Found Rare Comics - What to do 0

[JBennettt]

I caught my mom about to throw away some of my grandfather's comics and took them home myself. While many aren't that interesting (Illustrated Classics, Looney Tunes from the 70s, etc), I do have a Batman #41 (1947) and  Flash Comics #85 (1947) that based on a quick Ebay search - seem valuable. They also seem in good shape (minimal tears, yellowing - no cut outs, writing, tape) So, as a total noob here - what should I do next? (Other than read and admire them)

• Send to CGC to get graded and ebay post myself?
• Take to local comic shops?
• Send to online company who will quote based on pictures? 

My goals are to get a decent price for them, but also make the selling/shipping/etc be a simple as possible. Any advice on what sort of return I could expect? What to ask? What to look out for? Thanks for y'alls expert thoughts.

[marvelmaniac]

Welcome To The Boards!!!

Since nobody responded and I am always willing to help/assist new folks...

Just looking at the pics you posted I would grade the Flash Comics 85 at a VG 4.0 (assuming no other defects I cannot see) and the Batman 41 at a GD 2.0 due to the missing pieces at the bottom.

https://comics.ha.com/tutorial/comics-grading.s?show=comicdefinitions

I would suggest you take more pics of the front cover, spine/staples, back cover, splash page/inside front cover, centerfold, rear page/inside rear cover and post them in the "Hey Buddy, Can You Spare a Grade" section.

Once you have an estimated grade then you can decide what the best option is, it will all depend on what your plans/goals are, get maximum profit, sell quickly, etc.

After a quick look these books are not readily available on eBay or online comic shops, only one Flash 85 up for auction on eBay and that is a CGC VG/FN 5.0, there is a Batman 41 in a very similar grade to yours that sold for $142.55 on July 5, be aware, just because there are not a lot readily available does not mean you will get lots of $$$, all depends on demand, who and how many want the books.

1)A local comic shop will probably offer you dimes on the dollar for the books pictured and for any non-key books from the 80's - present about 2-3 cents each. (that is my experience)

2)You can list them for sale on this site.

3)You can join Facebook comic book groups and sell them there (not all groups allow you to post books for sale), I have had very good experiences selling on Facebook but I wait until I see someone looking for something then I message them, I do not list my books for sale.

4)You can sell to a place like https://www.mycomicshop.com/ who will give you more than an LCS but less than if you sell them yourself.

5)eBay, a lot of rules/regulations.

Just as a very rough estimate I looked in my 2016 Overstreet Price Guide and...

Flash 85 in VG 4.0 - $174.00

Batman 41 in GD 2.0 - $123.00

As far as getting them graded,it all depends on the cost of grading vs. the return since you are only looking to sell, the one advantage, graded books tend to bring more and sell faster, as far as cost or the process, I do not have my books graded so you will have to wiat for others to chime in.

 

 

[evilskip]

Option # 4(Mycomicshop.com) allows you to also sell the books on consignment or auction. I have found it to be a much better experience than ebay and have used them for years.

[Glassman10]

Old Yes, rare, not so much, in demand perhaps but based on the quoted prices for those comics based on their grade  which I find reasonable I think consigning them is a reasonable way to go. I worked with Bob Storms at Highgrade comics when he handled my collection.  I would avoid ebay,  Avoid local comic shops. I would not spend money getting them slabbed.  Don't discount those looney tunes ones though. Check them all out. 

[William-James88]

9 hours ago, evilskip said:

Option # 4(Mycomicshop.com) allows you to also sell the books on consignment or auction. I have found it to be a much better experience than ebay and have used them for years.

I second this answer. This is your best bet since they will determine the grade for you (don't have to bust your chops on that) and that's the place where you will get the most money with doing the least amount of work. Together, these books would net you about $200-$300 together. If you send to CGC, that will just remove $100 form your gains. 

Also, send them your classics illustrated and looney tunes too, why not?

Edited July 21, 2020 by William-James88

[Changer]

I know someone who collects low grade batmans so, let me know if you decide to sell them here, and I will check with him.

[shadroch]

I used to own a copy of that Batman and am almost certain my copy had a plain white circle, not one with text.

[OtherEric]

On 7/18/2020 at 10:19 AM, JBennettt said:

I caught my mom about to throw away some of my grandfather's comics and took them home myself. While many aren't that interesting (Illustrated Classics, Looney Tunes from the 70s, etc),

 

Don't instantly discount Looney Tunes or other Whitman books from around then.  Quite a few of the Whitman's from late 1980 are notoriously scarce and may be worth more than you expect.  The tricky Looney Tunes are specifically issues 33, 34, and 35, for example.  The catch being you need to look for specific issues.  I find the quick first glance check is to see if it's priced at 40 cents but does not have a UPC code in the corner; those are probably worth at least a little research.

[Get Marwood & I]

3 hours ago, shadroch said:

I used to own a copy of that Batman and am almost certain my copy had a plain white circle, not one with text.

It looks like the circle has been cut out of the OPs copy Shad, revealing the splash page wording behind:

[marvelmaniac]

6 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said:

It looks like the circle has been cut out of the OPs copy Shad, revealing the splash page wording behind:

Wow, Good Job, I did not even notice that.

[Get Marwood & I]

14 minutes ago, marvelmaniac said:

Wow, Good Job, I did not even notice that.

Don't worry, I was on the cusp of calling it a variant too!

[Glassman10]

8 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said:

It looks like the circle has been cut out of the OPs copy Shad, revealing the splash page wording behind:

..and we all put on our sad elevator faces awaiting the silence. 

[Get Marwood & I]

4 minutes ago, Glassman10 said:

..and we all put on our sad elevator faces awaiting the silence. 

Silence is Golden Pete. Like the books 

[Deadpoolica]

On 7/18/2020 at 1:19 PM, JBennettt said:

Take to local comic shops?

Don't do this if you're trying to get good value  

[Glassman10]

the elevator has hit the third floor. 

[JBennettt]

Agh! I didn't get notifications for all the great posts. And I've been wrapped up at work launching this product. So sorry! Thank you all for the great feedback.

I had emailed a few online sites for quotes and had heard that $300 number. I was seeing ranges on Ebay for the Batman (https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=%2341+batman+1947&_sacat=0) in the $500 to $1000 range - (obviously higher quality, but mine isn't missing pages etc) so I was trying to get a feel for if the $300 for both number was a low ball and I could hope for a few hundred more.

When I did an initial Google it was hard to tell which sites were good resources for asking for quotes. ComicLink had offered to consign it for auction but then the return is an unknown. Thanks for the resources for MyComicShop - i'll reach out there too. 

Again thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm planning on splitting the proceeds with my siblings, since it's not really fair that I came upon something valuable simply because I'm a hoarder of kitsch so currently working to get the best value. 

[JBennettt]

Also, you're right the Batman has a few weird cut outs on the cover (who cuts out a single perfect circle?) I was reallllly hoping it was some sort of alternate cover versus just damage :(.

[Bookery]

21 hours ago, Deadpoolica said:

Don't do this if you're trying to get good value  

 JBennettt :

Take to local comic shops?

Deadpoolica:

Don't do this if you're trying to get good value  

 

-- I know this is just one of a thousand posts on these boards that keep saying stuff like this, but it does get tiring sometimes.  Not all comics shops are the same.  If you had a $1000 rare book, would you take it to one of the famous rare book shops in the country that specialize in this sort of thing, or would you just dismiss it as a terrible idea to sell to any book store because your local newsstand with beat-up paperbacks in the back won't pay you decently for your item?  Folks on these boards keep conflating small local dealers who don't really deal in old or valuable material with shops that do.  There are major shops out there that specialize in vintage material and will pay strong prices for it.  Just because your local gaming store that has 5 picked-over boxes of comics on a table won't make a decent offer, doesn't mean we're all the same.  If your local shop doesn't have a good stock of golden or silver-age comics, they probably won't pay much for yours.  But if the shop has hundreds or thousands of such issues, there's a good chance they pay pretty well, because in this day and age you aren't going to keep picking up collection after collection on the cheap... it just doesn't happen anymore.

 

[telerites]

1 hour ago, JBennettt said:

Agh! I didn't get notifications for all the great posts. And I've been wrapped up at work launching this product. So sorry! Thank you all for the great feedback.

I had emailed a few online sites for quotes and had heard that $300 number. I was seeing ranges on Ebay for the Batman (https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=%2341+batman+1947&_sacat=0) in the $500 to $1000 range - (obviously higher quality, but mine isn't missing pages etc) so I was trying to get a feel for if the $300 for both number was a low ball and I could hope for a few hundred more.

When I did an initial Google it was hard to tell which sites were good resources for asking for quotes. ComicLink had offered to consign it for auction but then the return is an unknown. Thanks for the resources for MyComicShop - i'll reach out there too. 

Again thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm planning on splitting the proceeds with my siblings, since it's not really fair that I came upon something valuable simply because I'm a hoarder of kitsch so currently working to get the best value. 

Also remember if you are looks for comps, it is to look at sold listings not asking prices.  On Ebay, you can select that option - https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=%2341+batman+1947&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1

Small sample for many books and relatively small window of data.  

Gocollect.com gives some free insight into raw book sales.  https://comics.gocollect.com/guide/view/112600

Above HA was mentioned.  I thought Lonestar (mycomicshop) also has sales data but I believe it is only for a book in an auction or as a resource when you consign with them.

[William-James88]

 

43 minutes ago, Bookery said:

 

But if the shop has hundreds or thousands of such issues, there's a good chance they pay pretty well, because in this day and age you aren't going to keep picking up collection after collection on the cheap... it just doesn't happen anymore.

 

I have never ever seen a local comic store have a thousand golden age comics (let alone a few hundreds). So it's just not worth the time to look locally, especially when you could just ship to an online auction house.

 

1 hour ago, JBennettt said:

Also, you're right the Batman has a few weird cut outs on the cover (who cuts out a single perfect circle?) I was reallllly hoping it was some sort of alternate cover versus just damage :(.

Yeah, that and the bottom corner is what is keeping it out of the 500$ ranges you saw. Books like that grow exponentially in value the nicer they are and thus the reverse is also true. So you will see an enormous change in value depending on the book being slightly nicer. 

Like check this, I bought this book, which looks nice, for $175. https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?ItemID=51209848

But if it was a bit nicer (twice as nice in this case), it would have cost me more than 2 times that https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/master-comics-31-fawcett-publications-1942-cgc-fn-65-off-white-to-white-pages/a/122009-11382.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515

But don't beat yourself up over it, books from that era in great shape are very rare to find, and that's why they command such high prices. Most books that are still around today are more like the shape your books are in.