Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Monster Magazine Price Guides

Larry Kenton's Monsters Price Guides

Baltimore area ephemera dealer Larry Kenton put out the first monster magazines price guide in 1974. The 20 page digest sized Monsters Price Guide included prices (but no photos) for monster mags, horror comics and monster trading cards. The second edition (with 8 cover photos) of the Kenton guide was published in 1975. Interior art in both volumes was by Claude Brooks. Magazine
 
1974 Guide
Cover Art by Claude Brooks 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1975 Guide
Cover Art by Bernie Wrightson 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Collector's Guide To Monster Magazines

Published by Dick Z Associates and edited by Bob Michelucci, the guide featured b/w photos (with eight pages in color) of all issues of the magazines covered , along with publisher information, collector tips and prices (FM #1 - $150 !). The book also included a foreward by Forrest J Ackerman, interviews with Forry and Fred (Cinefantastique) Clarke, plus fan club, convention and fanzine info and other articles. Trade Paperback

1977 Guide
Cover Art by Bob Michelucci









It would be another decade before the second edition came out. Now published by Imagine Inc. and again edited by Michelucci, the guide was retitled The Collector's Guide To Monster, Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Magazines and was updated to include the newer magazines, like Starlog, Cinefex and Filmfax. An eight page color section, pricing and grading guide and articles by Steve Dolnick, Tom Skulan, Mark Sielski and F.J.A. rounded out the book.
Trade Paperback  Thanks to Brian K. for the scan.

1988 Guide
Cover Art by Jack Davis










Monster Magazine & Fanzine Collector's Guides

The most recent guides were published by monster magazine dealer Michael W. Pierce of Monsters Among Us. His 1995 Monster Magazine & Fanzine Collector's Guide had more than 500 titles and 2,400 covers of monster magazines and fanzines (plus foreign magazines and fanzines), as well as a color center spread of every issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland. Trade Paperback

1995 Guide










Monster Magazine & Fanzine Collector's Guide #2, published in 2000 by Pierce and co-editor John M. Ballentine, had 600 titles and over 5,200 covers. Like the previous volume, it lists prices for Good, VG-F and VF-NM condition. Also included are articles on collecting and reminiscences by Ron Borst, Gary Dorst, Mark Frank, Gary Svehla and the editors and a foreward by FJA. Trade Paperback

2000 Guide
Cover Art by Michael F. Calandra

4 comments:

  1. I really want to get hold of MONSTER MAGAZINE & Fanzine Collectors Guide #2.

    It would be so cool if someone published a brand new updated version!

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  2. I don't envy anybody who wants to update the guide! The amount of work that goes into one of those things is astounding!

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  3. looking for prices on the monster time from the 60s to 1970s
    thanks steve

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  4. High, Steve!

    TMT started in 1972. I haven't been keeping up, but most issues seem to sell for about the same price. I guess they're around $10 for nice copies. The 3 specials go for more. The best place to find current values is by looking at the completed auction prices at ebay.

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