Chet Krause, 1923-2016: Comics Buyer’s Guide publisher, and a titan in collecting

The company’s line grew not only to include his own hobby interests in
coins and old cars, but also sportscards, records, toys, and comics —
which is how I learned his name, following his 1983 purchase of the
magazine that became Comics Buyer’s Guide. I had been a subscriber for
nearly a decade when I took a life-changing job with the staff in the
early 1990s; Chet came to visit me at my desk, as he did all new
employees, bringing me a signed copy of the book you see here.

Krause with the first issue of Numismatic News in 1952.

I
saw him frequently following that, as he would stop by to offer advice
on publishing and indexing collectibles. Early on as I struggled to find
easy ways to report on all the items comics shop sold, he said he’d
learned that “the only category in any hobby that captures everything is
‘miscellaneous’.” Later on he dropped by after we bought Scrye, the
Magic: The Gathering magazine; he confessed he didn’t understand the
product area we were covering at all. Yet he understood there was a
market of hobbyists interested in the field, and that meant Krause
Publications needed to be there.

Folks in the area also thrilled to one of his other hobby pursuits, collecting many of the military vehicles from his World War II unit. A tour of Chet’s tanks was a regular stop on the Comics Buyer’s Guide picnic. There are old car and military vehicle shows near the publishing company’s grounds to this day; the Iola Old Car Show, every July, attracts more than 100,000 annually.

Krause at the historical marker unveiling outside his home (Credit: Iola Historical Society)

Importantly, he arranged to sell
the company to its employees, giving them all a stake in its future.
The employees later sold the company as it faced internet headwinds; he
was unhappy following that, wanting to take his name back. I remember
suggesting at the time it might be worth renaming the town after him as
he had played such a role in so many lives. Certainly I would not be
working in the comics and science fiction fields today without his
presence, and I know there are other writers with similar
stories.

I did see him later as he continued to keep offices
downtown in Iola; a couple of years ago he gave my young son several old
railroad stock certificates, from yet another hobby he was pursuing. I
thought it made sense: he was continuing to spread the word about
collecting. Chet will be very much missed indeed.