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n2wdw

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Posts posted by n2wdw

  1. It's been a while since I've posted.  With covid, my wife and I have been in our forever home, and I've been busy doing inside and outside chores.  I'm still very active with comics, but mostly with finishing runs.  Not many Bakers, but I've gotten to the point where the Bakers I still need are not often for sale.  My wine and Bourbon collections are still going - I traded a Screaming Eagle for a Pappy 15 year last year -- I'll eventually write about that (it tastes ... f***ing amazing).  I'm still working, but mostly from home.  Every now and then, I'll go to the office, mostly because some wine places will ship to my office but not my home.   That's what I've done today (though I miss my wife and my dogs).  Typically I'll stay overnight and and go to a nice restaurant for dinner.  Nowadays though, I'm all about Door Dash.  I've been vaccinated and booster (and don't understand the resistance), but I don't want to get sick because in a week my wife and I go on a cruise and they won't let you board if you have covid (even if asymptomatic) -- which I agree with, but still it would suck to get to the gangway and then not be allowed into paradise.  Anyway, assuming my wife and I are go to go for the cruise, I'll post some pics.

  2. Greece Cruise (Pre-Cruise Post #1)
     
    We are very much looking forward to our first trip out of the country since covid (not counting Mexico). We leave on Wednesday. We will be in Athens for 2 days, and then a Seabourn cruise around Greece for a week (our itinerary is in the pic).
     
    One of the things we like about Seabourn is the caviar. They give you caviar whenever you want, and from order to delivery is less than 20 minutes (better than Door Dash). The caviar is not Beluga, but via some sleuthing I figured out it was Ossetra caviar which is available on Amazon for $100 a tin (see the pic). Our goal is to feast on caviar on the cruise to offset the cruise cost.
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  3. On 9/12/2021 at 10:47 AM, Jayman said:

    @n2wdw I have to say that while I am mostly interested in seeing your collection (which is wonderful), I also enjoy your posts regarding food and drink. Last year or so you mentioned certain bourbons and I decided to sample the Blantons you recommended. It’s very nice! Glad to see you posting again!

     

    Collect the tops!  You can get this on Amazon to hold your Blantons and display the tops.

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  4. Recent Additions To Lady In White Collection

    Here are a few additions to my Lady in White collections, which are books with covers that have an eerie gothic feel, with a damsel in distress wearing a flowing white gown. For the most part, the only times I grade mags are for this collection, and I'm always struck on how hard it is to get high condition mags.  I think that's because (1) it's harder to store mags, due to their larger size; and (2) the people buying this genre -- monster and scary stuff -- are probably more likely to read and re-read the mags, as opposed to being collectors who might read once then store away. 

    I remember as a kid -- this was about 50 years ago -- my uncle used to buy these kind of comics, along with war comics, and he kept them in piles around his favorite lazy-boy and read them to death.  Eventually he would give them to me and my brothers in grocery paper bags.  We stored them for years in the attic -- along with the monster, ghost, and DC war books, there were a lot of early Charltons.  Eventually, as a kid, I sold them to a local dealer for, I think, $40.  I remember my dad was pissed that I had made the executive decision to sell them and pocket the money for myself, but I think secretly he was glad to get rid of them as they were taking up space.  Looking back, I think I got fleeced by the dealer, as he was a college age dealer and I was just a pre-high school kid who didn't know anything about comics except Spider-man.  But I used that $40 to buy more comics so at least I was consistent.

    That dealer had kind of a sleazy feel to him.  He was still living with his parents, and every now and then he would sell comics in his parents' garage.  I distinctly remember walking in that garage door and seeing piles of comics stacked in piles on foldable tables.  The dealer called these events "conventions."  Even though I was a kid, I'd been to real conventions by then (in Richmond), so I knew his sales were more yard sales than a real con.  I didn't buy any comics from him, as I collected mostly just ASM at that time.  Like I said, I'd been to the Richmond con by then, and while there I'd bought a stack of 1960's ASMs, so I was getting to know what was good stuff and what was junk.  I eventually sold my ASM collection to another dealer in Richmond, which was another time I got fleeced, but that's another story (when I got into my late teens, I re-started the ASM collection and now it's complete).  Anyway, thanks for coming along with me on this journey down memory lane.

     

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  5. On 9/6/2021 at 4:40 PM, mlansdown said:

    The Promise Collection copy of GCW #3 is certainly nice, but I have to say that between the cover abrasion next to the G in Gangsters, the recessed staple, and the carousel of dust shadows, that 9.2 grade looks like a real gift.  I think you dodged an over-graded book with this one...

     

    On 9/7/2021 at 12:02 PM, Robot Man said:

    No kidding. People are obviously blinded by that big number in the upper left corner and consumed by auction fever. $4K is insane even if that book were a 9.2. I really love this issue as well. Here is my copy. I think I paid $40. for it a year or so ago. I'm good with it...

     

     

    Yes, I saw those defects too, and I was no doubt blinded by the big number as well.  I think that contributed to my bidder's remorse right after I placed my bid.  On top of that, I personally don't place much value on pedigrees (other than the Mile Highs), so I regretted placing a high bid where some of the price was due to the pedigree.  Again, I'm glad I didn't win.  

  6. Sometimes You Win By Losing

    Gangsters Can't Win # 3 is one of my grails.  I've looked for years for a good looking copy.  Then this week, this copy pops up on Heritage's weekly auction.

    I decided to go all in with a $2500 high bid.  Of course, with Heritage's 20% buyer's premium, that would be $3000 if I won.

    $3000 is a lot of money, and I immediately began regretting my bid.  This morning when I woke up, the first thing I did (after feeding the dogs) was to check if I won.  I had mixed feelings as the Heritage page loaded.  I'm sure I would be happy if I won, but $3000 is a lot of money. 

    Well, I didn't win.  The book closed at $3,400 ($4,080 with BP) so I wasn't even close.  I congratulate the winner, but frankly I am relieved not to win.

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    So far I've tried twice at grading copies.  My first attempt came back 3.0, which was expected -- I just wanted to get a placeholder for the collection.  My second attempt came back 3.5 -- this was kind of disappointing as I was hoping for better - although as I look at it again, I suppose that was too optimistic.  At this point, I feel like this box on my want list has been checked off and I can go after other things.  Thanks for reading.

     

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  7. @Robot Man and @jimjum12 - Thanks for your kind words.

    @DocHoppus182 - Nice to see Tinsel among your collection.  Peekaboo would sit with me for hours in my comic book room.  I don't yet let Bella and Daisy in the comic room, as usually they'll poop there!  (Yeah, we're still potty training them.)

     

    Shifting gears, I have yet to go to a comic convention since covid.  I've gotten the vaccine but I'm so used now to staying home and buying from my computer, I'm not sure if I can handle a big con like NY or ECCC.  Luckily Baltimore is having its con this year, so I'm going to that one.  Baltimore seems like the perfect size right now, not huge but bigger than a small local fire station con.  I've only been there once before (which is strange since it's close to me), but it still is one of the best cons I've ever been to, in terms of buying comics.

    Shifting gears again, if you've read this thread, you know I'm a big Dave Stevens fan, and also a Bettie Page fan as the 2 go together to some extent.  Here is a Bettie collectible that I've gotten that I don't think I've ever posted.  Bettie was the model for the cassette tape of 2-Pump Louie.  I've never listened to the music as I don't have a cassette player, but I suppose Bettie was an appropriate model given the name of the band. 

    Thanks for reading.

     

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