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bagofleas

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Journal Entries posted by bagofleas

  1. bagofleas
    pleeeeeease add it Gemma!
    There have been a number of occasions where I have realized that something was missing in the registry.
    It may have been a set that I felt was worth adding. Especially if I had just acquired a number of them.
    It may have been a mistake that needed to be rectified.
    It also may be a particular issue that I thought should be added to an existing set.
    There are moments when Im browsing through the registry and a giant light bulb goes on above my head. BLINK!
    EUREKA! Why hasnt anybody else realized this before?
    I immediately send a message to Gemma to announce my concern. I will tell you right now that Gemma reads your messages and always responds to your concerns. Nine times out of ten Gemma will do what you are asking as long as it is a reasonable request and wont cause a huge uproar from all the other registered collectors.
    For over three years I have had at least a dozen requests and Gemma has come through for me on all but one of them.
    THANK YOU GEMMA! YOU ROCK!
    Its a wonderful feeling to know that something exists on the registry because of something you noticed. One example of this is when I noticed that the Buffy The Vampire Slayer set category only had one slot for each numbered issue whether it was the art cover or the photo cover or whatever.
    I asked Gemma if it would be possible to put each variant in its own slot so that you could get registry points for each cover variant as well as be able to show off each of your copies with individual pictures.
    It wasnt even a week before Gemma had done exactly that! Hooray! I was so happy even though I actually dropped one rank once the change was made.
    The issue shown below is another example of something I just recently noticed. This is my Western Penn pedigreed 9.8 copy of Marvel Team Up 100! It is centered perfectly. It features Fantastic Four and the Xmen.
    It is also a key issue in two ways. It is number 100 and it features the origin and first appearance of Karma who later would become a founding member of The New Mutants. Being a GIGANTIC New Mutants fan this was a copy of this issue I just had to get. And I DID!
    What a great comic book to have! It is registered into my Marvel Team Up set but I just realized that it also qualifies for another set and isnt listed in it!
    The Marvel Copper Age 1st Appearances set has issues dated before this one like Amazing Spiderman 210 from November of 1980. This issue is from December of 1980 and has an arguably more important 1st appearance than Madame Web.
    Now that I have noticed this I will present it to Gemma for consideration. I hope Gemma comes through for me again. pleasepleaseplease!
    What are your experiences in discovering errors missing sets or additions that you felt needed to be resolved? Did you talk to Gemma? Did Gemma come through for you? How did YOU feel when something was initiated in the registry because of your suggestion?

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  2. bagofleas
    Holy Cow!
    Well Im in Orlando and through the first day of the Megacon.
    At first I did not think I was going to get all my signings done but once everything got in motion I was a signature machine! Claremont and McLeod and Bagley and Palmiotti and Portacio. Then the Star Trek TNG cast members. Spiner and Dorn and Burton and McFadden and Wheaton and Crosby and Sirtis .
    WHEW!!
    The only sigs I dont have yet are Stewart and Frakes who wont be there until tomorrow. But CGC set a record for themselves. They had set a limit on how many On-Site submissions they would accept based on the average amount submitted for most of the three day conventions they attend.
    They broke that amount in the first two hours of the Megacon!! They had to shut down On-Site grading quick. Luckily I was on my A-game and early to the show.
    Mike at the CGC booth helped me throughout the process and was incredulous at how fast I got my 31 comics signed and witnessed and submitted for On-Site grading. It only took TWO HOURS!!! The magazines took one more hour but CGC was not doing On-Site grading for magazines anyway so timing did not matter on them.
    3 hours total for 43 signatures from 14 different people is pretty awesome! At least Mike sure thought so. He was blown away! I managed to get it all done before CGC shut down the On-Site grading. I was so happy!
    I will get everything back graded and all by the end of Sunday!
    Hopefully my New Mutants 47 comes back 9.8 (Thanks again to RonnyLama). I hope the same for my Daredevil 168 and my ASM 300!
    Check out Mark Bagley in the pic below. He signed a couple of comics and an original art piece for me!
    AWESOME!!!

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  3. bagofleas

    Finally!!

    By bagofleas,

    Something other than "verified".
    My 10 issues that I submitted at the beginning of November have finally moved from verified status to "submitted for grading" status.
    It only took 111 days from them receiving the comics to being in this new status. The current turnaround time is listed as 100 days total but there are still two more stages to go.
    Guess they must be running a little behind. I know turnaround times are estimates but sheesh! I cant wait to see what their grades are.
    Luckily the issues I will be submitting at the Megacon can be done on-site so it will only be a max of two days!
    As soon as I have grades on these ten issues I will post a journal entry.
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  4. bagofleas

    JOURNEY OF A KEY

    By bagofleas,

    A 27 YEAR TRIP
    When my father and I had just gotten into comic collecting back in 1986 we quickly started putting together sets of series that interested us.
    The first long running series that we focused on was Daredevil. So in the fall of 86 we went to the home of a coworker of my father who had decided to sell some of his comic collection.
    When we started digging through his boxes we found a boatload of Daredevils. They were in pristine condition since he had selected the best he could find and bagged them up and had not touched them since. My only regret now is that we did not pick up more issues at the time.
    The pick of the litter that day was his copy of Daredevil 168. We paid the whopping grand total of five dollars for it..... FIVE DOLLARS!!!
    My father sadly passed away in the Spring of 2000 and I subsequently sold off almost all of the collection since I did not have a home yet and my mom needed the room. It was over ten thousand issues! This was when CGC was just trying to get off the ground and was years away from being the established and respected organization that it is today.
    If I had known then what I do now about the future of CGC I would never have sold them. I DID manage to keep my whole Daredevil set and a select few doubles from the collection. And now after 27 years I am about to finally have some of these graded.
    I am attending the Orlando Megacon next month and I have seven raw issues that I plan on getting pressed and graded on site. Five are from my original collection.
    Daredevil 168 (see pic below) - paid $5
    Amazing Spider-Man 300 - paid $1.50
    Transformers 80 - paid 25 cents
    Wolverine 1 - paid $1
    Wolverine 2 - paid $1
    I will be so happy to finally see these graded after all these years but the DD 168 will be the most nostalgic for me. I will never part with it regardless of its grade.
    So from $5 acquisition in 1986 to CGC grading in 2013. What a journey. What a hobby. What a load of fun!
    Funny how 27 years can still seem like just a week ago. I love you Dad!

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  5. bagofleas
    My second one in less than a week!
    OK. A few days ago I finally bought my first original art and was warned about how addicting it was to collect them.
    Well I would now have to agree with those who warned me. I can see why original art is so intriguing to comic aficionados. I know that I wont be able to continue buying original art at the pace that I have been acquiring graded comics.
    While I have been averaging over 175 graded comics a year (YIPES!) I will probably only be able to manage five or so original art pieces per year.
    Nevertheless I have managed to acquire my second piece in less than a week. I just couldnt pass up on this one since it is from my all time favorite comic series which everyone by now knows is The New Mutants.
    This particular piece of original art is from Issue 13 Page 2. It holds the first meeting and direct conversation between Magma (Amara Aquilla) and Professor X!
    Being such a big New Mutants fan and just recently bitten by the O-ART Bug had me clawing after this one! I love it even though it doesnt have any real action going on in it. It is also signed by Tom Mandrake.
    OFF AND RUNNING!!!!!!!

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  6. bagofleas

    My First Original!!

    By bagofleas,

    Always wanted one!
    I have always had a desire to start getting my hands on original comic art, but I have been so focused on CGC graded comics that I havent really pursued them.
    Well that ends now!
    Most of these originals are very expensive. It depends on what series it comes from or what characters it features or what particular issue its from or what artist did the art or any number of other factors.
    I decided that since I was going to be at the Orlando Megacon I would try to find something that would be signable if not already signed so I did a thorough search and finally came up with one that fit the bill.
    I didnt want to spend a lot of money but I was partial to something in a full splash page category. These often tend to be the more expensive items of this sort. It didnt have to feature an iconic character but I wanted it to be interesting.
    I finally happened upon the original first page of Thunderbolts issue 9 drawn by Mark Bagley! I have always liked Mark for not only his art but for the fact that he shares my last name.
    I love the image because it has so much going for it. A cityscape background. Rain. Destruction. A huge beast with lots of detail and its massiveness very apparent by its comparative size to everything else in the image including the frightened police officer in the bottom right corner. The laser blasts searing into the beasts chest as it roars its anger and pain.
    No it doesnt have batman or spiderman or hulk or captain america or any other iconic comic character but thats ok. The art is spectacular and I just couldnt beat the price!
    This particular piece has NOT been previously signed by Mark so I will take it with me to get signed and then have it framed and hung on my wall at home.
    This is my first original art purchase and I couldnt be more pleased!

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  7. bagofleas
    A lot on my plate....questions questions questions
    As it stands right now I have ten issues currently at CGC getting the once over. They have had them for 90 days so far and still havent moved them out of verified status even though they are showing current turnaround time as 100 days. Not sure if the status is accurate or not.
    On top of that, I am working hard on getting everything together for my trip to the Orlando Megacon next month. CGC will be doing on site grading at this thing and I cant wait to get my stuff signed and or graded!
    Ive got a hardback book and raw and graded comic books and magazines and even a piece of original comic art by Mark Bagley that I want to get signed. I called and spoke to someone at CGC to get some info only to find that I will preferably need someone with me to help with the coordination of getting things signed and witnessed by CGC for my purposes. I have a friend who will be going with me to help. I will be probably be standing in line after line for the entire first day and more just to get everything accomplished!
    But in the meantime I am in the process of organizing and preparing everything for the trip. This includes getting comics and mags that I want signed prepared and a group of over 50 Daredevil issues that I want to get prescreened!
    I have never been to a convention of this magnitude before so if anyone has comments or suggestions for me I would be very grateful. This would include travel or preparations of items or dealing with CGC or dealing with the people you want to sign your stuff.
    For example if you want an artist to do a sketch on an issue how do you approach the topic in regards to the artist and CGC? And what about multiple signings for a single item? And what about signing pens if you want something signed in black or silver or even some other color? Do the artists and writers have different color pens on hand or do you have to provide them? If so what pens are the best ones to get your hands on?
    And what about the preparation of issues that I want to get signed? Whether its a comic or magazine or whatever. Can you get certificates of authenticity for signings that are not comic or magazine related?
    Im really trying to get everything planned out for this thing and could definitely use some advice from some of you fellow collectors out there who have been through this process one or more times.
    Any help will be greatly appreciated!
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  8. bagofleas

    PHASE ONE IS DONE!

    By bagofleas,

    THEY GOTTEM!!!
    Well my ten issues have reached CGC and been RECEIVED and VERIFIED!
    Next is the "Scheduled for grading" status. I can hardly wait to see when they reach this stage. Does that make me nuts? What am I saying? Ive always been nuts!
    I have a number of bigger value and key issues to eventually get graded but I sent these ten in just to test the process and see how it all works.
    I have MY idea of what these will be graded at but that doesnt mean CGC will see it the same way. I am VERY thorough and brutally honest with myself and am willing to be conservative in my estimations when it comes to grading.
    The What If will probably get the lowest grade. Here is what I predict from my strict and conservative viewpoint.
    What If 47 9.4
    Longshot 1 9.6
    Daredevil 273 9.9 Yes I said it. 9.9!!
    All the others should get 9.8 or in the worst case scenario 9.6.
    It remains to be seen how close I am but I am looking forward to finding out no matter how it turns out!
    Below is a piece from Marvel Fanfare #27 featuring Danielle Moonstar from the New Mutants. And no its not a MIRAGE!

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  9. bagofleas
    Popping my submitting cherry!
    I have been an associate member of CGC for over three years now but never have taken advantage of being able to submit my own comics for grading...
    ...until now that is.
    I have sent ten comics off to be graded. I am holding back on a number of comics for signing and grading when I go to Megacon in March. This includes my New Mutants 47 that Ronnylama sent me. So I will have to be patient on those.
    The issues I sent off today are...
    VIGILANTE 19
    VIGILANTE 28
    PUNISHER V2 number 1
    SPAWN 1
    DAREDEVIL 273
    DAREDEVIL 380
    ANITA BLAKE VAMPIRE HUNTER GUILTY PLEASURES 1 sketch
    LONGSHOT 1
    WHAT IF? 47
    DAREDEVIL AND THE PUNISHER CHILDS PLAY nn
    I chose these issues for a number of reasons.
    The Vigilante copies are two of the issues I received from Ronnylama and I just want to get them done because CGC Vigilante issues are practically nonexistent.
    The Longshot Punisher Spawn and Anita Blake number ones are because they ARE number ones.
    Daredevil 380 and What If 47 are both last issues of their respective series.
    The Childs Play one shot is simply to have one graded that will come in one of the thicker cases.
    But one of the main reasons I am doing this is to test how my personal abilities at gauging grades lines up with CGC standards. Its also to just have gone through the experience of submitting issues this way and the whole process involved in doing so.
    We will see how I fair in the grades but I am pretty sure they all have more than a reasonable shot at achieving 9.8. I wont be surprised to see the What If come back as 9.6. It is the one issue I am not 100 percent sure about.
    The Daredevil 273 has a real shot at 9.9 in my opinion! That is the reason I am sending it in.
    I will do updated journals on my personal experience with submitting.
    MUCHO thanks again to Ronnylama for his generosity.
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  10. bagofleas
    No tissues just more issues!
    Well its been quite a while but I finally have a few more Booster Golds to put into my set!
    This is the single most nostalgic set of my collection for me. It takes me back to when I was thirteen years old and having the time of my life at Panama City Beach here in Florida.
    This was WAY BACK in 1986. Well WAY BACK for me anyway. My father and I had just gotten into comic collecting at that point when I came across some issues of this series in a convenience store near the beach.
    Putting a graded collection of these together will be more satisfying to me than any other set I could complete. Nostalgia can go a long way to making the most mundane item or thing mean the world to you.
    It has been quite some time since I have been able to add any more copies to this set but I finally have three more 9.8 issues!
    I now have 14 of the 25 issues in 9.8! I hope its not too much longer to get the last 11. My favorite one of the three I just got is shown below.
    Cool cover and a really dark one too!

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  11. bagofleas

    Almost at 3000 Folks!

    By bagofleas,

    Two journals in one night? WOW!
    I joined this elite group of CGC collectors back in December of 2008. At that time there were barely 1100 registered collectors out there. That was almost four years ago!
    We are now approaching the 3000 mark!
    The good thing about this is that it shows a constant growth in the industry as far as CGC collecting goes. But have you ever wondered how many CGC collectors there are out there who have never bothered with becoming registered members on the registry and actually inputting their comics on here?
    Im pretty sure there are some out there who could join the registry and IMMEDIATELY have top ranking sets if they made the effort. What holds someone back from taking that leap into our wonderful world of sharing and competition in this fantastic hobby?
    Is it the money to join? Its actually really cheap to become an associate member. Is it the time involved in typing everything in? That would probably only apply if you were talking about a HUGE collection. After all you dont HAVE to put pictures and descriptions in if you dont want to.
    There are some out there who buy CGC comics in order to try and turn a profit. Or who send in comics for grading for the sole purpose of doing the same.
    I will admit that there are some issues that I managed to get my hands on when I wasnt really all that interested in collecting them and wound up turning around and selling them. Sometimes for more than I payed in the first place!
    I recently sold two different 2nd printings that I was able to double and triple my money on in this manner! Cha ching!
    But I have found that getting higher on the overall registry point or RP rankings has become harder and harder to accomplish over the last year or so.
    At one point I was as high as number 142 in the total RP rankings! Now I have to struggle like crazy just to maintain myself under 180. Im sure part of this is because of the rest of you constantly continuing your collecting but I also believe it has to do with the constant addition of more and more registered collectors out there in general.
    In the last year or so I have transitioned into collecting higher RP Harvey comics for two reasons.
    First. Ive always liked certain characters in the Harvey Universe and have desired to put together collections of them.
    Second. I have found that I can get much bigger RP values for the amount of money I spend on them which helps me to stay within the top 200 registered collectors out there.
    This hobby of ours continues to grow and grow. It has now ingrained itself into the comic collecting hobby in such a way as to make a real difference in how people view the hobby. Where will it go in the many years to come? Who knows?
    There may be a time far down the road when a CGC graded comic is no more valuable than an ungraded copy of the same quality. Heaven forbid that this ever happens!
    But as long as people continue to become registered CGC collectors I just can't see this ever becoming a reality.
    So with that in mind.
    I want to say THANK YOU for all of you who have been registered for years and THANK YOU to every single new registered member that has joined up!
    As long as you continue to promote this hobby with your inclusion and enthusiasm we dont have to worry about the worst EVER coming to pass!
    Below is a picture of my copy of Caspers Ghostland number 3! Ive never put my picture of this issue up on a journal before so here you go!

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  12. bagofleas
    What if... you discuss it on the chat boards?
    I gotta tell you. I was surprised to see so many 9.8 copies of What If going off on auction at Comiclink.com last week!
    This is a series that I definitely want to get all of eventually. I dont know if I will ever be number one in the rankings on the set but that doesnt really matter to me as much as getting them all in 9.8!
    There have been a number of opportunities over the last three years for me to get some of these and I HAVE managed a few here and there. But this is the first time I have had the chance at so many all at once!
    I took a real stab at the number one issue that was also present in that auction. I put in a max bid of 236 but didnt get it. Oh well. I will get another chance somewhere down the line.
    There were a couple of others I was also outbid on that I just wasnt willing to pay that much for but I DID manage to get my hands on 8 of them! Some I got for less than 35 dollars each!
    Check out the copy of number 21 below! I got it for 32 dollars! This is just one example of the 8 issues that I managed to win!
    Go check out my set now. I have made some changes in the set description and individual issue descriptions in order to keep things interesting for everyone. Many of the issues have brief story summaries and ALL of them have pictures and other info on them!
    I will endeavor to continue to add things to each of the issues I have as well as the ones I hope to get soon.
    Just ask yourself one question.
    WHAT IF I DONT LOOK AT HIS ISSUES?

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  13. bagofleas

    THE SHELDON SCALE

    By bagofleas,

    What percentage are you?
    OK. First of all this journal is just for fun. Just to throw something out there for you to think about and respond to.
    Dont send a reply based on what you think others would say about you but on what you honestly feel about yourself.
    Do you know the TV show The Big Bang Theory? How about the Sheldon character?
    All right. Sheldon is the Absolute 100 percent UBER EXTREME example of what would be considered the eternally child like OCD perfectionist techno junkie science and comics geek. I dont think thats an official stereotype term but you get the idea.
    I was just curious how everyone else feels they compare to him percentage wise. Im not talking about the actor who portrays Sheldon but the Sheldon character as he is portrayed on the show.
    I will go first and say that I am probably about 55 percent on the Sheldon Scale. In some areas I am practically 95 percent and in other areas I am more like only 15 percent so I will put myself at just above the halfway point.
    I encourage everyone who reads this journal and knows the Sheldon character to reply and be bluntly honest. Remember that Sheldon is the 100 percent that you are comparing yourself to.
    Where do you rate percentage wise on the Sheldon Scale in your opinion? Why do you feel this way? Remember that this is just to get everyone involved in a topic and in no way is meant to pass judgment on anyone. I am truthfully just interested in how others view themselves on a scale like this.
    I will say up front that I am grateful for every comic book and CGC collector who is registered on this site. You make this hobby fun and exciting to all of us other Sheldonites out there. Thanks everyone!
    I will show part of the area on the Sheldon Scale where I am probably closer to the 100 percent category by presenting you with a picture of one of the Marvel Graphic Novels that I recently acquired. Check it out below! I am overjoyed at getting such a great copy of this even though most people might not even give it a second thought.
    Send in your replies and lets have fun reading everyones responses.

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  14. bagofleas
    Its always neat to be the first
    Being the first to accomplish something is always a neat experience.
    I was the first person to put together the last eleven issues of G I Joe in 9.8 WP. a few people have managed to do it now but it was very cool to be the only one for a while.
    Its been over a year and a half since I got my 9.8 WP copy of Groo the Wanderer number 1. Since then I have always wanted to get the first ten issues. Partly because I just like em and partly because there are so few of these out there in ANY grade. Some were not graded at all yet. In fact even today most of the set has never been graded.
    I cant believe it but I have finally managed to put together the first eleven issues in 9.8 WP! First one to do it!! YES YES YES!
    I will never try to put this entire set together but I have also purchased a bunch of other numbers that have come up recently. I will try for the first fifty issues next and we will just see where it goes from there.
    Lets see how long Im the only one to have done THIS.
    Below is a scan of issue number 11. Go check em all out!
    Lemme know what you have done that no one else has accomplished yet. Are you still the only one to do it? Have others also now managed the feat? How did you feel when you finally got that last piece of the CGC puzzle you were looking for?

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  15. bagofleas

    Graphic Novel Mania!

    By bagofleas,

    A whole bunch of em!
    I always keep an eye out for Marvel Graphic Novels to show up somewhere in 9.8 WP so I can try to get them for my set but they rarely show their pretty little heads.
    Then suddenly a whole bunch of them showed up on Ebay a few days ago. I HAD to try for them and in the end I got all but four that I bid on!!
    These are extremely rare to find graded. There are mostly only one or two of each of them even available in 9.8. Here was a chance to get a huge lot of them all at once. And all of them were in 9.8 WP condition! Even with being outbid on four of them I managed to acquire 14! AWESOME!
    I have entered them into my set but none of them have even been posted to the census yet so they will be added as soon as they are verified.
    Here are the copies I got:
    #6 Star Slammers
    #11 Void Indigo
    #13 Starstruck
    #14 Swords of the Swashbucklers
    #16 The Aladdin Effect
    #24 Daredevil
    #25 The Alien Legion
    #26 Dracula
    #28 Conan the Reaver (see below)
    #33 The Mighty Thor
    #36 Willow
    #nn Cloak and Dagger and Power Pack
    #nn Conan the Barbarian
    #nn The Black Widow
    It is always nice to be able to fill multiple spots in a set you are putting together. Especially when many of the individual issues are so rare to see graded at all let alone in the top grades.
    Man I love this hobby!!!!!!

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  16. bagofleas

    ITS ABOUT TIME!

    By bagofleas,

    Finally going to do it...
    I have been an associate member of the CGC for over three years now and have NEVER taken advantage of being able to send in my own comics for grading. I know.... ridiculous right?
    It is even more ridiculous when considering that I live in Tallahassee Florida. Sarasota is not very far from me so it is no big deal to drop off and pick up the comics I would send in. This saves me a considerable amount on shipping especially when I coordinate the trip with a trip I already have going on in the general area anyway.
    Well all that is about to change. I have a little over 70 comics I am preparing to send in for pre screening! These come from the few comics I saved aside from selling off ninety percent of my collection about ten years ago. I wish I had never done it now but thats water under the bridge.
    A little over half of the issues I am sending in are Daredevils and the rest are various issues.
    I WILL NOW TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SEND A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO RONNYLAMA!!!!
    He looked through my collection and picked out nine issues from his collection to send to me for grading to help me out! He even sent me a graded issue I needed to complete one of my sets! WOW!
    He asked for nothing in return and I cant possibly be more grateful to him. I wish goodness and blessings on him for the rest of his life. YOU ROCK RONNYLAMA!
    Now here is a list of the issues I will be sending in for pre screening.
    Daredevil
    175 188 205 217 223 228 233 234 235 236 238 240 241 242 243 245 247 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 265 266 271 273 282 295 300 304 305 306 380
    Marvel Authentix number 1 sketch edition
    Man Without Fear 1 2 3 4 and 5
    Daredevil and the Punisher Childs Play Graphic Novel
    Ghost Rider Wolverine Punisher Hearts of Darkness Graphic Novel
    Vigilante 2 3 6 19 28 47
    Booster Gold 9 24
    Longshot 1
    Moon Knight v3 1
    Star Wars 55 69
    What if v1 47
    Wolverine 1 2
    Spider Woman 50
    Spawn 1 2 3 4 5
    Punisher 1
    Anita Blake Guilty Pleasures 1 Sketch Cover
    NEW MUTANTS 47 this is one RonnyLama sent to me and I really hope comes back in 9.8 so that I will only need two more issues to complete my set!!
    Each of the issues listed above will be pre screened to 9.8 or better. I am positive that one of the daredevils in particular will achieve a 9.9!
     
    I am also sending in three issues to get graded no matter what grade they achieve. These are
    Daredevil 168
    Amazing Spiderman 300
    Transformers 80
     
    And three issues from prior to 1980
    Doctor Strange 1
    Micronauts 1
    Marvel Two In One 3
     
    On top of all this I will also be sending in about 6 of my graded comics for reholdering.
    Once these are all completely done I still have over 50 issues of Daredevil left to send in at another time! But these are all I will do for now. I will probably get them turned in around the middle to end of October. Until then I will get the paperwork all ready.
    I hope my first venture into submitting my own comics goes well. I am a perfectionist at heart so we will see how many of these things reach 9.8!!
    THANK YOU RONNYLAMA!

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  17. bagofleas
    Was it because of the holiday weekend?
    Have you ever tried to win an auction on a comic during a holiday and wind up getting it for really cheap? HOLY COW you might have thought to yourself. HOW DID I GET IT FOR THAT CHEAP?
    I have noticed that on certain days of the year and on holiday weekends that people generally are too busy with family and traveling and other things to be paying much attention to an online auction.
    In the past I have managed to get some extraordinary deals on stuff during these times. Some of these days include New Years Eve and Christmas Eve and Day among others.
    Has this ever happened to you? It certainly has for me! This Labor Day weekend was no exception. I just acquired an early issue of Little Dots Uncles and Aunts for an RP/AP ratio of X8!! This is only the second 9.6 ever graded and none have achieved 9.8. The other 9.6 sold for over $90 and had worse page quality.
    I got it for $40.
    Say what? Did he just say what I think?
    Oh yes! $40!!!! This thing values in Overstreet at $75 in raw 9.2 condition!
    It is #7 and puts me halfway to having the first ten issues of this set. Check it out below! I know not everyone are Harvey fans or collectors but this thing is coming up on 50 years old!
    I was blown away by the ending price! Then I realized it was Labor Day weekend and it hit me. That must have been why. It has happened so many times before to me that I know it has to be true.
    What are your experiences in regards to this? Ever noticed it yourself?

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  18. bagofleas

    The More The Merrier...

    By bagofleas,

    SIGS SIGS SIGS!
    When the registry awards were coming up for this year I really tried to get myself back into the top position for my New Mutants set that I had lost to TNerb only a few months prior.
    Both TNerb and I only needed three more issues to complete the set at the time. I knew it would come down to finding some SS copies of issues I already had in order to make up the difference. But that means I am limited to what happens to show up.
    I tried a couple of times for signed copies of #87 and #98 but never did manage to win any of the few that popped up. I was a little limited on what I could spend at the time. It was so frustrating.
    The one shining point of light during this time (other than TNerbs continuing to try and help me) was winning an auction for ONE HECK OF AN OAK! Getting a signed-and-top-graded issue of a series I collect is wonderful in and of itself. Getting a multiply signed copy is even MORE UPLIFTING!
    I managed to win an auction for a TRIPLE SIGNED COPY of New Mutants #95 (see pic below)!!! SO COOL!
    There is only one other 9.8 SS copy of this issue out there and it is owned by TNerb. His is signed by Rob Liefeld.
    Mine is signed by Rob Liefeld (artist), Louise Simonson (writer) AND Tom DeFalco (editor of the issue)!! Unbelieveable!
    I may have lost the top ranking on this set for the registry awards this year but acquiring THIS Top-Of-The-Heap issue certainly helped to alleviate some of my frustration!
    Getting back on track with my endeavors now thanks to TNerb and RonnyLama is ALSO A HUGE HELP! Ultimate thanks to both of them. They are two of the best friends a CGC collector could ask for! U GUYS ROCK!!!
    LONG LIVE CANNONBALL!!!

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  19. bagofleas
    Gotta get it back!
    OK here is the deal.
    I congratulate TNerb on getting the Best Copper Age award this year on his New Mutants set. He has managed to barely surpass my total registry points on this set for the first time. Mine are all 9.8 or better while his is the same with two exceptions. My Graphic Novel #4 is 9.8 while his is only 9.4. His #1 is a 9.9 While mine is a Gem Mint 10!!
    Here is where the difference lies. I have all but three issues to go to have them all. He has only two more to go. This is only a 25 point difference and by itself is not enough to turn the tide. The real difference is because he has at least 32 signature series copies while I have only 14 so far.
    I have to say I am kinda irked that he got the award I have been hoping for with this set for three years. I did not think CGC would grant the award for this set until there was an obviously dominating leader. Being that there was only a 41 point difference at the time of the awards for a larger set I was pretty shocked that they went ahead and awarded it to him.
    But with that said TNerb and I have worked with each other on both of our sets. I have led him to some of the ones he needed and he has done the same for me. I cant be mad at him. He is a collector and lover of this series just as I am. We both have fond memories involved with this set and have worked together to help each other. I THANK YOU FOR THAT TNerb!! I really do.
    At the same time I cant help but wonder what CGC was thinking when they gave this award for such a closely contested set. Anyway part of the issue with me is that I have been on a Harvey comics collecting kick lately and just havent seen any signed copies of these come up. That is until recently.
    In the last week two signed copies reared their lovely heads! A 9.8 WP SS copy of #89 signed by Rob Liefeld and a 9.8 WP SS copy of #85 signed by both Rob Liefeld and Todd McFarland (see pic below)!!!
    I now have a renewed interest in taking back my three year domination of this set. Getting signed copies of #87 and #98 are among the biggest things I can do to achieve this. I have made a couple of attempts at these on previous auctions and just havent quite managed to win any yet.
    Isnt competition fun? LETS DO IT!!!

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  20. bagofleas
    I feel like Oliver Twist with this set.
    Where the heck are they??
    When I was growing up I was always a far bigger fan of Marvel comics over DC comics. There were only a few characters or series of DC comics that I ever had any real interest in. My top ranked CGC collection of the original Booster Gold series shows that he was one of them.
    But another one was the 1983 Vigilante series. I cant really explain why this is the case. I just really liked the Adrian Chase character and the story lines he was involved in. There were 50 issues and 2 annuals published. Thats 52 issues total. But when it comes to CGC graded copies its slim pickins.
    How many different issues have EVER been graded?
    16. Thats all.
    And even worse how many of those issues have achieved 9.8 status?
    Just 12! That sucks! For example my #23 is the only 9.8 copy out there.
    This is a series that I would just love to eventually put a full 9.8 graded set together of. But since it is not a highly sought after series it seems like an impossible fairy tale.
    I have been extremely lucky in being able to acquire 5 of the issues in 9.8 including BOTH annuals. In fact when I recently got annual #2 (see pic below) it wasnt even listed in the set category. I had to get Gemma to add it which she quickly did. Thanks Gemma.
    I cant begin to explain how ecstatic I was to see this thing show up for auction. It didnt wind up costing me much at all and I was over the moon to get it.
    Without something to successfully spur on increased interest in this character I will probably never finish this set....... but it wont stop me from trying.
    PLEASE GIVE ME MORE!!!!!!!!

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  21. bagofleas
    Should I? What do you think?
    Ok. Im having a REALLY tough time deciding something.
    Should I attempt to sell my more modern Civil War 9.8 SS CGC graded comics in order to have the money to upgrade my collection with FAR more registry point rich older Harvey issues?
    Im considering putting my 9.8 SS Civil War issues up for sell. They are mostly signed by multiple people including the late great Michael Turner. I have regular cover issues as well as variant issues. Check out my set to see what I have.
    I will NEVER be in the top rank of the Civil War set category although I DO like having these beautiful signed copies. I dont know. Its a tough call for me. On the one hand these are gorgeous issues. On the other they ARE more modern comics with less registry point values than the Harvey issues I could get with the money.
    I guess it comes down to what is more valuable TO ME. I could just put em up on Ebay for a price that would work for ME. Maybe a little pricey for some but if they sell then great and if they dont then oh well.
    Please let me know what you guys think. Your honest opinions DO mean a lot to me.
    Im also considering the selling of my Dark Tower issues as well although they wont fetch as good a price overall as the Civil War issues.
    Anyway let me know what you think.
    Thanks guys.

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  22. bagofleas
    You win some you lose some...
    Im not made out of money.
    If bucks were molecules I would not be made out of hundred or thousand dollar bills. More like dimes in my case. I may be able to afford some really nice graded comics here or there but not the super valuable Golden or even Silver Age stuff for the most part.
    Like most of the United States right now I am on a budget. That budget determines what I can go for and when. Not to mention how much I can spend of course. I happen to love old Harvey issues as most of you know.
    This works out in my favor as these are the Silver Age comics that I can get my hands on for less money and more registry point value for my typical molecule... or dime that is... or whatever.
    There have been numerous Harvey issues that have shown up on various websites and auction houses that I have been interested in. While I have been drooling over the possibility of getting most of these I HAVE to set limits on myself.
    A lot of factors go into my decisions. How rare is it in the grade? Are there higher grades available? If so how many? What has it sold for in its grade in the past? How early of an issue is it? Does it help me enough towards set completions for the money? Does it have an extremely dark cover? And of course the biggest question of all... how much money do I have available at the time?
    All of these things and more go into whether I will bid on it or not as well as whether I will even TRY for it in the first place. I have to PICK MY BATTLES very carefully. I take everything into account and determine how much I am willing to spend on the issue.
    I WILL NOT SPEND MORE THAN I AM WILLING TO NO MATTER HOW MUCH I MAY WANT IT. Its really tough sometimes and I have had my share of moments where I cringe in frustration at being outbid. But I make myself adhere strictly to my prior evaluations on the comic and while I may have missed out on some I REALLY wanted I have also gotten some INCREDIBLE deals.
    Pick your battles carefully. You may win some and you may lose some but you will be far more happy with the issues you DO get than the ones you missed out on.
    If I was filthy rich I would not worry as much about the bills being paid on top of my hobby. But Im NOT rich by any stretch of the human imagination so I have to curb my collecting habits as much as possible. This is an extremely tough thing to do but I DO IT. It has the added benefit of ultimately making for better sets of graded comics in the long run.
    Plenty of people out there have far more money than I will ever hope to have but money IS NOT everything. Its what you do with the money you DO have that makes the difference in the end.
    I know not everyone out there agrees with this statement but God gives and God can take away. Are you using what God has given you wisely? Take care of your family. Take care of others. Pay your bills. Meet all of your financial physical and spiritual obligations. Be a responsible and caring person.
    Once you have done all of those things then you have the chance to put the remainder of your money into the private hobbies or projects that interest you. Mine happens to be CGC graded comics. Most of you who read this share my sentiments to one degree or another.
    Its wonderful to know that many others out there share my love of these comics. Their art storylines characters and history will NEVER die as long as there are people out there like you and me who endeavor to achieve and collect and appreciate the efforts of the creators of the past and present. Their creativity and dedication and inspiration are what drives us to work harder to be the better human beings that we are capable of.
    We dont have to agree on political or spiritual or even financial subjects. But I still love all you guys out there on the CGC registry. You guys make this hobby interesting and wonderful!
    Oooookay now that Im done waxing philosophical here is a scan of one of my recent Harvey acquisitions. An ABSOLUTELY AWESOME 9.6 copy of Hot Stuff number 32! A VERY dark cover sets this earlier issue apart as one of the few earlier issues of this series that will probably NEVER see a 9.8 copy.
    Getting it for around a X5.3 RP/AP ratio aint bad either! Woo Hoo!

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  23. bagofleas
    Which way do I go George? Which way do I go?
    Over the last few years of CGC collecting I moved up in the overall registry point rankings pretty fast. I got all the way up to number 143 before I ran face first into the rankings wall.
    There are far more registered collectors out there now than there were when I first got started so now it has become a constant struggle just to keep myself in the top 200. I generally stay in the 160 to 180 range.
    I always had a desire to start getting Harvey issues but there were so many other things I was far more focused on. Once I got down to having most of the issues I wanted that were immediately available I finally got going on my Harvey collection.
    What is so funny about this is that before collecting Harveys I was moving up the rankings like lightning. But since getting into the Harveys its been one step forward and two steps back. And Harveys are generally worth far more registry points in the higher grades than most of the other stuff I was collecting up to that point. Sheeesh...
    With that in mind I bring up the subject of quality versus quantity. With the more modern comics it is easier to find the higher grades so the choice is easy. But with comics from the mid 60s and earlier you eventually come down to whether you want to spend more for the quality or less to get the quantity.
    I will of course use Harvey sets as an example. Most of the top Harvey collectors out there seem to be willing to buy lesser grades in bulk in order to simply have larger or more complete sets and more easily acquired first place rankings. They have chosen quantity over quality in most instances.
    Thats cool. I understand. Many of these 50s and 60s Harveys dont show up that often in 9.8 or even in 9.6 in a lot of cases. I can see why some would choose to collect them in this fashion.
    I tend to be a die hard 9.8 kinda guy with most of what I collect. However I make exceptions down to 9.6 for a lot of the Harvey sets. I wont get them if they dont reach it no matter what the price. I have chosen to go with quality over quantity.
    Collecting them the way I do takes a BOATLOAD of patience. I see numerous Harveys at slightly lower grades that I drool over but I MAKE myself wait until at least a 9.6 copy shows up before I even consider putting up bids on them. The only reason I might go for a 9.4 is for a copy of number 1 or maybe number two.
    One way gets you to the top quickly. The other takes a lot longer to get there but when you do achieve that top ranking you will have far more quality in your set that you can be proud of.
    Dont get me wrong. Im not saying that you cant be proud of a set that doesnt reach the top rank. ANY significant set of Harvey comics is an astounding feat of CGC collecting IMHO.
    Im sure for most collectors the decision to go for quality or quantity comes down to available finances. I have had to pass up on some Harvey issues I really wanted because of price. Everyone has their comfort level when it comes to the amount you pay for a top graded beauty.
    As for me I have finally achieved my first number one ranking in a Harvey set. I picked up three 9.6 copies of Caspers Ghostland recently including a number 3 and a number 5 which is pictured below. I dont know if I will remain in the top spot for any huge length of time but it feels good to get there.
    Are there any older comic sets that you collect? Do you go for quality or quantity and why? Do you draw the line at a certain grade in any particular set or even at a certain number or earlier within the set?

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  24. bagofleas
    Going for the secondary sets.
    Im not sure why I feel this way but I am far more partial to the subsets of Harvey Characters than their main sets.
    So instead of Richie Rich I like to get Richie Rich Dollars and Cents or Richie Rich Millions. Instead of Little Dot I like to get Little Dots Uncles and Aunts. Instead of Spooky I like to get Spookys Spooktown. Instead of Casper I like to get Casper and Nightmare or Caspers Ghostland. Instead of Wendy I like to Get Wendys Witch World.
    Im not really sure why this is the case. Unless its because most people like to go for the main sets and not as many go all out for these subsets. That makes them more affordable and easier to get. But being that they are still worth a lot of registry points I dont see why more collectors arent trying to get some of these things.
    It is true that even some of these subset issues can go for good money when there arent many of a particular issue to go around but you would be surprised at the low amount I have paid for a lot of these things. Research and patience have yielded me many beautiful treasures in these sets. I hope for many many more.
    When it comes to the main sets of these characters I wont go for them unless they are 9.8 off white to white or better. Usually I cant manage to get em for cheaper prices in this condition but I HAVE gotten my hands on a few.
    When it comes to the subsets I will settle for 9.6 off white to white since these are more likely to show up and go for more affordable prices. Even in THIS grade they have nice Registry Point values and many of them are not even available in higher grades.
    Dont get me wrong. If I can manage to get my hands on 9.8 copies of these things I will not hesitate to try for them and HAVE acquired a couple. But I am perfectly willing to try for ALL the 9.6 copies that show up on these things.
    When it comes to Harveys I have said before in other journals that the darker the cover the more likely it is to have NEVER been graded in 9.8. I will ALWAYS go for those Harveys with really dark covers in 9.6 since probably 90 percent or better HAVE not and WILL not ever achieve 9.8 status.
    These Harvey subsets are just another version of my interest in the lesser collected series of popular characters throughout the comic universe. These Harveys however tend to be FAR more valuable in the Registry Point department because of their age if for no other reason.
    The image below is of Casper and Nightmare number 3. I just acquired this beauty and couldnt be happier! Super dark cover and NO 9.8 copies in existence! AWESOME!
    What do YOU like to collect that most other collectors dont normally go for?

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  25. bagofleas
    Everyone has a vice. Why not CGC comics?
    Its funny how people can latch onto different things for a feeling of purpose or meaning in life. Its even more funny how sometimes those things are nothing but fragile materialistic things that could be destroyed in an instant if something horrible were to happen.
    Yet here we are. Collectors of paper with printed images on them.
    They are only as valuable as what we are willing to pay for them and THAT is totally dependent on whether there are enough of us willing to put a high demand on a particular issue AND how many of that same issue there are available in the first place.
    Geez thats a long sentence.
    In other words the law of supply and demand is VERY prevalent in this hobby of ours and because of our fascination with the history and details of the hobby we just cant help ourselves but to keep pushing forward in our attempts to complete what we set out to achieve and sometimes that can change as we grow older and start seeing things differently.
    Geez thats ANOTHER long sentence.
    But the real point here is that the ideas and concepts and stories and characters and art represented in these images have captured our imaginations and given many of us the escape from reality we needed when times were really tough and inspired us when we just needed to be strong through a particular situation and THAT is what really matters to us.
    Geez thats........ never mind.
    Anyway have you ever really looked deep into yourself and wondered why you pursue so hard to acquire the items you do in life whether its comics or cars or baseball cards or stamps or coins or bottle caps or whatever it is you happen to have latched onto as the thing you want to not only collect but collect as much of as you can possibly manage in your lifetime?
    Geez that one is even longer! I gotta stop doing this.
    Sometimes I think that the Collecting Bug is not just a frame of mind but a real creature that goes around biting people on their rear ends and making them jump at the first sign of a possible addition to their already overblown collections. But then I fall right into the same category as the rest of you so I have no room to talk.
    We get this endorphin rush like you wouldnt believe when we spot something we have been waiting to show up and we cant move fast enough to buy it before someone else does. Did we have enough money in the bank for that purchase? We may not be sure but we will find a way to get the money if not because WE NEED THAT ISSUE. We just cant stand missing out on getting it.
    If we hesitate and someone else buys it before we can it is like the world just came to an end. We berate ourselves for not making the move fast enough. Why did we wait? We should have just got it while it was available. Why didnt we check the internet just a few minutes sooner?
    AAAARRRRHHHH!
    Ive had a moment when I was paying attention to the internet and took a twenty minute break before going back to check again only to find out that something I was dying to get my hands on had not only shown up in that time frame but had already been purchased! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Holy cow! You have got to be very attentive in this hobby sometimes or you just may miss out on THE ISSUE you are looking for.
    Luckily I was able to get my hands on another copy of that issue later on but at the time my heart just sank. I was SO frustrated I just wanted to scream! Sometimes I look back on times like this and think to myself that I must be crazy to make such a big deal out of this but I JUST CANT HELP MYSELF.
    There is no question that it is an addiction. However it is an addiction that is rooted in nostalgia and appreciation for the talents of the people involved in the creation of these awesome pieces of art and stories.
    I may have gone off on a tangent with this journal but Im sure there are others out there that feel this way as well and Im equally sure that when it comes right down to it most of us CGC collectors are ravenous collecting beasts that would buy every issue we could get our hands on if possible.
    Anyway heres an unusual image for all of you. This is the one and only graded copy of First Comics Graphic Novel number 2. Whats significant about it? Nothing really. Except that I DID manage to get my hands on it for a grand total of ONE DOLLAR AND SIXTY SEVEN CENTS!! Thats cheaper than the original retail price raw!
    This may not be the most sought after item on the face of the planet but for THAT price...... why the heck not? I have had this thing for quite a while now but it doesnt exist in the registry yet so this is the only way for me to put the image out there.
    Lets keep up the addiction everybody!!!!!!!!!!!

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