FANTASTIC
COLLECTIBLES
SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY COLLECTIBLES



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HOW I BOUGHT FIVE SIXTHS OF A COLLECTION

A Lesson For Us All

People have many reasons to sell a collection. The most common is loss of interest; either because they have moved on to other things, or have lost the ability to read easily due to the frailties of old age. Sometimes the cause is economic hardship, and often it is related to a move. Sometimes the collection is too large to move easily; more often there is not enough space in the retirement quarters.

This particular collection in the Cleveland suburbs was owned by a well known member of the Science Fiction community there. The reason he was selling was pure aggravation. This man had an immense collection acquired over a lifetime of collecting. They were all pulps from the 1920's to about 1945. The collection was stored on metal shelves six shelves high in the basement of his suburban home. Behind the house was a large backyard, gradually sloping down to a small stream.

About a month before I showed up to look at the collection, they had torrential rains for three days. The stream behind the house became swollen, coming part way up the lawn toward the house. This had happened many times before, with no adverse effects. What was different this time was that the sump pump that should have taken care of the water seepage through the ground had a failed check valve. This didn't stop the pump from working, but greatly impaired its effectiveness. Consequently, the basement partially flooded, taking out the bottom shelf all around the basement. What I purchased was the 5/6ths that was above the water level.

The real aggravation was that this gentleman had a rider in his insurance to cover the loss of his collection, in this case about $45000 worth. The insurance company would not pay off. They would only pay for sudden destruction. If a tree fell on the house, they would pay. If termites slowly eat away the foundation and the house falls down, they would not pay. This slow seepage was akin to the termites. If he had broken a window to let water pour in, they might have paid off!

His first inclination was to rebuild the collection. On second thought, he decided to chuck it all and he contacted me.

I called him back about 15 years later, just to check in with him. I guessed he would have resumed collecting at some point. I was wrong. He never returned to collecting Science Fiction, and said he had not given it a thought in years. This was a person who had written several non-fiction books on the subject.

This incident had a big impact on my life. When I moved several years later, we had a difficult time finding a house. That was because I insisted on a walkout basement, with good drainage all around. That combination is hard to find in central Indiana, but I persisted until I found one. I wanted to keep 6/6ths of my collection.


Read about other trips Here

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COLLECTIBLES
FOR SALE
PULP MAGAZINES
Titles starting with letters:
  • A
  • B thru H
  • I thru R
  • S thru Z
    • PAPERBACK BOOKS
    SF and Fantasy books are listed by author.
     Ace Doubles listed by book number.
    SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY HARDCOVER BOOKS
    Authors starting with letters:
  • Science Fiction Bookclubs
    • Pulp Magazine Cover scans
    Over 5000 Hi-definition Pulp Magazine Cover scans
    are available on CD-rom or DVD
    The largest collection of hi-definition scans available anywhere. Buy this collection and see it all at once, or view it on this page- it will only take 15 years to see it all!
    POSTERS!!
    Beautiful hi-gloss pulp magazine cover posters
    suitable for framing- you will be proud to display these
    REFERENCE MATERIAL
    Here are some reference guides to help you understand and appreciate the Science Fiction world of books and pulps better

    PULP ARTICLES
    How to Collect Pulp Magazines
    Read Here
    Useful information if you are considering starting a collection
    Worlds Best Pulp Magazine Priceguide
    Read Here
    The bible of pulp magazine priceguides. Place a value on most any pulp, no matter how obscure
    Grading Pulp Magazines
    Read Here
    Accurate grading is essential in pricing Pulp Magazines
    Travels in Search of the Elusive Pulp Magazine
    Read Here
    A series of articles about traveling around the country in search of Pulp Magazine collections- the weird characters, the strange collections the odd homes and locales
    What will be the Treasured Collectibles of the Future
    Read Here
    to find which items lying about today may become the valuable collectibles of the future

    PAPERBACK ARTICLES
    Read our standards on
    PAPERBACK GRADING

    Read a useful article on
    COLLECTING PAPERBACKS
    to see what a pro thinks about the subject.

    Looking For a Great
    PAPERBACK PRICE GUIDE?
    Read a review of what I consider to be the most up to date and perhaps the best Collectible Price Guide ever printed.

    INTERESTING LINKS
    Visit our companion page
    Pulp Magazine Cover of the Day
    to view the daily updated Pulp Magazine Cover. You can purchase the CD or DVD above and enjoy all 5500 pulpcovers in high resolution glory, or you can see then in low resolution one at a time over the next 15 years!

    Visit our companian Paperback Cover page
    Slightly Sleazy Vintage Paperbacks
    to find a daily pulpish paperback cover from my collection
    SCIENCE FICTION DVD's
    Here I list my selection for the 10 most underrated Science Fiction Movies of all Time. Do you agree? Use the email link at the bottom of the page to add your favorites.