sfcityduck

There are benefits to inflation. For example, let's say you took out a $1M fixed rate loan at a 3.1% interest rate to buy a house or fund your comic purchases, then inflation is financially helpful. When inflation increases, the fixed-interest rate financing you took out costs you less than when you took out the loan since the dollar has lost some of its value. You’re essentially paying the lender back money that’s worth less than what it was when you took out the loan. In addition, wages and revenues tend to rise during periods of high inflation. So, if you’re making more money but your monthly payments for your fixed rate financing stay the same, then the payments take up a smaller percentage of your working capital. Those of us who took advantage of the historically low interest rates during the pandemic will benefit from this effect.

Because they know that "socialism" is far different than communism. The U.S. and all western democracies are in the middle ground between unrestrained capitalism and all encompassing communism in which capitalism is regulated to one degree or another (e.g., it becomes a form of a socialist economy). Getting stuck on the labels just confuses things. The question is always: How much regulation is a good idea. The answer is always NOT "none" or "full." The irony is that Russia went from a kleptocratic oligarchy pretending to be communist to a kleptocratic oligarchy pretending to be unrestrained capitalism.

You four above this post are definitely master debaters!

It is nuts. A mixture of Catholic social views that I'm not sure they still stick to, anti-labor paranoia, a bit of racism, etc. But, its of its era. A great historical artifact! Today, its confusing because while some of that crazy is still going on, its by different groups for different reasons. But well worth remembering and seeking out. I've got a nice copy, and the cover alone makes it worth it.

Nice list! "Be American First" e.g., don't cheer the enemy.

One thing I've never gotten about that cover - Why is the Devil reaching from Canada towards Soviet Russia and not the other way around?

Was going through a box and stumbled across this. A little jarring given current events. Putin, the ex-Soviet KGB Agent and still a kleptocrat, sucks. Sad that these covers are again relevant, but it appears necessary we remember these again:

Frazetta's 1975 portfolio of Famous Funnies Comics #209 through #216. These were reproduced by Russ Cochran from the original art (not printed comic covers), with coloring by Frazetta. Printed on heavy stock without type or logos. The prints range from 12.5" x 13" to 12.5" x 17", so not as big as the OA (what is?) but bigger than comics and perfectly suited for framing in your comic book room. Last one to come to auction sold on Heritage on February 9, 2022 for $596. The prints on this one is in beautiful shape with only slight minor bumps to some of the corners (see pics, which to me is not an issue because the right thing to do is to mat and frame these, but if you want to iron the corners have at it!). Colors are bright, paper is blinding white, and the images are awesome. The envelope is a bit beat up, but who cares? My price: $600 $500 (inclusive of shipping in the U.S.) or Best Offer! Sorry for the delay this might entail, but payment must be by check. First response wins. Then PM me for details.

I will say this, the best part of trying to crack this mystery is learning about some incredible history related to the Korean War - known to its vets as the "forgotten war." I can't help but admire and appreciate all of these Korean War vets, regardless of their relationship to the Promise Collection or not.

I agree that is the most likely as I'd guess the younger brother had no will and was young enough a parent was still alive. But, if that is not the case, that is a really good reason to get to the true story of the collection.

Look at the Gravestone marker request for Armand Craig. He supposedly died on 7/29/1950 but his parents did not request a grave marker until June 8, 1954. Likely meaning that Armand Craig was MIA or a POW until he was subsequently declared dead. In other words, the same story as Roger Armand Dumas. That's how you would explain that the collection continues for several months after his alleged date of death. That and the fact it took a month or more for parents to get notice of a death or MIA.

I can think of many reasons why your view is not accurate. Do you believe that when a seller or its agents make representations regarding a material aspect of a good, they have no obligation to be truthful? In any event, the consignor's desire for anonymity may not be binding on Heritage or CGC (e.g. no confidentiality agreement or contract), and cannot be used as a shield under which inaccurate statements may be promulgated. They could have just said nothing. But, that's a side issue. The real issue is that if the family, Heritage, and CGC continue to hide behind a veil of silence, the story will never be verified (or a better story revealed), and that to me would be a sad outcome for the hobby and history.

Well, you should take added solace then in knowing that not far from Cleveland, a mere two hours or so by car, and also a maritime port city, is Detroit. And in Detroit lived Robert Romeo Craig (5/26/1928 - 2/28/2001). Here's his draft card: His younger brother, interestingly enough, was Armand Craig, Jr. (3/21/1931 - 7/29/1950): Both were Korea War soldiers. Armand did not come home. But, here's the thing, the Armand in this pair died at 19, not 21 as Heritage's marketing story suggests, and his elder brother Robert entered the military after Armand did and died almost 20 years ago (when Heritage says the books were put into bags, boxes, and catalogued, but not sold). So even though his pair of brothers has a "Robert" and a "Jr." (which most commonly gives rise to the nickname "Junie"), they do not fit the Heritage marketing story either. They could plausibly fit the evidence of the comics (name of "Armand"). Robert is a common name, and lots of brothers went to war. So, again, verifying this kind of story that sketchy on details and obviously intended to hide true facts is extremely difficult.

Here's the problem with the endeavor of trying to I.D. "Robert" and "Junie": There are far too many candidates. A number of people suggested that I take a look at Cleveland. I have. And one of the many brother pairs who could be suspects is Louis Robert Mezzopera (8/6/1926 - 7/15/2020) whose obituary reveals that he is "U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War" and the "dear brother of Mary ..., Rena ...,Virginia ... and Armand" hails out of Cleveland. Louis Robert Mezzopera was, indeed, the older brother of Armand Mezzopera (1/12/1929 - 7/13/1951) who died during the Korean War (his remains were recovered): Their father was John Mezzopera and the family lived in Cleveland: Here's the differences between these brothers and Heritage's marketing story: (1) Armand died at at the age of 22 and a half (not 21), so the story told by Heritage is not on all fours with this pair of brothers; (2) Armand is not denoted as a "Jr." on the 1940 census records and was not even the youngest member of his family. He may have the middle initial "J" based on the census records and one gravestone record, but neither that middle initial nor a middle name shows up on any military records. There is no tie to the nickname ("Junie") that I can ascertain. (3) There is no apparent connection between Armand and/or Louis Robert Mezzopera and comic books or, unlike the Dumas brothers, any "promise" story that I can find. (4) Louis Robert Mezzopera appears to have always gone by "Louis" and was not "known as Robert" as far as I can tell. In fact, his obituary only uses his middle initial and does not state his middle name. Other facts: Both Louis Robert Mezzopera and Armand filled out WWII draft cards (effective until 1947). I cannot ascertain their enlistment dates or if either was drafted. Armand, service no. US52080067, was in the 21st Inf Regt-24th Inf Div. So, again, as I've said, there are multiple suspects who could be the subject brothers. As for "Cleveland," that is consistent with this comic book in the collection issued by a Cleveland department store, perhaps consistent with the "c" distributor codes which also appear on Ohio pedigree books (but which appear in other states), and is consistent with unconfirmed information about the discovery of the collection (not at all about the two brothers) presently circulating which points towards Cleveland (and on this point, I've heard other unconfirmed information which points towards Connecticut), then this could be the brother pair. Or maybe not. Which may beg the question: Do Heritage and CGC have any obligation to their customers, the buyers in their auctions and users of their certification services (including ped designation labels), to tell a story about a pedigree that is verifiable so that its truth can be ascertained? If your answer is "none," do they have any obligation in your view to tell a truthful story at all? Especially given that they both marketed the books with knowledge, in fact hype, that the story would boost the value of the books, perhaps by "multiples" as with the Okajima collection. Food for thought. Because unless Heritage, CGC, or the family steps up we may never verify anything about the Promise Collection story.

I've always been curious! Thanks for posting!

It is clear that Heritage is engaging in misdirection. This is established by the basic fact that they are not telling us the true name of the younger brother. The marketing story of the ped states the younger brother was "known as Junie" without explaining to whom or why or when. So the "Junie" part of the story is the least verifiable and most likely to be intended to conceal identity, not illuminate it. There may be no records anywhere that tie the OO to the name "Junie." For example, one of my favorite books as a kid was written about 1950 and features two central characters who are twins: The older calls the younger "Junior" and the younger calls the older "Grandpa." Nicknames are terms of endearment that can have a variety of origins and don't end up on official records. So that is the least helpful of the info given by Heritage. The most important info may well be what is on the comics themselves. Heritage has told an extraordinary story for the purpose of marketing comics. A story so tailored to comic collectors that it it difficult to believe. But I do not think that Heritage would want to profit off of a wholly false story for a host of reasons. The Dumas brothers story, a better story than that told by Heritage (and potentially consistent with it), seems to fit the basic facts and the notion of a "promise" being important to the two brothers' relationship more than any other pair of candidates I've seen. But, that could be wrong. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but their story is still worth knowing. For me, the motivator is not the economics (as important as they are to the collecting community), but the history.

My general view is I would rather have a higher grade non-ped of an issue than a lesser ped, except for the peds with good stories (e.g. Okajima).

We've seen folks on this thread who bought the books for the grades and we've seen folks who bought the books, in part or in whole, for the story.

As for your specific comments: You ask: "Have we heard from any official source that Armand was Junie's real name, or is that an assumption based on the fact that the name is written on the books?" Response: Surprised you ask this. Heritage has stated "Junie" is not a real name and it appears from that "Robert" is. And, of course, I am drawing an assumption that Armand is the OOs real name based on the many books it is on. You are right that it might not be true. That is all made clear in my posts on this thread. You comment: "We also don't know that the end date of the collection is related to his date of death in any way. The end date may reflect when he entered the service, not when he died." Response: That could also be the case. I am floating a theory. Your comment: "If he went by Junie, that doesn't mean that he was a Junior. One of the names written on a book is Jean; maybe Junie is a nickname for Jean (which can be a man's name). Maybe Junie had a June birthday. Or, the nickname may be unrelated to any other appellation; people acquire nicknames in myriad ways." Response: Strange things happen, it is true. As I noted above, there could multiple explanations for "Junie," the most common for that time period would be he was a "Jr." But another possibility, along the lines you suggest, is that he is named "Junie" because he was the most "junior" member of his large family. I would be surprised if "Junie" was a nickname for "Jean," and that "Jean" on the Batman 3 has additional letters after it as discussed above. Again, its a theory. Your comment: "There is evidence that at least one book was distributed regionally in the Cleveland area; that is compelling evidence that you have more or less dismissed out of hand." Response: The Cleveland giveaway Christmas comic from a regional Department Store could have entered the collection a variety ways including as a present from a friend or relative. Your comment: "The 1950 census records will be released in April. I would suggest searching the Cleveland area for examples of the name Armand (as a given name or a surname), paying especial attention to examples that show up in proximity to Jean, Robert, or Stange. Korean War casualty records can also be searched by state." Response: I continue to research. I am aware of information floating around that has been obtusely referred to by folks posting on this thread that points to Cleveland. That information does not necessarily rule out the Dumas brothers. But as my concern is finding the truth, not proving any particular theory right, rest assured I'll keep looking. The "Stang" brothers are an interesting pair because the younger is a "Jr." and the older is named "Robert." But, there is only one book in the collection with the word "STANGE" on it, and its a different spelling. And, as discussed above, it is somewhat weird looking as compared to the many "Armand" books, the "Jean..." Batman 3, and a few other oddities. I see no association between the "Stang" family and "Armand" or "Jean" or any "promise." In addition, Harry was 22 when he died: I also don't find a Robert Stang of Ohio dying in the last two years so far. Of course, "Robert" is a very common name, and I have found other large families where, as with the Stang family, the second youngest sibling is named "Robert" and the youngest is a "Jr." One such pair of brothers hail from Detroit, not all that far from Cleveland, and the youngest of those brothers is named "Armand." Which is why I am only floating a theory here. The best theory I have yet found. Heritage has provided so little information, it is very difficult to verify the story. They have asked the comic collecting community to take the story on faith, and we don't even know if they verified it or just took the OOs family's comments on faith. BUT here's the thing: Even if Heritage and CGC owe their consignor anonymity, that does not mean they are prohibited from squashing false speculation that might impact the value of the pedigree. I would not want to discover that Heritage wants the Dumas brother "promise" story falsely associated with the Promise Collection (which would likely boost prices) because that would be wrong in a wide array of senses. Personally, I do not want to encourage a "stolen valor" situation, which is why I caveat my opinions and have many times asked that this theory be crushed by those promoting the pedigree if it is off-base. That's not happening. So the only path forward is to seek other means to debunk or affirm the theory, while making sure that I caveat the theory as I have done.

At the outset of this thread, I made very clear that: (1) I might be wrong, and (2) There are major factual discrepancies between the story told by Heritage and the story of the two brothers I have found. So I am not surprised by your post. You raise an important point when you state: "Finally, you have proposed a candidate who was likely not killed in action at age 21. If Heritage was willing to fudge such a major detail, then who's to say that the story wasn't a complete fabrication?" My only response is that the story told by Heritage could be a complete fabrication. That's exactly why I'm trying to find out the true story. However, if the story they were trying to obscure was of the promise central to the story of Bob and Roger, that is exactly the fact that they would have to fudge. Any reference to "promise" and "POW" would immediately have given the story away. If the Promise Collection is not named after the promise at issue with Bob and Roger than I am concerned about the veracity of the story. The marketing story seems implausible in several important respects (still it could be true). And I believe Cat got it exactly right when he stated up thread:

I didn't see it. But you were saying BC was comprehensive. Made me wonder if I missed something (which happens). Your claim made me think I had. But, unless you point it out to me, I'm not seeing it.

So Tracy is not on Bleeding Cool? I think they may be working off of CGC lists. My suspicion is that the "three elephants not in the room" may also not have made it to CGC or Heritage. I hope they stayed with the family, but since those are the three books most tied to the story, makes me wonder.

Bleeding cool says: Where does Bleeding Cool list Tracy 19? I think they have left books off the list. I also think they are tied to what Heritage has indexed, not necessarily the spreadsheed made by the OOs family. Tracy 19 is raw. Has Bleeding Cool included any raw books on the list? Just curious.

It's a Thursday night, why are you up? Sweet dreams Gary!

Not the 1,500 books not yet sold.