WELCOME BACK: Weather is windy and wet here on Long Island this weekend so I thought I'd get a head start on this issue of the newsletter and try to actually be early for once. That way you don't think I'm constantly full of it when I talk about getting the "next issue out on time", plus truth be told I have some pretty good auctions up this week that I wanted to promote as well!

ABOUT THOSE AUCTIONS: The week starts out slow, not to say there's anything wrong with what's listed Monday and Tuesday night, but the later part of the week blows those listings away. Monday night features another batch of Collier's from the early 1950's--these are very clean for the most part, you can tell they were only read once or twice and then stored away for the past fifty-plus years. The paper even feels kind of new on them. Tuesday's a bit of a mixed batch with a few issues of Quick and then a few of the American Magazine, of which some are totally beat 99 cent blowouts and then a couple are pretty darn nice including consecutive issues from March and April 1938 which contain parts one and two of "Too Many Cooks" by Rex Stout.

Wednesday night is the highlight...one item. STORY Magazine, March-April 1940, featuring "The Young Folks" by J.D. Salinger, his first published story. This is one of the more important magazines printed in the 20th Century, and the condition isn't too bad on this one. The grade is on the lower end of mid-range, but that's largely due to an odd stain on the cover--inside contents are clean and complete. I have listed this a couple of times before, once it failed to meet reserve and the second time I listed it with a high minimum bid. This time I started it out at just $9.99 with no reserve, crossing my fingers and hoping to generate some action. The Russell guide values this one at $900, so I can't guarantee it, but very likely the winner will have found themselves quite a bargain!

I'm also excited over Thursday night's offerings--I've listed over twenty issues of The Partisan Review from the 1940's and 50's, each just starting at either $7.99 or $9.99 minimum bid. These are pretty sharp with most defects due to age toning or light soiling on the covers. I sold a batch of these a few years ago and did very well on them, I've been looking for them since then but couldn't come up with a nice batch until now. Why do these excite me? Well, the list of writers is a list of who's who on the page in the 20th Century, a few of the names: George Orwell, Flannery O'Connor, Dylan Thomas, Wallace Stevens, ee cummings, Vladimir Nabokov, TS Eliot, Jorge Luis Borges, Albert Camus, William Faulkner and so many others! I've started digging into the research materials to put together a page on collecting-old-magazines.com dedicated to The Partisan Review.

Finally, Friday night is the next batch of ten issues of The Sporting News from 1947 which takes us through the end of the regular season and previews the upcoming World Series between the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers, and more importantly continues to cover Jackie Robinson's rookie year and the week-by-week history of baseball's integration. 

QUICK LINKS WITHIN THIS ISSUE:
Fun Toy for Webmasters
New on the Site
Password for Subscriber Pages
The Random Issue

AUCTION TRENDS: I hawked my auctions a little harder than usual there because the month of October has run completely contrary to expectations. I believe it was last issue in which I trumpeted the start of the best selling season of the year--and October turned out to be my worst month on eBay in a long time! I rubbed my hands together expecting a big weekend since a good part of the East Coast of the U.S. seemed swamped this weekend--well, for the first time in as long as I can remember the last 24 hours on my eBay Selling Manager reports exactly $0 in sales. Now I'm left crossing my fingers for a big November so I can forget October for a year.

ALTERNATIVES: To eBay that is. The saddest part is that they are very limited outside of your own site (which in my case should be open very very soon, I promise!). My own opinion as to what's hurt eBay for people such as myself is the escalating stress on non-collectibles. Now I don't mean to offend anyone who sells these items, but frankly if I want a new TV or the latest CD then I'm going to hit the Bestbuy down the block and pick them up there. If I want an old Atari 2600 or an out-of-print book then eBay is near or at the top of my list to start my search. I despise that catalog that eBay mails me every so often, the one that leaves sellers like me out by promoting what I think of as Bestbuy or Walmart items. I think the last issue mentioned old Barbie dolls, but not another vintage collectible anywhere on its pages.

Continued in the e-mailed version of the newsletter and archived on Buyer and Seller Tips Archive Page.

FUN TOY FOR WEBMASTERS: Complete in the e-mailed version of the newsletter and archived on Buyer and Seller Tips Archive Page.

NEW ON THE SITE: In case you missed it I did create a page on the site for The Youth's Companion, and as I mentioned a little earlier am working on one for The Partisan Review and hope to get to work on another for The American Mercury.

...AND THE PASSWORD IS: Only available in the e-mailed version.

OUR RANDOM ISSUE:
 

WRAP-UP: That's it for now, hope you enjoyed. Have a great Halloween, I'll be inside handing out candy and watching scary movies. And please, if you get a chance, please do remember to take a look at this week's auctions, I really think there's a little something there for everyone this week. Take care!