Comics, Pulps, and Paperbacks: Why such a discrepancy in values? 25 25

[Surfing Alien]

48 minutes ago, Westy Steve said:

Wow.  I feel like I should be wearing a graduation cap and gown.     Thanks for confirming the grade.

 

I’m starting to gravitate toward the higher grades now that some of the initial urgency of starting a collection has passed. But I’m also noticing that higher grades are a heck of a lot more challenging.  I feel like I’m seeing less of them for sale than I did just a few months ago.   In higher grade material  seems to be going for higher prices. Like there is some kind a flight to quality right now. Still, that’s part of the fun I guess. Trying to find them anyway.

The gentleman who sold the MMM for a strong price that I remarked about a few pages back on here, commented in his most recent auctions that he is at the end of his collection sales, he's been running these sales for 110 weeks! - It was a heck of a vintage pb collection and he received a lot of interest on the scarce & rare stuff. I bought a few books from him but most of it went past my "probably too limited" comfort zone. I wondered at first if it was shilling but he seems an up and up old time collector who just got a lot of followers by listing good stuff consistently every week

There are several active groups on FB with thousands of members and I have to say sales have been pretty steady on feebay for my undercopies  and un-focused books i've been listing. There's also almost always a surge at the end of any auction i'm tracking of something I'd like to snag so there's steady demand. Thankfully the hobby is still scattered enough that I find more bargains than I can afford to buy though, and that's a good thing

 

[jimjum12]

2 hours ago, Surfing Alien said:

The gentleman who sold the MMM for a strong price that I remarked about a few pages back on here, commented in his most recent auctions that he is at the end of his collection sales, he's been running these sales for 110 weeks! - It was a heck of a vintage pb collection and he received a lot of interest on the scarce & rare stuff. I bought a few books from him but most of it went past my "probably too limited" comfort zone. I wondered at first if it was shilling but he seems an up and up old time collector who just got a lot of followers by listing good stuff consistently every week

There are several active groups on FB with thousands of members and I have to say sales have been pretty steady on feebay for my undercopies  and un-focused books i've been listing. There's also almost always a surge at the end of any auction i'm tracking of something I'd like to snag so there's steady demand. Thankfully the hobby is still scattered enough that I find more bargains than I can afford to buy though, and that's a good thing

 

My buddy, Rick, whom I referred to previously, dropped comics as a sideline and switched to Paperbacks and very obscure Men's magazines almost 30 years ago. He was having a lot of luck finding PB's at 50 cents to a dollar each and bragged about how, even then, he would often have several in each auction on eBay "pop" for $ 50 to $ 100. There's been a quiet demand for a long time. I'm not sure if he's still doing it or not, as his wife was ill and needed attention. His eBay handle at one time was Dirt Digga. GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

Edited June 23, 2020 by jimjum12

[Westy Steve]

Ok, this is just cool.  I ran across one of these on ebay.  But I found this lower grade copy for a steal elsewhere.

This one ticks all of the boxes for me. Ticks. Every. Box.

Edit:  I'm getting some great feedback about this book on a Facebook forum.  It might be one of you guys, for all I know.  It ticked a couple more boxes than I realized.  I've learned that this is a period reprint, and was the first book for Nightstand.  (FYI,  are apparently only two other's available for sale on the internet, and they are also reprints.)  Most importantly, Don Elliot is the pen name for Robert Silverberg  

Edited June 28, 2020 by Westy Steve

[OtherEric]

Today's find at the local used book store:

[Surfing Alien]

On 6/27/2020 at 7:02 PM, OtherEric said:

Today's find at the local used book store:

Looks groovy! Bringing counterculture into the genre fiction reminds me somewhat of this beatnik mystery I acquired recently. 

[The-Collector]

On 6/25/2020 at 12:08 AM, Westy Steve said:

Ok, this is just cool.  I ran across one of these on ebay.  But I found this lower grade copy for a steal elsewhere.

This one ticks all of the boxes for me. Ticks. Every. Box.

Edit:  I'm getting some great feedback about this book on a Facebook forum.  It might be one of you guys, for all I know.  It ticked a couple more boxes than I realized.  I've learned that this is a period reprint, and was the first book for Nightstand.  (FYI,  are apparently only two other's available for sale on the internet, and they are also reprints.)  Most importantly, Don Elliot is the pen name for Robert Silverberg  

Oh man I want one! Fits in with my comic collecting themes well. 

[The-Collector]

I was wondering how many people on the boards also collect pulp and paperback art? It seems like we should have a thread devoted to this material. 

Edited June 29, 2020 by The-Collector

[Westy Steve]

28 minutes ago, The-Collector said:

I was wondering how many people on the boards also collect pulp and paperback art? It seems like we should have a thread devoted to this material. 

I would collect either of those if:

(A.) I knew where to get it  (Where are you finding them?)

and

(B.) I could come close to affording one.  (How much are they generally?)

I think I'd sell off some pretty amazing comic books to be able to buy one really nice paperback painted cover for the living room.

 

[Surfing Alien]

4 hours ago, Westy Steve said:

I would collect either of those if:

(A.) I knew where to get it  (Where are you finding them?)

and

(B.) I could come close to affording one.  (How much are they generally?)

I think I'd sell off some pretty amazing comic books to be able to buy one really nice paperback painted cover for the living room.

 

Not too many pulp covers around from what i've read and big bucks when offered, you'd have better luck with interior illos. 

The pb covers come up in fine art arenas sometimes. A lot of scifi covers went for serious coin at the Heritage Crain auction.

[Surfing Alien]

Got some things in.

A different Broadway Virgin, this one with killer headlights and chomping a cigarette. Ecstasy Books are great.

 

Stork Novel #4 with a nice Rodewald cover of a dude & his girl drinking and playing piano. It's the only one without an artist credit in Warren or Hancer guides so they may not've had access. There aren't a ton of them around.

[Randall Dowling]

Nice pickups @Surfing Alien.  I just went through and organized a bunch of my digests.  Should post a group photo.

Just got this little grail in today.  I've underestimated it several times and finally found this sweet copy in very nice shape.  I also have a nice copy of the preview in Man's magazine...

 

[ThothAmon]

8 hours ago, Surfing Alien said:

Looks groovy! Bringing counterculture into the genre fiction reminds me somewhat of this beatnik mystery I acquired recently. 

Great find.  My guess is ole' George Bagby is innocent.

Edited June 29, 2020 by ThothAmon

[The-Collector]

8 hours ago, Westy Steve said:

I would collect either of those if:

(A.) I knew where to get it  (Where are you finding them?)

and

(B.) I could come close to affording one.  (How much are they generally?)

I think I'd sell off some pretty amazing comic books to be able to buy one really nice paperback painted cover for the living room.

 

I think it is difficult. I haven't been able to turn up any pulp covers and have only seen the covers everyone else would have seen come to auction. However, finding paperback covers has been possible. They aren't advertised but if you shake enough trees they are out there. I'm also focused on 70s-90s sci fi so I think this material is a little easier to find than older sci fi, gga, crime, or romance. Though romance covers seem to be very cheap when they are available. 

[Westy Steve]

1 hour ago, The-Collector said:

I think it is difficult. I haven't been able to turn up any pulp covers and have only seen the covers everyone else would have seen come to auction. However, finding paperback covers has been possible. They aren't advertised but if you shake enough trees they are out there. I'm also focused on 70s-90s sci fi so I think this material is a little easier to find than older sci fi, gga, crime, or romance. Though romance covers seem to be very cheap when they are available. 

Yeah I’m a confirmed paperback collector and I’m not really doing pulps.  So I’d be going for paperback art. And honestly sleeves or sleazy romance. So how do you define “very cheap”?

[Surfing Alien]

4 hours ago, Randall Dowling said:

Nice pickups @Surfing Alien.  I just went through and organized a bunch of my digests.  Should post a group photo.

Just got this little grail in today.  I've underestimated it several times and finally found this sweet copy in very nice shape.  I also have a nice copy of the preview in Man's magazine...

 

Classic covers in vintage pb's are not as called out as they are in comics, but I know them when I see them 👍 

[The-Collector]

1 hour ago, Westy Steve said:

Yeah I’m a confirmed paperback collector and I’m not really doing pulps.  So I’d be going for paperback art. And honestly sleeves or sleazy romance. So how do you define “very cheap”?

I have seen several decent images for as little as $250. 

[Surfing Alien]

18 minutes ago, The-Collector said:

I have seen several decent images for as little as $250. 

I would suspect this kind of price might go for a 1990's romance painting with little extra-curricular interest. The slightest whiff of coolness gets into 4 and 5 figures and above imho.

 

[The-Collector]

5 minutes ago, Surfing Alien said:

I would suspect this kind of price might go for a 1990's romance painting with little extra-curricular interest. The slightest whiff of coolness gets into 4 and 5 figures and above imho.

 

That figure is the least I think you could get something decent for. But I don't think there is any need to spend 4 or 5 figures for good images from the 50s and 60s. After a few minutes of looking these are all relatively recent sales from Heritage (where some of the highest prices are realised). I also follow lots of other smaller auction houses where prices are lower. 

[Surfing Alien]

7 hours ago, The-Collector said:

That figure is the least I think you could get something decent for. But I don't think there is any need to spend 4 or 5 figures for good images from the 50s and 60s. After a few minutes of looking these are all relatively recent sales from Heritage (where some of the highest prices are realised). I also follow lots of other smaller auction houses where prices are lower. 

Those are pretty reasonable! Although I'm not sure Steve's wife would let him hang Hell's Girls in the living room

[Surfing Alien]

I don't have any original paperback art but I have a couple of large format original advertisements for vintage Bantam Books hanging outside my mancave. Got them in the early "wild west" days of ebay.