Reminiscences of an avid collector/dealer in the 1960s

[HouseofComics.Com]

Hi guys,

 

I dropped this link into another gold thread but it died so I thought I'd post it here.

 

I love these stories of how available golden age was in the 60s! Or at least, how it was more available than I realized.

 

This guy loves comics:

 

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=115727724&blogID=175275745

[The Black Hand ®]

This is a great read. I hung in some of the same circles as Kerry back then and fondly remember Barry Bauman, his mom's house and his BatCave.

[HouseofComics.Com]

For you guys who haven't read the thread, Barry had 50,000 GA comics when he was 18! All in his attic bedroom, with a professionally painted Superman symbol on the floor. BH, do you remember the symbol?

[Primetime]

Great stories. Thanks for the link. It was so cool to read that he had a shot at buying an Action #1 in 1966 for $150 Alot of money for a 17 year old in 1966...He had a shot at a Tec 1 too...oh, and leaving his first copy of AF15 on the bus seat---too funny.

 

Hi guys,

 

I dropped this link into another gold thread but it died so I thought I'd post it here.

 

I love these stories of how available golden age was in the 60s! Or at least, how it was more available than I realized.

 

This guy loves comics:

 

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=115727724&blogID=175275745

[swapto]

Great story!

 

Thanks,

 

B.

[HouseofComics.Com]

Kerry's been mentioned in Comic Book Marketplace by the way. Scott McAdam gives Kerry credit for training him (and his buddy Steve Wyatt) when they were 13-years old. Kerry apparently came back from the navy and became at least a part-time dealer in the 70s at the Alameda flea market.

 

Anyway, Kerry is still a fan. I met him a week ago at the Hayward Con (promoted by Steve Wyatt).

 

Marc

[The Black Hand ®]

For you guys who haven't read the thread, Barry had 50,000 GA comics when he was 18! All in his attic bedroom, with a professionally painted Superman symbol on the floor. BH, do you remember the symbol?

 

I do! I was saddened to hear that Barry had died in an auto accident, years back.

[BangZoom]

I do! I was saddened to hear that Barry had died in an auto accident, years back.

 

I remember meeting Barry at a NY convention back in the 60's.

[The Black Hand ®]

Thinking about Barry and those times back in the SF Bay Area brings back some great memories of collecting as a kid before everything started changing and going south. Kerry Lawless's name is very familiar to me and I'm sure I either knew him or knew of him. I knew the Dang brothers, that's for sure and Barry....Barry could charm the skin off a snake, or the dress off a hippy chick.

[HouseofComics.Com]

[The Black Hand ®]

I hope Bob Beerbohm includes Barry in one of his books. I know that they were good friends and Bob has a lot of great anecdotes about Barry. I know Barry thought it was cool that I came from a family of musicians and music teachers and that I played in few bands back then. I wish Kerry would come on the boards it's driving me crazy whether I knew him or just knew of him. Anyone know if Ted and Lucas Dang are still active in the hobby?

[Transplant]

I love that the states, very matter of factly, that his collecting stopped when, as he was shipping off to active duty, someone offered to buy all his comics. So he sold. That's it. No remorse. No bemoaning that he couldn't store them somewhere while he was away. It sound more like he just would've rather had the money at that time than the books. The blog makes it sound like a very quick and easy decision.

[The Black Hand ®]

Well, also we were reaching an age where we were outgrowing comics and going into the service back then was a big change for an 18 year old. I remember selling off some of my comics to buy musical instrument to be in a band. my junior and senior year of highschool. Girls were becoming a very big part of my life. I didn't regret dumping my books at the time, but I sure wish I would have kept them.

[aardvark88]

Anyone know if Ted and Lucas Dang are still active in the hobby?

 

I remember I bought my 2nd copy of Amaz Fant #15 from Lucas Dang on the last day of the San Diego Comic-con circa 1989. He had reasonable prices on GA comics under his glass display case too.

[Bronty]

amazing. how did you even know it was him? Did you get to chatting or did he have a sign up or something? The scary part is its almost 20 years since the 89 con.

[ciorac]

Thinking about Barry and those times back in the SF Bay Area brings back some great memories of collecting as a kid before everything started changing and going south. Kerry Lawless's name is very familiar to me and I'm sure I either knew him or knew of him. I knew the Dang brothers, that's for sure and Barry....Barry could charm the skin off a snake, or the dress off a hippy chick.

 

I remember Lucas Dang. Is he still active in the hobby?

[buttock]

I remember Lucas Dang from about 10 years ago.

[ciorac]

I remember Lucas Dang from about 10 years ago.

 

Last time I saw him was in 1995 or 1996, he was buying comics from me for Showcase Dan (unbeknownst to me)

[The Black Hand ®]

I remember Lucas Dang from about 10 years ago.

 

Last time I saw him was in 1995 or 1996, he was buying comics from me for Showcase Dan (unbeknownst to me)

 

It must be 35 years or so for me.I traded an Action #3, that my uncle had bought for me at Cherokee bookstore, to Lucas for several books. A Superman 5 and a Superboy1 and Pep 32 and a few others.He really wanted it and had been bugging me for months to sell it or trade it to him, I was quite a bit younger and not much smarter than I am now. He finally talked me into bringing the book over to their house to show it to them. Big Mistake. They wouldn't let me leave their house until I traded. I was devastated that I was stupid enough to be talked into that dumb trade. The one saving grace was that when I first got the Action 3, I opened it up and near the centerfold on the left inner margin, I wrote my name and address in ball point pen. About a week after the trade, Lucas or Teddy, came over and said:"Hey Vince, why did you write your name in the Action?" With such a look of agony on his face. "I don't know" I said " But I'll trade you back for it." "No, No" he said and left. Several times over the next few years whenever I ran into him, he would look at me with that pained expression on his face and ask: "Vince, why did you ever write your name in that action?". Why indeed.

[Duffman_Comics]

What a great story, thanks so much for the link.

 

Got me thinking that back in THAT day the prices of comics were low because I guess, in essence, one was paying a "finder's fee" for the books. The author seems to scour the SF countryside looking for them at "used book store" prices and it's his time and effort that are reflected in the prices - up until whole collections are purchased.

 

Again, great read. (thumbs u