Ringo Kid #8, Atlas Comics, October 1955, CGC graded 7.0 with Off White to White pages recently sold on eBay for $36.
I’m not sure how I came across this result but I did a quick double take when I saw it. Isn’t $36 too cheap for an old Atlas comic from the 1950s? This copy of Ringo Kid #8 has a nice high CGC 7.0 grade with strong OW/W pages, it sold for just over half the Overstreet Price Guide value (which itself seemed cheap).
I’m sure I’ve visited this topic before but I’ll ask again if there is any hope for the Marvel westerns? Marvel has a strong stable of recognizable names like Rawhide Kid, Two Gun Kid, Kid Colt Outlaw and Ringo Kid. These were westerns done the “Marvel Way”!
Westerns are such an ingrained part of American history and culture and I wonder if there will ever be a way to cross these characters over into the general popular culture of today.
Judging from this result the immediate answer would obviously be no.
Advantage Buyer
What I keep telling my kids is, “don’t collect ‘collectibles’, collect what everybody else thinks is disposable junk.” I don’t think the westerns are quite this, but my guess is that the more they sit in the bargain bins, or at the flea markets, the more likely people break them open and read them, or otherwise abuse them – and then that many fewer good copies out there. The next problem is a resurgence of interest – nobody can predict this, so I think the key is to pick a few really interesting, high grade, and relatively inexpensive books to hold onto with no expectations. As westerns were so popular for so long, even if there is a resurgence there is clearly going to be the “run book” problem. Right now I observe that crossover westerns seem to do fine (e.g. the Iron Mask that you highlighted some time back), as do earlier Kirby books, so an idea would be to branch off of these trends – possible “Night Nurse”-type linkages to the superhero canon, key western artists, etc. I am trying to build a diversified portfolio of “serious” books (I can’t get interested in funny books or kids’ books, although I did take a run at Casper #1 recently), and picking a few westerns is on my “to do” list. I did pick up Ghost Rider (1967) #5 CGC 9.8 recently at what I thought was a bargain price (there are so far only five 9.8s for the entire seven issue run), but that whole title is a crossover.
A related topic that might have been covered here before: photo covers. These seem to be in general even more toxic than westerns, so how about some picks for photo cover western issues that will take off someday? (The Rifleman #10 doesn’t count.)
Hey Chris – I had to remark on your Ghost Rider #5 9.8 as I own a #6 in 9.8 WP. Together we have 40% of the 9.8 market covered :). I have also purchased a few low grade Frazetta covers from the early days of the Ghost Rider in the 50’s. They are tough books in any grade. I believe this character has a slim chance of making a comeback. A cool uniform, and powers/identity that could be modified a bit to make it work today.
I also did a post a little while back In Overvalued Overstreet on photo covers, so you can see how I feel about most of them.
Good insights Chris. I like the Night Nurse angle and I’m sure a few bullpen meetings at Marvel have had the issue raised. And I like the strategy of picking up the best of the best, the stuff closest to potential cross overs etc!