Funny Story About Iron Fist #14 1 1

[WernerVonDoom]

So in the mid-80s, me and my friend take a trip to Comic Collector Shop in downtown San Jose, CA. This is an old-school store, just jam-packed with books. The owner had very few boxes, the books were in just in piles everywhere. Near the front counter, he had two stacks of random good stuff which were usually 100-150 books high and you'd have to dig through book by book.

We walk in and my friend goes, "You take that stack and I'll take this one". So I'm digging through and I come across a bag with about 15 books in it and there's an Iron Fist #1 on top. I pull them out and slide over the #1 and behind it is #2, then #3, #4 and so on.  At the time, Iron Fist #14 was the hottest book around and my friend says he's going to go ballistic if IF #14 is in there. So I keep going, 10, 11, 12, 13....14!!!! Bingo! My friend lets out a groan.  The book was in perfect shape. Here it is today:

 

I pull out a couple of other nice books out of the pile and my friend is grumbling but he does find a mid grade copy of IF #14 out of his stack and a couple of other decent books. 

For the next 30 years, that story gets told and retold, "If only I picked the other stack!" and we laugh about it.

Which brings us to today. He brought over a short box of books for me to see what would be good to slab and his copy of Iron Fist #14 from that day was in the box:

Spoiler

He had no idea.  %$#%^@?!!!

[Get Marwood & I]

Comic collecting life is full of stories like these isn't it. Love it 

[Gaard]

I used to love going to places like that. There was an old used paperback/comic shop that I used to go to that even had an old couch, with lots of holes, so you could sit and read.

 

Allow me to share my own somewhat funny story...

There used to be a flea market in town that would set up every weekend on an old lot outside. This was back in the 70s. One day me and my friend decided to check it out ... we needed some tools. We walk by this van with a bunch of boxes with comics in them. We stop so that I could quickly look thru the. Inside one of the boxes, I find a FF #1. It had a $185 price tag on it. I didn't have the cash on me at the time, but the bank was about 1/4 mile away. I tell my friend that we have to go to the bank real quick. But it was hot out, so we just stopped under the tent for some lemonade instead, shrugging off the bank. Who needs an FF #1 when you can have a nice refreshing cup of lemonade on a hot day instead?

[Mutant Manatee]

Great story!  In my 47 years of collecting I've never encountered a 35 cent variant in the wild.  I'm sure your friend doesn't feel so bad about the stack he got now!

[WernerVonDoom]

On 7/6/2023 at 4:49 AM, Mutant Manatee said:

Great story!  In my 47 years of collecting I've never encountered a 35 cent variant in the wild.  I'm sure your friend doesn't feel so bad about the stack he got now!

It was strange seeing it. My heart rate went up real fast but I kept staring at it in disbelief. A few seconds seemed like an hour. 

Edited July 6, 2023 by WernerVonDoom

[WernerVonDoom]

On 7/6/2023 at 2:05 AM, Gaard said:

I used to love going to places like that. There was an old used paperback/comic shop that I used to go to that even had an old couch, with lots of holes, so you could sit and read.

 

Allow me to share my own somewhat funny story...

There used to be a flea market in town that would set up every weekend on an old lot outside. This was back in the 70s. One day me and my friend decided to check it out ... we needed some tools. We walk by this van with a bunch of boxes with comics in them. We stop so that I could quickly look thru the. Inside one of the boxes, I find a FF #1. It had a $185 price tag on it. I didn't have the cash on me at the time, but the bank was about 1/4 mile away. I tell my friend that we have to go to the bank real quick. But it was hot out, so we just stopped under the tent for some lemonade instead, shrugging off the bank. Who needs an FF #1 when you can have a nice refreshing cup of lemonade on a hot day instead?

That's rough!! At least you have a great story. I can totally see that happening though, $185 in the 1970s is nothing to sneeze at. 

[WoWitHurts]

Great story and great outcome.

[Browns81]

I’m confused, did he pull that Iron Fist from the second pile?  Why was he upset you got yours?

[Robot Man]

On 7/5/2023 at 11:30 PM, WernerVonDoom said:

So in the mid-80s, me and my friend take a trip to Comic Collector Shop in downtown San Jose, CA. This is an old-school store, just jam-packed with books. The owner had very few boxes, the books were in just in piles everywhere. Near the front counter, he had two stacks of random good stuff which were usually 100-150 books high and you'd have to dig through book by book.

We walk in and my friend goes, "You take that stack and I'll take this one". So I'm digging through and I come across a bag with about 15 books in it and there's an Iron Fist #1 on top. I pull them out and slide over the #1 and behind it is #2, then #3, #4 and so on.  At the time, Iron Fist #14 was the hottest book around and my friend says he's going to go ballistic if IF #14 is in there. So I keep going, 10, 11, 12, 13....14!!!! Bingo! My friend lets out a groan.  The book was in perfect shape. Here it is today:

 

I pull out a couple of other nice books out of the pile and my friend is grumbling but he does find a mid grade copy of IF #14 out of his stack and a couple of other decent books. 

For the next 30 years, that story gets told and retold, "If only I picked the other stack!" and we laugh about it.

Which brings us to today. He brought over a short box of books for me to see what would be good to slab and his copy of Iron Fist #14 from that day was in the box:

  Hide contents

He had no idea.  %$#%^@?!!!

Great story!

Reminds me of one. Was at a flea market one time and came up on a guy I knew but didn’t like very much. He had a box of old Disney books. A near complete run of old Scrooge books in real nice shape. I picked out #1-25 and asked him the price. He started out at like $50 for #4 and they started going down a bit. When he got to the first 3 which I had mixed in the stack, he looked at them and told me $1. each because they “were later ones”. I also grabbed about 6 Donald Duck Four Colors for a buck apiece because they were also “later issues”. Like I said, I really didn’t like the guy so I just paid his asking and drifted away on air…

[WernerVonDoom]

On 7/6/2023 at 9:01 AM, Browns81 said:

I’m confused, did he pull that Iron Fist from the second pile?  Why was he upset you got yours?

We could see how nice the books were in the bag I was going through. He knew if the book was in there it would be a gem.

[sckao]

On 7/6/2023 at 9:01 AM, Browns81 said:

I’m confused, did he pull that Iron Fist from the second pile?  Why was he upset you got yours?

His friend probably didn't realize he had a 35 cent variant of IF #14.

An 8.0 slabbed 35 cent variant actually exceeds the price of a 9.8 IF #14 in today's market.

(I've been to Comic Collector shop and they still set up at Marc's Berkeley show although possibly with a different name.)

Edited July 6, 2023 by sckao

[OtherEric]

On 7/6/2023 at 9:07 AM, Robot Man said:

Great story!

Reminds me of one. Was at a flea market one time and came up on a guy I knew but didn’t like very much. He had a box of old Disney books. A near complete run of old Scrooge books in real nice shape. I picked out #1-25 and asked him the price. He started out at like $50 for #4 and they started going down a bit. When he got to the first 3 which I had mixed in the stack, he looked at them and told me $1. each because they “were later ones”. I also grabbed about 6 Donald Duck Four Colors for a buck apiece because they were also “later issues”. Like I said, I really didn’t like the guy so I just paid his asking and drifted away on air…

Reminds me of a mini con at the local mall in the 90's.  Was flipping through one seller's books, since he was one of the only dealers with any silver age.  But he had everything priced at about double what it should be.  So I didn't point out the small Brave & the Bold at the top of the "Justice League" #29 I came across.

Long gone now, but I made a decent profit on it.  Wish I still had the book.

[WernerVonDoom]

On 7/6/2023 at 9:50 AM, sckao said:

His friend probably didn't realize he had a 35 cent variant of IF #14.

An 8.0 slabbed 35 cent variant actually exceeds the price of a 9.8 IF #14 in today's market.

(I've been to Comic Collector shop and they still set up at Marc's Berkeley show although possibly with a different name.)

Nope he had no idea.

This was the original Comic Collector Shop - the one you are talking about is its descendent. The owner's name was Bob Sidebottom and he was a character - he basically was the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. After digging through the stacks of books, you would slowly bring your pile to the front counter to find out what the cost is. He'd look at the books, look at you, and depending on his mood would tell you the price. I once made the mistake of questioning the price on a book and he raised it $5. I always stayed silent after that.  I loved that place. 

[WernerVonDoom]

On 7/6/2023 at 11:40 AM, SSSnake said:

Sounds like you friend is a real collector 👍 

No, he has a very impressive collection. He's just more of a DC guy.

[topofthetotem]

On 7/6/2023 at 11:50 AM, sckao said:

His friend probably didn't realize he had a 35 cent variant of IF #14.

An 8.0 slabbed 35 cent variant actually exceeds the price of a 9.8 IF #14 in today's market.

(I've been to Comic Collector shop and they still set up at Marc's Berkeley show although possibly with a different name.)

Probably lower than a 8.0 would be pricier than a 9.8 regular copy. 

[paqart]

On 7/6/2023 at 2:21 PM, WernerVonDoom said:

Nope he had no idea.

This was the original Comic Collector Shop - the one you are talking about is its descendent. The owner's name was Bob Sidebottom and he was a character - he basically was the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. After digging through the stacks of books, you would slowly bring your pile to the front counter to find out what the cost is. He'd look at the books, look at you, and depending on his mood would tell you the price. I once made the mistake of questioning the price on a book and he raised it $5. I always stayed silent after that.  I loved that place. 

I used to price comics for Recycle Books across the street from Sidebottom's. I went in to the CCS every once in a while, but not often. I worked at Comics and Fantasies, a few blocks away on West San Carlos Street. Once, I was allowed to use the restroom in the back of the CCS and saw the most amazing hoard of comics I'd ever seen: an entire box full of Hulk #1, another filled with FF#1, and so on. Boxes stacked to the ceiling, and the space was huge. I was amazed because the floor space in the store was tiny. Half of it was for underground comics, with very little left over between the counter in the back, the doorway, and a little space for customers to enter, for back issues. He always had all the Marvel keys on the wall at $500 apiece (Avengers #1, FF#1, Hulk #1, Spider-Man #1). I thought they weren't selling because they were overpriced. What the clerk told me is he sold them all the time, then replaced them from the hoard. This was in around 1978.

[paqart]

On 7/6/2023 at 2:30 AM, WernerVonDoom said:

So in the mid-80s, me and my friend take a trip to Comic Collector Shop in downtown San Jose, CA. This is an old-school store, just jam-packed with books. The owner had very few boxes, the books were in just in piles everywhere. Near the front counter, he had two stacks of random good stuff which were usually 100-150 books high and you'd have to dig through book by book.

We walk in and my friend goes, "You take that stack and I'll take this one". So I'm digging through and I come across a bag with about 15 books in it and there's an Iron Fist #1 on top. I pull them out and slide over the #1 and behind it is #2, then #3, #4 and so on.  At the time, Iron Fist #14 was the hottest book around and my friend says he's going to go ballistic if IF #14 is in there. So I keep going, 10, 11, 12, 13....14!!!! Bingo! My friend lets out a groan.  The book was in perfect shape. Here it is today:

 

I pull out a couple of other nice books out of the pile and my friend is grumbling but he does find a mid grade copy of IF #14 out of his stack and a couple of other decent books. 

For the next 30 years, that story gets told and retold, "If only I picked the other stack!" and we laugh about it.

Which brings us to today. He brought over a short box of books for me to see what would be good to slab and his copy of Iron Fist #14 from that day was in the box:

  Reveal hidden contents

He had no idea.  %$#%^@?!!!

As I understand it, San Jose was one of the test markets for the 35 cent variants. I had a lot of them when I was a kid, bought from local 7-11's or comic book stores (I don't know which or both). Unfortunately, there was no premium on them at the time, so I didn't think of them as special, including my Star Wars #1 35 cent variant. I didn't like that comic and didn't miss it when it was gone.

[thehumantorch]

On 7/6/2023 at 12:30 AM, WernerVonDoom said:

So in the mid-80s, me and my friend take a trip to Comic Collector Shop in downtown San Jose, CA. This is an old-school store, just jam-packed with books. The owner had very few boxes, the books were in just in piles everywhere. Near the front counter, he had two stacks of random good stuff which were usually 100-150 books high and you'd have to dig through book by book.

We walk in and my friend goes, "You take that stack and I'll take this one". So I'm digging through and I come across a bag with about 15 books in it and there's an Iron Fist #1 on top. I pull them out and slide over the #1 and behind it is #2, then #3, #4 and so on.  At the time, Iron Fist #14 was the hottest book around and my friend says he's going to go ballistic if IF #14 is in there. So I keep going, 10, 11, 12, 13....14!!!! Bingo! My friend lets out a groan.  The book was in perfect shape. Here it is today:

 

I pull out a couple of other nice books out of the pile and my friend is grumbling but he does find a mid grade copy of IF #14 out of his stack and a couple of other decent books. 

For the next 30 years, that story gets told and retold, "If only I picked the other stack!" and we laugh about it.

Which brings us to today. He brought over a short box of books for me to see what would be good to slab and his copy of Iron Fist #14 from that day was in the box:

  Hide contents

He had no idea.  %$#%^@?!!!

Great story.  congrats to both of you

[thehumantorch]

On 7/6/2023 at 12:21 PM, WernerVonDoom said:

Nope he had no idea.

This was the original Comic Collector Shop - the one you are talking about is its descendent. The owner's name was Bob Sidebottom and he was a character - he basically was the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. After digging through the stacks of books, you would slowly bring your pile to the front counter to find out what the cost is. He'd look at the books, look at you, and depending on his mood would tell you the price. I once made the mistake of questioning the price on a book and he raised it $5. I always stayed silent after that.  I loved that place. 

Remembering and retelling all the stories of these crazy collectors and dealers of the past is important

[WernerVonDoom]

On 7/6/2023 at 6:58 PM, paqart said:

I used to price comics for Recycle Books across the street from Sidebottom's. I went in to the CCS every once in a while, but not often. I worked at Comics and Fantasies, a few blocks away on West San Carlos Street. Once, I was allowed to use the restroom in the back of the CCS and saw the most amazing hoard of comics I'd ever seen: an entire box full of Hulk #1, another filled with FF#1, and so on. Boxes stacked to the ceiling, and the space was huge. I was amazed because the floor space in the store was tiny. Half of it was for underground comics, with very little left over between the counter in the back, the doorway, and a little space for customers to enter, for back issues. He always had all the Marvel keys on the wall at $500 apiece (Avengers #1, FF#1, Hulk #1, Spider-Man #1). I thought they weren't selling because they were overpriced. What the clerk told me is he sold them all the time, then replaced them from the hoard. This was in around 1978.

I heard stories of his famous back room, but never saw it. Jealous you got to go in. 

Funny you should mention Comics and Fantasies, I used to ride my bike there starting around 1980. One day, I was digging in a long box and found a  30 cent FF 171 and a regular 25 cent copy right behind it. I thought I had found something special. Unfortunately, the thought that there might be others never crossed my mind.  If I did, I'd probably have a full set of them.  Great memories of that store as well.