R.I.P. Rothco Messenger Bag
After many trips back and forth to comic cons, travel, work through the snow, rain, hail, wind and worst of all the NYC Subway System, my Rothco bag is set to go to the farm where all the other old messenger bags go to play and relax after they are no longer working.
Either way, I noticed a week ago that my messenger bag which I purchased 7 or 8 years ago has seen better days and perhaps it was time to replace it. This $25 bag has held up better than any "busines
Once Upon a Time in Comic Book Occupied eBay...
(Insert Ennio Morricone music ... now)Book 1So, what seems like many moons ago, I had submitted ten ASM books to be graded by CGC. One of the books was not graded at a condition that I was pleased with so I did what any sane comic collector would do. I searched for the book in the grade I was comfortable with and contacted the owner to see if they wanted to do some business. After some email negotiation I settled on a direct paypal money req
Golden Age Time Magazines
When scouring the internet for old comics, occasionally you find something cool that falls into the paper publication category but isn't a funny book. I have acquired a few of these from the time period and I must say, they are pretty cheap and easily affordable. They are time capsules that offer a glimpse into what life was like about 70 years ago, view the world that now refer to as the Greatest Generation.
This is one of the few issues I own and one of the "c
The greatest generation and everyone did their part. My Mom's dad fought in Europe and my Dad's dad worked in Grumman and later the Space Program. I recently found something that I thought lost from my Dad's dad and figured I would present it here.
If anyone knows me, it is from the Comic forums. Recently while going through boxes for a sales thread I want to put together, I came across something that I had misplaced. Certain things in the family have been entrusted
Since everyone else apparently gets a journal, maybe I should claim some space too...
I'm just another schmo that has a lot to say about things that most nobody cares about.
It was something that I toyed with at NYC Comic Con in October of 2010. It was a goal that was realized in July of 2012.
I got tired of looking around at all the "junk" that I had amassed over the years. I decided to sell everything that I felt I no longer needed or would not miss in lieu of having a nicer copy of Amazing Fantasy 15. I had that raw copy but I wanted a nicer copy. I sold off so much that I settled the education loans and bought my comic. Then I found this place.
I always
Back in January I set some goals for myself. Due to some diligent purchasing and the ability to bite the bullet and open the wallet in other cases, I am further along than I thought I would be.
Back in January I wrote my goals for the year:
http://comics.www.collectors-society.com/JournalDetail.aspx?JournalEntryID=10438
My goals this year are to crack the top 50 in the Spidey set and pick up at least another ten books in my goal to have the first 100 books slabbed. I also want to upgrade
Let's see what ComicLink, eBay and CGC brought to me in the month of January. Warning: all Silver Spideys
What I picked up this month:
ASM 6 in a 4.5
ASM 6 in a 5.5
ASM 18 in a 5.5 (I think it presents a bit better than a 5.5 but I could be wrong... thoughts? See image at the bottom)
ASM 30 in a 7.5
ASM 35 in a 8.0
ASM 44 in a 8.0
ASM 64 in a 9.0
ASM 71 in a 8.5
ASM 72 in a 8.5
ASM 87 in a 9.0
ASM 140 in a 9.6
ASM 145 in a 9.4
ASM 303 in a 9.8
I am still waiting f
Varying grades of Silver Age books...
So, I went to the Big Apple Comic Con with the sole purpose of submitting fifteen books from my collection. The separation anxiety was nerve wracking. My selection included books that I had duplicates of in varying degrees as this was my very first submittal. I wanted to see if my grading by CGC standards would hold up. Everything I own has been purchased post CGC grading.
I submitted the following:
Amazing Spiderman: 8, 22, 31, 37, 51, 61, 69, 84,
It went from Lego to Star Wars to comics. Those that know me already are well acquainted with my love of the plastic brick.
I must have been about three years old when my grandparents surprised us and announced that they were taking us to Disney World. Shortly before the trip I became very sick and it was questionable whether or not we would even go, let alone postpone the vacation. After all, my grandparents wanted us to see Mickey Mouse but wanted us to do Disney at full capacity.
I was
Going outside my Amazing Spider-man collection and Marvel Keys, I drifted into the world of DC Golden Age.
I was sitting around going through eBay and Comiclink auctions these last few months and found myself staring at some of the DC Golden Age books. These publications were crafted in a simpler time. Sure, there was nothing that compared to what Jim Lee does with Batman and Superman. However, that does not mean that these books do not stand out on their own beauty.
In the last few month
My order for 10 books was verified as sent in on 10/18 by CGC. I just sent in a package of three books using my club coupons. How long before I send in another box of books.
So I my order for 10 Silver Spidey's were verified as being sent in on 10/18 by CGC which was right after the NYC Comic Con. The breakdown is as follows:
90 Days have passed
59 of those days would be considered word days assuming that CGC graders had off on 12/26 and 1/2 since the holidays fell on the weekends.
No
First submission is finally back in my hands... Let's see what happened. Some pleasant surprises... some no pleasant
So back in May, I submitted the following:
Amazing Spiderman: 8, 22, 31, 37, 51, 61, 69, 84, 89, 121, 122
X-Men 58, Daredevil 4, Avengers 3, Hulk 340
Let's see what what happened and then I will vent on ASM 8:
Hulk 340 - 9.6
Avengers 3 - 5.5
Daredevil 4 - 4.0
X-Men 58 - 6.5
ASM 37 - 6.0
ASM 84 - 9.4 (woohoo!!)
ASM 51 - 6.0
ASM 121 - 9.4 (woohoo!!)
ASM 12
I think it was cheaper when taking a break from a paper involved going to the bar.
When I attended college immediately after high school, there were plenty of distractions from getting work done. There were the girls, the bars, the girls and the bars. When I went back for a masters, there were plenty of distractions of getting work done. There were the girls, the bars and the work from my day job and the work from my day job. Now that I find myself wrapping up the first 12 credits of anoth
Interesting dilemma...
As we move forward into the digital age some publishers have taken to including digital download codes into their comic books in case you want your comic to go wherever your portable media device goes.
Now, this is in reality nothing new. After all, the funny books have included lots of freebies within their pages. Some books have offered 3D glasses, poster inserts, rub off tattoos and other inserts. They have even included cassette tapes of the Ramones singing the
I decided to submit a few books that I picked up at NYCC and at Big Apple... How did they fare?
Let us see how we did. I guess my eyes are going or something.
ASM 21 - Advertised 6.0 - Received 5.5Q Last Page Missing
ASM 23 - Advertised 9.0 - Received 7.5
ASM 24 - Advertised F+ - Received 5.0
ASM 43 - Advertised 8.0 - Received 8.0 Color Touch
ASM 53 - Advertised 8.0 - Received 7.5
ASM 101 - Advertised VF - Received 7.0
ASM 119 - Advertised F - Received 9.0 (Ok.. win!)
Very di
Last week's acquisitions and recent submits
So, the wait begins again. I am not complaining about the time it takes for CGC to grade, slab and return my books. I am talking about the wait of anticipation. You know what I am talking about. It is that 'Christmas is only in four more days' type of wait.
I went to show in NYC at the Penn Pavilion last weekend and had an interesting time walking around. I saw the reports on the message board and was amused that a fellow boardie was next to m
A modern favorite of mine that is best displayed in a CGC case.
There is nothing too special here. This is not a key issue. This is not a variant that had a low print run. In fact the ASM 648 Martin Variant isn't even that hard to find. However, I have been searching for a copy of this book for awhile and I wanted a CGC 9.8 copy of it. Why?
I simply fell in love with the wraparound cover. Martin crafted a piece of artwork that showcases Peter Parker / Spider-man with his rogues gallery