End of a Collecting Era 3 3

[Moondog]

On 2/22/2022 at 3:19 PM, october said:

Those two could haunt a damn house. 

I'm glad you got to see/hold them.  That was one downside to owning something so rare.  I couldn't keep them at home.  I was just the caretaker and needed to make sure they passed on to the next generation. 

[Moondog]

On 2/22/2022 at 7:37 AM, telerites said:

Looking back at the HA auction 10 or so years ago when @Moondoghad a handful of consigned ashcans, I wish I had tried to win one.  I am not sure when the Action Comics #1 ashcan was sold/auctioned but that one is wicked cool.

I sold the Action Comics and Action Funnies last spring through Heritage.  The Action Comics set a record for an ashcan. 

[Moondog]

On 2/22/2022 at 2:23 PM, sfcityduck said:

Is CGC certifying these  Given the provenance and chain of ownership, pretty shocking should CGC not do that.  But, my recollection is that CGC took a shocking position in the past.  Anyone know the status on that?  EDITED:  Looks like CGC will grade them now.

Matt Nelson wants to make sure that pedigrees and ashcans, that can be verified, are certified for future generations.  To simply ignore the provenance shows a lack of understanding of a big picture.  Matt gets it.

The Supergirl has too large an overhang to slab.  It appears to be a 7.5-8.0.

[shadroch]

Best of luck with the sale. 

[adamstrange]

On 2/22/2022 at 8:39 PM, Moondog said:

 

Alan, the bank made them check their backpacks at the door.  Frisked 'em too. 

Andy, the Action was right up your alley.  No question it's the first pre-code horror cover.  By a wide margin.

Good luck with the sale.  The sadder event for us was when you walked away from your shop and the Chicago Con.

[Moondog]

On 2/22/2022 at 8:52 PM, adamstrange said:

Good luck with the sale.  The sadder event for us was when you walked away from your shop and the Chicago Con.

Thanks, Alan.  It's been a rough year health-wise.  This is the right time to sell.  My family is behind me 100%. 

[tth2]

On 2/23/2022 at 4:07 AM, adamstrange said:

Pretty sketchy set of characters handling the books...

Between this and the pics of him with Berk's collection, I'm starting to realize that Andy is the Zelig of comic collectors.

I'm now expecting to see pictures of him alongside Lou Fine at the Geppi Vault opening.

[adamstrange]

On 2/22/2022 at 11:15 PM, tth2 said:

Between this and the pics of him with Berk's collection, I'm starting to realize that Andy is the Zelig of comic collectors.

I'm now expecting to see pictures of him alongside Lou Fine at the Geppi Vault opening.

Andy's a lot older than he looks.

[jimbo_7071]

You've definitely educated me, @Moondog. Before I saw your books, I had never realized that some Ashcans had artwork that wasn't available elsewhere, like the Action #1, which is a fascinating book. (Other ashcans that I had seen pictures of typically had B&W artwork copied from an existing cover, and those are less interesting to me.) I would like to pick up a couple of ashcans one day, but since my budget is small and my want list is basically both volumes of Gerber, it may be a while.

Edited February 23, 2022 by jimbo_7071

[telerites]

On 2/22/2022 at 7:44 PM, Moondog said:

I sold the Action Comics and Action Funnies last spring through Heritage.  The Action Comics set a record for an ashcan. 

As an aside, I remember your TBG ads and placed some mail orders.  One of my biggest regrets was dumping all of my TBGs when I divorced (just didn't want to move them) and I started in the mid 70s.  I miss looking through the ads as much as the articles now.  

Thanks for the memories.

And that Action cover was a rejected cover for Detective #2, wasn't it?  I guess DC thought it was too eerie/creepy, maybe?  

[Robot Man]

Most probably don’t understand what a big decision this is. Although. I’ve started weeding down my 50 year collection and cut way back on buying, I just can’t see selling it all off. It is too much of what makes me who I am. I don’t need the money and just can’t imagine it all gone. So many memories, friendships and experiences are involved.

I still have that TOT #1 I bought from you  Gary. One of my favorite and treasured books. My wife or kids will be the ones selling it.

I hope you keep a little toe in the hobby and post here once in a while.

Good luck with the sale. Whomever gets those wonderful ash cans will be fortunate indeed.

And stay well and healthy. 

[Moondog]

On 2/23/2022 at 10:45 AM, telerites said:

As an aside, I remember your TBG ads and placed some mail orders.  One of my biggest regrets was dumping all of my TBGs when I divorced (just didn't want to move them) and I started in the mid 70s.  I miss looking through the ads as much as the articles now.  

Thanks for the memories.

And that Action cover was a rejected cover for Detective #2, wasn't it?  I guess DC thought it was too eerie/creepy, maybe?  

That’s always been the story.  It makes sense as a Detective cover, and the Action Comics ashcan was created well before the Shuster newsstand cover.

[Moondog]

On 2/23/2022 at 11:56 AM, Robot Man said:

Most probably don’t understand what a big decision this is. Although. I’ve started weeding down my 50 year collection and cut way back on buying, I just can’t see selling it all off. It is too much of what makes me who I am. I don’t need the money and just can’t imagine it all gone. So many memories, friendships and experiences are involved.

I still have that TOT #1 I bought from you  Gary. One of my favorite and treasured books. My wife or kids will be the ones selling it.

I hope you keep a little toe in the hobby and post here once in a while.

Good luck with the sale. Whomever gets those wonderful ash cans will be fortunate indeed.

And stay well and healthy. 

Thanks, Bob.  I still have a small stash of books that I will never part with, but nothing as valuable as the ashcans.  I appreciate your understanding how difficult this decision was.  Originally I was going to sell them in January and had signed the paperwork back in October.  Then sellers remorse set in and I asked Ed Jaster to pull them.  Heritage had no problem with doing so and were very understanding and gracious.  But since then I’ve come around to the fact that it would be very difficult for my family/Heritage to sell these properly without my direct involvement.  So I’m at peace with the decision.  This is certainly the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my 50+ years of collecting.  Nothing even comes close.

[batman_fan]

On 2/23/2022 at 2:44 PM, Moondog said:

Thanks, Bob.  I still have a small stash of books that I will never part with, but nothing as valuable as the ashcans.  I appreciate your understanding how difficult this decision was.  Originally I was going to sell them in January and had signed the paperwork back in October.  Then sellers remorse set in and I asked Ed Jaster to pull them.  Heritage had no problem with doing so and were very understanding and gracious.  But since then I’ve come around to the fact that it would be very difficult for my family/Heritage to sell these properly without my direct involvement.  So I’m at peace with the decision.  This is certainly the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my 50+ years of collecting.  Nothing even comes close.

Best of luck on the auction, hope there are some new records set.  This whole "when to sell" is in the forefront of my mind as well.

[Bat34]

Very cool, thank you so much for sharing and for passing on all your knowledge and passion for ashcans over the years.  Best of luck with the sale!

[tth2]

On 2/24/2022 at 5:44 AM, Moondog said:

But since then I’ve come around to the fact that it would be very difficult for my family/Heritage to sell these properly without my direct involvement.  So I’m at peace with the decision.  

This is exactly my thinking.  While it's painful, I just don't want to burden my family with the hassle of selling a ton of books and art after I'm gone.  Besides the fact that they won't have a clue what they'd be doing, including not even knowing how to pack and ship stuff properly, there would be the sheer physical work required.  I just don't think it'd be fair of me to do that to them.

[jimbo_7071]

On 2/23/2022 at 4:44 PM, Moondog said:

Thanks, Bob.  I still have a small stash of books that I will never part with, but nothing as valuable as the ashcans.  I appreciate your understanding how difficult this decision was.  Originally I was going to sell them in January and had signed the paperwork back in October.  Then sellers remorse set in and I asked Ed Jaster to pull them.  Heritage had no problem with doing so and were very understanding and gracious.  But since then I’ve come around to the fact that it would be very difficult for my family/Heritage to sell these properly without my direct involvement.  So I’m at peace with the decision.  This is certainly the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my 50+ years of collecting.  Nothing even comes close.

It's probably in their best interests. (If I died tomorrow, my family would take my comics to a comic shop or used book store and take the first offer they got—that's if they made any attempt to sell them. They might just pack them up and store them in an attic, basement, or garage.)

[bronze johnny]

On 2/23/2022 at 4:44 PM, Moondog said:

Thanks, Bob.  I still have a small stash of books that I will never part with, but nothing as valuable as the ashcans.  I appreciate your understanding how difficult this decision was.  Originally I was going to sell them in January and had signed the paperwork back in October.  Then sellers remorse set in and I asked Ed Jaster to pull them.  Heritage had no problem with doing so and were very understanding and gracious.  But since then I’ve come around to the fact that it would be very difficult for my family/Heritage to sell these properly without my direct involvement.  So I’m at peace with the decision.  This is certainly the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my 50+ years of collecting.  Nothing even comes close.

Gary, thank you for making this incredible contribution to comic book history! The books come and go but we take the knowledge, memories, and experiences with us. My hope is that ashcans from your collection one day end up in a museum. Couldn’t help but think about places for all to have an opportunity to see treasures like these. 

Edited February 24, 2022 by bronze johnny

[Yorick]

@Moondog Would you happen to know the number of copies that each of these were printed?  I believe I've seen other copies of the Action Funnies and Superman Comics ashcans.  Perhaps 2-3 of each title?

Action Funnies with the AC3 O'Mealia cover in black and white is one of my favorite books.  I wish I could afford one.

[sfcityduck]

On 2/24/2022 at 11:43 AM, Yorick said:

@Moondog Would you happen to know the number of copies that each of these were printed?  I believe I've seen other copies of the Action Funnies and Superman Comics ashcans.  Perhaps 2-3 of each title?

Action Funnies with the AC3 O'Mealia cover in black and white is one of my favorite books.  I wish I could afford one.

Gary and Zaid have written articles in OPG and, I think, CBM which contain those details, if I recall correctly.  There is also a good thread on these boards somewhere in which they discuss that stuff.