FourColor386

Four Color Comics #386 (April 1952)

Four Color #386 features Uncle Scrooge‘s first ever appearance and is from April 1952. Script, pencils, ink and cover – it’s 100% through and through by one of all time greatest comic storytellers of all time – Carl Barks . I have it because it was part of the ‘ole man’s collection. In the mid-70’s when I was pillaging his stash at grandma’s house it was the most valuable comic I confiscated (at least in Overstreet’s eyes).

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Four Color Comics #408 (July 1952)

As a side note, I downloaded 61 sales of #386 between 2001 and 2014 from Heritage Auction and found they averaged 59% under the Overstreet pricing for equivalent grades. Now, while I see comics going on eBay all the time for over Overstreet pricing; it is curious the guide has not been able to adjust in well over a decade to actual retail pricing of so many sales for this one issue?

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Four Color #275 (May 1950)

In fact, I got the copy shown here on eBay for almost 75% under Overstreet (at least based on the grade the seller was claiming – please look closely and tell me if you see G/VG 3.0).

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Four Color Comics #263 (February 1950)

As a side, side note I ran a binary logistic regression analysis (statistics lingo) on this sample of 61 and determined that controlling for year of sale and grade of comic there was a statistically significant difference in sales price between CGC graded and non-CGC graded books.  It amounted to a $33.73 premium for the CGC graded copies. Based on this data grading cost could “pay for itself” by adding a 7% premium (over the price average in this analysis). The “break even” would be on books valued at $275 and above.

Four Color Dell Comics #353 (October 1951)

I continued adding to my collection some of the greatest Carl Barks Four Color Dell Comics which include:

 
Here is an important tip for Barks hunters. Barks art is recognizable by the “pie slice” in the eyes.  Notice on the Duck Album above Donald’s nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie have tiny white circles (not drawn by Barks).   The rest of the family have the tiny white pie-slice – Barks art!

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Four Color Dell Comics #223 (April 1949)

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Four Color Dell Comics #256 (December 1949)