Jon Berk has passed. 12 12

[adamstrange]

My favorite comic from Jon's collection.

He took it out of the mylar and held it so I could get a decent photo of it.  The ink reflectivity is off the chart.

[twmjr1]

I was fortunate enough to get a number of his books and other items at auction. He amassed one of the very greatest collections in the history of the hobby. Among the top 10 of all time, zero doubt. R.I.P.

[tth2]

On 8/13/2023 at 10:32 PM, october said:

Guy didn't know me from Adam but was nice enough to open his house and spend hours showing me his collection, art, etc. 

He only did that because he did know Adam! 

[tth2]

On 8/14/2023 at 2:39 AM, adamstrange said:

Jon with his favorite comic book, Mystery Men 3, both the Larson and the Church copies.

Truly a man of exquisite taste! 

[Professor K]

On 8/13/2023 at 10:59 PM, adamstrange said:

My favorite comic from Jon's collection.

He took it out of the mylar and held it so I could get a decent photo of it.  The ink reflectivity is off the chart.

Is that his 9.4 before it was graded  or a different one?

[adamstrange]

On 8/14/2023 at 1:39 AM, Professor K said:

Is that his 9.4 before it was graded  or a different one?

That's the Church copy prior to grading.

Edited August 14, 2023 by adamstrange

[Professor K]

On 8/14/2023 at 1:57 AM, adamstrange said:

That's the Church copy prior to grading.

Ok thanks . I would have loved to see his face when that auction ended. He was probably dancin on the ceiling and doing back flips. What a book,  and what a price it got. And for him to take it out and handle it so you can take a picture of it. That gesture alone says a lot. 

[adamstrange]

On 8/14/2023 at 2:48 AM, Professor K said:

And for him to take it out and handle it so you can take a picture of it. That gesture alone says a lot.

He didn't hesitate to handle his books or to let someone else who knew what they were doing to handle a book.  I actually pulled it out of the mylar and handed it to him, took the picture, but let him put it back in.  He asked what I thought that grade was and I said most likely 9.4.  I seldom discussed either grades or value with Jon.

[Flex Mentallo]

So saddened - and shocked - by this news.

What an eye he had!

If Jon had not decided to sell his fabulous collection, I would never, ever have obtained my personal grail. [I dont care about the resto, just the colors, almost impossible to find like this.]

From our too few back and forths via pm, he also had a mischievous side.... look carefully at the photos, you'll see that glint in his eye. In a hobby that sometimes takes itself a bit too seriously, that glint should linger.

Edited August 14, 2023 by Flex Mentallo

[Cat-Man_America]

I posted my condolences in the FGCC thread when Pat Calhoun informed us of the sad news last night around this time (my insomnia again), Apologies for the cover repost, but this is my single Jon Berk Collection book; it's as special a book to me as he was a rare, generous and inspiring a collector in our hobby... 

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by Cat-Man_America
File posting issue (board imaging software?)

[G.A.tor]

Well crud 

[adamstrange]

Pictures from another visit to Jon's "Aladdin's Cave"

 

[Robot Man]

On 8/14/2023 at 7:37 AM, adamstrange said:

Pictures from another visit to Jon's "Aladdin's Cave"

 

Amazing photos. Hard to imagine that one person could have the drive and ambition to put a collection together of this magnitude. It would never be possible today.

[Robot Man]

I remember when his collection came to market. I had known of the depth and the staggering amounts of GA keys and artwork. Being a minnow in the very shallow end of the pond, I knew I would be lucky if I got anything. But I just knew I wanted to have at least something from this historic collection. I was lucky that a few crumbs slipped through the cracks and I was able to land a couple of books I always wanted for a super reasonable price. They will probably be with me until I go to the great comic book con in the sky.

[Bronty]

RIP John!    Loved your contributions to CBM back in the day.

[october]

On 8/13/2023 at 10:51 PM, tth2 said:

He only did that because he did know Adam! 

Good one. 

[shadroch]

Rest well, my friend.  You made the world a better place. Thanks for far too much to mention.

[action1kid]

Were Jon’s books slabbed before he decided to sell?  Or did he decide to slab because he was selling? He struck me as a raw guy who appreciated the interior of a book.

[adamstrange]

On 8/14/2023 at 1:50 PM, action1kid said:

Were Jon’s books slabbed before he decided to sell?  Or did he decide to slab because he was selling? He struck me as a raw guy who appreciated the interior of a book.

To my knowledge, Jon only bought a few slabbed books.  By the time CGC was a thing, he had stopped acquiring comics and was only collecting original art.

Jon gave his raw collection to Metropolis who handled all aspects of prepping them for auction, including decisions of slabbing/not-slabbing.

Edited August 14, 2023 by adamstrange

[Mmehdy]

I had read that Jon kept a few books when he sold his collection, I think he posted about that on the boards. So he did keep some material with him to end. Can anyone confirm that. John is a collector they just do not make anymore.

Edited August 15, 2023 by Mmehdy