Tell Me a Tale - For Those Who Love Comics 7 7

[mintcomics1]

When I was 11 years old, a cool aunt of mine gave me a copy of the Overstreet Price Guide for my birthday.

The 1986 edition for the 25th Marvel Anniversary.  I had a small collection at that point.

The most compelling page was an ad for Fantasia, a comic shop in Yonkers, NY. In this ad he displayed a showcase with multiple copies of Action 1, Superman 1, Detective 27 and other Golden Age keys.  I used to stare at that picture for long periods of time.  A few years later we went to visit some family who lived in White Plains - I made sure we were going to visit his store since we were in the area.  It was a small store, and the big keys were only displayed on weekends.  He had some cool baseball items including a ball signed by Babe Ruth. Daniel Dupak was the name of the owner as I recall. I purchased a FN copy of Batman 120 for $20. 

The thrill of the hunt was on.

[Hudson]

On 5/10/2023 at 3:56 AM, mintcomics1 said:

When I was 11 years old, a cool aunt of mine gave me a copy of the Overstreet Price Guide for my birthday.

The 1986 edition for the 25th Marvel Anniversary.  I had a small collection at that point.

The most compelling page was an ad for Fantasia, a comic shop in Yonkers, NY. In this ad he displayed a showcase with multiple copies of Action 1, Superman 1, Detective 27 and other Golden Age keys.  I used to stare at that picture for long periods of time.  A few years later we went to visit some family who lived in White Plains - I made sure we were going to visit his store since we were in the area.  It was a small store, and the big keys were only displayed on weekends.  He had some cool baseball items including a ball signed by Babe Ruth. Daniel Dupak was the name of the owner as I recall. I purchased a FN copy of Batman 120 for $20. 

The thrill of the hunt was on.

Yes, Fantazia was a small and impressive store and Danny Dupcak had arguably the best ad in the Overstreet.  
 

Just like you, I too stared at that photo and eventually made my way down to NY to visit the shop.  There Danny showed me a beautiful Action 1 that if I recall correctly was priced at $23K.   It might as well have been priced at a million, as $23K was out of my reach.  
 

Although the #1 was out of my reach, I still managed to come up with enough coin to purchase another Action from 1938 while I was there and that made the trip worth while.  
 

Of course, this was all before what later would transpire regarding Danny.

[mintcomics1]

On 5/10/2023 at 11:09 AM, Hudson said:

Yes, Fantazia was a small and impressive store and Danny Dupcak had arguably the best ad in the Overstreet.  
 

Just like you, I too stared at that photo and eventually made my way down to NY to visit the shop.  There Danny showed me a beautiful Action 1 that if I recall correctly was priced at $23K.   It might as well have been priced at a million, as $23K was out of my reach.  
 

Although the #1 was out of my reach, I still managed to come up with enough coin to purchase another Action from 1938 while I was there and that made the trip worth while.  
 

Of course, this was all before what later would transpire regarding Danny.

What transpired regarding Danny?

I never had any further contact with him afterwards.

[october]

On 5/11/2023 at 12:57 PM, mintcomics1 said:

What transpired regarding Danny?

I never had any further contact with him afterwards.

Oh man. Strap on your seatbelt buddy.

[BuscemasAvengers]

On 5/11/2023 at 2:47 PM, october said:

Oh man. Strap on your seatbelt buddy.

 

[october]

There are other board members who will do the story far more justice, but the scandals include arrests, fraud, fake autographs, trimming and other undisclosed resto and a long history of contentious board fights.

[Black_Adam]

On 5/11/2023 at 1:10 PM, october said:

There are other board members who will do the story far more justice, but the scandals include arrests, fraud, fake autographs, trimming and other undisclosed resto and a long history of contentious board fights.

Is it true that if you quickly say his name three times he appears? Or is Danny already here?   

[october]

On 5/11/2023 at 3:59 PM, Black_Adam said:

Is it true that if you quickly say his name three times he appears? Or is Danny already here?   

Singing the entirety of the "Please Hammer Don't Hurt Em'" album causes him to appear with an exacto knife and black sharpie in your comic room.

[KCOComics]

On 5/11/2023 at 1:57 PM, mintcomics1 said:

What transpired regarding Danny?

I never had any further contact with him afterwards.

I'm not sure if this covers everything, but it's a start. 

He's the hobbies greatest super villain....which says a lot for a hobby based on super villains. 

http://www.justafanboy.com/ComicKeys/cbg.htm

 

[skypinkblu]

On 5/10/2023 at 3:56 AM, mintcomics1 said:

When I was 11 years old, a cool aunt of mine gave me a copy of the Overstreet Price Guide for my birthday.

The 1986 edition for the 25th Marvel Anniversary.  I had a small collection at that point.

The most compelling page was an ad for Fantasia, a comic shop in Yonkers, NY. In this ad he displayed a showcase with multiple copies of Action 1, Superman 1, Detective 27 and other Golden Age keys.  I used to stare at that picture for long periods of time.  A few years later we went to visit some family who lived in White Plains - I made sure we were going to visit his store since we were in the area.  It was a small store, and the big keys were only displayed on weekends.  He had some cool baseball items including a ball signed by Babe Ruth. Daniel Dupak was the name of the owner as I recall. I purchased a FN copy of Batman 120 for $20. 

The thrill of the hunt was on.

There were at least 3 comic book stores on Central Ave in Westchester County. Fantasia was a small plain looking place in Hartsdale (just south of White Plains), there was a bigger store in  Hartsdale, called Dragon's Den...that was the pretty one with tons of stuff, almost across the St. was another small store...I can't remember the name, but they were nice. ...then for a time there was another Dragon's Den in Yonkers further down (or that one might have moved to Hartsdale...thiis was at least 30 years ago.

Fantasia looked nothing like their ads, Dragon's Den looked like the ads;)

[BA773]

Men its exactly the topic i search! I love so much reading people stories about her collection.

Im going to share with you my personal experience. 

My name is Jeremy and i live in this small country in the center of the Europe, the Switzerland. In my country nobody collect comics and they're nothing to buy from DC or Marvel in the newstaand. The small group of people collecting comics just buy some keys and not really read them... 

But for me is different, reading is a passion! Its now 1years i save money for a amazing and really expensive project. And i started to invest in 3month ago. 

I wanted to create a really coherent collection and i think there are very few people on the world get this entire line.

What is it? Collecting entire post crisis era series of my favourites heroes. 

I started it with Batman, i defined "Year one" as the start of this amazing road who's finish in 2011 with the issue 713.

That represent 310 books. And i already collected 284 (with almost every keys) , so its now just a question of time.

You cannot imagine how i fell.  So powerful!   

Thats a really hard work to collect them, because of my location i have to pay expensive delivery fees and wait a lot to receive the books. Try to find the best deal, bargain and bargain with the sellers. And its so satisfaying now to can say: i succeeded!

That probably appear common and stupid for an american people but for me its like to have the greatest treasure on earth. 

And i want to  conclude this with just 3 words: I AM BATMAN!

[BA773]

On 02/03/2023 at 06:38, Stefan_W said:

Mes excuses si le partage de vidéos n'est pas autorisé, mais dans cette vidéo, je partage une histoire profondément personnelle sur la collection de bandes dessinées quand j'étais jeune. Cela correspond parfaitement à ce fil et partager la vidéo est plus facile que de taper la longue histoire. 

 

Please take just 8 minutes to see this video, beautiful story.

[The lips]

On 5/8/2023 at 5:02 PM, Hudson said:

First, let me thank you for this amazing tale.   It never ceases to amaze me how many board members are from the UK.   As we approach Mother’s Day, here, it warms my heart to think how generous your mother was to purchase you that SS 1.   I am sure you treasure it not only for Stan’s signature, but also as a reminder of your mother’s kindness and love. 
 

As for Americans not visiting Newcastle, I have to tell you that although I am no where near as important as the great Stan Lee, I do recall flying across the pond and then driving up to Newcastle.  It was probably around 2002 and I went there to finally meet my favorite actress; Louise Jameson.  She was appearing at a Dr Who convention and charity auction.   I managed to “win” a --script at the auction, that Ms Jameson was kind enough to sign for me (along with several other signatures from other actors/actresses there at the time).  This was the first time I had the privilege of meeting Ms Jameson and the trip to Newcastle was well worth the expense.  
 

Cheers to you, to Newcastle and to all our board member friends from the UK.  

Many thanks. My mother is no longer with us unfortunately so it an indeed a very nice memory. My mother bought it and Stan signed it and both now now no longer here. 
 

Delighted to hear you made it here to Newcastle and had a great time. 
Mon the very slim you chance to bust again, don’t hesitate to let me know if you need a tour guide ! 

[mintcomics1]

On 5/11/2023 at 6:05 PM, KCOComics said:

I'm not sure if this covers everything, but it's a start. 

He's the hobbies greatest super villain....which says a lot for a hobby based on super villains. 

http://www.justafanboy.com/ComicKeys/cbg.htm

 

Thanks for the link - long but interesting read.

I went to his store in Hartsdale, NY. 

Are there any cool stores nowadays that carry a bunch of nice keys and books onsite, or is that a thing of the past?

[KCOComics]

On 5/13/2023 at 1:15 AM, mintcomics1 said:

Thanks for the link - long but interesting read.

I went to his store in Hartsdale, NY. 

Are there any cool stores nowadays that carry a bunch of nice keys and books onsite, or is that a thing of the past?

 

I don't think you'll find a shop or even a dealer with multiple copies of the major GA keys like that any longer. 

My guess is, most of those big big books, like AC1 and Tec27 go to auction these days.

There are bigger dealers with stores, who have some incredible GA books and SA keys. The easiest way to see all those books in person is to go to shows. 

The only time I've personally seen copies of AC1, Sup1 and Tec27 is when comicconnect has brought them to shows before they went to auction. 

[mintcomics1]

On 5/13/2023 at 4:43 AM, KCOComics said:

 

I don't think you'll find a shop or even a dealer with multiple copies of the major GA keys like that any longer. 

My guess is, most of those big big books, like AC1 and Tec27 go to auction these days.

There are bigger dealers with stores, who have some incredible GA books and SA keys. The easiest way to see all those books in person is to go to shows. 

The only time I've personally seen copies of AC1, Sup1 and Tec27 is when comicconnect has brought them to shows before they went to auction. 

What stores in the USA have quality vintage that you can see in person?

By quality I mean the most sought after classics and keys in higher grades.

They seem to be a rare breed.  Over the years I find many stores have morphed into small scale warehouses of modern junk.

I know the cons are a good venue for eye candy, but I'd prefer a dealer that you can chat and bargain with, especially if they are willing to trade.

Edited May 14, 2023 by mintcomics1
grammar

[KCOComics]

On 5/13/2023 at 10:37 PM, mintcomics1 said:

What stores in the USA have quality vintage that you can see in person?

By quality I mean the most sought after classics and keys in higher grades.

They seem to be a rare breed.  Over the years I find many stores have morphed into small scale warehouses of modern junk.

I know the cons are a good venue for eye candy, but I'd prefer a dealer that you can chat and bargain with, especially if they are willing to trade.

Below is a list of well known and established dealers.  I have bought from each of them over the years (except one) and have found them all to be professional and easy to work with.  Their selections are probably the best you'll find short of auctions.  

Not all of them operate traditional stores and largely do business online. I know Bedrock city has multiple retail locations, but I'm not sure the others do. SuperWorld has a location that I've visited several times, but it's not really a traditional store. 

This isn't an exhaustive list, but these are the sites I spend way too much time browsing.  Most of them have a presence on the boards. 

https://www.highgradecomics.com/ 

https://www.superworldcomics.com/

https://www.dalerobertscomics.com/

https://www.wwcomics.com/

https://reececomics.com/

https://www.bedrockcity.com/

 

[mintcomics1]

On 5/13/2023 at 9:26 PM, KCOComics said:

Below is a list of well known and established dealers.  I have bought from each of them over the years (except one) and have found them all to be professional and easy to work with.  Their selections are probably the best you'll find short of auctions.  

Not all of them operate traditional stores and largely do business online. I know Bedrock city has multiple retail locations, but I'm not sure the others do. SuperWorld has a location that I've visited several times, but it's not really a traditional store. 

This isn't an exhaustive list, but these are the sites I spend way too much time browsing.  Most of them have a presence on the boards. 

https://www.highgradecomics.com/ 

https://www.superworldcomics.com/

https://www.dalerobertscomics.com/

https://www.wwcomics.com/

https://reececomics.com/

https://www.bedrockcity.com/

 

Appreciate the list.  I've dealt with Stephen at WW and Alex Reece, as well as Lou at Superworld.

Pretty professional sellers.

I would just love to go to a location where I can handle or see quality vintage slabs close up.

[BA773]

On 5/12/2023 at 4:41 PM, BA773 said:

Men its exactly the topic i search! I love so much reading people stories about her collection.

Im going to share with you my personal experience. 

My name is Jeremy and i live in this small country in the center of the Europe, the Switzerland. In my country nobody collect comics and they're nothing to buy from DC or Marvel in the newstaand. The small group of people collecting comics just buy some keys and not really read them... 

But for me is different, reading is a passion! Its now 1years i save money for a amazing and really expensive project. And i started to invest in 3month ago. 

I wanted to create a really coherent collection and i think there are very few people on the world get this entire line.

What is it? Collecting entire post crisis era series of my favourites heroes. 

I started it with Batman, i defined "Year one" as the start of this amazing road who's finish in 2011 with the issue 713.

That represent 310 books. And i already collected 284 (with almost every keys) , so its now just a question of time.

You cannot imagine how i fell.  So powerful!   

Thats a really hard work to collect them, because of my location i have to pay expensive delivery fees and wait a lot to receive the books. Try to find the best deal, bargain and bargain with the sellers. And its so satisfaying now to can say: i succeeded!

That probably appear common and stupid for an american people but for me its like to have the greatest treasure on earth. 

And i want to  conclude this with just 3 words: I AM BATMAN!

About it i created an instagram page, i haven't posted for the moment but that will be come in a very few time, can someone be interest by that? 

I think posting book cover with little resume of the story or something like that 

[Hudson]

On 6/2/2023 at 3:39 AM, BA773 said:

About it i created an instagram page, i haven't posted for the moment but that will be come in a very few time, can someone be interest by that? 

I think posting book cover with little resume of the story or something like that 

I think it is a fine idea.   Anything that promotes the love of comics and simply collecting is a positive thing.  
 

Although I am not personally on Instagram (or Facebook or twitter or…….) I am sure there are many collectors who are.  
 

I say, “Go for it”.