Have a Cigar! Golden Age only....! 46 46

[Frisco Larson]

No arrival date markings on this book but also from the same collection as the others I've recently posted. A few unfortunate scratches on the cover but otherwise very pretty.

[Frisco Larson]

I didn't recall having ever seen this book before, so ... I had to get it!

[AndyFish]

Colors seem to be the theme of this week's pickups for me.. first up another great title for me, WINGS this one #98 with some killer color and a killer croc!

and an amazing VF copy of THE MARVEL FAMILY #48 -- a Fawcett title I really like.

 

I might be odd in the world of comics collecting in that I buy solely for the cover, I don't care about completing runs or anything else.   It's all about the covers for me.

Edited November 30, 2022 by AndyFish

[AndyFish]

On 11/30/2022 at 5:30 AM, Frisco Larson said:

I didn't recall having ever seen this book before, so ... I had to get it!

Those MASTER COMICS are great, and I've never seen this gem either-- great pickup!

[Frisco Larson]

On 11/30/2022 at 9:23 AM, AndyFish said:

Those MASTER COMICS are great, and I've never seen this gem either-- great pickup!

Thanks! I couldn't believe that I had never seen the book before! It's a mainstream Golden Age run, which I've never collected per se', but I've certainly seen plenty of. Proved to me that after several decades buying Golden Age comics, that there's still new stuff to discover! 

[Frisco Larson]

On 11/30/2022 at 9:17 AM, AndyFish said:

Colors seem to be the theme of this week's pickups for me.. first up another great title for me, WINGS this one #98 with some killer color and a killer croc!

and an amazing VF copy of THE MARVEL FAMILY #48 -- a Fawcett title I really like.

 

I might be odd in the world of comics collecting in that I buy solely for the cover, I don't care about completing runs or anything else.   It's all about the covers for me.

Great pick-ups! Actually, with the advent of certification, cover collecting has become a much larger focus with many collectors. Some that I've talked with have never cracked a book out of its holder and had no plans of ever doing so. I'm also at a point (for the most part), that completing a Golden Age run isn't a practical goal anymore, unless of course it's a small run and reasonably priced.

[Robot Man]

On 11/30/2022 at 7:17 AM, AndyFish said:

Colors seem to be the theme of this week's pickups for me.. first up another great title for me, WINGS this one #98 with some killer color and a killer croc!

and an amazing VF copy of THE MARVEL FAMILY #48 -- a Fawcett title I really like.

 

I might be odd in the world of comics collecting in that I buy solely for the cover, I don't care about completing runs or anything else.   It's all about the covers for me.

Spectacular color on that one. So hard to find FH with good color strikes. I have often downgraded a bit to get bright covers.

I love covers too. I also like to peck away at runs. I guess I am just a comic addict…

[Steppenwolfscomics]

Recent auction win from Heritage

[Robot Man]

On 11/29/2022 at 6:58 AM, Frisco Larson said:

I bought this book from Harley years ago. He had it stickered as a SF copy. Only marking is the "G" on the cover. Any opinions?

[Robot Man]

Here is a real honest to goodness, genuine SF copy. I bought this MANY years ago out of a box at WonderCon. There was no mention of the pedigree but when I flipped it over, there was no doubt. Believe it or not, there was a time when very few people were buying books like this so I got it for a great price. 

Edited November 30, 2022 by Robot Man

[Frisco Larson]

I'd have to get the Star Spangled in hand to be accurate. Are the pages bone white? The penciled G isn't enough to go on. Nice copy though! 

Edited November 30, 2022 by Frisco Larson

[Frisco Larson]

On 11/30/2022 at 12:52 PM, Robot Man said:

Here is a real honest to goodness, genuine SF copy. I bought this MANY years ago out of a box at WonderCon. There was no mention of the pedigree but when I flipped it over, there was no doubt. Believe it or not, there was a time when very people were buying books like this so I got it for a great price. 

Wow, that's sharp!!!  No question about that copy!!! Keep me in mind if you ever want to sell it!!!  

[Ryan.]

[Robot Man]

On 11/30/2022 at 11:00 AM, Ryan. said:

It's partner...

[Robot Man]

On 11/30/2022 at 10:57 AM, Frisco Larson said:

I'd have to get the Star Spangled in hand to be accurate. Are the pages bone white? The penciled G isn't enough to go on. Nice copy though! 

Yes. Much whiter than the Top Notch. The little chip off the top left makes me wonder though. Wern’t books from this era supposed to be unread?

[Ryan.]

On 11/30/2022 at 2:11 PM, Robot Man said:

It's partner...

Want.

[Frisco Larson]

On 11/30/2022 at 1:52 PM, Robot Man said:

Yes. Much whiter than the Top Notch. The little chip off the top left makes me wonder though. Wern’t books from this era supposed to be unread?

As I remember the story that's been told, it was the later comics (1944/1945) that were supposed to be the unread issues. I myself always felt that it was perhaps Tom Riley himself that put the ink stamp with his name on the back cover, which would make sense, as that ink stamp generally was absent after around mid 1943. MANY to most of the earlier issues I've seen have that ink stamp on the back cover, but I recall nothing after mid 1943 having it, which was supposedly when he went off to war, if we're able to believe the story we've been told. Anyway, a quick check shows that the earliest confirmed Frisco Star Spangled I can find quickly is #23, which has a penciled capital cursive G code with arrival date, just like your Top Notch and it also has a Riley ink stamp on the back cover. I have seen later books with a lower-case cursive g code without an arrival date or Riley stamp identified as Friscos, like my old copy of Marvel Mystery #60, which as I recall was a 9.0 with white pages. Yours is an interesting combination of somewhat contradictory identifiers ... earlier time period book, with later lower-case g pencil code with no arrival date or Riley stamp. I'd say the best way to be certain is to send it in for grading. Matt has certainly had more Friscos in his hands than I have, and he'd probably be able to give you a quick opinion on the matter. Onto the topic of any general wear in condition, keep in mind that the San Francisco collection was discovered decades ago and it's possible that random dings, nicks and wear have accumulated since their discovery and assimilation into private collections. At any rate, that's a very nice looking copy you've got there!  

[Tri-Color Brian]

 

[Robot Man]

On 11/30/2022 at 6:12 PM, Frisco Larson said:

As I remember the story that's been told, it was the later comics (1944/1945) that were supposed to be the unread issues. I myself always felt that it was perhaps Tom Riley himself that put the ink stamp with his name on the back cover, which would make sense, as that ink stamp generally was absent after around mid 1943. MANY to most of the earlier issues I've seen have that ink stamp on the back cover, but I recall nothing after mid 1943 having it, which was supposedly when he went off to war, if we're able to believe the story we've been told. Anyway, a quick check shows that the earliest confirmed Frisco Star Spangled I can find quickly is #23, which has a penciled capital cursive G code with arrival date, just like your Top Notch and it also has a Riley ink stamp on the back cover. I have seen later books with a lower-case cursive g code without an arrival date or Riley stamp identified as Friscos, like my old copy of Marvel Mystery #60, which as I recall was a 9.0 with white pages. Yours is an interesting combination of somewhat contradictory identifiers ... earlier time period book, with later lower-case g pencil code with no arrival date or Riley stamp. I'd say the best way to be certain is to send it in for grading. Matt has certainly had more Friscos in his hands than I have, and he'd probably be able to give you a quick opinion on the matter. Onto the topic of any general wear in condition, keep in mind that the San Francisco collection was discovered decades ago and it's possible that random dings, nicks and wear have accumulated since their discovery and assimilation into private collections. At any rate, that's a very nice looking copy you've got there!  

Many thanks. For the record, I don't really believe mine is a SF copy. I thought so when I bought it but think at this point it might just be from the same distributor. Sadly, I don't think at this point, we will ever know the true story of this great collection other than it came out of the Bay Area. I do remember seeing a large pile that Redbeard brought back from up north. They were breathtaking. I was also fortunate enough to get a couple of Marvel Mysterys many, many years ago from Terry Stround and David T Alexander. Just seeing that little pile of unbagged Timely's made my knees weak!

[Frisco Larson]

On 12/1/2022 at 12:19 PM, Robot Man said:

Many thanks. For the record, I don't really believe mine is a SF copy. I thought so when I bought it but think at this point it might just be from the same distributor. Sadly, I don't think at this point, we will ever know the true story of this great collection other than it came out of the Bay Area. I do remember seeing a large pile that Redbeard brought back from up north. They were breathtaking. I was also fortunate enough to get a couple of Marvel Mysterys many, many years ago from Terry Stround and David T Alexander. Just seeing that little pile of unbagged Timely's made my knees weak!

Sadly, I also believe that the full story of the collection is lost to the ages. We DO have enough of a story (with corroborating evidence) to believe most of what we've been told over the years and the books themselves, well they're absolutely beautiful from cover to cover! Many have complained that the original size figure was greatly exaggerated, and it would seem that it was, based on how many have been identified as Friscos. Of course, there are likely quite a few that have no identifying markings and have been in private collections since they were first discovered, that few people know to exist. Time usually fills in some blanks on stories like this. I hope we see more hidden Friscos come to light in the coming years!