spracknetch23

My ASM cuts off at 400. I did have up to 441 but realized 400 was the last issue I really cared about. I’ve debated cutting it back to 129. But actually 1-50 are the books I’ve focused on the most (in terms of upgrading etc). 

My biggest regret is probably all the time wasted on EBay looking for deals when I was single. I found some really good deals occasionally, but many times came up with nothing. I could have used all the time more productively (focus on growing my career, get more sleep) and now, with much less free time, I realize that. 

My wife is set to give birth to our first child any day now. I’m 42 and she’s 32. Life changes are coming fast! 

As for comics, my wife has a small box of Red Sonjas, Swiss Disney comics and some other stuff. She doesn’t mind my collection of four long boxes, even though she’s generally a minimalist. I think the fact that some of them are valuable is a plus. 

I was offered a Gobbledygook #1 for like $50 at a 1989 Holiday Inn show. I passed on it to buy a TMNT #3, 1st printing for the same price. Never saw one in person again. As a ten-year old, of course I went for the Turtles book over some weird robot on the cover of a book I never heard of. 

5 hours ago, Ryan. said:

 

Wow, nice! I think those are my old books, no? Lookin good!

6 hours ago, Icculus308win said:

This finished today on eBay, totally blown away (yet again) with TMNT winning bids

 

 

Well, it is “very rare”... 

It's crazy to me that the signatures could bring that much of a premium, but crazy is the current market.

2 minutes ago, pubmonkey said:

 

The9.2  #1 adventures is still going too: $610 and counting

$84k now

 

I don't know how that 9.2 Adventures 1 is going so high. It just broke $1k while there's a 9.4 on Ebay right now for BIN $300....

4 minutes ago, pubmonkey said:

still going! $76k!

Wow...just cracked $80k!

Re the #3 variant, I wonder how many of them aren’t signed at all? I’ve only run across one unsigned. I assume a high percentage of them were signed at the con back in the day. 

14 hours ago, pubmonkey said:

I have a few stories like that 

I keep track of all my sales records so I can go back and face palm.  I've owned 3 copies of the #3 variant.. but they're all gone.   A couple of other regrets include selling Albedo 2 for $600 in 2003 and an MOC Scratch for $250 in 2008. I do still have a 1st printing of #1, so I can't be too sad.

I used to be a run collector. Some of the most fun I’ve had in the hobby was going around to cons in my teens and 20s looking to complete my Hulk and ASM runs in whatever grade. I will say that while upgrading is fun, there’s nothing like the feeling of initially acquiring the issues, no matter what grade they’re in.. for me at least. 

What possessed me to sell my #3 variant a few years ago, I’ll never know   

I have a copy of UF4 2nd printing variant that I got in a dollar box. Tried to sell it a few times for $5 to no avail. Buried it in a box and forgot about it. Lo and behold it goes for like $100 now 

22 minutes ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

Some stickers cut to form from when I was a kid

TMNT poster, that I'm wondering if it would be in good shape if I pulled it out and unfolded  

along with other random pics...

ALSO THE 1ST TMNT NEWSPAPER STRIP IN DALLAS FEATURING THE TMNT  

Nice, looks like some cutouts from TMNT magazine as well.

I was negative 13 years old. 

9 hours ago, Turtle said:

A new piece of art to add to the collection.  This one is a little bit different as it's licensing art instead of comic art.  As such, you've maybe seen this before on T-shirts or other TMNT merchandise.  I was happy to branch out a little and pick this up.  Pencils by Steve Lavinge, inks by Ryan Brown:

TMNT Licensing Art

I decided to watermark this one.  I'm not sure why, but I felt like if any piece I'm displaying is going to be downloaded, enhanced, and used for shady sales purposes, it would be this one. 

That may be the most iconic piece of TMNT licensing art in existence. Awesome. Congrats!

19 hours ago, SpideyFein said:

They literally don't show up ever. It's wild. I believe you'll finish the set though!!!!!! It will happen!!!

Yes, it always works out in the end. If it hasn't, it's not the end! 

Maybe a couple of iron-ons a year pop up on eBay, and lately it’s ones I’ve seen sell before. I’m glad they don’t have the demand of Turtlemania Gold or Gobbledygook or they’d be way out of my reach. Thanks for your positive encouragement!

Hulk was the first superhero comic book I read when I was a kid in the ‘90s (#362 I think?), and a few years later I set out to complete a full run. I only cared about 1st printings and I guess there were a few variants as well (I stopped at the end of vol. 1. Issue 474 or something?) I succeeded in my quest and collected an entire run by the early 2000s, including TTA,  besides IH #1, which remains out of my reach. The end of volume 1 afforded me an excuse to end the run collection. 

5 hours ago, SpideyFein said:

Trust me, we’ve all been there   I was sharing a story with a guy the other day while continuously shaking my head! We must smile when thinking about them. At least we have some cool turtle goodies that we love in our collections. Did you ever finish getting the turtle iron ons? I know the set is so tough. 

For sure, I have so many similar stories, then I have opposite stories of jumping on deals at a great time. It all works out in the end. 

As for the iron-ons, nope, I’m still looking for the final two to complete my set. Been looking since 2017, and neither of the two has shown up to market. One day! It’s really so rare that any of them show up on the market.

I remember that.. My cheap self would have most likely hesitated anyway had I run across them before they sold.