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Golden age advice8219

Collector Roarshack private msg quote post Address this user
New to the boards and I’m looking for some advice on a small pre-code collection I’ve recently come across. My friend bought a house and they were inside. I know a little bit about comics (never a golden age collector though) so I’m going through them to sell(ok not all of them, I have to keep a few). I found my way to heritage auctions, that seems like a good place and I suspect it’s better than eBay for golden age books but would like some opinions. I sent what I thought were 5 choice titles to CFP for pressing. Most of what I read seemed to reccomend him but any other advice along that line would be great. (For the curious: Young Allies#9, Black Cat Comics#1, Plastic Man #2, Plastic Man#5, Marvel Mystery Comics#76). There’s at least a couple dozen whose condition/value is worth grading and maybe twice that many that are not quite worth grading (I think) but still a collectible title. Any thoughts ideas or advice is welcome.
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I’m not an ant. I’m a rootin tootin Hornet! Zombie_Head private msg quote post Address this user
Pics or it didn’t happen. Lol
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Collector Roarshack private msg quote post Address this user

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Collector JMR private msg quote post Address this user
Cool. I
Might be interested in the Jungle Comics, the one with the alligator standing straight on its tail. I also collect crime, horror, and a little romance, if you have any.

My opinion on Heritage is that people bid a bit less because of the high buyer’s premium (fee), taxes, and shipping costs. That said, if a book is super rare, people will bid anyway.

As for eBay, there’s a reason it’s called Feebay. They nickel and dime sellers, force you to use PayPal (a company they own), so PayPal charge a fee; they even take a cut of your shipping fee!

If you can sell stuff yourself, for cash, that’s the best way as far as I’m concerned.
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I live in RI and Rhode Islanders eat chili with beans. esaravo private msg quote post Address this user
Wow, what a find! If you are new to collecting, you may want to pick up a book on grading. Values can vary quite a bit based on various defects and flaws. Hopefully these books were stored in a decent place and aren’t brittle. My best advice to you is do some research and take your time. But there are definitely some desirable books in that picture!
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I had no way of knowing that 9.8 graded copies signed by Adam Hughes weren't what you were looking for. drchaos private msg quote post Address this user
If you are already working with Joe at CFP I would suggest that you send the rest of the books to him. Just make sure to ask him to look at the books to make sure they are worth grading. He tends to err on the side of caution and has sent books back to me as rejects that I would have gotten graded anyway.

Once the books have been graded you can get better prices (with less risk of return) because your buyers will not be in a position to argue that the book was somehow less than what you described.

You can sell the book here (no fees), list it on ebay, or consign with Comic Connect, Comic Link, Heritage, etc.
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Collector QuaBrot private msg quote post Address this user
While I agree that grading is the way to go for most books there are some books that collectors actually want to read! But they can ways crack open the slab if need be.

You can also work with your local comic book store, they can assist you with grading and even maybe finding buyers - but be prepared to pay them a little, they do this to make a living and the the and advice is worth something.
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It was a one trick pony show but always hilarious. GAC private msg quote post Address this user
Are you certain the previous owner of the house isnt going to try and reclaim his comics? Before you and/or your friend do anything with those comics I'd try to be sure about that.
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Collector etapi65 private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by GAC
Are you certain the previous owner of the house isnt going to try and reclaim his comics? Before you and/or your friend do anything with those comics I'd try to be sure about that.

They cannot, all material in the home at time of purchase is the property of the buyer. You could find 10 million in hidden gold that someone's Gradma left in their house...doesn't matter, it's yours.
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Collector CatCovers private msg quote post Address this user
I feel ripped off. The only thing I found in my house when I bought it was a creepy old toy chest hidden away in the attic.
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Collector Watcher private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by CatCovers
I feel ripped off. The only thing I found in my house when I bought it was a creepy old toy chest hidden away in the attic.

I hear ya! I found water hidden under the carpet that the inspector missed..had to rip out the door frame and rebuild. I never ever find comics and certainly not golden age books...but alas, a man can still dream
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Collector Watcher private msg quote post Address this user
but judging by the color of the back boards, id say they've been bagged recently (last 5-8 yrs)...mine always turn a bit yellow after a while especially with golden and especially if the flaps are open. They at least leave transfer color at edges
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Collector QuaBrot private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Watcher
but judging by the color of the back boards, id say they've been bagged recently (last 5-8 yrs)...mine always turn a bit yellow after a while especially with golden and especially if the flaps are open. They at least leave transfer color at edges


I doubt that's how they were found, bagged and boarded! Most of these finds are attic finds - things left as junk in a storage area.
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Collector emme_jay private msg quote post Address this user
Hi, also a new to the boards and comics in general. Apologies in advance to Roarshack if I'm highjacking your post. I've been wanting to post about this subject as well, saw yours, so I decided to chime in.
Today I learned about precode comics. I have a lot of EC comics; many are precode. My brother was a huge fan of Frank Frazetta so just about all of the golden and silver age comics I have are Frazetta related.
I had some comics graded and slabbed by CBCS recently. I never knew pressing and dry cleaning were even an option until after the fact. Is this something that is worth doing to comics that are over 50 years old? I kind of regret getting some of the comic graded and slabbed if I could've improved the quality beforehand.
Going forward, I will be selling the collection. I've done some research and have a general idea of what the comics worth individually. A few of the comics are worth $500-$1,000+(Famous Funnies #214 graded 7.5 as well as a few Personal Love comics some graded,some not).
Are auctions are my best bet for selling the more valuable comics? I dislike auction houses in general and have been burned by them. It was my fault for being naive about the whole process. They took advantage and it cost me thousands of dollars.
I'm not a fan of Heritage at all. They never responded at all to the detailed forms I submitted concerning my collections (I have other collections in addition to the comics).I spoke to them in person at NYCC and they acted as if they were doing me a favor my even speaking with me.
Yes, eBay charges the seller more in fees. However, I feel more secure about the whole process because I'm not entrusting my valuable items to a stranger before they are sold. With auction sites/houses, I have no control over minimums. Also, it takes three to six weeks to get paid.
Do comic book collectors even look at eBay? Does anyone here have experience consigning on Comic Connect, Comic Link etc? I'm not pulling the trigger to sell the comics out of fear of not getting a fair price. It's exhausting not trusting people to be fair and honest but my experience thus far has made me leery of consigning.
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Collector QuaBrot private msg quote post Address this user
@emme_jay PMing you
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Collector etapi65 private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by emme_jay

Going forward, I will be selling the collection. I've done some research and have a general idea of what the comics worth individually. However, if someone made me an offer, I would not know if I it's a fair price. A few of the comics are worth $500-$1,000+(Famous Funnies #214 graded 7.5 as well as a few Personal Love comics some graded,some not).
Are auctions are my best bet for selling the more valuable comics?
Yes, eBay charges the seller more in fees. However, I feel more secure about the whole process because I'm not entrusting my valuable items to a stranger before they are sold. Do comic book collectors even look at eBay? Does anyone here have experience consigning on Comic Connect, Comic Link etc? I'm not pulling the trigger to sell the comics out of fear of not getting a fair price. It's exhausting not trusting people to be fair and honest but my experience thus far has made me leery of consigning.

The "fair price" for any auction is what someone is willing to pay for it. Ebay gives you access to the widest breadth of potential buyers and comic collectors are all over ebay. Consignments can work, but you might be better off finding a friendly local comic shop. Some of them will let you do consignment or even help you sell via their ebay presence (if they have one). Like any collectible, there's just no telling at any moment what you may get for your product.
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Suck it up, buttercup!! KatKomics private msg quote post Address this user
Just an FYI about Heritage...pretty sure you need to have items worth about 10K? for them to organize an auction with them in it, might not ne an issue for you, depends how many books there are in total and relative condition/value
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Collector emme_jay private msg quote post Address this user
There is only once comic book store in my area. The next closest is about 40 miles away! Good idea to check out their eBay presence. If I have to drive an hour to get them consigned through a comic book shop, I will. This may be my best bet. Thank you!
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Collector emme_jay private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by KatKomics
Just an FYI about Heritage...pretty sure you need to have items worth about 10K? for them to organize an auction with them in it, might not ne an issue for you, depends how many books there are in total and relative condition/value
I thought it was $5,000. Maybe for comics it is $10,000. My whole collection may be worth that much. I haven't priced the whole thing out. Regardless, other collections I was looking to consign we're easily worth over $10,000. When I filled out the initial form, I think I was allowed to list six items, each with one picture. Six items wasn't indicative of the whole collection. Shouldn't they at least follow up with an email to inquire what else I had?
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Collector Roarshack private msg quote post Address this user
Thanks for the comments everyone. I’m going to respond to people without quoting them until I can figure out how to quote . My friend bought the house with a contract for all contents. It was a hoarder house and the family who owned is an old childhood friend. Weird experience going through literally (old school use of the word) tons and tons and tons of often ruined items, and then see my friends fourth grade school picture or whatever. Quote:
Originally Posted by JMR
Cool. I
Might be interested in the Jungle Comics, the one with the alligator standing straight on its tail. I also collect crime, horror, and a little romance, if you have any.

My opinion on Heritage is that people bid a bit less because of the high buyer’s premium (fee), taxes, and shipping costs. That said, if a book is super rare, people will bid anyway.

As for eBay, there’s a reason it’s called Feebay. They nickel and dime sellers, force you to use PayPal (a company they own), so PayPal charge a fee; they even take a cut of your shipping fee!

If you can sell stuff yourself, for cash, that’s the best way as far as I’m concerned.


I think I figured out quoting(?). I was just watching an auction for that specific jungle comic (54?) and it sold for way above overstreet. I think I’ll take a chance and grade that one. I have a Kerry Drake detective comic, It’s not the first issue but it’s close(heh). In surprisingly good shape.

I haven’t worked on my grading skills yet really, didn’t want to get too far over my skis and misrepresent something(to myself especially). I bought an overstreet guide and I think they go over grades? I’ll work on it.

I did put them in boards and backers myself. I was paranoid about putting tape on the bags though. I’ve collected modern comics, but not for a couple decades, and remember getting tape on a comic which was annoying. If I did that to a golden age book I might have to cry.

In total there are 1 3/4 short boxes of comics. Half a box are coverless, including Wonder Woman 7 and a copy of wonderword comics missing cover and first 2 wraps. (CRAP!) there are a ton that are likely around a good grade at best. Lots of Archie’s. A radio orphan Annie 4pager and the decoder pin(with secret compartment!). The shmoo #3 is in really nice shape and a very cool sci fi cover, cant find any past sales of that one and heritage shows a copy has never been graded by CGC. Does anyone know if CBCS has a similar resource where they show a chart of all the grades of a particular comic? Short on time but I’ll come back and show some more pictures if there’s interest. Thanks to all!
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Collector Watcher private msg quote post Address this user
cool stuff...enjoy!
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Leftover Sundae Gnus CatmanAmerica private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roarshack
New to the boards and I’m looking for some advice on a small pre-code collection I’ve recently come across. My friend bought a house and they were inside. I know a little bit about comics (never a golden age collector though) so I’m going through them to sell(ok not all of them, I have to keep a few). I found my way to heritage auctions, that seems like a good place and I suspect it’s better than eBay for golden age books but would like some opinions. I sent what I thought were 5 choice titles to CFP for pressing. Most of what I read seemed to reccomend him but any other advice along that line would be great. (For the curious: Young Allies#9, Black Cat Comics#1, Plastic Man #2, Plastic Man#5, Marvel Mystery Comics#76). There’s at least a couple dozen whose condition/value is worth grading and maybe twice that many that are not quite worth grading (I think) but still a collectible title. Any thoughts ideas or advice is welcome.


There are many approaches to this and most suggestions in this thread are good ones. It all depends on how much effort you want to put into grading. Pressing is a good idea for some books, not so much for others, overall condition, PQ and structural fragility being the factors of greatest concern.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roarshack
Thanks for the comments everyone. I’m going to respond to people without quoting them until I can figure out how to quote . My friend bought the house with a contract for all contents. It was a hoarder house and the family who owned is an old childhood friend. Weird experience going through literally (old school use of the word) tons and tons and tons of often ruined items, and then see my friends fourth grade school picture or whatever. Quote:
Originally Posted by JMR
Cool. I
Might be interested in the Jungle Comics, the one with the alligator standing straight on its tail. I also collect crime, horror, and a little romance, if you have any.

My opinion on Heritage is that people bid a bit less because of the high buyer’s premium (fee), taxes, and shipping costs. That said, if a book is super rare, people will bid anyway.

As for eBay, there’s a reason it’s called Feebay. They nickel and dime sellers, force you to use PayPal (a company they own), so PayPal charge a fee; they even take a cut of your shipping fee!

If you can sell stuff yourself, for cash, that’s the best way as far as I’m concerned.


I think I figured out quoting(?). I was just watching an auction for that specific jungle comic (54?) and it sold for way above overstreet. I think I’ll take a chance and grade that one. I have a Kerry Drake detective comic, It’s not the first issue but it’s close(heh). In surprisingly good shape.

I haven’t worked on my grading skills yet really, didn’t want to get too far over my skis and misrepresent something(to myself especially). I bought an overstreet guide and I think they go over grades? I’ll work on it.

I did put them in boards and backers myself. I was paranoid about putting tape on the bags though. I’ve collected modern comics, but not for a couple decades, and remember getting tape on a comic which was annoying. If I did that to a golden age book I might have to cry.

In total there are 1 3/4 short boxes of comics. Half a box are coverless, including Wonder Woman 7 and a copy of wonderword comics missing cover and first 2 wraps. (CRAP!) there are a ton that are likely around a good grade at best. Lots of Archie’s. A radio orphan Annie 4pager and the decoder pin(with secret compartment!). The shmoo #3 is in really nice shape and a very cool sci fi cover, cant find any past sales of that one and heritage shows a copy has never been graded by CGC. Does anyone know if CBCS has a similar resource where they show a chart of all the grades of a particular comic? Short on time but I’ll come back and show some more pictures if there’s interest. Thanks to all!


First thing I'd suggest, assuming you haven't done this already, is to carefully check and categorize each individual book with the latest Overstreet Price Guide (2018-19) you just picked up. While the OSG is far from the last word in pricing based on real world sales, it's great for providing conservative baseline values (ballpark estimates of comic book values at various price points).

You're right, there is a grading section in the OSG that should be of great help in establishing rough estimates of grades to cross reference with baseline pricing. It isn't anywhere near as meticulous as what third party grading services look for in establishing grades, but it does provide the basics.

Another bit of advice worth considering is that books you grade with current OSG values under $100 may not be worth the added investment in third party grading/encapsulation. For long term storage, I'd recommend keeping those with acid free backing boards and bagged in Mylar envelopes.

I'm a condition freak. That said, every complete, fully attached book with a cover, regardless of estimated grade, may have collectible value beyond being a reading copy. Some books are rarer than others and some titles that don't appear worth much may be rare and/or currently hot books in the marketplace. Among those you've mentioned, Archie Comics are one example, Wonder Woman is another.

One last note about hoarding. While this is something we strive to avoid as discerning collectors, those who do hoard rarely limit their obsessive behavior. Keep checking with your friend about what he comes across in the house he bought. There may be quite a few other valuable collectibles of interest to this community (pulps, premiums, movie memorabilia, toys, etc.).

Trust me, you have our attention!
.
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Suck it up, buttercup!! KatKomics private msg quote post Address this user
Might be worth it to pick up an OverStreet Grading guide too - just to give you an idea of what range the books will be in, any edition of the guide is pretty good with photo examples and a summary of each grade with allowable defects.

Don't discount those coverless books!! Depending on the book you can still get a couple hundred depending on the issue (shocking but true!!!).
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Collector doog private msg quote post Address this user
Comic link has been good for some of the more desirable books. The more work you do, and if you sell things individually, seems to increase your profit. I have quite a few coverless, respect the coverless
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PEDIGREED... Again! martymann private msg quote post Address this user
@Roarshack ...Checkout Nostomania.com


Marty
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I’m not an ant. I’m a rootin tootin Hornet! Zombie_Head private msg quote post Address this user
I have a question I have a champ comics #25 it’s complete but the cover is detached how much of a hit does a detached cover cause.
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Leftover Sundae Gnus CatmanAmerica private msg quote post Address this user
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zombie_Head
I have a question I have a champ comics #25 it’s complete but the cover is detached how much of a hit does a detached cover cause.


That's a tough call grading wise, but if I were providing a ballpark guess based on appearance it would be around 50% of the value of the same book with similar wear and a fully attached cover.
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