• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

What ever happened to Phil Levine

Started by funtasticfour-migration,

63 posts in this topic

goldust40

goldust40

Posted
Posted
all I remember about Old Phil was how conveniently all hi sbooks were twice priced at twice the going rate during his fabulous 50% of sales! I always fely bad for whoever had to resticker everything for the shows..

 

Ah, the oldest trick in the book...how endearingly grim...

 

Cue BHD and the cloud 9 graemlin....

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lazyboy

Lazyboy

Posted
Posted
all I remember about Old Phil was how conveniently all hi sbooks were twice priced at twice the going rate during his fabulous 50% of sales! I always fely bad for whoever had to resticker everything for the shows..

 

Ah, the oldest trick in the book...how endearingly grim...

 

Cue BHD and the cloud 9 graemlin....

 

Or cue Mile High Chuck and his grand entrance on the boards 893scratchchin-thumb.gif27_laughing.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dgillock

dgillock

Posted
Posted
all I remember about Old Phil was how conveniently all his books were twice priced at twice the going rate during his fabulous 50% of sales! I always felt bad for whoever had to resticker everything for the shows..

 

27_laughing.gif...

Having bought and sold at conventions in central NJ in the mid to late 80's I can confirm this. The real rub was that he would usually take up about half the floor at the smaller cons (not a lot of room left over for us small-fries). Hope he's still around and doing well. I know I bought a fair amount of books from him way back when. If I'm not mistaken, I lived in the same town as he did during that period (Flemington, NJ). He was defintiely the biggest dog in the yard at those little fire-house shows where I first got my feet wet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mar-vell

mar-vell

Posted
Posted
all I remember about Old Phil was how conveniently all his books were twice priced at twice the going rate during his fabulous 50% of sales! I always felt bad for whoever had to resticker everything for the shows..

 

27_laughing.gif...

Having bought and sold at conventions in central NJ in the mid to late 80's I can confirm this. The real rub was that he would usually take up about half the floor at the smaller cons (not a lot of room left over for us small-fries). Hope he's still around and doing well. I know I bought a fair amount of books from him way back when. If I'm not mistaken, I lived in the same town as he did during that period (Flemington, NJ). He was defintiely the biggest dog in the yard at those little fire-house shows where I first got my feet wet.

 

did you ever do any shows at kenilworth NJ? I used to go to those!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
paperpeddler-migration

paperpeddler-migration

Posted
Posted

Hi, It's me Phil Levine (paperpeddler). Things didn't work out with my dear dear friend Lou Kahn from Bakertownecotables so we terminated our contract mutually after six months and are still best friends. I have the highest regard for Lou and his wonderful family. They are great people and he is a very dedicated and hard worker. Now that I sold off a tiny portion of the collection -- just enough to sort of let me squeeze thru the aisles of comics, boxing and other collectibles and spending the last six months trying to regroup my thoughts and yes -- still buying comics on ebay for outragious prices-- duplicates, triplicates and sometimes over 50 copies of the same book -- It is now time to sort of get a little serious about selling some of the collection. I spoke with my funeral director and he assured me that I can't take them with me when I go to the great beyond.

Sooooooooooooooo...... I hired Lori who comes from a family of famous auctioneers AND SHE WILL BE WORKING FOR ME -- No consignments or deals -- she will be on my payroll with the rest of my employees in my other businesses. She is totally familiar with Ebay and has been selling for many years.

Customer satisfaction is our number one goal. All listings will start low and with rare exception there will be no reserves. Refunds will be gladly given if the items are not as described.

I gave her a variety of stuff to start and she will be posting on our old selling site -- paperpeddlertoo on Ebay. Stay tuned.

By the way-- Gold Comics and Mark from Esquire and Harvey Dude and all the rest of you who keep wondering why I buy so many of the same book and Is Phil Levine really paperpeddler and why doesn't he do shows any more -- I appreciate all of your comments -- really -- you are all a bunch of really nice people and Lenore and I have met many of you at shows all over the country and many have bought from us and for that we thank you -- so here are some answers.

1. Lenore and I decided not to do shows anymore on 09-11-2001. I was getting hard for us to do the shows and still run our other businesses and still have some kind of a life. 102 shows a year is a lot as many of you know. We needed an excuse to stop and we did.

2. Why do I buy so many of the same book? Because I like them!! Honest -- no other reason. I do not outbid to try to hurt anyone -- that is the last thing I want to do. I have worked very hard my whole life and I am enjoying my success that Lenore and I have created from scratch. I think it is really cool to see that some copies of books that Heritage and others claim that their copy is the only known copy- and I have 2 other "PROOF COPIES" of the exact same book and sometimes a variant that no one knows exists. Let's just say I am having some fun. After all isn't that what life is all about? Stay tuned>>>>>>>>>>>>

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MrBedrock

MrBedrock

Posted
Posted
Hi, It's me Phil Levine (paperpeddler).

Phil,

Would you care to recount your remembrances of a store called Camelot in Houston, and in particular a certain very large Burmese Python that you found in a box of comics there?

Richard

Link to comment
Share on other sites
paperpeddler-migration

paperpeddler-migration

Posted
Posted

Hi Rich, In the early to mid 1970's I got a call from the late GREAT BRUCE HAMILTON who was a dear friend of mine and came to my house many times. He called and said "Phil -- Get on the next plane and fly to Houston, Texas. I just picked up a truckload of Golden Age Books and you can pick thru them and buy whatever you want". I called my wife from Newark Airport and said "Lenore, I am on my way to Texas to buy comic books" Like any wife she thought I was Crazy(and still does). I got in a cab in Houston and said to the cab driver " Get me to the Camelot Book Store quick -- I have to buy some comic books". Probably thinking I was just someone with a hangover he ignored me but got me to Camelot. When I arrived I met Willie Patterson --A great guy!!!!!!!!!!!!and his very competant staff in the most beautiful comic shop I have ever seen to this day. I said Willie --Where are the comics? He said UPSTAIRS.??!!?? I followed him and he said go up these staris and you will see them. I can't remember exactly but for some reason a winding staircase comes to mind. I went upstairs and HOLY MACKERAL!!!! I thought I had seen everything until that instant. I was in a room with a very high ceiling with comic books arranged like they do in a library. Shelves from floor to ceiling with no more than 1 inch between the top of the books and the shelf above it. All were in alphabetical order. None were in plastic bags and all of them appeared to be Fine or better.There were multiples of almost all of the books (MY KIND OF COLLECTION -- I LOVE DUPLICATES AS ALL OF YOU HAVE COME TO FIND OUT) The room was jam packed with comic books.

By the way -- back in those days for example if a book was $1.00 dollar in Good, It was $2.00 in Fine and $3.00 in Mint. AND............Unless it was crushed by a bulldozer and coverless everyone would say "believe it or not -- it's mint". The other person would say "but the spine is split and it has tears on the inside pages and a big round coffee cup stain on the front and back covers and the centerfold is detached and the rear inside cover has scotch tape.and the Palisades Park coupon is missing and someone cut out the address for Cloverine Brand Salve" The answer would always be "but believe it or not -- It is still mint --Look how old it is" Those were the good old days. But, You know no one cared anyway. If you paid $1.00 or $1.50 for the book or even $3.00. It seemed like it was all the same. No one knew or gave a about grading -- we just wanted the book. AND -- If a page was torn we would just tape it -- isn't that what Scotch Tape was for anyway??????????? It was very difficult for the oldtimers in the business to make the transition from a book we bought as "Pristine Mint" to actually be "Fair-Good --MAYBE". I am a member of Overstreet Advisory Committee. When we had our very first meeting there were about 50 of us at the three day simposium hosted by my pal Steve Geppi (By the way that's my extra Tie that I brought with me that Joe Koch is wearing in the picture --He doesn't own one. He is also my very best friend for over 40 years.) We were given 3 books to grade and mark the grade on a score sheet which was tabulated and the results given after lunch. NO TWO GRADES WERE ALIKE..

Okay, So I am in Camelot's upstairs Treasure Trove of UNTOUCHED BOOKS and I am making piles all over the place and as I was on the top rung of the ladder I had this feeling that I was being watched. I looked down and the largest python snake the world has ever seen was making it's way up the ladder. I wet and stained my pants. Before a word could come out of my mouth it seemed like an eternity. But....... I managed to start screaming and yelling and the guys downstairs were just waiting and laughing because they sent the snake upstairs to scare the living mess out if me and they did --literally.. Okay the joke was over and everyone was petting the snake as you wound the family dog. Little did I know he was the friendliest snake the world has ever known.

So, I bought boxloads of books and Willie and his crew packed and shipped them to New Jersey and I was on my way, after a trip to the bathroom to clean up, of course As Paul Harvey says --And now you know "the rest of the story" Phil Levine

PS: Yes Phil Levine really is paperpeddler and paperpeddlertoo.

Rich, Thanks for reminding me of that story. Now it is preserved for posterity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Go to topic listing