What was your best/most interesting/coolest purchase pre-Internet?

[sborock]

 

I am pretty sure that it was the most cash (not trade/cash) ever paid for a single comic at the time.

 

Ahem. Maybe you missed my post where I wrote that I spent $49 on a Daredevil #1. (That's a four-nine with two zeros... after the decimal.)

 

Sheesh. Some people. Always making it about them.

 

 

[divad]

"This book or a house? I must be crazy!"

 

Certifiably

 

 

 

 

[robocard]

I subscribed to the Buyer's Guide for several years. I lived in Ohio and would usually receive my copy on Saturday which meant most of the good deals it was distributed from Illinois. On one particular Saturday in 1984, I noticed an ad for a large group of Overstreet Price Guides.

 

Although I assumed they would be long gone, I began to dial and periodically redial off and on for hours. At around 9:30 P.M., someone answered the phone. I asked if the OPGs were still available and was told I was the second caller as he had been gone for a few days. My heart sunk assuming I had lost out; however, he indicated that the first caller was only interested in the #1 so he still had them. Talk about an emotional swing!

 

After a brief conversation, I asked what type of price he wanted for all of the OPGs (he was selling them in groups); he paused and then gave me a price that seemed fair and included shipping from Pennsylvania. While I am not sure how much I paid, it would not have been very much. Included were 1-14 in soft covers (multiples of all but #1) and hard covers from 2-10 with a few multiples. I still have all of them today along with most others up to current (they fill a large Topps BB case).

 

The story gets better though as we discussed the fact that he had some GA books but was not ready to sell, but he liked doing business with me and told me he would let me know when he was ready (we have all heard that, right). So about a year later, I get a call from him that he is ready but did not want to mail the books as they were pretty valuable. He lived in York, PA and I was in Columbus, OH. I suggested we could me at an exit on the PA turnpike which would be about a 7 hour drive for each of us. We agreed on noon on a Sunday so early and long days for both of us and without benefit of cell phones, we met at the McDonald's within 15 minutes of each arriving.

 

I have records that I need to dig out to verify what all he had, but one of the highlights was a Superman 11 that he had used in a television interview regarding comics. Many years later, I had the book graded at a 7.0 white pages (that is how nice many of the books were. I know for sure that these books were in the deal: Thundra 1, several early Jungles and Jumbos, Rangers 27, Batman 23, 27, 31, Detective 110 and quite a few more.

 

Again, I do not recall how much I paid but it was have been less than $1000 (not much money at all at that time). Finally, the best part of the trip was negotiating the inclusion into the price of OPG 1 white cover (has the blue from the previous deal) and several coverless books. I was a total SA guy and knew nothing about GA so I assumed them to have little to no value nor could I determine what they were.

 

As it turned out, when I showed them to a friend who was a GA collector, he thought I was pulling his leg. Turns out I had a Human Torch 3 which meant it was #2 (that I included in a large purchase to Steve Borock at the first Long Beach Show five years ago) and a Batman #1. My friend made a color photo front and back cover all in one wrap and then we put the book inside and creased the cover (it was so nice that I believe his copy was easily a 7.0 or better). I eventually sold it for $1000 to a buyer and still regret it today.

 

I still have the Batman 23 and 31 which will go to my two kids with a write-up detailing what they mean to me.

 

It may have been much more difficult to make contact and find great books before the internet but it was far more satisfying for someone like me who always enjoyed the "hunt" more than anything. Sorry this is so long but it really brought back nice memories and had to tell it all.

 

Ed

[mrmyst]

 

I am pretty sure that it was the most cash (not trade/cash) ever paid for a single comic at the time.

 

Ahem. Maybe you missed my post where I wrote that I spent $49 on a Daredevil #1. (That's a four-nine with two zeros... after the decimal.)

 

Sheesh. Some people. Always making it about them.

 

 

S you showed me that book at a Boston con wayyyy back when I recall.

[rjpb]

My favorite pre-internet purchase was a box of around 100 undergrounds all in high grade that I bought in Santa Fe around 1980 from a guy I worked with at a Sheraton who had purchased them all in Austin in the late 60s early 70s. Most of them were 1st printings, including a Fed's and Heads #1, and the ones that weren't were still nice early prints like a 3rd print Zap #1 and Bijou #1 2nd. I still have most of them, I sold or traded away the Bode books ( never really a fan), and a few esoteric books like Choice Meats that didn't really interest me. The total cost was $75. Not a massive score at the time, but it included many books I'd never seen a 1st print of, and replaced a great number of well read later prints that I'd had in my half-assed collection. On the downside they now probably average VF or so in condition as I actually read them and didn't bag and board them for a decade, but I wasn't a particularly high grade oriented collector then, and still aren't really. I've got VG books I bought 30 years ago that wouldn't be that hard to upgrade that I've never bothered to.

[oakman29]

I bought a nice mid grade(5.0ish) AF 15 for 500.00 back in 1982/83,was working at a Winchells donut shop baking donuts all night.While I went to college full time during the day.I still have that AF15 today.

[Chip Cataldo]

MOC Power of the Force Yak Face and Anakin Skywalker, both unpunched for $125 total.

 

Power of the Force IG-88 proof card for $50.

 

Rocket-Firing Boba Fett prototype for $475.

 

Power of the Force coin set for $650.

 

*sigh*

 

Peace,

 

Chip

[batman_fan]

I bought this off a CBG ad back when the internet was just getting started.

 

This was a trade deal done via mail back in the 80s

 

Bought this from an ad in the penny saver back in the 90s, plus a #8, both were raw at the time and the 8 still is.

 

Bought this from a cold call to a dealer who advertised in CBG back in the early 90s

[143ksk]

Probably my second best pre internet purchase:

 

I bought the copies of Pep 24, 25, 27, 28, 30, 32, 33 and 34 in these pictures from Ernie Gerber's big mail bid auction in 1986. I had to borrow the $700 from a friend to buy them…

 

 

 

 

 

 

My best purchase. From an ad in CBG circa 1985. $250 and advertised as a GD

 

 

[oakman29]

Probably my second best pre internet purchase:

 

I bought the copies of Pep 24, 25, 27, 28, 30, 32, 33 and 34 in these pictures from Ernie Gerber's big mail bid auction in 1986. I had to borrow the $700 from a friend to buy them…

 

 

 

 

 

 

My best purchase. From an ad in CBG circa 1985. $250 and advertised as a GD

 

 

 

[Treco]

Probably my second best pre internet purchase:

 

I bought the copies of Pep 24, 25, 27, 28, 30, 32, 33 and 34 in these pictures from Ernie Gerber's big mail bid auction in 1986. I had to borrow the $700 from a friend to buy them…

 

 

 

 

 

 

My best purchase. From an ad in CBG circa 1985. $250 and advertised as a GD

 

 

 

Just beautiful!!

[robocard]

Let's here some more stories!

[Jeffro.]

I remember ordering some stuff from Bud Plant back about 15-20 years ago. I know I got a nice signed and numbered Mephisto print by P Craig Russell and ordered my first Pedrin Big Five guide from him for some silly low price. Also some other stuff I can't remember right now. I should dig that stuff out.

 

I think I might also have a Kirby signed print bought from Plant.

 

I also remember putting together an order (probably from a CBG ad) for a group of then real cheap bronze # 1s. Stuff like Kamandi 1, Black Panther 1 and some other that I also can't remember now.

[CAMPER49]

Not exactly a purchase by me but my older brother purchased a MINT copy of Amazing Spider-Man #50 for me back in 1989 as a gift for standing in his wedding.

And I mean this book was MINT....it had absolutely no blemishes, scratches, dings or creases in it. White pages, perfectly centered, high gloss cover.

 

Sad part of the story is...I ended up having to sell it to pay for university expenses a few years later, got a whopping $300 for it.

[thedude]

bought from Jeff Hinds catalogue around 1992 I believe,

 

was advertised as a FINE. hey, it was pre CGC days.

 

I've had a few chances to upgrade but everytime I see a higher grade copy for sale, it either has a miswrap, writing on cover, sun shadow, or some other distracting defect, this one presents very nice for a 4.5, plus I've had it so long It's like one of my own children.

 

 

 

[Jeffro.]

Another cool (for me anyway) purchase was made in the early 80s. My family had recently moved to a neighboring town and we found a used bookstore in the new town. We went in there and they had (what was to me at the time) a ton of 20 and 25 cent Richie Rich comics. The "ton" was probably 40-50 comics.

 

My dad supported my comic reading and even took me to my first comic con in the late 70s in New Britain CT. My two favorite types of comics in those days were Richie Rich and DC war comics (weird combo I know). He knew I'd like to have those RRs and they were being sold at only 20 cents apiece so he bought them all for me.

 

Winning the lottery would not have been as exciting to me as getting that pile of comics. I still have those books.

[RCheli]

 

 

That's a pretty nice 4.5 and a terrific cover to boot.

 

[Dr. Balls]

Long ago when I had my comic shop, I managed to scrape up $450 for this X-Men #1. I'm pretty sure I overpaid for it in 1995, but due to it's rarity in our locale (small town), it was worth the premium. I hung it up in my shop, and local fan boys came in to admire it:

 

 

I sold it when I closed my shop a year later, but in 2011, I tracked it down and get this: the guy sold it back to me for the $450 I sold it to him for in 1996.

[carguy8022]

This was the first book I ever actually bought. Found in a local video store in a small town in Missouri. I had read some books and was interested, when I saw it I had to have it. I paid the princely sum of 20 dollars for 16,19,20 in 1996. I passed on #8 because I couldn't fathom paying 80 dollars for a comic I also passed on some early single digit JLA because I just didn't know any better yet...I sent the 16 in the winter of 2013 and after all the moving and reading, still came back a 6.0

 

 

 

[Illustrious]

I found this at a local Antique Mall for $4.00 when I was 12, back in 1992. At the time it was the oldest comic I owned and I was so happy to get it: