Ivan Ivanstein

Anyways, gang, I’m always seeking vintage comic-related pix! If any of you have pre-1980 pix of yourselves with comics, wearing superhero costumes, playing with Mego dolls, etc... let me make an offer!

Here’s a photo collage I own. The pic of Subby is from Avengers #4. I bet whoever made this collage would’ve thought twice if he’d only known a mint copy would be worth a small fortune someday...

I wish I owned this one! Some guy on Facebook shared this, but he says he found the image online and doesn’t own the original photo. I did a Google reverse image search, no luck. I’d pay good dough to own the original - I’m crazy for this photo!

Had this one printed from the original negative, which I own. This is the Frazetta work that first attracted Hollywood attention and led to Frank’s lucrative deal to paint movie posters.

I generally prefer amateur snapshots to studio shots. But here’s a fun pic of Fred Astaire in an uncanny Alfred E. Neuman mask, from a 1959 TV special. Signed by Fred’s dance partner, Barrie Chase. The mask was made by John Chambers, who made the masks for the original Planet of the Apes films.

Got this one yesterday...

Latest acquisition! The Boy Wonder, 1966. Got it from a photo dealer in NYC.

That’s great! Can you tell if it’s a vintage original photographic print or a later copy? If it’s an original I’ll make a good solid offer.

Woowoo, you're the boy in the pic with Detective 27? Would you sell the original? PM me if interested...

The pre-Code pic above is mine as well -- I own the original negative, along with another from the same photo session. Woowoo, do you know who owns the original of the boy holding Detective 27? That's definitely up my alley...

Thanks, Woowoo - great photo, but two strikes against it: the price is way too high, and it's not a vernacular photo (aka, an anonymous snapshot, which is what my aesthetic inclines towards).

More Golden Age fun from my collection... Superman #9.

Say! I own the original print of that pic above! Here it is, mounted in one of my archival albums...

I love that you've kept it all this time!

Hi gang, I collect vintage, original comic-related snapshots. If anyone here has pre-1980 original photographs featuring comics to sell, please PM me. I'll pay generously for examples I want! Cheers, Ivan Ivan Briggs, Director of Comics, PBA Galleries Auctioneers, San Francisco Bay Area

Anyway, after leaving Green Apple I worked for Bonhams Auctioneers for quite a few years. I started in the Rare Books & Manuscripts department and then became the Director of Fine Writing Instruments. It was a fun gig and involved lots of international travel, but what I really wanted was to return to selling comics. Bonhams had no interest in letting me start a comics department, as they felt comics didn't match their branding. So I left Bonhams and now I'm Director of Comics for PBA Galleries in the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm putting together our debut comics auction, featuring (you guessed it!) EC, Mad, Pre-Code Horror and Undergrounds! The sale will be on February 13th, 2020. We already have some tasty tidbits for the sale, and we're seeking additional consignments! If anyone has material to consign, please let me know.

There was a ton of fun stuff in the Green Apple catalogue... It's startling to see how cheaply one could buy certain comics back then relative to today's prices! The best item in the catalogue, in my opinion, was the original front cover to Mad #21, featuring the first cover appearance of Alfred E. Neuman. I was the former owner of the piece... it's probably the only thing I've ever sold that I feel a bit of remorse about! Ivan Briggs, Director of Comics, PBA Galleries Auctioneers, San Francisco Bay Area

Hi gang, I'm new to the boards but have been an EC and Pre-Code fan for decades. Back in the 1990s I was the comic book specialist for Green Apple Books, San Francisco's largest and best bookstore, and I did a couple of catalogues for them. One of my catalogues showcased EC, Mad and Pre-Code Horror. It was incredibly fun to put together! Every now and then a copy of the catalogue pops up on eBay. I wonder if anyone here was a Green Apple comics buyer back then? Cheers, Ivan Director of Comics, PBA Galleries Auctioneers, San Francisco Bay Area.

Hi gang! Lifelong comics nut here. For the past 20 years my collecting specialty has been vintage, original comic-related photos. I have a large collection of these and sometimes license them to publishers, including Taschen Books. I've been involved in comics sales for years, most recently with PBA Galleries Auctioneers in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I'm Director of Comics. I'll be launching my debut comics auction for PBA in early 2020. I'm glad to be a member of the boards here! Cheers, Ivan