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Have Pulps become the next “big thing”?
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75 posts in this topic

12 minutes ago, comicginger1789 said:

I mean would I pay $10-20 for a pulp with a cool cover? Sure. But that would be the high end for me. I can never see myself spending more because I’d rather spend that on comics. We might see certain covers that are horror or headlights or sci fi related go up a but but I can’t see it becoming a booming market. 

Does anyone have a VF copy of a pulp from the 30s or 40s? Every copy I’ve ever seen is 2.0-5.0 at best. Then again I don’t see many cuz they aren’t really on the radar.

I paid $125. for this at a show just a few days before the world got shut down. I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough. I've said it a million times, what would this go for if it were a comic book?

pulpterrortales7:39.jpg

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2 hours ago, MrBedrock said:

....and a lunch.

I got your slabbed pulps right here.

Those brittle books with overhangs the rest of you'all are talking about?  You think graders will uncurl those nasty azz wraps so as to count 180+ pages and make sure no cutouts?  And then, what - include the pieces that fall off inside the slab?

It took 2 years for Matt to get back to me about the possibility of slabbing little sci-fi digests.  Two years.

NEVER HAPPEN

 

image.thumb.jpeg.3167fb0fa15ee2c1532f2341cb6f5f95.jpeg

 

image.thumb.jpeg.20e87722f5fe40cfd134f9e5e41cf2e2.jpeg

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54 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

I paid $125. for this at a show just a few days before the world got shut down. I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough. I've said it a million times, what would this go for if it were a comic book?

pulpterrortales7:39.jpg

Your eyes are drawn to the blades lol

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3 minutes ago, Dr. Love said:

I got your slabbed pulps right here.

Those brittle books with overhangs the rest of you'all are talking about?  You think graders will uncurl those nasty azz wraps so as to count 180+ pages and make sure no cutouts?  And then, what - include the pieces that fall off inside the slab?

It took 2 years for Matt to get back to me about the possibility of slabbing little sci-fi digests.  Two years.

NEVER HAPPEN

 

image.thumb.jpeg.3167fb0fa15ee2c1532f2341cb6f5f95.jpeg

 

image.thumb.jpeg.20e87722f5fe40cfd134f9e5e41cf2e2.jpeg

Those are pulps!

Graded!

You owe me lunch and coffee!!!

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2 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

It started with the eyes...

Funny, a guy put it back because of the little piece out of the bottom right corner, really?  :roflmao:

I'd take that cover anyway or how (thumbsu

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16 hours ago, aardvark88 said:

The pulp slabbing page counter will get a lot of overtime. Won't SCS be a major problem with pulps due to the original overhang or will trimming of pulp covers be accepted and get the Blue label to fit in the plastic tomb better B|?

The problem with pulp-trimming is that most people are amateurs about it... uneven raggedy trims, disgusting.  But trimming if done by a professional... that's a thing of beauty!  And once trimmed, no issues with slabbing.  As a professional, I will soon be offering my trimming services to the pulp community.  I predict this will be as received as warmly as when I announce that first pulp guide back in 2001!  Fees will be reasonable at first, though ultimately I will have to charge a percentage of retail for higher-end issues.  Because Dwight and others will be sending me so many pulps in the coming weeks, be aware there may be significant turn-around delays.  As a side note -- I am the only professional pulp-trimmer who has patented his own specialized cutter (see below).  Thanks! 

image.png

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I am obviously not one to get books graded and slabbed. I own a small pile of slabs though. 

But, correct me if I am wrong, but aren’t books in the newer slabs held in by pressure? If they are tight in the slab, I wouldn’t think this would be a problem. I guess they could shift. 

Counting pages (other than pulps having more of them) should not be a problem. I do it on every one I get. Takes a little more time than a comic but not much.

How would pricing occur? There are no guides (other than Bookery), no GPA and real spotty sales. 

I predict they will figure it out. Enough money out there and they will want a piece of it. Possibly, the “other guys” will jump in. 

Edited by Robot Man
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1 hour ago, Robot Man said:

I am obviously not one to get books graded and slabbed. I own a small pile of slabs though. 

But, correct me if I am wrong, but aren’t books in the newer slabs held in by pressure? If they are tight in the slab, I wouldn’t think this would be a problem. I guess they could shift. 

Counting pages (other than pulps having more of them) should not be a problem. I do it on every one I get. Takes a little more time than a comic but not much.

How would pricing occur? There are no guides (other than Bookery), no GPA and real spotty sales. 

I predict they will figure it out. Enough money out there and they will want a piece of it. Possibly, the “other guys” will jump in. 

Because of pulp thickness  a "slab" might have to be designed more to be put spine-outward on a bookshelf (upright or laid flat) rather than flipped-through in a comic box.  But if they can slab carded toys without damaging the packaging, there are obviously designs that could make it work.  That said, there may not be enough extant pulps in the world to make it profitable.  As for page counting... there are more pages in pulps, but unlike many comics, they are usually numbered, which makes it a bit easier to determine completeness.

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I think if a slab design for pulps does ever come about they should design the slab to be slightly interlocking in order to be stacked and not stood upright over time like the comic slabs currently are. I know the thinking is the opposite in comics slabs but long term I think a stacking slab would work best for overhangs on them. Not saying you couldn’t ever hold a pulp slab upright but for regular storage conditions. The trick is designing something to hold them safely with overhangs and next figuring out how many different slab designs would be required since that’s a variable with pulps. Not impossible but certainly would require someone putting in efforts.  I’m in the camp too that prices would spike instantly on pulps like it did in comics if they ever solve a slabbing solution. A lot of pulp collectors would/do oppose slabbing on these grounds just like it happened when comics started...

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18 hours ago, N e r V said:

I think if a slab design for pulps does ever come about they should design the slab to be slightly interlocking in order to be stacked and not stood upright over time like the comic slabs currently are. I know the thinking is the opposite in comics slabs but long term I think a stacking slab would work best for overhangs on them. Not saying you couldn’t ever hold a pulp slab upright but for regular storage conditions. The trick is designing something to hold them safely with overhangs and next figuring out how many different slab designs would be required since that’s a variable with pulps. Not impossible but certainly would require someone putting in efforts.  I’m in the camp too that prices would spike instantly on pulps like it did in comics if they ever solve a slabbing solution. A lot of pulp collectors would/do oppose slabbing on these grounds just like it happened when comics started...

Old school pulp guys have always been opposed to price guides, photo guides and slabbing. They read them as well as like the covers. It has been a very secret club for decades. 

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To answer the original question:  I think pulps have exploded the last few years.  There was a lull a few years ago, when for whatever reason there was very little interest in pulps from anybody, and some of us were lucky enough to put together the start of very nice collections.  But they're definitely jumping in interest, with a lot of comic folks looking at them as an alternative to sky-high comic prices.  What we don't know at this point is how big they will become... we could be at the new peak, or we could be nowhere near.  I actually suspect this very forum will, if not cause in increase in interest, will speed up the process of people getting interested.  There are a lot of collectors here.

Pulps may already be the next big thing.  But it will probably be a few years before we can look back and say yes, at this point they were.

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23 minutes ago, OtherEric said:

To answer the original question:  I think pulps have exploded the last few years.  There was a lull a few years ago, when for whatever reason there was very little interest in pulps from anybody, and some of us were lucky enough to put together the start of very nice collections.  But they're definitely jumping in interest, with a lot of comic folks looking at them as an alternative to sky-high comic prices.  What we don't know at this point is how big they will become... we could be at the new peak, or we could be nowhere near.  I actually suspect this very forum will, if not cause in increase in interest, will speed up the process of people getting interested.  There are a lot of collectors here.

Pulps may already be the next big thing.  But it will probably be a few years before we can look back and say yes, at this point they were.

 

I think you are spot on. Comic books are too expensive to collect. Whereas, you can still buy classic pulp issues for very affordable prices. I think the huge popularity of Lovecraft is also exposing a lot of young people to pulps, an exposure they otherwise may not have had. So, there is also a satisfying literary dimension to pulps that comic book collecting lacks. 

Edited by Sarg
typo
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On 7/10/2020 at 7:03 AM, Bookery said:

 pulp-trimming.   But trimming if done by a professional... that's a thing of beauty!  And once trimmed, no issues with slabbing.   Fees will be reasonable at first, though ultimately I will have to charge a percentage of retail for higher-end issues.  so many pulps in the coming weeks, be aware there may be significant turn-around delays. I am the only professional pulp-trimmer who has patented his own specialized cutter (see below).  Thanks! 

image.png

CGC is actively hiring for their new pulp slabbing division. President M. Nelson hath just decreed (at about 1 hr 15 mins mark of Youtube) pulp trimming is NOT PLOD; will be blue label since pulp trimming is so common and 'accepted by the hobby.'

 

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On 7/19/2021 at 8:07 PM, aardvark88 said:

will be blue label since pulp trimming is so common and 'accepted by the hobby.'

Thanks for sharing, super exciting!

This feels like the right move, especially since trimming will still be factored into grade. I believe Bookery caps at VG for trimmed issues - though my sense is CGC may lift that cap to FN- or FN+ for otherwise pristine copies to avoid a huge glut at VG.

I'd imagine with CGC still staffing up + the tsunami of initial submissions, we're probably still looking at 9-12+ months until we actually see slabs on the market? Over/under?

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