PGM Homer the Happy Ghost #1 (1955 Atlas Comics, Stan Lee, Dan DeCarlo) 0

[Funky Monkey Comics]

What are your thoughts on the grade of this book?  Thanks in advance!

[James J Johnson]

Great paper quality, solid back cover, mostly all the wear appears to be contained to that 1" west of the spine area. Not real damaging to the structure of the book, but too much fracturing to fit the straight mid-grade area, so I'll go 5.0 on it, a 4.5 to 5.0 with that little upward push for Golden age with great colors and quality.

[Funky Monkey Comics]

2 hours ago, James J Johnson said:

Great paper quality, solid back cover, mostly all the wear appears to be contained to that 1" west of the spine area. Not real damaging to the structure of the book, but too much fracturing to fit the straight mid-grade area, so I'll go 5.0 on it, a 4.5 to 5.0 with that little upward push for Golden age with great colors and quality.

Thank you!  I'm still trying to work on my grading skills and I tend to find the lower to mid grades harder to grade for some reason.  

[James J Johnson]

22 minutes ago, Red Beard said:

Thank you!  I'm still trying to work on my grading skills and I tend to find the lower to mid grades harder to grade for some reason.  

It's for good reason. More flaws = more factors for consideration, a tougher read on the whole. A tiny flaw or two, or sound except for a crease or tanning is much easier than factoring the individual degree of each of many flaws, how they cumulatively affect each other and interact with the strengths of the book, which also should be considered. Overstreet always reminded us, "grade a book on it's/a whole", which means all factors, including the strengths as well as the weaknesses. The more factors there are to consider, the more difficult to combine them all to reach a decision.

Edited January 21, 2018 by James J Johnson

[Ahsoka Tano Jedi Apprentice]

it's astounding how great the back looks.....it's a little off centered but i don't know if that affects its grade at all ....does it ?    It's pretty slight.....but i'm sure it can affect desirability for a serious collectors. I would imagine being that slightly off centered would probably have no effect on grade but then again i would think everything comes into play.

p.s.  Newbie being a Newbie

[AJ0605]

4.5

[James J Johnson]

2 hours ago, Ahsoka Tano Jedi Apprentice said:

it's astounding how great the back looks.....it's a little off centered but i don't know if that affects its grade at all ....does it ?    It's pretty slight.....but i'm sure it can affect desirability for a serious collectors. I would imagine being that slightly off centered would probably have no effect on grade but then again i would think everything comes into play.

p.s.  Newbie being a Newbie

OC = not a factor in the technical grade.

[Funky Monkey Comics]

I'm trying to decide if I want to get this book signed by Stan Lee or one of his other books.  I have:

Homer the Happy Ghost #1 (the one in this thread)

Homer the Happy Ghost #13 

Millie the Model #93

A Date With Millie #1

and I'm looking at maybe buying Two Gun Kid #60, but its a beater copy, OR Two Gun Kid #77

What are your all's thoughts on which book to go with?

 

[James J Johnson]

53 minutes ago, Red Beard said:

I'm trying to decide if I want to get this book signed by Stan Lee or one of his other books.  I have:

Homer the Happy Ghost #1 (the one in this thread)

Homer the Happy Ghost #13 

Millie the Model #93

A Date With Millie #1

and I'm looking at maybe buying Two Gun Kid #60, but its a beater copy, OR Two Gun Kid #77

What are your all's thoughts on which book to go with?

 

 

 

 

Homer 13 has that large white area, perfect for a signature, and the condition will make the finished product more attractive.

Millie 93, same deal. Better shape, after having it pressed, and again, the perfect area to the right of the date stamp for a signature = eye appeal.

Forego the ones that are VG or less.

Those are the two that IMO are winners.

[1950's war comics]

Wow that Homer #13 has a perfect white space for Stan to sign 

[Funky Monkey Comics]

49 minutes ago, 1950's war comics said:

Wow that Homer #13 has a perfect white space for Stan to sign 

I know!  I’m really torn between the Homer #13 and the Millie #93.  Both are cool covers and neither have a SS in the census.  There isn’t even a Homer #13 in the census and there is only like 1 or 2 of the Millie #93 in it.  

[James J Johnson]

13 minutes ago, Red Beard said:

I know!  I’m really torn between the Homer #13 and the Millie #93.  Both are cool covers and neither have a SS in the census.  There isn’t even a Homer #13 in the census and there is only like 1 or 2 of the Millie #93 in it.  

Both. Send them both. A winning combination. 

[Funky Monkey Comics]

2 minutes ago, James J Johnson said:

Both. Send them both. A winning combination. 

 don’t know I can afford to get both signed and graded! 

[James J Johnson]

3 minutes ago, Red Beard said:

 don’t know I can afford to get both signed and graded! 

Yes you can. The beauty of both is that the sale of the Millie, after a press before the signature, will subsidize the Homer, a freebie for your collection and a beauty with that large white area Lee signed. You'll be in the red only temporarily. Then about even money with that Homer the profit and icing on the cake!

Edited January 23, 2018 by James J Johnson

[1950's war comics]

Millie #93 has that nice date stamp in the sweet spot already so you don't really need that one signed

[James J Johnson]

16 minutes ago, 1950's war comics said:

Millie #93 has that nice date stamp in the sweet spot already so you don't really need that one signed

I can envision that Millie bringing beaucoup bucks with a neat Sig Series Stan immediately to the right of it. Sadly, and I don't know why they do this, but a lot of people seem to pick busy covers with lots of artwork over the totality of the front cover to get signed. Stan's signature is, at times, illegible, so the added lines of cover art detract from the visual impact of his signature.  That Millie (as does the Homer) affords a pure light, blank field that can be framed off for him to sign and I think the finished slabbed product will bring enough $$$ to totally pay for all expenses laid out for the pair, for the same treatment. The price of the books + the submissions + the postage + the sig series' cost. I think a lot of bidders would jump on that. Lots of action.

Edited January 23, 2018 by James J Johnson

[1950's war comics]

1 minute ago, James J Johnson said:

I can envision that Millie bringing beaucoup bucks with a neat Sig Series Stan immediately to the right of it. Sadly, and I don't know why they do this, but a lot of people seem to pick busy covers with lots of artwork over the totality of the front cover to get signed. Stan's signature is, at times, illegible, so the added lines of cover art detract from the visual impact of his signature.  That Millie (as does the Homer) affords a pure light, blank field that can be framed off for him to sign and I think the finished slabbed product will bring enough $$$ to totally pay for all expenses laid out on the Homer, for the same treatment. The price of the Homer + the submission + the postage + the sig series cost. I think a lot of bidders would jump on that. Lots of action.

You are totally on too something , !! there are lots of threads lamenting the foolishness of getting big value keys like FF #1 signed by stan ,,, many think it actually detracts from the value , the more prudent choice is a comic that presents itself well for a signature !!... comics with perfect placements practically begging for a signature !!

and as you noted, the Homer #!3 and Millie #93 are perfect candidates for those Stan signatures  !!!

Alas he is 95 yrs old and at that age not only is tomorrow not promised ,.... but neither is tonight....

[James J Johnson]

1 minute ago, 1950's war comics said:

 there are lots of threads lamenting the foolishness of getting big value keys like FF #1 signed by stan ,,, many think it actually detracts from the value .

I'm in this group. Especially on the very high dollar books, when the value of the book transcends the value of the signature by an exponential multiple. In that case, it's defacement. IMO, it doesn't matter if Stan Lee or Stan Musial signed it, it's ink, defacing the cover of a high dollar book, and it's as detracting a defect as if an 8 year old kid scrawled his name across the cover or Stan did.

[Funky Monkey Comics]

52 minutes ago, 1950's war comics said:

You are totally on too something , !! there are lots of threads lamenting the foolishness of getting big value keys like FF #1 signed by stan ,,, many think it actually detracts from the value , the more prudent choice is a comic that presents itself well for a signature !!... comics with perfect placements practically begging for a signature !!

and as you noted, the Homer #!3 and Millie #93 are perfect candidates for those Stan signatures  !!!

Alas he is 95 yrs old and at that age not only is tomorrow not promised ,.... but neither is tonight....

This is why I posted this thread here, hoping that I could get some good advice from experienced collectors like yourself and Mr. Johnson!  I may try to get both signed, we'll see.  I didn't think about what you all had mentioned about a good signature placement being better than it being a big key issue.  Although, when I purchased these books one of the first things that crossed my mind is that they would look good signed!  

[Funky Monkey Comics]

54 minutes ago, James J Johnson said:

I'm in this group. Especially on the very high dollar books, when the value of the book transcends the value of the signature by an exponential multiple. In that case, it's defacement. IMO, it doesn't matter if Stan Lee or Stan Musial signed it, it's ink, defacing the cover of a high dollar book, and it's as detracting a defect as if an 8 year old kid scrawled his name across the cover or Stan did.

I was able to get this one prepped tonight.  I had to make the box a little bigger to give him room to sign it.  I don’t want too small of a space to where the signature will be too crunched or that will cause them to take the book out and him signing it somewhere random.  What do you all think of the window size, sufficient or too small?

 

Edited January 23, 2018 by Red Beard
typo