Moondog

Surprised that no one mentioned Crime Reporter 3. My favorite Baker crime cover. It's for sale (not my book) here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Crime-Reporter-3-Matt-Baker-cover-CGC-5-0-OFF-WHITE-Pgs-/142283772612?hash=item2120c612c4:g:LyEAAOSw4CFYqTPm

Weird looking smoking chick and 2 guys kissing in background... Gotta love these Charltons!

This is why I never ship by USPS. Imbeciles and/or thieves. Sorry to hear this, TB...

Yep. It's pretty easy!

Great seeing images from the Image Tent in Chicago in 1992...

BJ's Country Corner was, indeed, on Ardmore in Villa Park. The owner was Hank (something) and BJ was Hank's wife's name so he named the place after her. He was a good guy who ran a Saturday con a few times a year in the late 70s / early 80s. I believe it was nicknamed Relax-a-Con because it was so laid back. I bought a Red Raven 1 from Hank for a decent price. He didn't pay much for back issues and liked making a quick profit when he got something good. Nice memories.

Back when I was just an idealistic young pup with stars in his eyes. Now you're just like the rest of us, a bitter, twisted loner...

Chimera opened in LaGrange. Can't imagine rent is too cheap there. Pretty sure he is doing ok, but not 100% sure. Haven't heard of Chimera, Andy.

I can't argue with this strategy. It just makes too much sense.

In response to many queries regarding this collection, I thought I'd post some info about it here. I was contacted by a retired couple who want to move to a warmer climate and the first step is selling their comic collection. They're kind and caring people who need the money to get their home fixed up in order to sell it. I told them that there are many collectors who would want their books and that at the end of the day they should do very well. They aren't really sure where their collection fits in today's marketplace. I tried to assuage their concerns, but they won't be convinced until they see results. I can't blame them for being skeptics though. This hobby can be very intimidating to outsiders... The bulk of the collection is 1950s DC war, sf, and sh. There are runs of Marvel westerns and pre-heros. The Marvel sh stop in late 1963. There are 23 Marvel and DC keys in the CC auction. The owner bought them all off the rack from a Chicago newsstand starting in 1953-54 and stopped in early 1964. There are some late '40s books but those were acquired from friends and family. The books were stored in a basement and some unfortunately were damaged in a flood. Most of the books came through unscathed though and I only threw out one long box of pulp. The bulk are mid-grade (4.0 thru 7.0) but there are many, many nice books. If you're a Chicago-area collector PM me and we'll make arrangements to get together. There are 11 magazine boxes of comics. Please pass this post on to anyone who may be interested.

The DC vault has an Action bound volume that was crumbling apart 25 years ago.

It's not the dark side, Bob, it's just the way it is now when it's time to sell better material. Joey will make it look as good as it can get - and it will get the grade it deserves. Good luck, pal.

I know that guy!

In that example, he would turn his inventory 5x per year, not 10x. $100k of retail inventory at $50k cost. Rev is $500k with COGS at $250k. So, inventory turns would be $250k annual COGS divided by the $50k of inventory or 5x. Yes, of course. Thanks for the correction. Gotta quit making these posts at 2:00 a.m....

I'm not aware of any successful shops in the northwest and northern suburbs of Chicago that have opened in the past 5 years. Rents are sky high so that may have something to do with it.

Awesome book 40! You are right, those are very under appreciated. I'll bet you bought it from a local friend Jim Maley. A fellow flea market competitor. Great guy. How can I tell? It is a "Paul" copy. I told you to go to the out of the way smaller dealers and box dive! This show was epic! One of the best shows I have ever done sales wise. I was one of the few people with tons of affordable GA/SA. They were stacking them up. So much for the boards sale I was going to do... I bought a ton of other cool GA. I also took a bunch of pictures. Most of the boardies (and there were many) who stopped by my booth. I will post my report in a couple of days. Looking forward to it, Bob!

Right, Bill. I made that assumption with my low cost of the racks, sign, POS, etc.

It also means that he'll need to turn his inventory at least 10 times annually.

I commented early on in this thread - suggesting that if the OP did not have at least $150K to invest in this enterprise that he should forget it. I'm not changing my mind about that, but one can estimate the costs of doing business rather easily. One can also determine rather accurately the gross profit one will gain from sales of various merchandise. After this exercise one can then determine the sales necessary to achieve those goals. I may have missed some posts, so the assumptions I'm making could be wrong, so if they are please correct me. 1. The OP wants this to be his career so this will be a professionally-run shop with a lighted outside sign, POS system, and all the appropriate fixtures and lighting necessary to conduct business. Approx cost: $25K 2. The OP will make this his full-time job. That translates to at least 60 hours per week in the shop, manning the counter, stocking shelves, ordering product, etc. No small business owner can get away with a 40-hour week starting a new shop like this. 3. He will have to have normal business hours. Something like 10 am to 8 pm Mon-Fri. 10-6 Sat. Noon - 5 Sun. 4. He will have to hire some part-time help to man the shop on the day he's not working (probably Sun). This part-timer will also need to be available to fill in when the owner needs to be away from the shop to go to the doctor, get a haircut, etc. Approx yearly cost: $10K. 5. Let's assume that the OP can purchase new product: comics, graphic novels, Magic cards, toys, plush, statues, t-shirts, bags, boards, and other supplies, etc. at approximately 50% off. Beginning inventory cost: $50K 6. The OP will need to make a living from the store. I'm not sure what that number is on Long Island, but in suburban Chicago, a single guy living in a modest apartment can get by for $45-$65K. Let's call it $50K 7. He does not own the building and will have to pay rent, taxes and common area/maintenance charges. Yearly cost for 1,200 square feet: $40K. 7. Let's assume that he has some sort of collection of back issues that will become inventory. Cost - zero. A well run shop keeping an extremely close eye on expenses with a gross profit margin of 50%, will net around 10%-20% of sales. For every $100,000 in sales that's $10-$20K. To break even on his annual overhead ($100K - being very conservative here but remember it it includes his $50K salary), he will need to generate at least a half-million dollars in sales. It's not impossible, but highly improbable starting out.

Closed - Going to eBay.

On eBay now.

Greggy's collection is incredible. Maybe not as vintage as Robotman's, but he's got the goods.

In my opinion page quality is the most subjective part of the grading process.