F For Fake

I've never sold through MCS, but my general experience with auctions is that they are pretty dead through the holidays and into the early new year, picking up again as people start getting tax returns back. Of course, good stuff will always sell, but I only do buy it nows on eBay through this season so I don't lose my shirt. Good luck!

Tool cool! I loved Micro Machines as a kid, but haven't collected them as an adult at all. I ran into a big collection at an estate sale this summer and thought about picking them up, but decided that the last thing I need to do is start a new collection! But that is super cool!

If you have a list of the books, post it up. If not, you might check out the marvelmasterworks.com forums, lots of HC collectors there with a lot of expertise.

See, I warned you guys. (Also, can you go blind from quoting yourself?)

Sorry, I was off line for a couple of days, holy cats! Well, I warned you guys: I used science AND magic. It's hard to compete with that. Thanks Dr. X, you're a mensch. This is always a blast. Can't believe I finally did it! Merry Christmas, y'all!

@Comics-n-ERB if you have a specific book in mind, let us know, we may be able to help. It's also worth noting that in the HC/TPB collecting world, for many collectors (certainly can't speak for all) just want the BEST edition of the book, which is not always the first. For instance, with many of the Marvel Omni's, the later printings are better books, as they switched from glued binding to sewn binding for several reissues. And in others, additional restoration had been done to the art files between printings. Seeking out first editions is certainly a valid method of collecting, but it's not the default for most valuable/desirable edition all of the time.

I'm fine if I don't win. It honestly was more a "dang" of being impressed than a "dang" of sadness ha

That book is always gorgeous no matter what kind of shape its in. Congrats!

It would depend on the specific book. Most hardcovers these days are only printed once before moving onto trade paperback, so in many cases, the first printing is the only printing. There are, of course, notable exceptions, such as popular omnibus volumes that have warranted a second, and much less often, third printing or more. In those cases, determining the printing could involve any number of factors, from the msrp price, to the width of the spine, to the color of the fonts, etc. it just depends on what book you're talking about. Many volumes have easy tells. Others don't indicate whatsoever.

I just thought it was funny, I came to the tab and saw the blinking present posted "just now" and @Wolverinex had grabbed it in what must have been a fraction of a second. Well done!

dang!

All right, THIS IS MY YEAR. Combining the magic of science, and the science of magic, I have arrived at the winning total. BEHOLD! $1372.84 (Anyone got that one yet?) Thanks Dr. X as always, this is one of my favorite Xmas traditions!

Wow, that's a handsome set! I haven't read SiP for nearly 20 years, probably. This might be a good excuse to jump back in!

Those are too cool!

Great selection! And yeah, I love everything about the design of the Fanta Duck books (in addition to the great quality of the material, obviously!) I'm actually finishing up the last volume of the Don Rosa collection right now, which is bittersweet, as it's the last volume, and he's not making any more Duck stories. The Rosa Library books are as gorgeous as the Barks books, but I think I may slightly prefer them as they're a little larger, which is easier on my eyes.

That's my kinda room!

They're VERY cool, and finishing up a run is always a huge accomplishment. Congrats on the super cool stuff, @oakman29!

Agree completely. Buying the stuff is usually so much more fun than owning the stuff, especially considering that most of it ends up bagged and boarded and sitting in a box. Art that I have framed is the exception, as I can get a little charge out of those whenever I walk by.

I'm off of all of them these days. I stick to my Coke Zeros...and copious amounts of cocaine, obviously.

I was never a coffee drinker, but I used to start every morning with two red bulls for breakfast. I was also advised by a doctor that I had to stop doing this.

As a reader and Kirby fan, New Gods stands as the high water mark of his career. Eternals felt like an also ran, in comparison. I have a fondness for the Eternals, and all of Kirby's 70's stuff, but it can't hold a candle to New Gods.

I bought a lot of toys this year, having unprecedented good luck with estate and yard sales this year, as well as picking up a couple of large collections. It's really, really tough to narrow it down to three specific pieces, so I'll narrow it down to my three favorite finds altogether, and a piece or two that stick out from each 1. Cheating a bit, but in the late fall of 2018 I acquired a large G1 TF collection from one of my oldest friends. I didn't actually start sorting it until march of this year, though, so I'm counting it! It ended up being a great haul. If I picked one piece, I'd say the Bumblejumper, just because he's unusual and uncommon enough to be interesting. 2. Second big haul was a Craigslist pickup from late summer, got this amazingly clean vintage Star Wars collection, which lead to being hooked up with some immaculate and complete Transformers. From that set I'd pick the Droid Factory R2-D2, and the Jazz with upside down hood tampo and a diaclone sticker sheet. 3. One of my favorite scores was from an estate sale, I found a cardboard box on a bed in a back bedroom labeled "$5 all". It was full of parts and pieces, including Joes, MASK, Rambo, Secret Wars, etc. I made at least a couple hundred bucks off of that $5 box, and held onto some cool stuff as well, including this complete Cobra Bunker, along with Enemy Trooper (and an officer and Fang, not shown). It was a great toy year for me, gotta keep beating the bushes and finding those deals!

Always love this thread and this time of year in general! I didn't buy much in the way of comics or art for the personal collection this year. Most of my money went to toys. In fact, these two are probably the only major purchases I made to keep, period. The art page was picked up a couple of weeks ago, a personal grail that I've already talked about here ad nauseam (a Ron Lim page from my favorite comic of my childhood.) The GSX 1 is a low/mid copy but I'm happy to have one back in the collection. Quite a bit cheaper but still significant to me, at the same show where I grabbed the Ron Lim page, I also got this Giffen page which was marked "trading card", but which certainly appears to be the original art to the Super Power Steppenwolf figure. And that's pretty much that!

I dig the Longshot too. I have a similarly sized Rogue button with the same yellow/green background, I'm assuming they're from the same set? I may need them all now.

Zatanna spec thread turns into Hawkman appreciation thread. I dig it!