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CGC Journals

Our community journals

  1. Phelps27

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    Phelps27
    Latest Entry

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  2. Well I've been M.I.A. but we set up the office. The wife and I are posting a ton of the collectibles, got all of the comic books we have in, built the shelves to display, and tore the house apart. I will post some pictures so everyone can see the chaos. I decided to keep all the Batman Animated Series and have started posting the rest. Once I can get to the end of that... I will start working on the "Funny Books". 

  3. Swingwitme
    Latest Entry

    how long does it take for cert# to be in the system after on site grading at a con

  4. Since everyone else apparently gets a journal, maybe I should claim some space too... 

    I'm just another schmo that has a lot to say about things that most nobody cares about.

  5. Jradical

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    1138563042_IMG_20190808_1950482.thumb.jpg.f1f6f8e96c13127c527e75d446a5a43a.jpgHere is an indie key in high grade signed that I picked up today. I think it is worth holding on to long-term. Thoughts?

  6. <h3>Just plain don't get you silver/bronze only collectors...<h3>

    <p>I believe that that the content of classic comics before 1978-72ish is so inferior to today's  that the value that builds on their rarity is not structured logically. Now, I'm not saying that modern comics transcend the fact that they are ultimately cartoons (opinions aside). However, the content that makes up: artistic value <h7>(the drawings and ink jobs)<h7>, dynamics of dialouge <h7>(events, stories, relationships)<h7>, or initial exclusivity of <h7>(variant covers, dealer incentives, 9.x cgc/cb slabs<h7>, cant seriously be rivaled in terms of: <li>entertainment and enjoyment<li> <li>production value<li> <li>economic footprint. <h7>(at the time of the initial release of the book)<h7>.<li><p>

    Spoiler

    Please excuse my dear aunt markdown.

     

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    Liza761
    Latest Entry

    hello thought id tell you were i found my next lot of comics, i found it in the very last place in the loft i was clearing out the comics were inside a deteriorated old carrier bag underneath the loft door i was about to climb down from the loft when that was  when i saw them.

    Look at this last lot of treasure i found by chance. not quite the holy grail but very nearly.

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  7. On July 19th, 2019 the CGC announced the winners of the annual CGC awards.  I was very excited to see who would win.  I have a few sets that i constantly work on to keep on an award winning level, i was extra- pumped this year because i felt a few of my sets had a pretty good chance of getting some recognition.  I started checking to see if the awards were posted around noon-  i know that is a little early- but i was very excited. 

    At around 1pm i looked at my custom set that i was hoping might get an award-  i scrolled down my set description, and low and behold- there it was- the little award seal for "Best Custom Set 2019"--  i was at work, so i nonchalantly got up from my desk- went outside into the hot afternoon air- and began to cheer loudly at my victory.  After i calmed down- i went right to work showing everyone at my workplace the award i had won-- everyone where i work knows i am a comic junkie- so they were all very happy for me.  I then sent a link of my set (with the award stamp on it) to a few artist who helped with my books- they were very happy for me and congratulated me with much enthusiasm.  I sent the link of my set to my wife- she of course was over-joyed that all my hard work had paid off.  My friends and i decided to have a celebration dinner- we all met up and ate Mexican food and cheered for my award.  It was an awesome afternoon-  getting an award on my set was a big deal, i was over-elated to say the least. 

    The day of celebration was winding down- when i got home from all the partying and carrying on- i went to my CGC account page- and there was a box i had to click that said "claim award"-  With a giant smile i clicked that button-  and i was sent to a link that didnt exist.  When i went back to my set-  the award stamp for best custom set was gone.  I checked the 2019 winner page and my name and set were not on it, someone else's set actually received the award.  (the winning set is amazing...but what happened to my award?) (I've never seen the CGC put stamps on nominee sets either- nor is that something stated anywhere on CGCs website???)(and if that's a thing-- it is a really crappy thing to do)

    SO if you are reading this- you can only image the complete drop in my stomach and the giant pile of utter disappointment that washed over me when i realized that i actually didn't win anything- and my set must have been accidentally marked as a winner.  Not winning the award was one thing- but the total embarrassment I felt for acting so excited sort of bummed me-  and the look of shock that i received from ALL the people i told about my win to, and then not actually winning..- people who actually looked at my set with me- and saw that award stamp was there was pretty deflating. 

    So for a few hours on 7/19/19 i had the best custom set- and then it was gone.  Im not sure if this was an accident on CGCs part, or if someone was playing a funny joke on me- but either way it was a very confusing and sad situation.  So i feel like a fool- I'm not sure what kind of attitude I  should have toward the CGC right now-  but it was pretty crappy thing to have happen- very embarrassing, a little humiliating-    I've never went from feeling like such a winner to such a loser-  Thanks a lot CGC-

    I didn't take a pic or anything because i didn't realize that my award was a farce and would be stripped from my set- so all my proof is gone (with the exception of the 20 or so people that actually saw my award with their own eyes-)

    Im trying to keep a good attitude and laugh about it----- but its really not too funny- and i was/am pretty devastated.   BUT- for 7 or 8 hours- I WAS A WINNER!-  at least i know what my set would look like with an award stamped on it.

     

  8. June 6, 2019

    It's been a long time since I posted a comment or written a journal.

    I've been on the sidelines watching the world of comics vicariously through the movies, TV shows, the internet, and auction houses.

    What brings me back is the sad and dissapointing news that the DC Universe has pulled the plug on the new Swamp Thing series after having only aired one episode. It's a head scratching decision since the show was given absolutely no chance to succeed, yet it has drawn glowing critical reception from fans and critics alike. What were the suits at AT&T thinking?

    Sure... there's talk about a new Warner streaming service to debut sometime soon, which may mean all Warner related media gets scooped up and thrown-in a central service blender, including all things DC, but then why not keep the show going until then and simply allow DC Universe subscribers to migrate over after the consolidation is complete? Why not allow this high-quality show to keep going and gain momentum and be the anchor show the DC universe really needs? I'm sure if it was ported to the Warner platform, DC fans would follow.

    Apparently the high production costs, lack of faith, and changes in the direction of the entertainment division killed the Guardian of the Green, as well as the Doom Patrol... which is really a bad move considering there are so many remedies to get the DC Universe profitable and  get the cash flow moving towards producing more and more content to keep suscribers happy and attract new ones.

    I for one was about to subscribe, because of Swamp Thing, until today. I was hopeful to see Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol, and perhaps hundreds of other heroes and stories that deserve to be told. Imagine an Animal Man series, or Gaiman's Sandman, or Kirby's The Demon, or Ditko's The Creeper, or Moore's Hellblazer? Imagine Vertigo's line of comics finally made into live action series. Imagine a Green Lantern's corps, or a Dr. Fate, or Deadman, or hundreds of others?

    James Wan, Len Wiseman, Gary Dauberman, and Mark Verheiden need to be congratulated for producing the best looking Swamp Thing to ever grace the silver or small screen. Quite frankly, the costume is breath taking. It's a shame all this artistry won't be given a chance to blossom.

    It's so very sad.

    SW3D

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    Chet Helm’s Family Dog Avalon Ballroom Series #1-30 (147)

    FD 37 Buffalo Springfield 9.8
    FD 66 Youngbloods 9.8
    FD 70 Grateful Dead 9.8
    FD 73 Blue Cheer 9.8
    FD 75 Moby Grape 9.8
    FD 85 Vanilla Fudge 9.8
    FD 88 Van Morrison 9.9
    FD 91 Youngbloods 9.9
    FD 93 Big Brother & The Holding Company 9.8
    FD 96 Quicksilver Messenger Service 9.9
    FD 100 Youngbloods 9.8
    FD 104 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS 9.8
    FD 106 The Youngbloods 9.8
    FD 110 Blood Sweat & Tears 9.9
    FD 115 Steppenwolf 9.8
    FD 116 Quicksilver Messenger Service 9.9
    FD 118 Quicksilver Messenger Service 9.8
    FD 141 Grateful Dead 9.8
    FD 142 Velvet Underground 10.0
    FD D5 Buffalo Springfield 9.6
    FD D6 Van Morrison 9.8
    FD D8 Allmen Joy 9.8
    FD D9 Jefferson Airplane 10.0
    FD D10 Blue Cheer 10.0
    FD D11 Other Half and Sons of Champlin 9.8
    FD D12 Chuck Berry 9.9
    FD D14 Canned Heat 9.0
    FD D15 Soul Survivors, Boxtops 9.8
  9. Just got this book. It was in utterly in horrible shape. But i am super super happy to have it. I repaired spine with as minimal tape as possible but i had to use more than i wanted to just do to books condition. Cleaned what i could without damaging book or tearing it. Fixed interior. Pressed and very happy with results.  Now i have an adequate place holder.  This was an absolute blast to see this book change. 

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  10. I am a collector of Superman One-shots, but I am stumped by this one:  Superman: The Album nn

    This is not a slot for Superman: The Wedding Album -- that's already accounted for.  Nor is it a slot for the "Superman Record Comic," a comic that accompanied a 1966 LP.  There's already a slot for that, too.

    I'm stumped.  Looked on-line for some ideas, but came up empty.  There evidently are some -- at least one -- graded copy(ies) out there.  Anybody?  What is this?

     

    A census search comes back only with Superman: The Wedding Album.  So maybe a mistaken entry?  Maybe it doesn't exist?

  11. Sellouts in the comic book industry...historically...had always been fairly rare. In the decades prior to the the 1990s, there were very few sellouts in comics. Because of the method of comics manufacture and distribution, in which publishers would print far in excess of what they needed to sell, and vendors could return the unsold copies for credit, you almost never had sellouts. This was especially true after World War 2. You had books like Superman #1 and #2 (1939) and Marvel Comics #1 that were demand reprinted....but after that, not many, as publishers followed the newsstand model: print far in excess of what might actually sell, since printing past a certain number meant per copy costs went way, way down.

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    After the introduction of superheroes, then, in the late 30s, there weren't very many sellouts. Essentially, you had Conan #1, Amazing Spiderman #121-122, and then Star Wars. Star Wars took everyone by surprise, and was such a monster hit, Marvel didn't really know what to do...as evidenced by the haphazard markings on many of the reprints. Is it on the cover, is it in the indicia, is it a square price box, is it a diamond price box, which is it?

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    After Star Wars #1-6 were reprinted out the wazoo, things quieted down a bit. While Marvel started a reprint program of bagged comics in the 80s, these were not related to sellout demand, and were usually printed months, and often years, after the original books came out, and usually focused on licensed or tie-in properties, like GI Joe, Thundercats, Secret Wars, and the like. 

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    In the 80s, we'd essentially see a handful of instant sellouts: Thor #337, ASM #252, Batman #428...plus the prestige format books and graphic novels, which don't *really* count in this discussion, as they were produced under different rules and circumstances. For the purposes of the discussion, we're talking about plain ol', standard format comics.

    At the time, Marvel seemed to have forgotten what they did with Star Wars, and they didn't reprint either Thor #337 and ASM #252...a move they probably regretted. The 'Nam #1 was an oddball, in that it sold well enough in 1987 to prompt an immediate second printing..the first since 1977, by the way...it was the only standard Marvel comic book reprinted (in the same format) in the 80s based on demand from a sellout, and that second printing wasn't identified in any way on the cover.  More on that in a minute.

    Batman #428 was another monster hit, with everyone wanting to know the results of the infamous phone call, and the TPB reprinting all four issues of Death in the Family was announced before #429 even hit the stands, and was published shortly thereafter. 

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    Interestingly enough, DC would strike twice with Batman in a very short amount of time, resulting in their next sellout issue, Batman #436, the first part of the four part "Year Three" storyline. Instead of waiting, however, to issue a trade paperback, they did what they hadn't done since perhaps 1939: they immediately reprinted the book in the same format. While the book does say "second printing" in the indicia, the only indication of its status on the cover is a green, rather than blue, DC "bullet" in the upper left hand corner.

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    In any event, as we move into the 90s, with a dying (but NOT DEAD YET!) newsstand, publishers started to trim the fat, as it were, and didn't print to excess as much as they had in the past. With the success of the Direct market, publishers didn't have to print as many excess copies; they could print much closer to order than before. As a result, you start to see books like Ghost Rider and New Warriors and yes, even Spiderman, selling out. This was essentially uncharted water for the comic book companies, so they did what they thought they should, and reprinted the books. Ghost Rider #1 was second printed without much fanfare, and very little in the way of identification, aside from a Ghost Rider skull in the UPC box, instead of the original Spidey head.

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    Spiderman #1, however, was an interesting case. Even though it had record orders, it apparently still sold well enough to prompt Marvel to make a second printing, and this they did, with the novel idea (at the time) of changing the metallic ink on the cover from silver, as on the first printing, to gold, thereby making a striking change to the book that sent everyone scrambling to make sure they had "the complete set." Marvel continued to repeat this procedure, mostly in gold, sometimes in silver, for their reprints throughout the first 1/2 of the 90s.  

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    DC had a similar reprint program for their best selling books, reprinting recent issues and bundling them in 2- and 3-pack carded sets. These, as with Marvel, had only minor changes to the cover to note their reprint status. After Batman #436, DC didn't have another sellout until Batman #457 and Superman #50, which, oddly enough, both came out on the same day in October of 1990. Both were instant hits, and instant sellouts, so much so that it inspired DC to go back to press and issue second printings for both of them.

    DC's method of identifying reprints at this point, however, was much more subdued than Marvel's: they added an additional blurb at the top of the cover, but were otherwise indistinguishable from the first printings.

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    Collectors quickly learned to avoid the "HISTORIC ENGAGEMENT ISSUE!" and "NEW ROBIN ISSUE!" as "worthless" second printings...as, indeed, prior to the 00s, reprints were avoided like the plague by the entire collecting community; to be shunned and discarded, or perhaps donated to a local Goodwill or a younger sibling as the trash it was. 

    As luck would have it, the very next month, DC published the first issue of Robin's solo mini-series...the first such series in the character's 50 year history...and it, too, was an instant sellout. This time, however, they not only changed the cover blurb, they put a stately Roman numeral "II", in Times New Roman font, to identify them as second printings (perhaps because of backlash from customers who didn't know they were buying second printings of Superman #50 and Batman #457.)

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    Robin #1 was such a hit, it even went to a third printing, with the addition of a Roman numeral "III" and the changing of the starburst near the comics code seal from white to black.

    So what does any of this have to do with the newsstand? Well, the newsstand was different from the Direct market in a number of crucial ways. One of them was that individual newsstands had absolutely no mechanism by which to order books. None. They simply "got what they got", with distribution generally determined by the local or regional magazine distributor that serviced them. This would include, by the way, not only the traditional sidewalk news vendors, but also the expanding book market, like Waldenbooks, Borders, Barnes & Noble, and the like. 

    So, while the Direct market could (and did) order these new second printings in whatever quantity they wanted, the newsstand market had no way to do so.

    Enter Wal-Mart.

    (Probably.) 

    The leading theory is that someone at Wal-Mart, noticing the tremendous sales of Spiderman #1 in June of 1990, contacted someone Marvel circulation and said "we need more!" Marvel, which obviously could not send Direct copies through the newsstand distribution system, decided to call up the printer (in this case, Ronalds, a division of Quebecor in Montreal), and ordered what seems to be 10,000 or so copies of the gold second print of Spiderman #1...but with a UPC code, so they could be sold through the newsstand system.

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    And the rest...at least for Spiderman #1....is history. These were noticed fairly quickly by the collecting public, and scooped up and saved in droves. After all...these are books that theoretically should not even exist...again, there was no mechanism by which, through the normal course of things, anyone in the newsstand distribution system could order these. But, because someone asked to have these specially made...and again, the leading theory is Walmart, since that's where most of these were found...a book that should not exist came into being.

    And you'd think that would be the only time that special exception would happen. But, a scant six months later, lightning struck again, and Bats #457 and Superman #50 also became instant sellouts, and were reprinted. And just as before, someone, somewhere, this time notified DC that they had to provide additional copies for these sold out books. And so, DC sent the books back to the presses, not just for second printings of the Direct version, but second printings of the newsstand version...again, totally unprecedented in all of comics history.

    Keep in mind that these books should not exist. They could not be ordered through routine ordering; there was no mechanism by which to do so, and they only exist because someone, somewhere, decided they could use more copies for the newsstand distribution system and contacted the publishers directly to make them happen.

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    As luck would have it, the next month, Robin #1 would continue the streak, and also be an instant hit and sellout, and the process was repeated. The format would be repeated as with Batman #457 and Superman #50, and the Roman numeral "II" would be left off the cover.

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    But, this time, unlike with Spiderman #1, nobody noticed that Batman #457, Superman #50, or Robin #1 had these second print newsstand versions, or didn't care if they did notice. The mercurial nature of the comics market being what it is, and since there was no way to chronicle these things easily pre-internet, the first printings had shot up in value, then fallen back to earth just as quickly, so that by the time these second printing newsstands actually showed up, demand had evaporated, and they quietly slipped into the channels of commerce, unheralded by all. The vast majority of them would have, almost certainly, remained unsold and "returned for credit" (aka destroyed) at the end of whatever sales period to which they belonged.

    And, because of the stigma against reprints, already strongly emblazoned on the hearts and minds of collectors everywhere, it's unlikely that, even if they were known, there would have been a rush to find them, as there was with Spiderman #1. They weren't dynamic enough, they weren't different enough and...after all..they were "second printings! GROSS!" There were no throngs of collectors rushing out to save them; it's likely that not a single collector even knew they existed to be saved. Those that survived, then, did so by pure chance, bought by readers who wanted a copy, and happened to be where they were, at the right time and place, and then happened to save them. And that's where they remained, unknown to anyone.

    Then, somewhere in the mid 00s, the existence of the Batman #457 was discovered, and, without much fanfare or notice about how rare it might possibly be, it hung on the fringes of the collecting world for several more years, too scarce for any sort of realistic market price to be established, or to inspire others to search for them. It had turned out, in the ensuing years, that publishers could do interesting things with second (and third and later) printings, and some later printings were, in fact, worth more than the first printings! What an amazing turnaround! No longer were reprints shunned and discarded; now they were avidly sought by collectors, precisely because they had been so shunned and discarded by previous generations of collectors! And so, slowly but surely, on this site and others, more and more copies were documented, a few high dollar sales occurred, and by 2016, the book had achieved fairly widespread popularity.

    But what of Superman #50 and Robin #1? No one had noted them, or even theorized as to their existence. One morning, in late 2016, I was sitting at the computer, pondering the unlikely existence of such books like Spiderman #1 gold UPC and Batman #457, when it hit me like a freight train: Superman #50 came out the same day as Batman #457, and had a second printing just like it...so there was a chance, at least, that a UPC second printing of that book could exist, too! So, my search began. While Batman had always been a popular character, Superman struggled to do so in the 90s and beyond. Batman #457 would be a much likelier candidate for discovery, and, in fact, that is what happened. Superman #50? A bygone book in a time that had moved on. Superman hadn't even maintained the numbering that Batman had, so it was much less likely for people to be looking for it.

    So, I looked and looked, and one day, while perusing eBay, I found a copy, hidden amongst a lot of other books. I couldn't believe my luck! I crossed my fingers, bought the book, and waited for it to arrive. I was sure it would be a regular second printing, but lo and behold, what showed up was an honest to God second printing UPC! So, I did quite a bit of research, to see if anyone had mentioned it anywhere, on any website, or in any publication, and...nothing, nada, zilch. I had made a new discovery, unknown to the collecting world, 26 years after the book was published! I did a short writeup for "The Comic Book Forum", and that was when the information became public.

    BUT...the search wasn't over. Because, of course, I also remembered that Robin #1 ALSO had a second printing, and a third, so it followed that it had to be out there, too. And, as it turns out, of the three, Robin #1 looks to be the most common. I published that additional information, and the comics world took notice...now there are several eBay listings for Robin #1 second newsstand, and, as of this writing, even a listing for the third or fourth known copy of Superman #50! 

    Are there more...? Well, as it turns out, just about two years later, DC would have an even more monstrous hit with the "Death" of Superman in issue #75. That book sold an estimated 4+ million copies, and the demand was so intense, DC immediately printed up an additional 3 printings. But, more astonishing, they'd apparently forgotten what they'd done with the newsstand two years prior, and printed up special UPC stickers and stuck them to the covers of regular 2nd printing Direct copies. Well, they fixed that, and there are printed copies of the 3rd and 4th in newsstand versions.

    Any after that? Who knows. There are some good suspects, but nothing's panned out so far. Some of these books...like Ghost Rider #5 and X-Men #270 and the like...can't possibly have UPC versions hiding out there, or someone would have discovered them long ago, as they did with Spiderman #1. And at least one, X-Factor #71, was second printed with a UPC already, even though it never went to the newsstand, and there is no "Direct" version. 

    So, of the known newsstand later printings, we have:

    Spiderman #1 (gold UPC)

    Batman #457

    Superman #50

    Robin #1

    Superman #75 3rd

    Superman #75 4th

    And that's it. Just a small collection of 6 books, that, due to time and circumstance, managed to survive despite the odds. Are there more? Time will tell. Are there examples from other publishers? As of yet, no one knows. There are similar versions of these books from the New 52 ( @Cpt Kirk can fill you in on those), but they're not quite the same, in my mind, as these books that were made in just a small window in the early 90s.

    They are interesting little artifacts, these comics that shouldn't exist at all. And it's amazing that they were discovered, long after the era of the internet, quietly hiding in tiny numbers throughout the land. It's amazing they survived at all. By rights, they could all have been destroyed, and no one would have ever known they existed. It remains endlessly fascinating that such things exist, waiting to be discovered, in an era of massive overproduction and glut. If these can be discovered, decades after they were made, then there's no reason there aren't others out there.

    I guess we'll see!

  12. Burnout1445

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    Recent Entries

    David Milner
    Latest Entry

    March 10 2019

     

    With C2E2 two weeks away and as of right now I am planning on dropping some books off to get graded and I am still trying to decide how many books I would like to get graded and what books to get graded. Maybe I would say that I would want all of them graded but I must pick and choose which ones I would prefer over others. Do i choose items that are going to go up in value over time due to movies/tv shows, do I choose ones that I like just because of the cover, or do I choose the issues that have the current highest value in my collection. Well I have 2 weeks to decide, good luck to me...

  13. Flash 112 $125 5.0 Website

    Flash 122 $24 2.5 EBay

    Flash 128 $31 2.5 EBay

    Avengers 17 $30 4.5 LCBS

    Avengers 18 $12 3.5 LCBS

    Avengers 19 $10 3.0 LCBS

    $15543 Remaining

    108/250 Books

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  14. On this day ... January the Fourth 2019, the Comicshop had finally went closed forever. After bit over 44 years in business since the first store opened in the 1970s, moved to its second location on 2089 West 4th Ave until 1999. Then went to move to its third location on 3518 West 4th Ave.

    I went to pay my last visit on the last Saturday of December to get my last order. Walked around the store knowing this was my last time to see the classic yellow walls and wall racks. The credits goes to the employees who had kept the traditional look for many years. I made my first visit to the old Comicshop on 2089 West 4th. That happened after I saw their first TV commercial on one Saturday morning while I was watching my daily cartoons, I was a kid back then. I had to beg my dad to drive me to this store. 

    Upon my arrival, and walked to the store and saw the famous duck sign saying “Of Course We’re Open” outside by front door. Entered inside, I was high in my mind, eyes popped when I saw so much comics and stuff everywhere. I saw the second floor. On the first floor, the guy behind the counter ( the yellow counter which you saw in the photos below) greeted me with a smile. I went upstairs and saw even MORE comics in bins and on wall rack. I was so excited and started check out the comics. I told my dad I loved the store and wanted more visits here. He knew in signing and let me get my wishes. I had many good memories throughout the 1980s during my high school days.

    I returned back to my old hometown, then to the new location and resumed my daily visits for the next 5 years to the end. I will miss the duck sign!

     

    Below is a copy I found online. This article explains why I loved this store. 

     

    The Oldest Comics Specialty Store in Western Canada

    In 2014, The Comicshop was the only store in British Columbia to be shortlisted for the Joe Shuster Award for Best Retailer in Canada, a highly esteemed honour within the industry. Original owners Ron Norton and Ken Witcher, both avid comic collectors, opened the doors of The Comicshop in 1974 to serve the city’s comics fans. Ron later bought out Ken to become sole owner in 1989. From its convenient 4th Avenue West location, the team at The Comicshop has helped Vancouverites with their comic collections for decades (and furthered its own, of course!).

    The service is friendly and the selection is vast. Stepping into the shop, you’ll be greeted with a smile by The Comicshop’s manager Keith Bickford and his colleague Brent Stratichuk, who have been bringing in new titles every week and keeping the stock updated since the mid-1980s.

    A comic collector’s dream, with new stock arriving every Wednesday, The Comicshop draws loyal customers who drop by on a weekly basis to pick up new issues and chat with Keith, Brent and the team. At The Comicshop, you’ll discover a wide selection of new and collectible comics, graphic novels, art books, toys, posters, t-shirts and all sorts of great stuff.

    Over the years, comics sort of grew up and these days the majority of our customers are adults who have been reading comics since they were kids.- Keith Bickford, manager
    The Comicshop, comics, memorabilia, new and collectible comics, graphic novels, art books, toys, posters, t-shirts

    Living the Comic Collector’s Dream

    An avid collector himself, Keith joined the team part-time in high school and never looked back. “It was a great way to make some money during high school and university, do something I enjoy, and help other comic fans. And now I’ve been working here forever!” laughs Keith.

    “I still read a lot of comics like when I first started and it’s nice because so do our customers. We have customers who have been coming here since the store opened, so even longer than I’ve been here!”

    The Comicshop, comics, memorabilia, new and collectible comics, graphic novels, art books, toys, posters, t-shirts

    Comics for All

    The highlight of running the shop for Keith is meeting and helping comic fans from all walks of life. “Back when I started working here, it was really for nerds and geeks. These days, with shows like Big Bang Theory, nerd is the new cool,” says Keith.

    “It’s really evolved over the years, the industry as a whole has become much more mainstream. Over the years, comics sort of grew up and these days the majority of our customers are adults who have been reading comics since they were kids. Our customers come from all walks of life – we have doctors, lawyers, white-collar workers, people working all around the world coming in, everyone really, so it’s really interesting that way.”

    The Comicshop, comics, memorabilia, new and collectible comics, graphic novels, art books, toys, posters, t-shirts
     

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    I have a veritable cornucopia of comics, and I've been schlepping them all over the world.  

    Back in June we finally settled on a place to live after a year of aimless wondering, stuff comes out of storage, comic boxes go into the basement.  Too many comic boxes.  So I think, "what's the point?"  I don't follow anything anymore, I'm never gonna go back and read em.  The ones I love I know by heart and why have ones that I don't love?

    So I hatched this idea to finish my X-Men run and sell ALL (meaning most) of the rest.  I don't need much:

    3, 65, 69, 70, 72, 73, 75, 76, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 91 and a handful in the 500s.  Giant size #1 and Hulk #181 aren't "in" the run, but ... seems I should add those too :)
     

    I was kinda shocked when I made this list.  I've been picking up odds and ends over the years without much of a plan.  Stumble on a high grade book priced below value?  Grabbed it.  Wasn't very aggressive about it, or even organized,  Just chipped away at it.  I even have some SA books I got out of  the ¢5 bin (back in the 80s).  Unfortunately they marked the covers with a marker ...


    So here's the plan:
    I'm slabbing all my high quality doubles and selling them.  If that goes well I'll attack the non X-men titles (Pretty typical hodgepodge for a marvel fan late 70's early 80s - Avengers, FF, Spiderman).  There are some random SA books, but not much high grade.  So even though I don't need a lot of books, I'm going to have to sell a ton of em to get high grade.  I'm kinda vaguely considering upgrading the grade of some books I own ... but first, finish

  15. I combed through my Wonder Woman collection and found 6 books that all appeared to be VF/NM 9.0-ish & have confirmed I'm a terrible grader when it comes to older books.  Of the 6, one came back higher & fortunately for me, it is the one book I shelled out the most $ for, Wonder Woman #156.  

    The other books included #137 (6.0), 161 (4.0) 177 (7.0), 179 (6.5) & 204 (7.5) - I'll have to review the grader notes, especially on #161, as all of these books looked so much better than the results.

    The question I have for the community is...  When sending in books for grading and having some poor results, does 1 book make it all worth it?  When I look at this one, I have to say, it does!

     

     

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  16. So the whole need journal thing is interesting. Trying to wrap my head around how to proceed, I really do miss my 60 post from the previous one. I'  going to sit on it tonight,  and maybe get back to posting some of my recent pick ups. I finished my batman silver age villain run, and I got a little heavy into the cgc sketches. Here is one for two for the mean time while i decide. Thanks for looking Jim 

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  17. Jon

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    Hey ladies and gents,

       I've been trying to compile a list of the top 25 bronze age marvel books for myself as a small checklist. I was hoping to get some feedback if you feel I've omitted or forgotten something that should be on this list. Conversely if you feel there are books on here that shouldn't be please feel to offer your opinions and feedback. I've tried to stick to first appearances mostly and the order is how I remembered them not in order of importance. Thank you all very much, all the best!!!!

     

     

     

     

     

     

    1- Hulk 181                                
    2- Amazing Spiderman 129    
    3- Giant Size X-Men 1
    4- Marvel Spotlight 5
    5- Werewolf By Night 32
    6- Tomb of Dracula 10
    7- X- Men 94
    8- Hero For Hire 1 
    9- Iron Man 55
    10- X- Men 101
    11- Ms. Marvel 1
    12- Conan The Barbarian 1
    13- Amazing Spiderman 121
    14- Amazing Spiderman 122 
    15- Marvel Premier 15
    16- Iron Fist 14    
    17- Amazing Adventures 11
    18- Amazing Spiderman 194
    19- Daredevil 131
    20- Nova 1
    21- Cat 1
    22- Night Nurse 1
    23- Hulk 141
    24- Star Wars 1
    25- Strange Tales 180

  18. Howdy Doody!

          I may start saying that more as a greeting to people even though the comic book I discovered those two words together on creeps me out.  A lot.

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    That's just scary.  Worse than pretty much any pre-code horror comic IMO.  If I came home from work to see that sitting on my kitchen counter I'd freak out.  :fear:Then I'd go grab my dad's nail gun :devil:

    Anyway, what's up?  How's the hunt for your grail?  Or the non-hunt?  Maybe your grail is a common key book that you see listed multiple places everyday that is just so expensive you have to save up for a quarter-century to afford it...all the while it's going up in price faster than your raises at work are coming?  Either way, I hope you all are making progress.  And if you are one of those collectors that owns their grail already...don't tell me about it lol

    For me, it's Captain America Comics #1.  That's it.  It could be worse.  There are 7 more valuable books I could have chosen lol Then again, it could be a whole lot better!!  Why can't I desire Airboy #1 or Bulletman #1?  Why?  WHY?!  Whether I ever own a Cap #1 someday I do not know, but I'll die tryin' as they say.

    For now, I'll continue collecting the other 78 issues in the glorious golden age run.  Speaking of which, I just replaced the raw Cap #76 I traded with cash for a CGC 3.0SS Cap #78 back in September 0f 2016.  I picked this up from the Second City Collection that was on ComicConnect this past June.

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    It's got a fair amount of restoration done to it.  I've never had a book that had its cover re-glossed.  Actually, it's the most restored book I've ever bought, but if it's not brittle or trimmed, I'm game!  How else am I going to get the entire run in any sort of...timely...manner......?

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    So, I'm more than happy to have it.  It's a white Cap cover which, besides #70, there isn't any others!  I like it!

    Non Cap related, while browsing the July ComicLink auction I set my eyes upon a Fight Comics #80 for the first time.  A beautiful Maurice Whitman cover!  "Have to have it", I thought to myself.

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    But I guess I didn't have to have it since I stopped bidding early on and didn't win it :sorry:

    Thankfully, two copies showed up on eBay soon after that lost auction, which I gobbled up.  Not as high grade but they'll do!

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    Maurice knew how to draw females!  He had a few covers of Cowgirl Romances, but I just can't get into those.  I just can't "Ride Fast for Wyoming" if you know what I mean :shy:

    Anywho, while browsing the usual auction sites and jotting down issues I'd like to bid for on way too many post it notes that are taking over my computer monitor, I see a Cap #66 CGC 3.5 listed on eBay in a true auction style format.  Finally, since most all the BIN for Cap's are way, way too high to even look at for the better part of a minute.  I was interested in winning this book even though I had a copy already.  My copy though, if you don't recall, is a true beater.  Faded, ripped, chipped, written on, chunk missing, rusted upon and soiled! 

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    That's still fine by me, but this 3.5 looked like a 9.0 compared to it.  So I won the 3.5 and sold my undercopy on eBay which helped offset the sting of upgrading a bit.

    My new Captain America Comics #66!!

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    That will probably be the only time I upgrade before I grab each issue in the series, unless a deal presents itself.  Yes, I would end up with better books in the end upgrading as I also acquire, but that would slow down my pace to even slower than it's already tricklingo.O

    So, those are the two new additions to the Cap collection.  That brings my total to sweet 16!

    #27 raw

    #33 2.0R

    #44 raw

    #53 raw

    #66 3.5

    #67 2.5

    #68 raw

    #69 3.0 Can. Ed.

    #70 5.0

    #71 3.0

    #73 3.5SS Can. Ed.

    #74 4.0 Can. Ed.

    #75 raw

    #76 5.0R

    #77 2.0

    #78 3.0SS

    I did send in my Cap #68 & #75 to get graded while at Boston Comic Con two weeks ago.  Hopefully they come back in the grades I expect!

    I do have my eye on one particular Cap book coming up for auction which will be a huge addition to the collection if I can land it :wishluck:

    Until next time...keep pressing forward!

     

  19. Azkaban's Prison

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    Azkaban
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    Just thought I would start a journal showing any pickups of comics or sundries lol

    All nonsense encouraged

     

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    It's been awhile since my last Journal post. My last post was made May 22, 2015. This is my first journal post under the new format, I haven't decided if I like it or not. It's alot easier to use that's for sure, It reminds of the dashboard in WordPress. I've been collecting on & off over the last 3 years, Meeting media guests on cons & still getting signatures from my favorite artists & writers. Everyone collects differently & I'm a signature kinda guy ( For the most part ). I've changed my screen name to something that made more sense for me. Going forward I've decided I want to be a more focused collector, Putting books into the collection that I "Really" like or love. I just recently started to put books into the CGC Registry again. 

    In May of 2015 I finally got to meet Neal Adams for the first time. He is probably one of my favorite artists of all time. The experience was education for the first time I felt he was kinda stand standoffish, But I got used to it since I've now met him on more than one occasion. I had him sign my copy of Green Lantern #87 that I bought at my LCS in the mid 90's.

    Thanks for reading & Happy collecting & have a great 2018!!

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