The Four Color Media Monitor

The Plattsburgh Press-Republican reported on a traveling comics roadshow visiting the area, and interviewees had the following to say about value determination for old pamphlets:

DETERMINING VALUE

When it comes to determining the value of a collectible, Przysiezny said they look at three things.

“Age is one good thing, so if they’re from the 1930s to 1960s, you have a good chance of there being value. Also, the condition of them. If they look like they came out last week and they’re from the 1950s or ‘60s, then they’re going to be really valuable,” he said.

“And the better subject matter. So if it’s a superhero comic that you see on TV or in the movies, like Spider-Man and X-Men and Batman, those are going to have more value than the Looney Tunes or the Donald Ducks or the Roy Rogers… those don’t have as much collectability these days as the superhero ones.”

If they're referring to the comics based on such cartoons from decades past, that's a shame, but not because of whether the comics have monetary value, but rather, because today's children don't read such comics, aren't encouraged by parental figures to try them out, and the cartoon comics in question may not even have been reprinted in the decades since in any kind of trade format. So of course, is it any wonder today's children, raised in as horrendously PC an environment as seen nowadays, wouldn't have a clue about what were once considered decent pastime fare for youngsters?

And the situation's sadly not going to improve so easily with the way things are currently going.

Labels: animation, conventions, dc comics, history, marvel comics, sales