Disney-comics digest #621.

Don Rosa donrosa at iglou.com
Tue Mar 28 06:40:00 CEST 1995


>       Here's something that came in the mail today that might be interesting.

        There's a new COMIC BUYERS' GUIDE comic book price guide included
with the new CBG. This issue is for "independant" comics, which originally
meant "independant distributors", aka "direct sales" comics. The
non-independant comics were the newsstand comics like Marvel, DC, Harvey,
Archie, Charlton, and Gladstone. But nowadays the young collectors have
taken "independant" to mean "anything other than Marvel or DC", so
Gladstones (and Harveys and Archies) are incorrectly listed in this issue.
But anyway...
        UNCLE $CROOGE #285 (chapter 1 of the "Lo$" series reprint by
Gladstone) is listed as being "worth" $15. This would make it virtually the
most valuable American comic book of the past 3 or 4 years and one of the
most valuable of the last 20 or 30. The only comics more valuable would be
"special limited editions" or some of the earliest Valiant issues. But for
its age (one year old) and its print run (many times the size of other
supposedly rare issues of low-print-run comics like TICK or BONE), this U$
#285 is more valuable than any other American comic. This is surprising and
NOT surprising -- not surprising because I'd already heard that no dealers
increased their orders above a typical Gladstone for this issue, and it sold
out instantly with no reorders available. But surprising since Americans
seem absolutely blind to anything that goes on with lowly Disney comics. In
fact, even though each issue of these price guides contain lengthy
discussions by "experts" about what comics will be or are "HOT", not a soul
has ever mentioned these UNCLE $CROOGEs. Even though the demand has created
a high price for a back-issue, the "experts" seem to regard it as an
inexplicable fluke and ignore it. But still, I wish those U$ issues were NOT
listed with high prices so that everyone who wants a copy can get one
without being gouged by a dealer; on the other hand, that #285 IS TRULY
RARE. I've never seen one for sale.
        #286-289 also have high list prices. Something like $10 down to $5.
The newest issue lists for $5. But strangely, one issue (#288 I think it
was) is listed at only cover price... I wonder what happened there?




More information about the DCML mailing list