Ranking the Dealers

[Foolkiller]

About every year or so, I go through and try to give a fair assessment of who I think the best comic dealers are for vintage material. It's really just an opinion and in the past, several people have cited things about auction houses not really being "dealers" etc. My criteria are the outlets that are comic specific running both sales and auctions.

 

Some of the factors that I considered were: accuracy of grading, breadth of inventory, customer service, responsiveness to issues/concerns/problems, utility of website, presence at conventions, and ability to bring new material to market.

 

I've tried to give the pros and cons of each dealer and while I expect that I may not win a popularity contest for giving some of the cons, in each of these dealers the pros far outweigh the cons. I considered a number of dealers in this including the following:

 

Harley Yee

Dale Roberts

Metropolis

Bob Storms

Comic Link

World Wide

Heritage

Doug Sulipa

Richard Evans

Ted VanLiew

Motor City

Terry O'Neill

Dave Reynolds

Dave Kapelka

John Haines

Filter81

Rick Whitelock

Qualitycomix

Nelson Dodds

Jamie Graham

Marc Nathan

Brian Peets

Jamie Newbold

Mark Zaid

Marnin Rosenberg

Rob Hughes

Bill Hughes

Andy Coleman

John Verzyl

Doug Schmell

Steve Lauterbach

Chuck Rozanski

Jef Hinds

Ron Pusell

Gary Dolgoff

Jeff Weaver

Al Stoltz

Jim Payette

Mark Wilson

John Hauser

Rich Muchin

Silver Age Comics

Bruce Edwards

Larry Curcio

Bechara Malouff

Joe Verenault

Lee Hester

Ed Robertson

 

Honorable mentions to the following dealers:

 

Al Stoltz, Jim Payette, Richard Evans, Dale Roberts, Rick Whitelock, Dave Reynolds, Joe Verenault and Terry O'Neill.

 

Harley Yee:

 

Rank: 10

 

Pros: Harley is one of the best dealers out there for digging out raw material especially. He is an extremely aggressive buyer at cons and a fairly accurate grader. When I was looking for 10 cent DCs, Harley was one of the few dealers who consistently came up with new product that was very high grade for a super tough era. I also think people under rate how pleasant Harley is and easy to work with. While I used to feel the discounts were a bit thin, he’s subsequently gotten easier to negotiate with on certain books. He also pays very fair for books that he needs/wants and has no problem producing the cash immediately.

 

Cons: Harley is expensive, VERY expensive on a lot of his books. Many times the raw books are priced at a multiple of what the book would sell for slabbed. His raw grading is good, and generally accurate, but I would not qualify it as tight or conservative overall. I think Harley has a certain model on his pricing, making it sometimes difficult to find a deal.

 

Overall: Want that tougher to find book in grade? Harley is a good bet.

 

QualityComix (Brent Moeshlin):

 

Rank: 9

 

Pros: Over the past couple of years, Brent has begun to aggressively buy and expand his graded inventory. Also, his auctions have brought consignments and offerings of some nice high grade and key material. I would argue that behind Heritage and Comiclink, you could almost argue that Quality’s auctions obtain as much attention as most Comic Connect auctions these days in terms of the ordinary auction, something quite amazing when you consider that Brent does not have the same level of backing that Metropolis has. Brent’s grading is very accurate, especially on grades 9.0 or better. He’s extremely professional to deal with and has a reputation for integrity and honesty. I wish I could say that was common amongst comic dealers, but it really isn’t.

 

Cons: Brent has two major cons: a) his inventory isn’t as deep as most major dealers and b) grading is soft on grades below 8.0. While Brent does turn up some good material, it’s more often on the order of smaller collections and individual books rather than large collections. Unlike some of the other sites who ranked above Brent, their inventories are larger and more extensive in terms of volume and quality volume. I think Brent’s grading 9.0 and above might actually be conservative, but 8.0 and below I think it can be a little spottier, though by no means is it weak.

 

Overall: If you want an honest, straight shooter for a dealer, see Brent Moeshlin.

 

 

Doug Schmell (Pedigree Comics)

Rank: 8

 

Pros: Doug’s inventory of high grade (mostly) Marvels is second to almost no one. He offers some of the highest graded copies of tough Marvel keys and consistently offers ultra high grade slabbed books. In addition, Doug does an excellent job of obtaining exceptionally high prices for these books and has a clientele that looks to his site for ultra high grade material. This makes pedigreecomics.com one of the first sites that many ultra high grade collectors will look to first. If you are someone who routinely offers, FF 1s, DD 1s, ASM 1s and other 9.6/9.8 Marvels (and some DCs) then there is no denying Doug’s importance to the marketplace and his place on this list.

 

Cons: Doug has taken a number of hits to his reputation over the years periodically for honesty and integrity. While I think Doug is a nice guy with some great books, the specter of his past is certainly cast over his business now. Moreover, there have been questions about whether or not there has been any manipulations in his auctions and while I never saw any definitive or concrete proof, there are rumblings amongst some people who don’t want to traffic that site anymore. Finally, Doug does not offer any raw books, and that is really a major problem since it makes him like a niche specialty more than a full blown comic dealer.

 

Overall: Want the best ultra high grade Marvels? You have to look at Pedigreecomics.com because their inventory and offerings are superior.

 

Chuck Rozanski (Mile High Comics)

Rank: 7

 

Pros: Chuck’s website offers an incredible amount of material in both vintage and new material. He is an incredible voracious buyer and appears at shows both large and small buying huge bulk volume. In addition, Chuck is an incredible supplier to much of the world who buy back issues, trades and new books. His sales and codeword sales do, from time to time, bring bargains and reasonable buys. At shows, he can make some dealers’ shows by buying out their inventory and preventing them from disaster. Based on sheer volume alone, Chuck’s presence in the marketplace makes him a dealer that you absolutely have to acknowledge.

 

Cons: The grading at Mile High Comics is often inaccurate and sometimes deplorable, so for high end vintage, they really can’t be considered an option. In addition, I think their customer service is often dismissive and unfriendly. While Chuck himself is a pretty decent guy when you see him at shows, his staff isn’t really all that great. In addition, Chuck is a bit of an egomaniac and narcissist – obviously evident from his emails etc.

 

Overall: Chuck is an important factor in the hobby, and if you are looking to fill your run then Mile High has to be one of the options.

 

Doug Sulipa

 

Rank: 6

 

Pros: Doug is one of the best graders in the hobby, has an incredible inventory and is one of the easiest dealers to work with. My experiences with Doug have always been top rate and the service unbelievably fast. When I have received my books, the grading has been some of the strictest that I’ve ever seen from a major dealer. In fact, of the hundreds of books from Doug, I can only think of perhaps one or two I did not think was at or above what he originally claimed.

 

Cons: Doug doesn’t set up at shows and his website is a mess, with few scans and impossible to navigate. Unfortunately, in today’s technology age, having a 2nd or 3rd class website really hurts your ability to be seen as a significant player long term. While most people who know Doug and buy from him do so from the standpoint having bought from him many times or know someone who did. But if you didn’t know anything about Doug and just went to his website, I can’t imagine you’d look and say, this is an easy to use website, let me see what I can buy.

 

Overall: A+ grading, terrific service, broad inventory. One of the best dealers out there, but needs to have his website overhauled.

 

[Foolkiller]

I'll rank 5 to 1 later this afternoon.

[HouseofComics.Com]

This is all very well said, Brian.

[zuckuss2003]

Edit, N/M, didn't spot the name at the top at first.

[Foolkiller]

Dale is an honorable mention, same as the other folks on that list.

[Pirate]

i misread, i thought the first list was the order.

[Dick Pontoon]

I'll rank 5 to 1 later this afternoon.

 

And when do we get the worst list?

[thirdgreenham]

Good job, Brian. Nice to see the cons on there as well. Don't agree wholeheartedly so far, but there has been a lot of work put into this and that should be applauded.

 

Here's hoping my fave is one of yours as well.

 

Andy

[Foolkiller]

Comiclink

 

Rank: 5

 

Pros: Comiclink, through its monthly auctions, offers more high graded slabbed material than almost any other venue in terms of Silver and Bronze. Want 5 AF 15s? Comiclink. 3 FF 1s? Comiclink. Where’s that 9.8 ASM 31, oh, Comiclink. Comiclink has been offering incredible high grade material over the last two years that is second to none. The Rocky Mountains, the somewhat overlooked Heartlands, and other original collections have all been offered through Comiclink. The website, despite being an older design, is still a fairly usable interface and user friendly. The prices achieved, while somewhat softer, are still strong in most areas.

 

Cons: Comiclink customer service can be spotty. They are often slow to respond to many people’s questions or emails. In addition, they are experiencing some growth problems. By running a monthly auction and having so much overhead, it is now critical that they have income constantly flowing in. This almost dilutes their material and makes it slightly less special. Also, the weakening of their prices weakens the perception of Comiclink which is part of what they rely on to get consignments. While they have had a lot of “A” material, they’ve been overshadowed lately with other sites with some more significant books. The Rocky Mountains are still very, very impressive though, and they will have a pipeline of books for some time to come.

 

Overall: Comiclink is still the ruler of SA/BA auctions and offers the best material. A cleanup on some web design issues, a tweak with customer service and a rebounding market will catapult Comiclink back near the very top.

 

Bob Storms (highgradecomics.com)

 

Rank: 4

 

Pros: Bob Storms’ website has now become one of the absolute best (sckao had a big hand in that, as well some boardies) now with extensive, extensive offerings of books in all grades. Bob’s grading is tight and accurate. He has deep runs of almost all the major Marvel titles and has a decent inventory on DCs. Bob also aggressively pursues collections and pays fairly. One of the great advantages to Bob is that he is going to be straight with you. Let me say that of everyone on this list, the guy I think of as the most honest is Storms. Now you may not love his “honesty” at times, but at least you know it’s there. But Bob is honest, forthright and will not try and “hustle” you out of a collection. Bob also has an incredible work ethic. He’s not putting his feet up, so in terms of consignments, I would want to consign to a guy who interested in working. Bob is that kind of dealer, he isn’t just going to sit on his a** and hope the book sells. When you place an order, expect prompt shipping and fast answers on your offers. His scans are crystal clear and his inventory extensively covers both raw and graded. He’s a first rate dealer and one of the absolute best. In fact, Bob is my dealer of choice and if I can get a book from any dealer out there, I go to Bob Storms first.

 

Cons: Okay, I need to keep it real. Well the first con is that Storms hired Spidey on tilt or Cobra Commander (just kidding John, actually you’ve been an asset to him). Anyway, Storms has two cons I’d look at: 1) his DC inventory and GA is light so it’s hard to move him much further up on the list. 2) Bob’s convention personality if you don’t know him and emails are not exactly warm and fuzzy. One of his customers once said to me, I feel like Bob is a little bit of a d—k in his emails. Bob could be a little nicer and less curt, but he is who he is. You can’t expect him to hold your hand or give you a hug. Sometimes the emails will be blunt and the look on his face will be incredulous at your obvious stupidity.

 

Overall: Honest? Check. Excellent grading? Check. Huge inventory? Check. Competitive prices? Check. Tries to improve himself constantly? Check. One of the best of the best.

Heritage Comics

 

Rank: 3

 

Pros: Heritage is, thus far, the auction house/dealer with the best ability to come up with material from all ages and all genres. While they are likely the #1 auction house for Golden Age, the addition of Steve Borock has given them the ability to aggressively pursue a variety of other types of collections with total credibility. The Detective 27 sale certainly will give them some more press and people in the general public often think of Heritage when they are going to sell a lifetime collection. Even people who don’t seem to know much about comics have told me they’ve heard of Heritage and know that they auction comics. Heritage is also a fairly professional corporate type company and so they are generally easy to talk to and work with. They resolve their issues promptly and courteously. Their scans and database is just an unbelievable resource, and they are truly outstanding when it comes to providing background information on some rare items.

 

Cons: Well, the whole N.P. Gresham thing and their penchant for potentially shady dealings is a blow to their reputation overall. Heritage Sunday auctions have recently become known for their “deals” meaning that many of the books there are selling for less than full market value. If you are a consignor, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence to get the best price.

 

Overall: Heritage is the site to go to for GA Consignments and material and still is a strong presence for SA.

 

World Wide Comics (Steve Ritter and Matt Nelson)

 

Rank: 2

 

Pros: The WW Comics inventory is one of the largest and most extensive from GA to Copper age that is available online. Steve Ritter is one of the most accurate graders of all of the dealers and very knowledgeable with regards to CGC standards. While much of his inventory has come from his personal collection, Ritter remains a presence in aggressively buying books as well (especially the Mound City auction) and out of major pedigree collections (like the Toth collection). Their customer service is fast, responsive and friendly. Ritter himself is an extremely nice guy who generally does what he can to accommodate requests and fill want lists. They have not limited themselves to narrow portions or eras, but instead have aggressively extended into copper age 9.8s as well as their vintage inventory. Their set up at shows is second to no one, even Metropolis’s because World Wide offers such an extensive volume the appeal is to a much broader range of customer as compared to Metro’s. In connection with their comic selling business, partner Matt Nelson also adds his incredible pressing and restoration service. Whether you are for or against pressing, Matt provides a unique service that draws attention from hordes of people at every show. Again, Matt is friendly, professional and direct. Steve has a reputation for integrity and honesty and Matt is considered the leading restoration expert currently working. This combination propels them to the #2 spot.

 

Cons: Some of their strengths are also weaknesses. The fact that the best part of the inventory was Ritter’s personal collection means that there is a finite shelf life to their status. Additionally, while the Golden State Collection and Peter Kuper collections are nice, they really aren’t significant early finds and since Ritter put his own books on the market, I can’t think of a truly significant collection they’ve uncovered. The pressing aspect of their business is obviously important, but the reality is that it drives some people away from their site because of the divisive nature of the practice.

 

Overall: With a huge inventory of raw, slabbed, GA, SA, BA, CA – and a restoration service offered by one of the partners who is the premiere resto expert for comic books in the country, World Wide is a tremendous presence.

 

Metropolis

 

Rank: 1

 

Pros: Metropolis is the king of all dealers. The 8.0 Action 1, multiple AF 15s, Batman 1s, FF 1s and every other book under the sun, Metro trades in the best of the best, has an incredibly deep inventory second to no one, runs an auction site, and can act as a one stop shopping need for any comic collectors’ needs. Raw, slabbed, high grade, low, mid grade – Metropolis has it all. They have generally good customer service, but at times can be overwhelmed and slow to respond. Overall though, they are responsive to requests and inquiries. Prices, despite some examples to the contrary, are generally in line with fair market value. Plenty of times, they are under. Sometimes they are very aggressive and over. For the most part, Metro prices are competitive. Additionally, the extent of Golden Age available in one place at one time is astonishing. Metro pays aggressively for books when they need them and keeps their inventory fresh, adding to it constantly.

 

Cons: We’ve all heard, Metro grading is soft, Metro doesn’t respond, Metro pricing is too high. Some of this is sour grapes and whining, but some of this is legitimate criticism. Whenever you are at the top of the industry, there is going to be some criticisms and critiques. There are going to be those gunning for you and the expectations for your service and performance will be higher than the “ordinary” dealer. Just like a Rolex or some other company, while they deal in high end best of the best type material, sometimes the “ordinary guy” doesn’t feel very important or paid attention to.

 

Overall: The biggest and best.

 

[Bunky Brian]

Nice job, and pretty accurate IMHO (thumbs u

[mschmidt]

Chuck Rozanski (Mile High Comics)

Rank: 7

 

Pros: Chuck’s website offers an incredible amount of material in both vintage and new material. He is an incredible voracious buyer and appears at shows both large and small buying huge bulk volume. In addition, Chuck is an incredible supplier to much of the world who buy back issues, trades and new books. His sales and codeword sales do, from time to time, bring bargains and reasonable buys. At shows, he can make some dealers’ shows by buying out their inventory and preventing them from disaster. Based on sheer volume alone, Chuck’s presence in the marketplace makes him a dealer that you absolutely have to acknowledge.

 

Cons: The grading at Mile High Comics is often inaccurate and sometimes deplorable, so for high end vintage, they really can’t be considered an option. In addition, I think their customer service is often dismissive and unfriendly. While Chuck himself is a pretty decent guy when you see him at shows, his staff isn’t really all that great. In addition, Chuck is a bit of an egomaniac and narcissist – obviously evident from his emails etc.

 

Overall: Chuck is an important factor in the hobby, and if you are looking to fill your run then Mile High has to be one of the options.

 

You're glossing over the fact that Mile High is one of the worst offenders in this entire hobby when it comes to overpricing. Even with his CRAAAZZYY 50% off codeword sales that, according to Chuck, makes him teeter on the edge of bankruptcy, his prices are still laughable in an industry where it actually isn't that hard to figure out the real fair market value of any particular item.

 

His slabs are commonly priced at 4-5 times GPA, and modern books (with a 2.99-3.99 cover price) are pushed into the $12.99 back issue category mere months after release (just so he can pretend that when he discounts them at 50% off and the price drops to $6.00 he's giving you a great deal).

 

It's an insult to the rest of the dealers on this list to have him in the top 10 - his combination of overpricing & overgrading is despicable.

[Flying Orb]

Very informative. I've dealt with most of them and, for the most part, agree with your assessment.

 

 

(thumbs u

[capt_comics]

Chuck Rozanski (Mile High Comics)

Rank: 7

 

Pros: Chuck’s website offers an incredible amount of material in both vintage and new material. He is an incredible voracious buyer and appears at shows both large and small buying huge bulk volume. In addition, Chuck is an incredible supplier to much of the world who buy back issues, trades and new books. His sales and codeword sales do, from time to time, bring bargains and reasonable buys. At shows, he can make some dealers’ shows by buying out their inventory and preventing them from disaster. Based on sheer volume alone, Chuck’s presence in the marketplace makes him a dealer that you absolutely have to acknowledge.

 

Cons: The grading at Mile High Comics is often inaccurate and sometimes deplorable, so for high end vintage, they really can’t be considered an option. In addition, I think their customer service is often dismissive and unfriendly. While Chuck himself is a pretty decent guy when you see him at shows, his staff isn’t really all that great. In addition, Chuck is a bit of an egomaniac and narcissist – obviously evident from his emails etc.

 

Overall: Chuck is an important factor in the hobby, and if you are looking to fill your run then Mile High has to be one of the options.

 

You're glossing over the fact that Mile High is one of the worst offenders in this entire hobby when it comes to overpricing. Even with his CRAAAZZYY 50% off codeword sales that, according to Chuck, makes him teeter on the edge of bankruptcy, his prices are still laughable in an industry where it actually isn't that hard to figure out the real fair market value of any particular item.

 

His slabs are commonly priced at 4-5 times GPA, and modern books (with a 2.99-3.99 cover price) are pushed into the $12.99 back issue category mere months after release (just so he can pretend that when he discounts them at 50% off and the price drops to $6.00 he's giving you a great deal).

 

It's an insult to the rest of the dealers on this list to have him in the top 10 - his combination of overpricing & overgrading is despicable.

 

I totally agree.................but Chuck is selling books to someone??

 

[AtlasFan]

Interesting analysis...For my personal list, I would put Jim Payette at the top. In all the years I've been doing business with him, he is ALWAYS top-on with grading and very fair with the price.

[Allen James]

Know you'll catch it for Chuck, there's a lot of not so flattering threads about him all the time.

 

Looks to be a list of Overstreet Advisors to me.

 

[Doc Joe]

"Just like a Rolex or some other company, while they deal in high end best of the best type material, sometimes the “ordinary guy” doesn’t feel very important or paid attention to"

 

The best salesmen make no judgements, you make look like a bum but be worth 7 figures. Treat people the way you would want to be treated.

 

Not aimed at Metropolis, just throwing it out there.

 

And if someone was a good customer in the past, continue to treat them like a good customer. Dont stop returning their calls or not answering their emails becuase they have not brought from you in a while. When you get stuff they need they will buy from you again. But if you dont treat people well, when there is a choice of getting a book from you or the other guy; business is going to the other guy.

 

Again, just throwing it out there.

 

[Mac Man]

Brian,

 

Back in 2008, I ran a poll where people could 1st suggest their top dealers and then of those mentioned, they were ranked in order of most votes received with honorable mentions at the end. Here are the results from that thread:

 

1 Comic Link

2 Metropolis

3 Heritage

4 Harley Yee

5 Bob Storms

6 Doug Sulipa

7 Pedigree

8 Steve Ritter/Matt Nelson

9 Ted VanLiew

10 Richard Evans

Hon. Men. Motor City Comics

Hon. Men. Joe Verenault

Hon. Men. Dave Kapelka

Hon. Men. Brent Moeshlin

Hon. Men. Mile High

Hon. Men. Dale Roberts

 

At this point, I wonder who would come off, who would be added, and whose positions would change?

 

If I find the time, I should get this going again...

[capt_comics]

Interesting analysis...For my personal list, I would put Jim Payette at the top. In all the years I've been doing business with him, he is ALWAYS top-on with grading and very fair with the price.

 

I would agree......know he doesn't get the press like some of these guys, but top-notch in my book. (thumbs u

 

 

 

 

 

[Hawkman]

wow. never even heard of about half that list. have to check a few out.

[LordRahl]

This list is highly dependent on what you collect and probably on how much money you've spent with some of these guys over the years.

 

Harley Yee is the one dealer I routinely avoid like the plague at shows. Over priced and for the most part over graded. Wayyyy over priced relative to grade. I don't care how good his inventory is, going to his booth is a waste of time for me. At least as of a couple of years ago. I haven't stopped by his booth for at least 3-4 years. But then again, I don't collect anything that would be considered even remotely hard to find. Silver and Bronze Marvel and Bronze DC is not exactly tough to find, even in high grade.

 

Mile High? Really? Top ten? Brian must have been joking here, moving along.

 

I'd put Terry O'Neill on the list. Fair grading and pricing, great inventory for what I collect.