Golden Age Comics -- Incredibly Expensive!?

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iceytina
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Golden Age Comics -- Incredibly Expensive!?

Postby iceytina » 13 years ago

This is probably nothing new to most people on the forums here, and I even knew it would be true, but HOW expensive these comics were, I was STUNNED to see. My professor at the university has a huge library over his home work station of just comics of everything new and old. He carefully preserves the really rare ones and instructed me how to do so if I was pursuing such a hobby as well. Since I love comics, I talk to him about them often--especially Golden Age comics.

We talked about the editions of the Green Hornet and Superman and he said that Superman Issue #1 had been bought by a Japanese collector for 3 million USD. I thought WHOA.

So then I went online to research the prices of the Green Hornet comics by Helnit, and the "blue book" value price of such comics per issue is $1,500. They actually sell about $200/issue. Gee! (This just makes me want them more though. I WILL get them!1!!1!!)

My professor recommended me to http://www.milehighcomics.com/ as he's been using it for years and while the design isn't fabulous, he says the owner of this business sends out these newsletters to subscribers with deals and long monologues humorously relating how he just "bought 35,000 comics from the back of a van". Looks like I'm going to be checking this site often...

Then I talked to him about the Astro Boy Manga and he actually told me some things about the re-prints and editions that I didn't know. I sat there looking at this like 60 year old very distinguished professor and my esteem of him grew even more than I thought it could that he knew so much about Astro Boy--even that the original Astro song was in English first and then adapted into the Japanese. He discussed the Darkhorse reprints and how, since the 2009 movie came out, I should hurry and buy all the rest of the volumes because the prices will surely rise.

Golly. It was epic! But I posted this to ask, does anyone else here buy rare comics and go through the whole proper, air-tight, packing and placing comics in dry rooms in boxes, etc etc, to preserve them? Or is it more of a buying new comics for fun? Or both? I'm really into buying the rare comics out of love of them and to preserve them.

Dr. Jerk
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Postby Dr. Jerk » 13 years ago

I kinda already knew this, but thinking about it again, I guess I really shouldn't be complaining that Phoenix: Dawn can go up for 600 dollars nowadays, even though it's nowhere near as old as the Golden Age comics... I still obviously can't afford it though. <_<

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Shirubie
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Postby Shirubie » 13 years ago

Golden age comics are expensive mostly because they are super-rare to find in good condition. Comics were once seen as for kids only, so very few people bothered to keep their old issues. During WW2, paper was expensive and recycled for the war effort, keeping old comics was just a waste. The cheap paper comics were made from also degraded with time, turned yellow and became brittle.

So if there's like, a dozen copies of Action Comics #1 (first apearance of Superman) left in the world, I can understand fetching a few millions in auction.

I'm not really a comic collector, I only buy comics to read them and I damage them too much for them to be worth something. But I love to hear about the history of the comic business. So many creative people have worked to create my favorite characters and are easily forgotten.

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Postby The Tawashi Bus Hat » 13 years ago

Golden age comics are godly. 'Nuff said.

I personally do not collect comic books, not with most of the old expensive ones having scans online (if you look hard enough. Took me forever to find those Astro Boy Gold Key comics.) I know that they are fragile and what-not, but sealing them away forever...that seems like such a waste. :C THEY ARE MEANT TO BE READ!

(er-hem) Then again, scanning them into a computer and THEN sealing them up is good. That way, they may be read in all their glory, but still stay in-tact. I just but comics to read them, not necessarily as collector's items.

...On that note, you have reminded me to go get another issue of Sandman...(Just finished that one with the art by Yo****aka Amano. Amazing...)
*dust*


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