine. This didn't bother me since it was mentioned in the thread. I also bought it's lesser brother, All New Comics 10 which has a detached cover. Since they've come from the same collection, I decided 1) to keep them together and 2) venture into the realm of professional restoration and find out what it's all about.

 

I love those esoteric Schomburg covers too. Be sure to post 'em when you get 'em!

 

Since you mentioned restoration, just a word of caution. It's easy to go down the road of buying a cheap low-grade copy and having minor restoration done to improve/stabilize it, only to realize that with the cost of the book + the cost of resto you could have just purchased a better unrestored copy in the first place. More likely than not, it will make more sense just to keep them as they are & enjoy.

 

Congrats on the pickups!

 

That's a good point. Perhaps a Mylar or Fortress would be better off. That way the cover and comic APPEARS to be complete even if the comic cover is detached.

[rjpb]

Good choices Whet

 

non-Timely Schomburg war covers are a great way to pick up great covers without breaking the bank.

 

I have nothing much to add in terms of what to watch out for.

I would say brittle pages really aren't worth bothering with, but then again when the price is right I've picked up a book or two with them, but usually plan on upgrading. Another thing when buying older books in lower grade is to watch out for fragile spines. I've ended up with a book or two which look pretty solid in a scan or mylar, and the spine isn't split (or only slightly), and the rest of the book can feel fairly supple, but they are only a few handlings away from splitting entirely.

[nearmint]

5) Exciting Comics really do look exciting!

 

[Theagenes]

Congrats on some cool pick ups and welcome to GA club!

 

I also have a limited budget, but what I try to do is start with low grade copies of the books I like and then when I get a chance I upgrade and sell the undercopy. This strategy works very well. If you buy a low grade book that's worth a $100 and you come across a midgrade that's $300, knowing that you can sell the undercopy means that you're only really paying $200 for the upgrade. Then later on if you find an even nicer copy for say $600, you can sell your mid-grade and the new nicer copy will only be $300. It takes a little wheeling and dealing, but you can be surprised at the nice books you can eventually acquire with limited funds.

 

Good luck and post your new books!