New Contest: Let's Roast Chuckles!

[chrisco37]

Seems we've been in a "roasting mood" lately, and after reading the "Mile High 3" collection thread, and Johnny D's request for a love interest, I had a great idea.....Let's roast Chuck! (I know it's House's turn, but I think he would concede for a week to allow what will surely be a great thread to take place).

 

Write your own "Tales from the Database", ala Chuckles. It can be about a dangerous comic treasure hunt, how "you" single-handedly saved the industry, taking peyote in the New Mexican desert, whatever you want......

 

Winner will be decided by forum vote. Let's start today, and end on the 23rd of June. That should be more than enough time. I'll provide the prize(s). One of which will be a very special autographed item by a forum favorite......

 

Be creative as you want. But, remember, you are writing as if you were Chuck, so be sure to be humble.

 

GET ROASTIN'

 

Chris

[jonnydouble]

Tales from the Database :The Original Mile High Collection Part XVIII; The Lost Episode...................................

 

Thursday June 12,

 

Whew!!....after my insane trip across the Mojave Desert lat week I decided I was in deep need of a little relaxation. I managed to crash a couple of days and rest up a bit but it was tough!!

 

Just the thought of grading all those wonderful books, over 400,000 total with a staggering 8,500 key books alone was mind boggeling. It was an effort to get the few hours of sleep I managed to get. It was apparrent that my most laborous job was still ahead of me!

 

I decided before I dove into that, that I needed some time off and the June 13th Feast Day at Santa Clara Pueblo was just the ticket. Nannette and Dayla had left a day earlier. Nannette was being honored this year at the festival with the title of "Patron Queen Mother " due to her many selfless hours of volunteer service to the children of Santa Clara. She had been teaching them how to create festive pinatas out of coverless comics books and helped them sell them on the highway off ramps to raise money for their reading program. A magnificent dinner in her honor was to be held the night before the Feast day and they begged her to leave early to attend.

 

Maybe my mind wasn't on the road because I was still excited about my trip across the desert the day before, or maybe I was still drained of sleep ,or just maybe it was because I was pre-grading the first 4 issues of Showcase in pristine condition while driving, but I didn't see the truckload of live chickens ahead of me suddenly jamm on its brakes until it was too late! My last thoughts were of never seeing Nannette again, or being able to describe to her the beautiful 400,000 newly aquired books, with over 8,500 key issues.

 

 

As the feathers slowly floated to the ground and cleared from the air I remember my first feeling was of an incredible lightness...as if I was floating above the highway...detached from the grisley scence below.

 

Dead chickens laid everywhere, and strewn across them I could see my lifeless body;... twisted and contorted like a rag doll;... still clutching the first four issues of Showcase in pristine condition in my hands.

 

I immediatly turned my head to look away to discover I was still floating upwards, and still above me...higher in the clouds, I could make out the image of a magnificent Indian Chieftan. He was beckoning for me to follow him through the clouds and towards this intense blinding bright light. I was scared yet felt comforted at the same time as I obediently followed him through the warm air to reach my final destination.

 

The clouds led to a long and even brighter tunnel and at the end of the tunnel I could see the back of a man....all dressed in white.He seemed to be hunched over an artists drafting table , sketching furiously as winged angels hovered and pranced about him.

 

As if he could sense me drawing nearer to him he abruptly rose from his table and turned to face me. I was astonished. I had seen his face in family pictures and newspaper articles before, but never in person. He was the most beautiful being I had ever laid eyes upon.....he was, Edgar Church.

 

A million questions surged from within in me , and I wanted to ask them all at once. What was your favorite book??...Who was your favorite Super-hero??...Did you ever think Action #1 would sell for multiple guide prices???, but nothing would come out!!! I was dumb-struck in his awe.

 

Then he spoke to me, he told me that that my job on earth was not finished;...he knew of the oath I took long ago.....an oath to protect comic books from the evils of dishonest dealers.He told me I had to return to earth to finish grading my new aquisition of over 400,000 gold and silver books with over 8,500 key issues or else they would fall into the hands of the infamous Russian mob and the comic book industry as we know it would be doomed!!!

 

I knelt before his feet and prayed....prayed to God and Edgar to give me the strength to continue my mission and battle the forces that theatened the world below us. He then touched my shoulder and I was filled with an all -consuming warmth and I knew he was pleased with how I continued his legacy on earth with The Mile high Collection.

 

When I opened my eyes again, I was staring into Nanettes face. I was alive!!! Alive and in Santa Clara Pueblo General Hospital.

 

I wanted to tell Nannette of my incedible journey and all about Edgar, and of his plans for me, but thought twice about it. Did it really happen?...or was it just a manifistation of my injuries and the desert heat??

 

Then I saw on my nightstand the 4 first issues of Showcase that I had in my hand before the accident...the gloss on them seamed radiant ; even brighter than before...they shone with a heavenly glow!!

 

Did it really happen?...did it readers???.........Only God knows......God and Edgar that is.....

 

Happy collecting!!

 

Chuck Rozanski,

President - Mile High Comics, Inc.

[Arty]

wow! That was a good story.

[minutekev@50]

A Chuck Near Mint! (Attached)

[Bonds25]

Then he spoke to me, he told me that that my job on earth was not finished;...he knew of the oath I took long ago.....an oath to protect comic books from the evils of dishonest dealers.He told me I had to return to earth to finish grading my new aquisition of over 400,000 gold and silver books with over 8,500 key issues or else they would fall into the hands of the infamous Russian mob and the comic book industry as we know it would be doomed!!!

 

LMAO - a beautiful story!

[jonnydouble]

Then he spoke to me, he told me that that my job on earth was not finished;...he knew of the oath I took long ago.....an oath to protect comic books from the evils of dishonest dealers.He told me I had to return to earth to finish grading my new aquisition of over 400,000 gold and silver books with over 8,500 key issues or else they would fall into the hands of the infamous Russian mob and the comic book industry as we know it would be doomed!!!

 

LMAO - a beautiful story!

 

Thanks,..I was inspired ..his newsletters move me.

 

J.D.

[Mushroom]

People say that lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice. Well let me tell you how it struck me for the third time. I must have a guardian angel because I had just reached my lowest ebb in a life that without exaggeration has been difficult. I was just going through my financials and the bottom line was looking decidedly shakey. I had finally finished paying for all of Edgar Church's grandchildrens educations (through Harvard) and the mortgages for their houses on the Cape were now at a manageable level but it was obvious that my back order sales for accurately graded comics was declining and that without a miracle I had no future.

 

As I sat and pondered my dilemma I tried to think of ways to turn my fortunues to the good. I cursed CGC for their undergrading and for turning potential rubes into experts. I cursed ebay for the competition for POS books. I cursed myself for no longer being able to dine off the Edgar Church story for the 100th time. I cursed the fact that I only got 200 times what I paid for those beautiful mile high books that are now trading in the stratosphere and I rued the day that God made me the generous and humble person that I am.

 

In the midst of determing whether I should end my life by cutting my wrists with the razor sharp edge of an Action Comics #1 I heard the melodic ring tone of my phone penetrating the fog in my mind. I dragged myself out of my chesterfield chair and picked it up. Immediately I heard the voice the hair on the back of my neck rose. My breathing became erratic and my pulse quickened. The voice was of a young man babbling something about grandfather....attic.....never been touched. My tounge swelled in my head, I had so many questions but it was important that I stayed calm and not display any show of excitement.

 

I first had to know what it was he had.....Is your Grandfather dead? Yes was the reply. Were the books stored in the Attic? Yes was the reply. Now this was the crunch question. Are there sticks of butter with them? The silence was deafening, it seemed like a year before the response came back YES. Bells started ringing in my head, I grabbed the table to stop myself from falling. In a faltering voice I asked him where he lived. He said Tibet. Oh glorious day.....as you all know it had long been rumoured that one of the finest collections of Golden age and Silver age books had been compiled by a Buddist Monk who read them to while away the long hours of silence.

 

I told the grandson that I would be there on the morrow. I hung up the phone and besides kissing the wife, the kids and the dog I had only enough time to grab my coverless copy of Bob Overstreet's 1969 guide to comics and my latest edition of Wizard.

 

I won't go into detail about how horrendous the trip was but suffice to say that the first class section of the plane not only ran out of Bollinger but I had already seen every movie that they were offering. Only the knowledge of the gems that awaited me got me through.

 

After a three day journey by Yak to the temple I finally arrived. The grandson was resplendent in his orange robes and I was paraded down the main entry way where I was introduced to the Grand Poobah (or some such title....I don't really remember as I was suffering greatly from altitude sickeness). They granted me the key to eldorado or was it nirvana (I thought they were a rock band) and led me to my suite.

 

After refreshing myself the grandson arrived to lead me to the promised land. After what seemed like an age we arrived at the pinnacle of the temple. There in front of me was a ricketty wooden ladder that led to a small hatch. We climbed and climbed and climbed until finally we pushed the latch open. The Grandson (who I called Edgar) turned on the lights to reveal stack upon stack of books. I quickly ran to check the condition of the butter sticks. To my relief they were still in mint condition, this boded well.

 

I spent the next two days going through the stacks....there were Detective Comics, Timely's, Fiction Houses, Marvels etc etc in complete runs. In some cases there were duplicates. In general the spines were rolled, corners dog eared, covers coming away from the staples and the most beatiful tanned and brittle pages I had ever seen. Ahhhh I said to myself NM+. In all there were close to 1million (yes I said 1million) books.

 

After doing a quick calculation of worth I called for Edgar. Now you might think that as the largest dealer of POS in the world that I would have access to cash and a line of credit that could choke a horse but I don't. So the imperative became how to rip this guy off and still have him love me whilst at the same time maintaining my benevolent standing in the comic book world.

 

Edgar arrived and the first thing he said was "I don't know anything about comics". Oh praise the lord was my silent response. I then spent the next hour talking to him about the desperate state of the comic book market and how only books that were bronze or modern had any real value (I proved this by showing him that most of his books were not even included in the wizard price guide and those that were were priced at mint condition not the poor grades that his grandfathers books were in).

 

After the hour I could see that his spirit and hope were crushed but never let it be said that I "Chuck" ever took advantage of a situation. I pulled out the 69 OS guide and explained to Edgar that although this book was long out of print that his grandfather's comic books once upon a time had value. I explained to him that I was a religious man and as a result I would be happy to pay him 20 % of the G price as shown in the guide. Immediately a smile sprang to his face, he got down on his knees and praised Allah (or somebody like that) and then proceeded to kiss my ring. I calculated the value for him and presented him with a figure. Now readers, it would not be right to disclose to you the final amount as humility around my generosity precludes me from big noting myself.

 

Edgar nodded his head in agreement and we shook hands on the deal. Unfortunately now came the sticky part. I told Edgar that I had no money, that in reality I was very close to destitution. He pondered long and hard and then in a quiet voice he said "Mr Chuck you seem to be an honourable man and I will place my trust in you as I have to no other. Take the books and sell them and when you have the money that we have agreed on then send it to me".

 

Tears sprang to my eyes and I reached out and held Edgar in my arms. All that was left to do was dot some I's and cross some T's. It was agreed that out of Edgar's share would be removed any costs of sale of the books. I left the temple elated for both of us. As a side point, I noticed on my way out a whole bunch of original GA art just lying in a dumpster and I asked Edgar if I could have them and of course he said yes.

 

Well readers it has now been three months since the deal was consummated. I have just read a letter from Edgar where he has informed me that he and his fellow monks have communicated with God and have been guaranteed that a place in heavan has been reserved for me. This is perfect timing as I have just received the final account reckoning. Indeed I was able to achieve the return on sales I forecast for Edgar, however, with the cost of chartering a 747 jumbo to fly the books to the US, the cgc slabbing charges, the ebay listing cost and sales commissions, the marketing and advertising fees, the employee salaries for my family and Edgar Church's grandchildren and my own (at a cost only basis) expenses it appears that Edgar owes me $100,000 US.

 

Now readers don't let it be said that I am not kind and understanding, I have instructed my accountant to provide him with 90 day payment terms.

 

It is hard being me sometimes but the satisfaction I receive in helping others makes it all worthwhile.

 

Until the next rip off I remain your "Chuck".

 

 

[CGCMINT]

Johnny D.,

 

Beautiful story, I almost cried!

 

John

 

[jonnydouble]

I left the temple elated for both of us. As a side point, I noticed on my way out a whole bunch of original GA art just lying in a dumpster and I asked Edgar if I could have them and of course he said yes.

 

Laughed so hard I peed a little.

 

Jonny D.

 

[dam60]

Ha!!! Some GREAT roasts!!!

 

DAM

[Aman619]

I thought after the first one it was game over!

but both are priceless......but in the spirit of Chuckles the Magnificent Ill give you 50% G guide for the pair.

[Crowzilla]

Let me start by saying that having spent over 33 years in the comics industry, I have seen almost everything (except of course copies of Showcase #1-3 all at one time). Having discovered and rescued the single most important comic collection in history sort of makes you jaded to all the happenings of many dealers. Just thinking about that collection and being able to save it from the hands of the Teamsters and spend the next dozen years insuring that every comic collector who wants one would be able to have one of the 12,000 Mint copies of Captain Marvel #12 that it contained really makes life worth living every day.

Not to mention my fond memories of buying that earlier collection in the 70s that helped establish Mile High's reputation for charging more than any other dealer in the world for comics. A reputation that we constantly work hard at protecting every day. Many times I am surfing the net and notice a comic priced for more than we have it for on our website, and I immediately call Anna (our head computer imputer) and instruct her to raise our price and put it more in line with our high standards.

 

So with that information in mind, and knowing that we already have over 10 million slow-moving comics in our back issue inevntory, is it any wonder that when asked to buy collections I am constantly seeking out the best in No-money-down collections or items that I can buy for bottom nickel. So when this latest call came in, I knew I would not be able to get the collection. it was just too far out of my league. For starters the seller wanted cash, and that just isn't the way we do things around here and secondly he was expecting me to fly out to see the collection, which normally might have been something I would do if he paid my way - but this guy was in Germany! I reluctantly agreed to go as I had heard there was a large Native American pottery show being held that very weekend in Hamburg, and this would give me a chance to bring back a really unique piece for Nanette, and I would do anything to get her some more pottery. So after I arranged with UPS to fly me in the cargo hold for what seemed to be a 36 hour flight, I had finally arrived in Germany. When I met Lt.Colonel North, he seemed a little shifty to me, always darting his eyes back and forth like he was looking for some unseen persons who might be following us. I still have my suspicions that he might have been smoking opium, but I wanted to see this deal. Well he took me back to a pair of C-130 troop transport hangers, you know - the planes that can hold a 747 in their belly. He opened the doors and started to lead me through what looked like a maze of 30-foot high walls. As I struggled to get my lighter fired up so I could try to make out something other than shadows through my thick glasses, a stray flame from my lighter caught one of the walls on fire. Quickly and without hesitation I risked my life and jumped on the wall to smoother the flame. A brave and selfless deed that could have cost me my life. Fortunately I was able to put the fire out before it caused to much damage, but I noticed that the walls themselves were simply giant stacks of Golden Age Comic books. An airplane hanger full of Golden Age Comics!

 

Of course I'm getting too far ahead of myself, let me give you some background information first.

 

As everyone knows; during World War II the American GI's voraciously devoured the latest exploits of those "long-underwear characters" (that's what we call them in the biz).

Everyone's seen photos of GI's hunkered down in their bunkers reading the latest Captain America instead of paying attention to the war around them. In fact it's estimated that if GI's didn't read comics, the war might have ended 13 1/2 months earlier. That's all undisputed fact, but what no one knew was that the comic companies themselves were shipping the GI's all of these books and getting huge kickbacks from Uncle Sam at the same time.

See, in the 30s and 40s distributors didn't rip off the tops of the covers to claim credit for them, they sent back the whole book, and thats where William Gaines came up with the idea of selling the already returned comics to Uncle Sam to distribute to the GI's. (Of course later when the senate found out about this practice, they introduced legislation to force distributors to rip off the top 1/3 of comics, so the publishers couldn't double-dip them for sales anymore).

 

So by late 1941 The US Government was stockpiling thousands of issues of comics for the GI's. but here is where it gets interesting. See these comics were all shipped overseas since thats where all the GI's were stationed, but the PX distributors always wanted to get the newest comics for their bases, so they tended to leave the older issues untouched and in mint condition. This means that from all the issues prior to 1940 - they were there in deep piles untouched by human hands for over 60 years! Most issues were still bundle tied in packs of 50 from the distributors. I grabbed a couple of bundles at random to see what I could find. The pallet I was looking at was all from May, 1937. Right there on top, I could see a bound bundle of Famous Funnies #34 (49 mint issues, one issue had a slight spine stress). Under that a stack of Funny Picture Stories #6, and beside it a pile of Tip Top Comics #14 and even a large stack of Detective Comics #3 and More Fun #20 next to that.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the Lt.Col. had a copy of an Overstreet guide.

Doing some quick thinking I said to him:

"I know a lot of people are in the dark about how to grade comics. Would you agree that all these comics are in good condition?"

Col.North stated; "Yes, I would say they are all in good condition."

So I told him - "okay, we'll use the good condition guide then to get an idea of their value." I was amazed at my brilliance, but I was even more in shock by what I heard next.

 

We don't want to sell these books to you. That would create to much paperwork that we would have to fill out in triplicate. We would just like to give them all to you for free if you would haul them out of here. We know that there is only one man in the world who is not only brave enough to accept the difficult task of taking millions of dollars worht of comics, but who is also honest enough and dedicated enough to always do the right thing - no matter what the cost.

But they have to leave by tomorrow.

 

There was only one option, I knew what I had to do. Call my staff back in Colorado and ask them if they wouldn't mind being inconvienced by sorting through an aircraft hanger's worth of unread Golden Age comics. I knew it would disrupt their normal routine, and probably put a severe strain on our finances to handle a collection of several million Golden Age comics, but I had to get their opinions. After a four hour discussion it was decided. Even though it would put a severe drain on our being able to sell millions of 80s and 90s back issue comics, we decided to risk going ahead and taking this free collection.

 

There was only one problem. How to get it home. It was so massive it wouldn't have fit in 4 C-130 Hercules planes, so I had no choice but to rent an oceanliner and steer it home myself. Fortunately the base was situated on the Elbe river and we were only a few hundred miles from the North Sea. I had heard that the SAL STOCKHOLM was no longer laid up in Havana (my home away from home) and was patroling the North Sea. At 525 feet in length and 69 feet in width, I knew it would be a tight fit to get the entire collection to fit inside her, but I had to take the chance. I knew that this journey wouldn't take more than 3-4 weeks tops - depending on the line at the Panama canal.

 

Of course the other thing I had to do was to arrange to have some sort of firearm available. Normally I would never carry one, but saling the Atlantic alone on a 525 ft. cruise ship was going to be the bravest and most dangerous thing I had ever done and I wanted to be prepared. The Colonel arranged for me to have a Vikhr AK-306 mounted to the front of the boat, certainly more than I could have dared dream to ask for. I just hoped that in crossing the Bermuda triangle I wouldn't need to use against the dastedly pirates and comic hijackers that I knew roamed the waters. If word got out that I was transporting this paper gold back to the states, my life wouldn't be worth a plugged nickel.

 

While I will have to save my daring exploits on the high seas until later (the movie deal I just signed and my own extreme modesty forbid me from going into details right now). let me just saw that everything you saw in that movie "Jaws" is true. As well as everything you've heard about the Bermuda Triangle, Chupacabras, UFO's and the quality of water in Panama.

But once I had navigated back to San Diego, we had a much easier time employing 37 tractor-trailer rigs to work round the clock going back and forth to haul this precious cargo back to our secret underground bomb shelter in Colorado.

 

Now that we have gotten it all back here, we are sorting out the sets. I will probably doing something similar to the Gaines file copies and put together the best 200-300 complete runs of every title that I can, number them "Mint Set 1", "Mint Set 2" and so on, then sell the remaining individual copies in our huge weekly website sales. Right now, we are busy negotiating with a logging company for the trees neccesary to print out the millions of certificates we will need with the books. It will probably take us a year or so to get everything sorted out, so we should have something available for sale by the time my life story movie hits the theaters next Christmas (the feel-good event of the season).

 

until next time,

 

Chuck

[icecube-migration]

I think you guys need to write your own books. These storys are priceless....ED

[Zonker]

Loved that THRILLA from ZILLA!

[Bonds25]

So by late 1941 The US Government was stockpiling thousands of issues of comics for the GI's. but here is where it gets interesting. See these comics were all shipped overseas since thats where all the GI's were stationed, but the PX distributors always wanted to get the newest comics for their bases, so they tended to leave the older issues untouched and in mint condition. This means that from all the issues prior to 1940 - they were there in deep piles untouched by human hands for over 60 years! Most issues were still bundle tied in packs of 50 from the distributors. I grabbed a couple of bundles at random to see what I could find. The pallet I was looking at was all from May, 1937. Right there on top, I could see a bound bundle of Famous Funnies #34 (49 mint issues, one issue had a slight spine stress). Under that a stack of Funny Picture Stories #6, and beside it a pile of Tip Top Comics #14 and even a large stack of Detective Comics #3 and More Fun #20 next to that...

 

There was only one problem. How to get it home. It was so massive it wouldn't have fit in 4 C-130 Hercules planes, so I had no choice but to rent an ocenliner and steer it home myself. Fortunately the base was situated on the Elbe river and we were only a few hundred miles from the North Sea. I had heard that the SAL STOCKHOLM was no longer laid up in Havana (my home away from home) and was patroling the North Sea. At 525 feet in length and 69 feet in width, I knew it would be a tight fit to get the entire collection to fit inside her, but I had to take the chance. I knew that this journey wouldn't take more than 3-4 weeks tops - depending on the line at the Panama canal.

 

LMAO again - a great story, and it definitely sounded like Chuck! And Mushroom's story was equally as good.

 

Great stuff guys!

[Bonds25]

OK, here's my contribution. It may be a little "out there" and definitely not plausible, but I still find myself laughing after reading it. Enjoy!!

 

 

Howdy!

 

I wanted to send out this newsletter yesterday afternoon, but there was simply no way. I was so exhausted from my weekend that I could barely stay awake enough to drive home from the office. I'm not complaining, however, as this weekend I completed the negotiations for the best comics collection that I have acquired in over 18 years!

 

To start at the beginning, I mentioned in one of my newsletters about three weeks ago that I was going to look at a collection in Southern California, but that I didn't think that I was going to be able to buy it. The reason I was so dubious about acquiring this collection is that it was simply too big for us to afford, and because I had already been told that several nationally recognized Golden Age dealers, with the ability to borrow very large sums of money, had already made substantial cash offers. When I say "substantial" cash offers, I mean well into six figures, just for the down payment. In addition, these dealers were offering $1 million plus in guarantees above and beyond the down payment. This is a big, big deal by comic book standards.

 

Given that we're the largest comics dealer in the country, you would think that I would be able to top any offer. Nope, no way. First of all, I've already purchased over 1 million comics this year, for well over $300,000.00. As a bona-fide comics addict, I buy additional collections just as fast as I can raise cash. The only difference between me and the average comics collector is that I'm constantly stretching our budget to the limit to buy truckloads of comics, instead of just individual issues. Aside from buying enormous masses of comics this year, I have also been on a very determined path to pay off the huge costs of creating our website. I began this debt -reduction program at the beginning of last year, and I am now 75% of the way to my goal. Despite my eagerness to buy this great deal, there was simply no way that I was going to go right back into debt to make the purchase come to fruition. That having been said, my trip to San Diego seemed like a genuine waste of time. The seller was someone whom I liked, however, from our earlier meetings at various conventions, so after several e-mails from him, I finally agreed to make a courtesy call.

 

When I finally took a look at the comics, I was totally blown away. The seller had approximately 8,500 key issues selected out from his total accumulation of over 400,000 books. I estimate that those 8,500 issues will price out at about $4 million! I've owned a lot of great comics in my day, including almost every Golden Age comic book ever printed, but it has been 25 years since I saw so many wonderful issues in one spot. Making this collection even more noteworthy, the seller had hand-selected each issue, going to convention after convention since 1987, seeking out just the highest condition copies he could find of key Golden Age, Silver Age, and Bronze Age books. Taking the wonderment of this collection even further, despite having all these wonderful high grade books for many years, the seller had never had these books professionally graded. It will be very, very interesting to see how many of these books come in above 9.0 when we submit them to CGC...

 

In addition to the 8,500 key books, there are at least 40,000 other books that are in such nice condition that we will be separating them out, and providing each book with a certificate of authenticity as having come from this monumental collection. Don't expect a large number of these books to be available any time soon, however, as it is going to take us quite some time to sort out the 40,000 best books from the 400,000. We will then have to individually grade each one, and create the certificate of authenticity. Clearly, this is a project that is going to keep us busy for at least the next six months, if not longer. As the best of the books become available, however, I will be putting links to the new listings in my newsletters, and on the website. This is going to be great fun!

 

The question I'm sure you're asking is "How did Chuck pull this deal off?" Well, the seller is the one who came up with the idea. He has been a long-time fan of mine, and an avid reader of this newsletter. He knew that Mile High Comics reaches more hard core comics collectors around the world than any other dealer, probably by a factor of at least ten times. With that thought in mind, what he offered me was a long-term joint venture, in which he would provide his books to us, we would market them over a period of many years, and we would then split the earnings. No money down! This was a deal I simply couldn't ignore. There were some definite drawbacks, such as the fact that the time we would spend processing his books would mean books that we purchased in other deals wouldn't get processed as quickly, but upon serious contemplation that seemed like a small offset. The overall basis of the seller's deal was one that it seemed to me would work well for both parties.

 

While the basics of the deal were worked out during that first meeting, I needed to run the concept by the Mile High team. While I am pretty confident in my own judgment, I feel a huge sense of responsibility to Lynne, Pam, Ron, William, Will, Sean, Rich, Nanette, and all the other great people who operate Mile High Comics on a day-to-day basis. There was no way that I was going to commit us into such an enormous long-term undertaking without their complete approval. We had a meeting the day after my return, and hashed out the pro's and con's for a couple of hours. In the end, there was complete unanimity that this was a deal that we simply couldn't turn down, even if it was going to cause a lot of extra work, and disrupt our existing operations to some degree.

 

Once I got the Mile High team's approval, I was ready to fly back to San Diego to try and close the deal. Three days before I was supposed to go, however, Tanith had her accident, and subsequent emergency brain surgery. While she presently seems to be steadily recovering, as most of you already know, it was very touch-and-go for a while. I was ready to delay the Golden Age deal indefinitely in order to be with Tanith, but I had also talked over the deal with all the members of my family before her accident, so Tanith knew that acquiring this collection was very, very important. So despite being gravely ill, she was insistent that I go ahead and fly to San Diego, only three days after her operation. Sometimes things just don't work out, however, as when I got to the airport, I discovered I had no photo ID with me. I had purchased used cars for Tanith and Elsbeth at the local auto auction on the Saturday before Tanith's accident, and the dimbulb clerk at the auto auction had forgotten to return my driver's license after I paid my bill! As I frantically drove home to pick up my passport (another form of government-issued photo ID...), I got the call on my cell phone that Tanith had unexpectedly developed a fever of 102 degrees. I immediately canceled my trip, and I spent that evening sitting by Tanith's side, as she moaned softly in her sleep. Blessedly, her fever broke in the night, and she was much better by morning. I was very relieved...

 

While the seller had seemed quite understanding when I called to delay my trip, I was still worried. I knew darn good and well that if word got out to the other comics dealers bidding on the collection that I was involved, that the pressure on the seller to sell for an immediate cash payout would become intense. To the best of my knowledge that information did not get out, but one dealer did increase his down payment offer by $100,000.00 during the week's delay caused by Tanith's operation. All I could do was to advise the seller that if he wanted to take any other deal he'd been offered, that he should go ahead. Quite honestly, cash in hand is almost always better than a deal that involves only a smile, a handshake, and a promise to pay later...

 

In the end, the seller totally stood by his original deal. I flew out last Thursday evening, we sorted out details on Friday, and I wrote up a simple contract on my hotel computer on Friday night. We amended it slightly on Saturday morning, and had a finished contract by Saturday afternoon. I then went to lunch with the seller and his son, where he took the time to pray (the seller and his family are very dedicated Christians...) for the Lord's guidance. He then said a prayer for the success of our venture, and had his son (who is in training to be a preacher) also say a prayer. While I am not particularly devout, I felt incredibly honored by this display of faith in me as a person, and in my abilities. The seller could not have manifested any single other type of action that could have inspired me to work harder to try to live up to his, and God's, faith in me. I suddenly felt this enormous weight of personal responsibility. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, but I sure felt it settle into place on my shoulders. It is still there now. I am totally dedicated to prove to this man that he made the right decision in choosing me as a working partner in selling his wonderful comics.

 

Once we both signed the contract, it was time to pick up the rental truck I had ordered from U-Haul. I had to have a rental truck, as there was no way to ship $4 million dollars in rare comics via any kind of ordinary truck line. No common carrier would take on that kind of risk. The only way for me to get those great comics back to Colorado was to drive them there myself. Normally this would not have been such a big deal, but when I went to get trip insurance, I discovered that it was totally unavailable! The insurance company we ordinarily use was willing to sell us a two-day policy for $15,000.00 (!), but only if we provided them a detailed inventory of every single issue of the 80,000 books I was taking in the 24-foot truck, complete with grades! Since none of these books had yet to be graded, that was out of the question. The only way for me to get these books home was to drive them there by myself, completely uninsured. While the seller understood the need for this incredible risk, he was relieved when I offered him a personal guarantee for the entire $2 million of wholesale value. If anything happened to his comics on the way to Colorado, I was personally out the entire $2 million.

 

Frankly, this trip this past weekend was the single most dangerous thing I have ever done in my life. Not only was I putting a substantial portion of my life's earnings at risk, but I also was in considerable danger from those who might be aware that I was driving, alone, across one of the loneliest stretches of the American West with at least $2 million in untraceable liquid assets. It didn't help matters one bit when the truck I rented (for $1600.00!) turned out to be a complete clunker, with no air conditioning, and hardly any power. I could have waited until the next day for a better truck, but I made the decision that my safety was enhanced by every mile I could put between myself and San Diego before the word got out that I was on the road by myself. I was already regretting that decision within an hour of leaving, however, when the truck proved incapable of taking the hills out of San Diego at more than 30 miles per hour (50 KM/H). When it lost all power entirely in one particularly busy stretch of road, resulting in me nearly being crashed into by an enormous tractor-trailer truck going at least 70 MPH, I was convinced that I was doomed.

 

In the end, I slowly gimped my way home, crossing the Mojave Desert in the middle of the night, arriving in Nevada at 1 AM. I then stopped at a hotel/casino on the Interstate that I knew catered to truckers, and rented a room. I didn't sleep in it, however, as I was completely terrified that someone would steal the entire truck (I know some friends who have had that happen to them...). I grabbed a pillow from the room, and went down to sleep in the cab of the truck. In this particular lot that was very safe, as the casino is smart enough to provide 24-hour security guards for the trucks of their clients. After four fitful hours of sleep, I awoke at 5 AM, took a quick shower, and headed for Utah. That day proved to be a nightmare of constant near accidents, as my little truck just couldn't make the hills at any speed. A trip that would normally have taken me about 20 hours stretched out to nearly 30. The last few miles were the worst, as I had to cross Vail Pass (10,640 feet, or about 3,200 meters) and Loveland Pass (11,000+ feet) just before I hit the final stretch of road to my farm. I made it up Loveland Pass (to the tunnels) at only 18 miles per hour. I honestly had my doubts at times that my little truck was going to make it, as the engine seemed so dangerously close to dying on the way up. Then, on the way down the Eastern slope of that steep mountainside, I could smell my brakes burning, despite taking the entire incline in second gear. Suffice it to say, I was a very, very happy camper when I pulled my little truck into the driveway at my farm at 1 AM, on Monday morning. (click on image for larger view)

 

After six hours of desperately needed sleep, I drove the truck to our warehouse. The Mile High team was waiting for me there, with a specially designed secure room ready to hold the collection. Blessedly, the minute the books entered that room, they were insured by a special rider we put on our overall commercial insurance policy. For complete security purposes, I limited access to these great books to only three people besides myself. While that kept the books secure, it also meant that it took us over seven hours to get all the books sorted out, and into the safe room. By the time we were finished, I was ready to fall down. Sean drove me out to the airport to retrieve my car from long-term parking, and I then had just enough energy left to drive home. My daughter Aleta then took me out to dinner, and afterwards I finally crashed into bed.

 

This morning I can barely believe the magnitude of what I have accomplished. This deal is so very, very wonderful that it completely blows my mind. As we were unloading, I had Lynne grab the digital camera, and shoot the picture below. In the picture we're holding high-grade copies of SHOWCASE #1, #2, #3, & #4. Those were just a handful of books from one single box, that I grabbed randomly. I don't know if I've ever owned even a single copy of SHOWCASE #1-#3 in my entire 33-year career, much less two copies of each in high grade! The SHOWCASE #4 looks to be the best copy I've ever had of the book that most people readily acknowledge was the first comic of the Silver Age. Going through this collection is going to be fun, fun, fun! (click on image for larger view)

 

Later this week, I'll provide you with a very detailed biography of the seller of this great collection. He is a wonderful man who deserves special recognition for the astounding collection of comics that he built over 16 years. He is supposed to be sending me photos of himself in the present, and from his childhood, which I think will make for a really cool addition to a wonderful life story. Stay tuned!

 

One factor I do need to mention about this wonderful new collection is that my agreement with the seller precludes me from discounting any of the books without his specific permission. The seller currently earns a substantial income, and does not need short term cash. As a result, he wants us to slowly liquidate his collection for him, preferably over many years. We are soon going to have some incredibly rare issues listed on our website, but I'm afraid that discounting those cool books is out of the question.

 

While I can't discount the books from the seller's collection, nothing precludes me from discounting the ten million books we already own. That's why I'm immediately cutting the prices on all of our DC back issues to 40% off. This massive discount sale will run in conjunction with the 40% off sale that I put into effect on all of our Marvel comics last Friday. Frankly, I'd just as soon not have such steep sales right now, but I'm going to need quite a bit of extra cash flow to pay for all the costs of processing this new collection. Since I can't discount the seller's books, the only option open to me is for me to discount the comics we already own. Be forewarned, however, that while I'm probably going to be having some very aggressive sales from now until the end of the month, the 3rd quarter (July-September) may see a reduction in the number of sales we run. I have this strong suspicion that once the word gets out about how many one-of-kind rare books are in this new collection, we're going to be more than busy enough filling the resulting rush in orders. In the meantime, however, you have a window of opportunity in which to order both Marvel and DC back issues at 40% off our usual list prices, with free shipping for all domestic orders over $30, and all International orders over $75. Enjoy!

 

That's it for another day. I am still planning to take a couple of days off at the end of the week, to go to the June 13th Feast Day at Santa Clara Pueblo. After my insane trip across the desert, I figure I deserve a couple of days off...

 

Happy collecting!

 

 

 

 

Chuck Rozanski,

President - Mile High Comics, Inc.

 

[Crowzilla]

Dude - c'mon.

That has to be the least plausible story ever.

 

At least mine involved a government cover-up - that's something

we can all believe in.

But yours...?

Bah.

 

[chrisco37]

That has to be the least plausible story ever.

 

I thought the same thing! Absolutely ridiculous!

 

Chris

[Zonker]

OK, here's my contribution. It may be a little "out there" and definitely not plausible, but I still find myself laughing after reading it. Enjoy!!

 

 

Weisenheimer!

Why-you-I-oughta...

[rob_react]

OK, here's my contribution. It may be a little "out there" and definitely not plausible, but I still find myself laughing after reading it. Enjoy!!

 

 

Weisenheimer!

Why-you-I-oughta...

 

I wanted to use the same joke, except I was going to use the TFTD where Chuck talks about being he strictest grading Overstreet advisor.