Since 1970, only one comic book price guide has been dubbed "the Bible" for casual and die-hard collectors alike. While others have come and gone, The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide has maintained its stature as the premiere reference source for the hobby, covering more than a century of comic book history. The essential tool for collectors and investors, the Guide is highly regarded for its well-researched pricing, in-depth historical information, and incomparable insights into the marketplace. If you have a comic book collection or are thinking about starting one, you simply can't do without this book!

This 30th Anniversary Edition Includes:

• The most complete record of existing comic books from the 1800s to the present
• Redesigned feature sections for greater clarity and easy reference
• Market reports by Robert M. overstreet and the Overstreet advisors network
• Exclusive feature articles on the origin and history of EC Comics, now celebrating the 50th anniversary of the "New Trend" titles, including interviews with Overstreet cover artists Al Feldstein and Al Williamson!
• Exclusive 30th anniversary feature looking back at the birth of a comic book fan, the first-ever article written for the Guide by Robert M. Overstreet himself!
• Up-to-date directory of comic book fan wbsites
• Tips about collecting, grading and caring for your comics
• All-new additions to Overstreet Hall of Fame, key sales lists, and exhaustive indices
• And much, much more!

The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, 30e

By Overstreet, Robert M.

HarperResource

Copyright © 2004 Robert Overstreet
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0060957344

Congratulations! We at Gemstone welcome you to the hobby of comic books. This book is the most comprehensive reference work available on comics. It is also respected and used by dealers and collectors everywhere. The Overstreet price is the accepted price around the world, and we have not earned this privilege easily. Through hard work, diligence and constant contact with the market for decades, Overstreet has become the most trusted name in comics.

How To Use This Book

This volume is an accurate, detailed alphabetical fist of comic books and their retail values. Comic books are listed by title, regardless of company. Prices listed are shown in Good, Fine and Near Mint condition with many key books priced in an additional Very Fine grade. Comic books that fall in between the grades listed can be priced simply the following procedure: Very Good is half way between Good and Fine; Very Fine is half Kay between Fine and Near Mint (unless a VF price is already shown). The older true Mint books usually bring a premium over the Near Mint price. Books in Fair bring 50 to 70% of the Good price. Some books only show a Very Fine price as the highest grade. The author has not been able to determine if these particular books exist in better than Very Fine condition, thus the omission of a Near Mint price. Most comic books are listed in groups, i.e., 11-20, 21-30, 31-50, etc.

The prices listed opposite these groupings represent the value of each issue in that group. More detailed information is given for individual comic books. If you are looking for a particular character, consult the first appearance indexes which will help you locate the correct title and issue. This book also contains hundreds of ads covering all aspects of this hobby. Whether you are buying or selling, the advertising sections can be of tremendous benefit to you.

New Comic Books

This book lists all new comic books at cover price, regardless of their performance in the secondary market. In many cases, new comics are not worth their cover price in the secondary market, and collectors may pay pennies on the dollar for copies of these issues. Nevertheless, since these comics have yet to establish themselves as collectors' items, they are listed at full cover price. It should also be noted that regarding polybagged comics, it is the official policy of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide to grade comics regardless of whether they are still sealed in their polybag or not. If opened, the polybag and its contents should be preserved separately so that all components of the original package remain together.

Comic Book Values

All values listed in this book are in U.S. Currency and are retail prices based on (but not limited to) reports from our extensive network of experienced advisors which include convention sales, mail order, auctions, unpublished personal sales and stores. Overstreet, with several decades of market experience, has developed a unique and comprehensive system for gathering, documenting, averaging and pricing data on comic books. The end result is a true fair market value for your use. We have earned the reputation for our cautious conservative approach to pricing comic books. You, the collector, can be assured that the prices listed in this volume are the most accurate and useful in print.

Important Note: This book is not a dealer's price list, although some dealers may base their prices on the values listed. The true value of any comic book is what you are willing to pay. Prices listed herein are an indication of what collectors (not dealers) would probably pay. For one reason or another, these collectors might want certain books badly, or else need specific issues to complete their runs and so are willing to pay more.

Dealers' Position: Dealers are not in a position to pay the full prices listed, but work on a percentage depending largely on the amount of investment required and the quality of material offered. Usually they will pay from 20 to 70% of the list price depending on how long it will take them to sell the collection after making the investment; the higher the demand and better the condition, the more the percentage. Most dealers are faced with expenses such as advertising, travel, telephone and mailing, rent, employee salaries, plus convention costs. These costs must all be factored in before the books are sold. The high demand books usually sell right away but there are many other titles that are difficult to sell due to low demand. Sometimes a dealer will have costs tied up in this types of books for several years before finally moving them. Remember, his position is that of handling, demand, and overhead. Most dealers are victims of these economics.

How Comics Are listed

Comic books are listed alphabetically by title. The true title of a comic book can usually be found listed with the publisher's information, or indicia, often found at the bottom of the first page. Titles that appear on the front cover can vary from the official title listed inside.

Comic book titles, sequence of issues, dates of first and last issues, publishing companies, origin and special issues are listed when known. Prominent and collectible artists are also pointed out (usually in footnotes). Page counts will always include covers. Most comic books began with a #1, but occasionally many titles began with an odd number. There is a reason for this. Publishers had to register new titles with the post office for 2nd class permits. The registration fee was expensive. To avoid this expense, many publishers would continue the numbering of new titles from old defunct titles. For instance, Weird Science #12 (1st issue) was continued from the defunct Saddle Romances #11 (the last issue). In doing this, the publishers hoped to avoid having to register new titles. However, the post office would soon discover the new title and force the publisher to pay the registration fee as well as to list the correct number. For instance, the previous title mentioned began with #12 (1st issue). Then #13 through #15 were published. The next issue became #5 after the Post Office correction. Now the sequence of published issues (see the listings) is #12-15, 5-on. This created a problem in early fandom for the collector because the numbers 12-15 in this title were duplicated.

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Excerpted from The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, 30eby Overstreet, Robert M. Copyright © 2004 by Robert Overstreet. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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