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Best2u

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Journal Entries posted by Best2u

  1. Best2u
    Just got done with putting a custom set together in my Registry of all my “Aurora Comic Scenes” collection doubles and realized I have more copies than any normal collector should. I mean, who needs 5 copies of the Lone Ranger issue. Oh wait, that’s not the worst of it, how about 9 copies of the Batman issue. I seem to justify the Batman issue by thinking he’s a very popular character and people will always want one of these issue as time goes by. Don’t think that’s really going to happen and some day I’ll probably just sell them at a loss. Good thing they’re pretty inexpensive. Anybody else have way to many copies of a single issue that isn’t really justified other than just a inner need to own then.



  3. Best2u

    New comics in comic cave

    By Best2u,

    It was time to change the comics being shown in the cave. The first 2 are in honor of  Halloween. The next 3 are up because I was in a wedding. The flower for my lapel is made of a comic book page.




  4. Best2u

    My own comic room???

    By Best2u,

    I've always wanted my own room to display my comics in and now I have one. True, I do have to share it with other family members, but when I'm in there by myself it's my own little comic cave. The view's great whether sitting or standing or just digging some meds out of the pantry. Thanks to the family for letting me put up any comics I want. I've been changing comics every 2 or 3 weeks. The comics now on display are Summer Love #46 and 47 with Beatles covers due to the fact it is summer still and Flying Saucers #1 and 2 because I'm reading a book by Corso and Birnes titled 'The Day after Roswell'. Hey everyone, enjoy what's left of summer and I'll post my next selection when they get changed.



  6. Best2u
    No ace in the hole here.
    Once again, sorry for the delay. Life got going and I got to go visit my kid for a couple weeks. It's time to do the last book, Gang Busters #18. This was graded 7.5 by CBCS and came back 6.5 from CGC. I don't really have to much of a problem with that. There are a lot of little things that show up. Staples are out of place, a few little chips, edges a bit ruff, and a few bend here and there, and that's just the front cover. The back has a pretty big dust shadow, tiny piece missing from one of the bottom corners, and looks a bit faded. About that back cover, it has a great ad for RC Cola staring "R.C." and Quickie a pair of young cowboys. One last thing, check out the info that's given on the two labels. Notice any difference?
    Stay tuned for my last part in which I'll give my roundup of this whole saga of the Gang Busters test.

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  7. Best2u

    Whatever happened to...

    By Best2u,

    Seems like ten years ago I heard about it.
    Anybody in the know have any information on the pedigree book that's be in production for the last decade or so. I looked forward to buying that thing for five years at Christmas time and it never came out. I then got mad for a few years that it was taking so long and then said if it ever came out I wouldn't buy it, I was just that pissed. Well, it's been another year or so and haven't heard a thing about it. Anybody know if it's still on the table or has if just disappeared? I keep thinking I won't buy it for stringing me along for a decade but deep down I know I'll buy it the day it comes out. I'll give those guys another 10 years but that's it.
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  8. Best2u

    Packageing is broken

    By Best2u,

    Time to upgrade?
    Recently made a purchase of a comic from Heritage Auctions. Never worried about it getting to me in one piece until the last 2 or 3 times. They used to send everyone of my wins in a double boxed package with a ton of bubble wrap that hardly fit in the box. The last few times its been one box and at the most two or maybe three layers of wrap. Hey, when I spend $400 on a comic that's a big deal, that's the most I've ever spent on a single comic, I think they should pack a little bit better.
    When I picked this box up from my PO Box my heart sank. The comic had 3 layers of bubble wrap and was sliding back and forth in the box. I was sure the case would be cracked. I don't know how but when I opened it, it was perfect. Guess I lucked out.

  9. Best2u

    Is it time for...

    By Best2u,

    LEADING COMIC AUCTION HOUSES NEED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE!
    First posted on 4/2013 by me.-I think it's time for the leading comic auctions, Heritage, ComicLink, and others, to start posting both the front and back covers on their auction pages.
    There is no reason that this can't be done for every comic auctioned. I've noticed that they do it for their top of the line rare books with high value. Every book I bid on from them is just as important to me, even if it's value may only be a couple of hundred bucks, as those thousand dollar comics are to the super rich and the dealers.
    I know from buying many comics that if the comic I'm bidding on has a front picture that looks like a 9.4 grade but is only graded 8.0 that most likely there's something on the back cover that brought the grade down. Sure it could be something on the inside that lowered the grade but by seeing both covers I'd know that.
    I don't know what would happen if I called and asked for a scan of the back. I know that if we all started calling for a back cover scan the auctions houses would start putting them on their auction pages so they wouldn't have to deal with all the phone calls.
    I'm not the type of person to start a movemnet to get the ball rolling on forcing the companies to do so. Hopefully a bunch of collectors reading this can jump in and put a little pressure on the big auctions to do so. I think it's time for full disclosure.
    Thanks.
    Well, now that it's 2017 I think the above is even more important then before seeing that both of the major grading services put notes on the reverse of the slabs. I'm sure they would say it's takes to much time or computer space, but come on, it's 2017.
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  10. Best2u

    Where and When?

    By Best2u,

    Is eBay what it used to be?
    I've been selling some of my doubles and "what was I thinking" comics on ebay for a few weeks now. The doubles are from upgrades and the "what was I thinking" are from series I was going to collect and decided not to or maybe just liked the cover but most likely a impulse buy.
    Been putting up 6 or 7 issues a week and selling only 2 or 3 of them. They're all mid to high grade comics and listed at, what I feel are great starting prices. I list then ending on Sunday night at about 7:30 to around 8 PST so it's not to late for the east coasters.
    I feel that not a lot of people are checking them out and bidding. Most lots get about 7 views and if a lot does sell it's rare to have more than one bid.
    What I'd like to know is if eBay is still the place to sell and if it is, what are the right days and times to list them? Have the auction houses become the place to sell rather than the self listing online auctions?
    Well that's my rant of the week. Not really a rant but more just trying to get a clue of where to sell things and when.
    PS - eBay seller: best2u

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  11. Best2u
    All rants will be comic related.
    Okay, I've noticed that the journals are mostly dead so I'm here to get things started up. Every week this year I will be posting a new journal dealing with something comic related that drives me bonkers. My first rant is what you're reading, when you should be writing a journal for all of us to read. It drives my crazy when I check the journals and the ones listed are over a week old. I remember the good old days when there were 3 or 4 new ones every day. Where did all those people go. You know who I'm talking about. Let's all post something even if it's just some new comic you have. Please, post something so I don't waste my time checking every day. Thanks and Best2u
    PS- This cover proves that Santa is not real. Ba Humbug

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  12. Best2u
    Should I really be selling these on eBay?
    Okay, the wife is sick. The yard work is all done so I had this past weekend free to do what ever I wanted. I decided to go book by book thru all my graded comics. I started with my Gold Key Star Trek issues and one of the first copies I came to was a book I had replaced with a higher grade. I set it to the side and kept going, by the time all 61 issues had been looked at I had about 10 slabs I no longer needed. I guess I forgot how many upgrades I had done. I kept this up for all 400 or more slabs. I now have a stack of about 40 books to get rid of. Talked to the honey about it and decided to try to sell then on eBay.
    I'll be selling 6 a week on Sunday nights starting the Sunday after Thanksgiving. That should give me something to do for the winter other than contend with the snow here in Michigan.
    Going to start with a few Star Trek and Space War issues following up with some Ghosts and Black Magic copies. I'll post a journal now and then to let you know how its going or you can just follow on eBay under my eBay name - Best2u.

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  13. Best2u

    New from ComicLink

    By Best2u,

    What the heck is a sock story
    Got this little honey off from ComicLink but haven't gotten it yet due to the need for a new slab. Anyway, I was giving it a look over online and saw the it says there are 4 Sock Stories inside. Do you think, like me, that that is a mistake and should have been Shock Stories. And, if not, what is a Sock Story?

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  14. Best2u

    New from ComicLink

    By Best2u,

    Also, where are all the people posting journals?
    I have the number one set of Headline Comics but I felt that it really wasn't worth having unless I had #1 and #37. Well, I've had #1 for some time but last night I added #37 from the ComicLink auction. Grade didn't really matter as I couldn't afford anything in a higher grade than the 5.0 that this comic is.
    As a little side rant. I look every day for new posts to the journals but as of late it's been dead. I know it's summer and Comic-Con is going on but it seems like every since Tnerb left the single life the journals have died a slow death. His posts used to bring so many other people to comment on thing. I'm not much of a writer but I sure would like to see more posts from you people.

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  15. Best2u

    WARNING, WARNING,

    By Best2u,

    Centered covers a must
    The first 15 covers of the Ghosts series are very difficult to find without some portion of the cover design cut off. I even think there may some cover that cannot be found complete. I just found the #5 cover in the ComicLink auction with a full cover. I had to pay a bunch for it but it's the first one I've seen. Check out my Ghosts collection in the Registry to see some other full covers and some almost full covers with just a bit of the design missing.

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  16. Best2u
    Blue dealer stamp on a blue cover
    I have a Boy Commandos #30, CGC-7.5, that has a dealer stamp in blue ink that is almost the same color blue as the cover. The stamp has 3 lines and the top one says "Brownies Smoke Shop" but I can't make out the other lines. Just wondering if anyone knows anything about the stamp or has the same stamp on one of thier comics. I would like to know what the other lines say also. Thanks and let me know if you know anything about it. Best2u

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  18. Best2u
    Lack of info.
    Sorry for the amount of time between my posts. This journal is about the Gang Busters #10 that I broke out of its CBCS jacket and submitted to CGC. I do have a bit of a problem with it being lowered a full point from 9.0 to 8.0. This is the one comic I was thinking would be a sure lock for the same grade. I'm sure I didn't do any damage cracking it out or that anything happened in packaging or shipping. I'm pretty sure the covers grade a 9.0 so it must be something CGC found inside the book that CBCS and I missed. I've said this in one of my other posts but I sure wish things inside the book that are a problem would be listed in the CGC notes instead of just cover problems. Oh well, all in all, I'm happy I did what I did.
    One other thing I'd like to note is the amount of info that CBCS puts on its tabs compared to CGC. On this comic CGC lists one artist compared to CBCS listing five artists and the person who wrote the story plus the actors who appear in the photo cover and that's just on the front of the tab. The back is filled with the story titles in the comic and even some of the important ads that are in the book. Come on CGC, I love ya but it's time to update your info and even your tab.

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  19. Best2u
    Trim or no trim, that is the ?.
    Well here we go. Purchased off from ebay for $44 in June along with 3 others Gang Busters comics (#10,18, and 6). All were graded by CBCS and this issue, #13, was graded 8.0 OW/W pgs. After deciding to break them out for grading by CGC I started this journal to let people know how things were going. CGC has since removed some or all of them I'm told. This issue came back from CGC as a 8.0 white pgs. but with the "Cover Trimmed" note. I was somewhat shock as to how CBCS could have missed this and said so in a couple of the past parts of this journal. It was shortly after that post that W. Stepen of CBCS, a senior grader, got in contact with me by email and said the following- "We noticed an odd cut on the right edge of the comic, but after scrutinizing it, we determined it was from manufacturing, not post-manufacturing. Apparently CGC also noticed the odd cut & came to a different conclusion." He went on in some detail about how comics were made at the time and a bit about CBCS. All in all, a very nice email.
    After all of that went down I couldn't wait to get it back from CGC to have a closer look at that right edge. Well, I've look at it now for a week or more and I'm not sure myself if it's been trimmed. I can see where both companies saw what they saw and came to their conclusions. There is a tiny bit of a wave in the cut that may look as if it's been trimmed but it happens at a point where there may have been a fold in the cover before the manufacturing cut and that caused the slight wave on the edge. Knowing that all four book came from the same collection, as they all have the same flowing "M" and a few numbers on the cover, and that none of the others were trimmed, makes me believe that this one wasn't either. But I do see why CGC may think is was trimmed.
    I am glad I broke it out so that I can add it to my Registry.
    Final words, CBCS seemed like a okay place to talk to and I do like their notes much better than CGC's. CGC only note is that it's a photo cover where CBCS note the actors in the photo cover along with four of the artists and that the story was by Phil Evans. They also tell which stories are in the book on the back label. As for the grade, 8.0 W pgs. I agree.

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  20. Best2u
    Sorry this took so long.
    Okay, I'm back with part four. Sorry it took so long but I got the chance to go hiking in upstate NY for a week and the comics came back the day I was to leave. If your new to the series of posts please read the first parts to see what's going on. The first book to look at will be the Gang Busters #6. CBCS graded as 9.4 with white pages. I was thinking it would hold that grade but maybe have OW to white pages. CGC sent it back as a 9.2 with white pages. I guess I can live with that as there is a tiny bend with color break on the right top corner. CGC did add the name of Win Mortimer as a artist which CBCS didn't have. All in all not bad as I only spent $76 for it. Seemed like a fair price for a book from 1948. This was also the first time that I could see the grader notes on a submission I sent in. They're okay but they only show what's wrong with the cover. That's something I can see for myself. I'd rather know what wrong with what I can't see, the inside. Maybe they do that and this book didn't have anything wrong inside but neither did the other three books. Give me a few more days and I'll do the next book. That's the one with the trimmed cover. (CBCS got in touch with me over that one, be sure to read the next one)

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  21. Best2u
    The results are listed but do I dare look.
    Just check my submission of the 4 Gang Busters issues that were graded by CBCS and broken out for a CGC submission. They said they were being shipped so that means the grades are listed online. Do I look or do I wait till they show up at the PO Box before I report back to you people. I've been getting a bad vibe since I saw that the #13 had a trimmed cover. I know I made some predictions of what I was thinking they would come back as and I'll stick to them but now I'm thinking I should have lowered those predictions by half a grade if not a full grade. I still can't believe that CBCS missed a trimmed cover. I would think that being the new player in the game they would try to cover all their bases. Oh well, I did this more to see how the 2 services compared. The books were a cheap buy off from ebay as not to many people were bidding on them.
    I don't know what happened but when I try to see what people have replied on the chat boards all I get is a notice that there is a UBB error. Sorry I can't reply to any ?'s you may have put up. Till next time when I will give results.

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  22. Best2u
    Oh no, not going to well for CBCS.
    Make sure you read part 1 first. Here is a update. Just looked to see how my order was coming along and noticed that they had marked the Gang Busters #13 as having a trimmed cover. Hard to think that CBCS would have missed that. Think I'll be staying with CGC.
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  23. Best2u
    The sound of the crack, the flying of broken plastic, the sheering of the scissors.
    Okay, recently picked up four issues of Gang Busters off from ebay. All four were in CBCS slabs and within the grade range of books that I wanted to start my Gang Busters Registry set with.
    When I purchased them I told myself that I was not going to crack them out and send them to CGC. They would be just fine setting in the Gang Busters box with my only other issue, Gang Busters #51 CGC-7.5 ow/w Aurora pedigree. That did not happen. I mean, why have four issues and not be able to have them in my Registry set.
    This past weekend they were broken out of their CBCS coats and are on their way to CGC.
    That being said, the test is on.
    Before cracking them out I watched a video of a guy cracking a CBCS slab on You Tube. I got out my tools and out they came. I was very careful, even had my wife help with the extraction of the book from the inner liner. I then very carefully went over ever book to see if I agreed with the CBCS grade. That be done and recorded, wanted to be sure I did not forget later what I had thought, I packaged then so a bomb could not hurt them and off they went to CGC.
    Here is what I sent out and what grade I gave the books...
    -Gang Busters #6 CBCS-9.4 W pgs. (9.4 OW/W pgs.)
    -Gang Busters #10 CBCS-9.0 W pgs. (9.0 W pgs.)
    -Gang Busters #13 CBCS-8.0 OW/W pgs. (7.5-8.0 OW pgs.)
    -Gang Busters #18 CBCS-7.5 OW/W pgs. (7.0 OW pgs.)
    There you have it. I used my Registry coupon for this so it should not be to long for the results. When they come back I'll share with you the results.

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  24. Best2u
    I posted this journal over 2 years ago,
    Anybody have new info?
    Posted: 2/26/2011 12:13:19 PM | Views:489
     
    Seems like ten years ago I heard about it.
    Anybody in the know have any information on the pedigree book that's been in production for almost the last decade? I looked forward to buying that thing for five years at Christmas time and it never came out. I then got mad for a few years that it was taking so long and then said if it ever came out I wouldn't buy it, I was just that pissed. Well, it's been another year or so and haven't heard a thing about it. Anybody know if it's still on the table or has if just disappeared? I keep thinking I won't buy it for stringing me along for a decade but deep down I know I'll buy it the day it comes out. I'll give those guys another 10 years but that's it.
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  25. Best2u

    IS IT TIME FOR...

    By Best2u,

    LEADING COMIC AUCTION HOUSES NEED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE!
    I think it's time for the leading comic auctions, Heritage, ComicLink, and others, to start posting both the front and back covers on their auction pages.
    There is no reason that this can't be done for every comic auctioned. I've noticed that they do it for their top of the line rare books with high value. Every book I bid on from them is just as important to me, even if it's value may only be a couple of hundred bucks, as those thousand dollar comics are to the super rich and the dealers.
    I know from buying many comics that if the comic I'm bidding on has a front picture that looks like a 9.4 grade but is only graded 8.0 that most likely there's something on the back cover that brought the grade down. Sure it could be something on the inside that lowered the grade but by seeing both covers I'd know that.
    I don't know what would happen if I called and asked for a scan of the back. I know that if we all started calling for a back cover scan the auctions houses would start putting them on their auction pages so they wouldn't have to deal with all the phone calls.
    I'm not the type of person to start a movemnet to get the ball rolling on forcing the companies to do so. Hopefully a bunch of collectors reading this can jump in and put a little pressure on the big auctions to do so. I think it's time for full disclosure.
    Thanks, Best2u
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