To buy or not to buy

[jim244]

I remember the candy comic when it first come out with very weird photo stories of a creepy doll with life size bears, corgi make a model car of the mini moke car. I have bought and sold a few of the comics and the landscape book for silly money over the years , I can think the only reason is that So collected and sells for good money is that I believe Gerry Anderson was involved with it.

Candy is very creepy and yes its value is the GA connection.Great that Into The Abyss made money on it though.I have a huge respect,admiration and also love of certain girls' comics but Candy is just very weird and scary.

Thanks jim244. Yeah, it's surprising when you take a gamble and it pays off. Had similar luck when I saw another seller, again as the same bootsale, where one weekend I came across someone selling a box full of Hammer Halls of Horror magazines. He was from Birmingham of all places and said he cleared out an old news agent in the West Midlands and found loads of new/old stock magazines.

Anyway, long story short. He was there over a two week period selling where I bought about 80 issues off him, then the following week a 40p each, And about a year or so later I decided to test the water and listed three copies on ebay where most sold most for £10 each with the odd copy involved in a bidding war where I sold two issues for £70 each. Still got about 30 no1s issues left bagged & boarded in mint condition in the attic including the odd nos 5 & 6. And what I wasn't aware of that issues 5 & 6 were considered rare as there was only a short run the reason why they sold for a premium. See images of the two issues mentioned below.

Would that "Hammer Halls of Horror" mag be the Derek Skinner one? He of later fame as creator of Starburst,Dr Who Weekly and basically the UK Stan Lee for a while??

[jim244]

I often wonder where charity shops get their prices from , one shop near me has Well read Spider-Man comics for £8 each to be honest 50p would be overpriced. And another shop has had a Star Trek eaglemoss graphic novel in the window for a few months at £5 you can see sun fade lines on it now. And don’t get me started on people at boot sales with piles of 2000ad comics thinking thy are going to retire on the proceeds. When I started my comic downsize I couldn’t even give 2000ad comics away nobody wanted them.

The same charity shop I visited had a Batman and Robin book that looked like a 70s type annual priced £15 which I thought maybe a fair price but looking inside it was just a story book with no comic strip stories which then made me think the price was a bit over the top.

Hi Abacus.I believe that this annual would have been a World Distributors annual,so 1967-1970.In the UK 3 companies initially produced Batman annuals;WD ones had text and no strips.

[jim244]

I often wonder where charity shops get their prices from , one shop near me has Well read Spider-Man comics for £8 each to be honest 50p would be overpriced. And another shop has had a Star Trek eaglemoss graphic novel in the window for a few months at £5 you can see sun fade lines on it now. And don’t get me started on people at boot sales with piles of 2000ad comics thinking thy are going to retire on the proceeds. When I started my comic downsize I couldn’t even give 2000ad comics away nobody wanted them.

Hi Captain.I was on holiday in Bournemouth mid 1990s.My wife and I explored charity shops/antique shops/old book shops etc.
I found 3 things of interest:
1)Leslie Charteris first edition Saint books.Not cheap but had to get some.(BOOK SHOP).
2)Eagle 1950s/60s annuals.2 quid each.Bought all 10 that they had.(ANTIQUE SHOP).
3)An original Star Trek Enterprise,the dinky one with the pellets that you fired out of the front.Lovely to see and as I had one as a child,I wanted it.£75.The lovely shop assisstant got it out from the glass case thing and I saw how damaged it was.So many scratches.Looked awful.Ruined.She reduced the price to £50 but I didn't want it anymore.(CHARITY SHOP).
My point here is that charity shops used to be fantastic in the 70s and 80s but nowadays (and even back then in the 90s) they are generally a waste of time for collectors.
I give to charity by direct debit from my wages each month.But these people shouldn't be running shops!

[jim244]

I have to admit I may have been too hasty as got Viz The Big Hard One comic book for £2 from BHF (a charity shop) the other day.

[stevezodiac]

Was the boy's own paper much more collectable in the past?
I doubt anyone is left alive who read it as a child in its hey day.
I just looked up how long it lasted. It started in 1879 ended in 1967, thats 88 years. Its still beating the Beano.
But 1967 isnt too long ago there should be people alive who read it as kids.
Are there any good books on the history of it?
I wonder how it influenced later story papers like the Gem, the Magnet and Thomson's Big Five. And if they had any influence on Boy's Own in its later years.

I can only think of Chums which was influenced by Boys Own. It too had hardback collected volumes published. Boys Own had a lot of non fiction educational content whereas Magnet, Gem etc were story papers. The Marvel started in the late 1800s and was a story paper. Also Pluck.