Say My Name Cubed
An Obscure Key
Whiz Comics #21 was one of the books submitted for grading. This book was, in fact, considered a key comic in the Whiz Comic run. The issue featured the first appearance and origin of the Lt. Marvels. These three individuals were characters that all shared the name of Billy Batson and were based on Fawcett Comic staff. Key comics are always desirable, but finding an affordable Golden Age key was a major find for the owner.
Results
The book came back with a CGC grade of 5.5. The census has four issues in this grade with only nine issues that have a higher grade. The grader notes say this book had light creasing, foxing, and staining to cover. The grader also noted that there was very light wear to cover.
The FMV is estimated to be $700. This equates to a sizeable potential profit for the owner when the grading cost and purchase price are calculated. The GoCollect data indicates that there exist 34 total copies that have been graded. Finding this rare graded book for sale may be very difficult.
Conclusion
A rare Golden Age key is a holy grail for some fans. This person found one that was raw and pounced on it at a great price. Buyers may rarely see this book up for sale graded. That mandates that if a raw book pops up for an interested buyer they should purchase it no matter if it is slabbed or not. The fact that it is raw may allow for a cheaper purchase price. Buyers should not be put off by raw Golden Age keys because finding any copy of a book from 1941 does not come up often. In other words...BUY BUY BUY!!!!!
Looking Great for Its Age
High-Grade Gold
Buyers always try to purchase the highest-grade book they can afford. The buyer here found an All Flash #24 copy that appeared to be in great condition. The owner is not a fan of the character nor did he like the cover. The sole reason this book was purchased was because it looked almost new. Sending in this book to be graded would only preserve the issue in that condition.
Results
The book came back with a grade of 8.0. The grader notes indicate there was a small chip in the bottom right cover and light staple tears. Finding an 8.0 comic in the wild that is 77 years old is an outstanding score. This was again a book that had no real appeal. The owner believes he was able to purchase the book because the seller had it grouped with funny books. This book had an FMV of $1300 using the GoCollect RVI Modeler.
The owner saw this value and started to grin from ear to ear. He again stated that he was a collector as he tried to wipe the drool that started to appear out of the corner of his mouth.
Conclusion
Raw high-grade superhero Golden Age books are a must-buy if priced right. These books can cost a fortune graded. It may be rare, but raw books can still be found that have not been graded for one reason or another. Many Golden Age collectors tend to want books in their original state and this means not slabbed.
Sadly, this is a period where more of these books are coming up for sale because the owners are rising in age. Estates are sometimes forced to liquidate entire collections because of a court order. If one finds these books do not hesitate. The owner said he went back to get more books and was told that another buyer cleared them out.
Purple Trouble
A Neglected Treasure
Sensation Comics #22 was another book that was sent in to be graded. The owner purchased this book before the Wonder Woman movie was announced. This was a time even before the heroine appeared in the Batman v Superman film. DC Comics are not as targeted as Marvel comics with this rule even applying to the Golden Age. Timely wins versus DC Comics every time.
This book was priced very affordably. The buyer also realized this was the 2nd appearance EVER for the Cheetah with a spanking panel. The owner knew that they would never ever be able to afford her first appearance, but an affordably priced second appearance of an iconic villain from the Golden Age was a must-buy.
Results
The book came back with a solid 5.5 CGC grade with Cream to Off-White pages. The issue has stains on both covers. The problem was there was a slight color touch on the spine and cover. The buyer had missed this touch-up. CGC classified B-1 restoration classification. This means the issue came back with the dreaded purple label.
Conclusion
The purple label is not a badge of honor. Any restoration is frowned upon by the majority of comic purists. The problem is that important Golden Age books should not be looked on in much the same way as other restored books from newer ages. This is the highest graded restored book in the CGC census. In addition, only 20 books are graded higher in the universal grade with a total of 36 books graded. One may never be able to find a nice first appearance of Cheetah, but this was a nice alternative.
Restored books may not be ideal, but Golden Age books are quite rare. If buyers have to lower their standards and purchase a restored book, then the book should be either very valuable or very rare. This book fits the bill on both fronts. The owner said he was still happy with this book no matter what the label. They have already had two offers to buy the book at a profit for the owner, but he turned them down. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and desperate collector!
CGC Grading Reveals the Truth
A Who's Who of Artists
The last Golden Age book submitted was important to the owner. Wonder Comics #19 from Better Publications was one book the owner wanted to slab. His only reason to grade this book was to preserve it. This book has it all when one is looking for notable artists.
The book had that classic "Xela" signature on the cover. Golden Age collectors and investors know that means an Alex Schomburg cover. His covers are prized for their elegance. That was not the only thing going for this book art-wise. The book had Frank Frazetta inks as well. Two legends working on one book guaranteed he wanted to preserve this issue. He thought he knew it all when it came to this book. Oh, how much he did not know...
Results
This book came in with a grade of 4.5 with Off-White to White pages. The grader notes indicated a crease on full front cover and that the top staple was detached from the back cover. There was also a tear on the bottom front cover. The owner felt good with that grade, but then they actually read the front cover label and it was there that they were shocked. The issue came with a Canadian Variant Edition designation.
The regular edition has a total of 37 books in the census with 30 issues graded 4.5 or higher. The last time a regular edition in this grade was sold was for $1038 on June 10, 2023. The submitted copy was the only Variant Edition in that grade with only two books that were graded higher. The long-time Golden Age collector was in shock.
Conclusion
The owner and this journalist reviewed the book and did not notice that this book was a Canadian variant. Remember that CGC may review thousands of Golden Age books in a month while the average collector may hit a couple of hundred if they are lucky. CGC has seen it all. Here they found a variant that has a TOTAL OF 3 BOOKS IN THE CGC CENSUS! This variant book is 75 years old that has a Schomburg cover and Frazetta inks.
The sales prices of Modern Age variants can be quite high for in-vogue artists with a limited print run. If not for sending this book to be graded the owner would have never known how truly rare his find was at that small non-comic book auction house (why do you think I mention some smaller auction houses in my articles!!!). The purchase price was very small because it was sold at an auction house that did not describe the book.
So What Does the Data Reveal?
It Costs Money to Make Money
The grading fees were more than justified for Golden Age books. The slabbing preserves the grade while also comparing it to others in the CGC census. The fact that these books all have something going for them should be noted. The books submitted were keys, rare variants, or high-grade books. Where it might get tricky is the more common Golden Age books that are not as desirable. The important takeaway is that for the special books it pays to have them graded.
CGC Benefits
CGC has a very large library when it comes to Golden Age books. This is an age that has less data for the average collector and investor to rely upon than the newer ages. Using CGC's knowledge is thus very beneficial to collectors and investors. Many people do not encounter Golden Age books frequently, but that is not true with CGC.
They can see subtle details that could indicate a foreign variant edition or a book that may have existed from a Pedigree collection. This type of knowledge is invaluable to both collectors and investors. The more collectors know the better they can feel about their collection while an investor can better calculate the FMV for the book.
Future Thoughts
The next step may be to see more common and fewer valuable books graded. The added value of grading these types of books may not be there to justify this type of additional expenditure if an increase in the return on investment needs to be high. In contrast, collectors may still see the value of slabbing these older books.
They have survived many encounters to make it this far. Slabbing them may add years to their life. The beauty is in the eye of the beholder and we will try to evaluate the benefit of grading for these types of books in the future.
