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Inherited collection of Silver Age comics...
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48 posts in this topic

1 hour ago, Robot Man said:

Anybody willing to suggest good dealers for this guy to contact? Storms is right up on the list. I would also suggest Richard Evans at Bedrock City. Always very honest and fair in my book. Who else?

HELP, I NEED AN ADULT!! 
Kidding, everyone has been very helpful 😁

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People may disagree with my advice, but I think your on the right path. Identify the keys and get them slabbed.

As for the rest,  I would put together nice runs and sell them on Ebay. No reserve,  take good pictures, be honest and let the market decide.  It's, quick and efficient. The biggest hassel is shipping. 

Or you can take my approach and become emotionally attached to them in a way that makes your wife feel uncomfortable, never sell them and day dream about converting your attic into a "comic book museum." 

 

Edited by KCOComics
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20 hours ago, KCOComics said:

Or you can take my approach and become emotionally attached to them in a way that makes your wife feel uncomfortable, never sell them and day dream about converting your attic into a "come book museum." 

 

Hands down the most solid advice I’ve received here. Thank you, sir. 

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On 12/20/2019 at 12:49 PM, Cherami said:

These comics had been sitting in stacks for decades until very recently. I’ve begun the process of bagging/boarding the more valuable ones, but need to reorder supplies. Some of the older ones like Action Comics 242/252 don’t seem to fit into the Silver Age stuff, they appear to be a bit too wide? Is there an alternative? Also need to find something that fits the annuals etc. 

Yes, the size of comic has been shrinking over the years.  You'll need to look for Golden Age bags and boards for books like Action 242.  I'd also suggest you use halfbacks or fullbacks for boards for the most valuable books.  Doesn't make sense to save a few pennies for books that are worth thousands.

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Just now, thehumantorch said:

Yes, the size of comic has been shrinking over the years.  You'll need to look for Golden Age bags and boards for books like Action 242.  I'd also suggest you use halfbacks or fullbacks for boards for the most valuable books.  Doesn't make sense to save a few pennies for books that are worth thousands.

Awesome, thank you!

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On 12/20/2019 at 12:49 PM, Cherami said:

Thank you for the response! 
 

These comics had been sitting in stacks for decades until very recently. I’ve begun the process of bagging/boarding the more valuable ones, but need to reorder supplies. Some of the older ones like Action Comics 242/252 don’t seem to fit into the Silver Age stuff, they appear to be a bit too wide? Is there an alternative? Also need to find something that fits the annuals etc. 
 

I have seen Bob’s name in the forums as well and have checked out his website. It’s at the top of my list. I was planning on trying to do the most important ones individually (or however made sense to maximize value), and then possibly selling the rest of them possibly in bulk. Just trying to gauge what the cut off for what I consider the important/valuable ones and come up with a list so I can get necessary scans/images of all of those first. 
 

If the issues with the comics are pretty similar to the ones I’ve posted... do I plan on pressing every one I get graded? Are there any situations in which I should not plan on pressing them?
 

I’ve done a decent amount of research that I’ve put into spreadsheets in the last few weeks and I think I have a pretty solid idea of which ones are the “keys”. Right now I have them all sorted by title in numerical order. Am I better off pulling out all the keys and submitting those to someone like Bob as a group, or is it better to sell runs of the same title?

 

The grading is really the tricky part, because it definitely seems like something that just takes practice and experience, which comes with time. You guys definitely notice things that I don’t, and the order you prioritize them in is interesting. People posting their official CGC grades on the “Hey Buddy...” forum is extremely helpful, and I’ll be sure to add mine whenever I receive them in case it helps anyone else.  
 

Thank you for your help!

I'm sorry for your loss but if someone's gotta die, getting their cool comic collection is pretty cool.  I can tell you that many of us would be tempted to off our own mother if she had a collection like this..... unfortunately my mom just has bags of wool (you guessed it, she's still kicking).

Seriously, you're posts are very reasonable and intelligent and you're taking the time to figure out a very difficult and confusing hobby.  Even if you end up selling these books through a dealer or auction house having a handle on values, grading, pressing and the hobby in general will help you avoid making mistakes and not getting fair value.

Learn everything you can about pressing and cleaning.  Realize that their are books that can greatly increase in value, exponentially, if they have defects that will respond to pressing.

The keys are easy to sell.  Problem is that if you sell off the keys you'll find it tougher to sell the bulk.  It's important to recognize that if you sell your collection to a dealer or consign them to an auction house they will have to make money for their efforts and expertise.

Off the top of my head the dealers I'd trust are Bob Storms or Greg Reece and the auction sites I'd consider are Mycomicshop, Heritage and comiclink.

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On 12/23/2019 at 11:31 PM, thehumantorch said:

I'm sorry for your loss but if someone's gotta die, getting their cool comic collection is pretty cool.  I can tell you that many of us would be tempted to off our own mother if she had a collection like this..... unfortunately my mom just has bags of wool (you guessed it, she's still kicking).

Seriously, you're posts are very reasonable and intelligent and you're taking the time to figure out a very difficult and confusing hobby.  Even if you end up selling these books through a dealer or auction house having a handle on values, grading, pressing and the hobby in general will help you avoid making mistakes and not getting fair value.

Learn everything you can about pressing and cleaning.  Realize that their are books that can greatly increase in value, exponentially, if they have defects that will respond to pressing.

The keys are easy to sell.  Problem is that if you sell off the keys you'll find it tougher to sell the bulk.  It's important to recognize that if you sell your collection to a dealer or consign them to an auction house they will have to make money for their efforts and expertise.

Off the top of my head the dealers I'd trust are Bob Storms or Greg Reece and the auction sites I'd consider are Mycomicshop, Heritage and comiclink.

Appreciate the advice... trying to do some research on defects that benefit from pressing. I have a lot to learn. 
 

Seems logical that no one will want to low end stuff if all the keys are gone. I’m not sure I want to spend the next ten years on eBay selling one issue of Howard the duck for $2.59 at a time. 

My condolences re: your mother’s bags of wool 😜

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I've seen scans of a lot of these books and the primary problem with them is the tanning on either the front or the back covers of the bulk of them due to inadequate storage. In many cases it's severe and has gone a bit farther causing deterioration of the actual paper quality. In those instances, pressing is not going to help. Some of the books will benefit from cleaning. Pressing will help books with Spine rolls and creases that are not causing major color breaks.  In some cases, spine deterioration is severe enough to potentially cause trouble in the pressing process.  Most of your silver age books are in admirable condition with the exception of the tanning.  It really requires a hands on inspection. It is a very nice collection indeed. 

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So what happened?

Did we see any nice pics of the 'key' books? (yes I know there are a few in 1st post but he had over 2000 to go through yet...)

Who was the lucky dealer who got the books?

Enquiring minds and all that....

Edited by Beige
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11 hours ago, Beige said:

So what happened?

Did we see any nice pics of the 'key' books? (yes I know there are a few in 1st post but he had over 2000 to go through yet...)

Who was the lucky dealer who got the books?

Enquiring minds and all that....

S/he's posted at least a dozen in the PGM sub-forum.

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On 2/6/2020 at 7:42 AM, theCapraAegagrus said:

S/he's posted at least a dozen in the PGM sub-forum.

She abruptly vanished on Dec 31st. She had virtually thousands of comics to sort through and grade. Perhaps she'll return someday.  i Saw a lot of photos of the books and had a list of the titles in GA and SA most of which were keys. Sadly, it was a textbook study of how not to store comics. 

Edited by Glassman10
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Thank you Cherami for your initial post and to all those replied with helpful suggestions on how to manage an inherited comic collection.  
Cherami took my thoughts right out of my mind and couldn't have said it better. I am an old Newbie in a similar boat.  
I inherited my older brother's collection of 1950's comics which unfortunately are in bad shape.  And somehow I have been able to hold on to my collection of early to mid-1960s comics through the many house moves over the years. 
These comics may or may not have any value.  But were well loved; read and re-read with buddies and family, after school and on rainy Saturday afternoons.  They hold precious memories of good times in the neighborhood. 
So now in the process of downsizing and have come to this website for help.  From what I read it looks like I have some work ahead of me. But it will be enjoyable work, flipping through pages of my youth.
I am truly impressed at the breadth and depth of knowledge that is shared on these pages.  And the willingness and kindness of complete strangers to help those in need of direction.
Thank you, much appreciated!
 

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