Question for those who attend conventions.....

[G.A.tor]

yeah, except for the smaller dealers that might not have a large internet or ebay presence, nothing of consequence you will likely find at a con that you can't find online...

go for the social aspect and the other wonderful events

 

 

I always wondered if there were far more dealers out there that just didn't have a website. Or if they kept a certain stockpile of books just for cons.

 

Rick is correct. I go to cons for those smaller dealers that have cool books: John Hauser, Jeff (?) Weaver, Nelson Dodds, the headband guy from Minnesota, John Haines, Tony (?) from Canada, Big Ed, ... the list goes on - you name them but most of these guys don't have everything they've got online. Heck I even found a nice Atomic Age book last year at a trades and moderns only booth!

headband guy had some great books, didn't he!

[Paratrooper]

Are there any conventions in Colorado?

 

hey 'Trooper. There's a big void in this area for a Comic con. We have Majesticon and that's really it.

 

Well, saves me some money I suppose. Thanks for the info., I'll be living there shortly. Don't know if I'll be there in time to make San Diego.

[pennynike1]

I have been going to WW Chicago for the last several years. I used to have quite a bit of success finding books years back, when I was collecting Silver Age. Obviously, those books are much more readily available, and what you found were dealers purchasing books on eBay, then attempting to sell them at .5 to 1x what they paid.

 

Last year was the first year that I attended WW Chicago where I was specifically looking for high grade Golden Age. I found one raw book I was looking for, and made a few contacts with dealers that ended up in resulting in transactions down the road. I was a bit dissapointed with the lack of CGC graded books at the con, which, of course, is my collecting preference.

[nearmint]

One thing I enjoy doing is looking at other peoples' convention photos and seeing dealers' display racks in the background. I've picked up 2 nice Golden Age books in the last year this way.

[innocuous]

Me too. I love staring at the wall displays. I usually wait for the look that says "buy something or move on".

 

Most dealers don't have room to put up all their "wall books". So, be sure and ask as there is usually a box or two under the table that you can look through.

 

And, when you're done, head over to the artist area and get some sketches in your sketch book. I love this part of attending a convention.

[Scrooge]

headband guy had some great books, didn't he!

 

Generally does. He's got such great showmanship as a salesman too I like checking his stuff though because he carries those lower grade oddball books that I like. Last year, Haines bought a huge stack of low grade Fiction House books from him when I was looking at his higher dollar books and then I got to see them all again at Haines' booth.

[143ksk]

headband guy had some great books, didn't he!

 

Generally does. He's got such great showmanship as a salesman too I like checking his stuff though because he carries those lower grade oddball books that I like. Last year, Haines bought a huge stack of low grade Fiction House books from him when I was looking at his higher dollar books and then I got to see them all again at Haines' booth.

 

Headband guy is from Midway Books in St. Paul. His name escapes me at the moment, though...

[G.A.tor]

headband guy had some great books, didn't he!

 

Generally does. He's got such great showmanship as a salesman too I like checking his stuff though because he carries those lower grade oddball books that I like. Last year, Haines bought a huge stack of low grade Fiction House books from him when I was looking at his higher dollar books and then I got to see them all again at Haines' booth.

luckily, his personality doesn't detract from his great books

[G.A.tor]

headband guy had some great books, didn't he!

 

Generally does. He's got such great showmanship as a salesman too I like checking his stuff though because he carries those lower grade oddball books that I like. Last year, Haines bought a huge stack of low grade Fiction House books from him when I was looking at his higher dollar books and then I got to see them all again at Haines' booth.

 

Headband guy is from Midway Books in St. Paul. His name escapes me at the moment, though...

we is known and "loved" by all

 

[snitzer]

Are there any conventions in Colorado?

 

hey 'Trooper. There's a big void in this area for a Comic con. We have Majesticon and that's really it.

 

Well, saves me some money I suppose. Thanks for the info., I'll be living there shortly. Don't know if I'll be there in time to make San Diego.

 

You actually bring up a really good point as living out here does save you money in regards to comic related expenditures. This is because in terms of "physical" events or stores the pickings can be slim at times for GA and SA die hards. You'll have plenty of LCS' to choose from though including about four Mile High stores around the Denver area. I've never visited any of the stores in the Springs, but it looks like there's about four mom 'n pop stores around town as well.

 

Happy hunting (thumbs u

[Paratrooper]

Excellent, thanks for the info!

[General Zod]

It is hit and miss. Generally, the internet is where you can find anything there is out there. But, it has its inherent problems.

 

The Cons are fun. Like an amusement park atmosphere, but they seem to be really geared towards all of the stuff surrounding comic books and not so much the books themselves nowadays.

 

I always buy something at them. More because I just feel that I have to, than they have what I was looking for. I have went to some and not purchased anything and it sucked going home without another treasure.

 

The dealers buy and sell with each other prior to "us" being allowed in, thus limiting the really good deals. I have been a dealer at these shows before and I had my stuff priced low. For the couple of hours proceeding the customers being allowed in, dealers were swarming through my stuff and buying a lot of it. Then they would have theose books to sell at their stands just minutes later, at higher prices.

 

For example, I had stacks of Amazing Spiderman #300 and Iron Fist #14 (and many other hot books), priced under 20 bucks, Granted this was a while back, but none made it to the opening of the doors for the attendees. The other dealers all scarfed them up. Yes, I sold low and generally a "dealer" will give another "dealer" a dealer discount, but it was still many times what I paid for them. They were all purchased at cover price and unread. Amazingly, I had a trimmed AF#15 that I was asking 800 (dealer discount, regular asking price was 900) bucks for it and although a bunch of dealers looked at it, none pulled the trigger. I then had it CGC'd (4.5 slight trim top and side), and sold it for 2500 or thereabouts, on Ebay.

 

Kinda wish I had them all back, but then, don't we always say that, after they are gone?

 

Bottom line. Find'em where they are.

 

 

Moral of your story: Become a dealer and get in on all the good books before the con starts!