Collection Valued At $1 Million
“Holy auction block, Batman! Comic book collector and industry legend Maggie Thompson has decided to put some 500 pieces of her personal collection up for auction over the next few months,” AP reports.
“The first wave alone includes the first issue of The Avengers, Journey Into Mystery No. 83, which features the first appearance of Thor, the first issue of The Incredible Hulk and the original cover art for the fourth issue of Conan the Barbarian.
“News of the auction has comic lovers’ wallets tingling. The books are in exceptional condition; auctioneers expect the total collection could fetch $1 million by the time sales wrap up next year.”
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From Wikipedia:
“Margaret ‘Maggie’ Thompson (born Margaret Curtis on November 29, 1942), was the editor of Comics Buyer’s Guide, a monthly comic book industry news magazine. Thompson and her late husband, Don Thompson (October 30, 1935-May 23, 1994), were among the instigators of what developed in the 1960s into comic book fandom.
“Their Harbinger (a mimeographed one-sheet published in the autumn of 1960) announced the upcoming publication of Comic Art, one of the early amateur magazines devoted to all aspects of sequential art (a term not then in use).
“The initial issue of Comic Art was released the following spring. Seven issues were published at irregular intervals between 1961 and 1968. As publication of Comic Art wound down, they shifted their attention to a new venture as the Thompsons started a fanzine titled Newfangles in March 1967. Unlike other comics news fanzines of the time it was devoted to the doings of comics fandom instead of news about comic books and comic book professionals.”
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“Thompson graduated in 1964 from Oberlin College as an English major, then worked as an assistant children’s librarian in the Cleveland Public Library system through the summer of 1966, when she quit to have children (Valerie and Stephen).
“She worked as a freelance writer and editor until coming to Krause Publications as the editor of Movie Collector’s World and Comics Buyer’s Guide in 1983. That same year she created and edited Fantasy Empire magazine and wrote Dark Shadows: Book Two #1-4 for Innovation Comics.
“With her husband Don, she wrote a miscellany of articles and comic-book stories; The Official Price Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy (1989, House of Collectibles); five years of Comics Buyer’s Guide Annual (1992-1996, Krause Publications); Marvel Comics Checklist & Price Guide 1961-Present (1993, Krause Publications); and Comic-Book Superstars (1993, Krause Publications). With others, she produced the Comics Buyer’s Guide Checklist & Price Guide (now in its 15th edition, Krause Publications); and the Standard Catalog of Comic Books (now in its 5th edition, Krause Publications).
“Krause later sold the movie newspaper, but she continued to edit Comics Buyer’s Guide, long after her husband’s death in 1994[4] and the transformation of the publication into a monthly magazine. In 2013 she began a column for San Diego Comic-Con International’s Toucan blog called Maggie’s World.”
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The official website of Maggie Thompson.
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“I started collecting when I was about 5 years old – around 1947,” Thompson told Antique Trader last month.
“I do have original art in my collection that is connected to that early era, thanks to my parents’ support. They began a correspondence with Pogo creator Walt Kelly, and he decorated his letters with his drawings. Of course, the family kept that correspondence.
“However, I became the sort of person we think of today as a collector when I began to collect E.C. comics, starting with Mad #9 (1954). Don was also already a collector when we first met in 1957, focusing especially on Classics Illustrated and the E.C. comics.
“When it was clear we were going to be a couple, we actually built a savings account and funded our collecting efforts out of it. Eventually, later, we sold the duplicates that resulted from our combined collections.”
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“Among the highlights featured in the Don & Maggie Thompson Collection when it comes to auction November 21-23, 2013 at Heritage Auctions at the Beverly Hills, California location will be one of the finest known copies of The Avengers #1, a CGC-certified 9.4 copy,” Scoop reports. “It is expected to bring more than $80,000. According to Heritage, the collection is estimated at $1 million.”
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From Heritage Auctions:
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Final word from Maggie:
“When you appreciate something enough to want it with you – to be able to have it if you want to check a fact or revisit an entertainment at 2 a.m. – you’d better collect it.”
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Comments welcome.
Posted on November 21, 2013