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L.B. Cole cover thread! Post your favorites by the master!
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5,839 posts in this topic

1 hour ago, SamPool said:

Definitely not one of the more desired Cole cover...

 

Definitely not a talked about cover.  But, I think the covers that Cole collectors most desire, which are hard to find, don't elicit much discussion because folks are still trying to get a copy.  I've never seen this one, and I have to say I think it is super weirdly cool with that eyeball, clown, skull, and others strange happenings.  Seems like the covers that get the most discussion are the ones a fair number of folks already have and want to see go up in price, whereas covers like this (and others) get little discussion as folks don't want to draw attention to them. 

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On 9/7/2019 at 3:55 PM, sfcityduck said:

One of the hard to find Cole space covers.  Goes hand in glove with the Blue Bolt space covers:

image.thumb.png.ea9f23ee158def105aac07a32edc8cfc.png

 

I originally got the above thinking I'd pursue a run of Cole space covers.  With the way the pricing's gone, I ultimately decided to go another direction and decided to unload this one on a sales thread.  To my surprise, it has gotten little interest despite what I thought was a reasonable starting price and several price cuts.  And now, a boardie who is a Cole collector, and who I am sure was just trying to be helpful and give me some perspective, messaged me that "this particular one never did anything for me" and "I wouldn’t even pay $100 for it if offered at that price."   

In a world where Cole covers sell at incredibly high prices, that opinion really surprised me.  I'm curious if he's right.  I responded with my view:

Quote

 

We all get our own 2 cents.  I am not a long-time LB Cole collector.  While I first became aware of LB Cole and Cole collectors from OPG No. 11 and thought the covers cool, they were not so cool I wanted to collect them.  Back then, I think most collectors were more motivated to get superhero runs and keys, than to seek out a relatively obscure artist's covers for minor publisher's comic books which generally had interior stories with little comic history significance or redeeming qualities.  CGC obviously has tipped that dramatically by turning comics into baseball cards such that what matters most is the cover.  And now Cole covers are a very valuable and sought after.  Consequently, covers featuring GGA, certain artists, and notable or lurid horror/sf themes are now much more appreciated than they once were.  

BUT, inexplicably, pulps and paperbacks, which feature GGA, great artists (including many who are sought after for their comic covers), and notable or lurid crime/horror/sf themes are grossly under valued in the marketplace.  For example, price out the difference between this: 

Image result for Planet stories

And this:

Image result for planet comics 58

Why the difference?  One answer is that Pulps and paperbacks generally aren't pressed and encapsulated.

But, the Complete How-To Book of Space can be, and there's already three on the census.  So its already begun to enter the realm that LB Cole comics inhabit.  

And, unlike Cole's other pulp and paperback work, the Complete How-To Book of Space is done in exactly the same line drawn style, at the same time, as some of his most valuable space covers.  The Complete How-To Book of Space is part of that body of work by Cole.  You may not think it is as good as other Cole space covers, but a lot of collectors do like it.  

I have no doubt that some day it will be considered a hard to find "crux" for someone trying to put together a Cole space cover run.  If you don't have it, you don't have all of his space covers from the high-point of his career.

Frankly, I'm clearly a bit ahead of the curve based on the response here, but I suspect it will get the appreciation it deserves sooner rather than later.  Heritage has never auctioned one off.  If it doesn't sell soon, I will likely get it CGC'd and see how it does.  I am sure that Heritage will hype it as being rare and desirable.

Maybe then you'll want one.  Or maybe not.  It's all cool.

 

I admit I am not a Cole collector.  But, I'm still surprised that the interest in the Cole space pulp with the comic cover is so thin.  Perhaps I'm way out on a limb in my views expressed above.  I'm just curious if you guys, real Cole collectors, see the space pulp as unworthy of collecting at even a $100 price?  To me it's cool and unusual.  So if that's the prevailing view, I'm more than a bit shocked.

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I know exactly who PMed you that asinine message and my suggestion is to block him, as PMs like that are standard for him. 

Price escalations on GA books can happen suddenly and without warning, and I also believe that particular Cole space book will be well sought after once collectors become more aware of it. 

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I think it’s a very cool book.  If I was actively collecting Cole books, it’d be an obvious grab. My 2c- hold on to it, you’re just way ahead of the curve.  A couple years from now, it could be a $2000 book given it’s relative scarcity and the rate at which collectors are discovering gems like this.

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17 hours ago, Ryan. said:

I know exactly who PMed you that asinine message and my suggestion is to block him, as PMs like that are standard for him. 

Price escalations on GA books can happen suddenly and without warning, and I also believe that particular Cole space book will be well sought after once collectors become more aware of it. 

:popcorn:

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@sfcityduck I think this shares the same paradigm problem that I have seen over the years with Comic Magazines.  The format is different enough to put off enough people.  Despite the material containing top notch art (some of the best) ever published to the comic medium.  Similarly this has a very attractive LB Cole Cover which resembles some of his Comic Format Sci-Fi art.

The book is really awesome.  I love obscure books like this in general.  It's fun to see stuff like this listed on the boards; though you may eventually do better with it on a venue that has more eyeballs. 

 

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