SeniorSurfer

That's a tough question as I bought all the SA/BA books off the shelf at cover price and stopped collecting when prices increased by leaps and bounds (instead of 5-10 cents every few years) shortly after.  Also when they had those multi-title crossover stories, multi-cover cash grabs and incessant title restarts with new #1 issues (but that's another thread).  That said, I do remember slogging through some Englehart/Springer/Sal Buscema stretches in Captain America in the 70s that had some laughably bad dialogue (I think he had discovered the use of the word "freakin'" and it was really overused), some pedestrian art (blank panel backgrounds and clenched teeth for all with Buscema, while "bad Springer art" is just a redundant statement) and some stories that really don't hold up.  If it weren't to keep up continuity, I could have done without many issues in that run.  Later on there were some pricier Daredevil (post-Miller) and Thor (can't remember if it was pre- or post-Simonson, but Thor was reduced to over-dramatics with perpetual open-mouthed hysterical warnings/threats and an incredible ineffectiveness of Mjolnir, which just seemed to perpetually bounce off whoever the villain-of-the-month was).  The Cap stories were tough to get through, but I guess because of the higher prices those DD/Thor issues had a worse price/quality ratio.

On 12/15/2023 at 9:48 PM, The Sledder said:

I'd say this doesn't help, but I guess I don't remember who has been first pick each year.  Maybe they did plead. 

Let's look at 1st picks:

2022 - @THE_BEYONDER

2021 - @greggy (Legend has it he was tempted to pick his own box as a prize but when everyone thought he was going to Zig, he Zagged.  @Ryan. picked up the scraps in the #2 spot)

2020 - @Barth

2019 - @WEBHEAD

2018 - @Shadow Images

2017 - @loboagain

2016 - @Turtle

Did any of you make any under-the-table deals with the elves? 

I'm in and know what it is - just have to take the pics!

On 11/25/2023 at 12:45 PM, VintageComics said:

I wasn't making a holiday weekend observation. This place has been a ghost zone for years now. 

I didn't mean your opening remarks or general intention in starting the post, rather this particular point which had been mentioned by JollyComics and PointFive seemed to have merit.

I think the points mentioned have merit:  It is a holiday weekend and many have family obligations, the right thread does have to come along to have legs (so far no crazy "acetate gate"-like SNAFUs), board sellers may be holding on to their product a bit longer as the market has cooled and no one wants to sell at a loss and of course, there is the social media/multiple outlet factor.  Addressing that last one for a moment, I'd say that though there are many more ways for comic fans to buy and express themselves, boardies here strike me as a more reasoned, older group than maybe the new multiple-cover-variant-one-minute-IG-read crowd.  Not that we're so set in our ways or isolated that our interactions don't overlap into other forms of social media, but maybe for a lessening number of us this is our preferred platform.  And it's not because we're all just old (well I am anyway) but I do liken it to a compressed version of our comic history.  Fans have had a Golden Age (mail), a Silver Age (fanzines), a Copper Age (boards) and a Modern Age (IG and even FB).  A multitude of ways to express one's self, with each age seemingly active for a decreasing amount of time before the next new thing appears to "catch-on" it seems. ("Catch-on"... what a hep cat I am!  23-skiddo!).

On 10/14/2023 at 12:47 PM, Dr. Balls said:

A computer that writes a story about stealing an original thing and replacing it with a forged thing hoping no one will ever be the wiser. 

On 9/4/2023 at 7:32 PM, B2D327 said:

He’s a “slip and fall” lawsuit waiting to happen

Major contributor to those "water stains, cover ripples, rusted staples" notes CGC finds so prevalent in the SA books.

Pretty general info and very one-sided towards the buyer (better "thumbs up" ratings that way).  As others have pointed out, he doesn't take into account the legwork a dealer has to do to get the book, the immediate out-of-pocket expense that he's invested in that book (and hundreds of others), con fees, possible hotel/travel expenses, etc.  There's also having to listen to buyers tear down your wares for a better price as, strangely enough, customers might not be too friendly either and look to beat down the prices as much as possible.  And I'm a buyer, not a dealer.  

I've only been to small/medium cons and it's great to see some HTF books in hand.  I'll try to put a few together, make an offer and hope for the best, but I'm not going to whine about it if it's not accepted.  Everyone has their costs so I'll move on.  If it is accepted then great.  Maybe there's an ensuing chat about what I collect and if he can be on the lookout for certain books, but I've never thought there's anything else to it and whether he can give me a better price just because I say hello to him all the time or there's any other close ties ("C'mon Fred, give me a break here... I'm sleeping with your sister!").

Some really astounding point have been raised here - all worthy of reflection and self-examination.  To your question though:  How do you balance your own pursuits of nostalgic bliss and collecting goals vs. an appreciation for living and enjoying in the present moment?  The answer is in the question.  Balance.

Bradbury (and others before and after him) note that "too much of anything isn't good for anyone."  If you have the good fortune to have had a great, memorable childhood then there's nothing wrong about looking upon it with fondness whenever.  Maybe you'll be reminded by the snatch of an old song heard in a TV commercial, maybe the whiff of some newsprint... these can happen anytime and are not compartmentalized like daily responsibilities (though they can be if you decide to, say, dedicate a couple of hours on Saturday morning to read some old FF stories just because you set that time aside).  These moments just need the opposing balance on the scale of the here-and-now obligations that allow Life to continue:  Family, work, household chores, parties, vacations, bureaucratic paperwork (taxes, insurance) and more are all things that demand moments of your time.  Tempering daily life with pleasant thoughts from the past can bring some relief, elation and even an involuntary smile.  In a "Mad Men" episode Don Draper first defines nostalgia, then describes the as-yet unnamed Kodak product that he has been contracted to promote via an ad campaign:  "It’s a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone. This device isn’t a spaceship, it’s a time machine.  It goes backwards, forwards, takes us to a place where we ache to go again. It’s not called the wheel. It’s called the carousel. It lets us travel the way a child travels. Round and around, and back home again, to a place where we know we are loved."

SOBERING SIDE NOTE TANGENTIALLY RELATED TO THE ORIGINAL QUESTION:  So you can stop reading here to not get dosed with reality.  It's been my experience that every generation's young believe their youthful world - again assuming an enjoyable childhood - was the best of times with the best of everything.  For example, we've all heard some say these new immersive virtual reality games are the greatest, while in the same room you'll have some guys say they don't hold a candle to Diablo II.  Meanwhile other folks in that room are firm board game enthusiasts, while leaning thoughtfully in the corner are some old guys that say those others are all indoor weaklings and going out to play stickball was where the adventure lay.  Music, movies, cars... insert any changeable memory.  None of it is wrong and differences of opinion will always continue.  I do however recall a Peter David piece where he addresses these same issues you may remember fondly (relating to comic books) and notes - and I'm paraphrasing here - that GA and SA generations look back fondly upon these stories but their memories play tricks with them since a re-read of the issues as an adult may leave you cringing.  They just might not be good as you remember, to say nothing about being plausible.  

I guess a level of cynicism and reasoning can manifest over time and that the general consensus is that someone being bombarded with gamma rays most certainly would meet with death, but I choose to think everyone on these boards knows what would really be the outcome. 

On 8/7/2023 at 9:25 AM, Dr. Balls said:

All Man (Dec 1959) in VG 4.0 $90

Classic Nazi Fraulien cover. Got this beauty from @Randall Dowling - despite the grade, looks awesome in Mylar!

 

I dunno... I did a search in this forum and couldn't find a post on it even though it's old news (over 12 hours) by internet standards, so for those that haven't seen it yet, here ya go:

On 6/26/2023 at 4:27 PM, lizards2 said:

I get that "grading notes not available" all the time.

I only use grader's notes to help decide whether I want to purchase a book. So not having them available sometimes sours the sale.

Same.  I've gotten in the habit of checking the notes because 1) I can now since they're free and 2) I'll miss something in an online picture whether of my own oversight or because you'd really have to have the book in hand.  I've missed a chip(s) on a white cover that blends in with the splash page more often than not, but I've also been given warning with descriptions of rusted staples, interior cover tanning or dried glue on the spine.  I would prefer to read these and find them more helpful than notes of omission on higher modern books explaining why a 9.6 didn't make it to 9.8 (like "hey, this cover centering just wasn't good enough").  Probably, no doubt, because I'd be ecstatic to get a 9.6 on a SA or GA and wouldn't care what the reasoning was (heck a 7.5 is sometimes cause for celebration).  

I was trying to get into the club with that 8.5 W on CC last night but they raised the price of admission so the bouncer ushered me out.  If one of you picked it up (or that ungodly 9.4) and has a 7.5/8.0 OW-W or better undercopy to sell, LMK and I might still be able to walk in the front instead of jimmying the back door.

If you go just a decade before in the 70s, grades weren't even used to price the books - just their age, numbering and relative scarcity for a seller to obtain.  You knew Avengers #1 was going to be more than #7, and it was probably going to be harder to find, but prices were fairly stable across back-issue sellers no matter what the condition.  Human nature and logic being what it is, I'd hazard a guess that they might keep some of the "nicer looking" books and sell their lesser duplicates, but it was not unusual to see Avengers #1 for $15.00 and DD #1 for #12.00 and not know the condition you were going to get (at least with the mail-in guys like Bell or Rogofsky).  Same thing applied with the other issues, with generic prices (seemingly) arbitrarily assigned in bulk, like 6-10 at $3.00 each, etc.  My original Avengers #1 arrived in about vg/vg+ condition and my DD #1 was in FN/FN+ at first fast glance of the front, but tape on the spine indicated a different, later-issue back cover had been added.  Still, these were really exceptions as the bulk of all of those early SA were very sharp FN and better - at least in my experience.  As the 70s progressed the advent of OPG (with its specific grade categories and pricing) and conventions (and much later the solely dedicated LCS) helped to structure the ground rules for future sales.  

I'm more a slow-moving type and could never find a con connection in the time allotted.  Anyway it probably would have gone similar to the Brady sketch in SNL where he shows how easy it is to make a connection, then a schlub tries a similar tactic without success. (Me:  "Hi there!  Hey, do you collect that title?"  Her:  "Security!!").