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UPDATED: My Nominee for the "First Great Comic Collector"
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Started by sfcityduck,

360 posts in this topic

Tri-Color Brian

Tri-Color Brian

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Aside from the main subject, I just want to say...According to the Inflation Calculator, those Batman's I bought for a dollar should be worth $8.61 today!  I will pay anyone on the boards $9ea for any Batman's in that shape from that era...No, don't thank me...I'm a generous guy.  OK, let the PMs start...:whatthe:

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pemart1966

pemart1966

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Two things that I found interesting in both the written article and the TV show:

1.  Both refer to Bill as having "the only known copy" of Whiz #1.  Was this the reality at that time - that there was only 1 known copy?

2.  No mention of the Timely universe.  It appears that Bill's collecting focus was on the DC universe...

Edited by pemart1966
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Cat-Man_America

Cat-Man_America

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On 1/27/2022 at 10:19 AM, pemart1966 said:

Two things that I found interesting in both the written article and the TV show:

1.  Both refer to Bill as having "the only known copy" of Whiz #1.  Was this the reality at that time - that there was only 1 known copy?

2.  No mention of the Timely universe.  It appears that Bill's collecting focus was on the DC universe...

Cursory knowledge by the program's research staff was probably all that was required.  I suspect the staff coached the contestant/imposters providing just enough basic information to fool the celebs when asked questions.  

It's entirely possible that Bill Placzek presented Whiz #1 (2) as the only known copy.  Who would've questioned that assertion given the unusual nature of the comic collecting hobby back then?  He may or may not have known better at that time given his own collecting focus and any hyperbole would've just been good fodder for the amusement of viewers.  Bud Collyer, What's My Line's host had a basic knowledge about the Superman character from having voiced the character on radio, but I'd be surprised if his knowledge of comics extended much beyond that.  Curious professions and hobbies created just the right atmosphere for clever repartee from the guest celebs.  My two cents.

:cheers:

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pemart1966

pemart1966

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On 1/28/2022 at 4:09 PM, Cat-Man_America said:

Cursory knowledge by the program's research staff was probably all that was required.  I suspect the staff coached the contestant/imposters providing just enough basic information to fool the celebs when asked questions.  

It's entirely possible that Bill Placzek presented Whiz #1 (2) as the only known copy.  Who would've questioned that assertion given the unusual nature of the comic collecting hobby back then?  He may or may not have known better at that time given his own collecting focus and any hyperbole would've just been good fodder for the amusement of viewers.  Bud Collyer, What's My Line's host had a basic knowledge about the Superman character from having voiced the character on radio, but I'd be surprised if his knowledge of comics extended much beyond that.  Curious professions and hobbies created just the right atmosphere for clever repartee from the guest celebs.  My two cents.

:cheers:

Communicating with fellow collectors at the time was extremely difficult.  If he asked a few big time collectors whether they had Whiz #1 and they said "no" AND they did not know of anyone having one (besides Bill) Bill might have assumed that he had the only known copy.

Edited by pemart1966
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Cat-Man_America

Cat-Man_America

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On 1/28/2022 at 6:48 PM, pemart1966 said:

Communicating with fellow collectors at the time was extremely difficult.  If he asked a few big time collectors whether they had Whiz #1 and they said "no" AND they did not know of anyone having one (besides Bill) Bill might have assumed that he had the only known copy.

That's entirely possible, especially since a lot of the younger collectors ...which Bill was at that time... would've had limited connections with other collectors and spotty access to early GA titles.

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woowoo

woowoo

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Back in the late 70's early 80's I had Sup 1's Bat 1's Fantasy 15's all the Marvel 1's 10 x over but could not find Hulk 128 for 10 plus years to finish my run :preach: and tons of shows and comic stores and CBG every week for years :makepoint: I now have 2 :headpat:But I don't have the rest :ohnoez:

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sfcityduck

sfcityduck

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On 2/22/2022 at 1:33 PM, PDGray said:

Absolutely FASCINATING thread.  

Sorry for being so late to find it - I still am a newb to the board.

It would appear that I am about 1.5 hours from Dave Wigranskis grave.  If I find myself up that way I may have to stop in for a brief visit.

 

PDG

Feel free to take a pic and post it!

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Bill Placek

Bill Placek

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On 1/25/2022 at 7:09 PM, Tri-ColorBrian said:

I was wondering that too...any Internet ref. just ends in 2008.

Yes, I am!   I am alive, and very well. I am still buying new books (yikes!) I am voting for myself. I started at six in 1956 with  superman & batman. I can telly exactly where I saw and bought that first Justice League in B & B # 28 (Downtown Chicago, Randolph street news stand between State & Clark. As I turned 12 I got on my bike and rode to every resale store and always handed the owner an EXTRA dollar to save any "older" ones for me and then handed them a list. This continued until my father who pumped gas and was a mechanic who fix and reload cars, found a guy with a huge collection. I scoured the A-1 boxscore downtown, and they were basically a used book store that hide the comics from "little" kids with little $. Osfeld's (sp) was another with an even stranger owner who seemed to hate young people also b/c the had little cash...every thing was  $25. (Mistake one...his cat knocked over a pile of magazines and I cleaned them up and saw a Marvel Mystery #1 (but wasn't sure it was really with the painted like cover) but didn't change my mind away from the All-Star #8 I purchase in really nice shape. I never filked in the Marvel Mysteries had the 8-10, and many of the 20's and 30s issues which were really the best of the companies work imo. My DC were pretty much complete to 1952 all the Actions Supermans Detectives World's Finest, and Batmans (and did my a very fine copy of Batman #1 fromJack Whalen in Canton PA, for $40.00 a few days after my dad was shot and killed.) Flash All-American, star spangled, Leading, Comic cavalcades, tons of Fawcett Marvels including nthat Mr. Mind series, the Mack Raboy Capt Marvel Jr.s.the MLJs, and I eventually purges the non superhero books as the doubles of the every silver age super hero books needs space.  I kept collecting until about 1975 

My grandson, Nolan River (from the M. Night Shamylan 'OLD", found this site. he is 10 and all we talk about heroes and villains from the all the books. 

It was great to have Roy Thomas stay over a week while he was reading all my 1939-41 Speed Centaur comic line issues, and our "conventions" in basements of 25 hard core comic fans. Going to South Bend Indiana to visit Keith Greene, Bob Butts and (another name) 

It tickles me that Doug Moench, was a fellow fan in our group, Spa fon's Rich Hauser, and may others.  I was always the youngster in the group and was treated as an equal. I taught mathematics at Tilden HS and Lincoln Park H.S. until I retired to st. Pete., but still have an obsession for the only sport I every followed, hockey as I attended the Blackhawk games from 1960 on with regularity. My current job is being an amateur scout for myself originally on Draftsite.com and now on the mock drafts on Lines.com. I am a staunch liberal democratic socialist (sorry if I scare you with this)and attend church regularly at a church that says "all means all" and spend time with many volunteer projects involving food collections, a soup ministry, the Pack a Sack program with local elementary school, and give back. The comics have enabled me to live a pretty charmed life. 

 

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sfcityduck

sfcityduck

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On 4/20/2022 at 1:57 PM, Bill Placek said:

Yes, I am!   I am alive, and very well. I am still buying new books (yikes!) I am voting for myself. I started at six in 1956 with  superman & batman. I can telly exactly where I saw and bought that first Justice League in B & B # 28 (Downtown Chicago, Randolph street news stand between State & Clark. As I turned 12 I got on my bike and rode to every resale store and always handed the owner an EXTRA dollar to save any "older" ones for me and then handed them a list. This continued until my father who pumped gas and was a mechanic who fix and reload cars, found a guy with a huge collection. I scoured the A-1 boxscore downtown, and they were basically a used book store that hide the comics from "little" kids with little $. Osfeld's (sp) was another with an even stranger owner who seemed to hate young people also b/c the had little cash...every thing was  $25. (Mistake one...his cat knocked over a pile of magazines and I cleaned them up and saw a Marvel Mystery #1 (but wasn't sure it was really with the painted like cover) but didn't change my mind away from the All-Star #8 I purchase in really nice shape. I never filked in the Marvel Mysteries had the 8-10, and many of the 20's and 30s issues which were really the best of the companies work imo. My DC were pretty much complete to 1952 all the Actions Supermans Detectives World's Finest, and Batmans (and did my a very fine copy of Batman #1 fromJack Whalen in Canton PA, for $40.00 a few days after my dad was shot and killed.) Flash All-American, star spangled, Leading, Comic cavalcades, tons of Fawcett Marvels including nthat Mr. Mind series, the Mack Raboy Capt Marvel Jr.s.the MLJs, and I eventually purges the non superhero books as the doubles of the every silver age super hero books needs space.  I kept collecting until about 1975 

My grandson, Nolan River (from the M. Night Shamylan 'OLD", found this site. he is 10 and all we talk about heroes and villains from the all the books. 

It was great to have Roy Thomas stay over a week while he was reading all my 1939-41 Speed Centaur comic line issues, and our "conventions" in basements of 25 hard core comic fans. Going to South Bend Indiana to visit Keith Greene, Bob Butts and (another name) 

It tickles me that Doug Moench, was a fellow fan in our group, Spa fon's Rich Hauser, and may others.  I was always the youngster in the group and was treated as an equal. I taught mathematics at Tilden HS and Lincoln Park H.S. until I retired to st. Pete., but still have an obsession for the only sport I every followed, hockey as I attended the Blackhawk games from 1960 on with regularity. My current job is being an amateur scout for myself originally on Draftsite.com and now on the mock drafts on Lines.com. I am a staunch liberal democratic socialist (sorry if I scare you with this)and attend church regularly at a church that says "all means all" and spend time with many volunteer projects involving food collections, a soup ministry, the Pack a Sack program with local elementary school, and give back. The comics have enabled me to live a pretty charmed life. 

 

Bill,

Many thanks for visiting this thread I started.  I love comic history, and you are one of the early generation of comic collectors who paved the way for the rest of us.  I'm glad to hear you still have your collection!  Great to see you visit!

That your grandson has an interest in comics, must be a lot of fun for you and him.  I personally love the late 1940s DCs in large part because my father gave me his collection of late 40s to early 50s books.  Always have had a soft spot for Robin in Star Spangled - viewed as strange these days.  

Feel free to share more stories!

Edited by sfcityduck
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Cat

Cat

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On 4/21/2022 at 6:57 AM, Bill Placek said:

Yes, I am!   I am alive, and very well. I am still buying new books (yikes!) I am voting for myself. I started at six in 1956 with  superman & batman. I can telly exactly where I saw and bought that first Justice League in B & B # 28 (Downtown Chicago, Randolph street news stand between State & Clark. As I turned 12 I got on my bike and rode to every resale store and always handed the owner an EXTRA dollar to save any "older" ones for me and then handed them a list. This continued until my father who pumped gas and was a mechanic who fix and reload cars, found a guy with a huge collection. I scoured the A-1 boxscore downtown, and they were basically a used book store that hide the comics from "little" kids with little $. Osfeld's (sp) was another with an even stranger owner who seemed to hate young people also b/c the had little cash...every thing was  $25. (Mistake one...his cat knocked over a pile of magazines and I cleaned them up and saw a Marvel Mystery #1 (but wasn't sure it was really with the painted like cover) but didn't change my mind away from the All-Star #8 I purchase in really nice shape. I never filked in the Marvel Mysteries had the 8-10, and many of the 20's and 30s issues which were really the best of the companies work imo. My DC were pretty much complete to 1952 all the Actions Supermans Detectives World's Finest, and Batmans (and did my a very fine copy of Batman #1 fromJack Whalen in Canton PA, for $40.00 a few days after my dad was shot and killed.) Flash All-American, star spangled, Leading, Comic cavalcades, tons of Fawcett Marvels including nthat Mr. Mind series, the Mack Raboy Capt Marvel Jr.s.the MLJs, and I eventually purges the non superhero books as the doubles of the every silver age super hero books needs space.  I kept collecting until about 1975 

My grandson, Nolan River (from the M. Night Shamylan 'OLD", found this site. he is 10 and all we talk about heroes and villains from the all the books. 

It was great to have Roy Thomas stay over a week while he was reading all my 1939-41 Speed Centaur comic line issues, and our "conventions" in basements of 25 hard core comic fans. Going to South Bend Indiana to visit Keith Greene, Bob Butts and (another name) 

It tickles me that Doug Moench, was a fellow fan in our group, Spa fon's Rich Hauser, and may others.  I was always the youngster in the group and was treated as an equal. I taught mathematics at Tilden HS and Lincoln Park H.S. until I retired to st. Pete., but still have an obsession for the only sport I every followed, hockey as I attended the Blackhawk games from 1960 on with regularity. My current job is being an amateur scout for myself originally on Draftsite.com and now on the mock drafts on Lines.com. I am a staunch liberal democratic socialist (sorry if I scare you with this)and attend church regularly at a church that says "all means all" and spend time with many volunteer projects involving food collections, a soup ministry, the Pack a Sack program with local elementary school, and give back. The comics have enabled me to live a pretty charmed life. 

 

Welcome, Bill. My goodness, to have seen what you have. The mind truly boggles. 

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Robot Man

Robot Man

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On 4/20/2022 at 1:57 PM, Bill Placek said:

Yes, I am!   I am alive, and very well. I am still buying new books (yikes!) I am voting for myself. I started at six in 1956 with  superman & batman. I can telly exactly where I saw and bought that first Justice League in B & B # 28 (Downtown Chicago, Randolph street news stand between State & Clark. As I turned 12 I got on my bike and rode to every resale store and always handed the owner an EXTRA dollar to save any "older" ones for me and then handed them a list. This continued until my father who pumped gas and was a mechanic who fix and reload cars, found a guy with a huge collection. I scoured the A-1 boxscore downtown, and they were basically a used book store that hide the comics from "little" kids with little $. Osfeld's (sp) was another with an even stranger owner who seemed to hate young people also b/c the had little cash...every thing was  $25. (Mistake one...his cat knocked over a pile of magazines and I cleaned them up and saw a Marvel Mystery #1 (but wasn't sure it was really with the painted like cover) but didn't change my mind away from the All-Star #8 I purchase in really nice shape. I never filked in the Marvel Mysteries had the 8-10, and many of the 20's and 30s issues which were really the best of the companies work imo. My DC were pretty much complete to 1952 all the Actions Supermans Detectives World's Finest, and Batmans (and did my a very fine copy of Batman #1 fromJack Whalen in Canton PA, for $40.00 a few days after my dad was shot and killed.) Flash All-American, star spangled, Leading, Comic cavalcades, tons of Fawcett Marvels including nthat Mr. Mind series, the Mack Raboy Capt Marvel Jr.s.the MLJs, and I eventually purges the non superhero books as the doubles of the every silver age super hero books needs space.  I kept collecting until about 1975 

My grandson, Nolan River (from the M. Night Shamylan 'OLD", found this site. he is 10 and all we talk about heroes and villains from the all the books. 

It was great to have Roy Thomas stay over a week while he was reading all my 1939-41 Speed Centaur comic line issues, and our "conventions" in basements of 25 hard core comic fans. Going to South Bend Indiana to visit Keith Greene, Bob Butts and (another name) 

It tickles me that Doug Moench, was a fellow fan in our group, Spa fon's Rich Hauser, and may others.  I was always the youngster in the group and was treated as an equal. I taught mathematics at Tilden HS and Lincoln Park H.S. until I retired to st. Pete., but still have an obsession for the only sport I every followed, hockey as I attended the Blackhawk games from 1960 on with regularity. My current job is being an amateur scout for myself originally on Draftsite.com and now on the mock drafts on Lines.com. I am a staunch liberal democratic socialist (sorry if I scare you with this)and attend church regularly at a church that says "all means all" and spend time with many volunteer projects involving food collections, a soup ministry, the Pack a Sack program with local elementary school, and give back. The comics have enabled me to live a pretty charmed life. 

 

Hi Bill welcome aboard!

I am also an old timer. These boards need more of us to let these whippersnappers know about the old days. We would all love to hear some stories.

What was your best old comic find?

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