Bumble Kitty

This is a great question and this is what I have found in my research: Intro: There are some things that can be done to increase the security of your comic books. Please note a professional thief will break into your car, home or safe given enough time. You want to make it more difficult for the crook and cause him (or her) to target your neighbor instead. This might sound a little harsh, but it just means don't make yourself an easy target. House: This is the first place to start. Make sure your doors and windows are sturdy. If the lock on your back door is 40 years old, replace it with a high quality lock. It should have a strike plate with very long screws. If your windows are old and drafty, replace them. For example, an old single pane window should be replaced with a modern dual pane window. It offers increased thermal protection and safety protection. Windows usually have the manufacturer's lock. Add a second method of locking it. To be very safe, add a third method of locking it. You may need to consult an expert on how to accomplish this. Do your homework on this and use someone you can trust. Alarm: If you have never considered getting one, think about it. If you have thought about it, do it! Survey several companies and the sensors they offer. Note that there is a monthly charge for the security company to continuously monitor the alarm for breaches. Consider adding cameras that connect directly to your smart phone. Again, do your research. Dog: Having a large dog that is territorial is a good deterrent. A very small dog is not. If you are a dog lover, this might be a good option. Safes: Some have said get a gun safe. Get a gun safe if you have guns. If you want a safe for your comics, papers, precious metals, etc. get a safe that is UL rated. Get a safe that is made for the stuff you want to put in it. The safe should be made to offer protection against fire and theft. Remember, all safes can be breached, given enough time. A two bit thief will break into one in days. A professional may take take 30 minutes. But if you have a house alarm, the thief probably doesn't want to stick around for more than a minute or two as an alarm is howling away. For the safe to be effective, it should weigh at least 800 pounds. Even safes that weigh 500 pounds can be dragged away by a couple of pros. Whatever you get, bolt it down! Do not get one of those Costco safes that cost 100 to 500 dollars. They are junk. It is better to wait and save up and get a quality safe. They are not cheap, unfortunately. Car: Never leave anything in plain sight if you park your vehicle. Notice I didn't say anything of value. Some thieves will steal anything, even a 10 year old CD. If they break in your car to steal a CD, they may find your funny books that are in the trunk. Don't tempt anyone. Storage Facilities and Safe Deposit Boxes: As the original posted said -- don't use them. If you must use them because you temporarily need more room, put your crummy stuff in them. Leave the good stuff at home. You may find that you can dispose of the crummy stuff and it frees up more space at home. Insurance: If you have a sizable collection, you should get insurance specifically for that stuff. Ask around at conventions (i.e. other collectors and dealers) about their insurance. Then do your own research. You will need to do some sort of inventory or documentation on your collection. This may include a complete list, grades, price paid and scans. This could be a lot of work or it could be a fun exercise. Without documentation, how do you know what they took? If your books are stolen and if you want the CGC community to help out, you need scans. Law Enforcement: Fine art crime is not taken seriously in the USA. Comic books ranked several notches below fine art, regardless of what we think and feel. So the police are not going to drop everything to look for your stolen funny books. But you will need a police report to file an insurance claim. No police report, no insurance settlement. Of course, if you didn't get insurance, you just got screwed over two times. That is a quick summary of what I have found. Differing opinions are welcomed.

I generally agree with this post. I believe it will get worse in the short term, but it will get better in the long term. Maybe even much better in the long term. For those who have suffered from thefts, I sincerely feel for them. I hope they get some sort of resolution.

Bob, I was absolutely sick reading about the theft. Having gone through something like this myself, I have an inkling on how you feel. I hope you get some resolution either through law enforcement or insurance or a board member spotting your books when they hit the resale market.

I hope you can make it.

My impressions of the show are.... Comic swap on Saturday: Lots of comics, crowded, noisy...some wheeling and dealing in the lobby. Convention on Sunday: Lots of comics, very crowded...some wheeling and dealing inside and outside the room! My only pic of the weekend is of a couple of board members having a good time!

The hotel has a parking structure right across the street, but it costs twenty bucks. If I remember correctly, Sunday parking was free. Of course, that was back in February 2020.

I’ll take it!

Brian Peets is giving him the "stink eye".

Not Brand Echh 1 and 2... ...per PM !

Yeah, there is so much going on in this convention. I didn't show the autograph signing area on the second floor. There is so much cosplay and some of it is very clever. Then there is the programming. You could spend all four days going from panel to panel...

Yup, stuffed French toast, Pumpkin waffles, strawberry shortcake waffles... I took pictures of random books that were right in front of me. I would not try to use that to figure out where the collecting trends are headed.

There were a couple of books that I thought had crazy prices on them. There were other books that were priced right that I was interested in, but I could not afford. When I went back to look at them, they were sold. For me, my best deals were with Bunky. I was treated very well. In my emotional happiness, I forgot to take pics of his booth.

I wrote this report because it is all doom and gloom on the boards. Maybe so, but this particular show on this particular weekend was fun and upbeat. All of the dealers I interacted with were happy. It might be because sales were good or it might be because it was nice to be back. Or a combination of the two. It probably is best for dealers to chime in instead of me speculating.

Yes, I thought there was a ton of books in the room.

Most likely. I asked the price on only one piece of art. I thanked him and walked away. After that, the price of food seemed very reasonable.

I'm not sure. I was looking at his case and he asked me if he could show me something. "Yes, can I see the cash?" He laughed and that was it.

Whew! I took many photos, but I apologize for not having any from Torpedo Comics, Greg Reece or Bunky pictures. I just forgot to take those. There were probably another five to seven small dealers with Modern books. One of those dealers had many high grade raw modern books and many 9.8 slab books. If you are into that, you would have been happy. So here are my thoughts and conclusions: The show is expensive to attend and badges are difficult to obtain. But if you know how, you can significantly increase your odds of getting a badge. Nothing illegal, but just a little common sense. Hotels are expensive, but probably in the same price range as any big city. If you don't mind driving 20 to 22 minutes, the selection is vast. Just don't wait until one or two months before to start looking for one. Yes, there is a lottery for parking. But if you get shut out of it, then you have to park six to eight blocks away. That happened to me in 2019. So I walked four blocks to breakfast, then two blocks to the convention. Attitude plays a big part of the experience. So right now, I'm still a little tired and my feet don't hurt quite as much. So would I do this again? Heck yeah!!!! I had so much fun looking at funny books and even buying a few. But the best part was meeting up with fellow boardies, having a meal or two with them, seeing old acquaintances and catching up with everyone. We always think everything will stay the same. But it doesn't. You never know who will be gone next year and it is important to treasure relationships and experiences. Here's to SDCC 2023!

The last of the comic book dealers...

HighGradeComics...

I spent a couple of hours in the original art area. I really could spend a whole day there. On my way back to the comic book area, there was a large crowd around a celebrity signing. I took her picture, but I have no idea who she is. Does anyone recognize her? There was a Star Wars area that was kind of fun. Take a look...

Some original art dealers...

I made my way over to the original art area. On the way, there were a few neat displays...

One small dealer who had some very interesting books. I never heard of him, but he is only on instagram.