Rune

Just bought a Batman cover with Ra's al Ghul that I really like - ok, it's not #232, but still ;-) http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1235173

Thanks, my wife also recently said something nice about it too, I think - She said that when I got the Galactus Maquette, then the Batman status was no longer the ugliest thing she'd ever seen But what do wives know about superhero statues

Posted these photos in another thread, but of course they belong here Guess I'm not much of a statue collector, I do not own many great statues other than the Galactus Maquette, although I could not resist this Batman DKR #2 statue when I saw it - only 10 were made (and one AP) The Batman statue is quite big (14" base diameter, about same height), high quality resin, weight about 20 pounds. Yes - there's blood Also got these two smaller statues (aren't all superheroes standing on the shoulders of a giant Tintin statue )

That's a great insight, especially because it's so easy to become too focused on competing for the best sets. Personally my sets are unique in the way that I only collect what I truly love (ok, maybe not all, but probably 95% of my books, and all the art). This way it's not so hard if something should lose GPA value, because I never intended to sell it anyway. And then books and art are not just things, but items you really care about and that (greatly) increase your quality of life (uh-oh, did I just provide arguments for materialsm* Well, you all know what I mean ) *interest in and desire for money, possessions, etc, rather than spiritual or ethical values

Another #6 just emerged, graded May 18 2015. It's WP pedigree Get it here: http://www.pedigreecomics.com/auction-detail.php?issue_id=52012 I've got scans of 7 of the current 9 books: http://s1270.photobucket.com/user/runesr2/library/Issue06?sort=9&page=1

I would have done the same. If I win an item and I do not receive it, the outcome will typically be negative for me - no matter if I get a full refund or the seller has other excuses.

I could not agree more It probably was the biggest test of my marriage too, but she more or less said "if you're happy I'm happy" PS. I once suggested this equation: WAF* superhero statues = (wife height) / (height of statue) Reference table, scores Awesome (unless you buy thousands) = 100+ Probably not a problem = 99 – 10.1 You’re in for trouble, but nothing too serious = 10 – 4.01 Constant flow of very beautiful, exotic and expensive flowers required = 4 – 2.01 Divorce papers soon to be filed = 2 to 1.01 (hint: the Galactus statue above may in most relationships belong to this score category) Divorce papers immediately filed = 1 or lower *WAF = Wife Acceptance Factor, higher scores are better for the marriage (thumbs u Scores beyond 1000 are possible - but very expensive

Thank you, the OA to the right is the published Steampunk cover for Nightwing #28 by Tommy Lee Edwards: More info here: http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1205568 The OA to the left is a Galactus page by Greg Capullo, What If... #15 pg 4: http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1213758 Bought the statue, the CGC book and the omnibus to support the Capullo OA.

Hmmm, there's no Sideshow Galactus Maquette in this thread? Guess I can fix that, just finished a small exhibition in the basement (= the only place my wife will allow such things, but it's better than out in the rain )

It's hard to resist the temptation going for more points and a better Registry position - actually this competitive aspect works well at keeping me from buying CBCS books, I can't fit them into my runs. I'm at 80k, would like to go for 100k just for the fun of it, but my problem is that I've more or less run out of books to buy that I truly care about (seems that many collectors are not selling books right now - at least not the Spidey books I'm looking for). And I'm not going to buy books that only matter to me as some sort of investment just to get the points Well, maybe I'll buy some more Spidey books one day and get to page 2 Good luck with your collection (thumbs u

Book of the day Get it here, graded April 3rd 2015: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Conan-the-Barbarian-24-1973-CGC-9-8-Highest-Grade-White-Pages-/311368615832?

I just added this 10th #5 to the library, found it in a collection, it's graded 2014 and probably not for sale: Census is 12, so I'm only at 83% http://s1270.photobucket.com/user/runesr2/library/Issue05

I do not think the slabs provide much protection - even expensive UV protection may not help that much: "According to the National Fenestration Rating Council, only 40% of artwork fading is caused by UV radiation.[24] The remaining damage comes from the visible light, heat, humidity and material chemistry" Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture_framing_glass Still putting the books in Mylar D may give you the best possible protection you can get (and trying to reduce fluctuations in humidity and temperature, goes for the art too) if you want to expose books to daylight: Is Light Bad for our Comics? Enough cannot be said about this topic. We would appreciate your support in teaching the collecting public that accumulated light eventually fades comic book covers. You cannot see it fade, just as you cannot see a tree grow, but go away and come back in 10 years and you will be surprised by how much that tree grew. The same thing applies to comic cover fading. Leave a comic displayed in your store and a couple of years later compare it to an identical comic stored in the dark. WOW! Unfortunately, at this point, it's too late for that comic; the damage is irreversible. Ultra-Violet Light - UV All plastics and glass stop some UV light, so many advertise that their "Protector" blocks UV. The truth Is that they stop only some of the damaging rays. Even Mylar will not stop all UV. Our specially Impregnated Mylar D stops 99% of the UV light. Mylar D is accepted as photo safe to direct contact and is used internationally by archives and museums. Yes, it costs 8 times more than standard Mylar, but it blocks UV hundreds of times more than other plastics. Source: http://www.egerber.com/aboutpreservation2.asp Guess I just have to accept that I cannot display books without damaging them a little each day - and try to reduce the damage using Mylar D (914M2 Mylar D bags will fit normal CGC books, not magazines) Once I started a thread about CGC book preservation, it covers a lot of subjects and evolves with the later posts, maybe a fun read - you can find it here: http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=7020029#Post7020029

Great books (thumbs u I'm used to keep my books in the dark, so just putting that FF #257 out in daylight, and even see it get hit by a small amount of sunlight this morning, it was sooo hard to watch Guess I'm ready for some treatment

It's always nice to meet another Conan Barry Smith collector Took me 8 years to complete my run http://comics.www.collectors-society.com/registry/comics/PeopleSetDetail.aspx?PeopleSetID=9292 Ok, I'm still running, but less than I used to Long ago I have decided against buying apparant ultra-high-grade raw books and submitting them to CGC, I believe chances of getting the 9.8 wp books I want are extremely low.

I bought this Greg Capullo page some weeks ago: http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1213758 It's not for sale, I'm trying to build a small exhibition Work-in-progress - just received the framed art today

Picked these up today, Museum Glass as usual Greg Capullo Tommy Lee Edwards Part of a small exhibition for the kids (and their dad ) in the basement (the only place the wife will allow this kind of art, still it's a perfect place with low lighting, and the most constant low humidity and temp in the house)

Never had my own books signed, so you already know more about the procedures than I do. If someone does not come up with a good answer to you, maybe you can ask CGC directly? http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=25&page=1 Best, Rune

Another #21 was graded April 1 2015: Get it here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CONAN-THE-BARBARIAN-21-CGC-9-8-WHITE-PAGES-BRONZE-AGE-1972-/321718915377? So there are now 8 Conan 21 books in 9.8 and 9.9, and I have pictures of 7 (nearly 90%) in the library, so there is still one book I have never seen... BTW, currently there are several Conan 9.8 books on EBay and CLink, but these books are already in the library, so therefore I do not describe them here - I only make a new post, when I see a book that is not in the library.

Finally stumbled upon a Galactus piece I really like (because I could not find the FF #49 OA cover ) - well, normally I do not buy interior pages, but this one is special to me: Sorry for the bad picture, I have not received the package yet, should arrive next week! More info here: http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1213758 Here is the published page - and the only full Galactus page in the book:

Found this link that may be helpful: "According to the National Fenestration Rating Council, only 40% of artwork fading is caused by UV radiation.[24] The remaining damage comes from the visible light, heat, humidity and material chemistry.[24] This means that increasing visible light transmission by an anti-reflective coating actually increases the amount of damaging radiation on an artwork". Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture_framing_glass Thus, for example using socalled Conservation Glass (typically sold as 99% anti-UV) instead of Museum Glass may be of very limited importance... Although there may be other reasons to use Museum Glass (typically sold as 92+ % anti-UV) like reduced reflections: "Here are some of the facts and benefits of Museum Glass. Reflection Control We've all been annoyed by the distracting reflections bouncing against glass while trying to view the art behind it. Because Museum Glass reduces reflection by almost 99%, it offers the best viewing comfort possible. With Museum Glass, you get to see the full picture from just about any angle. A Shield Against UV Light Everyone's heard that ultraviolet light (a.k.a. UV light) is very harmful to art. UV light literally "bleaches" everything it comes in contact with (especially pigments) and sometimes over a very short period of time. You would not believe the number of works of art I re-frame that show severe signs of fading due to unprotected exposure to light. UV light is especially found in sunlight and fluorescent lights, but not only: It is found in just about any light source, including halogen. Museum Glass protects artwork by blocking 99% of UV light. This means that it significantly extends the lifespan of art. FYI: ordinary glass only blocks 45% or less of UV light. Clarity and Neutral Colors Museum glass provides the highest brightness and contrast levels available. It also provides true and neutral color transmission. This is glass with a paradox: a high level of clarity combined with a near total reflection control. Source: http://cityframes.blogspot.dk/2010/03/ultimate-viewing-and-protection-with.html (of course this source may just want to sell us the glass and may be biased, still there are a few good and valid arguments for Museum Glass here) I have all my art behind Museum Glass - maybe an artifact, but using flash I normally have problems with reflections in glass, but not when using Museum Glass - it nearly looks as if there is no glass: And of course all framing materials should be acid free, the lighting should be minimal, and according to some experts in paper preservation humidity should be about 40% together with a constant 65F temperature (lower temp may increase build up of moisture, higher may speed up decay etc.)... Few collectors may be able to follow all these guidelines, personally I try to adhere to as many as possible (especially constant temp and humidity, no direct sunlight, and no piece hanging directly above a radiator). Same goes for books - I did once start a thread about this subject: http://www.collectors-society.com/JournalDetail.aspx?JournalEntryID=14291

Looks great (must be difficult to hang 10 pieces so straight, but then again I'm fighting brick walls and very hard concrete). I especially like the Batman pages and use of Mylar-D for UV-protection (thumbs u And your wife must truly love you, it'll be over my wife's dead body before she'll let me display the framed art in our living room or similar rooms - but no problem, I like having the art in my man cave, sigh

I guess you're thinking of Eric Robert's Conan #1 cover? Yes, I would love to hear that story too - I thought it had completely disappeared, so it was a great surprise to suddenly see it appear like a white rabbit from the Wizard's hat . Yes, in order to get a collection like his I guess it wouldn't harm owning all the oxygen in the atmosphere or just to have some gorillas being absolute experts in the fine art of making offers you can't refuse Furthermore I just got a nice mail from Sergio mentioning that he had a book not listed in the Conan scan library, so here it is: And thanks (thumbs u PS. As always I also updated the list in my set: https://comics.www.collectors-society.com/WCM/ComicView.aspx?PeopleSetComicID=362637

It's now on CLink too, so save 50 bucks and get it here: http://www.comiclink.com/itemdetail.asp?back=%2Fsearch%2Easp%3F%5FSORT%3DYES%26where%3Dsell%26title%3Dconan%26ItemType%3DCB%26f1%3DLastUpdate%26ODire1%3DDESC%26f2%3D4%26ODire2%3DASC%26f3%3DIssueNumber%252C%2BVolumeNumber%26ODire3%3DASC&id=1056977

My trusty EBay fishing net just caught this book - graded Marts 6 2015: So now there are 11 #22 9.8 books, get it here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/CONAN-THE-BARBARIAN-22-CGC-9-8-/400894697046? As always I include books that I have not seen before in the library, where you now can see for example 9 of the 11 #22 9.8 books: http://s1270.photobucket.com/user/runesr2/library/?sort=9&page=1