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Chuck explains his Mile High pricing

Started by Sekowskyfan10,

906 posts in this topic

That Ron Dude

That Ron Dude

Posted
Posted
It's human nature to look into the past, pick out details that catch the reader's eye and then rewrite history or assume you'd have done it differently (or whatever the case is).

 

The truth of the matter is that what actually happened is only known by the individuals directly involved in the matter unless someone documented it as it was happening.

 

Today, everyone would be happy to have bought those books at multiples of what Chuck paid for them but back then multiple dealers were called and not a single person went to see the books except for Chuck.

 

That alone speaks volumes to me about how desirable the books were.

 

Compare that today to today's craigslist warriors who bend over backwards to follow up on every lead they lay their eyes on.

 

If you really want to understand something in it's historical context it takes a lot of homework to

 

a) get the actual story from the horse's mouth (all parties involved, not just one)

b) understand what the historical backdrop was actually like

c) make sense of it altogether in a fair way.

 

There are constant threads / posts on this forum about journalists getting their stories straight when publishing something but on the flip side, most of the armchair internet gossip doesn't put half the effort into their own investigations.

 

 

I couldn't agree with you more. It is a very complicated story involving a bunch of comics nobody wanted and a kid, not even old enough to vote, using borrowed money in a market that could have gone up or down. But on the other side of it is a huge find which even the dumbest comic fan I knew (and I knew plenty) could have turned into a fortune and no attempt at further compensation other than buying several posters.

 

Is Charles Rozanski trying to rise above his critics or is does he just not want to fuel the flames? It is a very polarizing situation, as we can see just by reading the last page or two on these board.

 

I don't think anyone at this board has ever suggested that Chuck Rozanski stole the books, that he should be prosecuted (is there an American law that could be applied?) or even that he be boycotted. A lot of people though, and I am among them, just think that after all is said and done it was a scummy thing to have done and then to have left that way. It would be nice if the Church family could be compensated in some way beyond Chuck Rozanski's wonderful essays about Edgar Church.

 

Never give a sucker an even break. Never wise up a mark. A slogan to live by.

 

The meek shall inherit the Earth. Another slogan to live by.

 

I like Woody Guthrie's, "Some people can rob you with a fountain pen".

 

 

 

 

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RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

Posted
Posted
It's human nature to look into the past, pick out details that catch the reader's eye and then rewrite history or assume you'd have done it differently (or whatever the case is).

 

The truth of the matter is that what actually happened is only known by the individuals directly involved in the matter unless someone documented it as it was happening.

 

Today, everyone would be happy to have bought those books at multiples of what Chuck paid for them but back then multiple dealers were called and not a single person went to see the books except for Chuck.

 

That alone speaks volumes to me about how desirable the books were.

 

Compare that today to today's craigslist warriors who bend over backwards to follow up on every lead they lay their eyes on.

 

If you really want to understand something in it's historical context it takes a lot of homework to

 

a) get the actual story from the horse's mouth (all parties involved, not just one)

b) understand what the historical backdrop was actually like

c) make sense of it altogether in a fair way.

 

There are constant threads / posts on this forum about journalists getting their stories straight when publishing something but on the flip side, most of the armchair internet gossip doesn't put half the effort into their own investigations.

 

 

I couldn't agree with you more. It is a very complicated story involving a bunch of comics nobody wanted and a kid, not even old enough to vote, using borrowed money in a market that could have gone up or down. But on the other side of it is a huge find which even the dumbest comic fan I knew (and I knew plenty) could have turned into a fortune and no attempt at further compensation other than buying several posters.

 

Is Charles Rozanski trying to rise above his critics or is does he just not want to fuel the flames? It is a very polarizing situation, as we can see just by reading the last page or two on these board.

 

I don't think anyone at this board has ever suggested that Chuck Rozanski stole the books,

 

....but you sure come as close as it gets, without going over the line, with this comment:

 

On the other hand the Churches wouldn't have done much worse if he had stolen the comics.

 

hm

 

that he should be prosecuted (is there an American law that could be applied?) or even that he be boycotted. A lot of people though, and I am among them, just think that after all is said and done it was a scummy thing to have done and then to have left that way. It would be nice if the Church family could be compensated in some way beyond Chuck Rozanski's wonderful essays about Edgar Church.

 

Never give a sucker an even break. Never wise up a mark. A slogan to live by.

 

The meek shall inherit the Earth. Another slogan to live by.

 

I like Woody Guthrie's, "Some people can rob you with a fountain pen".

 

 

 

 

Your accusation, that Chuck did a "scummy thing", is unfair and unfounded, regardless of how many people share your opinion. You weren't there, you don't know how it happened, and to judge people retroactively, through the lens of time, is about as unfair as it gets. How do even you know the "posters" were the "only attempt at compensation"...?

 

Pretty strange, from someone who has posted continuously about "fair play" in this thread. Isn't it always that way? The ones most clamoring for tolerance are always the most intolerant themselves.

 

hm

 

If you feel the Church family has not been compensated properly, there's absolutely nothing stopping you from tracking them down and compensating them.

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Robot Man

Robot Man

Posted
Posted

Here is annother thing to consider. Did Chuck know exactly what he was buying? It seems that they were stacked in the closet with the oldest ones probably at the bottom and back of the closet. The ones he could see on the floor of the basement were a lot later than the closet stuff. I kind of think he might have not actually known the extent of the full collection until he hauled them out. Sounds like they had to agree upon a price before he did all the work. Did he know there was an Action #1 ect. in the collection at the time they consumated the deal? I guess we will never know. Just wondering...

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roach04

roach04

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Posted

RockMyAmadeus - well said - in every reply. Nicely done.

 

I have two stories. In 1991, a buddy of mine found the legendary "boxes of comics in his neighbour's garage.". The neighbour was going to junk them and gave them to my buddy. In said box was every 1970s key but the first stuff he found was ASM 129, GSXM 1, X-Men 94, Conan 1. My buddy was a Spider-Man only guy and was going to sell everything else. I was in high school but knew what he had found so I offered him 45 issues of Web of Spider-Man, and every McFarlane Spider-Man I had that he didn't for the GSXM 1, the X-Men #94, and the Conan #1. He gladly took the deal and we were both happy. (Of course, 2 days after we finished that deal he found the Hulk 181 and I had nothing left to trade...)

 

20+ years later I sent all 3 of those books to CGC - the GS was an 8.0, the X-Men was a 6.5 and the Conan was a 9. I've since upgraded both X-books but I still have that Conan.

 

Did I rip him off? I sure don't think so. He knew what he had. I offered what I could and he took it. Sure, there's no Red Raven #1 or Action #1 but the monetary value of what I offered him was worth probably $30-50 back then. And maybe $200 now (and that's a longshot at $200). What I got sure won the "money" part of the deal but we both left happy. And the neighbour? He was just happy the comics were out of his garage and went to somebody who's enjoy them. Did he know what they were worth? In 1991, it would have been a helluva lot easier for him to find that out but he simply didn't care.

 

My other one - when a local comic store went out of business in about 1997 I bought the guys 50 copies of X-Men #266 that he had in the back for $100. I've since gotten rid of 48 of them to fill other holes in my collection and sure, if I'd kept all 50 I could sell them for $200 a pop now, but I was glad to get $25 and $50 when I moved them. I'm no dealer - just a regular guy. The comic shop owner definitely knew what he had, but he was happy for the money and I was happy to take his books.

 

 

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RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

Posted
Posted
RockMyAmadeus - well said - in every reply. Nicely done.

 

I have two stories. In 1991, a buddy of mine found the legendary "boxes of comics in his neighbour's garage.". The neighbour was going to junk them and gave them to my buddy. In said box was every 1970s key but the first stuff he found was ASM 129, GSXM 1, X-Men 94, Conan 1. My buddy was a Spider-Man only guy and was going to sell everything else. I was in high school but knew what he had found so I offered him 45 issues of Web of Spider-Man, and every McFarlane Spider-Man I had that he didn't for the GSXM 1, the X-Men #94, and the Conan #1. He gladly took the deal and we were both happy. (Of course, 2 days after we finished that deal he found the Hulk 181 and I had nothing left to trade...)

 

20+ years later I sent all 3 of those books to CGC - the GS was an 8.0, the X-Men was a 6.5 and the Conan was a 9. I've since upgraded both X-books but I still have that Conan.

 

Did I rip him off? I sure don't think so. He knew what he had. I offered what I could and he took it. Sure, there's no Red Raven #1 or Action #1 but the monetary value of what I offered him was worth probably $30-50 back then. And maybe $200 now (and that's a longshot at $200). What I got sure won the "money" part of the deal but we both left happy. And the neighbour? He was just happy the comics were out of his garage and went to somebody who's enjoy them. Did he know what they were worth? In 1991, it would have been a helluva lot easier for him to find that out but he simply didn't care.

 

My other one - when a local comic store went out of business in about 1997 I bought the guys 50 copies of X-Men #266 that he had in the back for $100. I've since gotten rid of 48 of them to fill other holes in my collection and sure, if I'd kept all 50 I could sell them for $200 a pop now, but I was glad to get $25 and $50 when I moved them. I'm no dealer - just a regular guy. The comic shop owner definitely knew what he had, but he was happy for the money and I was happy to take his books.

 

 

So long as both parties are satisfied with the deal, you can't ask for more than that.

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botolo

botolo

Posted
Posted

In the meantime, and also to go back OT, let's share our thoughts on the new video newsletter by Chuck.

 

 

I personally love the guy more and more each video I see. What he says at the end of the video clearly, in my opinion, represents what he thinks about comics and what is his approach to them.

 

These videos have been inspiring and I truly want to support MHC. I just switched my subscriptions to their NICE service and I plan to buy some back issues soon.

 

Also, I would love to go visit the Jason St. store!

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Sekowskyfan10

Sekowskyfan10

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Posted
In the meantime, and also to go back OT, let's share our thoughts on the new video newsletter by Chuck.

 

 

I personally love the guy more and more each video I see. What he says at the end of the video clearly, in my opinion, represents what he thinks about comics and what is his approach to them.

 

These videos have been inspiring and I truly want to support MHC. I just switched my subscriptions to their NICE service and I plan to buy some back issues soon.

 

Also, I would love to go visit the Jason St. store!

 

I must say, that balcony view of the Megastore is incredible.

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ttfitz

ttfitz

Posted
Posted
In the meantime, and also to go back OT, let's share our thoughts on the new video newsletter by Chuck.

 

 

I personally love the guy more and more each video I see. What he says at the end of the video clearly, in my opinion, represents what he thinks about comics and what is his approach to them.

 

These videos have been inspiring and I truly want to support MHC. I just switched my subscriptions to their NICE service and I plan to buy some back issues soon.

 

Also, I would love to go visit the Jason St. store!

 

Another interesting video. I have seen Chuck at a convention, and it's like he said, he's looking through the boxes, with a huge printout of books he wants to get.

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roach04

roach04

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Posted

So long as both parties are satisfied with the deal, you can't ask for more than that.

 

And that's my view on the Church/Chuck deal. Everyone left happy. Chuck got his comics and the Church kids got money. You said it much better than I could but there's no point in folks continually saying what it's worth now as the world is completely different. Anyone found that collection now - Google will tell you to call Metropolis or Heritage (or heck, Chuck!). Back then - they called every number in the book they could find. Only one guy had any interest.

 

It's fun to talk about the collection because it is deservedly legendary. But to slam the the retailer who did the deal baffles me. Sure, Chuck is an odd fellow at times, and his prices are really high next to the rest of the world, and his website looks 20 years old - but saying he did something morally or legally wrong in the Church deal - I don't see it.

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Mmehdy

Mmehdy

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Posted

#6 newsletter is the best yet...it actually makes sense what he does say...he does manage to insult every other brick comic book store....but there is some reality in what he does say........this is a great set of videos...I would very much like to see him take on the auction houses.....CL/HA/CC

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H0RR0RSH0W

H0RR0RSH0W

Posted
Posted

The turn of this thread is the first time I have ever heard of anyone criticizing the acquisition of the Church collection or calling it an unethical deal.

 

I realize it is stupid to point out but the man did actually do physical work to haul off and sort through over 1800 comics.His time and labor however insignificant were never taken into account as far as I could tell.

 

On the rare occassion that I do buy from MHC I feel as if I am being hustrucked lol

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