Doohickamabob

That is a terrific story and fine score. The More Trash #8 with the Alfred poster alone paid for everything you got, and thensome. I see you have a lot of 2nd and 3rd copies... I might have to hit you up for something after I check my wantlist... Like you, I also have managed to get two copies of the Alfred poster issue, even though for years I couldn't find an affordable copy. The one I really have trouble with is the (Trash/Worst? I mix them up) #9 issue with the Beatles cover and the flexi-disc record. I can never find a nice copy with the record still attached. Anyway I look forward to your photos. I hope this nice lady turns out to have more magazines to sell you. She got to find a good home for them.

I totally forgot to mention that. Indeed, the early specials should be snagged if you find them cheap and they still have the bonuses. The Worst of Mad #4 has a "Sunday Comics Section" bonus that is very hard to find still attached to the inside of the magazine. My copy has the bonus, but it is loose and has yellowed with age (like most newsprint, I guess). The zeppelin mobile and the full-size Alfred poster are also tricky to find. Then try finding the stamps in condition where they haven't ended up stuck together over time. Even well-preserved issues can have this problem. Took pics of Worst of Mad #4 a couple weeks ago... Eight large-format pages satirizing other comics, many of them with art by Wally Wood or other EC greats.

Mad Magazines are generally not worth a lot of dough compared to comics etc., for the simple reason that Mad was popular outside of the comics realm, and had a very high circulation level. (In 1973 and 1974 the circulation actually topped two million.) Here are Mad's circulation numbers by year -- starting in 1961 (not sure why it starts there -- maybe reliable figures are harder to determine previously?). As you can see, the lowest circulation occurred during the past 10 years, with this year being the lowest of all. (And by the way, I heartily recommend subscribing -- you can get 3 years for 35 bucks or something, and they send you extra goodies like a limited-edition poster. Totally worth it.) As a result, perhaps some of the most collectible Mads are the ones from 2000 onwards. I have sold Mad runs on eBay a couple of times, and I've found that if I sell a batch of 1980s Mads, it tends to go for a lower price than a batch of 2000s Mads. That isn't to say older ones aren't collectible. They are very cool Magazines, and the quality of the writing, cartooning and editing is part of the reason so many people held on to their magazines over the years. The mid-1950s issues tend to be the most valuable if you find some in nice condition, especially #24 through #43 or so, but any with Wally Wood, Norman Mingo, and especially Kelly Freas covers are cool. After that, there are certain issues that are just fun to have. The 1960s issues are all really good with excellent Norman Mingo covers. The marijuana cover from 1968 or so, I think it's issue #118?, tends to be much harder to find than others, so pick that up if you see it. Also, the cover with Frankenstein, and the King Kong cover, are a little tougher to find. The 1964 "Alfred of Arabia" issue is always a good one to get because it's the first one to feature the back-page fold-in. All of the 1970s and early 1980s issues are relatively easy to get, though it's fun to find them in nice condition with un-folded back pages (due to the Al Jaffee fold-in). If you can find the issue with the raised middle finger, from 1974, that one is always in demand, because it actually got the editors in trouble, and they had to issue an apology to subscribers. It's a classic cover though. The later issues are a hodge podge in terms of collectiblity or whatever. I think you should buy them if they're a good price and you're interested in having fun reading them.

I'm not sure what the deal is, but Photobucket images are not showing up in my browser. I think I can guess what you posted! One of them has to be that headless horseman pumpkin cover.

Picked this up from a private seller yesterday: Millie #22

What a bright looking copy! Congratulations!

He bought it off the newsstand, he says, and also "God Bless," meaning he has religious convictions! He and his wife too, probably! He used to collect them and put them in bags and boards (even in the 1960s, before bags and boards were prevalent), but then he forgot them because avid collectors always forget they have collections! So you can trust him! Why am I using exclamation points! I don't know! I just can't stop!!!

Nice balloons! The party decorations look good too! (ba-dum-bum)

Very cool magazine! Isn't that the reprint version though? It doesn't have a price on it.

It looks like the two men are trying to have a conversation but there's a giant woman in the way.

Cool pictures! Getting stuff up on photobucket is a huge PITA. I am posting my story. It took me about 25 seconds to do this: Less than a minute:

I agree about the waste of time, but a lot of the stuff I see copied and for sale is out of copyright and legitimate to offer for sale. Then the sellers need to list it exclusively in the "reprints" section, and eBay needs to offer a way to search all of Golden Age while excluding that one area.

If it isn't a violation, it should be. Along with selling DVDs, USBs, etc. of digital scans of comics. And selling home-made reproductions/replicas of comics, or "photocopy" comics. Total B.S. waste of time when you're trying to search for an actual collectible. eBay should wipe them all off the site and ban the users. Bottom-feeder scumbag creeps, the lot of them.

I got a comic from the "Pop Hollinger Rebuilt Pedigree" a couple months back. Will post photos. Because the grade is automatically so low, sometimes it's an easy way to snag a hard-to-get comic for a decent price -- and without seedy resto factor.

It'll do!

Love the Cheryl Ladd doll!

Thanks for digging that up and reposting it as a quote. So great. If Robot Man ever published a book full of his stories and pics of his collection, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

Wow!

Congrats. Always liked this cover. It's good but I prefer the variant:

Being mis-cut seems to be a thing for several issues of Exciting. (The one where she's riding the big eagle comes to mind.) I'm used to it. Go with the copy that has better cover color and paper quality.

He has a "best offer" option. It would be funny if everybody here offered him $99. $98 Better!

He has a "best offer" option. It would be funny if everybody here offered him $99.

He also has an "original" drawing by Leonardo da Vinci !!!! This could be your chance to own a rare work of art by the greatest artist of all time!

It reminds you of the excellence of the nurses in our health-care industry, as well as your appreciation for finely-crafted, spiced meat products?

It's totally Schomburg. Maybe not "Xela" since it's not full airbrush.