How in the world did this go unnoticed???

[Paratrooper]

Only the one album, Begin to Hope. The wife and I were gonna go see Spektor, but couldn't get a babysitter.

 

Have you got any of the official bootlegs? I've got one, maybe two I can't remember. The unofficial I have is House of Blues from 2005 I think and here at the Pageant in StL in 2006. That show I went by myself and befriended a nice little girrrl from Minnesota. It was both of our first Ani show.

 

Regina Spektor is amazing, get the rest of her albums and you won't be dissapointed. I don't even know who to compare her too, she's as original as Bjork in her singing.

 

Do you live in MN? I have lots of family there, and ran the Twin Cities marathon....a long time ago.

[delekkerste]

It appears some do Bob. That you turn a profit on a book you may have held in your posession for 30 years or press a book to get the bump to maximize your ROI. Don't you know that shrinks the available pool for the purists out there?

 

Slabbed books can be unslabbed. Pressed books cannot be un-pressed.

[skypinkblu]

Please don't convert them to MP3s. Use a lossless format to rip and then convert to your format of choice if your player can't play the lossless format. Google is your friend. I think Lifehacker has a good article on this.

 

Oh, meant I'm converting to apple lossless...or MP4. Saves space, but I did buy the WD 1.5 Terabyte external. That should be able to hold my 3,000 cd's.

 

I've got a question though, after I'm done with my CD's I would like to burn my DVD movies onto my hard drive. How do I get past the key encryption? I'm doing this in prep for my deployment to Afghanistan.

 

When/where are you going? Keep your head down!

 

Soon, so if you guys don't hear from me for a year...that's where I'll be!

 

Don't forget to send me your address... I didn't forget about the care packages (and baby wipes) ..maybe I'll start a thread. We need to take care of you.

 

Don't have my address yet, but if I get internet connection over where I'll be I'll let ya know. Baby Wipes Wish I had a ton of those on my first deployment!

 

I sent you my real address, if you don't have internet, send a post card...and be CAREFUL (((Vaughn)))

[Paratrooper]

Todd Snider collection

We have something in common.

 

When do you leave? If you'll be around this week... such that a disc would have time to get to you... drop me a PM with your mailing address.

 

Good luck out there.

 

Todd is a great, great song writer. A young John Prine!

 

And yes, Trooper, please be careful and come home safe!

 

Thanks!

[Transplant]

Regina Spektor is amazing, get the rest of her albums and you won't be dissapointed. I don't even know who to compare her too, she's as original as Bjork in her singing.

 

Do you live in MN? I have lots of family there, and ran the Twin Cities marathon....a long time ago.

disappointed

 

No. I live in St Louis and the show was here. Only been to Minneapolis once and I thought it was really nice.

[Paratrooper]

Regina Spektor is amazing, get the rest of her albums and you won't be dissapointed. I don't even know who to compare her too, she's as original as Bjork in her singing.

 

Do you live in MN? I have lots of family there, and ran the Twin Cities marathon....a long time ago.

disappointed

 

No. I live in St Louis and the show was here. Only been to Minneapolis once and I thought it was really nice.

 

Drinking again, stupid misspellings! I'll be sober for a year soon, so making up for future lost time!

[scottish]

Regina Spektor is amazing, get the rest of her albums and you won't be dissapointed. I don't even know who to compare her too, she's as original as Bjork in her singing.

 

Do you live in MN? I have lots of family there, and ran the Twin Cities marathon....a long time ago.

disappointed

 

No. I live in St Louis and the show was here. Only been to Minneapolis once and I thought it was really nice.

 

Drinking again, stupid misspellings! I'll be sober for a year soon, so making up for future lost time!

 

From one (ex) grunt to another - definitely keep your head down. Here's hoping the tour goes quickly for you! (thumbs u

[Moondog]

Nice try, Bob. But, first, that isn't "my business". I'm an investor who suffers like everybody else when all the banks, companies, ratings agencies, etc. who are supposed to be helping me, their customer, fail to do their jobs or abuse their positions.

 

Second of all, all of those activities you mentioned ARE, indeed, deplorable. That's why Bernie Madoff, Bernie Ebbers, Jeff Skilling, etc. are in JAIL. That's why Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken did HARD TIME. That's why Sandy Weill got booted from Citigroup and is OUT OF A JOB. That's why all those Wall Street banks paid millions (billions?) of dollars of fines for their blatant conflicts of interest in the late 1990s and early 2000s. That's why all these bank execs keep getting dragged up to Capitol Hill to testify about their business activities leading up to the financial meltdown of 2008. They all got what they deserved in the end.

 

Anyway, it's all just classic misdirection yet again. Just because there are some bad apples in the financial world and other industries doesn't justify the lot of you steamrolling every book in your path and laying waste to the historical integrity of comics. Nobody has yet responded to my question of how can a book that has been artificially manipulated to a higher grade can be considered the equal to a book that was cherry picked off the stands and meticulously preserved for decades by its owner(s).

 

I still own hundreds of slabs, though I have sold off a good chunk of my modest collection. I still own many thousands of raw books. As some of you know, I am very active in the original art side of the hobby. And, I continue to buy loads of TPBs, hardcovers and digital comics every month and was continuing to actively buy raw books up until just a year or two ago. I attend conventions, hang out regularly with many Board members and participate almost daily on these Boards. I just no longer buy slabbed high grade - that part of the hobby is forever dead to me now.

 

It doesn't matter if this house of cards eventually comes tumbling down - the damage has been done. It was never enough to "just disclose". Manipulating books has a permanent effect on the rest of collectors and every collector that follows down the line. I wonder if the future Brulatos and Schmells of the world will feel as favorably about pressing as their predecessors. Indeed, after this crack-press-resub game eventually and inevitably implodes upon itself, why would future generations of collectors, with no seat on the current gravy train, even think that it was ever a good idea to pancake all those books that were already beautiful and well-preserved.

 

I'm sure this post will be just as derided by many as my last one. But, judging from the e-mails, PMs and conversations I have with many collectors, both here on the Boards and those who are not, I know that I am far from alone in my feelings about this matter.

I don't want to come off as deriding your position. And I think you bring up some valid points. But (you knew there would be a but) I have a big problem with one thing.

You have stated over and over that, due to "manipulation", you have no desire to purchase high grade comics. You also state that "manipulation" will cause the market to crash. So basically your problem with "manipulation" is its effect on prices and by extension its effect on your potential investment. And that is the part of this whole argument that bothers me. Pressers are called greedy time and again. Obviously money is a motivation for the endeavor. But anti-pressers seem to be motivated by the same greed. If their books are no longer the best, the highest graded, the most valuable then, by golly, they are going to take their ball and go home. And if they can't buy the best without some self-induced stigma attached then they want to take no part in the enjoyment of the books themselves. If that is your position then that is your choice. But it is a position that totally disregards any love for the books themselves other than their monetary value. And it is a position that I can't comprehend.

I respect you for speaking out about the problems you see in the hobby. But I have a problem with your equating those problems with greed, when it appears that your fears of losing money are the reason you no longer want to participate.

 

I understand this argument, Richard, and it has validity, but what about the ethics of crack/press/resub where owners of unmanipulated slabbed books (and raw books for that matter) are denied the dollars that the pressers will receive? Doesn't this disturb you at all - especially when the dollars can be thousands and tens of thousands?

[Aman619]

leave Phelps out of this. he doesnt take steroids, and he doesnt wear the "fast suit" as was mentioned earlier. I wish they called it the "good skin" instead.

[arexcrooke]

Nice try, Bob. But, first, that isn't "my business". I'm an investor who suffers like everybody else when all the banks, companies, ratings agencies, etc. who are supposed to be helping me, their customer, fail to do their jobs or abuse their positions.

 

Second of all, all of those activities you mentioned ARE, indeed, deplorable. That's why Bernie Madoff, Bernie Ebbers, Jeff Skilling, etc. are in JAIL. That's why Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken did HARD TIME. That's why Sandy Weill got booted from Citigroup and is OUT OF A JOB. That's why all those Wall Street banks paid millions (billions?) of dollars of fines for their blatant conflicts of interest in the late 1990s and early 2000s. That's why all these bank execs keep getting dragged up to Capitol Hill to testify about their business activities leading up to the financial meltdown of 2008. They all got what they deserved in the end.

 

Anyway, it's all just classic misdirection yet again. Just because there are some bad apples in the financial world and other industries doesn't justify the lot of you steamrolling every book in your path and laying waste to the historical integrity of comics. Nobody has yet responded to my question of how can a book that has been artificially manipulated to a higher grade can be considered the equal to a book that was cherry picked off the stands and meticulously preserved for decades by its owner(s).

 

I still own hundreds of slabs, though I have sold off a good chunk of my modest collection. I still own many thousands of raw books. As some of you know, I am very active in the original art side of the hobby. And, I continue to buy loads of TPBs, hardcovers and digital comics every month and was continuing to actively buy raw books up until just a year or two ago. I attend conventions, hang out regularly with many Board members and participate almost daily on these Boards. I just no longer buy slabbed high grade - that part of the hobby is forever dead to me now.

 

It doesn't matter if this house of cards eventually comes tumbling down - the damage has been done. It was never enough to "just disclose". Manipulating books has a permanent effect on the rest of collectors and every collector that follows down the line. I wonder if the future Brulatos and Schmells of the world will feel as favorably about pressing as their predecessors. Indeed, after this crack-press-resub game eventually and inevitably implodes upon itself, why would future generations of collectors, with no seat on the current gravy train, even think that it was ever a good idea to pancake all those books that were already beautiful and well-preserved.

 

I'm sure this post will be just as derided by many as my last one. But, judging from the e-mails, PMs and conversations I have with many collectors, both here on the Boards and those who are not, I know that I am far from alone in my feelings about this matter.

I don't want to come off as deriding your position. And I think you bring up some valid points. But (you knew there would be a but) I have a big problem with one thing.

You have stated over and over that, due to "manipulation", you have no desire to purchase high grade comics. You also state that "manipulation" will cause the market to crash. So basically your problem with "manipulation" is its effect on prices and by extension its effect on your potential investment. And that is the part of this whole argument that bothers me. Pressers are called greedy time and again. Obviously money is a motivation for the endeavor. But anti-pressers seem to be motivated by the same greed. If their books are no longer the best, the highest graded, the most valuable then, by golly, they are going to take their ball and go home. And if they can't buy the best without some self-induced stigma attached then they want to take no part in the enjoyment of the books themselves. If that is your position then that is your choice. But it is a position that totally disregards any love for the books themselves other than their monetary value. And it is a position that I can't comprehend.

I respect you for speaking out about the problems you see in the hobby. But I have a problem with your equating those problems with greed, when it appears that your fears of losing money are the reason you no longer want to participate.

 

I understand this argument, Richard, and it has validity, but what about the ethics of crack/press/resub where owners of unmanipulated slabbed books (and raw books for that matter) are denied the dollars that the pressers will receive? Doesn't this disturb you at all - especially when the dollars can be thousands and tens of thousands?

And I still dont see why you get your knickers in a twist over this. It really is no different than what you used to do when you would, using your knowledge, buy low and then sell high.

It is just a different avenue of the same thing that comic back issue market has been based on since pretty much the hobby started and people realized that others would pay over cover price for old newsprint with people in tights and girls with headlight boobs on the cover.

How can you, a dealer of all people, cry, wail, and gnash your teeth when you denied people thousands and thousands of dollars off of books you bought from them using knowledge you had that they didnt?

[arexcrooke]

I can't defend what you've chosen to misrepresent, Arex. For one thing, I clearly stated a belief that there are favorable and unfavorable aspects to collecting in both olden tymes and now in the age of CGC. I derided no one. I asked no one to buy and hold, let alone "required", as you put it. I have no idea why you choose to tee off about things I haven't even posted. You're way off base.

Here are your own words Bob, which come across as holier than thou and harkening back to the good old days when people did things differently than today:

ressing and CGC have changed the model by which collectors make money. Used to be collectors made money by buying books and holding them until their value increased above the purchase price. It was slow and a labor of love for the comics,

Why is it a labor of love then to make money off of books but now it turns into:

Now we have the age of collector A.D.D., in which books can be pressed, slabbed, and sold above purchase price essentially immediately.

but the current age of flipping would seem to hold less love for the comics.

So others in the past never bought books when they were a good deal and then immediately turned and sold them? I guess no one ever did that and took the proceeds to buy books that they wanted.

 

As far as why I slab books before selling them, the answer is obvious: to get a better price for them. You got a problem with that, too?

Oh hell no. I have no problem with that at all. I love making a buck, especially one that allows me to buy books I really want. Well, at that time I really want them

[Moondog]

If a comic is truly loved by a Collector he/she won't be digging it out of their treasure chest to get it pressed.

If a book has just been pressed you can bet your last dollar that person has selling on their mind not collecting and it is going to be sold.

 

When someone is motvated by the need to squeeze the last shekel out of this dying representation of a classic piece of American art even if it stunts its life by giving it a "spit shine" before they pass it off to a sucker, well, that to me is not a collector even if they used to be one or profess to still be one.

 

Treat your books better and let time increase their value.

 

 

+

 

Good post!

 

It's largely inaccurate and unfairly lumps all pro-pressers together.

 

You are right. Some of them are registry point %^$#@!.

 

Only other reason I can think of

 

I gave you a second chance, I now rescind that. Add something useful or not at all.

 

It was a joke about the registry points although in some cases it may be true but that would be an assumption on my part.

 

On top of that it is just an opinion.

 

Anyways I am just agreeing with subliminal because I see it that way too.

 

I don't like seeing books pressed but have even come to terms that if its disclose then they can do what ever they want with books.

 

I do believe however that pressing is part of the crack, press resub game which really for the most part is about making your book worth more money. If CGC wasn't around I don't even think pressing would be becoming so main stream. Yes some may still do it but you wouldn't have that authentication/CGC opinion thus books would be raw and as we all know grading is subjective so pressing books wouldn't be as valuable when it comes to monetary value of a book.

 

This is a very important element of the discussion that's not getting the attention it deserves. Sure books were pressed before, but in the past no one could tell the difference between a 9.2/9.4 or a 9.4/ 9.6 so there was no premium for pressing. Only with the advent of CGC did these percentage points become critical - and lead to the avalanche of pressing we're now enduring.

[Flaming_Telepath]

Nice try, Bob. But, first, that isn't "my business". I'm an investor who suffers like everybody else when all the banks, companies, ratings agencies, etc. who are supposed to be helping me, their customer, fail to do their jobs or abuse their positions.

 

Second of all, all of those activities you mentioned ARE, indeed, deplorable. That's why Bernie Madoff, Bernie Ebbers, Jeff Skilling, etc. are in JAIL. That's why Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken did HARD TIME. That's why Sandy Weill got booted from Citigroup and is OUT OF A JOB. That's why all those Wall Street banks paid millions (billions?) of dollars of fines for their blatant conflicts of interest in the late 1990s and early 2000s. That's why all these bank execs keep getting dragged up to Capitol Hill to testify about their business activities leading up to the financial meltdown of 2008. They all got what they deserved in the end.

 

Anyway, it's all just classic misdirection yet again. Just because there are some bad apples in the financial world and other industries doesn't justify the lot of you steamrolling every book in your path and laying waste to the historical integrity of comics. Nobody has yet responded to my question of how can a book that has been artificially manipulated to a higher grade can be considered the equal to a book that was cherry picked off the stands and meticulously preserved for decades by its owner(s).

 

I still own hundreds of slabs, though I have sold off a good chunk of my modest collection. I still own many thousands of raw books. As some of you know, I am very active in the original art side of the hobby. And, I continue to buy loads of TPBs, hardcovers and digital comics every month and was continuing to actively buy raw books up until just a year or two ago. I attend conventions, hang out regularly with many Board members and participate almost daily on these Boards. I just no longer buy slabbed high grade - that part of the hobby is forever dead to me now.

 

It doesn't matter if this house of cards eventually comes tumbling down - the damage has been done. It was never enough to "just disclose". Manipulating books has a permanent effect on the rest of collectors and every collector that follows down the line. I wonder if the future Brulatos and Schmells of the world will feel as favorably about pressing as their predecessors. Indeed, after this crack-press-resub game eventually and inevitably implodes upon itself, why would future generations of collectors, with no seat on the current gravy train, even think that it was ever a good idea to pancake all those books that were already beautiful and well-preserved.

 

I'm sure this post will be just as derided by many as my last one. But, judging from the e-mails, PMs and conversations I have with many collectors, both here on the Boards and those who are not, I know that I am far from alone in my feelings about this matter.

I don't want to come off as deriding your position. And I think you bring up some valid points. But (you knew there would be a but) I have a big problem with one thing.

You have stated over and over that, due to "manipulation", you have no desire to purchase high grade comics. You also state that "manipulation" will cause the market to crash. So basically your problem with "manipulation" is its effect on prices and by extension its effect on your potential investment. And that is the part of this whole argument that bothers me. Pressers are called greedy time and again. Obviously money is a motivation for the endeavor. But anti-pressers seem to be motivated by the same greed. If their books are no longer the best, the highest graded, the most valuable then, by golly, they are going to take their ball and go home. And if they can't buy the best without some self-induced stigma attached then they want to take no part in the enjoyment of the books themselves. If that is your position then that is your choice. But it is a position that totally disregards any love for the books themselves other than their monetary value. And it is a position that I can't comprehend.

I respect you for speaking out about the problems you see in the hobby. But I have a problem with your equating those problems with greed, when it appears that your fears of losing money are the reason you no longer want to participate.

 

I understand this argument, Richard, and it has validity, but what about the ethics of crack/press/resub where owners of unmanipulated slabbed books (and raw books for that matter) are denied the dollars that the pressers will receive? Doesn't this disturb you at all - especially when the dollars can be thousands and tens of thousands?

 

Gary, I think that in the times before the penny dropped, when CGC's treatment of pressing was unknown to all but a few 'select' sponsors/contacts/buddys, this argument would have had validity.

 

However, once it became known that CGC didn't treat pressing as resto and it could be as obvious as you like (they were pressing books themselves down the corridor from the grading room!) and it would still get a blue label, the argument crumbled.

 

You then had a choice whether to join in or not.

 

I personally would prefer that nobody made money off the 'game', but that's because the books then wouldn't be 'fiddled with'. I do find it ironic that restoration in this case (yes, I know, the least invasive form of resto) gets you more bucks rather than less but I can't complain about people making money off it if I could do the same and choose not to.

 

What I could complain about is the lunacy that multiplies your selling price by a factor of 5 or 10 for a .2 bump, but that's a story for another day.

[blazingbob]

No one could tell the difference between a 9.2/9.4 or a 9.4/9.6?

 

Wow, here's my new suggestion for NOD.

 

If you REALLY want to help the hobby.

 

Start grading classes. Charge for the training courses. Make the organization money. Run them at conventions. Imagine the impact your organization could have on the hobby if people learned how to grade. Imagine how the hobby could change just if customers and dealers started grading consistently. Establish certified dealers across the country that can do one on one training if people want that.

 

Eventually maybe somebody out there will know how to grade because obviously a well known Overstreet advisor can't tell the difference between a 9.2/9.4 or a 9.4/9.6.

 

Grading is subjective is a COP-OUT for those who are afraid to admit they don't know how to grade or are afraid to admit that the grading guide contradicts itself.

 

 

 

 

 

[buttock]

I collect comics because I like them, but a huge part of my enjoyment is being able to share their fine points with others. None of us is collecting in a vacuum.

 

+1

 

+1

 

buttock shared his finer points with me in a Baltimore hotel room and I've never been the same since.

 

 

Really. Spending absurd amounts of money on decaying, old paper goods that 99% of the population deems worthless, and that sit in a box in our closets seen by few if anyone else doesn't seem at all greedy?

 

Don't get me wrong, I don't think there is anything wrong with it. I would rather just call a spade a spade and leave the "greedy presser" comments out of it. From where I am sitting, collecting seems pretty self serving, but your mileage may vary.

 

Andy, this is just extreme reductionism. You can make literally ANYTHING greedy if you use this "logic". You've expanded the definition of "greed" beyond what it really means to try and make a point.

 

Altruistic behavior is nothing more than satisfying a personal need to feel like you're contributing. That's "greedy" by this thinking.

 

Merely living is "greedy" because you're utilizing resources that other, more worthy people could be using.

 

However, none of that is "greedy" because true "greed" implies an excessive, unnecessary, wanton extreme of the spectrum of gathering. Most of us aren't collecting in a greedy fashion, we're just collecting.

 

Dan, pretend you are an outsider looking in. People on this board routinely spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a single comic. Do you seriously think that most people wouldn't consider that excessive and unnecessary, especially given the fact that most books exist in reprints or cheaper lower grades? It's not reductionism. You don't have to rise to Nic Cage levels of excess to exhibit greedy behavior.

 

I think you are protesting a bit too much. Like I said, I don't think there is anything wrong with it. I just think the distinction between "greedy pressers" and collecting on the level that most people on this board collect is laughable hair splitting.

 

I think we probably both agree that the difference between a presser and a non-presser is marginal, at best. Where we seem to disagree is that any of this is greedy. I save greedy for people like Madoff.

 

If I was an outsider looking in, I'd probably collect something else. Or spend thousands on golf, water skiing, poker etc. All of which can be looked at as absurd by an outsider, so I might just shrug my shoulders and move on. People can spend their money on lots of things - it's what makes free market great.

[Moondog]

I think I'm always going to side with property rights. That's why I've raised the inflammatory capitalist vs. socialist points before. That & to be a clown.

 

I have a building on south Howard Avenue ~ SoHo ~ in Tampa. SoHo has that pretentious name because it is Tampa's restaurant row, home to all of the finest eateries in town such as Bern's Steakhouse.

 

My tenant has been there for a year & has been at war with the city over his BBQ joint. The smoke from the pit is wafting into the very high-end neighborhood of Hyde Park which Howard Avenue bisects.

 

I have spent some money in attorney's fees to help my tenant massage the city's zoning permits even though he is required to pay for such things himself under our lease agreement. I did this because once he establishes his BBQ joint I'm either going to raise his rent through the roof or terminate the lease & step right in with my own BBQ joint. I just raised his rent Jan 15th 33.33%. He didn't even wince.

 

It is my property. I wrote the lease. He signed it. The local home owners chose to buy homes adjacent to a wildly active commercial strip - pubs, clubs, restaurants, the works. I sympathize with them. But we are all adults in the world, operating at arm's length.

 

 

And you're proud of this? Did you disclose to your tenant what your scheming?

[TupennyConan]

I think I'm always going to side with property rights. That's why I've raised the inflammatory capitalist vs. socialist points before. That & to be a clown.

 

I have a building on south Howard Avenue ~ SoHo ~ in Tampa. SoHo has that pretentious name because it is Tampa's restaurant row, home to all of the finest eateries in town such as Bern's Steakhouse.

 

My tenant has been there for a year & has been at war with the city over his BBQ joint. The smoke from the pit is wafting into the very high-end neighborhood of Hyde Park which Howard Avenue bisects.

 

I have spent some money in attorney's fees to help my tenant massage the city's zoning permits even though he is required to pay for such things himself under our lease agreement. I did this because once he establishes his BBQ joint I'm either going to raise his rent through the roof or terminate the lease & step right in with my own BBQ joint. I just raised his rent Jan 15th 33.33%. He didn't even wince.

 

It is my property. I wrote the lease. He signed it. The local home owners chose to buy homes adjacent to a wildly active commercial strip - pubs, clubs, restaurants, the works. I sympathize with them. But we are all adults in the world, operating at arm's length.

 

 

And you're proud of this? Did you disclose to your tenant what your scheming?

 

Yes to both & you better believe it, bigshot.

 

It is my property. I tried to make it clear to you how much it is worth. It is on the most desirable, the most trendy street in the area for restaurants. My tenant is one of the most savvy bar, restaurant & nightclub owners in town. At present, I am his sucker at the current rent. I get calls every day on the property. I could have doubled his rent.

 

I am damn proud of what I do with my property.

 

Lease agreements are contracts between men & their attorneys.

[Paratrooper]

Damn, my derail didn't last long

[Rocketeer]

Start grading classes. Charge for the training courses. Make the organization money. Run them at conventions. Imagine the impact your organization could have on the hobby if people learned how to grade. Imagine how the hobby could change just if customers and dealers started grading consistently. Establish certified dealers across the country that can do one on one training if people want that.

 

...Sadly I really don't think that grading classes would help most dealers learn to grade as well as collectors can,....

[TupennyConan]

what your scheming?

 

This folks, is my first experience of a personal attack on the Boards. I've followed this gentleman's posts for months & have never bothered to acknowledge him. This is the sort of thing Mike Miles gets annoyed with when dealing with anti-pressers. Their zealotry appears to overwhelm their common sense & good taste.