On 3/24/2024 at 1:26 PM, Darwination said:

Ha, a poor image of a good scan.  I wish I had the MCS original, but they take down the bigger images once a book sells (if it is non-auction).  I admit I didn't look exhaustively, though, when I indexed that title.  The gent at pulpcovers may be hosting a larger .jpeg

Definitely a very cool cover 👌

Bolles has at least a couple earlier takes on this pose.  I forget what Bob called this stance in PM.  Maybe the long board skaterboarders have a version, too?

Called “nose riding”. A tricky maneuver. I’ve seen skate boarders do it as well. And no, not on “tippy toes”…

On 3/19/2024 at 3:29 PM, TerrysComics said:

CGC Accepting Submissions at WonderCon!

Posted on 2/15/2024

Submit your comic books, video games, home video collectibles, sports cards, TCGs and non-sports cards at the March 29-31 show in Anaheim.

I was wondering if they are also accepting pulps? Was thinking of submitting a few. 

On 1/31/2024 at 9:10 PM, iggy said:

I bought a collection of photos tonight at a local auction and this one was in it.

Sweet! I love photos like that. Vintage ones with old comics and toys. Such a suprise when you go through a pile or album. They are almost always one of a kind. If you have the patience to look, you can often find interesting ones. Almost always, VERY affordable.

Here is one with Billy and Bobby from FL dated and inscribed 1945 in pencil on back. They are holding copies of Jingle Jangle #15. A very recent find.

Billy and Bobby from Jacksonville, FL in 1945 with their spanking new copies of Jingle Jangle #15. 

Thanks to an eagle eyed boardie, a new Surfing cover has been added to my old surfing cover collection. 

New case E at Target. My favorite of this mix.

On 3/22/2024 at 10:59 PM, Cat-Man_America said:

A West Virginny manchin t'aint like no other, but I might've invested too much in that joke. 

 

On 3/23/2024 at 5:55 AM, jimjum12 said:

Thanks for doing a proper report, Bob. People don't realize how much time one of those takes. I mean to at most of the shows I go to, not many, but I usually forget to. GOD BLESS ... 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

You bet Jim. My pleasure. I like to read these from others myself. Gives one an idea of what other shows are like. Helps to know the current market across the country.

When I go to a show I am “working”. I don’t socialize much. I’m busy box diving and picking. When I am done, I drift through, take some pictures of anything of interest and chat with my friends and get a feeling from various dealers as to the “vibe” that day. Really, doesn’t take much to do it and I know you other folks find it fun.

Expect another one next weekend as WonderCon is coming up.

On 3/21/2024 at 4:52 PM, gadzukes said:

Robot Man

Anytime I see these ads I think of you.  

I recently bought a few old Canadian "Active Comics" from 1942.  They were totally going after the membership club thing like all of the US comics from that era.

Have you ever found anything from the "Active Club"?  Looks like there might be a badge.

Read the ad page... it's pretty interesting.

Thanks. No, I have never seen anything from the Active Club. Not suprising living in the US, I rarely even see Canadian comics.

I enjoy reading these ads. I was always a sucker for these clubs as a kid and sent away for a lot.

The emblem sounds like maybe a patch not a badge. But you also got a certificate and a fun decoder for your 15 cents. And the anticipation of waiting for it.

I will keep my eye out for it! 

On 3/22/2024 at 1:23 PM, thewritestuff said:

Yes, it was originally touted as a "No fake Legos" show, but it has become a bit gimmicky with "influencers" and the whole Red Carpet Experience for $50, which is just a big upcharge for a one-hour jump on the masses. To make matters worse, the first time I paid the early admission, one dealer said "Good luck on finding a good deal anywhere in here.. these other dealers are like vultures and picked me clean last night before the show and then they displayed the purchased books for way more money"... I am sure that's normal for the night before a con, but it didn't make me feel good hearing it

Yes, it is not only normal but perfectly acceptable. Dealers pay a lot for their booth space. Everybody knows this and a part of going to shows.

The dealer who told you that probably did the same thing. And if not, probably profited from early dealer buys. 

But, at any show, there are deals that are missed by those not willing to work hard enough…

On 3/20/2024 at 1:22 PM, TerrysComics said:

With a very large Guest list , I understand the need to raise the admission price, Guests can be a very large of a Promoters Budget.

I thought this was an “old school comic show” not a media extravaganza. The more and the bigger the guest list, the more it costs the promoter and attendees. $50. Admission for a smaller one day show is going to probably turn off a lot potential attendees. And it is a bit steep.

Great list of dealers though for those just going to buy vintage comics. Just don’t let a little success get out of hand…

On 3/21/2024 at 12:27 PM, EC ed said:

 for today's mail call - a bit of an upgrade to my raw VG/FN'ish copy. Would still love to upgrade issues 3, 5, 6, & 7 of this title...but talk about TOUGH 

 

Nice one Ed and yes very tough. As are all the humor EC pre trends. Books like this have very minimal interest these days except to EC completists. And higher grade ones still bring pretty good money.

I still hunt them just for fun but I really have no need to complete them unless I bump into them cheap and lower grade. I think pumping a lot of money into them is a losing proposition long term to me. 

On 3/21/2024 at 6:30 PM, szav said:

You'll know by the flood of PMs you're about to get.

On 3/21/2024 at 2:02 PM, samfromcalifornia said:

I stopped collecting about 30 years ago(after about 25 years in the hobby). Yet, here I am, checking the CGC two or three times a day. I stopped collecting, not because I lost interest or enthusiasm in the subject, but because I was alienated by the trend of overarching commercialization of a hobby I enjoyed.  Now, I am not naive enough to claim that financial considerations have not always played an important, even central, role in comics fandom. I just feel we're approaching a time when they might be the sole consideration. As more long time collectors pass from the scene, I feel their places are taken by people who regard comic book collecting in the same way another person might regard wheat futures. Long ago, when I tried to explain why I was so enthusiastic about comic book collecting, I spoke of how in, say, coin collecting, a 1909s VDB Lincoln penny looks pretty much like every other Lincoln penny ever minted. In comics, though, when you open them, there are so many different elements to appreciate(character, artist, first appearance, even the ads and many more). I think I made the case for my hobby well. Now, you can appreciate the cover and that's about it. You may dream about the first work of your favorite artist gracing a back up feature, but to actually look at it may impose a severe financial penalty.

That's why, in my original post, I stated that I didn't see the same magic of collecting as I experienced it, not that I stopped enjoying the hobby. Now, if the new collectors of today get as much enjoyment as I did in the days of yore, I couldn't be happier. I just don't think I would enjoy collecting in the current environment. But there were probably similar comments from the times of the pharaohs to the effect that the ankhs made at the time weren't as good as the ones of their youth. The phrase "the good old days" reflects less a relative quality than the magic of our younger days.

I completely understand what you are saying. Things have really changed over my lifetime of collecting. Mainly, the values of the books I have enjoyed for all these years. Maybe bad for buyers and good for sellers. They have become “widgets” to many. Maybe to some, it legitimates their hobby.

I tend to limit my reading and participation in threads here on auction prices and threads with a big key in the title. Frankly, the money talk really bores me. Any big keys I have aren’t going anywhere and I have long been priced out on most of the rest. Not that I’m not acutely aware of current pricing. But, this is not why I got into this hobby in the first place.

None of this has really diminished my enjoyment of the hobby. I have just adjusted my interests and maybe lowered my grading expectations in order to keep my foot in the door.

The love of the hobby is still very strong. There is a wonderful group of true lovers of the medium here on the boards. We share information freely and still show off the books we love. At the end of the day, it is the love of the books themselves that keep us all in the game. 

On 3/19/2024 at 11:04 PM, adamstrange said:

 

All very pretty! Many years ago when I discovered PBs, Avons were my favorites. But it got to the point where I just had two many and the prices started going locally so high I sold off a lot to buy comics instead. I could also at that time still find plenty out in “the wild” to replace them.

I saw several copies of “Earthman” and “Ship of Ishtar” in nice grade at the PB show last weekend. I was surprised to see the prices were still quite reasonable and nothing like the rising prices of comics from back when I sold mine.

Never seen that Sat Evening Post book though…

Probably the first comics I bought were those “still 10 cents” logo DCs. Then, came that fateful day when they became 12 cents! I don’t think I ever saw or bought the Fly. One day, I saw a new 12 center, The Amazing Spiderman #3 from some company called Marvel. I was hooked hard for life…

On 3/19/2024 at 7:33 PM, samfromcalifornia said:

I had a table at San Diego in the mid-80s and a young man came up, asking me if I had a copy of Nature Boy. I said yes, issue #3. He was dumbfounded, He said he couldn't count the number of conventions he had gone to, trying to find a copy of that run. I sold it to him for a reasonable price and he thanked me vociferously. I'll bet he remembered that find for quite a while. It gave me a good feeling as I hitched up my covered wagon for the trip back to LA, of course carrying my long rifle in case of grizzly attack.

Now he could go online and find 50 copies offered for sale, most of them encapsulated to protect the market value. I sorry, I just don't see the same magic of collecting as I experienced. 

I thought you were going to say, the next day you saw it on EBay or saw him selling it to the next guy.

In all my years buying and selling comics, I have probably heard every senario or reason why I should sell a book cheap to someone.

Like you, it is always very satisfying to get a book into the hands of someone who really wants and treasures it.

We now live in a world of money and the quick flip. That’s how it is and I really don’t care what you do with it once it’s paid for. Just don’t think everybody is stupid enough to fall for some age old story.

Am I jaded? No, not really just a little smarter than some people give me credit for.

I still enjoy this hobby! 

On 3/19/2024 at 10:58 AM, Hudson said:

I can see how that would be frustrating and cause people not to want to go to that thread.

I have not used the WTB thread too often, however, I believe anytime someone has contacted me with a book I am looking for, we have made a deal.   Then again, I am not a "dealer" or "flipper"; I am a collector.  As such, the exact price point is not as important to me, as it would be if I were trying to locate a book to make a profit.  In the cases when I want a certain grade, I always am specific about that (as to avoid the situation you described).  In MOST cases, I will take any grade if it is a book I am trying that hard to find.  Honestly, I sometimes like a "well loved" copy of a book (books after all were intended to be read).

We sound like brothers from different mothers…

I love high grade books as much as everyone else does and have a lot of them. But I love the books first and formost. I have long ago realized that what I collect, obscure GA, sometimes it is wise to, within reason, go for any copy available. Might never get the chance. And, if I wanted an upgrade, I can keep looking but the hole is filled for the time being.

I guess, to some extent, I have always been a bit of a dealer or flipper. In looking for stuff I want, I often bump into stuff I don’t want but others do. I have sold off that stuff to pay for what I want. My collection has almost always been totally self funded. A process that has worked out very well for me and kept my family happy…

On 3/17/2024 at 2:53 PM, Paul © ® ⚽️💙™ said:

Latest buy....

 

One of my all time favorites. What would this go for if it were a comic book? 

Happy first day of Spring!

Never heard of Jimmy Jacobs and I live in LA. You would have thought there would have been some talk locally. Sounds like a jaw dropping collection. Wonder what happened to it? 

On 3/19/2024 at 9:26 AM, Straw-Man said:

...looks better now!!

Cool book! Looks like the same to me other than that distracting label at the top…