GOOD TRADE OR BAD? BARRY PEARL GUEST POST...

Copyright DC COMICS

This is an absolutely true story.  Because My dealer convinced me in 1970 that Jack ('King') Kirby's New Gods/Jimmy Olsen/Forever People and Mister Miracle would one day be worth a fortune, it was the only time I ever bought two copies each of any comics.  I had collected and read Fantastic Four 1-200 (1961-1978), as they came out, and then I gave up reading comics.

It's now the year 1999 and I'm in my local comic store (a different one from 1970) and a customer walks in and wants to sell his Fantastic Four collection (he had 200-415 plus all the Annuals and such).  The dealer wasn't interested, but the customer wanted to buy the entire Kirby Fourth World series, which the dealer didn't have much of.  So I took him aside and we worked out a trade: His Fantastic Fours for my second complete set of Kirby's Fourth World.

I'm happy because I got the FFs, complete with Bullpen Bulletins, that got me through the 20th century.  To me it was worth it.  My friends say he got the better end of the deal.   What do you think?  Honestly, it works for me, I have no regrets and I enjoyed the Fantastic Fours.

I should mention that have a silly "problem" when it comes to comics.  I bought them all on the stands at their then current price.  I don't really follow the price guides for values so, both then and now, I don't know the street value of any comic.  (I know that FF #1 is worth a fortune, but I don't know the value of FF #156, or 196 or even 236).  So I didn't check a price guide to see the difference in value.

What would you have done?

Posted in: Cartoons