As *spoon* as Arch comes back from vacation Hepcat will still be Hepcat. 8 8

[n2wdw]

Thanks for the link to the Wrapper. I didn't know it still existed. I just subscribed and I'm really looking forward to getting it.

 

Were you a fan of the comics buyers guide? I was a subscriber off and on (mostly on) for over 20 years. But, the best years for me were when it was a newspaper format. I didn't save my copies except ones where they published my letter (about 3-4). Recently though I picked up this copy on ebay, the one where they reported finding Bettie Page. Reading it again, I really miss this newspaper.

 

 

[Hepcat]

Were you a fan of the comics buyers guide? ... Reading it again, I really miss this newspaper.

 

Oh, absolutely!

 

But, the best years for me were when it was a newspaper format.

 

I fully agree! But I'd now settle for even the tabloid format. Very sad.

 

[Hepcat]

Our Halloween décor this year:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although we've had as many as fifty trick or treaters in past years when Halloween was on a Friday or Saturday, with Halloween on a Monday we had barely twenty trick or treaters this year. I understand though that there are streets in our immediate neighbourhood that still drew well over one hundred kids.

 

[Hepcat]

Here are some pictures of my Secret of Nimh lunch box:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hepcat]

Here are shots of whatever Topps baseball cards I have handy:

 

Topps 1958

 

 

 

Topps 1959

 

 

 

 

 

Topps 1960

 

 

 

Topps 1962

 

 

 

Topps 1963

 

 

 

[Hepcat]

Here are scans of my older baseball card wrappers:

 

1957

 

 

1959

 

 

1960

 

 

 

1962

 

 

1963

 

 

 

[comicdonna]

I remember throwing them away after I got a hold of the gum. Ae they worth money now?

[Batman1fan]

Great journal, Hepcat! I came across it today at work, and decided to start at page 1. I got to page 7 and then I actually had to work, dammit. My wife is watching the election, so I should get all the way through your journal tonight!

[Hepcat]

I remember throwing them away after I got a hold of the gum. Ae they worth money now?

 

You bet they are! Anywhere from $dozens to over $1000 depending upon scarcity.

 

There are a few Topps hockey card wrappers from the late fifties that are almost unknown, yet there are tens of thousands of collectors of these cards. So how much do you think a 1958-59 Topps hockey card wrapper might fetch in the open market? The mind boggles.

 

And the display boxes in which the packs came are worth much, much more!

 

[Hepcat]

Great journal, Hepcat! I came across it today at work, and decided to start at page 1. I got to page 7 and then I actually had to work, dammit. My wife is watching the election, so I should get all the way through your journal tonight!

 

Glad to be of service! I won't be running out of material for a few years yet.

 

[Hepcat]

Now admittedly I myself have often scoffed at the prices certain sellers have asked for certain CGC comics and other collectibles on Ebay and elsewhere. This is particularly true for those items in which I have no interest. Moreover to be fair I've also been both surprised and aghast at the prices certain items have ultimately fetched, and have ended up sneering at the speculative excesses in the marketplace for these items.

 

On top of that I have absolutely no sympathy for the speculators/investors to whom these comics and other collectibles mean nothing but their potential dollar value. In fact I always cheer for these speculators to be left holding the bag and take a financial bath on whatever they've purchased just to flip at a higher price.

 

I also don't entirely agree with the statement that "any item is worth whatever someone will pay". The problem I have is that the concept of "worth" implicitly involves making a value judgement and making a universal value judgement involves getting into someone else's head. All I can say about the value of any collectible is the price at which they're listed in various guides, the prices at which they've been trading and the price (if any) that I'd be willing to pay myself. I'm not willing to go into anyone else's head and make a judgement about how much an item would be "worth" to some other fellow though.

 

That being said, I also flatly disagree with the statements "It's just paper." or "It's just a piece of plastic. It's not gold." First of all those statements imply that objects have no value over and above that which they provide for strictly utilitarian survival purposes. Excuse me but we could all get by living in a tent on a diet of brown bread, beans and water. To say that something is just paper or plastic is like saying Rembrandt's paintings are just coloured paper and should therefore be valued accordingly.

 

And for that matter why does gold fetch so high a price? It's utilitarian uses are very limited. Somewhere between 95% and 99% of all the gold that's ever been mined is still lying around in bank vaults as bars, safety deposit boxes and drawers as coins and jewellery boxes as various decorative trinkets. And only the tiniest fraction of the gold being mined every year ends up being used up in say electronic applications. The rest gets added to the pile put away and hoarded. So why does an ounce of gold fetch the price of nearly 465 pounds of butter today?

 

The answer is of course supply and demand. People for whatever reason have bid gold up in price. And with respect to collectibles the same dynamic is functioning, but with one crucial difference. In the area of comics specifically, there appear to be tens of thousands of determined collectors. Every one of these collectors wants the best specimen of the comic that's available. Yet the quantity of pristine NM copies of that comic may be as few as a dozen, or even one, or none at all! So who gets the comic? Whoever can afford and is willing to bid the silliest price, that's who. And that's just fine with me.

 

The question that immediately arises of course is why there are so many collectors of these kids' comics from previous decades in the first place. What compels so many of us to amass these comics? Once again, I can only speak for myself but I suppose it has something to do with not wanting to let go of the past, or at least those parts of the past that I once cherished. But why should I let go of those parts of my past? Child is father to the man. We're all a product/sum total of our experiences. Why should I let go of the particularly pleasant ones? And if I thought something was cool then, why should my opinion be any different now?

 

Now I know that my desire to reacquire the treasures of my youth could of course be further analyzed and dissected, but what's the point? Rather than paying to get my compulsion to acquire more comics and other kid stuff analyzed and treated, I'd rather just spend that money on more comics. All that really needs to be said is that I take great delight in acquiring this stuff and having it in my possession leaves me with a profound sense of satisfaction/contentment. And that there is the bottom line.

 

Why then should I change? Because I'm an adult now and should be dignified and acquire adult tastes and preferences? So what would those be? Cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and other drugs? Yeah, that would make sense. my money away destroying brain cells and ruining my health. No thanks. I don't need to be that much of an adult. I'll continue to give reign to my "inner child" and bound up stairs two at a time like I did in my teens instead of taking escalators. I'll continue to sprint for buses and commuter trains like I did in my twenties. And I'll continue to add to my collections of kid stuff. I'll leave the sedentary mind damaging adult habits and stuff to everyone else.

 

And of course isn't it funny that all the kid stuff I've been buying for the past 35 years has not only held its price but appreciated - dramatically in many instances? How many of the other consumer items sold over the last 35 years have done so? Put whatever household item (even still M.I.B.) you bought five years ago up for sale on Kijiji. See what it fetches today.

 

So yeah, I plan to continue adding to my comics, magazines, gum cards, model kits, board games, lunch boxes, monster and other toys, etc. for the foreseeable future. Granted, I will continue to be careful not to overpay for items whose prices have been overinflated by speculators. These items are easy enough to recognize in many cases. I mean if the high bidder for an item on Ebay turns around and relists whatever he bought for an even higher price, that's a sure sign of speculation. The item would have sold for far less had he not been bidding in the previous auction. So I'll just scoff at many of these B.I.N. prices we see on Ebay.

 

But otherwise screw the philistines and naysayers. I hope to continue to add to whatever you see in the pictures below indefinitely:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sagii]

Great read, and mind blowing pics

 

Yeah, for some reason Comic Book collecting ( and related 'geek culture' items ) even though it is MUCH widely excepted than a time not that really long ago ( thank you Marvel movies!) still get the ' ok it's cool but 'WHY' do you collect this stuff ' treatment.

 

I don't think 'outside admirers' ask the same of people who collect Cars ( think of the space you'll need, let alone the maintenence!!) , Million Dollar(s) art ( think of all the people you could feed with that!), Rugs, folk art, jade, Guns, movie memorabilia, Advertisement signs, I could go on and on. No one really asks these folks 'WHY'?

 

Only our hobby still gets the 'WHY'?.

[Bomber-Bob]

Hep, you are one of the few, true collectors out there and I hope you continue to add to your wonderful collection for years to come. Don't ever change !

[Duffman_Comics]

Well said Hepcat

 

I'd reckon from your posts I'm just a hair younger (1956 model). I've got a lot of stuff too - comics, toys, cards (substitute Cricket and Rugby League for Baseball and Gridiron) and your post got me thinking.

 

Where are the collectors these days?

 

All I see these days are people who are buying to flip. Speculators and wannabe dealers. Are there so few true collectors left?

 

And I know this has been predicted so many times in the last 15 years, but I really do think the "Ponzi Scheme" part of the hobby is about to crash and I couldn't be happier.

 

That way I can finish up my (many) runs at a reasonable cost.

 

 

[n2wdw]

I agree completely. Great post!

[porcupine48]

 

[porcupine48]

[Hepcat]

Yeah, for some reason Comic Book collecting ( and related 'geek culture' items ) even though it is MUCH widely excepted than a time not that really long ago ( thank you Marvel movies!) still get the ' ok it's cool but 'WHY' do you collect this stuff ' treatment.

 

I don't think 'outside admirers' ask the same of people who collect Cars ( think of the space you'll need, let alone the maintenence!!) , Million Dollar(s) art ( think of all the people you could feed with that!), Rugs, folk art, jade, Guns, movie memorabilia, Advertisement signs, I could go on and on. No one really asks these folks 'WHY'?

 

Only our hobby still gets the 'WHY'?.

 

It's because comics and related geek culture items were kid stuff and are still generally perceived that way. They're not as "adult" as even baseball cards. But the fact that they were kid stuff is not only an intrinsic part of their charm, it also means a very high destruction factor was in play with these items which has resulted in their scarcity and high prices today.

 

A related phenomenon is all the people, generally non-collectors, who upon viewing a collection of whatever and making the appropriate noises will then say "How much is all this stuff worth?" This I find really irritating because they're effectively reducing the collectibles down to dollars and cents. These people thus show that they don't really admire the collection on its own aesthetic merit nor do they appreciate the passion the collector has put into compiling the items. All they're interested in is the money aspect. I'm not even on the same page as these people.

 

 

 

Edited November 23, 2016 by Hepcat

[Hepcat]

Hep, you are one of the few, true collectors out there and I hope you continue to add to your wonderful collection for years to come. Don't ever change !

 

I agree completely. Great post!

 

Thank you! And no, I have no intention of changing. I'll be pecking away at the memorabilia of bygone years until my own are bygone!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 23, 2016 by Hepcat

[Hepcat]

I'd reckon from your posts I'm just a hair younger (1956 model). I've got a lot of stuff too - comics, toys, cards (substitute Cricket and Rugby League for Baseball and Gridiron)....

 

A collection of vintage Australian (or British) cricket and Rugby League cards would get my unqualified seal of approval!

 

Where are the collectors these days?

 

All I see these days are people who are buying to flip. Speculators and wannabe dealers. Are there so few true collectors left?

 

And I know this has been predicted so many times in the last 15 years, but I really do think the "Ponzi Scheme" part of the hobby is about to crash and I couldn't be happier.

 

That way I can finish up my (many) runs at a reasonable cost.

 

Yes, I'm with you. We just have to outlive the Johnny-come-lately speculators, that's all!

 

Edited November 23, 2016 by Hepcat