If You Came Across a Copy of New Adventure Comics #26 .......

[garthgantu]

Most likely, I could not afford to buy a copy of NA 26, so I chose #1. I'd just tell him where he could find it. However, if it was a case where I would have to buy it in order to get it to Ian (like a garage sale or something) then I'd do what I could to buy it. If I had to buy it, I would ask Ian to reimburse me for the book plus shipping. I can't afford to give away my money, but I wouldn't feel right charging him a premium.

 

Bottom line -- I like Ian. I would love to happen upon an affordable copy and get it to him however I could.

 

-- Joanna

 

My sentiments exactly!

[Ian_Levine]

If the price was reasonable, I'd be tempted to buy it and throw it up on eBay. Give everyone a chance at it.

 

Does that make me a bad person?

 

I have to admit that the fact that I came so near to completing and then hit this one endless stumbling block, plus the fact that I refused to buy the exorbitant one that was over ten times guide, has soured the whole goal for me.

 

I'm sadly nowhere NEAR as excited about completing the collection now as I was a year and a half ago because of this, and the greed that was exposed.

 

I may never complete - I feel myself losing interest rapidly, and haven't even been looking on e-Bay lately.

[THE_BEYONDER]

If the price was reasonable, I'd be tempted to buy it and throw it up on eBay. Give everyone a chance at it.

 

Does that make me a bad person?

 

I have to admit that the fact that I came so near to completing and then hit this one endless stumbling block, plus the fact that I refused to buy the exorbitant one that was over ten times guide, has soured the whole goal for me.

 

I'm sadly nowhere NEAR as excited about completing the collection now as I was a year and a half ago because of this, and the greed that was exposed.

 

I may never complete - I feel myself losing interest rapidly, and haven't even been looking on e-Bay lately.

 

I'm convinced.

[Harvey Dude]

Don't lose interest. I am still keeping an eye for the New Adventures #26. Hopefully, a copy will surface for a reasonable price.

[jbud73]

> Alexander is a insufficiently_thoughtful_person

 

A good friend of mine has an eBay feedback record of 352-1; he got the

one negative from DTA. Alexander sold him a set of pretty expensive books,

one of which turned out to be missing a page. DTA refused polite requests

to take the book back and when my friend finally left a negative explaining

what happened, he got a negative in return. I have done lots of business with

the buyer and he is a genuintely nice and honest collector that I'd highly

recommend to anyone. On the other hand, I would never buy a book from

dtacollectbles after the way he treated my friend.

 

I've heard nothing but negative word of mouth from folks I know who've bought comics from DTA. I'll confess I've bought a few pulps from him, and was pleased, but with the pulp market "beater/low grade" is pretty much the norm, so I wasn't disappointed with what I paid for. However, I've heard he's a rampant overgrader when it comes to comics, and from the scans I've seen on ebay, I'd have to agree. Some of those "solid VGs" look like they're just barely fair copies.

 

 

Ill say it more plainly - DTA is THE F#[#@$%!!!]!n defintion of the D!ckw@d seller. Now Ian may be a bit of a FDQ, but based on personal dealings and other testimonials. Mr. Alexander would rat his mom out for a nickel.

[Ian_Levine]

Don't lose interest. I am still keeping an eye for the New Adventures #26. Hopefully, a copy will surface for a reasonable price.

 

I doubt it.

 

It's nearly a year since I got down to the last one.

 

If it had turned up last Februaury/March, there would have been celebrating and dancing in the streets.

 

Paradoxically, you would have thought that the more time went by, the more it would have meant if it did eventually turn up, but the stagnation has had the opposite effect.

 

Plus money is tight, and I've started to realise the enormity of what I sunk into the comics collection - especially considering that virtually all my keys are restored.

 

I don't know why I feel like this, I don't LIKE the fact that I feel like this, but I do.

 

Maybe if it does eventually turn up I'll change my tune, but right now I do feel soured.

[Harvey Dude]

Plus money is tight, and I've started to realise the enormity of what I sunk into the comics collection - especially considering that virtually all my keys are restored.

 

I would not worry about having restored keys. The few keys that I have are restored as well. It goes to show the real scacity of some of the golden-age books.

[Ian_Levine]

I would not worry about having restored keys. The few keys that I have are restored as well. It goes to show the real scacity of some of the golden-age books.

 

I love restored books and I'm very happy to have them.

But I learned the hard way from trying to move the spares I had upgraded (More Fun 53 for example - my first copy cost me $2000 and Harley only got $1500 for it), that I'll probably never get back the money I put into them.

 

My first Action 1 cost $30,000, and then I upgraded for a VF restored which cost me a trade-in for my first lowgrade copy which was actually unrestored, plus about another $25000.

I'd never get back $55000 for the restored copy, now would I ??

[THE_BEYONDER]

I would not worry about having restored keys. The few keys that I have are restored as well. It goes to show the real scacity of some of the golden-age books.

 

I love restored books and I'm very happy to have them.

But I learned the hard way from trying to move the spares I had upgraded (More Fun 53 for example - my first copy cost me $2000 and Harley only got $1500 for it), that I'll probably never get back the money I put into them.

 

My first Action 1 cost $30,000, and then I upgraded for a VF restored which cost me a trade-in for my first lowgrade copy which was actually unrestored, plus about another $25000.

I'd never get back $55000 for the restored copy, now would I ??

 

Was your motivation to complete the set nothing more than to sell it as a whole?

 

Why are you talking about selling?

[fantastic_four]

Why are you talking about selling?

 

Read the post you quoted--he's selling the books he upgrades.

[FFB]

I would not worry about having restored keys. The few keys that I have are restored as well. It goes to show the real scacity of some of the golden-age books.

 

I love restored books and I'm very happy to have them.

But I learned the hard way from trying to move the spares I had upgraded (More Fun 53 for example - my first copy cost me $2000 and Harley only got $1500 for it), that I'll probably never get back the money I put into them.

 

My first Action 1 cost $30,000, and then I upgraded for a VF restored which cost me a trade-in for my first lowgrade copy which was actually unrestored, plus about another $25000.

I'd never get back $55000 for the restored copy, now would I ??

 

Maybe. How much work was done to the book?

[THE_BEYONDER]

Why are you talking about selling?

 

Read the post you quoted--he's selling the books he upgrades.

 

Read it again. The $55,000 he'll never get back was in reference to his present copy of Action 1.

[FFB]

I would not worry about having restored keys. The few keys that I have are restored as well. It goes to show the real scacity of some of the golden-age books.

 

I love restored books and I'm very happy to have them.

But I learned the hard way from trying to move the spares I had upgraded (More Fun 53 for example - my first copy cost me $2000 and Harley only got $1500 for it), that I'll probably never get back the money I put into them.

 

My first Action 1 cost $30,000, and then I upgraded for a VF restored which cost me a trade-in for my first lowgrade copy which was actually unrestored, plus about another $25000.

I'd never get back $55000 for the restored copy, now would I ??

 

Maybe. How much work was done to the book?

 

By the way, Ian - a CGC 7.5 with Moderate Professional restoration sold for $58,139.40 in December 2003. A CGC 6.5 with Slight Professional restoration sold for 45,100 in July 2004. If you have a restored 8.0 or better, I think you'll probably get your money back for it if you sell. With the Superman movie coming out, it isn't like interest in the book is waning (although I'm not sure a thing like movie hype really affects demand for Action #1 - but it certainly doesn't hurt it either).

[Ian_Levine]

Was your motivation to complete the set nothing more than to sell it as a whole?

 

Why are you talking about selling?

 

I'm not selling.

I've collected for forty years since I was a kid.

I'm just making the point that IF it was sold, I'd never get my money back. That's all.

I made a lot of sacrifices and sold a lot of things I didn't wanna sell, just to complete the collection, and now it's no more able to be called complete than it was ten years ago, sacrifices notwithstanding. Does that make sense I guess I'm just depressed with it all. It's been too long now and the excitement has gone and is replaced by a weariness. I could have forked over the fifteen grand and completed the collection - I refused out of principle - now it's stalemate.

[Ian_Levine]

Read it again. The $55,000 he'll never get back was in reference to his present copy of Action 1.

 

Correct.

It's easier to sell a book that's unrestored but looks like a dishrag, than to sell a pristine copy that's had restoration done to it.

I'd rather have the nicer looking book.

All I said was that I'd never get back the investment in a million years.

[THE_BEYONDER]

Was your motivation to complete the set nothing more than to sell it as a whole?

 

Why are you talking about selling?

 

I'm not selling.

I've collected for forty years since I was a kid.

I'm just making the point that IF it was sold, I'd never get my money back. That's all.

I made a lot of sacrifices and sold a lot of things I didn't wanna sell, just to complete the collection, and now it's no more able to be called complete than it was ten years ago, sacrifices notwithstanding. Does that make sense I guess I'm just depressed with it all. It's been too long now and the excitement has gone and is replaced by a weariness. I could have forked over the fifteen grand and completed the collection - I refused out of principle - now it's stalemate.

 

You'll get the last book eventually. Just take a break for a bit, and try not to let depression sink in.

[FFB]

Read it again. The $55,000 he'll never get back was in reference to his present copy of Action 1.

 

Correct.

It's easier to sell a book that's unrestored but looks like a dishrag, than to sell a pristine copy that's had restoration done to it.

I'd rather have the nicer looking book.

All I said was that I'd never get back the investment in a million years.

 

GPAnalysis suggests otherwise if it's a sold VF with moderate or slight resto. Again, Ian, how much work was done to the book?

[skybolt]

That NAC #26 is becoming a bigger thorn than locating those missing Doctor Who episodes, eh Ian?

[Ian_Levine]

GPAnalysis suggests otherwise if it's a sold VF with moderate or slight resto. Again, Ian, how much work was done to the book?

 

The insides look untouched.

The cover has had some repair - I can see slight brushstrokes on the yellow - but it looks amazing. Harley would know its history far better than me.

[Ian_Levine]

That NAC #26 is becoming a bigger thorn than locating those missing Doctor Who episodes, eh Ian?

 

Yeah there's still 108 of those missing. Only two have turned up in the last thirteen years. A similar situation.

 

Collecting can be no cause for celebration.

 

Listen to myself - I sound terrible, and battle-weary. Where's the fun gone