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CGC Journals
Our community journals
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Latest Entry
Door to Door Trading cards
OK so on July 12th I sent a Card to CGC and SGC Both locations are in Florida. CGC order was with a elite membership express service level with sub grades and Turnaround times of 7 days for express and an additional 5 days for sub grades. SGC was a basic account basic service 30 day Turn around. Broken down this is how it stacks up to one another.
CGC Express with Sub Grades On Elite member account. CGC bill- $98.50
Plus the Additional $32.50 paid for Shipping with $3000 insurance through USPS from me to CGC
- Grading (1) - 51.00
- Handling - 5.00
- Sub-Grades- 8.50
- USPS Ship- 34.00
So in total for the 1 card with express level sub graded $131.30
$98.50-CGC
with advertised turn around of 7 days + 5 days (12 Business Days)
Currently I shipped 7/12/21 USPS delivered 7/16/21
nothing else as of now
Ok So now onto SGC there thing is No backlog, No Bloated Turnarounds, No Games just accurate grades in a timely manner. starting at just $30 a card. now I picked this company for a reason they have been around for awhile they are a very reputable company and a similar grading style to CGC.
SGC standard Service $30 Standard account with return Shipping $15 SGC Bill - $45
Plus the $7.49 paid for Shipping with $500 insurance through USPS from me to SGC
- SGC 30 day service - $30
- Shipping fee - $15
So in total for the 1 card standard level $52.49
$45-SGC
with advertised turnaround time of 30 days (business days)
Currently I Shipped 7/12/21 USPS Delivered 7/15/21
On 7/16/21 SGC sent email letting me know that they have received my card and appreciate my business
And although the card values are different this is just a side by side to better understand things automated emails when cards are received the fact that a population report should have been released instead of opening sports cards and games soon in stead work on the things that need to be worked on. some may see CGC is gonna be the Pokémon standard. well it is starting to look like opening more types of service is more important. This is just a comparison of how company's receive cards and how long it takes to process it all. Fix what matters, focus at the task at hand before tackling a new one.
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Herbert didnt skip a beat and will be AFC west champion this season.
Carr will see his last start for the Raiders this year as they miss playoffs.
Mahomes still wont win another superbowl as i stated last year.
Burrow will light it up after a very subpar performance. Tee Higgens will be a great add in fantasy.
Trevor Lawrence will settle in to his role as NFL QB 1 and lead the jags to a wild card if not the division.
Mac Jones will sophomore slump. Tua will have over inflated passing yards. and FInish 2nd in the division to Josh Allen.
BIlls will go undefeated losing only to the Chargers in the AFC CHampionship.
Brady will lose to the Chargers and hand the torch to baby goat Herbert.
Saquon gets 1000yds rushing, so does undrafted James Robinson. Swift Rushes for 2200+ in detroit
Micah Parsons sets the season sack record.
NFC east is officicallydisbanded after carson wentz wins the division with some team that nobody knows what thier called now.
Packers finished last in nfc north and lions finish 1st!! Goff throws for less than 2200+ passing yards.
NFC west is soft and last place faces last place in NFC East. loser is heading to XFL.
There will be very lil drama from current NFL players but at least 10 former players will be arrested by mid season though.
agree to disagree but you know 60% of the time, im wronng
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Latest Entry
The Search For Pre-1960 UK Price Variants
Hello
I'm not going to post a big explanatory preamble this time, but just note that in this journal I will be looking to see if I can find any pre-1960 dated comics which could reasonably be referred to as 'UK Price Variants'. As we now know, a UK Price Variant is a book made for distribution in the UK, with a single printed UK cover price, but which was printed in the US as a junior subset of the same original print run as the primary cents priced version. We know from my research that UKPVs were produced post 1960 for seven US publishers, but I wanted to see if I could find any books prior to that date, either from the US or another country.
I have a number of books to post about, so let's get started.
I recently picked up this copy of 'Skunky Shopkeeper', undated, which carries a stickered one shilling price and an indicia which notes that the book was printed in Canada and distributed in the UK by 'Streamlined Books' (a possible misprint of the 'Streamline' of 'Pictorial Romance' fame?):
Undated1ShillingSticker.thumb.jpg.b557d94efa1bdfdbb972927d15917de1.jpg)
I then picked up a second corner-nibbled copy, also with a sticker, and painstakingly removed it to reveal this apparently overprinted 6d price:
Undated6d.thumb.jpg.e136201c3dc326ebdff59aaa9655ed70.jpg)
Here are the two prices, side by side:
So my first thought was 'could this be a UKPV of an original Canadian book?'
I know very little about Gold and pre-1960s books. I'm sure there are people I could ask, but where's the fun in that? It's something to do, to potter on, explore and learn for yourself.
That said, the GCD helpfully tells me that my Canadian Skunky reprints the US comic 'Funland Comics #1'
So I grab myself a copy of that book, also corner-nibbled:
Cover.thumb.jpg.26ff8189f9fae5057e1421a3262a0430.jpg)
Is corner nibbling a thing in Gold?
The obvious difference of course is the cover which is manifestly absent from 'Skunky'.
The indicia of Funland advises that the book was printed in the USA, c1945:
Indicia.thumb.jpg.1908830b91c4ab703cb1a8353cfd3c86.jpg)
The interior story pages and content are the same as Skunky - here are the two books side by side:
Splash.thumb.jpg.8ed248014a27eda20a6f2bac0ccfd783.jpg)
A bit of Googling brings me to this image below, source unknown, which shows my Skunky as being one of a number of coverless Canadian comics, overprinted with UK prices by Superior/Century Publications for distribution in the UK by Streamlined of London:
It further says "The majority of these were remainders". Hold that thought.
The assumption is that I have two copies of a comic that was printed in the USA for Croydon Publishing, of which unsold copies were picked up by Superior/Century Publications of Canada, who then stripped them of their covers and then overprinted them with a UK price (which were then subsequently stickered at a higher price).
Incidentally, could the 6d overprinted price be for Canadian sales and the copies sent to the UK be marked up with the one shilling sticker? Mebbe.
Back to the pre-1960 UKPV search, can the coverless guts of an original US book, that is then overprinted with a UK/Canadian price in Canada be considered a variant? It can't really, can it. Now if there was a copy of Funland #1 with a printed UK single price, which came from the same print run, then yes. But amended guts? That's pushing it a bit.
Anyway, on inspection, the guts that comprise 'Skunky' do not actually appear to be remaindered copies of Funland #1 at all. If we look closely at these examples, we can see:
1. A very different print quality and colouring - Funland is clean, Skunky has got all the sloppy production marks that tend to indicate a crude reprinting:
The next two images show that clearly too - one clean, one with additional bits and bobs and an inferior production quality:
2. Next, we can see that the two sets of guts have different overall dimensions:
3. Any notion that that might be due to trimming evaporates when you see that the actual printed images are slightly bigger on the Skunky page than on the Funland original:
4. The staples location is different on the two books too, and the Skunky ones are much bigger than the Funland's:
My staple's bigger than yours mate!
All the evidence, which is much clearer in hand I might add, indicates that our Canadian Skunky was reprinted rather than being a cover-stripped, remaindered original US book. So the 'Printed in Canada' of the indicia refers not just to the price / logo overprinting, but the whole book. From a UKPV search perspective, that takes Funland #1 out of the equation, as a UKPV must come from the same print run as the headline country copy. That leaves us with Canadian Skunky.
Every copy of Skunky that I have seen has the 6d overprinted price. Now, if someone was going to reprint the guts, why would they then overprint a UK price? Why not do it all in one go? I say this, as I have noted that the 6d price moves from copy to copy (my copy vs GCD copy below):
In summary, it looks like Superior Publishers of Canada obtained the rights (?) to reprint the guts of Croydon Publishing's Funland #1, minus the cover, did so and then added their company livery, an indicia and a 6d price. They then either sent the whole lot to the UK, who promptly increased that price with a sticker, or sold some of the 6d copies locally in Canada.
Even if we view Skunky as its own thing, separate to Funland, there is only one reprinted/overprinted version in existence it seems, so it can't be a UK Price Variant. If there was a majority 6d printed Canadian copy and a lesser UK one shilling printed copy, both printed together, we could perhaps make an argument. But there isn't. It seems.
I rather enjoyed the exercise though, on this book, and it's fun to learn more about books of this age by mucking about with them directly and holding them in your hands. Especially when they include stories such as "Angel Pussy", the pages of which further illustrate the colour and quality contrast between the two books:
Play nicely, Angel Pussy!
Well, that's Funland vs Skunky out of the way, to get the ball rolling. Next up, Jeep Comics. Or Lucky Coyne. Or maybe K G Murray's Super Adventure Comic. Or another one of the various candidates I've amassed over recent years. I'll see which one takes my fancy before dropping Wonder Comics into the mix.
See you next time then, if you're interested....
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Latest Entry
Slabs Slabs and more Signature Slabs..
Hi Everyone,
So I am a huge fan of The Last Ronin Franchise so I was lucky enough to finally receive 75 books I sent over for signature series grading which took about 10 months to complete. Was surprised to received a few 9.9's in the mix. I have over 430 books in the series so I am now slowly getting them all graded. Should have another 40 books back in the next couple of weeks from the Ronin crew signing which was in May 2022.
Check out the rest of the books at
https://comics.www.collectors-society.com/registry/Comics/PeopleSetDetail.aspx?PeopleSetID=149702
or for the slideshow
https://comics.www.collectors-society.com/registry/Comics/SetSlideshow.aspx?PeopleSetID=149702
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The Grade Is In - A conserved winner!
The grade is in and the experiment is now fully complete - I am officially a conservation nerd!
CGC correctly flagged the married cover as well as all the work done - and all of that passed the test in order to get a Conserved grade of 3.0! This is honestly slightly higher than I was expecting (my initial estimate was 2.5 at most), and even the White pages is an amazing cherry on top.
How it started: 0.5 incomplete, its life is in shambles.
How it's going: 3.0 conserved, ballin' with white pages.
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Terry Austin Signing.
Like all of my off to see the Wizard entries this is showing my submissions to CGC. Raw pictures, updates as I receive them, and final pictures ( well hopefully as with some of the others there were times they had to make return trips. [Which were also posted])
These were the books I chose to send in for Terry Austin.
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Latest Entry
TMNT Mirage Studios QUEST! Two new acquisitions!
TMNT #1 Second Print CGC 9.8
TMNT #2 Second Print CGC 9.8
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The Mystery of the Harvey 15c Variants From 1972
What's that you say? The mystery of the Harvey 15c variants, you say? Never heard of them!
Well, I certainly hadn't until last year when, whilst researching the distribution of Harvey comics in the UK by our old friends L Miller & Co, I happened across a book on eBay proclaiming an unexpected cover price. "Oh", I thought, "I didn't know there were price variants for these?", and I started Googleating. I like to think I'm quite good at Googleating now, after years of scouring online for variants, but I couldn't find anything about them. Not one reference, one comment, one loving blog column - nothing. And not one copy on the GCD either, or in any of the usual comic places (including here). Odd.
More in depth Googling ensued until I finally found one reference in a wonderful book called 'The Harvey Comics Companion' by Mark Arnold, which I duly purchased.
Here's what it had to say, on page 411: "These (Hot Stuff #110, 111 and Little Dot #143) are the only Harvey books known to have these variants":
"Blimey" I thought, "Only three examples? These are rare", so I started looking for them. Oddly, given the obvious pedigree of Mr Arnold, I soon found quite a few more than the three listed and I thought "Aye, aye, I'm on to something here...."
Fast forward a year or so and not only have I found a whopping 26 examples, but I've also, I think, established why they exist. That doesn't happen often - the what and the why. And happily, given my UK credentials, I think they exist because we - The UK - exist. I'm going to drop Mark Arnold a line shortly, to let him know what more I've found and it will either be a pleasant surprise for him or he's been keeping updates quiet for the next volume of the Harvey Companion (go buy it by the way, it's brilliant). Mark, if you're reading, Hello
Anyway, Harvey 15c price variants exist for at least 26 books dated between April and October 1972. Amazing really, to be posting this information, in depth, for what appears to be the first time, when the books themselves are 50 years old this very year. Happy Birthday, books.
Here's a nice looking example, with its 20c regular US copy alongside it:
15cVariant.thumb.jpg.eefb948b1f382dea69b5698ebfb69c60.jpg)
20cCopyB.thumb.jpg.9db6c1d1e927e8e0c884d0199ae4e9bd.jpg)
Cracking cover, isn't it. And notice how Harvey always chopped the code off?
Read on, if you're interested, for the full fifteen cent variation low down!
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Latest Entry
His masters hand
Wombat is such a great guy for gifting me this, and this book will never leave my collection. Autographed by the Master Frank Frazetta.
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Latest Entry
My Top 50
Reboot of an earlier journal....
After years of trying to collect every comic I could find, I once owned 100,000 comics (most of them almost worthless). By selling, trading, and buying; I transformed my collection to just 50 comics. I previously created a journal picturing those 50 comics. Late last year I parted with half of my books to buy a childhood grail of mine. I have slowly been adding comics to get back to 50. I tried to edit my last journal, but I was unable to change my initial 50 entries. So, I have decided to start fresh with a new journal. I will update the list when new comics arrive, as well as explain why I got the book and/or kicked out the old ones. This serves for a digital library for me to enjoy my books while they sit in safe storage. It is mostly for my entertainment, but feel free to comment if you wish!
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Superman #16: Conserve or restore?
Not unlike this book itself, I'm torn! Recently acquired this seriously chewed copy with intention of doing one or the other, but not sure which way to go, though I do know that I will submit this afterwards for grading. At a minimum, I intend to leaf-cast the cover and every interior wrap to fill out the missing paper. That, along with a dry-cleaning of the cover, would hopefully come in just under the wire with a conserved grade. But it's also tempting to go further and restore the missing art/graphics inside and out, and give it a more thorough cleaning. Luckily, whatever rodent feasted on this didn't chew significantly into the interior art past the first several wraps. And, chew aside, the inside pages are fairly nice and bright.
So....what to do? Granted, this is hardly a major book investment-wise (it qualifies as a key, sorta, in that it's the first cover appearance of Lois Lane for this title). But I'm genuinely curious how others feel about the issues at play -- financial return, historical value etc -- when deciding on restoration versus conservation. Meanwhile, I'm gonna start dry-cleaning and leaf-casting and continue to mull it over...
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Latest Entry
My OCD
Why can't I just be happy with collecting lower grade books? I'd save so much $$ if I could just be happy with books that fall into the good-fine+ category. All I'd have to do is ignore the outer edges of the books, and focus on the centers, but no, my eyes go directly to the even the smallest of faults, and they bother me. In some instances, the faults won't stop me from buying something, but bother me they do, sometimes occupying my thoughts for long periods of time after seeing them. I'm that way with all things that I collect, like vintage, Halloween ephemera, coins, records, cast iron, animal traps, tin cars and trucks, etc. I wonder if there are others that suffer from the same affliction as I do.....
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Latest Entry
Comic Trading Challenge- November 15th Update
Alright, so for those who need a recap...I started with a CGC 9.6 Spawn #1 Newsstand, a CGC 9.6 Hulk #340 and $500 cash. The goal? Use the cash and books to trade/buy and sell my way to better things. The rules? Only books acquired along the way can be included in the journey. If I acquire a book I have doubles of, I can enter the duplicate (even if it is a book I acquired long ago) as part of the challenge. Otherwise, I cannot just add books from my "to sell" pile at home to this challenge.
To date, I have acquired:
TMNT #4 first print (7.5-8.5 range)
Hulk #340 Newsstand (7.0-7.5 range)
Batman #251 CGC 6.0 (upgrade on my VG raw)
Nova #1 FN/VF range
Tomb Of Dracula #13 VG range
Marvel Spotlight #12 VF upgrade (upgrade on my FN/VF raw)
Elvira’s House of Mystery #1 in FN+ range
ASM #23 CGC 7.0
I also still had $74 in cash PLUS the following books to trade/sell:
- Wolverine #8 in 9.0-9.2 range, raw
- PPTSS #101 in 9.0-9.2 range raw
- Hulk #449 in 9.0 range raw
- around a dozen other random issues including some Wolverine books, DC Secret Origins #1 and X-Force 11
So what happened since my last update?!?! Here we go!
Sold- I sold the Hulk 449 and the Wolverine 8 for $200. My cash pile is now at $274
Bought- I bought a raw ASM #361 for $200. It was advertised as a 9.0-9.2 BUT had a stain. The seller refunded me $50. So I have ASM #361 and $124 in cash. I already own a CGC 9.4 copy of this book (albeit direct) so this was purchased with the intent of trading/selling for more value down the road.
A Loss- So the PPTSS #101 and X-Force 11 I bought never arrived. I bought this on Facebook marketplace and appear to have been scammed! Argghhhh. Thankfully only a small loss but it hurts my challenge money. A lesson learned. This means though my cash pile drops $47 to a total of $77
Bought- A low grade Thor #166 for $20. About a 3.5. Cash pile now at $57
Bought- A low grade copy of Dell's The Creature #1 for $18. Cash pile now at $39
Trade- I traded the ASM #361 raw copy for issues 1-70 of Hellblazer, a series I have always wanted to have and read. I already own issues 1 & 2 so I kept the nicer of each copy and the others are now part of the challenge. The rest of the issues are going in the PC. Oh and $50 cash on top of the deal. So after factoring in the money to ship ($22), my cash pile is now at $67
Sold- I sold the Thor #166 for $40. Cash pile is now at $107
Bought- Marvel Super Mag Special on eBay for $50 all in. This was a sneaky find. A seller had a bunch of magazines listed and was one of those listings where you scroll through a drop down to see what issues were available. Well this was and was listed in "very good condition" however the picture looked amazing. I took a chance and well it arrived and is easily a VF-VF+ copy...maybe better. Very happy to have and right now, I am holding onto it but it MIGHT make its way into a trade or sale down the road. Either way, cash pile is now at $57.
Sold- Sold Marvel Comics Presents #1 for $15. Cash pile is at $72.
Sold- Hellblazer 1 & 2 for $40. Cash pile is now at $112.
Bought- A local shop contacted me and said they had some comics. Kind of an odd place that just opened locally, selling all sorts of weird occult type stuff but also random collectibles? Anyway they had a bin of comics and I grabbed 11, including a Spawn #1 and a Ghost Rider #28 (both books I had) for $45. From these 11, I kept Marvel Age 90 (just a nice McFarlane Spidey cover I don't have), Iron Man 281 (cameo of War Machine plus was a newsstand and sharp looking copy) and Death: The High Cost of Living #1 (fits with my desire to own more Sandman related stuff). This all brings my cash pile down to $67.
Sold- I sold the 8 comics from the above purchase for $70. Cash pile now at $137.
Bought- A CGC 9.8 copy of the Madame Xanadu #1 one shot with the Brian Bolland cover for $60. I figure it is easily worth that and will attempt to trade or sell. I have a goal in mind right now and we shall see if I can get there! Cash pile down to $77.
So where does this leave me? Well to the PC I have added:
Hellblazer 1-70 raw
Marvel Super Mag Special 16 (first Boba) VF raw
Marvel Age 90 in VF/NM raw
Iron Man 281 in NM- raw
Death: High Cost Of Living 1 in NM raw
And still remaining in the trade/sell pile, I have:
-low grade copy of Dell's The Creature
-CGC 9.8 Madame Xanadu 1
- $77 cash
As I mentioned, I have a goal in mind here or something I am chasing. We shall see what the next update brings!
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Latest Entry
Cataloging the pence copies I currently own
This part of the journal will consist of all the current pence copies I have what can be uploaded here.The one’s what can’t be uploaded in this entry will go in a second entry.
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Latest Entry
Pete from Pete's Basement
I want to start off my journal by saying that no one in this world is better than @Buzzetta. Andrew is probably not just an MVP but a life coach and spiritual guide for anyone in this life.
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Latest Entry
Bronze Marvel Hanna-Barbera
Its taken so many years to put this set together and i'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! 7 short titles that ran from 1977-1979 . Its been fun and challenging chasing down such unconventional titles and I have to admit i'm sorry to see its almost complete, however there is always other titles/comics to find and collect
Comics Set Detail (collectors-society.com)
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Latest Entry
Set Completion: Midnight Nation
Midnight Nation was a 2000-2002 series, written by J. Michael Straczynski and published by Top Cow under his Joe's Comics imprint. It's actually a really good read. If you're not familiar with it, the TPB isn't too hard to pick up. As of today, I have a complete graded set; 24 slabbed books. They're all entered in this Registry set. It's the 2021 Best in Set Type winner for Midnight Nation, beating out... hmm. Zero other candidates. Speaking of which, I'll be working to get images uploaded over the next few days. I don't have a legal scanner and I'm a terrible slab-photographer, so I tend to put that off. But with the last books for the collection finally on their way back from CGC, it's past time.
A lot of people here will look and wonder why I did this. There are no great rarities here. No key issues. No valuable books. Complete 12-issue runs of the normal covers are frequently available on Ebay for dollar-bin prices, and even the rarest of the Dynamic Forces covers or foil-logo variants can be obtained for $20 and some patience. You can almost certainly assemble all 24 of these books as nicely-presenting raws for under 200 bucks. And there's not much chance of a film or Netflix adaptation here, so there's no way to pretend these are hot spec books... at least, not with a straight face.
Needless to say, I didn't build this set for the money.
Back in 2000, I was managing operations at a comics and collectibles store, and I read these off the shelf. In the years since, I've introduced several friends to this series, either with timeworn copies of the individual issues, or... slightly less timeworn copies of the trade paperback. Many years ago now, Midnight Nation was the first exposure to comics for one of those friends. She would eventually come to read a wider array of books, but she always considered this one her favorite. She also became more than a friend, and after a couple of years together, she accepted my proposal. However, real life isn't a comic book story, and not all the endings are happy ones. Before then -- a year or two before we first dated, even -- she had received a diagnosis of terminal cancer. At that time, they gave her six months. She beat those expectations many times over, but the inevitable only waits for so long, and we both knew that our engagement was going to be more symbolic than anything else. She passed away shortly after.
There are a lot of reasons to collect comics. There are perhaps not quite as many good reasons to spend the time and money to have them graded and slabbed. I have collected more conventionally-collective books. But I slab a lot of weird stuff these days because the hunt for obscure books is more fun for me than just throwing cash at the same "keys" everyone else wants. But these books aren't obscure. Except for the challenge of finding the highest-grade copies out there, there isn't much of a chase. I'm building this set because it holds memories for me, both fond and bittersweet, and the least I can do in return is to treat that like it's valuable.
Because it is.
With all that said, this set is complete, but it isn't finished. Just like most any set that is taken seriously by its owner, I'm determined to present and preserve the highest-grade copies of these books that I can. How am I doing on that goal?
- Of the 24 collectible issues here, I've got 9.8 copies for 14 of them. Not too shabby for a first pass. And it's actually one book better than that, which I'll get to in a little bit.
- Another 5 books are 9.6: #1A, #2, #4, #12, and the normal version of the Wizard 1/2. Trying to go from 9.6 to 9.8 is... well, I think we all know the challenges there. So I'm probably not going to be chasing upgrades here for awhile unless I trip over a copy that someone else slabbed. And that's not currently possible for most of these. My copy of #4 is the top of the census, and the only 9.8 copes of #2 and #12 are Signature Series slabs; I don't collect yellow label books. I'm pretty sure there are 9.8 copies of #1A out there, although the census there is a mess because CGC did not provide distinct labels for #1B until early 2021 (at least some of the 8 copies in 9.8 are probably this cover, though). There are five copies of the Wizard 1/2 in 9.8, out there somewhere, so there's that, I guess...
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And the last 5 books in the set are down at 9.4. Still high-grade copies, certainly, but with the most significant room for improvement.
- One of them, technically, I already have improved. My copy of #1B (the "Variant Cover" in the Registry) is the first such copy that CGC assigned a distinct label to. I knew that wasn't a particularly high-grade book; it was submitted as part of my discussion with CGC about breaking the two covers out to begin with. I already own another copy of #1B -- a 9.8 copy -- purchased pre-slabbed (from Portugal!), but it was graded before they gave the second cover its own category, so I'll have to have it reholdered for it to fit in the Registry slot (which is fine, it's also in an old-style holder that needs an update to match the rest!).
- The rest are what passes for some of the hardest books to find in the set: The so-called "European Exclusive" (it wasn't, I'm pretty sure) Dynamic Forces variant of #1, the Graham Cracker Comics store exclusive Pink Foil variant of #2, the Wizard 1/2 Special Edition (Gold Foil), and the Wizard 1/2 Blue Foil variant (which was a limited edition of 999 copies). I've got the top of the census for the #2 Pink Foil and the 1/2 Blue Foil. There are five copies of the Wizard 1/2 Special Edition in 9.8 slabs, and all of two copies of the defect-magnet black-cover European Exclusive in that grade. So they exist, sort of. But I'll probably have to make my own if I realistically want to push the numbers higher.
- There have also been two 9.9s received by books in this series. One is for #1, although it's impossible to know at this point whether that's an A cover or B cover book. The other is for the Top Cow Classics in Black & White reprint. These were both very early CGC slabs, graded around July 2001. And, as far as I know, never seen since. I assume they're in a personal collection somewhere. I'd certainly like to own them; I don't expect I ever will. And that's fine, really.
I should also note that there are foreign-language republications of Midnight Nation. I don't have copies in a grade I'm willing to slab. Yet...
For now, though, with this set complete at 9.4+, it's probably going to drop down my priority list for a bit. Obviously, it means a lot to me personally, but I'm not a high-enough volume submitter to make 9.8 pre-screening an option. And while I certainly didn't do all this out of a sense of financial investment, playing the 9.6/9.8 lottery when I probably can't sell undercopy slabs is not extremely appealing. Hopefully, I'll run into some of the existing books that would serve as upgrades in the meantime.
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How many copies of issue does a person really need?
Just got done with putting a custom set together in my Registry of all my “Aurora Comic Scenes” collection doubles and realized I have more copies than any normal collector should. I mean, who needs 5 copies of the Lone Ranger issue. Oh wait, that’s not the worst of it, how about 9 copies of the Batman issue. I seem to justify the Batman issue by thinking he’s a very popular character and people will always want one of these issue as time goes by. Don’t think that’s really going to happen and some day I’ll probably just sell them at a loss. Good thing they’re pretty inexpensive. Anybody else have way to many copies of a single issue that isn’t really justified other than just a inner need to own then.
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Almost done......
Ever since I returned from deployment in 2013. I started reading and collecting Invincible. I made a post a few years ago about almost being done with having ever issue. Well Completed that task right before I deployed again in 2019. Now I am at the point in this journey that I only lack 17 more comics to get graded in 9.6 or above. It's been awesome. I've read and reread the story several times. For me it's one of those that you can never get tired of. And since the release of the show I have been able to go after new covers which has also been a good time for me. My last submission to CGC for Inviniclbe should be going out next week. I know I most likely won't see them till the fall time with the terrible return times but hey with a year in confinement basically people really didn't have much else to do but start a hobby so I can't be too angry. Hope you guys/gals enjoy the pictures. Happy Collecting.
Phillip
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What do I need now?
Six years ago I asked everybody in the CGC registry world what I needed to get before it was too late. I recounted the story of how I missed out on acquiring an AF 15 and ASM 1-10 that I regret to this day. I then threw out my sleeper prediction... Strange Tales annual 2. I still believe that book is sound asleep. The suggestions I got were Daredevil 1, Avengers 55 and Avengers 57. I got all three and I am glad I did.
What do I need to get now?
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The Scarecrow
In my last journal entry, I spoke to my plans to target Batman #189 for the Rogues Gallery.
Quote[…]my next target is Batman #189. I'll write more about what I love about the Scarecrow when I have that book in my grubby paws.
Well, I did it. Ages ago, actually (in mid-May with an early June delivery)... But it turns out I am terrible at making time to update my journal and my registry sets.
I absolutely LOVE this book. I have to thank @Wall-Crawler for spotting it over at @gregreece's and letting me know. #Legend.
This is exactly what I was after - a mid-grade book that presents beautifully. I could sit here and look at this stunner all day. In fact, I have done exactly that.
In my last journal entry I promised that I would write more about what I love about the Scarecrow. As I sit here and think about the best way to word this, I realise that it's really simple - the Scarecrow is spooky AF... and I am super into that.
There have been some very quirky, camp portrayals of Scarecrow (and all characters from the pages of Detective Comics and Batman) over the years, but when he is done well - then he is simply chilling.
Here are some of the interpretations that I've loved:
And I am really digging Jorge Jiménez's take in the current run:
So... now that I have that beautiful book in my collection, what next?
SpoilerThe next book in my proverbial cross-hairs is.... Detective Comics #405 - 1st appearance of the League of Assassins.
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Latest Entry
Reunited with a long lost friend😊
It all started in 1971 when I was just a kid digging around inside a box of comics at a local garage sale. "10 cents each" was written on the box which seemed like a small fortune to a 5 year old kid. But in that moment I found a comic that stood out to me Mad #1. With my dime I proudly marched to a small folding table where an elderly lady held out her hand and asked "did you find something?" Proudly I responded "yes!" grinning from ear to ear.
From that moment on I eagerly awaited the new issues of mad to arrive at the thrifty drug store down the street. I was hooked. I had the nay sayers tell me I was too young to read such filth and even had clerks deny the sale, but I pressed on and maybe in a way enjoyed the controversy. At the time Mad was cutting edge.
Fast forward to my late teens/early 20's I joined the US Navy and was stationed in San Diego, California. In 1990 I read that Harvey Kurtzman (creator and early artist of Mad) would be attending the SDCC and immediately called my Mom to have her dig through the boxes in the attic and Send me my Mad #1 to have signed.
With my Mad in hand I went to the SDCC and located his booth where he was promoting such works as playboy's Annie Fanny, humbug and other titles.
Looking back I probably acted like an insufficiently_thoughtful_person, but I couldn't contain my excitement I said "is it really you!" He smiled and said "it's me" and signed my Mad with the caption "it's me!"
Many years passed since that day and unfortunately during that period as a young man I fell into financial struggles and sold my Mad #1 to a pawn shop for $30/probably less.
Now comes the reuniting. I seen a Listing online for a Mad #1 CGC 5.0 with a signature and the caption "It's me!" I figured what's the odds and bought it. I recently confirmed it was the issue I purchased as a child.
CGC went above and beyond when I submitted it for reholder and asked that they confirm specific discrepancies inside the book that weren't disclosed in detail in the grader's notes before they reholder.
Sure enough my Mad was crying out "it's me!"
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Art work by Jim Cheung
Just added to my collection. Limited edition from original art by Jim Cheung, depicts the classic characters Nick Fury and Captain America. Jim Cheung was named as one of 2005's "Young Guns" by Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada, and has been described as a "future superstar penciller." "Secret Warriors #17" is a limited edition numbered giclee on canvas by Jim Cheung presented by Marvel Comics. This piece comes gallery wrapped. Includes Certificate of Authenticity! Measures approx. 18" x 27" (image).
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Latest Entry
Is there a market for Archie comics right now?
We have inherited a huge collection of comics including a lot of Archie, Jughead, etc. Looking at the records, our uncle was expecting to ask for over $200 on some of the Jugheads and That Wilkins Boy; however, I don't see that much of a market for them on Ebay right now. Are these better sold at conventions or is there a network of private collectors for them?
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