Mask Comics actual pricing 10 10

[The-Collector]

4 hours ago, lou_fine said:

Personally, I feel that any collector would be lucky to have any of these 4 classic cover books in their personal collection.  

Thinking about this reminds me of the time when I was in Geppi's library during the Diamond Int'L Galleries grand opening and saw though the glass the perfect pairing of the Church copies of Mask 1 and Suspense 8 sitting on the top shelf of the mahogany armoire.  Needless to say, they looked absolutely stunning in vibrant black with their usual Church eye-popping colors.  

Only problem was that both of them were apparently already spoken for or previously set aside for other client(s), similar to what supposedly happened with the Allentown copy of Wonderworld 7.  Looks like they went for what would be considered bargain prices today as the CBM magazine indicates the Suspense 8 sold for $2,400 while the Mask 1 went for $2,800; with the Wonderworld 7 lagging far behind at a "steal me" price of only $1,400, or at the exact same price point as all of the other surrounding Allentown copies of Wonderworld #6 - #10.  

Of course, lots of people would like to own both but that is a far cry from concluding that Suspense 8 should appreciate in the same way as Mask 1 and 2 have. I just don't think Suspense 8 is in the same league as the Mask books. But reasonable minds will differ so it isn't an argument we can resolve. 

[The-Collector]

8 hours ago, szav said:

I think Suspense 8 is far superior to both the Masks, though they're all 3 classics.  To each their own.

I'd take you up on that bet with Startling Terror Tales 11 … that's the one not in the same class as the other 3.  It looks like LB Cole took a day off and lazily swiped Suspense 8...and according to the census its far more common, especially in grade.

Sure.

I don't think either Suspense 8 or Startling 11 are drawn particularly well. 

[comicjack]

8 hours ago, szav said:

I think Suspense 8 is far superior to both the Masks, though they're all 3 classics.  To each their own.

I'd take you up on that bet with Startling Terror Tales 11 … that's the one not in the same class as the other 3.  It looks like LB Cole took a day off and lazily swiped Suspense 8...and according to the census its far more common, especially in grade.

Red covers always got attention when looking at a comic rack therefore being more common.Everyone has their own opinion but all those books are great compared to some out there 

[drbanner]

12 hours ago, szav said:

I think Suspense 8 is far superior to both the Masks, though they're all 3 classics. 

+1, and Ernie Gerber agreed. Suspense 8 is my favorite cover.

Edited November 28, 2019 by drbanner

[lou_fine]

16 hours ago, The-Collector said:

Of course, lots of people would like to own both but that is a far cry from concluding that Suspense 8 should appreciate in the same way as Mask 1 and 2 have. I just don't think Suspense 8 is in the same league as the Mask books. But reasonable minds will differ so it isn't an argument we can resolve. 

As you have correctly stated, it would indeed be good to have both a Mask 1 and a Suspense 8 in your personal collection.   

Since you are referring to future price appreciation though, based upon how much wider you would have to open your wallet to acquire a Mask 1 in today's red hot marketplace relative to a Suspense 8, I think your percentage gains going forward for the Suspense 8 might win out in the long run.  Especially if you are talking about acquiring a copy in grade since there are no copies of Suspense 8 currently graded above a CGC 7.5, while there are already quite a few copies of Mask 1 in relatively higher grade although they are all restored copies.  

[lou_fine]

14 hours ago, szav said:

On 11/26/2019 at 2:58 AM, The-Collector said:

In my opinion Suspense 8 is far inferior to either of the Mask books. And I'd bet that Startling Terror 11 has a better chance of exploding than Suspense 8

I think Suspense 8 is far superior to both the Masks, though they're all 3 classics.  To each their own.

I'd take you up on that bet with Startling Terror Tales 11 … that's the one not in the same class as the other 3.  It looks like LB Cole took a day off and lazily swiped Suspense 8...and according to the census its far more common, especially in grade.

+1

I definitely agree with you that all 3 covers are classic and would be a jewel in anybody's collection. 

I also believe the solid black colors on the front covers are what has made it still impossible to find a true HG unrestored copy of any of these 3 books after 20 long years.  

Personally, I prefer the Suspense 8 for the simple reason that I can clearly see it in my mind whenever I think about the book.  With the 2 Mask books, I can't seem to picture them individually in my mind because I find them both to be so similar and still need to actually refer to the PhotoJournal to see which is which.  

As for the Startling Terror Tales 11, you are definitely corrrrect in stating that it is clearly not in the same league as the other 3 books.  Considering the price point which you would have to pay in today's marketplace for a copy of STT 11 , I would much rather go for a book like Witches Tales 12 at a fraction (hopefully ) of the price:

I imagine the only problem would be trying to find a nice copy since the CGC census population report indicates only 11 graded copies to date as compared to 76 unrestored (plus another 9 restored copies) for the Startling Terror Tales 11.  In fact, the one pictured above is the only graded copy showing in the HA archives and that was from way back in 2006.  

[comicjack]

If your not fussy all four can be had before you will never see any at decent prices 

[shortboxed]

1 hour ago, comicjack said:

If your not fussy all four can be had before you will never see any at decent prices 

Case in point 

[comicjack]

30 minutes ago, shortboxed said:

Case in point 

I see we have similar tastes 

[Mmehdy]

1 hour ago, shortboxed said:

Case in point 

SUPER!

[adamstrange]

12 hours ago, comicjack said:

Red covers

[Howling Mad]

6 hours ago, shortboxed said:

Case in point 

Nothing like 4x appreciation inside of a year!

[cbcnow]

On 11/28/2019 at 2:26 PM, shortboxed said:

Case in point 

Wow! Beautiful Books! Congratulations!

[aardvark88]

On 11/28/2019 at 8:34 PM, Howling Mad said:

Nothing like 4x appreciation inside of a year!

The cLink Mask Comics #2 Cgc 1.8 closed at $5,707 compared to another 'classic' horror/torture cover on Mister Mystery #6 Cgc 5.0 CVA Exceptional that closed at $3,067.

[Howling Mad]

Which is insane, but hey, people can spend their money the way they see fit. That's going to be an awful big bubble.

[comicjack]

Mask 2 seems to be catching Mask 1 in view of these auctions 

[thehumantorch]

20 hours ago, Howling Mad said:

Which is insane, but hey, people can spend their money the way they see fit. That's going to be an awful big bubble.

I don't think it's a bubble.  We've seen a trend of valuing classic covers higher and I believe it will continue.

[comicjack]

22 minutes ago, thehumantorch said:

I don't think it's a bubble.  We've seen a trend of valuing classic covers higher and I believe it will continue.

Let's hope so 

[adamstrange]

1 hour ago, thehumantorch said:

I don't think it's a bubble.  We've seen a trend of valuing classic covers higher and I believe it will continue.

Mask 2 is not a recently "discovered" classic but one with a long history of collector interest.

[aardvark88]

15 hours ago, adamstrange said:

Mask 2 is not a recently "discovered" classic but one with a long history of collector interest.

+1. If I recall, I think Mask #2 made it onto the cover of Gerber's G.A. Photojournal volume 1 while Mask #1 had to wait until volume 2 to make the cover or back cover.