Randall Dowling

This is a heartbreaking story! Such a cool book- I feel your pain, sir. In response to the OP’s original question, as I look back over collecting comics from the late 70s to now and the storage methods used, the following stands out: -I remember when 3 mil polyethylene bags became popular. A lot of books went in those bags. And some went into those awful 2 mil bags that were reminiscent of Saran Wrap. Over time, the polyethylene bags turned kind of a nasty yellowish brownish color that worried all of us about what to do. Then polyester film came along and although it was (and still is) so awesomely clear and shiny, it was relatively expensive (IIRC, a single, rigid Mylar was like $1 and I think 100 pack of bags was $3). So we only put the most expensive books in Mylar and they were kind of a pain because they didn’t fit in normal boxes very well. Then mylites came out. They were a little crinkly but still great archival quality and still relatively expensive (maybe 4 for $1). Several years later, polypropylene bags hit the market and they quickly replaced polyethylene bags because of their clarity (greatly improved over “foggy” polyethylene bags. Although they didn’t discolor as much as polyethylene bags did, the polypropylene bags did become more brittle. A little more than a decade later, CGC debuted its first slabs. -I’ve removed books out of every one of these enclosures after longer term storage and the only real consistency that I’ve seen isn’t the bags or slabs, it’s storage atmosphere. Items that went through regular temperature and humid gradients and particularly, those exposed to heat, suffered the worst. Those stored in constant, cool environments with decent RH faired the best. I’ve taken books out of crazy old (25-30 years) polyethylene bags, all yellow and nasty and sticky and the books are fresh and bright with blinding white covers and pages, full gloss and luster. And I’ve taken a few books out of first and second gen slabs with “white pages” that are significant aged. And I’ve opened older slabs to find fresh books and older Mylar with books that definitely suffered at the top. -My conclusion to all of this is that I now only use mylite 2s with full backs as that’s probably the best archive value on the market. Slabs are probably fine, just store them cool, keep them out of the light, and don’t use fireproof safes. I now believe atmospherics to be the greatest factor in aging paper. FWIW.

Church pedigree markings are the only writing that I actually like for the same reasons adamstrange laid out. Otherwise, I broadly detest all other rubber stamps, grease pencil marks, children writing their names (except for Lamont and Eldon), creator signatures/sketches, drawing mustaches and any other post printing augmentation, professional or amateur. My

Yeah, that’s a tough clip to watch.

It’s one thing to nominate all of these, it’s another to own all of them! What a group!!

Wow... I opened this thread expecting to find 2 copies, 3 tops and instead it’s an avalanche! The Church copy is pretty amazing but all of these copies are awesome on a very challenging book. Nice stuff, guys!

I just wish it wasn’t so perfectly centered. Then it wouldn’t bother me so much that it isn’t mine!

This is a stunning copy of an incredibly tough book in higher grades!

There’s a thread here for that sort of thing. No excuses for not showing!

Loving this report!

My buddy, Steve, is at the Windy City show right now. Really wish I could be there with him. He just sent these two photos. He’s on the boards so he may come on and give a report.

Vampirella 61 is a favorite of mine but these are all great grabs! Nice work, guys!

Very cool book! SQUA TRONT!!

I keep looking at lbcolefan’s sci-fi collection. I really doubt most people have any idea how tough most of those books are in 8.0 or better. Very impressive set!

That is one hell of a posting!

Very sad. My thoughts are with his family and friends. On the several occasions that I spoke with him, he was always very nice and glad to talk comics. This is a great loss to the community.

Some beautiful Brundage there!

One of my favorite Vampirella covers! Awesome book!

Very nice!

SOLD! Thanks to all for looking!

Thanks, piper! Yes, it's one of the nicer copies that I've owned. Update: If anyone is interested in buying and paying today, I'll do $400 plus shipping. Offer expires at end of day. Feel free to message questions or comments.

If anyone is interested, I'm selling a big boy magazine in this thread- Vampirella 1!

Here's my kudos thread if anyone is unfamiliar with buying from me.

Hello All, I'm selling one book today, still raising money to keep the business going. Usual rules apply: No HoS or probation buyers, payment via PayPal, shipping via USPS priority for $11 in the Continental US, returns accepted within 14 days, first in the thread wins. I'm looking to pay a few bills tomorrow so if you can purchase and make payment today, I'll give another 5% off. Thanks for looking! Vampirella 1, Very pretty and glossy copy with excellent eye appeal. I'm grading it a 7.0, although others might grade higher. This is one of my all time favorite covers and a great work by Frank Frazetta at the peak of his work. In many ways, it's a better copy than the CGC 7.5 that Terry's Comics sold on BIN for $500. Price: $470 SOLD!

They are very close. I recommend using a metal straight edge with an x-acto knife and even then, you have to be cautious. It's a very narrow margin of error.

Agreed, I thought it was pretty well put together and lots of fun!