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

[moonpool]

 The most I've paid for a paperback in 30 years is $350,  so it's been a cost effective hobby.  Most American paperbacks can be found, especially the bigger publishers.  There are exceptions of course (Dell crosswords 1 and 2), but most can be had eventually in some condition.   The British, Australian, and to some extent Canadian are a lot harder to find in any shape. 

[Hepcat]

On 12/2/2019 at 11:50 PM, PopKulture said:

They're space wasters, but I'm hooked. I figure 50 or so boxes take up the space of nearly 1000 comics, so you really have to be a devotee. I also collect space-wasting pop bottles and other junque, so space is always at a premium, and display space even more so.   

I collect local pop and half-pint and quarter-pint milk bottles as well!

[OtherEric]

1 hour ago, moonpool said:

 The most I've paid for a paperback in 30 years is $350,  so it's been a cost effective hobby.  Most American paperbacks can be found, especially the bigger publishers.  There are exceptions of course (Dell crosswords 1 and 2), but most can be had eventually in some condition.   The British, Australian, and to some extent Canadian are a lot harder to find in any shape. 

I think the most I've ever paid for a Paperback was $100, earlier this year.  And while I don't think it's the most valuable or hardest to find any more, I would say it's the paperback most famous for being hard to find and valuable...

(My apologies for showing this again if you're bored with it, it's one of those books I'm so amazed I have I have to show it off periodically.  That need will diminish (but not disappear) with a little more time.)

[Westy Steve]

1 hour ago, OtherEric said:

I think the most I've ever paid for a Paperback was $100, earlier this year.  And while I don't think it's the most valuable or hardest to find any more, I would say it's the paperback most famous for being hard to find and valuable...

(My apologies for showing this again if you're bored with it, it's one of those books I'm so amazed I have I have to show it off periodically.  That need will diminish (but not disappear) with a little more time.)

 

Love that!  If you don't repost it, how can we learn what's good?

Man, this stuff is addictive.  I pulled the trigger on a couple more items.  I'll save those for later, but they give me pride of ownership...maybe that's what I should be looking for.

[Robot Man]

4 hours ago, Westy Steve said:

Love that!  If you don't repost it, how can we learn what's good?

Man, this stuff is addictive.  I pulled the trigger on a couple more items.  I'll save those for later, but they give me pride of ownership...maybe that's what I should be looking for.

What's good is what you like. I think you are putting too much thought into it. Most PB's are pretty cheap and going to stay that way. Buy what you like!

I like these.

[PopKulture]

11 hours ago, Surfing Alien said:

That's an incredible copy if it's yours. I've never had a nice one. I'm pretty sure that one was a pulp cover also, as many of the Popular Library mystery's were.

Yeah, I got lucky on that one. I'm mostly content with gently-used copies, but some books just "pop" in better condition, especially those deep backgrounds. 

All this talk about paperbacks has me excited to dig through my mostly-buried Avon boxes. I love the later pulpy books, but I also find those books numbered in the 50 to 100-ish range visually undeniable. 

Edited December 6, 2019 by PopKulture

[PopKulture]

A few mapbacks (with some flattering cropping):

 

 

[PopKulture]

One of my favorite genres - hillbilly romance!  

 

[PopKulture]

Last three - the covers changed with the times, and books like these from the mid to late-50's seem to me like something Saul Bass would have had a hand in if Otto Preminger was the art director:

Edited December 6, 2019 by PopKulture

[Westy Steve]

 That Agatha Christie book is amazing! Having looked at a bunch of pictures of different books over the last couple of weeks I’ve noticed most covers show murder in the form of a dead body. Fewer still show the murder victim about to be grabbed or murdered. That one actually shows the murder in progress Do we have a term for these kind of books? Should I trade mark “MIP” cover? (Murder in progress)

[PopKulture]

15 minutes ago, Westy Steve said:

 That Agatha Christie book is amazing! Having looked at a bunch of pictures of different books over the last couple of weeks I’ve noticed most covers show murder in the form of a dead body. Fewer still show the murder victim about to be grabbed or murdered. That one actually shows the murder in progress Do we have a term for these kind of books? Should I trade mark “MIP” cover? (Murder in progress)

I'm down for MIP. Errr... at least the term.

 There's a slew Popular Library books that show a woman being strangled, and, if I recall correctly, she has the same sway-back on most of the covers. That would make an interesting sub-set...  

Edited December 6, 2019 by PopKulture

[n2wdw]

On 12/2/2019 at 11:50 PM, PopKulture said:

They're space wasters, but I'm hooked. I figure 50 or so boxes take up the space of nearly 1000 comics, so you really have to be a devotee. I also collect space-wasting pop bottles and other junque, so space is always at a premium, and display space even more so.   

I get you.  In addition to comics, I collect wine.  I had to build a temperature controlled addition to my house to store my 1800 bottles. (It's the tower on the right.)

 

 

[PopKulture]

1 hour ago, n2wdw said:

I get you.  In addition to comics, I collect wine.  I had to build a temperature controlled addition to my house to store my 1800 bottles. (It's the tower on the right.)

That tower rocks!! But you did lose a nice spot for your hot tub it looks like... 

Now where did I put my bottle of 1787 Chateau Lafite?

[OtherEric]

A couple random pickups found in the wild today. 

[Randall Dowling]

9 hours ago, n2wdw said:

I get you.  In addition to comics, I collect wine.  I had to build a temperature controlled addition to my house to store my 1800 bottles. (It's the tower on the right.)

Very easy to get addicted to good wine.  I had a bunch of clients introduce me to various bottles of excellent grape juice.  Pretty soon you find yourself chasing around the country for the last available bottle of single vineyard Malbec...

[Surfing Alien]

Some vintage Avons in the mail this week - Ward Greene was an author and manager at King Features Syndicate who wrote Alex Raymond's Rip Kirby strip for many years among others. Ann Cantor chose to paint a classic bondage cover for this 1949 Avon paperback.

Gladiator is an earlier version of the Superman character, born with super strength, skin and speed who fights the Germans in WW 1. The cover is uncredited but a classic for sure

[Surfing Alien]

Some minty fresh Avons from the early 50's "lamination" period. Lamination presents its own preservation issues. The Avons are pretty good at holding tight, i've had more difficulty with Pocket Books laminate peeling and shredding.

Here we have an old hag with a gun - and a nobody of a guy who is the only fertile male on earth. Could be tiresome

[n2wdw]

On 12/6/2019 at 7:35 PM, Randall Dowling said:

Very easy to get addicted to good wine.  I had a bunch of clients introduce me to various bottles of excellent grape juice.  Pretty soon you find yourself chasing around the country for the last available bottle of single vineyard Malbec...

Yep.  That's my life.  And I go through phases of spending money on comics, and then on wine.  I actually find wine easier to flip.  I don't have the emotional attachment as much to wine as my comics (and pulps, toys, etc).

[Pat Calhoun]

more Philip Wylie

[frozentundraguy]

The flips sides of Vulcan's Hammer and Solar Lottery.