HENRYSPENCER

https://web.archive.org/web/20070823121451/http://monsterblog.oneroom.org/ @KirbyJack you were right it is the monster blog. Such nostalgia. What happened to this iconic site?

Awesome. Great stuff as always.

4.5

Just noticed that Sparkle's weekly auctions were all pulled off eBay yesterday. What's going on?

It was "monster" something. Can't remember if it was a blog, but it had images of all the Journey into Mystery and Atlas comics plus plenty more. Plenty of stuff on Kirby too. Just an awesome website. One of the problems is that Google Images is now flooded with pictures from Pinterest, etc. so much so that when I type in keywords, there are thousands upon thousands of results. Maybe someone has posted a link to it in this thread...

. Sadly that's not it. This was an older site with lots of scans of raw comics and the covers. No ability to search just plenty of pictures of pre-hero comics. I will continue to try to look...

There used to be this great website dedicated to pre-hero marvels. Great images of all the covers. It's probably been no less than eight years since I last accessed it... Anyone remember the name of the website/domain?

undiscovered and unheard of that may still be out there. In an attic or basement...

If you had to take a wild guess. How may Action 1's do you think are still out there that have never seen the light of day and are just waiting to be found? 25 or 50...more?

6.0

I have recently picked some good stuff from Sparkle. No problems.

does Harley have any kind of online presence? Its been a while since I've posted to and his website is long gone as well as eBay store. Does Harley just do convention sales these days?

I would not front these costs on my own. If you went with Comiclink I ask them about comping pressing costs and grading fees. That way you don't have to pay for it.

Barring an alien invasion where they'd wipe out half of the world's supply of AF15's you're not going to get a 150% return on a $10k investment in a collection set or single AF15 in five years in the comic book industry. There's just too much data and serious buyer knowledge already out there in this hobby. Unless you're at this 4/7 there's just far to many full-time dealers on the prowl who will always offer more; especially if you're talking key issues. In other "hobby's", that are less crowded, yes, MOST certainly you can make that kind of return but not in comics.Under the right circumstances I personally could make you another $5k with a $10k in years time; certainly less than five years. If you're talking a $10k inheritance I would not dilly-dab in any kind of professional investment service and there's probably a better alternative to a college savings plan that I'm unaware of. Nevertheless it sounds like a student loan in your situation is inevitable. It sucks I know but join the rest of America. If it's "inherited" money I would NOT

Unless they were sued, how in the world do you go OB putting stickers on graded comics?

I probably wasn't totally clear...I don't enjoy boxing and shipping...that's why I wouldn't want to do it full time...of course it's a necessary evil and something I would have to do, but I wouldn't want to do it full time...I'm not afraid of hard work...just wasn't totally clear... I like your image of the store...It will be mostly MTG and gaming as I reflected in a later post...I've been building up some inventory the last few months and have some nice minor keys...nothing ultra high end, but hopefully I can build up to that... Awesome feedback, thanks! I don't have the time to read through this entire thread but just saw the the title, "Opening up a brick and mortar". I would NOT suggest opening up a comic book store mainly for the reason that present day comics, like other print mediums, are going completely digital. In the next few years current print issues are undoubtedly going to be obsolete with tablet/iPad prices dropping, more readers owning them and everything print going digital and mobile. Diamond has already begun selling lots of their stuff on eBay and unless they can survive on the Gemstone publishing brand alone, they too are likely gone. Comic Books stores who rely solely on flipping new issues, hardbacks and trades will be closing their doors. It's already started happening to them but you'll see more and more in the years to come. I'm sure you've already thought through this but what else do you plan on selling? You're probably better off just setting up at cons and trying to flip back issues. There's no money in selling modern stuff. You'll undoubtedly have to mark things up and because you've got rent/retail space, you won't be able to compete with Amazon/eBay. While this may be a passion it sounds more like a sinkhole given the current state of storefront retail.

I think if you send it off to CGC they'll grade it a 1.8 with cream to off-white pages. At auction there tends to be lots of action for lower grade key issues, as, relatively speaking, they are more affordable (considering you're talking well over six figures if it were in high grade and only a select few can play in that end of the pool). That said for an AA16 you're still talking $12k to $15k per point and though it's probably going to grade a 1.8 you're still going to get 2.0 or 2.5 pricing as AA16 is rare and in high demand by serious collectors. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if it hammers around ~$25k.

what"s the difference between super golden age and golden age? http://bcemylar.com/sleeves.cfm a super golden age mylar is wider than a regular golden age mylar. When I used to collect comics I stored everything in super golden age mylars to prevent something from bumping into the sides of the book. They are more expensive but provide superior protection. the specs on the super golden age mylar are 8 inches by 10 1/2 inches. the fullback time x-tenders that fit are 7 3/4 x 10 1/2. I've never held an AA16 before but in order to know you have the correct size you want the book to be easy to pull in and out but flush and snug up against the mylar once it's pushed inside. Always put the comic on the backing board before pushing it into they mylar and make damn sure no frays, chips or tears catch along the spine or cover of the book while pushing it in. Also if you're going to secure the mylar with tape always take the tape completely off the mylar and set it way out of the way so there's never the risk of tape catching the front cover of the book. Again, I'd just call Bill Cole and they'll undoubtedly send you out a free sample. Just my 2cents.

Thanks. I didn't know this.

I'm not an attorney but considering CGC is in Florida wouldn't the lawsuit have to be filed in Florida? They sued in Philadelphia?

To be honest with you all, I'm still disgruntled at how CGC handled the whole Jason Ewert situation a decade ago. Yes Ewert purposely trimmed books, sent them to CGC and sold them as advertised according to their assigned CGC condition grades. However on the other hand CGC should be responsible down to the very last penny for restitution to each individual buyer who was defrauded at the cost they paid for the book. In clear conscience I could never knowingly sell a book as unrestored if I or someone else did something to manipulate it that would alter the grade, but there are a lot of people out there who will call a spade a spade and sell an item based off what CGC thinks and thinks alone; no matter if it is manipulated or not.

Sounds like as of right now you only need 1 Super Golden Age Mylar and 1 Super Golden Age Time Extender backing board. If you call BCE on Tuesday and tell them you're new to Mylar and would like to try one out they'll more than likely send you 1 of each and only charge you shipping and handling fees. That way you're not out $40/$50 for supplies you'll never use again. That would be my advice.

would love to see scans of the AF15 and FF1...

I agree. I was thinking it's probably an 11-13K book. 15 is a good hedge. Actually, insure it for 20. He inherited the book from his grandfather who bought it off newsstands at 10 cents. USPS/FedEx won't payout ANY of these amounts in the event of damage as he has no receipt for paying these dollar figures. For the post office to cover the shipment he'd have to have a certified appraisal and/or proof of payment.

You won't be able to recover $5k (or any dollar amount for that matter) unless you have a receipt and/or certified appraisal. If the book were lost/damaged during shipment postal inspectors would ask for either of the above documents before cutting you a check. If you had neither, they'd deny your insurance claim. Depending upon your location in The States you have a couple of options... *Fly/drive the book down to CGC in Florida and as others have stated go through a walk-through/same day tier. *Wait for CGC to come to a comic book convention near you where they offer what's called "on site" grading; that is where they will certify and grade the book that day of the show and you'll get it right back. *Find a trustworthy dealer near you who's also a CGC member, has shipping insurance and can write you a certified appraisal and send the book off through them fully insured against loss or damage. ------------------ My personal advice: Given the high value of this book unless I was ready to sell I'd just buy some Mylar and Backing Boards and leave the comic as is. Then when I was ready to sell I'd have the auction house/dealer certify the comic for me through CGC. Given the dollar amount of this book the auction house would undoubtedly waive any slabbing fees associated with the cost of certifying it.