Bumble Kitty

There were a handful of books I went after, and I whiffed on most of them. But I did win the one book I really wanted. I had to pay a bit more than I thought or wanted. Heritage can really bring in the buyers. After yesterday's auctions, Harley Yee's prices seem almost cheap, by comparison. But don't tell him that.

I thought this book would bring a good price, but I was very surprised at the hammer price. Wow!

These are great books! I would be all over these if I didn't own them already. GLWTS.

This. I detest Golden Age books that are defaced with someone's autograph. Even if that person is a famous writer or artist. But I love an original collector's signature (i.e. Okajima, etc.).

I plan to be there on Saturday.

I would like to see Bob dressed up in a dog costume at a convention. Then I can buy an accurately graded book at a fair price. Before leaving his booth, I can pat him on the head. Would that make a dealer my friend?

No offense here, but I kind of interpreted your statement the same way Roy did. Since you clarified your statement, I get it.

I was flipping through radio stations this morning and I heard several hospitals suffered a malware attack. I didn't think much of it until they said the northeast part of the USA was affected. Then my ears perked up and I remembered that is where ComicLink is located. Is this the same attack? I dunno.

By the time the show officially opened on Wednesday at 6 PM, I already had spent $11,000. I wish I had spent a portion of that at your booth, as I was eyeing two books that you have. That money was spent earlier in the day on a new home HVAC system. As one other dealer commented, I made an adult purchase. That is very true, but I still wished I had bought two of your books.

First of all, thank you Bob on the deal on the two Space Patrols. I love those books! Thank you for correcting the "expert collector" on his comment. I don't know why he is considered an expert. Thank you for the tip on getting a dealer badge. If people don't want to pay up for a dealer badge, do some research on how to improve your odds in getting a regular attendee badge. Do it now, not one day before badges go on sale. For hotels, I paid $205 (out the door) a night on a nice 3 star place in Del Mar. Very quiet and far away from the noise and parties in the Gas Lamp District. For those who say hotels cost $500 to 800 a night, well that is true if you get a four star hotel the week of the convention. I paid thirty bucks a day to park in a covered garage three blocks from the convention. If that is too much or too far to walk, then I don't know what to say. You obviously have never gone to a sporting event or concert or other special event.

So SDCC 2023 is in the books. I only took a few pics this time around, but I will give you my short report. I will give you my observations of each day I was there. Wednesday: I arrived at 5:10 PM and parked at the Bayfront garage. As I walked to Kansas City BBQ for an early dinner, I noticed gridlock just north of the Convention Center. I believe these people were trying to get to the hotels to check in. I stopped by the Heritage booth and said "hi" to Rick Akers. I checked out the primo comics, original art and Hollywood artifacts. Just amazing stuff! I did a little box diving hoping to unearth some gems. Thursday: I checked out Harley's booth and discovered he had a small refrigerator under one of the tables. I fully expect he will add a microwave oven next year. Anyone for freshly popped popcorn? Some of the dealers had some great books that were just out of my price range. But it was fun to see them in person. The number of dealers attending was definitely more than were attendance at Torpedo Con. Worldwide Comics had a wide and great selection of comics. Attended several panels. One was Jack Kirby: Anything but Super-Heroes. Very neat panel, but the one thing I learned was Jack was in the European Theatre in WW2. His experiences there (which were not pleasant) played a big part in his War comics story telling. The other notable panel was The Holocaust: The Art of the Tattoo. The panel detailed the number that the Nazis tattooed on the Jews. On the panel was a survivor of the death camps (he is 93 years old), two ladies whose mothers survived the camps, and an illustrator who produced a comic on this subject. That panel left quite an impression on me. Attended a boardie dinner in Little Italy. A big "thanks" to @comick1 for setting up the dinner. Friday: More comic hunting and lots of socializing with fellow boardies. I tried to hang out in original art section, but it was busy and crowded in that area. Attended another panel. The convention center was quite cold, so I left and headed out the back. I walked around the building to warm up and check out the displays and the crowds. There was a massive collection of people -- everywhere. If there was a drop off in attendance, I didn't see it. I checked out two books at Bob Storm's booth. I left and came back and left and came back again. I really wanted them, and Bob gave me a great deal. Thank you Bob! Saturday: Had breakfast with a couple of boardies at Café 222. Boy, that place is great! There were a few small "Mom and Pop" dealers outside the Gold and Silver Pavilion. I found a fantastic deal at one of them. I braved the crowds and spent a good portion of the day at the original art area. I flipped through many binders and saw a few pieces I really liked. Of course I couldn't afford them, but it was an enjoyable time. Artist Alley was so crowded, there was people gridlock in each aisle. At the southwest area of the hall, there was Funkoville. It was set up as a 1950's small town. I thought it was a great idea and it was fun to walk around that area. I didn't buy anything, though. I went to the CGC Grading panel (with Matt Nelson). My day (and time at the Con) was over. Headed out and met a fellow boardie for dinner at a local restaurant. Observations: The convention was as crowded as ever. If the writers and actor's strike had an effect, I didn't notice it. There were more dealers at this convention than at Torpedo Con. The quality and quantity of books available was very high. I had a great time. I will attend next year's convention! I took a few pics, and here they are:

I'm back from the show, so maybe I will write a short report. Hmm, do I post it here, in the General section or in the Events section?

I talked to one dealer on Saturday and he said sales were OK. Of course when the 2022 version was cancelled after some people had already booked plane tickets, you might need another year or so to build up goodwill. Just thinking out loud. However, I felt the number of books and quality of books in the room was outstanding! Another dealer said he thought this convention was a notch above Terry O'Neil's convention (in February). And that was Terry O'Neil's own words! For those who complain about SDCC being too crowded, too expensive, too Hollywood, well this is the one to attend. I even heard that the food truck (out in front) had pretty good offerings.

No need for me to add anything to this. This paragraph says it all.

Here's one guide tip: If you plan on eating at the convention center, then bring plenty of Imodium with you.

In answer to your question, "Is the San Diego con losing its appeal to the vintage collector?", are you referring to collectors as vintage, or that collectors are looking for vintage material? Many cons and many hobbies have changed because of the internet. I attended a militaria convention back in February 2023 in Kentucky. It is called the Show of Shows and boasts over 1900 dealer's tables. To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. Too much to see in too few days. A few months later, I attended a small, local militaria show. I overheard a couple of guys complaining how the Show of Shows sucked and it has changed for the worse over the last few years. For those of you not attending SDCC, I guess we will see you at Torpedo Con, right?

Discounts added on most books. This thread will close on Thursday at 3 PM PDT. I will send out invoices late Thursday. Thank you for looking!

Do you accept your competitor's coupons?

All yours. I'm surprised at all of the notifications I have gotten at this hour. I'm going to bed...

and the last one...real cheap too! Young Romance 134 FN- $15 $5 SOLD Ring stain fc

True Love Pictorial 4 F/VF ow/w $8000

True Love Pictorial 3 CGC 7.0 ow $5800

This Magazine is Haunted 2 CGC 7.5 cr/ow $825 $750