Hulk 102 - Good way to start Silver Age collection? 3 3

[d_russ84]

I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on Hulk 102.  Don't have much in the Silver Age department and thought maybe this would be a good starting point.  I love the Hulk, and the issue is currently priced at a friendlier price than other run starters from 1968 such as Captain America 100 or Iron Man 1.  Any other ideas on a good starter for Silver Age collecting?  I have always eyed up Iron Man & Sub-Mariner 1 as a starter as well.  Obviously I can wish for a lot, but there are only so many $500 plus books I could get in a year at this point.

[badback83]

I’d go for it.  IMSM 1 would be good also.  How about a Strange Tales 101?  I’ve always had a soft spot for that book.

[Math Teacher]

13 minutes ago, d_russ84 said:

Obviously I can wish for a lot, but there are only so many $500 plus books I could get in a year at this point.

My comment is more like this, "How many $500+ books can I sneak past my wife?"

[d_russ84]

1 minute ago, Joe Ankenbauer said:

My comment is more like this, "How many $500+ books can I sneak past my wife?"

Isn't that the truth, Joe!  I never grumble about all the shoes.....

11 minutes ago, DocHoppus182 said:

I’d go for it.  IMSM 1 would be good also.  How about a Strange Tales 101?  I’ve always had a soft spot for that book.

Never thought of Strange Tales even, good call.  Lots of good stuff starts out on this run as well with Nick Fury and Dr Strange.  I also thought of doing the Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD run awhile back and kind of forgot about it.  It's crazy how much these have gone up, Silver Surfer 1 at $4,400 for 9.2 on Go Collect

[Math Teacher]

19 minutes ago, d_russ84 said:

Isn't that the truth, Joe!  I never grumble about all the shoes.....

Sometimes, I honestly believe that my wife has more shoes than I have comics. I then realize that is ludicrous, but it doesn't stop the thought from crossing my mind.

If you're interested, I own five pair of shoes: a pair of black dress shoes, a pair of brown dress shoes, and three pair of running shoes, even though I have stopped running. I never feel that my life is incomplete due to the lack of shoes.

Edited September 21, 2020 by Joe Ankenbauer

[badback83]

14 minutes ago, d_russ84 said:

Isn't that the truth, Joe!  I never grumble about all the shoes.....

Never thought of Strange Tales even, good call.  Lots of good stuff starts out on this run as well with Nick Fury and Dr Strange.  I also thought of doing the Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD run awhile back and kind of forgot about it.  It's crazy how much these have gone up, Silver Surfer 1 at $4,400 for 9.2 on Go Collect

Nick Fury 1 would be great too.  So much classic material to choose from.

[1950's war comics]

hulk 102 and Cap 101 are great keys to start with , and they are liquid if you need to sell them ....

[KCOComics]

21 minutes ago, 1950's war comics said:

hulk 102 and Cap 101 are great keys to start with , and they are liquid if you need to sell them ....

This is true. Those books sell fast. 

I had a nice higher grade run of Nick fury agent of sheild (1 - 5 I think).  They didn't experience that rapid growth like other SA runs, but I always liked those books personally.  I nice affordable way to get into SA. 

Cap and Hulk are more popular so they'll sell easily and for bigger dollars. 

[KirbyJack]

Hulk 102 is a great book for the Hulk fan looking to start a Silver Age collection. I personally like Tales to Astonish 60.

[pemart1966]

2 hours ago, Joe Ankenbauer said:

My comment is more like this, "How many $500+ books can I sneak past my wife?"

If you have a few pair of pants a few inches too large and an expandable belt, the sky's the limit  

Edited September 22, 2020 by pemart1966

[Sweet Lou 14]

When I was first starting my Silver Age collection, the 1968 "relaunch" books were a great way for me to feel like I had some real keys without diving into the deep waters of pre-1965.  I think your idea of starting with Hulk #102 is an excellent one.  It's one of a handful (along with Doctor Strange #169 and Iron Man #1) that seem, anecdotally, to be in plentiful supply in high grade.

Here's a quick list if you want to complete the "core" of the set:

• Captain America #100
• Doctor Strange #169
• Incredible Hulk #102
• Iron Man #1
• Nick Fury #1
• Sub-Mariner #1

If you then pick up Iron Man and Sub-Mariner #1, you've got the full transition from Strange Tales / Tales of Suspense / Tales to Astonish to the relaunched titles.

Then you can go for the two big "new" #1s:

• Captain Marvel #1
• Silver Surfer #1

And if you're a completist, you can pick up the three oddballs in the set:

• Captain Savage and His Leatherneck Raiders #1
• Mighty Marvel Western #1
• Spectacular Spider-Man (Magazine) #1

Personally I think that whole 1968-1969 era (basically the first 10-20 issues of the core titles listed above) is a high point in the history of Marvel.  There are lots of really awesome covers in this group of books and it's a really fun period to collect.

Edited September 22, 2020 by Sweet Lou 14

[Dick Pontoon]

I love #102 and also have a sentimental attachment to it since the reprint was one of the first comics I read. $500 should get you a nice #102 in 9.0. But if I had $500 to spend on a Silver Age Hulk, I'd go for a lower grade #3, 4, 5 or 6. First and foremost, I get a bigger kick out of early issues. Over the long term, I think you'll see more growth, and those issues are rising in price faster than #102, which is a slow climber and one of the cheapest of the '68s. It's also a little too close to the Bronze Age for me. If the single digit issues were out of the picture, I'd got for the early TTA issues.

[d_russ84]

5 hours ago, Sweet Lou 14 said:

When I was first starting my Silver Age collection, the 1968 "relaunch" books were a great way for me to feel like I had some real keys without diving into the deep waters of pre-1965.  I think your idea of starting with Hulk #102 is an excellent one.  It's one of a handful (along with Doctor Strange #169 and Iron Man #1) that seem, anecdotally, to be in plentiful supply in high grade.

Here's a quick list if you want to complete the "core" of the set:

• Captain America #100
• Doctor Strange #169
• Incredible Hulk #102
• Iron Man #1
• Nick Fury #1
• Sub-Mariner #1

If you then pick up Iron Man and Sub-Mariner #1, you've got the full transition from Strange Tales / Tales of Suspense / Tales to Astonish to the relaunched titles.

Then you can go for the two big "new" #1s:

• Captain Marvel #1
• Silver Surfer #1

And if you're a completist, you can pick up the three oddballs in the set:

• Captain Savage and His Leatheneck Raiders #1
• Mighty Marvel Western #1
• Spectacular Spider-Man (Magazine) #1

Personally I think that whole 1968-1969 era (basically the first 10-20 issues of the core titles listed above) is a high point in the history of Marvel.  There are lots of really awesome covers in this group of books and it's a really fun period to collect.

Thanks for this post, a lot of great stuff here.  Seems like a great blueprint for Silver age keys! Yes I am trying to learn more about Silvers and it does seem the late 60s were an interesting time for Marvel, kind of a transition point of ushering in the Bronze Age

[d_russ84]

5 hours ago, Pontoon said:

I love #102 and also have a sentimental attachment to it since the reprint was one of the first comics I read. $500 should get you a nice #102 in 9.0. But if I had $500 to spend on a Silver Age Hulk, I'd go for a lower grade #3, 4, 5 or 6. First and foremost, I get a bigger kick out of early issues. Over the long term, I think you'll see more growth, and those issues are rising in price faster than #102, which is a slow climber and one of the cheapest of the '68s. It's also a little too close to the Bronze Age for me. If the single digit issues were out of the picture, I'd got for the early TTA issues.

I hear what you mean on the close to Broonze Age, I was saying in an earlier reply the '68s feel like the beginning of the transition from Silver to Bronze. I have always loved the Bronze Age, maybe that's why I am feeling a draw to the 68's.  Thor 126 also seems like a good pick to me the more I think on it, seems like a firmer example of a Silver Age comic, and one heck of a cover on that one too. Those TTA's and TOS's are SO Silver in style though, they certainly have a charm to them as well.

[Sweet Lou 14]

1 hour ago, d_russ84 said:

I hear what you mean on the close to Broonze Age, I was saying in an earlier reply the '68s feel like the beginning of the transition from Silver to Bronze. I have always loved the Bronze Age, maybe that's why I am feeling a draw to the 68's.  Thor 126 also seems like a good pick to me the more I think on it, seems like a firmer example of a Silver Age comic, and one heck of a cover on that one too. Those TTA's and TOS's are SO Silver in style though, they certainly have a charm to them as well.

Thor #126 is two years older than these other books, so definitely peak Silver Age.  It also happens to be one of the best Thor covers ever.

Man, if you catch the Silver Age bug there's going to be no end to the happy hunting you can do!

[KCOComics]

1 hour ago, d_russ84 said:

I hear what you mean on the close to Broonze Age, I was saying in an earlier reply the '68s feel like the beginning of the transition from Silver to Bronze. I have always loved the Bronze Age, maybe that's why I am feeling a draw to the 68's.  Thor 126 also seems like a good pick to me the more I think on it, seems like a firmer example of a Silver Age comic, and one heck of a cover on that one too. Those TTA's and TOS's are SO Silver in style though, they certainly have a charm to them as well.

Are you going for strictly higher graded books? There are allot of options for $500 if your willing to get into the VG range. 

I'm thinking of SS1, Avengers 57, FF49, and even some of those early Hulks as others have mentioned.  You can find some really nice presenting copies in that VG area. 

As @Sweet Lou 14 mentioned, the possibilities are endless!  

[d_russ84]

1 hour ago, KCOComics said:

Are you going for strictly higher graded books? There are allot of options for $500 if your willing to get into the VG range. 

I'm thinking of SS1, Avengers 57, FF49, and even some of those early Hulks as others have mentioned.  You can find some really nice presenting copies in that VG area. 

As @Sweet Lou 14 mentioned, the possibilities are endless!  

Not sure yet on that one.  At this point I am working on the Cockrum X-Men run 8.5-9.2 in slabs, so that is where most of my collecting money is going. I hear you on the lower grades, it just isn't something I have ever done lower than a 7.5. I couldn't picture buying many Silvers above 7.5.  But yes instead of buying 1 every so often at 7.5 to buy more around 4.5 or so definitely makes sense. And upgrade as the urge comes along if need be.

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Silver age DC books exist too. 

[Dick Pontoon]

2 hours ago, BlowUpTheMoon said:

Silver age DC books exist too. 

[FoggyNelson]

I wish I had had a hulk 102👍👍😷