ChadH Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Comic Art Con is such a great show for the OA lover! You walk into a small banquet room(~35' x 70') and whammy... I'd definitely say a million $ of OA at retail, easy... There's so much Kirby, your head spins, then you stumble across Ditko, Byrne, Milgrom, Cockrum, Frazetta, McFarlane, Windsor-Smith, Miller, just about anyone you can think of. As I'm looking through a portfolio, I eavesdrop on a dealer and buyer ironing out a $62K deal. Man, it was like watching pro's play Texas Hold 'em. Here's some of the pics I snapped: This page was really cool because I've never seen TMNT drawn on the dotted duo-shade paper, always the hatched paper. Really cool contrast to the norm. Note the dots in the second pic. I also have no idea what it's from... Maybe a CBG promo or some other PR-ish type story? I know this has floated around for a while, but it was badarse seeing in right in fron of me. A nice Bode page from Vol. 1 #32 Some good ole Laird for ya The CrimeMaster page caught my eye(top middle). It's a Ditko page from ASM Annual #2's pinup gallery Nice Byrne panels from FF's "The Trial of Galactus"(or better "Let's burn Mr. Fantastic at the stake") Other noteworthy pages(I'm mainly a Marvel guy outside TMNT so I'm sure there was plenty missed...) + Twice up page 1 splash from The Uncanny X-Men vol. 1 issue 4 + Marvel Tales 234 cover(sweet McFarlane cover!) Oh wow that Raphael is gorgeous!! I've been looking for something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChadH Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 (edited) Let me start this post by giving a HUGE thank-you to Adam(Peter Palmer) for getting this book for me. It was no simple task and of course Adam came through like he always does. So, thank-you Adam, I now own a truly awesome piece of TMNT history. So here it is below. #68 of 100, Turtlemania Silver. I could care less about the grade of this book as it's so rare that just owning one is a true honor and privelge. It presents WAY better than the grade which is that way because of a spline split and it having signatures and on the back cover. Thanks again Adam!! Now to find a gold! Edited September 22, 2014 by ChadH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan. Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spracknetch23 Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 I think that's the same 4.5 I saw in person in April at the Gem City Comic Con. Great pickup ChadH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlInSanDiego Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Thanks again, Ryan. So this happened today. USPS tried to deliver my CGC addressed (Sarasota, FL) Registered mail package with all my raw books to some address in Texas? I'm hopeful, being Registered Mail, the postal carrier understands the mistake instead of blindly knocking some door, asking for a signature, and leaving what I estimated to CGC as $28000+ worth of TMNT and what I insured with USPS for $25k, with some lucky person. I suppose if that does happen, I'll be paid $25k for them without having to go through the hassle of selling them. Hope my Turtles can surf. Appear to have gotten lost somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico... Still no word on the USPS SNAFU with all my original Turtles raw books. On Friday afternoon they called claiming the scan at Houston was a mistake and that it was on it's way to Florida, but why would it get scanned at a post office in TX at all if it was 2 day priority from San Diego to Sarasota? I'm thinking now it'll be found all mangled under a truck seat or in the corner of a plane, or it's really lost (or stolen???). Just glad I got insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sofistocat Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Oh wow that Raphael is gorgeous!! I've been looking for something like that. After some research and correspondences, it appears to have been a un-published pinup. The asking price was $2.5K. The size was in line with the pages drawn for the early issues(~ 10" x 13" total size). If you're interested, PM me and I'll send you the dealer info. As nice as the page is, especially with the dotted Graphix papar, I'd look for something with more provenence(published work, or an E&L colaborated page) at that price range... I'd even consider emailing Kevin and asking if there's anything he'd part with for that amount of $, before going to the dealers... As great as the show is and as genuine as most the dealers are, I still feel the "car salesman" markup mentality to most of them. Though I say that admitting I have to many morals to sells something with outrageous markups attached. Hope my Turtles can surf. Appear to have gotten lost somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico... Still no word on the USPS SNAFU with all my original Turtles raw books. On Friday afternoon they called claiming the scan at Houston was a mistake and that it was on it's way to Florida, but why would it get scanned at a post office in TX at all if it was 2 day priority from San Diego to Sarasota? I'm thinking now it'll be found all mangled under a truck seat or in the corner of a plane, or it's really lost (or stolen???). Just glad I got insurance. I hope for the best, may luck and karma be on your side! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChadH Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 PM Sent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icculus308win Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Congrats ChadH on your TMNT SILVER!!! Awesome!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChadH Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Thank you! I'll tell you, selling books on eBay has become a huge hassle. I don't mind the fee's and listing them. I constantly have 30 books for sell, all auctions starting at a dollar every week. I will continue to do so for several months as I've said I'm selling a huge collection. I'm finding more and more people buying one book, and sitting on it until more end so they can buy them. That's fine but I would love the money now. I've got one buyer that has bought two books, 6 days apart and says he might buy a few more. So I've yet to get payment at all. Getting quite frustrating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_TMNT Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 (edited) #68 of 100, Turtlemania Silver. Now to find a gold! Congrats Chad! Great book. My ungraded one is #66...we're like brothers. How did that get a Blue Label? My #57 is CGC but it got a Qualified green label. Hmmm. I feel like I've seen that book before but I can't place it. Did that come from Brian Tatge's TMNT collection that Motor City Comics bought years ago? Good luck on the Gold search. I've had the chance to buy one 2 different times in the past 5 years and each time the asking price has been out of my reach. Edited September 23, 2014 by rwhorn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan. Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 If Chad resubs it and requests a green label, it will probably come back a higher grade, as the signatures will not be held against it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 So this happened today. USPS tried to deliver my CGC addressed (Sarasota, FL) Registered mail package with all my raw books to some address in Texas? I'm hopeful, being Registered Mail, the postal carrier understands the mistake instead of blindly knocking some door, asking for a signature, and leaving what I estimated to CGC as $28000+ worth of TMNT and what I insured with USPS for $25k, with some lucky person. I suppose if that does happen, I'll be paid $25k for them without having to go through the hassle of selling them. Hope my Turtles can surf. Appear to have gotten lost somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico... Still no word on the USPS SNAFU with all my original Turtles raw books. On Friday afternoon they called claiming the scan at Houston was a mistake and that it was on it's way to Florida, but why would it get scanned at a post office in TX at all if it was 2 day priority from San Diego to Sarasota? I'm thinking now it'll be found all mangled under a truck seat or in the corner of a plane, or it's really lost (or stolen???). Just glad I got insurance. I'd be willing to wager that your books will arrive safe and sound and I base that on an experience I had a few years back. I sent some high-dollar books to CGC for grading. In the box were AF15, X-Men 1, JIM 83, and a FF1. They were in a priority box and got taped up at the post office with the special Registered Mail tape. To make a long story short, the box floated around for two and a half weeks before arriving safely at CGC. There were plenty of phone calls, "scanning mistakes", and "I'll get back to you"'s along the way. Things to keep in mind: It doesn't matter that you sent it Priority...Registered Mail is a different service and does not adhere to the 2-3 day priority estimates. Your books are insured, so if push comes to shove, you can get your cash value if things go wrong (which I hope they do not). I've known several other people who had the same issues and they all end with the package arriving safely, albeit delayed, at the destination. My suggestion would be to stay on top of it by tracking the shipment daily and give a phone call every 2-3 days. Other than that, try your best not to worry about it. Good luck. I hope it arrives soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlInSanDiego Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 My suggestion would be to stay on top of it by tracking the shipment daily and give a phone call every 2-3 days. Other than that, try your best not to worry about it. Good luck. I hope it arrives soon. Thanks Peter. I'll keep my chin up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woregul Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 my suggestion is to use USPS express shipping (overnight) for high priced books - high-priced meaning starting around $1500-$2000. From my experience, the insurance cost is a lot lower because there are much fewer days to insure, and the books have made it there every time without any issues. However I have not priced registered mail, so I do not know if express is more economical than registered. It is at least less stressful as the books are only with USPS for 24 hours or so. To ChadH, congratulations on getting the the Silver Turtlemania! From my Google searches, it was at one time being sold by Motor City Comics. I had been looking for a Silver Turtlemania since I was the underbidder in that eBay auction in 2012. I have kept in touch with that seller as he indicated that he had another Silver one but did not want to sell it yet. I have kept on occassionally asking him if he is ready to sell, and he finally said yes. This arrived in the mail this weekend: I now have the whole set. I just need to get the Silver slabbed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_TMNT Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 ^^ Awesome! I am so happy for you ! Glad you were able to complete the full set...which I still hope to do some day. Plus, I think that's the lowest number on a Silver I've seen to date. Very, very nice! Congrats man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChadH Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 I now have the whole set. I just need to get the Silver slabbed. Congrats on completing the set! Oh how I want a gold. I'm hoping to find a few in the next year or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gump24601 Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 That's a pretty awesome Turtlemania set right there, congrats woregul! I'm hoping in the next few days I'll be able to get a few pictures together of the start of my collection. I also had a commission done by Freddie Williams at the Brisbane Oz Comic Con and man, every time I look at it I get the stupidest grin. Can't wait to show it to everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Here's a picture that I was very excited to take. Recently, after several years, I was FINALLY able to get the complete set of the City at War storyline from TMNT all graded in 9.8! Here's the group shot: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan91 Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Congrats, Adam. I know you have been working on it or a long time. I am glad you found them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icculus308win Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Just noticed "How to draw the TMNT" got added to the TMNT Registry. Didn't know that was going there. Fine by me - just added my copy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...