Yellow Kid

This is a classic picture of my good friend, Leonard Brown, and I have the original framed on my wall. Not only is it a great picture, but the story behind the picture is even better. After the two of us had enjoyed a mail-order business out of our parent's homes for several years, he wanted to open a store. I was finishing college and wanted to go to grad school, so I wished him good luck. He met Malcolm Willits and they started Collectors Bookstore in 1964. Leonard wanted to get some national publicity for the store so he loaded up a trunk with a great selection of old comics, made arrangements with a local auction service for him to have the winning bid, and called the press and told them to be there for a great story. The L. A. Times was there and the picture was picked up nationally, giving them more publicity than they dreamed was possible. I was always amazed that no one questioned why the L. A. Times was present at an auction they never attended before or after Leonard's phone call, but that's life.

That's a great copy of an almost impossible book to find in higher grades. Yours is the nicest one I have seen in a long time. Congratulations!

No, I didn't get it, but I tried. It looked nice, and I had confirmed the size and number of pages, but someone else got a nice Christmas present.

A nice copy just sold on eBay for $1,652 on 24 November. It was raw and even the seller didn't grade it, but it was nice.

It is a real treat to see such a beautiful copy of Action #13. Thanks for sharing!

That is the nicest US #6 that I have seen in a long time. Congratulations!

I liked Gyro also, and especially liked his helper. They reminded me of Snoopy and Woodstock.

As all duck collectors know, a lot of people think that Trail of the Unicorn was so good that it should have been a cover story.

Gladstone was a foil for Donald and his presence nearly always meant there would be an interesting and exciting story. Gyro was very cool but he was an adjunct who was available to help Donald but rarely made the stories more exciting. I can remember Luck of the North much more vividly than any story with Gyro in it.

What a great deal! Any issues in the first 30 pre-Barks era are special, and to get an issue with work by two of the giants in the field is even better. The early books with only six panels per page really showcase the art. Very cool!

Long ago I knew a comic book collector who lived in his car and kept his collection in its trunk. Over the years I think I have seen it all from top to bottom. Robot Man lives in a very nice home with his collection displayed tastefully throughout and centered in his collection room. He was a very gracious and knowledgeable host when I visited, and my only regret is that I had to leave before I saw everything.

Sqeggs said it well! +1

The LOA 1941 and 1942 Secret Guard manual, decoders (paper in these two years), and related premiums are much harder to find than the 1935-1940 items that were made in larger numbers with various forms of metal decoders. This is a great find, and it sounds like there might be some more good stuff ahead! When the little transistor radios first came out, many of them had an ear plug on a 36" wire. When school started and the races were going down to the end, I put the radio in my pocket, ran the wire up through my shirt, sat in the back corner of the room, and listened to the games during class. It was like eating forbidden fruit, and it made the games even better!

It's nice to have another O/C collector join the group. I look forward to your future posts. Also, if you don't already collect Dell Map Backs, they would fit your interest in maps as each paperback has a map on its back relevant to the story and the novels are from some of the most popular authors of the era like Christie, Stout, etc. Welcome!

Glad to see that you are back in the saddle again, Bob! It is really wonderful that you can continue to share your wonderful collection.

H. L. Menken said that the reason academic battles were so vicious is because they were fighting over so little. With that in mind, when I went to Ohio State University in 1995 to give their Centennial Address on R. F. Outcault and the Yellow Kid, I was very pleasantly surprised to learn about their participation in a Midwestern consortium dedicated to popular culture. Sanity had prevailed and it was decided that Bowling Green U. would specialize in popular fiction and popular music drawing on their existing strengths. Michigan State U. would specialize in comic books, and Ohio State U. would specialize in newspaper comics. Further, to make the consortium work, they established an expedited interlibrary loan system among themselves. This worked great and each of the schools developed their specialties. Over the years, other regional schools wanted to participate and Cleveland State U (Cleveland Press archives), Kent State U (contemporary theater). Oberlin College (democratizing the printed word), and the Ohio Historical Society joined and developed complementary strengths. The result is that today an incredible resource, The Consortium of Popular Culture Collections in the Midwest (CPCCM), has become the finest collection of resources of its type for scholars. Most of these schools have wonderful exhibits if you ever get a chance to visit. They are also happy to accept donations of financial support and/or rare material--I have given both to Ohio State U. because I have seen that all material is handled in the strictest professional manner and urge you to consider doling the same with the school whose specialties match your own.

Little Orphan Annie went from Four Color to Regular Series and returned to Four Color.

Regardless of what the future brings, I want to thank Bob for all of the time and effort he has put into his thread sharing his wonderful collection with us. I have always enjoyed collecting comic memorabilia and know how rare many of the items he has shared are and have welcomed the chance to see them. I hope that you find a way to continue your posts.

A great classic! You've got a beautiful. historic page nicely framed. I've got room for it on my walls if you don't have any place to put it. Congratulations!

Great books, Andrew! You are getting closer and closer to completing a wonderful set.

I doubt that very many of today's top prices will win books.

This is a great book and the Hi-Spot series is very rare. This title was so popular that a high quality copy of it was made that looks nearly perfect. And try and find a copy of Hi-Spot #2, it is a very rare E. R. Burroughs title.

There is at least one round pinback, 1 1/4 inches in diameter, that looks like the one in the ad but in color. There is also a shield with that image that is 5/8 inches wide and one inch long from the top to the bottom tip of the shield. Variations undoubtedly exist.

Betty Boop used to be so popular but her character merchandise is difficult to find today, especially great pieces like this puzzle box with its contents. Robot Man has done it again! Nobody works harder at finding this stuff and he has certainly earned the right to be rewarded now and then. Great find!