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n2wdw's Tales of the Comic Book Room
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1,370 posts in this topic

35 minutes ago, Patriot6 said:

n2wdw,

Here's a few questions for you:

How often do you upgrade books in your collection that you value?

If/When you do, how do you manage your under copies? Do you hoard them? Move them along? If so how?

I find I keep building a bigger, better collection, but not bigger in a good way since I end up with triplicates a lot of the time. 

I don't often upgrade. Since I have a big want list, I prefer to get more comics than better comics.  Having said that, I have a few under copies.  Someday I'll try to sell them.  I think you have to have the time to do that, what with having to ship stuff and deal with potentially unhappy customers.  Maybe when I retire I'll get into it, and probably then it'll be fun to flip comics.

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1 hour ago, n2wdw said:

I don't often upgrade. Since I have a big want list, I prefer to get more comics than better comics.  Having said that, I have a few under copies.  Someday I'll try to sell them.  I think you have to have the time to do that, what with having to ship stuff and deal with potentially unhappy customers.  Maybe when I retire I'll get into it, and probably then it'll be fun to flip comics.

Haha, sounds familiar.

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18 hours ago, n2wdw said:

I couldn't believe how high this sold for (about a week ago on eBay).  My max bid was $110 and I thought I had a pretty good chance at getting it, depending on who else was looking at the time.  But it closed at $787!    Holy cow.

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I was watching this one. One of the last ones I need to complete the series, but a little higher grade than I want in auction for scanning.  From the bidding it looks like two people just bid really high to take care of any mid-grade snipers. It is in great shape though too. First one I have seen for sale. 

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On ‎11‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 9:32 AM, n2wdw said:

I couldn't believe how high this sold for (about a week ago on eBay).  My max bid was $110 and I thought I had a pretty good chance at getting it, depending on who else was looking at the time.  But it closed at $787!    Holy cow.

s-l1600.thumb.jpg.92bea5bfcf87d79d4c07bcd31317f835.jpg

I felt the same way - my high bid was around the same place as yours.  These early Charlton romances seem to be a little tough to find, especially in such nice shape, but that final amount blew my mind.  Hopefully I'll stumble across a nice, lowly 2.0 copy for a fraction of the price somewhere along the way....

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I wrote about how I lost out on True Life Secrets 3.  My max bid was $110 and it closed at a stunning $787.

The same seller had a couple of other high grade GA comics that closed today.  The first was Broadway Romances 1.  I upped my max bid to $220.  Again I lost as it closed at $260.

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The final book was Untamed Love 1. The 3 best issues of this title are 1-3.  I already had 2 and 3 and I've been looking for a #1.  So I really wanted this book.  I decided to up my max bid to $400.   In my opinion, Untamed Love 1 is more valuable than True Life Secrets 3, but there's only so much I'm willing to spend, so it if went for $787 (like the True Life Secrets), then so be it.  But as it turns out, I got Untamed for $330. 

In retrospect, I'm happy with what I paid to get Untamed Love.  I wish I was a bit more aggressive with Broadway Romances.  And I'll just have to keep my eyes open for another more reasonable copy of True Life Secrets 3.

Thanks for reading.

2.thumb.jpg.d573ef88b925acc00b760a8820378a5e.jpg

 

Edited by n2wdw
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4 minutes ago, n2wdw said:

I wrote about how I lost out on True Life Secrets 3.  My max bid was $110 and it closed at a stunning $787.

The same seller had a couple of other high grade GA comics that closed today.  The first was Broadway Romances 1.  I upped my max bid to $220.  Again I lost as it closed at $260.

s-l1600.thumb.jpg.d5dd3cc86bf05b6667aa32275e6947d8.jpg

 

The final book was Untamed Love 1. The 3 best issues of this title are 1-3.  I already had 2 and 3 and I've been looking for a #1.  So I really wanted this book.  I decided to up my max bid to $400.   In my opinion, Untamed Love 1 is more valuable than True Life Secrets 3, but there's only so much I'm willing to spend, so it if went for $787 (like the True Life Secrets), then so be it.  But as it turns out, I got Untamed for $330. 

In retrospect, I'm happy with what I paid to get Untamed Love.  I wish I was a bit more aggressive with Broadway Romances.  And I'll just have to keep my eyes open for another more reasonable copy of True Life Secrets 3.

Thanks for reading.

2.thumb.jpg.d573ef88b925acc00b760a8820378a5e.jpg

 

There's just nothing quite like Bill Ward romance...… IMHO one of the best bargains going right now. GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)(thumbsu

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On 10/21/2018 at 1:42 PM, n2wdw said:
On 10/13/2018 at 12:27 PM, Robot Man said:

Nice one Mike and so tough. Here is another Baker digest western.

comslashdoublecross.jpg

I didn't know about this comic (didn't have it on my Baker list).  Is this an accepted Baker cover?

It didn't make The Art of Glamour checklist, but that guy sure looks like Baker to me.  Either Baker drew the cover, or somebody did a good job of aping his style, or somebody ripped off a panel from one of his St John westerns.  I'm pretty sure I picked up a copy at some point, although I don't seem to have entered into my Baker spreadsheet. 

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On 11/9/2018 at 7:39 AM, n2wdw said:
On 11/8/2018 at 8:02 PM, walclark said:

With everything dropping in grade, you’re going to save a ton of money in grading fees.  Good call on the Sheena.

That's exactly my thinking.  With the current crossover promotion, if the grade drops, the re-grading and putting in the CGC slab is only $10.

I've sent off three batches.  The first I dropped off at NYCC.  I think that was within a day or two of when they started offering the service.  For that batch I didn't get the e-mail giving estimates of what the grades might be--they just went ahead and graded them, which is what I expected they would do.  The grades were either at the original grade or a half-point to a point lower and all of the pq was the same as the original pq or worse.

The worst outcome come was a 9.8 White copy of If the Devil Would Talk (1958 edition,) which came back as a 9.4 White, thereby wiping out about two-thirds of its value. :tonofbricks:

For the second batch, I did the get e-mails with suggestions about pressing.  

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On 11/17/2018 at 7:33 PM, jimjum12 said:

There's just nothing quite like Bill Ward romance...… IMHO one of the best bargains going right now. GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)(thumbsu

Lately I've been buying old humor mags with Ward strips.  The price depends on the number of Ward panels in the mag.  His art is truly amazing.  Here's one I just got off eBay (with 11 Ward panels!).

350415986_PhotoScan(24).thumb.jpg.6374279209d8ba644108266298be9805.jpg785920385_PhotoScan(30).thumb.jpg.48a5d91e8872352b79aaf248d89cd337.jpg1007351781_PhotoScan(32).thumb.jpg.b52a3b30f14f7bf3e081c32b555829a5.jpg1726300732_PhotoScan(33).thumb.jpg.d7156b8f8e363f39898f081f3b09c6dc.jpg1340034174_PhotoScan(34).thumb.jpg.ef945a2895c0421101f269d8a72990c4.jpg1304597637_PhotoScan(35).thumb.jpg.07c6a136b3b0da748cd8eeb2fda56188.jpg1091209357_PhotoScan(36).thumb.jpg.8e249ded602da88e69a9fbf996b8c910.jpg125974178_PhotoScan(25).thumb.jpg.e661a92fadbf51ceebbb518632860b4d.jpg85981869_PhotoScan(26).thumb.jpg.33a9636148d1e903c378d7bfe873c0fa.jpg1108237697_PhotoScan(27).thumb.jpg.4265e3aecb03c176575d42c2bd88a4af.jpg774958666_PhotoScan(28).thumb.jpg.dd4cd2236035d8002e794745bb8c0321.jpg1632218284_PhotoScan(29).thumb.jpg.ed3ed6c925401c68d8bbfa83578ce7d3.jpg

 

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3 hours ago, n2wdw said:

Lately I've been buying old humor mags with Ward strips.  The price depends on the number of Ward panels in the mag.  His art is truly amazing.  Here's one I just got off eBay (with 11 Ward panels!).

350415986_PhotoScan(24).thumb.jpg.6374279209d8ba644108266298be9805.jpg785920385_PhotoScan(30).thumb.jpg.48a5d91e8872352b79aaf248d89cd337.jpg1007351781_PhotoScan(32).thumb.jpg.b52a3b30f14f7bf3e081c32b555829a5.jpg1726300732_PhotoScan(33).thumb.jpg.d7156b8f8e363f39898f081f3b09c6dc.jpg1340034174_PhotoScan(34).thumb.jpg.ef945a2895c0421101f269d8a72990c4.jpg1304597637_PhotoScan(35).thumb.jpg.07c6a136b3b0da748cd8eeb2fda56188.jpg1091209357_PhotoScan(36).thumb.jpg.8e249ded602da88e69a9fbf996b8c910.jpg125974178_PhotoScan(25).thumb.jpg.e661a92fadbf51ceebbb518632860b4d.jpg85981869_PhotoScan(26).thumb.jpg.33a9636148d1e903c378d7bfe873c0fa.jpg1108237697_PhotoScan(27).thumb.jpg.4265e3aecb03c176575d42c2bd88a4af.jpg774958666_PhotoScan(28).thumb.jpg.dd4cd2236035d8002e794745bb8c0321.jpg1632218284_PhotoScan(29).thumb.jpg.ed3ed6c925401c68d8bbfa83578ce7d3.jpg

 

Ward's artwork simply defies gravity. Great examples!

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On 11/19/2018 at 6:02 PM, Sqeggs said:

I've sent off three batches.  The first I dropped off at NYCC.  I think that was within a day or two of when they started offering the service.  For that batch I didn't get the e-mail giving estimates of what the grades might be--they just went ahead and graded them, which is what I expected they would do.  The grades were either at the original grade or a half-point to a point lower and all of the pq was the same as the original pq or worse.

The worst outcome come was a 9.8 White copy of If the Devil Would Talk (1958 edition,) which came back as a 9.4 White, thereby wiping out about two-thirds of its value. :tonofbricks:

For the second batch, I did the get e-mails with suggestions about pressing.  

That's too bad about Devil.  If it started out PGX, then it was worth it.  If CBCS, then that would have been a hard choice.  Although it's hard to imagine CBCS and CGC would be that big a spread.

I've found CGC to be offering great customer service with its crossover program.  They sent me the email within a week of me sending in the books.  One book I decided not to regrade, and they immediately shipped that back to me.

Since I've sent my crossovers in, I've picked up this CBCS Millie.  I wonder how long CGC will be running their current crossover promotion?  As I'd like to send this book in but I want to send a few rather than just one.

1743248286_MillietheModel7CBCS6_0214.thumb.JPG.abc27b4023d194feb3889e5211cf4042.JPG

 

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I've never deslabbed a 9.8 and probably never will ….. the grade drop could easily come from one slight bend after or during removal. The way my luck runs, I wouldn't trust anyone else either... but that's just me. If it were 9.4 or less I'd probably give it a whirl, as they do have experience..... but a 9.8 ?..... no way. GOD BLESS....

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)(thumbsu

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6 minutes ago, jimjum12 said:

I've never deslabbed a 9.8 and probably never will ….. the grade drop could easily come from one slight bend after or during removal. The way my luck runs, I wouldn't trust anyone else either... but that's just me. If it were 9.4 or less I'd probably give it a whirl, as they do have experience..... but a 9.8 ?..... no way. GOD BLESS....

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)(thumbsu

Yeah, the book I decided not to have graded and got returned was this 9.9, because CGC estimated it could drop to 9.6.  But I think it depends on the company.  If it was a PGX 9.8, I'd probably have it re-graded.  CBCS, probably not.  But I didn't have to grapple with that decision as none of the books I sent in under the crossover program were high grade (other than this Spawn).

1615683798_Spawn9GermanEGS9_999.jpg.9b0d7d9a31c6644f89b8cb4d60fe3756.jpg

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3 minutes ago, n2wdw said:

Yeah, the book I decided not to have graded and got returned was this 9.9, because CGC estimated it could drop to 9.6.  But I think it depends on the company.  If it was a PGX 9.8, I'd probably have it re-graded.  CBCS, probably not.  But I didn't have to grapple with that decision as none of the books I sent in under the crossover program were high grade (other than this Spawn).

1615683798_Spawn9GermanEGS9_999.jpg.9b0d7d9a31c6644f89b8cb4d60fe3756.jpg

It's a beautiful book..... but for me, grades of 9.8 and up weigh too heavily on semantics and human perception to be totally valid. Unless they're spending an hour going over the book, which wouldn't be cost effective, those miniscule differences that would separate those tiers are a bit too nebulous to satisfy me. I'm not sure a human being, without the aid of delicate technology, is even capable of distinguishing a 10.0 from something less. That being said, I've seen some sharp 9.8's and I've also seen some real head scratchers. GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)(thumbsu

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Oh.... I almost forgot to mention..... I'm mad at you now. 

Because of you, I've started liking Lady Mechanica … as if I can afford to like something new :tonofbricks:

I know how busy you are, but if you get a second, I would love any recommendations on hardcover collections that are especially seminal. GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)(thumbsu

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1 hour ago, jimjum12 said:

I've never deslabbed a 9.8 and probably never will ….. the grade drop could easily come from one slight bend after or during removal. The way my luck runs, I wouldn't trust anyone else either... but that's just me. If it were 9.4 or less I'd probably give it a whirl, as they do have experience..... but a 9.8 ?..... no way. GOD BLESS....

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)(thumbsu

It was CBCS and I thought about it before deciding to include it in the batch that I dropped off ay NYCC.  Because it was graded very early on, when we now know that CBCS was consistently overgrading, I thought the chance of its holding the 9.8 grade was low.  But I figured that I'd like to know what I have even if I don't have plans to sell it.

Because I dropped the books off right when CGC first made the crossover offer, it was before they began sending the e-mails with estimates of the grades.  So, I didn't have their thoughts on how the grade might turn out before they graded it.  Wouldn't have changed my mind, though.

Worth mentioning, I guess, that it's possible that CBCS is correctly grading--according to some criteria (Overstreet? Traditional hobby norms?)--and CGC is grading too tight.  But for better or worse, these days CGC is the hobby's standard.  

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1 hour ago, Sqeggs said:

It was CBCS and I thought about it before deciding to include it in the batch that I dropped off ay NYCC.  Because it was graded very early on, when we now know that CBCS was consistently overgrading, I thought the chance of its holding the 9.8 grade was low.  But I figured that I'd like to know what I have even if I don't have plans to sell it.

Because I dropped the books off right when CGC first made the crossover offer, it was before they began sending the e-mails with estimates of the grades.  So, I didn't have their thoughts on how the grade might turn out before they graded it.  Wouldn't have changed my mind, though.

Worth mentioning, I guess, that it's possible that CBCS is correctly grading--according to some criteria (Overstreet? Traditional hobby norms?)--and CGC is grading too tight.  But for better or worse, these days CGC is the hobby's standard.  

I certainly don't fault you for it, brother ….. and a book in 9.4 and up is something I'd be uncomfortable owning raw ….. I think it's pretty cool of you to take the time to share your experiences in this regard....  My slabbing experiences are few.... but I experienced some major disappointments(… as a buyer) with CBCS's grading in the beginning..... they seemed like they were trying to capitalize on their previous reputation and drum up business by handing out gift grades... which was the absolute worse thing they could have done. Things would have played out much differently had they graded tightly out of the gate. Trust me, I think VERY highly about Steve and West.... but what could have been an easy birdie  has turned into one hell of a sand trap now. Personally, I'm confused about the psychology behind CGC's crossover program.... and believe me, it is there...… I guess for now, ignorance will have to be bliss for me. GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)(thumbsu

Edited by jimjum12
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