A request from info from somebody with a copy of the gerber photojournal. According to heritage, the copy of crack comics below, an uncertified fnvf 7. Benton points out on page 45 of crime comics that one book title in seven from 194849 period was a crime title. Gerber scarcity in the internet age cgc comic book. These anomalies are not on the book itself, and are just an effect of the cases inner well pressing against the outer capsule. Despite its short run, it has remained as a cult classic due to its intriguing characters and unusual storytelling. A blog dedicated to the social historical analysis of comic books, particularly of the romance and war genres. Gerber rates this book a 7 scarce in its scarcity index. Slabbed and unslabbed comics can not be shipped together due to packing concerns. Its a flawed system, but it was the first and likely still the best attempt to estimate how many copies of books remain in collectors hands. Featuring over 20,000 cover images across two oversized volumes. Comic book, marvel comic, cgc comics, crippen collection. According to the the photojournal guide to comic books, by ernst and mary gerber, the difference is strictly numerical and is indicated.
These are not remaindered comics that have been rebound. Scarcity is a very important value driver in comic book collecting. Any time they auction a book they have rarely or never handled, they make a big deal about it, and buyers go crazy. Overstreet lists this book as scarce, and gerber rates it an 8 rare in its scarcity index. This issue has a gerber scarcity index 7 2150 copies are estimated to still exist. The series, written by steve gerber and mary skrenes and illustrated by jim mooney, ran for 10 issues before cancellation for low sales. Encapsulated comic books sometime exhibit a visual distortion, when held at certain angles, of oily rainbow patterns which are named newtons rings. That seems about right, but their influence was generally brief, and, as gerber s graph shows, crime comics were certainly never more than oneseventh of the market. Gerber scarcity index hasnt been updated for that long.
A symbol that inspires us to put forth and show our patriotic pride. Copies have one corner moderately bumped which result in creasing to jacket corner and the book itself, including some pages. I could have picked other books here, especially books in and around these milestone issues. No comic collectors reference library is complete without these massive, informative tomes. According to the gerber scarcity index this book is rated an 8 est. A beat to hell speed comics 26, from my 3rd quarter 2015 market report is a great example of this where i get to pick on cgcs sloppy grading a bit. Gerber rates this book a 7 or scarce on its scarcity index. Comics platinum age 18971937 add to watch list picture information. Hi all, i have the gerber photo guides but i was wondering if a digital version of the books and their scarcity index actually exists in digital form. The red mask youll have to forgive my ignorance but it is only just recently that i learned of the character that appears, by some accounts, to have been the first black hero in comics. Two marvel focused journals followed the golden age books. Big fudge archival comic book bags and boards pack of 50 comic bags and 50 boards for current comic books or 6.
Omega the unknown was an american comic book published by marvel comics from 1976 to 1977, featuring the eponymous fictional character. Overstreet lists it as scarce and gerber s photojournal guide to comic books gives it an 8 or rare on the scarcity index, meaning that there are only an estimated 20 copies or less to be had. Take a look at the table below showing these milestone books with their gerber scarcity number and the current number of cgc graded books. Featuring over 20,000 cover images across two oversized volumes, the photojournals document comic books published during the golden age 193845 and into the dawn of the silver age mid1950s, reproducing each. Published in 1990, ernst and mary gerber s photojournal guide to comic books is still one of the most comprehensive and exhaustive forays into the history and art of. Below are what i consider the top 9 flag comic book covers.
A few years back i lent my gerber photojournals to a buddy of mine for reference, he eventually blew them out in an auction at a small comic conthe prick. He was created by someone who signed his name as george west, and originally appeared in newspapers running syndicated features. This is the signed deluxe, leather bound and slipcased edition numbered 142. The first of two issues subtitled weird tales, it contains three horror stories. These gerber guides are huge 2 volumes for the golden age and they are fun to look at but most importantly their scarcity index delivers some invaluable information. Comics if you read last months nostonews, here is yet another example of heritage sales now acting as the key driver for scarcity index. This book falls into the category of very rare and im darned proud to have found it. Gep to german castles back to the g index screen back to the a to z index. Clearly we are getting into scarce and difficult issues to find. Published in 1990, ernst and mary gerber s photojournal guide to comic books is still one of the most comprehensive and exhaustive forays into the history and art of comic books. Overstreet lists this book as scarce, and gerber rates it an 8 rare on its scarcity index. A brief look at a few key golden age books gives a hint.
Great photo price guide for golden age comic books. The scarcity index number is based on gerbers scale as follows. In addition, each series listing features supplemental information noting publication year, creators, scarcity guide, and more. The gerber guide is the one of the most comprehensive comic book guides available. What is the difference between a rare comic book and a scarce comic book. Gerber rated this book an 8 in his scarcity index, estimating that only 11 to 20 copies still exist. Gerber uses the following 30yearold scarcity index. Based on the gerber scarcity index this book lists a 6, that is uncommon.
The gerber scarcity index for the books is still a valid tool, maybe going hand in hand with the cgc census. A couple of decades ago, the gerber scarcity index emerged out of the gerber photo journals if you dont them you should track down a set. The photojournal guide to comic books gerber, ernst, gerber, mary on. Cgc has their census and there are rumors of cbcs getting together their own, any thoughts of a compilation of the two in the hopes of a new scarcity index. Comic book scarcity what makes a comic book rare or scarce. Chances are that if youre looking at the listing, you already know how difficult it is to find issues of this series. Reading room index to the comic art collection, special collections division, michigan state university libraries.
They are beautiful books and i would still recommend them to any collector of comic books. He was unable to find a copy to photograph for the photojournal. What are the scarcity indexes of more fun 108127 the posthero run. While there are decent amounts of flag covers, i think the striking imagery of these specific ones makes them the best. This massive effort by collector ernst gerber did a fantastic job of cataloging nearly every golden age comic book, with photos, dates, publisher info, and the gerber scarcity index.
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