Where are the Mad Magazine collectors?

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That's awesome!

When I was a kid, I was such a Mad freak that my family made fun of me. My uncle was an artist / designer for magazines and such, and one year he sent this artistic creation to me for my birthday. I have blurred out my name (actually, a goofy version of my name) but everything else is exactly as it appeared, though the glossy finish or whatever he used has turned light-brownish over the decades. Some of the text teases might not make sense, because they are part of in-jokes between my uncle and my dad (they were identical twins and practically had their own language).

 

Anyway, this is proof that I have been a Mad geek ever since an early age. Pretty sad, really. Yeah, I did kinda look like this, complete with bowl-esque haircut, but my tooth wasn't missing.

 

I should probably send this to Mad magazine -- maybe they'll put it in the letters page!

 

When I was a kid, I was such a Mad freak that my family made fun of me. My uncle was an artist / designer for magazines and such, and one year he sent this artistic creation to me for my birthday. I have blurred out my name (actually, a goofy version of my name) but everything else is exactly as it appeared, though the glossy finish or whatever he used has turned light-brownish over the decades. Some of the text teases might not make sense, because they are part of in-jokes between my uncle and my dad (they were identical twins and practically had their own language).

 

Anyway, this is proof that I have been a Mad geek ever since an early age. Pretty sad, really. Yeah, I did kinda look like this, complete with bowl-esque haircut, but my tooth wasn't missing.

 

I should probably send this to Mad magazine -- maybe they'll put it in the letters page!

 

THIS is SO awesome. I enjoyed reading the creativity put into that cover and can imagine that it is quite the cherished gift. Amazing.

When I was a kid, I was such a Mad freak that my family made fun of me. My uncle was an artist / designer for magazines and such, and one year he sent this artistic creation to me for my birthday.

 

That is awesome cool!

I should probably send this to Mad magazine -- maybe they'll put it in the letters page!

Yes, that would be worth a try!

(thumbs u

I thought I would get a better response here than the b/s/t forum. Does anyone here have a nice high grade copy of Mad #180?

You mean a copy that they're willing to sell? Or just a high-grade copy? About 85% of my magazine issues of Mad are high-grade, from #24 up to about #300.

Yes, I'm looking to buy a high grade copy.

Beautiful image. Great sentiment.

Earlier this year I tracked down a few of the Mad hardcover books from the late 1950s or so. Today I was sorting through stuff, and put them together for a small group shot. In chronological order, they're Mad for Keeps (1958), Mad Forever (1959), and A Golden Trashery of Mad (1960).

Despite being a die-hard Mad freak, I didn't even know about the existence of these books for a long time. Turns out they're really cool, with thick-page reprint material from the early magazine issues. The brief, tongue-in-cheek intros by Ernie Kovaks, Steve Allen, and Sid Caesar give them some comedy-history clout too.

Of the original Mad hardcover books, the only one I'm missing, that I'm aware of, is the Ridiculously Expensive Mad (1969). I might have to hold off from getting that one for a while, because I hear it's ridiculously expensive.

Just noticed this thread. I am a huge MAD fan and was a serious collector of it more so than comics. I made some scans of my early issues, which I am going to get CGC graded for no particular reason other than they are my best looking issues for the early comics and early magazine.

Let's start with #23

P1030280 by phantalien, on Flickr

Just noticed this thread. I am a huge MAD fan and was a serious collector of it more so than comics. I made some scans of my early issues, which I am going to get CGC graded for no particular reason other than they are my best looking issues for the early comics and early magazine.

 

Let's start with #23

Nice copy of that issue. I am also going to get a few of my Mad comics CGC graded, maybe sometime in the next month. I will be sure to post them here -- before/after shots or something like that.

Keep the scans coming!

I think I'm up to 10 copies of the Ridiculously Expensive Mad (6 are complete with inserts still attached, in dj, with errata slip). It's one of those books I coveted as a kid, but no way were my folks going to give me the then princely sum of $9.95 for A MAD!!! Over the years I became quite obsessed with the book and bought every copy I'd come across....then the WWW came about and finding them was much easier...so I stopped!

Hardest of the HC's for me to find was a nice copy of Golden Trashery. I think that book is the scarcest of the four, and I think it wasn't distributed as well as the previous 2, nor did it go through more than one printing. At least I haven't seen any later printings of it, while I have had later printings of Mad For Keeps and somebody told me they had a second of Mad Forever, but I've not seen it.

Oh, and don't believe the bs when somebody says they have a sealed copy of Ridiculously. Unless it came from Gaines' estate, where he may have had his copies sealed, when the book was originally sold it was not...I used to spend lots of time in B. Dalton's slobbering over that book...multiple times, and never had to bust it out of a cellophane...I don't even think they sold books that way in 1969!

I think I'm up to 10 copies of the Ridiculously Expensive Mad (6 are complete with inserts still attached, in dj, with errata slip). It's one of those books I coveted as a kid, but no way were my folks going to give me the then princely sum of $9.95 for A MAD!!! Over the years I became quite obsessed with the book and bought every copy I'd come across....then the WWW came about and finding them was much easier...so I stopped!

 

Hardest of the HC's for me to find was a nice copy of Golden Trashery. I think that book is the scarcest of the four, and I think it wasn't distributed as well as the previous 2, nor did it go through more than one printing. At least I haven't seen any later printings of it, while I have had later printings of Mad For Keeps and somebody told me they had a second of Mad Forever, but I've not seen it.

 

Oh, and don't believe the bs when somebody says they have a sealed copy of Ridiculously. Unless it came from Gaines' estate, where he may have had his copies sealed, when the book was originally sold it was not...I used to spend lots of time in B. Dalton's slobbering over that book...multiple times, and never had to bust it out of a cellophane...I don't even think they sold books that way in 1969!

Yeah I remember seeing that stuff on ebay recently. There was also a glut of the MAD board games sealed on ebay. Around 3-5 copies. Seems a bit too suspicious to me. I am starting to liquidate some of my collection of MAD items. I have two 12" statues from spencers in their boxes that will be listed over time. I think my dad would really appreciate me getting that stuff out of my old room.

While I have many of the comic book Mad's in pretty decent condition and the first 7 or so of the magazines and many more up to the end of the 1960's, I can't really say I collect monthly Mad's. My focus has always been the Annuals, even when I was a kid and bought my first one, Mad Follies #6.

I set my mad collecting goal to be all of the Annuals, with the inserts intact until the Mad Specials stopped doing the Nostalgic Mad reprints. Those were the last inserts that really excited me. I have a complete collection of all the Worst Ofs, More Trash Froms, Follies and Specials and even have most if not all the price variants of the issues from the 60's (same issues have 50 and 60 cent cover prices, probably for Canadian consumption, I would guess) with the inserts intact. I did spread this obsession to collecting the hardcovers, but that's really where the collection ended. I think the appeal was probably that it was a finite collecting situation, but I still keep an eye out for reasonably priced issues that are as good or better than the ones I own...cause you never know.

I had many lesser condition dupes I accumulated over the years, mostly cheap reading copies minus the inserts or sporting partial inserts. Recently I've gotten into having runs of comics and magazines professionally bound in hardcover and in my last batch I did one I call "An Assortment Of Mad Annuals 1962-68" and bound them by year rather than by title and number, just because I liked the idea of keeping the book flowing chronologically related to who was working for Mad or stopped working, such as Wood and Davis, movie and tv parodies, etc.

I'm pretty happy with how the fat tome turned out. I also used to collect 25 cent annuals and squarebound comics because I liked that they had a real spine versus regular curved spine mags and comics....it's a little ocd, and that probably contributed to my obsession with Mad Annuals....

Here is another comic issue. I have not busted out my magazines yet. Gonna go with the classics. This is my earliest issue. I would have gotten earlier but some of the copies I saw and could afford were not appealing to the eye. Someday I will finish it...

P1030258 by phantalien, on Flickr

I set my mad collecting goal to be all of the Annuals, with the inserts intact until the Mad Specials stopped doing the Nostalgic Mad reprints. Those were the last inserts that really excited me.

This is pretty much exactly the way I feel! The 'Nostalgic Mad' inserts were fascinating to me as a kid. Discovering the Mad material from the pre-magazine days blew my mind -- it seemed darker and meaner than anything in the regular Mads, in a fascinating way. Plus the art by Wood, Elder, Davis, Kurtzman, Wolverton etc. had more edge and chaos to it.

I have a complete collection of all the Worst Ofs, More Trash Froms, Follies and Specials and even have most if not all the price variants of the issues from the 60's (same issues have 50 and 60 cent cover prices, probably for Canadian consumption, I would guess) with the inserts intact.

That's fantastic that you have a full run of those. I am about 5 issues away from a full run now, thanks to a boardie who sold me several issues on my wantlist a few weeks ago. I never knew about the price variants, but yeah, maybe it's just a Canada thing. Trying to track down those variants is a level of hardcore collecting that might be beyond my concentration.

I did spread this obsession to collecting the hardcovers, but that's really where the collection ended. I think the appeal was probably that it was a finite collecting situation, but I still keep an eye out for reasonably priced issues that are as good or better than the ones I own...cause you never know.

Yeah, there are many issues I could stand to upgrade. The real challenge is not just all the Specials with inserts, but the Specials in FN+ or better grade, with the inserts fully attached to the spines, and without the fold-ins creased. Now THAT is a challenge.

Recently I've gotten into having runs of comics and magazines professionally bound in hardcover and in my last batch I did one I call "An Assortment Of Mad Annuals 1962-68" and bound them by year rather than by title and number, just because I liked the idea of keeping the book flowing chronologically related to who was working for Mad or stopped working, such as Wood and Davis, movie and tv parodies, etc.

I'd really like to see a pic or two of the above hardcover runs. Are they stitched in somehow? (Lots of tiny pinholes woven to the book binding?) Just curious how that works. I like your idea of putting them in chronological order. That is a good way to keep similar design styles and bonus themes together.

Here is another comic issue. I have not busted out my magazines yet. Gonna go with the classics. This is my earliest issue. I would have gotten earlier but some of the copies I saw and could afford were not appealing to the eye. Someday I will finish it...

 

P1030258 by phantalien, on Flickr

Beautiful copy, and my favorite of all the early Mad comics covers.

I'd really like to see a pic or two of the above hardcover runs. Are they stitched in somehow? (Lots of tiny pinholes woven to the book binding?) Just curious how that works. I like your idea of putting them in chronological order. That is a good way to keep similar design styles and bonus themes together.

Sadly I don't have a cell phone or a digital camera (just can't get myself there for some reason). The mags are stitched together, I believe the term is oversewn. The gutters on the Mads turned out to be wide enough so the book opens with very little loss in the middle and it will lie flat. It's about the size of a phonebook, with black covers made out of a material called arrestox, and gold and silver foil stamping at the spine.

ALL my Annuals are in at least Near VF condition and very few if any have the fold-Ins creased. I wasn't even aware of the price variants until I started picking up multiple copies of the Annuals. I'm not sure I have them all, nor do I collect them on purpose, but if one makes it's way into my sight line, I certainly don't miss the opportunity to add it to the collection!

For me the two Annuals that were the hardest to find intact and in nice shape were More Trash #8 with the Op-Art Poster and Worst #8 with the Mad Zeppelin (I pick that one up no matter what condition if the Zeppelin is still unmade!). Also, finding copies with the records still attached can be pretty maddening, but I did! The other somewhat frustrating issue was More Trash #7 with the stamp album and Alfred E, Neuman stamps. I've got a few copies where the previous owner was 'kind' enough to apply the stamps to the album....ugh!

I will give you guys credit, I would never ever go after price variants unless the price was really cheap.

Here is a new comic to add to this forum... Taped on the inside cover. It still looks nice. I am happy to get a copy like this as I am sure I got it for a good price.

P1030259 by phantalien, on Flickr

Sadly I don't have a cell phone or a digital camera (just can't get myself there for some reason).

That's too bad, but I understand.

ALL my Annuals are in at least Near VF condition and very few if any have the fold-Ins creased.

Nice.

For me the two Annuals that were the hardest to find intact and in nice shape were More Trash #8 with the Op-Art Poster and Worst #8 with the Mad Zeppelin (I pick that one up no matter what condition if the Zeppelin is still unmade!).

You're not the first person I've heard that from. Even though it isn't the most highly valued in the Overstreet Price Guide, the issue with the full-size Alfred E. Neuman op-art poster has proven to be one of the toughest to find intact. The Zeppelin is a runner-up. I can only imagine how many kids' rooms and dorms had those as decorations. It would be cool to see a vintage photo of that.

Also, finding copies with the records still attached can be pretty maddening, but I did! The other somewhat frustrating issue was More Trash #7 with the stamp album and Alfred E, Neuman stamps. I've got a few copies where the previous owner was 'kind' enough to apply the stamps to the album....ugh!

Those stamps are problematic if they were stored anywhere with a little humidity. Sometimes they would stick to themselves. Then you have to go and try to gently detach them from their folded-over counterparts.....it's like playing 'Operation' or something.

Recently going through stuff from my dad's house and found one of my old Mad Super Specials that I'd forgotten about (and didn't realize I'd been missing all this time).

It's the Winter 1980 special issue. The bonus materials are "Alfred E. Neuman for President" stamps/stickers. Pretty cool for kids who would prefer to vote for Alfie instead of Ronnie or Jimmy.

Looking at the bonus, I realized something that I'd forgotten about long ago: My copy of this issue has an entire 2nd set of stamps/stickers because of a production mistake. Evidently a whole set of stamps were printed crooked, and somehow got inserted along with a set of properly-printed stamps. Kinda cool....I wonder if my copy is the only one like it? (Photos below.)

I have a similar situation with Mad Special #5 which included the Mad Flag Poster. The issue I bought off the stands, and still own, had 2 flags bound in! It's the Mad Annual version of a double cover. I think all double inserts should be awarded a major premium, and you should consider yourself part of a rare breed indeed! You have my respect and everyone should keep an eye out for this type of good fortune. Mads like that are only going to be scarcer since they don't do the insert thing anymore, and I suspect people that may have stumbled onto these mutant Mads in the past might have used one of the inserts even if they were collectors, rationalizing that there was another one in the mag keeping it real, so to speak!

Awesome find. I probably would be one of those people who would have taken the extra set out and tried to frame it or something.