Question:
Hey, Golden and Silver Age Collectors....
This is a thread I've wanted to start for a long time. Only it
may never get off the ground unless someone is alot more knowledgable about
collecting history than I am (a good possibility, granted).
I recently purchased a book from the Circle 8 collection. It made me
wonder about the story behind different pedigree collections. I would like
to find out the following information:
1. When the collection was discovered
2. Where it originated from
3. What (if any) dealer discovered and or bought it
4. What was the content (i.e. Golden or Silver, Atlas, EC, etc.)
5. Any distinguishing characteristics of books in the collection
(ex. cover names, particularly white pages, etc.)
6. How the collection had been stored prior to discovery
7. Anything else anyone knows
I am interested in this info for any famous collection. The following is just
a list of pedigree collections I've heard about:
Mile High
White Mountain
(These are probably the two most famous)
Circle 8
San Francisco
Nevada
Cosmic Aeroplane
"D" Collection (anybody heard of that one?)
Gaines EC File Copies
Larson
These are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. I'll try to
post later any info about the ones I know about as an example of what I'm
intereted in. If anybody knows the story behind any of these please post
as I'm sure it is of interest to most collectors.
Answer:
First off I have never heard of the "D" collection. I think you may be getting
that one confused with the Mile High (or herein after called the Church find)
because Edgar Church used a "D" code on most of the books. The Church collection is considered to be the find of all finds for comic books. Most of the books
range from vf/nm to nm/m with the pages being creamy white and an incredible
cover gloss and feel to the books. The collection was put together by Edgar
Church, an artist, who used the books to draw from. The comics along with
pulps and dailys, where stored in his dark basement, in a small room. The
comics were stacked floor to ceiling, and not in cedar chests, which is a
general misconception. Most of the books are considered to be the best
existing copies in the world.
The Larson books are quite beautiful themselves. I own the Larson
Flash 18. Lamont Larson like to write his name on the cover and most of
the time fill out the coupons in the book. An example of this is the All Star
#1, where the first page is a questionaire or something and is completely filled
out and signed Lamont Larson age 13. I am pretty sure that the Larson's stoped
in the early 40's around 1941 or so.
I have never heard of the Nevada collection. That may be the collectionthat Gary Carter found called the Indian Reservation collection. The Denver
books is a collection of all the #1 golden age books that was purchased off the
stands by a lady for investment. They are also beautiful and range from vf to
nm.
The San Francisco collection was about 2000 near perfect books that
a gentleman by the name of Reilly owned (first name either tim or tom). Many
say that they rival the Church books for overall grade but do not have the same
"feel" that the Church copies have.
The Cosmic Aeroplane books where owned by an artist and the inside pagesare marked with check marks and numbers, apparently he was using the check marks
for some kind of reference points. Over all the collection was between f/vf andvf/nm.
The Gaines File copies are just that. Bill Gaines put aside 10 or more
copies of most of the books that EC ever printed. Wrapped them in brown paper
and stored them in a dark closet. They where opened a couple of years before
Bill died and they where perfect. Most of them have been assigned a number
like "Mad #1, 6". This means the issue is Mad #1 and it is the 6th best
condition book out of the Gaines File copies. Most of those in the know say
that there is no difference between the 1 and 2 copies. There is a perfect
Mint 100 copy of Mad #1 and the seller wants a whopping $15,000 plus for it.
There is another collection you missed. The Allentown collection was
found by Jim Payette, and it contained the best known copies of Cap. America
#1, and I think Batman #1. It averaged atleast vf.
Most of these collections where not complete...meaning that entire
runs of titles did not exist. For example I understand that there is no
Church copy of All American #20, and one of the top two copies is the Indian
Reservation copy. This pretty much picks my brain on the Golden Age pedigrees.
I must say one thing though...I don't really call the Gaines File copies a
pedigree. If you call them pedigree then you must call the Westen Dell and GK
file copies pedigree also, and they are not. Pedigree implies a history that
can be tracked from owner to owner, and although we can do this with the Gaines
File copies, the mystery around the books is not there as it is with the other.
later
