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Watch my slab collection grow from scratch to BIG $$$ scratch!
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I subbed ten books today at Garden State Comic Fest. My plan was to put together my first prescreen but I didn't feel I had 25 sure 9.6/9.8 candidates so instead I took 8 books for MST. Those were: Batman:Harley Quinn nn; Outcast 1 Skybound 5th anniversary; 2 copies each of Walking Dead 155/156; Harley Quinn 26 Amanda Conner variant; and Jim Lee inked sketch version of Justice League 47. I really dig that Jim Lee cover. I hope they will all pull 9.8s but I am rarely correct on these things. Correct enough to keep trying so we will see.

 

I am in the process of moving from comic flipper to comic speculator/flipper, all with the goal to cover slab and comic original art hobby/collection purchase costs. That is why those copies of TWD are in there. I have a 9.6 Harley Quinn nn already and am really hoping to nail that 9.8 here; I purchased the 9.6 slabbed and it would be especially groovy to submit a 9.8 myself. I may keep it either way, even if it is a 9.4 for some reason as it is a sweet sweet copy and my money is already happily spent there. But the only other book there I plan on definitely keeping is the Jim Lee cover. The rest will happily reside in my collection but will be liquified if necessary as they were raised for culling. :devil:

 

But I also sent in two signature series books. When will I learn? But these are not being slabbed in the hope of increasing profit for resale, they are being slabbed out of love! Ragnarok red con variant cover and my bestest copy of Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer, which turned out to be issue 2/4, are both now signed by Walt Simonson! Again I am hoping for 9.8s here but no matter what they come back I will proudly have them on my shelves with other no dollar value books like Seth Fisher's Fantastic Four/Iron Man:Big in Japan. (9.8 after all those years! I plan on subbing the other three as well but they stayed in the prescreen pile for now.) I was going to get a sketch cover as well but Walt's line for sketches was an additional 20-30 minutes or so and he has been so kind to me in the past I decided against asking him for something else today.

 

So 10 books in, and the cost of slabbing paid for with proceeds from sales of Iron Man 7 (and a little 6 and 9 in there as well). I will have the requisite minimum for prescreen easily when I see cgc later this year or may mail in a prescreen in a month or two.

 

 

My previous books are both sitting at graded now for a while. They were all over TAT around 6/18, both tiers were 40 working days, but I don't really mind. They are all collection books, unless I get a dreaded PLOD or something. Who knows though, ASM 300 is a constant mover when I have one and I don';t think I will keep one permanently until I get a 9.8 somehow. This one will be a 8.0-8.5 and maybe higher (these 3 books all went to CCS first); how high will depend on how long I keep it I guess.

 

Okay, ramble on and now ramble over. Take care and be well y'all. Money good, comics good.

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My ASM 300 hit shipped/safe today while the other two remain at graded. The Modern slow track was hit graded a few days after the Standard books but the Standard remains at graded while Modern blew through graded/QC to shipped safe.

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I got my first new slab in. It was a new new, so I was relieved there. It looks fine to me but I won't give it a hard look until later after dinner.

 

ASM 300 8.5 - I bought it in a thread here about a year ago but never opened it once shipped to me. Then I stuck it still packed in my first shipment to CCS so today was my first look at it. It's groovy, but I wish it was better! Still, the money is long gone so no pain there and the buck and a quarter it cost looks good on my shelf.

 

I still want a nicer one. Even more now.

 

Man, I was really hoping for some CCS magic but I am happy. At least happy enough.

 

Take care.

Edited by Bird
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this morning when I dropped off 2 tomatoes, 1 zucchini, and 4 peppers (bringing totals to 29 zucchini, 7 peppers, 2 tomatoes) at the local food pantry the line of people to get in for food was 15-20 people deep. It was very sad that a solid middle class town like Dunellen NJ has that many hungry people.

 

Please consider growing extra veggies and donating them to the local food pantry in your area.

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Who knows though, ASM 300 is a constant mover when I have one and I don';t think I will keep one permanently until I get a 9.8 somehow. This one will be a 8.0-8.5 and maybe higher (these 3 books all went to CCS first); how high will depend on how long I keep it I guess.

 

8.5 - I guess I nailed it, or rather the boardie who sold it to me did.

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Just in, two nice Walt Simonson SS books. The Elric has been in my collection since the day it came out, 12 years now. 9.8 BAM! The Ragnarok is from last year - 9.6! lol

 

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well, 6/8 9.8s so I should be happy but I wanted to go 8/8. I thought that I had looked those books over pretty well. Unpressed the lot of them, so that is a plus too.

 

9.8s are TWD 156, TWD 155 (x2), Harley Quinn nn, Justice League 47 polybagged b&w Jim Lee cover variant, & the Outcast 1 Skyboung 5th Anniversary regular edition.

 

9.6 on TWD 156 and 9.4 on Harley Quinn 26 (D'OH!)

 

Getting a 9.8 on the Harley Quinn nn is great fun for me though. I am trying to get serious about grading moderns and I thought for sure that I had a 9.8 on this, so getting a lower grade really would have thrown me. Getting a higher grade would have been fine though.

 

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Edited by Bird
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18 books, all Moderns, hit shipped safe today. Much worse than last round, 13/18 9.8s and 5 9.6s - but two of the books I want for myself were in those 9.6s - Bolland Doom Patrol variant and Dr Strange and Sorcerers Supreme hip hop variant. Crud.

Edited by Bird
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I kinda abandoned this journal but am back for an important plea! Spring has sprung and I want to encourage any gardeners out there to please consider planting an extra veggie plant or two and donating the harvest of that plant to a local food pantry. I use FISH in Dunellen NJ and when I drop off the veggies at 7:20 am there are already people lined up for food and FISH is not open until 8 am. Middle class neighborhood and people are hungry out there. I enjoy gardening and realized last year how easy it is to add a little to the garden for others. Now I have gotten a bit carried away myself and converted 1/3 of my yard (I'll continue to expand next year but I use that pitchfork there to till the soil so it is slow going. My town is basically built on slate so machines aren't a great option and it keeps me in shape a bit.)

C_QGoDJXkAIYkbn.jpg

That stuff growing in the middle and front left is garlic...53 plants. The trellis in the back is for peas and I have more to add. The far right has part of an old swing sitting against the fence and on it is the wood man (Senor Woodman perhaps?) that I got at the estate sale where I got my Speed Comics 11 yesterday. He is going to help watch the garden with the little Jersey devil sitting on the fence post in the center (he fell over last night after drinking too much). In any event, last year two zucchini plants allowed us to eat a lot of zucchini and I donated around 45. Anyone who grows tomatoes has extra, stop giving them to neighbors and family if they can afford them and donate that stuff. Add a little basil and make some elderly Italians day! I'll eventually have about 40 pepper plants, tons of string beans and various other plants.

I am also going to a few people houses directly and planting some stuff for them. Only 4 people signed up for that so far but every little bit helps.

Edited by Bird
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1 minute ago, Bird said:

I kinda abandoned this journal but am back for an important plea! Spring has sprung and I want to encourage any gardeners out there to please consider planting an extra veggie plant or two and donating the harvest of that plant to a local food pantry. I use FISH in Dunellen NJ and when I drop off the veggies at 7:20 am there are already people lined up for food and FISH is not open until 8 am. Middle class neighborhood and people are hungry out there. I enjoy gardening and realized last year how easy it is to add a little to the garden for others. Now I have gotten a bit carried away myself and converted 1/3 of my yard (I'll continue to expand next year but I use that pitchfork there to till the soil so it is slow going. My town is basically built on slate so machines aren't a great option and it keeps me in shape a bit.)

C_QGoDJXkAIYkbn.jpg

That stuff growing in the middle and front left is garlic...53 plants. The trellis in the back is for peas and I have more to add. The far right has part of an old swing sitting against the fence and on it is the wood man (Senor Woodman perhaps?) that I got at the estate sale where I got my Speed Comics 11 yesterday. He is going to help watch the garden with the little Jersey devil sitting on the fence post in the center (he fell over last night after drinking too much). In any event, last year two zucchini plants allowed us to eat a lot of zucchini and I donated around 45. Anyone who grows tomatoes has extra, stop giving them to neighbors and family if they can afford them and donate that stuff. Add a little basil and make some elderly Italians day! I'll eventually have about 40 pepper plants, tons of string beans and various other plants.

I am also going to a few people houses directly and planting some stuff for them. Only 4 people signed up for that so far but every little bit helps.

:golfclap:what a great idea. 

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Thanks. It really was a revelation for me. So easy and so helpful. I am trying to make it a movement though, so please spread the word to any gardeners you might know.

25 minutes ago, ThothAmon said:

what a great idea. 

I will also pick up even one vegetable from any gardeners near Rutgers in New Brunswick or close to Route 1 from New Brunswick to Trenton and make sure it is donated.

Edited by Bird
or anyone can drop of veggies to my wife's car at the rutgers campus
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I am fine but I like this quote from Contact!

"I've had a long time to make enemies, doctor. So many governments, business interests, even religious leaders that would like to see me depart this Earth. I'll grant them their wish soon enough. But before I do, I wish to make a small contribution. A final gesture of good will to the people of this little planet who have given—from whom I have taken—so much."

To keep it cgc related, sent in 7 modern variants yesterday! I'll show them off here when I get them back.

Edited by Bird
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On 5/7/2017 at 5:30 PM, Bird said:

Thanks. It really was a revelation for me. So easy and so helpful. I am trying to make it a movement though, so please spread the word to any gardeners you might know.

I will also pick up even one vegetable from any gardeners near Rutgers in New Brunswick or close to Route 1 from New Brunswick to Trenton and make sure it is donated.

One question, as I too live in the Northeast (Conn.), do vegetables need sunlight to grow?  What a cold gray spring.

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On 5/8/2017 at 9:36 PM, ThothAmon said:

One question, as I too live in the Northeast (Conn.), do vegetables need sunlight to grow?  What a cold gray spring.

Very cold still this week. I am impulsive and over-excited this year. The typical last frost for sure date is Mother's Day but I tossed those bad boys in there early. The peppers look sad but the other stuff seems to be doing fine. But it shouldn't go below upper forties anymore here in north/central NJ.

Pictures from yesterday. 20-30 more plants to go in but now at 34 peppers, 6 lettuce, 5 tomato, rows of peas and strawberries, 2 zucchini and 1 cucumber (or vice versa) and 1 immature asparagus. Oh and 52 garlic (I picked one last week to see how they are doing...too small still but another month or so for them at least.)

 

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I bought a Speed Comics 11 from 1940 at an estate sale last week and during negotiations threw in the folk art carving of that man on the swing. You can see my Jersey Devil sentry at the middle of the top photo sitting on a fence post.

Edited by Bird
forgot the garlic!
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