The Day After. The Brutal Betrayal of the fast flip. 3 3

[grapeape]

On 7/2/2023 at 9:55 AM, KirbyJack said:

I sold a Sal B Defenders page to a guy who posted a WTB here. His love of the subject matter seemed genuine. 
8 years later, I’m pleased to say that it’s still prominently displayed on his CAF with NFS status attached. 
He is the exact collector for this page.

[christosgage]

On 6/28/2023 at 10:51 PM, comix4fun said:

Likely was,  so much so that I didn’t even complain about it. They’d given fans so much over their lives. 

You make allowances for the greats, especially if they're nice. One SDCC I bought a Cap page from Gene and Mrs. Colan but didn't have enough cash so I wrote a check (I think it was $250...this was early to mid '00s I believe.) They said when it cleared they'd mail the page to me. They...didn't. I called or emailed (again, forget which) and was told they had sent it. I asked about a tracking number so I could track it and Mrs.Colan said she wasn't sure where the receipt was but it should be there any day. I knew it wouldn't but chalked it up to the Thanks For Your Service to Comics Fund. (To be clear, I never got the impression any shenanigans were going on beyond the effects of old age I'll be dealing with myself soon enough.) And Gene had done a signing at my local store and did a great Dracula sketch for ten bucks which was a steal even then, so no complaints from me.

[grapeape]

On 6/22/2023 at 5:49 PM, Bill C said:

I have a couple of comical stories like this. I might have shared this one once before: a collector of Valentino GOTG art was sent my way by a mutual acquaintance, so this collector reaches out to me. Turns out this guy had a number of interior pages, some of which were real cool. He's interested in a trade. I have a lot of Valentino GOTG art (more than him, including lots of covers). He wants a cover, and because I have a lot of them and liked some of his interiors, was willing to trade away some for a cover.

The guy tells me he's some kind of college psychology professor (I dont think he was lying). He bought the pages decades ago and hasnt collected since. He pumps me for all kinds of market info, which I educate him on freely, knowing full well it might bite me in the butt. I give this guy all kinds of OA information over weeks, lots of time typing, as I dont mind helping. Then the guy starts sending me pics of the GOTG art- but he starts playing grade school level mind games. He tries to whet my appetite by only showing me a couple pages every 24 hours or so. I dont suffer fools much and dont like grade school level mind games, but allow it to continue a little longer, as he hems and haws around cold hard numbers/trade deals. After all his art is known, he actually starts taking a number of his interior pages off the table concerning our potential trade. Keep in mind, I'm putting a cover on the table for this guy. The last straw was when this clown actually started putting my cover down price wise, when we were trading art from the same artist, same book, same era. He actually tried to tell me his interior pages (a few of them) were worth more than covers. Obviously communication was cut off at that point. 

The cool thing for me about this situation was, even though he had some really key interior pages I wanted, once I knew he went full clown, I just stopped thinking about his pages, dont bother looking at the pics of them, and couldnt care less. That was a big turning point for me when I realized I was breaking the art addiction.

Bill C said:The cool thing for me about this situation was, even though he had some really key interior pages I wanted, once I knew he went full clown, I just stopped thinking about his pages, dont bother looking at the pics of them, and couldnt care less. That was a big turning point for me when I realized I was breaking the art addiction. 

Grapeape replied: He went full clown, man. Never go full clown.

Edited July 5, 2023 by grapeape

[grapeape]

On 7/3/2023 at 10:35 AM, christosgage said:

You make allowances for the greats, especially if they're nice. One SDCC I bought a Cap page from Gene and Mrs. Colan but didn't have enough cash so I wrote a check (I think it was $250...this was early to mid '00s I believe.) They said when it cleared they'd mail the page to me. They...didn't. I called or emailed (again, forget which) and was told they had sent it. I asked about a tracking number so I could track it and Mrs.Colan said she wasn't sure where the receipt was but it should be there any day. I knew it wouldn't but chalked it up to the Thanks For Your Service to Comics Fund. (To be clear, I never got the impression any shenanigans were going on beyond the effects of old age I'll be dealing with myself soon enough.) And Gene had done a signing at my local store and did a great Dracula sketch for ten bucks which was a steal even then, so no complaints from me.

You have the right temperment for this situation. Age and health no doubt were contributing factors in what happenned. I am sorry you did not receive the page. Your forgiveness of losing out is sincerely touching. I know in my heart it was some kind of mix up. 

[JadeGiant]

Really enjoyable thread. I can't say that I have been on the extreme side of either scenario. I can't say I haven't expressed how much a piece would mean to own, but never coupled with any logic suggesting it should be sold for a steal of a price. I feel fortunate if showing your hand gives you a shot at something that isn't for sale - the price comes next (I have been on both sides here - prices in the FMV+ range and prices in the multiples of FMV range). I don't sell a lot and only get the random occasional inquiry for something listed NFS - if truly NFS I just say I am not looking to sell and that usually ends the conversation. 

[JadeGiant]

On 7/2/2023 at 12:55 PM, KirbyJack said:

I sold a Sal B Defenders page to a guy who posted a WTB here. His love of the subject matter seemed genuine. 
8 years later, I’m pleased to say that it’s still prominently displayed on his CAF with NFS status attached. 
He is the exact collector for this page.

This sounds like me and a NFS Sal B Defenders page I inquired on and ultimately was able to buy. Still in my CAF gallery but only from a couple years ago. 

[KirbyJack]

This was actually 10 years ago, upon further investigation. 

There are certain pieces that one just has to hold on to. Others come and go.

[gumbydarnit]

On 7/5/2023 at 6:41 AM, grapeape said:

 

Grapeape replied: He went full clown, man. Never go full clown.

 

Kinda ok-

 

NOT COOL AT ALL -

Edited July 7, 2023 by gumbydarnit

[christosgage]

On 7/5/2023 at 7:51 AM, grapeape said:

You have the right temperment for this situation. Age and health no doubt were contributing factors in what happenned. I am sorry you did not receive the page. Your forgiveness of losing out is sincerely touching. I know in my heart it was some kind of mix up. 

Much appreciated! Honestly, I've never given it a second thought. If I'd gotten the page it would have been one of the ones I sold a few years later to pay medical bills (but it wouldn't have brought that much at the time). It's just life. I'm just glad I got to meet Gene.