Doug Schmell cashing in his vaulted massive collecion. Poll: Is this the top?

[Mmehdy]

wow you learn something every day, have you been there?

[Scrooge]

Yes I have.

 

The upper level gallery has an astounding set of display cases rows with OA displayed from a lot of well-known (European) artists.

 

 

The rest of the exhibits relate the history of some of the most important periodicals, publishing companies and artists with some fun real-life recreations of story elements. The bookstore has an excellent selection of volumes about comics: histories, catalogs, analysis, etc ...

 

A great place to spend an after-noon

[Scrooge]

There's also one in Angouleme but I have not had the chance to make it there yet. One day ...

[bluechip]

I bet some of the people complaining of the MICRO-undetectable trim are gonna be the biggest bidders at this auction. you press and trim but the book still has white pages and looks great anyway. I really do not see a complaint with a 9.8 book it cannot go any higher pressed or not. what is really interesting is what book is gonna go highest, tos 39 or x men 1

 

I hope someday to see a museum of comic books and art....it is about time...

 

I would find it perfectly understandable if the average person looked at the "MICRO-undetectable trim" and thought little of it, especially since Marvels of that area were trimmed unevenly and inconsistently.

 

But what's even more inconsistent is the rationale and justification behind the outrage that spawns many if not most of the threads in this forum as people ponder and guess and accuse over the question of whether a dot of color touch or a piece of glue was applied to a book intentionally or unintentionally, as divined by CGC, and that the answer will determine whether a book is worth one thousand or thirty thousand dollars.

 

And it's fascinating that MM, worshipper of the purple label and, therefore, presumably, as obsessed as any man could be over whether something was done intentionally, is now dismissing as unimportant the possibility of intentional trimming (MICRO-undetectable or not).

 

It looks bad and bizarre when values of a book are determined by whether a few people have judged a book not by what damage has occured to it but, rather, based on what those people think was going on in the brain of the person who did the damage. It looks worse when some high-profile, passed through many hands books end up getting a "pass" despite having the same sort ot damage and it's well known the damage was just as intentional on those books as it was on others which were massively devalued.

 

And it looks still worse when the biggest and most adamant defenders of that process as somehow pure and the-way-things-oughtta-be then does a 180 and openly says it doesn't matter on these high-profile books whether they were intentionally damaged (I refuse to use the term "restored" for a book that's had a piece removed, however small).

 

And, no, the way to achieve is not to expand the damnation label to include "pressed" or "MICRO-trimmed" books. The best solution would be to remove the damnation labels on all books, use words to describe what damage has been done, and leave the mind reading to the the buyer.

 

 

[tb]

Yes I have.

 

The upper level gallery has an astounding set of display cases rows with OA displayed from a lot of well-known (European) artists.

 

 

The rest of the exhibits relate the history of some of the most important periodicals, publishing companies and artists with some fun real-life recreations of story elements. The bookstore has an excellent selection of volumes about comics: histories, catalogs, analysis, etc ...

 

A great place to spend an after-noon

 

Couldn't +1 more. I've been there several times and it is incredible + they rotate the material frequently. The Herge' museum in Louvain la Neuve (30 minute train ride) is an entirely different, yet equally breathtaking experience. You even see a healthy percentage of female visitors in both museums.

 

Besides, everyone there gets really fired up when you start talking about superhero books and their values.

[dr_manhattan]

The best solution would be to remove the damnation labels on all books, use words to describe what damage has been done, and leave the mind reading to the the buyer.

 

 

makes alot of sense to me

[Flash105]

When you look at a book like DD 7 and it has a grade of 9.6 but started out as a 9.2, what type of bidding will it get.

 

Also, I'm surprised by the number of Rocky Mountains he has and that is problematic unless you had tracking bids in CL for those books. I'm not a follower but I would have a hard time bidding not knowing what he paid and what grade it was when it sold the first time.

[linmoth]

When you look at a book like DD 7 and it has a grade of 9.6 but started out as a 9.2, what type of bidding will it get.

 

If you take a close look at the DD 7 you'll see Chipping along the right edge. When I had that book there were only 2 or 3 very very small pieces missing. They have definitely gotten worse. The book only graded 9.2 because of roller marks on the cover. The cover inks and gloss were unbelievable.

 

Did pressing them out damage the book in its evolution from 9.2, 9.4, 9.6?

[woohoo-migration]

I hope someday to see a museum of comic books and art....it is about time...

 

Oh, if only you had lived on the East Coast, I'm sure your business acumen could've saved The Words + Pictures Museum from going under!

 

http://www.wordsandpictures.org/

 

"The Words & Pictures Museum of Fine Sequential Art (aka Words & Pictures Museum) was an art museum in Northampton, Massachusetts devoted to exhibitions of narrative art, cartoons, comic books and graphic novels. The Museum's collection at one point numbered 20,000 original works from hundreds of artists including Simon Bisley, Vaughn Bode, Robert Crumb, Richard Corben, Frank Frazetta, Jaime Hernandez, Jack Kirby, George Pratt, Dave McKean, Frank Miller, Jon Muth, Bill Sienkiewicz, Joe Kubert, and Gilbert Shelton.

 

The Museum was founded by artist Kevin Eastman, creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and existed from 1992 to 1999. In late 1994, the Museum moved into a state-of-the-art 4 floor facility in downtown Northampton which it occupied until its closing. After the closure of the physical exhibition space, the Museum's outreach program moved online in the form of the Virtual Words & Pictures Museum, and featured online educational exhibits and research directories."

 

(The 20th anniversary of Heavy Metal party with 20 artists signing was frickin' awesome).

[Mmehdy]

I bet some of the people complaining of the MICRO-undetectable trim are gonna be the biggest bidders at this auction. you press and trim but the book still has white pages and looks great anyway. I really do not see a complaint with a 9.8 book it cannot go any higher pressed or not. what is really interesting is what book is gonna go highest, tos 39 or x men 1

 

I hope someday to see a museum of comic books and art....it is about time...

 

I would find it perfectly understandable if the average person looked at the "MICRO-undetectable trim" and thought little of it, especially since Marvels of that area were trimmed unevenly and inconsistently.

 

But what's even more inconsistent is the rationale and justification behind the outrage that spawns many if not most of the threads in this forum as people ponder and guess and accuse over the question of whether a dot of color touch or a piece of glue was applied to a book intentionally or unintentionally, as divined by CGC, and that the answer will determine whether a book is worth one thousand or thirty thousand dollars.

 

And it's fascinating that MM, worshipper of the purple label and, therefore, presumably, as obsessed as any man could be over whether something was done intentionally, is now dismissing as unimportant the possibility of intentional trimming (MICRO-undetectable or not).

 

It looks bad and bizarre when values of a book are determined by whether a few people have judged a book not by what damage has occured to it but, rather, based on what those people think was going on in the brain of the person who did the damage. It looks worse when some high-profile, passed through many hands books end up getting a "pass" despite having the same sort ot damage and it's well known the damage was just as intentional on those books as it was on others which were massively devalued.

 

And it looks still worse when the biggest and most adamant defenders of that process as somehow pure and the-way-things-oughtta-be then does a 180 and openly says it doesn't matter on these high-profile books whether they were intentionally damaged (I refuse to use the term "restored" for a book that's had a piece removed, however small).

 

And, no, the way to achieve is not to expand the damnation label to include "pressed" or "MICRO-trimmed" books. The best solution would be to remove the damnation labels on all books, use words to describe what damage has been done, and leave the mind reading to the the buyer.

 

 

As usual, food for thought....great post

 

I TRUST the cgc to determine a blue vs a purple label. It was better than guessing or or the way it was before. It is the comic book reality of 2012.

 

Is it right that the same book the cgc said was 9.2 is now 9.6 after mico triming, pressing and voodoo no. But BC we are never gonna get perfection. If mico triming gets thru the cgc with a blue label..so be it.

 

The blue label is like a "BMW" in our comic world vs a Chevy. If you want it you are gonna pay more. Is a BMW better than chevy, yes most of the time it is and you are gonna pay more for the BMW times 2x or times X10 in the comic book world.

 

BC, not everybody can afford or wants a BMW or a blue label comic book. That is where you either pay up or shut up.

 

I disagree with you about people spending 10X on a blue label, if folks want to buy a fancy car like a RR or BMW or get a blue label comic book and they will PAY for

it then so be it. Is it wrong to want the best of the best, NO. Does the best of the best cost more...yes not only in comic books. Does the CGC make mistakes or favor certain collectors who try to get the book regraded many times, probably but not intentionally.

 

BC the cgc is not gonna blow a mutli-million dollar business of DS or you or me. The system is not perfect. They try...that what counts.

 

Purple label means in our comic book world "BUYER BEWARE". The comic books has been destroyed or altered by evil forces who want to increase the value of the comic book while destorying it at the same time. Every time you buy a purple book, you aid the destroyers of the unrestored book by feeding their greed in my opinion. now the new game is to hide the restoration from the CGC, these people are even worse. I will not ever, nor ever sell a book that has been trimmed, pressed, or other hidden ways to increase the value. Never BC...Never...it just aint right....period.

[seanfingh]

 

Purple label means in our comic book world "BUYER BEWARE". The comic books has been destroyed or altered by evil forces who want to increase the value of the comic book while destorying it at the same time.

 

This is so myopic. What about the books that are literally falling apart, that can be leafcasted back into supple comics? What about books that, without spine support, are just about to disintegrate? What about books that have had a huge piece of the cover lost that have that piece reconstructed?

 

I am half convinced that you are a windup artist just putting the most inflammatory things you can out there. But on the off chance that some poor soul might put some credence in your gobe burblings, I am compelled to respond.

[Point Five]

But on the off chance that some poor soul might put some credence in your gobe burblings ...

Rest easy.

 

 

[Mmehdy]

so out of the "GOODNESS" of the restorer's heart...he wants to "save" the comic book. 99% of the restores are out for GREED dude......1% if that...want to save the comic book...and make a profit as the same time......,

 

You comic book saving buddy...JASON care of EBAY.

[Larryw7]

I bet some of the people complaining of the MICRO-undetectable trim are gonna be the biggest bidders at this auction. you press and trim but the book still has white pages and looks great anyway. I really do not see a complaint with a 9.8 book it cannot go any higher pressed or not. what is really interesting is what book is gonna go highest, tos 39 or x men 1

 

I hope someday to see a museum of comic books and art....it is about time...

 

I would find it perfectly understandable if the average person looked at the "MICRO-undetectable trim" and thought little of it, especially since Marvels of that area were trimmed unevenly and inconsistently.

 

But what's even more inconsistent is the rationale and justification behind the outrage that spawns many if not most of the threads in this forum as people ponder and guess and accuse over the question of whether a dot of color touch or a piece of glue was applied to a book intentionally or unintentionally, as divined by CGC, and that the answer will determine whether a book is worth one thousand or thirty thousand dollars.

 

And it's fascinating that MM, worshipper of the purple label and, therefore, presumably, as obsessed as any man could be over whether something was done intentionally, is now dismissing as unimportant the possibility of intentional trimming (MICRO-undetectable or not).

 

It looks bad and bizarre when values of a book are determined by whether a few people have judged a book not by what damage has occured to it but, rather, based on what those people think was going on in the brain of the person who did the damage. It looks worse when some high-profile, passed through many hands books end up getting a "pass" despite having the same sort ot damage and it's well known the damage was just as intentional on those books as it was on others which were massively devalued.

 

And it looks still worse when the biggest and most adamant defenders of that process as somehow pure and the-way-things-oughtta-be then does a 180 and openly says it doesn't matter on these high-profile books whether they were intentionally damaged (I refuse to use the term "restored" for a book that's had a piece removed, however small).

 

And, no, the way to achieve is not to expand the damnation label to include "pressed" or "MICRO-trimmed" books. The best solution would be to remove the damnation labels on all books, use words to describe what damage has been done, and leave the mind reading to the the buyer.

 

 

As usual, food for thought....great post

 

I TRUST the cgc to determine a blue vs a purple label. It was better than guessing or or the way it was before. It is the comic book reality of 2012.

 

Is it right that the same book the cgc said was 9.2 is now 9.6 after mico triming, pressing and voodoo no. But BC we are never gonna get perfection. If mico triming gets thru the cgc with a blue label..so be it.

 

The blue label is like a "BMW" in our comic world vs a Chevy. If you want it you are gonna pay more. Is a BMW better than chevy, yes most of the time it is and you are gonna pay more for the BMW times 2x or times X10 in the comic book world.

 

BC, not everybody can afford or wants a BMW or a blue label comic book. That is where you either pay up or shut up.

 

I disagree with you about people spending 10X on a blue label, if folks want to buy a fancy car like a RR or BMW or get a blue label comic book and they will PAY for

it then so be it. Is it wrong to want the best of the best, NO. Does the best of the best cost more...yes not only in comic books. Does the CGC make mistakes or favor certain collectors who try to get the book regraded many times, probably but not intentionally.

 

BC the cgc is not gonna blow a mutli-million dollar business of DS or you or me. The system is not perfect. They try...that what counts.

 

Purple label means in our comic book world "BUYER BEWARE". The comic books has been destroyed or altered by evil forces who want to increase the value of the comic book while destorying it at the same time. Every time you buy a purple book, you aid the destroyers of the unrestored book by feeding their greed in my opinion. now the new game is to hide the restoration from the CGC, these people are even worse. I will not ever, nor ever sell a book that has been trimmed, pressed, or other hidden ways to increase the value. Never BC...Never...it just aint right....period.

 

[Larryw7]

so out of the "GOODNESS" of the restorer's heart...he wants to "save" the comic book. 99% of the restores are out for GREED dude......1% if that...want to save the comic book...and make a profit as the same time......,

 

You comic book saving buddy...JASON care of EBAY.

 

 

:FACEPALM:

[october]

 

Purple label means in our comic book world "BUYER BEWARE". The comic books has been destroyed or altered by evil forces who want to increase the value of the comic book while destorying it at the same time.

 

This is so myopic. What about the books that are literally falling apart, that can be leafcasted back into supple comics? What about books that, without spine support, are just about to disintegrate? What about books that have had a huge piece of the cover lost that have that piece reconstructed?

 

Indeed. I will never again see the money I spent restoring my Fantastic 3. It's going to be a money loser, period, and I just don't care. I did it because I love Lou Fine's art, I think it's his best work ever, I want a copy in decent shape and didn't want to drop $20k on a blue label 6.0. The book was a rag before Kenny worked his magic on it, and even though it isn't complete it already looks beautiful.

 

It's not all about the cash, even for guys like me who buy and sell more than they collect at this point. Doesn't matter how jaded you are, how many decades you are in the hobby, how much you are obsessed with profit....in the end sometimes it really is all about the love of comics.

 

Pics of my black hearted, greed motivated, resto rape job located here.

[Mmehdy]

well I guess that means you are part of the 1%.....what about the other 99%...they are not like you and you know it.....and your link goes to Archie that is one heck of a restoration job on a" fantastic" comic book. I agree 99% of the time it is a "rape resto job".

[Nexus]

Doug Schmell via Scoop:

 

http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/Home/4/1/73/1014?ArticleID=122031

 

Doug Schmell on Selling His Collection

 

Last week Heritage Auctions announced that The Doug Schmell - PedigreeComics.com Collection will be offered in their July 26-27, 2012 Beverly Hills Signature Auction. Included in the offerings will be the CGC-certified 9.8 Pacific Coast copy of X-Men #1, the CGC 9.6 Pacific Coast copy of Tales of Suspense #39, and the CGC 9.6 Pacific Coast copy of Avengers #1, among many other key Silver Age Marvel issues.

 

When Scoop caught up with Doug Schmell for a few follow-up questions, he said a combination of factors made now the time to sell

 

“The first was that I had felt I had maxed out on my collection, that I had obtained every top CGC copy and pedigree that I could. It was a sense of achievement and that the collection and the individual runs were the best they could ever be. The second was the fact that comic books as a whole have reached a peak in the public consciousness, thanks to the phenomenal success of the recent Marvel movies culminating with the record-breaking weekend of The Avengers. I have seen the rise in prices of high grade silver Age Marvels over the years ever since the advent of CGC and it just seemed like now was the ideal time to sell,” he said.

 

He noted that when he originally sold a portion of his collection, his Bronze Age Marvel issues were among the offerings.

 

“All the Bronze Age Marvel titles in 9.6 to 9.8 (Captain America, Captain Marvel, Defenders, Hero For Hire, Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Sub-Mariner, X-Men #66 and up, etc. etc.),” he said. “I had also sold my Amazing Fantasy #15 9.4 (White Mountain copy) and my entire Amazing Spider-Man run (#1-200 in 9.6 and 9.8 save for #3 and #4 , both in 9.4) plus Incredible Hulk #1-#6. The Amazing Spider-Man run #2-15 was from the Pacific Coast Collection,” he said.

 

The portion of the collection he retained previously was filled with issues from his personal favorite pedigree, the Pacific Coast Collection.

 

“I had complete runs of these titles in 9.4 to 9.8 (mostly 9.6 to 9.8) and almost every book was from the Pacific Coast Collection. I subsequently would upgrade a lower graded PC copy with a higher graded issue from another pedigree, and the runs were then almost completely 9.6 to 9.8,” he said. “However, it was the lure of this incredible pedigree that made me hang onto these runs. If the Amazing Spider-Man was a complete Pacific Coast run as the others, I would not have sold them at that time.”

 

Schmell has said that he decided not to offer them through auction at his own company, Pedigree Comics, so as to avoid a conflict of interest with his clients. How, though, did he make the decision to go with Heritage?

 

“It was a combination of the fact that I like the auction house set-up and global reach that Heritage provides plus their popularity in the auction community (third largest auction house and largest for comics by far) plus the recent results of two collections that were sold in their February Signature Auction, the Billy Wright Collection and the Fantastic Four run from the Curator Collection. I watched both of these runs very closely and was extremely impressed with the success of both collections. The cherry was the fact that I realized Heritage would be able to provide a full color catalog promoting the collection, something that other companies can not provide. I saw how they promoted the Billy Wright Golden Age books in a separate catalog and that really impressed me,” he said.

 

One of the questions that popped up immediately was “Does this mean he’s getting out to the business?”

 

“I will be involved in comics even more now. Instead of focusing on both trying to maintain and improve my personal collection and finding books for my customers, etc., I can solely focus on Pedigree Comics. I will have more time and funds to acquire collections and consignments for my customers (in fact, I am responding to these questions while I am at Wizard World Philadelphia buying tons of high grade books for my upcoming July Grand Auction. In the past, at least half the time and money would be spent on books and upgrades for my personal collection). Pedigree Comics. will be better and stronger because of the ale of my private collection,” Schmell said.

 

Up for bid will be Avengers #1-100 (89 are 9.8 and 11 are 9.6), Daredevil #1-100 (90 9.8 and 10 9.6), Fantastic Four #1-102 (94 are 9.8 and 9.6), Journey Into Mystery #83-125 (40 are 9.8 and 9.6), Strange Tales #101-168 (64 are 9.8 and 9.6), Tales of Suspense #39-99 (all are 9.8 and 9.6), Tales To Astonish #36-101 (64 are 9.8 and 9.6), Thor #126-200 (72 are 9.8 and 3 are 9.6), and X-Men #1-66 (61 are 9.8 and 5 are 9.8).

[bluechip]

I bet some of the people complaining of the MICRO-undetectable trim are gonna be the biggest bidders at this auction. you press and trim but the book still has white pages and looks great anyway. I really do not see a complaint with a 9.8 book it cannot go any higher pressed or not. what is really interesting is what book is gonna go highest, tos 39 or x men 1

 

I hope someday to see a museum of comic books and art....it is about time...

 

I would find it perfectly understandable if the average person looked at the "MICRO-undetectable trim" and thought little of it, especially since Marvels of that area were trimmed unevenly and inconsistently.

 

But what's even more inconsistent is the rationale and justification behind the outrage that spawns many if not most of the threads in this forum as people ponder and guess and accuse over the question of whether a dot of color touch or a piece of glue was applied to a book intentionally or unintentionally, as divined by CGC, and that the answer will determine whether a book is worth one thousand or thirty thousand dollars.

 

And it's fascinating that MM, worshipper of the purple label and, therefore, presumably, as obsessed as any man could be over whether something was done intentionally, is now dismissing as unimportant the possibility of intentional trimming (MICRO-undetectable or not).

 

It looks bad and bizarre when values of a book are determined by whether a few people have judged a book not by what damage has occured to it but, rather, based on what those people think was going on in the brain of the person who did the damage. It looks worse when some high-profile, passed through many hands books end up getting a "pass" despite having the same sort ot damage and it's well known the damage was just as intentional on those books as it was on others which were massively devalued.

 

And it looks still worse when the biggest and most adamant defenders of that process as somehow pure and the-way-things-oughtta-be then does a 180 and openly says it doesn't matter on these high-profile books whether they were intentionally damaged (I refuse to use the term "restored" for a book that's had a piece removed, however small).

 

And, no, the way to achieve is not to expand the damnation label to include "pressed" or "MICRO-trimmed" books. The best solution would be to remove the damnation labels on all books, use words to describe what damage has been done, and leave the mind reading to the the buyer.

 

 

As usual, food for thought....great post

 

I TRUST the cgc to determine a blue vs a purple label. It was better than guessing or or the way it was before. It is the comic book reality of 2012.

 

Is it right that the same book the cgc said was 9.2 is now 9.6 after mico triming, pressing and voodoo no. But BC we are never gonna get perfection. If mico triming gets thru the cgc with a blue label..so be it.

 

The blue label is like a "BMW" in our comic world vs a Chevy. If you want it you are gonna pay more. Is a BMW better than chevy, yes most of the time it is and you are gonna pay more for the BMW times 2x or times X10 in the comic book world.

 

BC, not everybody can afford or wants a BMW or a blue label comic book. That is where you either pay up or shut up.

 

I disagree with you about people spending 10X on a blue label, if folks want to buy a fancy car like a RR or BMW or get a blue label comic book and they will PAY for

it then so be it. Is it wrong to want the best of the best, NO. Does the best of the best cost more...yes not only in comic books. Does the CGC make mistakes or favor certain collectors who try to get the book regraded many times, probably but not intentionally.

 

BC the cgc is not gonna blow a mutli-million dollar business of DS or you or me. The system is not perfect. They try...that what counts.

 

Purple label means in our comic book world "BUYER BEWARE". The comic books has been destroyed or altered by evil forces who want to increase the value of the comic book while destorying it at the same time. Every time you buy a purple book, you aid the destroyers of the unrestored book by feeding their greed in my opinion. now the new game is to hide the restoration from the CGC, these people are even worse. I will not ever, nor ever sell a book that has been trimmed, pressed, or other hidden ways to increase the value. Never BC...Never...it just aint right....period.

 

What you describe is precisely what a purportedly impartial third party grading system should NOT do.

 

Especially when such books can be "de-eviled" and very often the first submitter has been a "civilian" (not BSD comic collector) who is not told the book can be cured of its evil and ends up selling it for much, much less, to the better connected and better informed who have the "evil" removed and sell it for multiples.

 

Especially when some books, which had been part of big collections, owned by top collectors and dealers who do much business with CGC (a/o connected in the past to present and former people at CGC) end up getting a pass despite having what any person outside the hobby would call identical "work" done to them. That being just one of the ways that labelling a book "restored" can be used, and has been used, to take advantage of people and -- just like resto itself originally did -- make it easier for BSDs to buy a book at one grade and sell it at a higher grade.

 

Especially when people like yourself want to give a similar pass to books which were intentionally altered.

 

Especially when people can't and never will agree on what post-printing alterations are evil, and one need only look to the raging debate over pressing on this thread to see the same.

 

There are many more, but you won't see them or acknowledge them, anyway. You'll just pound the idea at every chance you get that BLUE is what matters and hope that you are rewarded by people you believe will see you are championing the value of their sales while slamming the value of others. And hoping that novices will not look too deep until you have cleaned up.

 

[Justin Case]

We do know that Doug has pressed/resubbed books multiple times to get higher grades

 

How do you know that?

 

He knows that because he can read English and has both a short-term and long-term memory.

 

Eh? Exsqueeze me, i baking powder!