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Baker Romance
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13,509 posts in this topic

1 hour ago, Sqeggs said:

My scanner giveth and my scanner taketh away. This book is not nearly as yellow in hand as it appears in my scan (as you might guess from the White pages). Rather tough Baker, but not as tough as I used to think. Any of you miscreants have the 7.0 (census topper)? 

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One of mine is the other 6.0.  I had the top spot with it for about one month before being BOOTED by that 7.0.  :sorry:

 

Teenage Romances 39 CGC6.jpg

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10 hours ago, 29dukedog said:

Who's this wide-eyed flappadedoodle everyone's fussing over?  Seriously, I'd just assumed that, having completed his St. John/Baker romance collection, Sqeggs had simply moved on to collecting Faberge eggs or something, and was now busy posting on some Faberge egg collecting forum.  Who knew?    

APC #38 is so dismally hard to find in any decent grade, I was stoked to secure this copy recently, thanks to a kindly boardie.  

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Book is so tough! Nice one.

Apparently you can't make omelets from Faberge eggs. Who knew?

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1 hour ago, Sqeggs said:

This has always been one of my favorites. Bright copy, although not quite as bright as my scanner makes it seem. 

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Don't know if you remember, but a few years ago when we conducted a poll and ranked the top 18 Baker covers, this one actually came in #5.  

Not that it doesn't deserve the love, but that surprised me, considering all the other candidates:   

Top 18 ranked Baker covers (9/29/17) 

1.  Cinderella Love #25 
2.  Seven Seas #4 
3.  Seven Seas #6 
4.  Giant Comics Editions #12 
5.  Teen-Age Romances #43 
6.  Teen-Age Romances #32 
7.  Diary Secrets #26 
8.  Phantom Lady #17 
9.  True Love Pictorial #11 
10.  Authentic Police Cases #6 
11.  Teen-Age Temptations #2 
12.  Phantom Lady #18 
13.  Teen-Age Romances #14 
14.  Going Steady #10 
15.  Phantom Lady #16 
16.  Amazing Ghost Stories #14 
17.  Jo-Jo #25 
18.  Phantom Lady #23

Edited by 29dukedog
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10 minutes ago, 29dukedog said:

Don't know if you remember, but a few years ago when we conducted a poll and ranked the top 18 Baker covers, this one actually came in #5.  

Not that it doesn't deserve the love, but that surprised me, considering all the other candidates:   

Top 18 ranked Baker covers (9/29/17) 

1.  Cinderella Love #25 
2.  Seven Seas #4 
3.  Seven Seas #6 
4.  Giant Comics Editions #12 
5.  Teen-Age Romances #43 
6.  Teen-Age Romances #32 
7.  Diary Secrets #26 
8.  Phantom Lady #17 
9.  True Love Pictorial #11 
10.  Authentic Police Cases #6 
11.  Teen-Age Temptations #2 
12.  Phantom Lady #18 
13.  Teen-Age Romances #14 
14.  Going Steady #10 
15.  Phantom Lady #16 
16.  Amazing Ghost Stories #14 
17.  Jo-Jo #25 
18.  Phantom Lady #23

I do remember the poll, but I'd forgotten the results (other than CL 25 being No. 1).  It's a tribute to how astute and discerning we are that TAR 43 ranked as high as it did, given that its GGA appeal is effectively nil. The market certainly values the GGA or suggestive dialog covers more highly do we erudite connoisseurs. I wouldn't put GCE 12 in my top 25, showing that I'm even more eruditey and connoisseury than the average of this exclusive group. 

I'm a big fan of PL 23, but I didn't think anybody claimed anymore that it's by Baker rather than by Kamen. The hazards of chasing top census copies: I bought an 8.0 when it was (iirc) the sole highest graded. Now the census has two 9.2s and three 8.0s (although, oddly, no 8.5s or 9.0s). Forget how much I paid but I think there was a big highest-graded premium in the price. 

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22 minutes ago, Sqeggs said:

I do remember the poll, but I'd forgotten the results (other than CL 25 being No. 1).  It's a tribute to how astute and discerning we are that TAR 43 ranked as high as it did, given that its GGA appeal is effectively nil. The market certainly values the GGA or suggestive dialog covers more highly do we erudite connoisseurs. I wouldn't put GCE 12 in my top 25, showing that I'm even more eruditey and connoisseury than the average of this exclusive group. 

I'm a big fan of PL 23, but I didn't think anybody claimed anymore that it's by Baker rather than by Kamen. The hazards of chasing top census copies: I bought an 8.0 when it was (iirc) the sole highest graded. Now the census has two 9.2s and three 8.0s (although, oddly, no 8.5s or 9.0s). Forget how much I paid but I think there was a big highest-graded premium in the price. 

Agreement across the board.  DS #26 is another one with virtually no GGA or "suggestive" appeal, yet it ranked #7.  It's another testimony to the magical whimsy of those late period, no-dialogue St. John covers.  

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On 5/12/2020 at 9:01 PM, 29dukedog said:

Don't know if you remember, but a few years ago when we conducted a poll and ranked the top 18 Baker covers, this one actually came in #5.  

Not that it doesn't deserve the love, but that surprised me, considering all the other candidates:   

Top 18 ranked Baker covers (9/29/17) 

1.  Cinderella Love #25 
2.  Seven Seas #4 
3.  Seven Seas #6 
4.  Giant Comics Editions #12 
5.  Teen-Age Romances #43 
6.  Teen-Age Romances #32 
7.  Diary Secrets #26 
8.  Phantom Lady #17 
9.  True Love Pictorial #11 
10.  Authentic Police Cases #6 
11.  Teen-Age Temptations #2 
12.  Phantom Lady #18 
13.  Teen-Age Romances #14 
14.  Going Steady #10 
15.  Phantom Lady #16 
16.  Amazing Ghost Stories #14 
17.  Jo-Jo #25 
18.  Phantom Lady #23

How is PL #17 , 8th on this list!?

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10 hours ago, Casablanca said:

How is PL #17 , 8th on this list!?

It was evidently the consensus of the boardies who voted that great art is more than an outstanding and exquisite pair of breasts?    
 

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15 minutes ago, Ryan. said:

I'm surprised Kamen's work ended up on a Best of Baker list at all hm

PL #23 made the list because at least a few people voted it in, so at least a few collectors must feel there's still some doubt over who drew the cover.  (shrug)  

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17 minutes ago, 29dukedog said:

PL #23 made the list because at least a few people voted it in, so at least a few collectors must feel there's still some doubt over who drew the cover.  (shrug)  

Maybe Baker leaned over Kamen's shoulder and gave him some pointers while Jack was drawing all the PL covers. 

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PL 14 is often taken as a cover by Baker. How can someone look at that cover and see Baker? It's baffling. And once that doubt is cast, it's not hard to start looking at the remainder of the PL covers and realize that Baker had a cursory hand in them, at most.

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