Frequently Asked Questions

Kit's Silver Age Comic Books

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

DC Section | Marvel Section | Ducks (Disney) | Gold Key & Misc. (Non-Disney)

LAST UPDATED 02/16/08 09:20 AM

I was not going to make a FAQ page, but my brother Scott said he thought that I should. The reason I have not made a FAQ page before is that almost all the questions I get are different. I try to answer all the questions I get. Anyway, here are some questions I made up. I am still adding to this page. If you can think of a question that should be included, please send me an e-mail. Thank you. --Kit--

About e-mail

I get a number of e-mails with attachments. I do not open attachments. If you want me to see something, include it in the body of the e-mail or I will not see it at all. Thanks.

Why would you sell comics it took you 30 years to collect? (Answer: I really did not think I would sell a lot of comics. If I sold a few, I still have a few thousand left. This web site was to catalogue my comics for me and if other people liked it and wanted to buy some of my comics, fine. As it turns out, I sold out some titles and I found that I could replace them with the money I got for selling out that title. I had about 100 Dell comics to begin with and was horrified to find out that I was down to a handful. I now have over 500 Dell comics. Selling my collection was the best thing that ever happened to it. It is larger and more complete than ever.)
What is a scanned comic? (Answer: Scanned comic means that I have scanned the covers of all my comics. You can access a 50% scan by clicking on the thumbnail or the issue number. It is so you can see the actual comic cover.)
What is a subscription crease ? (Answer: When you would get a subscription to comics in the 1950's & 1960's, they would mail them by rolling them & this caused them to become creased down the center of the comic.)
My question is about the term "key issue". I've seen this term used in many E-bay descriptions and I was wondering if there is an official list of "key issues" published somewhere. If so can you tell me where? Or is the 'key issue' thing just a matter of opinion? If someone has the first issue where Superman sneezes, can he call that a "key issue"? (Answer: There is no list. It really is a matter of opinion. If you are an authority on famous sneezes through out the centuries, Superman's first sneeze might be considered a key issue. I would say key issues are the issues that have price spikes in Overstreet. For example Action #241& 243 in near mint are worth $300 each, however Action #242 (the first appearance of Supergirl) in near mint is worth $2200. First appearances, death of major characters, controversial story lines, first issues, limited editions, character crossovers, & many others can be considered key issues.)
How does a detached staple effect a comic's value? (Answer: A detached staple usually means the comic can be graded in no higher than very good. However, a lot of comics were made with one staple missing. These comics can be graded higher, but brings less than one with out the publishing defect.)
What if the comic has been re-stapled? (Answer: Again re-staple comic can be graded in no higher than very good and it must be stated that the comic has been re-stapled. A lot of re-stapled comics are missing pages. These comics can not be graded higher than fair or poor.)
If a roster lays an egg at the apex of an east/ west chicken house, which side will it roll in the spring? (Answer: Rosters do not lay eggs hens do. ; )
How do you know if a comic is original? (Answer: As far as comics go they are all originals, unless otherwise stated. You can determine a reprint by looking at the publication information. If it is a reprint, it will have a copyright date earlier than the actual publication date. I always state that it is a reprint. Marvel & DC do not reprint a lot of material, except in the annuals. They contain mostly reprints. If it is a reprint it would probably say. If in doubt look the book up in Overstreet. There are some cases in which it is hard to tell. Then the only way to tell would be to compare it's sale price in relation to comic of the same age. The earliest comic books were all reprints from the newspaper strips. These had two copy right dates in the publication information.)
What are the pinholes on the bottom border of the comics interior? Do they effect the price or condition? (Answer: The little holes at the bottom of the comic book pages are normal to the printing process & do not effect condition or price unless they damage the cover of the comic.)
Those CGC (a comic book grading service) folks and the impact they've had makes me wonder if there will be a (upward) ripple effect in prices for lower grades as buyers are priced out of the high-end stuff. What do you think? What grade (s) would you say are the best value in both appreciation potential and liquidity? (Answer: I like the lower grade books, because you can get ten times the number of comics & you can also read them. Saying this, high grade copies of comics are the most sought after comics. CGC has allowed people with little comic experience to invest in comics with little or no knowledge of comics. This has made comics a more valuable commodity. This has made the lower grade comics rise in value, but not at the rate of the higher grade issues. I would say CGC comics graded above VF are the most desired comics & thus the best investment. I do not like CGC comics, because I have seen a number that seem to be over-graded & you cannot read them. The best advice is collect what you like & buy the best copies you can afford.)
What is your return policy? (Answer: Return any item for any reason for a full refund no questions asked.)
Would you buy my comics? (Answer: Make a detailed list & tell me how much you want & I will consider it. Click on How To Sell Your Comics for more. )
How can I tell if my comic books are First Editions? What do I look for? (Answer: Comic books are all first editions unless otherwise stated. The most valuable comic of a series is usually the first comic in an issue, but this is not always the case. The only way to know all the key issues (comics equivalent to first editions) is to look them up in "The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide". The issue number is written in fine print at the bottom of the first or second page.
Why did you build such an extensive web site? When other sites just provide a list and a few scans at best and you provide thumbnails, scans & detailed descriptions. (Answer: Okay, this is a self serving question. This is the type of web site I wanted. I did not want to just sell comics, I wanted to share my love for a wonderful hobby and my son can only take so much comic trivia before he explodes. So, I cast my little tid bits to the waters. To be honest, my web site is better than I ever dreamed. Also, I wanted to know if unlimited free web space, truly meant unlimited web space.)
Do you make a lot of money on your web site? (Answer: No. As soon as the money comes in, it goes out to purchase new comics. I have never spent so much money on comics in my life. I am always about two to three hundred comics behind. So, if I am out of a title, it does not mean that I do not have it in stock. It just means it is not on the web. Just ask me, I will tell you if I have it or if I can get it.)
Do you give discounts? (Answer: No. It is not that I am a hard nose or anything, it is just I have too much trouble keeping track of what I am charging who for what. I may have a sale, but not in the near future.)
What if I forget to bookmark your site? How do I find it again? (Answer: If you can remember it http://kitscomics.com or you could just bookmark it now.)
I am just starting to collect comics, what would you suggest I start with? (Answer: If you collect what you like you can never go wrong. I collect all sorts of comics, but my favorites would have to be old or used comics. The older the better. I really like Carl Barks' ducks and collected mainly the reprints. I would have collected the originals, but they were more expensive & I could get a lot more reprints on my meager budget. That is one of the things I like about collecting comics is that you can spend as little or as much as you want. A good rule of thumb would be, if you can't live without a certain comic, it is a reasonable price, and you can afford it, why not get it. I also like to get any ten and twelve cent comics in nice shape Very Good or better. I believe that collecting comics should be fun. If you do not have fun spending $100 for a comic no matter how much you want it you should not do it.)
How do I know if the comic I want is available? (Answer: If the comic's condition is listed as Sold or Reserved it is no longer available. If the condition is listed as NM, VF, FN, VG, GD, or FR it should be available. To be honest, I have the go to my web site to see if I have a comic because it is faster than pulling it from the box that it is in.)
What do all those strange abbreviations mean? Mint (MT), Near Mint (NM), Very Fine (VF), Fine (FN), Very Good (VG), Good (GD), Fair (FR), & Poor (PR). (Answer: They are a way of describing the condition of a comic book. Condition is very important. The value of the comic is based on the condition.) Click on Grading Comics for a more in depth answer. Grading Comics
How do I order a comic book? (Answer: Once you find the comic or comics that you want you can send me an E-mail or call. ) Click on How to Order more in depth answer.
How do I e-mail you? (Answer: On almost ever web page I have, there is a link you can left click on (they are "send me e-mail" and the blue mail box picture) that should launch you e-mail program). It should work on most newer versions of e-mail programs or send an e-mail to: kitrwalvoord@netzero.net )
Who do I send my e-mail to? (Answer: Kit. This is a one man operation and Kit is the guy. After all who would know more about Kit's comics than Kit?)
How do I call? (Answer: Call Kit at: (806) 353-3854 between 8am-8pm Central Standard Time. Most people use e-mail, but a lot of people call. I always call, but I buy a lot of comics at once. Fell free to call.
What if I do not want any comics, but I have a comic question? (Answer: Fell free to ask me any question. I will try my best to answer it.)
What if I do not want to bother you, because, you must be very busy? (Answer: I always have time to talk about comics or my web site. I think that I do not receive enough e-mail. The more e-mail I get, the motivated I am to put up more stuff. I am very grateful for all the nice e-mails that I have received. For one thing, any and all feed back helps me improve my site.)
If I send you an e-mail will I get an automated response? (Answer: No. I respond to every e-mail personally. I do have some form e-mails that I fill out to save time. I never send out spam or do I send advertisements. I will sometimes tell people of some new comics I have added, if I can remember who was interested in what.)
If it takes a chicken and a half, a day and a half to lay an egg and a half, How long does it take a grasshopper with a wooden leg to kick all the seeds out of a dill pickle? (Answer: That is stupid question. Everyone knows it is 15 minutes. I am sorry when I get tired I get silly. I guess I need to continue this page later. When I am in a more serious frame of mind.)
How long does it take for me to get a comic once I have ordered? (Answer: Orders in the United States are shipped priority mail and takes 2-3 days upon receipt of payment. In Canada and Mexico orders are shipped first class and take 7-10 days upon receipt of payment. Overseas, most orders are shipped global priority and takes 7-14 days upon receipt of payment. Ground transportation takes 4-6 weeks. I was always ordering thing through the mail when I was child. It seem to take forever. So, I try to get you your comics as fast as I can. For the child that dwells in us all.)
How much do you charge for shipping? (Answer: As little as possible. Add $5 for postage. All sent priority mail unless otherwise specified. Takes 2-3 days upon receipt of payment. Canada & Mexico $6 Overseas cost of shipping. Usually, Global Priority is the fastest and I can send up to 15 books in a flat rate mailer for $12. 15-30 books would be $24 etc. Ground transportation is cheaper, about $35 for 100 books.)
Why is it that you misspell so many words? (Answer: I have been doing it all my life. I think that is why I never was able to achieve higher than a "C" in English. As it turns out, it is a good thing on the internet. I get rated number one in search engines when people misspell the same words as I do. So, welcome all you poor spellers.)
I have noticed some of the comics listed are priced above guide. What is up with that? (Answer: I have priced some comics that are autographed at twice their actual value. And all the new (after 1984) Disney is priced a little above guide. Any other comics that are over priced are a mistake. I will correct a mistake if you point it out. Of course, any comics that are under priced are a mistake as well, but one that I do not intend to correct.)
How do you determine how much you will charge for a comic? (Answer: There are several factors that go in the determination of the price I charge. First is The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. I then consider how hard it is to replace a comic, how much I paid for it (I try to buy comics that I can sell for guide, but there are times when I get a comic that is over graded. Rather than send it back, I will lower the grade, but I will not sell it for less than I paid, so the comic is overpriced) & how much it is worth to me. For the most part I think my prices are reasonable.)
Why all the stuff that has nothing to do with comics? (Answer: I am a wise guy what can I say. Well, it is a comic site & I like to put up anything I think is comical or nostalgic. Feel free to send me anything you think is comical, so I can add it to my site.)

The Most Frequent Answer:

About $5(A lot of people ask me how much their comics are worth? You would be surprised how many are about $5)

Back to Previous Page

How to Order

Send Me E-mail