Calamerica

I posted the tripling detail in haste; I think it has increased MORE than 3x, not exactly sure. Yes, I will choose to BRAG all I want re: my IMSM Army( Not IMIS, Shad...) because back in the day I got them for embarrassingly LOW prices, because guys/gals like YOU did not respect IMSM. The prices I made for my CGC NM+ 9.6's were obscene, but can still be found on the eBay Feedbacks if you know how to look at them... The IMSM raw VF/NM 9.0 that recently sold for $286-ish, I bought for back in the day RIGHT HERE on this Forum for $15.00 plus $4.00 shipping. Dogs like IM 1 and Ditko Spideys? Surely you jest. But I remember you from years past. If you were stuck in our lifeboat in turbulent waters, for me to survive, I would have to pick you up and throw you overboard to save the rest of us. CAL2 who is getting the last laughs due to IMSM all the way to the Bank...

May I ask you WHAT were you in prison for? Fair Q, as YOU posted this info... CAL2 who is a curious cat...

Ignore him. CAL2 who has the experience...

To TwoPiece: Let him learn the HARD way. Trust me, he is a NEWBIE who has only been here since Feb. Three months? CAL2, who is the veteran of many CGC Forum Wars, and I mean WARS...

Okay, this is YOUR Thread. Let me try this: Past sales of a few Comic Books: 1) Battlestar Galactica # 1, 1977: 2017/8 avg - $55.00 for NM 9.2/4. avg - $85.00 for NM+ 9.6 2019: Less than $20.00. 2) Spawn # 1, 1992: 2018 avg: $65.00 avg for 9.2/4. $85.00 avg NM+ 9.6 2019: Less than $30.00 NM+ 9.6. Even though the sequel is in production. CAL2 who will be back later to contribute to this Thread...

This is still part of the Comic Book hobby. To tolerate CAL, one needs patience, and some understanding. Yes, CAL is not for everybody. Maybe YOU can start that thread. I am NOT a Newbie. Trust me. CAL2 who uses the Seniority card when necessary...

Again, I have been misquoted again and again. I will only touch this here ONE time: On the eBay Chat Boards( to which I have been given credit for its demise - not true but I will TAKE any credit for that thanx): I made several posts (paraphrasing) in regarding HIGH GRADE copies. I made a estimate of 300 HIGH GRADE still out there. The detractors against CAL( who will remain nameless for now) took my every syllable, every post and turned me into the Ultimate Villain of the eBay/Comic Book world. Like Trump, I decided to FIGHT BACK. Not letting insults go unresponded, etc. I am NOT anyone's punching bag, trust me. And several of them have been jettisoned off here AND eBay, and I am still here and will continue to be here as long as I want and anywhere I wish to be. I have and will continue to take ALL of them on. And the GPA showed one year( I forget the exact year, I THINK it was 2003) that only THREE( 3) CGC's IMSM's sold that year. Why? Because I had them all, or most of them. Having over 5,000 raw copies and 187 encapsulated, I DID come close to "corner the market" and NUMEROUS Forumites here and eBay/Yahoo would email me/call me( my number was public back in the day before I got threatening calls from Kansas city area and Massachusetts area( a great hint of where these Forumites live for the long-termers here - don't think for ONE SECOND I forgot) and sold them privately person-to-person. Not a bad plan? It was a GREAT plan. This IMSM issue has more than tripled in value according to Overstreet Guides since 2000, the year I started mass buying. "Little demand for it"? You sound like Rashka, who called IMSM a "retarded book". This is now a good seller. I will get that YouTube video to show my past sales. Why the continued infatuation with the book? That is the REAL question. But I have already given that answer several times here. The CAL detractors have CAL Derangement Syndrome ( CDS). I love it!!! CAL2 who is the KING of IMSM, and can't let that go just yet...

Iron Man and Sub-Mariner # 1, 1968. THE One-Shot all-time! Yes, my YouTube channel has a VIDEO about IMSM recent sales, and I need to do more videos. Thanx for reminding me! Oh, that background is NOT my Laundry Room. If you really cannot resist the temptation to bash me, at least make YOUR own YouTube videos and attack me THAT way, if you are man enough. CAL2 who has gotten some benefit from this Forum for a change!

Wow. Elvis is alive, Hitler is alive( he would be close to 135 years old if that were really remotely insanely true), UFO's experimented on people and brought them back alive to tell about it.... No, seriously, truth is stranger than fiction. That is why I like funny books, to stay in that fictional world of Superheroes... CAL2 who does not subscribe to the supernatural, only superheroes...

You get a Field Goal, three points here! I was supposed to sign off that post with: " CAL2 who is the KING of IMSM..." instead of the CAL2 the KING of IMSM. Good D on your part! CAL2 who is also a NFL nut...

Wow. Old habits die hard. I did not think of creating a new "List" but since I will be forever associated with that let me get my neanderthal portion of the brain working on it... But I am here because of my involvement in the Comic Book hobby. I sell quite a bit and was willing to share some insights. Good faith effort to help those who may need it. I do know how hard it can be, trust me. But I must now do some shameless self-promotion: NO ONE has sold more IMSM than I have. Throw all the Metropolis's at me, all the Mile Highs, anyone you wish to bash me with, NO ONE can touch my worst month. The problem I now face is that my raw copy count is below 1,000 and now I need to decide if want to continue with this Title of still having more than anyone else. Nice "problem" to have. CAL2 the KING of IMSM, and a few others to be more honest...

Thanx, James J Johnson!

And only 100 posts the last three/four years...ask the other Forumites! CAL2 who has been gone for a long time, but is back occasionally

Yes my old account, with over 11,000 was HACKED. I just got off the phone with D Anthony and explained the bulk of what happened. I may or may not be able to retrieve the old account. Not that important. What IS important that everyone knows who this is and this is NOT a fake account. CAL2

The Comic Book hobby is showing signs of a slowdown, but like Sportscards, the KEY Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays Rookie cards will ALWAYS have their "sub-markets" that will be trading 100 years from now.

Good thing for you I was on a plane... CAL who would have taken this...

Coins is a totally different dynamic, and I feel I am qualified to say this as I sell coins on the 'Bay when enough interests stockpile. Coins are a great hobby like any other hobby of one's personal preferences, but a noticeable difference between a segment of coinees is that SOME coinees collect knowing the MELT value for their prizes; no other hobby has this factor built into it. If there is such a hobby, correct me and teach us all something new. I must also add here that coins had THEIR "crash" a la 2007 - 2008, and even though there are, in my estimate, 2 million "serious" coin collectors versus 200,000 "serious" comic book collectors. Yes, they minted far more coins than comic books, but a HUGE difference between the two hobbies is that coins were never "returned" to the distributor if they did not "sell", thus creating the crucial ingredient of collecting for VALUE in the first place: SCARCITY. Let's put an example here: go to swap meet after swap meet for a year. Which item are you most likely to find: Hulk # 181( any condition) or a 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent( decent VF grade)? Chances are you will find that Lincoln cent first, as they minted 484,000 of them. But as far as Lincoln cents go, that was a LOW mintage. Starting in 2010, they made over a BILLION Lincoln cents per year. How many Hulk #181's were printed? My guess is about 270,000 and I used to know the print runs for SA and some BA. About 40% of that Hulk 181's 270,000 were returned to the distributor. Sure, a few Lincoln cents got "lost" in sewage drains, wishing-well fountains all over the USA, kids putting them on the railroad tracks, etc. but they were never "returned" for lack of sales; coinage provides the means of commerce and has so for over 3,000 years. Back to the example: in fifty years from now, what will the dynamic be for your grandchildren, who we can assume you love with all your hearts and soul and care for their financial well-being. My money is going to be on the COINS. Comics may or may not hold the current values we see now. Back in the early 2000's, you could not get ANY, I mean ANY MINT CGC/PGX 10.0 for under $1,000, even a spin-off Dark Horse reprint mid-numbered issue. Now you can get the CGC/PGX 10.0 MINTs for $150 for the drek issues. I sell IMSM on a regular basis and have seen a drop in final pricings( grade dependant). But those Fifty cent pieces I sold earlier this year? Trending upward and I get at least one inquiry a week when I will return back to selling coins. I don't get that with the comics, what I am somewhat known for. A few parting examples with Comic Books: I see ASM 361 climbing and climbing, this 1992 Copper Age( bubble argument for the transitioning to the Modern Age, which actually DETRACTS imo) ASM has Carnage 1st appearance. But those non-key TOS I used to sell ( VF - NM 9.0ish) for $150 per pop are now less than $40.00 in most auctions. Bronze issue Battlestar Galactica was selling for $25 per crack, and he was a "guaranteed sale" if it was at least NM 9.4. Now you can get them for $5.00 or less. Iron Fist has done well per se, but I see prices falling. Closing paragraph: Beanie babies, cabbage patch dolls, Elvis stuff has gone bye-bye. Sports cards has been on life support, and I am ashamed to tell you guys how much I lost on the early 2000's "investing" in sports cards. I managed to sell a box of stuff we found when we closed out a storage unit last December, and yes, there was ONE Albert Pujols GEM I had a 15x bagger, but the rest I know I lost over 75% or more on, including that MINT Rickey Henderson Rookie. My wife and daughters insist that this is the path of pulp paper ephemera products; coins can last a thousand years or more, and has MELT value... CAL the retired investor...

RMA, again, is correct 100%. ANY Buyer must wait a full seven( 7) calendar days before leaving a Negative or Neutral Feedback. Any Buyer, however, can post a Positive Feedback at any time. I had forgotten this little detail myself when I answered in this Thread a day or two ago. Bottom Line: Best way to handle that Buyer: 1: BLOCK him immediately. The quicker you do this NOW, you won't forget and get a "surprise" a year or two later. This happened to me twice. No more. 2. Post a separate Thread in YOUR own website, which cannot be shut down by Mods, and put this person's eBay User ID there so people like me can and WILL block them. 3. Do NOT, I repeat: do NOT "relent" and give 2nd or even a 3rd chance. I used to do this, and it still never worked out right. One of the guys, a CGC Forumite AND an eBay Power Seller, who at the time had a higher rating than I did, was a perennial "trouble-bidder" and TRIED to lie his way out of this right here. Clue: had something to do with one of my "pets", IMSM. Good Luck in your future eBay selling. Despite all the "little things" over the years on the 'Bay, I personally am still pro-eBay and wish they would reach the level of consistency to keep their business and business model rocking. Notice I did not say "competency" because they actually ARE competent; even towards the extreme part of the spectrum. They CHOOSE to cut corners, hire Customer Service reps who don't even HAVE AN eBay ACCOUNT THEMSELVES( Thanx, Meg Ryan), and have NO ANSWER to Amazon kicking their butts for the soon-to-be fifth( 5th) year in a row. CAL who still is more a Buyer than Seller on the 'Bay...

Agree. Don't ship the item. He's already given you an undeserved Neg. CAL who has had every excuse in the world from unreasonable NEG Buyers...

The total encapsulated: 185. 178 CGC 1 RPG( prototype) 8 PGX Thinking about getting them all again. Thinking about buying every copy out there. Flounder: "Why?" Blutarsky: " WHY NOT???" CAL still sneaks in here once in a while to check for signs of life...

I bought these off the Spinner rack back in that day....then had to scramble to get the 1st part of the story from that Avengers issue.... When Psyklops's spell wore off on ol' Greenskin....LOL CAL who still reads the Gold/Silver/select EARLY Bronze on occasion....

Not true. Iron Man and Sub-Mariner NEVER was on par w/ Iron Man and Subby 1 - look the prices up in ANY older Overstreet guides. However, IMSM HAS gained traction, and prices have increased steadily over the last 15 years. There was a rumor that this man had 187+ encapsulated, and 5,015 raw books in one entire storage unit, 33 boxes of the raws, 18 boxes of the encapsulated ones. I know the person, so this is not some made up fantasy story. He still has about five boxes of raws sitting somewhere. I personally seen them. He told me that he's going to have photos soon. That guy used to have a Marvel Silver Age collection where the Dealers would pick up their phones and call him every now and then. Jon Allen used to work at Heritage and cold-called him over CGC items. He's slowly sold stuff over the past ten years or so, as he's getting back into Coins, his first foray into Collecting. He said something about the Coinees are more reasonable, well, you get it. More "coin" to be made in Coins anyway( pun intended). You guys can talk to that man yourselves, who am I to speak for him? He's very reasonable until you shove him. He was born in Baltimore, MD and did not have the best of childhoods; when he gets pushed around that Baltimore City Bad Boy comes out and that is not a sight to behold. Back to IMSM, it has been proven more than once here on this Forum that the higher grade copies are the hardest to get out of the three( IM, SM , IMSM). There were production issues with that "One-Shot". Certain acceptable details such as the common chipping on the upper left back cover, and the green, sometimes blue-green excess distributor's ink on the first page, lower right margin. The advertisement on the front inner cover has heavy, thick impressed "lines" from that ad that are easily seen from the front cover side, and I can tell if any copy has been pressed because of that ONE detail. But enough for now. IMSM is the greatest One-Shot, and that guy just liked that issue. He's told that story time and time again as to WHY he set out to do this with IMSM. maybe I can get him to tell it sometime soon. CAL who knows certain people....

You don't know mess about me. STFU

I am on that job site during lunch break sending a PM for something on the Sales Thread. Not too good on cell phone; functions are limited. Anyway, to this "knots*dew" when I get home I WILL RESPOND and will cut and paste the " evidence" YOUR SO CALLED WIFE sent me. You are not going to like that, especially the PARTS where she contradicts herself and tries to bluff me. NO Fire Report from her was ever sent YOU are the Liar. I got MY OWN Reports, and they did NOT match up. I also don't think that this is rs0429 from the eBay Chats back in the day. If so, then CAL was again correct that people here WOULD and DID call/PM each other to tell whomever that this topic was drug back to life. You can thank Loagn510 for that. You also can thank CAL for making the inquiries to ANY charity event here or anywhere. SHE posted the "emergency event" and it is hard to fathom one person continually getting "charity" time and time again. The THING was NOT the person who got the thread going and I was contacted and have NO REGRETS responding and you know what you can do if you don't like that. I really could care less, as I was not going to give ONE RED CENT anyway, but some due diligence with MY independent findings are what they are, no apologies of any kind are forthcoming. Right or wrong does not matter. ANYONE can ask questions. That Coinee asked I responded. I am headed out that way in Feb. 2019 for a Conference. I may reopen this just to solve this for finality. The names better add up. You don't want CAL here or anywhere blowing this out of the water. CAL

Well KAV, It's getting quite late over on this side of the Pond.... I didn't get through half of the Thread w/ my snarky responses, so I will have to do it another time. See ya CAL