Kit's Silver
Age Comic Books
Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ)
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Web Site Diary
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)