TALES OF TERROR ANNUAL #3 1953 CGC 9.6 NM+.
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Winning Bid:
$27,258.00 (Includes 18% Buyer's Premium)
Bids:
16
Bidding Ended:
Wednesday, November 3, 2021 9:00:00 PM (20 Minute Clock Begins At Wednesday, November 3, 2021 9:00:00 PM)
Time Left:
Ended
Auction:
Auction #233 Part II
Value Code:
P - $20,000 to $35,000 Help Icon
Item Description
The term rare is sometimes overused in the collectibles industry. This is not the case with the CGC 9.6 copy (off-white to white pages) of Tales Of Terror Annual #3 being offered here. Sporting a shockingly eerie cover by Al Feldstein, it ranks amongst the most salacious torture covers produced by EC during the 1950s. The poor unfortunate soul is being stretched on the rack, personally attended to by EC's horror hosts  The Crypt Keeper, The Old Witch and The Vault Keeper, who wields a blazing hot "EC" branding iron. Advertising "16 Of EC's Best Yarns From 1952," the 128 page issue features art by Graham Ingels, Jack Kamen and Wally Wood. The cover of this book is partially responsible for its survival in this state, as a less than enthusiastic wife refused to allow her son to read the copy her husband brought home in 1953. Instead of throwing the comic away, the husband opted to place the taboo issue in a desk drawer, where it was forgotten for decades, keeping it in off-the-rack condition. These EC Annuals seldom turn up in high grade, this the highest and only copy in this grade in the CGC Census. The next highest CGC graded example is a single 9.4 copy. That book last sold back in 2014 for $11,353. An exceptional auction price at that time, it no longer reflects the current market explosion for high grade EC Comics, especially a one-of-a-kind condition copy like we are offering. The renowned Gaines File Copy pedigree - which saw EC publisher William Gaines personally select and curate 12 copies of the main EC comic book titles - did not include ANY copies of the Tales Of Terror Annuals, resulting in this copy likely being the best copy you will ever have the opportunity to own. The example offered here is fresh to the market, its first time at auction. The astonishing condition of this issue and the rarity of such an investment grade book is sure to make this copy a highly sought after addition to any high-grade EC Comics collection.
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