JiveTurkeyMoFo

Kid Komics # 7 CGC 8.5 Its a shame the Timely market has exploded to the point where I am having to collect Young Allies War covers because they are still relatively affordable, but thats the way the cookie crumbles. As a collector, some times you have to take whats given to you.

Millie the Model Annual # 1 CGC 7.5 White. I know its not technically a GA book, but damn it if it isn't a very tough book to find. Besides, I bet a few of you can appreciate it. I remember reading about this book back in the old Overstreet monthly, how it was the scarcest of the Marvel squarebounds. Always wanted one, but when I did come across one at a show, and that was still a rare occurrence, it was always beat. Fast forward to the Summer of this year, when scrolling through pages of all the same eBay drek, and what do I find in a Gary Dolgoff auction listing but this gem. Yeah, I'd love to have a 9.0+ copy, but this one will make do just fine for now.

Combat Casey # 6 (# 1) CGC 9.0 Tough book, another eBay grab. Didn't scratch as many Atlas War itches as I would've liked, but it serves me right for selling off all my high grade stuff years ago when it was still cheap. Ah, if Santa could only bring me back some of the amazing stuff that has passed through my hands. The lament of every collector....

Texas Kid # 1 CGC 8.0 Church/Mile High Really nice book, with a white cover that you would expect from a MH. Snagged it off of eBay early in the year. Scratched a lot of Western Atlas itches this year.

Its early on Christmas morning, the wife and kiddos are still asleep, and I finally have some "me" time to come on here and participate in this thread like I've been wanting to for weeks. So, without further adieu, a pictorial representation of the great GA pick-ups I snagged in what was otherwise a forgettable year.... Exciting Comics # 66 CGC 8.5 Sweet Double Cover. Not a fan of the page quality, but its a DC, and I needed it for my Exciting run. I tried for the 9.6 that came along in one of the auctions late in the year, but that went a little too high for my taste.

Anyone pick up the All Winners # 1 CGC 8.5? Not the prettiest copy, but it went for WAY under Guide. Kinda regret not throwing a crappy bid after it. If only it were a Schomburg cover, like the All Select # 1, which went Bananas.

And here I thought you were a fellow high grade snob.

Beautiful book. Nicely done.

Yes, that's correct. It then went to that "other place" and got a bump to 8.5. Now its contraband here. I think I'm going to officially post some of my own 2020 acquisitions to this thread. Nothing major, but I found a few gems along the way.

Good Lord, that All-Select is a toughie. Need it for my run. Was the Freckles off of an eBay auction a few months ago? I recall a run of obscure high grade Schomburgs came up for auction in the least likely place (eBay), and I was lucky enough to win a few, but I think this was one that got away.

Nice! I'm content with my one purchase from Billy, and will have to resist temptation on any others until the C-Link Auction is over...just way too many gotta-have-it books on my list in that one. Congrats to eveyone!

Yeah, you just never know what's going to get pulled and chucked to the side. This is probably NOT one of those books.

Beautiful book. Thanks to everyone for the warm (re)welcome. I have some realigning to do with my own GA stuff. Some of it has really shot up in the last few years, and some of it doesn't really conform with my long term goals. Part of the fun of getting back into it is doing some weeding in the garden...

Beautiful Book.

Yeah, certainly noticed that. In fact, it seems GA in general has just gone crazy. Then again, so have most of the ages when it comes to quality books.

Posted December 9, 2016 That was apparently the date of my last post in GA. Don't ask what happened. Life, I suppose. Never really did take to the "new" Board layout, though that's probably the lamest possible reason/excuse. Still bought a few nice GA gems in the intervening years, but I've been AWOL from this Forum almost entirely. I'm determined to change that and get back into the GA swing of things. So, I see Schomburg covers, especially high grade war have entered the stratosphere. Batman too, especially anything with Joker. PCH sells for even more ridiculous multiples than ever before. What else did I miss? BTW, its good to read your posts and see a lot of familiar friendly faces. Hope you've all been well.

I would concur...the North/South Concourse is better suited to an event this size...the parking lots are huge, and their is ample overflow parking on the grass areas as well. However, if memory serves, about 3-4 years ago when the event was held on that side, it was filled to capacity on Saturday as well (I believe that was either the Star Trek year, or Walking Dead cast, or Stan Lee, or some combination of major guests). At least, Thursday and Friday, and possibly Sunday would go over better. And whatever criticism you may read into our commentary, please note that guys like Joe, myself, and others would like nothing more then for this event to remain a success for Florida's comic collector community. It is in no one's interest to have MegaCon be anything less than a smashing success, well, perhaps aside from your competition.

Kevin, I will pass on what some of the comic dealers told me directly: they don't like the way the promoters run the show. I don't mean the number of people in the door, which has never been a problem for Mega-Con, I mean the actual logistics of setting up. Complaints from the last few years run the gamut from "they don't provide table clothes or carpeting, like MegaCon used to...so it looks like a flea-market", to complaints about the actual security, or lack there-of, during load-in, to issues this year with someone walking around making sure that tables weren't over the red taped lines on the floor by even an inch, even when the dealer who was scolded for not being "in compliance" was not the one at fault (the guy behind him who actually took up way too much space was). I think these are mostly minor complaints, that can be easily addressed. And let's face it, if a dealer has a huge weekend in sales, he isn't going to care that the floor isn't carpeted, but there just seems to be a general sense of "meh" that the dealers get from the promoters, as if their concerns don't matter. It seems to be a customer service issue, which, considering the number of open/empty booths I saw this year, may require a bit of attention on your part.

I've been going since 2002, and I think this one ranks as one of the sparest for comics, at least as a percentage of total material in the room. Don't get me wrong, there are some damn good dealers in the room (Graham Crackers, Highgradecomics, Dale Roberts, David Kapelka, etc.) and it's probably worth the price of admission just to see all their inventory, but the total number of comic dealers seems down, with far fewer smaller and mid size dealers in the room. It's still the best comic show in Florida, even if it ranks behind other shows I go to, like Heroes, WW Chicago, or Baltimore.

Reminder that the show is this weekend. Please come by and give it a shot. I'll be there with everything from Gold/Silver/Bronze/Copper comics, modern and vintage toys and action figures, original art and sketches in the $50-$300 range, Lego sets, and some other misc items. Something for everyone....

There will be some solid dealers there, so it's probably worth your time to come down on Thursday or Friday to look around. One day will be more than enough, just make sure it's not on the weekend, where the crowds will make it less appealing for regular comic collectors to get around.

Yep, bring on the next round!

I think it's simply overload....C-Link's Focused Auctions run two full weeks now; three days of better quality Silver/Bronze/Gold and a Day of Misc Gold in the first week...plus three days of Copper/Moderns, 1 day of Real Misc. items, and one final day of Art in Week 2. Nine days of auctions every month. One auction ends a little more than two weeks before another one starts. And their shipping dept is slammed....I rarely ever get the items from the last auction before the next one begins....and my general turnaround time is 2-3 weeks after my check clears, and I know a lot of folks are unhappy with their shipping woes, which have only been exasperated by the growing volume of items they process. Then the Pedigree auction, the Heritage, the Comic Connect, the Heritage Weekly, the Hakes, and of course, eBay. Too many items, not enough eyes, not enough dollars...which is exactly why bottom feeders like myself do well at auctions as buying venues.

Daytona Beach ComicCon , now a 2-day show, Sat & Sun, April 21 & 22 If you are from Central or North Florida, South Georgia, and other nearby areas in the South, come on down to the Daytona Beach Comic Con held on April 21st and 22nd. Tom Raupp, the show's promoter, always goes out of his way to put on a old-time comic show, complete with comics, toys, art and artists, and everything you expect in an old-skool show. I'll be there with comics, toys, and artwork, as will many other dealers, including Earl Shaw from Georgia, Capital City Comics from AL, and a host of Florida dealers. Come check us out.

I think that's just the Tupenny 9000 life-size cardboard cutout, customized with the Security Shades and Kung-Fu grip Accessories Pack.