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miraclemet

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Journal Entries posted by miraclemet

  1. miraclemet
    ...when all we had was our imaginations
    So I've recently embarked on a new collecting area, that of Golden Age Sci-Fi. When I first re-started collecting a few years ago I had a few GA Sci-Fi books, but then turned my attention elsewhere.
    But now I'm back.
    I'm going to use this journal to 1) show books I've added to my collection and 2) document books I might be targeting. My end goal is to have an example from each Sci-Fi themed title from the Golden Age, and some examples of non-Sci-Fi GA titles that happen to have a particularly Sci-fi themed cover.
    As heretical as it may sound, I'm not all that interested in EC books. I think the art on the covers is amazing, and the stories are too (I've read most of them in reprints over the years), but for some reason the book cover layout (with the big title taking up the top 1/4 of the book) just feels boring to me when I see them (compared to non-EC counterparts). Im sure I'll get around to owning some of them, but right now they aren't tickling my fancy.
    What I am interested in is pre-spacerace images of space. I love the idea that before 1966 we had not seen photos taken from "deep space" (beyond our earth orbit), and that our ideas of "outer space" were still fantastical. Artists and writers created alien landscapes, creatures, and amazing starships to fill this void of information, and I love them.
    By the time we reached the 60s space was far more realistic, and we knew the nuts and bolts of how to travel there, even if we hadn't done it yet (FF #1 from 1962 had a relatively realistic rocket takeoff to space). But before the 60s it was still a place of wonder, and that's what I've decided to focus on, pre 1960 Sci-Fi comics.
    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  2. miraclemet
    Back in 2014 I began making plans to move abroad. Expecting to have to downsize to smaller accommodations in Europe I sold off a huge chunk of my Comic book library (graphic novels, hardcovers, omnibuses and custom bound editions). Well I'm back in the US now and have started to work to rebuild my library. I thought it would be fun to track my progress here, and provide some reviews along the way. 
    As it is with books, some books I sold for a pretty penny have gone back into print and are now very affordable. Other titles that I created my own custom binds of have now had published volumes created (Gotham Central, DC 1 Million, etc), while other titles that were previously affordable have become difficult to find and have launched in price (why oh why did I sell them!??!). 
    If you want to see the original sales thread it is here:
    Or just take a look at the Bookshelves I was selling from... Im not looking to perfectly replicate the collection, but it gives me a jumping off point for my hunt (and isn't the hunting the most fun part?)
    So pull up a rich corinthian leather chair, put on your smoking jacket and join me in Miraclemet's collected editions library...

  3. miraclemet
    Snagged this book from Billy. It wasn't quite the iconic Gga I was looking for, but when someone posts. WINDY city per book for a couple of bills you type take it fast and think about it later."A. Wallace" in small print up near the title, and a bit of a miscut, but it all adds to the charm. And she does have that come hither look in her eyes....
  4. miraclemet
    Ok this lady is rough, subscription crease (ok not really a subscription crease, since this was probably not a subscription order, more likely a "fold it in half so no one sees the cover and shove it in my back pocket" crease) along with a ring "stain" (color loss, we'll see about water damage), and a rough spine... but Intimite Confessions #1 is one of those "Bombshell" bad girl covers, that you just cant hate, no matter the condition... Red dresss, blonde hair, stole, plunging neck line, this lady has it all! And she's mine.
     
  5. miraclemet
    A few years back Sharonville sold a copy of this book on the boards and I fell in love withheld perspective of the cover shot, and the fact t thatched book was pre-assembled involvement in WWII (1940). So here we go another genre, another deviation from my "focus" Sky Blazers #2!
  6. miraclemet
    lets try again and see if it makes it to the forums this time...
    I'm enjoying seeing other peoples collections, poking around in sets that I don't personally collect, and sometimes looking at those collections that outpace mine that I do collect.
    But at this point I think the registry lacks depth an sufficient layers to be more interesting than just staring at a spreadsheet.
    There have been many complaints around CGC's price increases, and while I think CGC can best determine what is a market-right price for their service, I think there are some low hanging fruit for enriching the act of collecting via the CGC registry, which would make for a more robust experience and add provide some additional "value" to the cost of slabbing (what you get for what you spend)
    1. I see that the registry allows you to "follow" other collectors. But I think this function is somewhat limited since it is nothing more than a list of links to the other peoples pages. For the collectors that you follow, would it be nice to have a note/alert/link show up when they add-to/change their collection?
    2. When you look at the leader board it shows recent points changes (up and down) the problem is there is no way to know what that corresponds to. Registry A added 200 points, but if that registry has multiple collections (and most do) its almost impossible to see what was actually added. A "Recent Changes" link that just shows the inventory that has been changed in the last __(insert number of days here__ would be an easier way to see set changes.
    What other features/functions do you think would add to the "community" feel of the registry?
  7. miraclemet
    For a solid 3-4 years I collected two things only. GA sci-fi and Okajima pedigrees. Luckily for my pocketbook neither came up often or in prices I liked, so I slowly built my collection. But then last year, with a new job I decided I was tired of being on the sidelines for so many other books, so I broke my restrictions and started buying books I thought were good buys, nice covers or just plain cool.  First up was this vampire cover on Mystic 17 that I found here on the boards. A "PCH" for my collection, and I was off and running.
  8. miraclemet
    Infantino and others...
    So I try to be pretty tight in my collecting focuses. Green Lantern (priority on signature series) and adding to or upgrading my Gothic Horror Lady in White themed collection.
    But last year I decided that I wanted to try to get signed books (SS where possible) by all of the greats who laid the foundation for all the comics I'd later enjoy when I was a kid in the 80s.
    Part of this desire stemmed from my sadness that I'd never get a Signature Series Gil Kane book (since he died before the program), as that he was the co-creator of Green Lantern, my favorite superhero.
    So my first target was to get a signature from Carmine Infantino, who did so much for DC before my time, most notably creating the silver age Flash. Infantino's ability to show motion on the static page was always amazing to me, and influenced so many artists throughout the deacades.
    So I was lucky enough to get his signature on a Flash book thanks to the facilitation of Desert Wind Comics last year. He passed away not two weeks after I got my book back from CGC. I felt so lucky and blessed to have a book by Infantino, even if I never had the chance to meet him myself.
    My family situation precludes me from being able to go to almost any convention, maybe in a decade this will change, maybe not, but for now I have to rely on the facilitation of others and just be happy with having a book that was held and signed by some of the creators I respect so much. I wish that I would have had a chance to thank him in person, but hopefully the amount of love that was shown to him by the collecting community made him know how important he was to all of us.
    I'll be adding to this journal as I plan for, and acquire more signatures by some of the great.

    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  9. miraclemet
    just kidding....
    Was having a bad day so I decided to get a nice scan of my recently acquired Night Nurse 2. With only a few books in the set (4) and only a few people on the registry (10) I'm filled with the desire to complete this set and at least be top 3, but we'll see. I have a nice-ish raw #4 for my Lady in White collection, that might get a press before slabbing. I've also toyed with the idea of getting all the female talent at a con to sign a Night Nurse book for SS submission as an homage to Marvel's 70 version of "equality" vs today's modern female creator.
    Either way. Love this book and was glad to buy it as part of a fundraising effort over on the CGC message boards for one of our members who had health problems (and all the accompanying bills)

    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  10. miraclemet
    ... my 2013 focus
    My 2012 collecting started out with the Points Challenge ($100 to score 1000 points). Which morphed into $300 for 3000+ points, and kept me entertained for the first 6 months of the year. At the end of it I spent $335 and amassed 3500 points on my registry. By years end I had sold them all off and fell from just inside the top 1000 down to the 1400s...
    Now here we are almost to 2013 (if the Myans are wrong) and Im changing gears and focusing on signature series. But this time nothing so mechanical as trading dollars for points, but rather feeding my childhood love of Green Lantern!
    In the last month I've grabbed a few green Lantern Sig Series books, nothing high grade or high dollar, but nice signatures to have none the less. So my new goal for 2013:
    Try to get at least one Sig Series book from each of Green Lanterns various artists, and if possible writers too. Some (Neal Adams I'm looking at you!) are easy to get because they live on the con circuit. Others, not so much, or impossible. I'm going to try to do both new book subs via facilitator (or other CGC friends) and book purchases (here on the boards and via ebay and other marketplaces).
    I'll start off by posting some of the books I already have, and then talk about some of my main targets. Along the way I might even post some OA that goes along with my Lantern love.
    So keep watching, I'll leave the lantern lit.
    -miraclemet

    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  11. miraclemet
    if you write about it... it will happen...
    I've heard people say that if you write about something you intend to do, you are more likely to accomplish your goal. So with my first con season approaching after my discovery of CGC and the signature series I've set some goals for my (likely) 1 day foray to Dragon*con at the end of August.
    With a 3 year old, a full time job, and a wife who travels internationally at the drop of a hat (thanks federal government!) I can usually only chisel out time for 1 day at a con, so I have to set some realistic but very targeted goals.
    Currently the Dragon*con's main talent of interest is Jim Starlin and George Perez. George was at the con last year, but with all of the Avengers and Infinity Gauntlet hype I assume that both of these talents will be in constant demand.
    Other talent at the show includes Dave Johnson (who has done great work on Deadpool) and Dustin Nguyen who created some amazing covers to one of my favorite titles Batgirl (Stephanie Brown version).
    There's also Tim Sale and others, but their work doesnt direcly overlap with my interests (though time permitting a little Sale sketch would be amazing.
    Im going to use this journal (posted over to the CGC boards) to post my planned signature goals, and then follow the submission process right to the bitter, waiting for the mail end of it all.
    Time is running out for me today, so I will post more later, and show some of my first SS planned pieces.
    -miraclemet
    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  12. miraclemet
    on the run from the Sinister House of Secret Love
    So far most of my purchases have been of the mid-grade affordable variety (lots of 8.0s and up to some more affordable 9.4s). When I saw this high grade puppy I had to bite.
    There are two main gothic horror titles Sinister House of Secret Love and Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love. Each title lasted 4 issues. Dark Mansion turned into "Forbidden tales of the Dark Mansion" while Sinister House turned into "Secrets of Sinister House" with both titles losing the "love" component of their title and focusing back on the more typical horror elements of the stories.
     
    The Sinister House of Secret Love #4 had art and cover work done by Tony DeZuniga, with his wife contributing story work inside the issue. Tony was part of the Filipino group of artists that came to prominence in the 70s at DC. One of his first works was a story he penciled and inked in House of Mystery 188. One of his greatest contributions to DC was co-creating Jonah Hex with John Albano.
    With that background lets look at the cover elements in Sinister House of Secret Love #4.
     
    - Our cover revolves around the iconic Lady in White, who is on the run from a shadowy thread.
    - We have the standard architectural component. It is a more amorphous structure, there is a tower, and some stone staircase but the building is not quite obvious.
    - Our damsel is facing many threats on the cover. There is of course the hooded, caped figure running towards her, but the statuary our damsel is running thru also has a threatening feel to it. Whether the snake and goblin (in green in the foreground) are real or stone is less certain.
    - We have our lit doorway helping to outline the threat, as well as to add some additional color to the cover.
    - This is one of the most comic-booky covers in term of the line the artist uses and the coloring used. It is not painted, nor is it as "hashy/sketchy" as some other covers (most notably Neal Adams).
    - The title itself "The Sinister House" has a mod feel to it, very 70s in design. Lacking any sort of "creepiness" a'la a House of Secrets or House of Mystery.
    - Our damsels white gown (possibly a night gown? is flowing behind her, the motion of the moment being helped by the flowing shawl/cape she has wrapped around her shoulders.
    - We have green mist circling our scene adding to the sinister atmosphere.
    - One thing I did not realize until I got my issue in hands is that the cover background is not white. I always assumed I was seeing either a yellowing with age, or an artifact of the scanning. But in fact the outside edge of the book is cream colored intentionally as far as I can tell. If someone has a pure white copy that proves otherwise I would love to hear about it.
    - The final element I wanted to touch on was this framing done around the image (the rounded corner frame) which encapsulates our scene, save for the jutting out steeple of the "mansion". The design adds to the slightly more "pop" nature of the cover, along with the 70s styled font of the title at the top.
     
    The last thing I will point out is less about the elements of the cover, and more about the impact of the design on the comics "presentability". Having the large frame running so closely along three of the four edges (left right and bottom) makes it difficult to find a perfectly centered, non slanted copy. Even the slightest angle is amazingly apparent when viewed because of this frame. Also with the placement of the "DC" at tht top left, and the "52 Big pages" circle at right top edge leaves almost zero room for error in centering. A centimeter to the left and you cut off the D, a centimeter to the right and you've cut into the 25 cent circle. Even this issue has the right edge barely cutting into the outer rim of the circle. I cant imagine there is an example out there with a complete price circle that does not cut off part of the D in DC.
    Because of the difficulty finding a well centered version of this book (after buying this copy I did stumble across another one for sale at 8.5 condition, but the centering was far more problematic) I jumped at this one. I have seen a high grade example of this book with both the full circle and the full DC, but it actually looks like the cover has to be slightly larger (otherwise how did they both fit?) or the wrap left more paper for the front cover than the back cover.
    Either way, I am loving this book, and can't wait to add more from the two core gothic horror DC titles as they become available!

  13. miraclemet
    she's still running....
    So Im two weeks into my new collecting target, and I've hit the ground running. I have 3 CGC slabs in my collection, one on the way and a raw Batman #227 that will get submitted for encapsulation very soon for my Gothic horror collection. Some of these books have very low #s on the census due to them not being super-collectible so when a book does come available I have to jump at it. There are a few low run/hard-to-find titles like Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love and Sinister House of Secret Love that can be found slabbed, but get pricey once they get to the 9.4+ grade.
    So far my purchases have been very affordable, but that will be changing soon as the low hanging fruit are being plucked, but I will try to exhibit paitenece. A collection was not built in a day. I've walked away from three books so far that got up to "full market" price. Im all about the deal...
    So far I have not hit on any of the "iconic" gothic covers (except for Batman #227). I would love to add one of them soon, espeially House of Secrets #88, which is easily the most recognized gothic horror cover out there, and is by the master Neal Adams.
    I've attached my collection to date, my Batman #227 is a "mockup" just for consistency sake of the slabs.

  14. miraclemet
    My CGC Gothic Horror journal
    I will be journaling my discovery, hunting and purchasing of my lady in white, Gothic horror covers of the 60s and 70s.
    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  15. miraclemet

    Gallery Enjoyment

    By miraclemet,

    who wants to look at the back of a comic book?
    I like having an inventory scan of my comic books, both the front and back covers. BUT when I want to enjoy scrolling through my slideshow of books, Im not really interested in looking at back covers.
    Unfortunately I cant "unselect" or "choose" which images do/don't go to my slideshow, so I have just gone through and deleted all of my back covers. I still have them all over in Photobucket if I ever need them, but for here they didn't serve a purpose.
    Anyone else enjoy their slideshows?
  16. miraclemet
    Face + Palm = Facepalm
    HELLO I NEED SOME HELP IF YOU WOULD? PLEASE.
    Help 1. Don't use all caps.
    Help 2. Use paragraph breaks where appropriate.
     
    I SENT 3 1977 #1 STAR WARS IN FOR GRADING.I TOOK PICTURES OF THEM BEFOR I SENT THEM. I RECIEVED THEM YESTERDAY SATURDAY 14TH JANUARY 2012.THE CONDITION IS NOT WHAT I SENT TO THEM, OR THEY HAVE BEEN EXCHANGED, OR THEY WERE DAMAGED IN THE MAIL ON THE WAY THERE AS I DID INSURE THEM.
     
    If your books were shipped the way they suggest then they likely weren't damaged in the mail. Do you want to post the before and after photos to make your point better? You don't mention how you shipped them. Can you describe how you shipped the books? I assume you had them individually bagged and boarded. Were they also sandwiched between two solid pieces of cardboard? Did the books go into a box or an envelope?
     
     
    I PAID FOR A 20 DAY TURNAROUND IT TOOK 34 DAYS.(THE PRICE FOR A 40 DAY TURNAROUND IS MUCH CHEAPER) WHY WAS I CHARGED FOR A 20 DAY?
     
    You paid for Economy fast track, which has an "estimated turnaround" of 20 days. Note the word "estimated". What you are really paying for is a better place in the queue of books to be graded. If you checked the web/ messages boards you'd see that CGC is currently behind their estimates, and that 34 days is pretty close to what other people are noting in their experiences.
    The 40 day books are taking 60+ days to process. If you had paid for Economy (estimated 40 day turnaround) you would still be waiting for your books.
    THIS IS MY FIRST TIME SUBMITTING COMICS. ON THE INVOICE THEY ASKED ME WHAT THE VALUE WAS AND I WROTE ON THE INVOICE NOT SURE UNTILL THEY ARE GRADED. HOW DO YOU KNOW THE VALUE UNTILL THEY ARE GRADED. THEY CHARGED MY CREDIT CARD FOR THE INSURANCE BEFORE THEY GRADED THEM. I PAYED FOR $900 THE VALUE CGC PUT ON MY COMICS.does this make sense to you? THEY DONT NO THE VALUE THEMSELVES, BUT IT'S OK BECAUSE THEY CHARGE MY CREDIT CARD, WHY SHOULD THEY CARE IT'S NOT THERE MONEY.
     
    I'm a bit confused about this. They charged you $900 for three comics to be graded via Economy Fast Track? Or do you mean they charged you whatever it cost to insure them up to $900? I'm going to assume the second one. There are many ways to determine value of a book. Overstreet Price Guide is one way, Comicspriceguide.com (which has ads right on the CGC website), or even an eBay search to see what people will pay for a book in similar condition to yours.
    CGC has a max value for books to be eligible for various levels of grading services. Books that are worth more than $300 are not eligible for Economy Fast Track, which is why they ask about the value. They didn't estimate the value, just defaulted to the max value eligible for the level of service you paid for.
    If you thought they were worth less (and therefore should have been insured for less) you should have noted that on the form. Then CGC would have used that amount for the return shipping insurance.
    BEING MY FIRST TIME AND A NEW COUSTOMER WHY WOULD THEY NOT CALL ME WHEN THEY RECIEVED MY 3 COMICS. THANK ME FOR GIVING MY BUINESS TO THEM, AND WOULD IT HURT TO SAY RON THE COMICS YOU SENT US ARE IN BAD SHAPE THEY ARE NOT WORTH THE MONEY YOU ARE SPENDING TO GET THEM GRADED, THEN I COULD SAY WAIT THERES SOMTHING WRONG AND SEND THEM THE PICTURES I TOOK OF THEM, PROBLEM SOLVED WE KNOW THE DAMAGE WAS FROM THE POSTMAN.THEY ARE INSURED.
    I believe CGC would contact a customer if a box arrived damage/wet/torn open, where it looked like USPS had damaged the box in transit. Wanting CGC to call each customer as packages are received only increases the amount of time it takes for books to be processed. So do you want books faster or higher level of customer service and slower (and likely also then at higher prices to process).
    As far as a book's "worthiness" for slabbing, that is up to us, not up to CGC. I know people get childhood books slabbed with no interest in what the books condition is, but rather just to preserve the book. Again if CGC were to do some sort of value assessment (which would then mean that they would also need to know what you paid for the book... maybe the book is only worth $50 slabbed in its condition, but you got it for free, so if you sell it, you are $5 ahead) all this would take time, again affecting your first complaint, slower than estimated turnaround.
     
     
    AND WHY DID THEY NOT CALL ME AND INFORME ME THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE DONE IN THE 20 DAYS IT WILL TAKE ANOTHER 14DAYS. THEY COULD APPOLIGIZE YOU KNOW COUSTOMER SERVICE. THEY HAVE NEVER CONTACTED ME, NOR WAS THERE A NOTE IN THE BOX THANKING ME. COMMON THEY CHARGE ME THE PRICE FOR A 20 DAY TURNAROUND BUT I GET THE 40 DAY SERVICE. HOW CAN THEY NOT SAY SOMTHING TO ME.IF THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT OVER CHARGING ME FOR THERE SERVICE, THE INSURANCE. THE VALUE OF THE 3 IS LESS THEN $100 I PAID FOR $900 THAT THEY DID.CAN YOU TRUST ANYTHING OR ANYONE THAT OPERATES LIKE THIS.
    Not to beat a dead horse, but the key word is "estimated" when they describe the turnaround time. If the Service level was called 20 day Economy Fast Track, then you'd have an argument, but it's not. Since they didn't break any promises, there's nothing for them to apologize for. McDonalds apologizes when they mess up an order because that is their job, to get the order right. If CGC had misgraded your books, slabbed them incorrectly (not sealing them?), or shipped them poorly then you should expect them to apologize, because that is what they are supposed to do.
    CGC does a good job online at the CGC message boards and there is also a pretty open community there of collectors, anyone could have helped give you a more reasonable set of expectations vs. your uninformed ones.
    If the value of the three is less than $100, so I'm going to guess they are in the 7.0 to 7.5 range. And with over 2000 graded Star Wars #1s on the market they will be a tougher sell, but people out there are looking for mid-grade/affordable fillers, and Star Wars slabs get a lot of movement on ebay, so there may be a market for you to break even (granted I have no idea what you paid for them) or at least unload them
    And they did not charge you the price for a 20 day turn around, they charged you the price for Economy Fast Track, which has an estimated turnaround time.
     
    PLEASE HELP ME I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO ABOUT THIS, CALL MEM E-MAIL ME PLEASE AND GIVE ME THE INFORMATION I NEED. 507.529.0710 RDAVIS60@CHARTER.NET MY NAME IS RON
    Wow, has anyone called you?
     
    I HAVE NOT CONTACTED THEM YET I WILL MONDAY JANUARY 16
    THIS IS WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN I CALL THEM MR. DAVIS I WAS JUST GOING TO CALL YOU, IT SEEMS YOUR COMICS WERE MIXED UP SOME HOW, PLEASE SEND THEM BACK SO WE FIX THIS. AND WERE SORRY FOR NOT CALLING YOU EARLYIER AND TELLING YOU OF OUR DELAYS WE APPOLIGIZE FOR THIS AND WE WILL AJUST YOUR COST SO YOU WILL ONLY BE CHARGED FOR THE SERVICE YOU GET. I WISH THIS WOULD HAPPEN. THEY HAVE SHOWEN THERE DISHONESTY TO ME IN THERE ACTIONS, I HOPE THIS HELPS SOMEONE SO THEY CAN PREVENT IT FROM HAPPINING TO SOMEONE ELSE. ONCE AGAIN PLEASE LEAVE ME ADVICE ON HOW TO PREVENT THIS. KIND REGARDS
    It's not impossible that there was a mix-up
  17. miraclemet
    Wings 61.  Not the mintiest of copies, but I'll always pay $40 for a favorite cover as long as the cover image presents well. I love the deep colors in this copy. The blacks and dark browns drip. I love the Lee Elias cover with the two gunners back to back with each other, and the frame of the plan around them.  The gunners with their oxygen masks so they can work in the open fuselage at higher altitudes. Just great details. 
  18. miraclemet
    some added functionality to the registry to make the community more communal...
    I'm enjoying seeing other peoples collections, poking around in sets that I don't personally collect, and sometimes looking at those collections that outpace mine that I do collect.
     
    But at this point I think the registry lacks depth an sufficient layers to be more interesting than just staring at a spreadsheet.
    There have been many complaints around CGC's price increases, and while I think CGC can best determine what is a market-right price for their service, I think there are some low hanging fruit for enriching the act of collecting via the CGC registry, which would make for a more robust experience and add provide some additional "value" to the cost of slabbing (what you get for what you spend)
    A few enhancements that I think would increase the visability (for the non-obscured sets) and "community" of the registry and make for a more enjoyable registry experience (translation people spend more time in the registry):
    :
    1. I see that the registry allows you to "follow" other collectors. But I think this function is somewhat limited since it is nothing more than a list of links to the other peoples pages. For the collectors that you follow, would it be nice to have a note/alert/link show up when they add-to/change their collection?
    2. When you look at the leader board it shows recent points changes (up and down) the problem is there is no way to know what that corresponds to. Registry A added 200 points, but if that registry has multiple collections (and most do) its almost impossible to see what was actually added. A "Recent Changes" link that just shows the inventory that has been changed in the last __(insert number of days here__. I think this adds to the community because you can see what people are ACTIVELY collecting, vs whats been in their collection for years.
    What other features/functions do you think would add to the "community" feel of the registry?
    Note: I don't begrudge anyone who Obscures their collection, and obviously any feature I suggest would be obscured if the user's collection is obscured.
  19. miraclemet
    100 bucks... 1000 points... go!
    Can I get a thousand registry points with a hundred dollar budget? Lets see! It will require patience and lots of eBay scouring for CGC deals, but for fun this will be my academic exercise of 2012. I will update as I go. No hurries from me since it will require luck and patience to try and pull of a 10x points vs dollars evaluation. Now to see if this posts to the Message Board.
    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  20. miraclemet

    Uh Oh....

    By miraclemet,

    getting bit by the horror bug, must fight urges....
    So far I have been able (largely thanks to my budget) to keep my collection to a relatively tight focus. Green Lantern (Original Hal era), Amazing Spider-Man (mostly 101-200 era), Star Wars and some Marvel Team-Ups constitute more than 75% of my newly forged collection. My raw to-be-submitted pile fall into the same categories, or my GA focus of Scifi (mostly Planet Comics).
    But for the last few days my eye has wandered. Over on the boards there are plenty of Super Hero, Golden Age, and Sci-Fi collectors, but there are also those sub-groups that have not interested me... most notably War and Horror comics... and it is these horror comics that pull me strongest.
    I am completely falling for the Lady in white; style covers from the DC 70s era. Now they are not all in white (and who knows if they are in fact ladies!) but they all have the same aesthetic appeal. They are not all in distress; though most are... Is this as far as my new found interest will spread into the horror genre? Will I find myself bidding crazy dollars on EC Tales from the Crypt this time next year? My wallet screams noooooooo! but who knows...
    Update: The dam has broken, and I've bought my first lady in white Gothic horror book. Lord have mercy on my soul...
    [disclaimer: the below images are not my books, just the images that are tempting me into buying them]

  21. miraclemet
    or... "How to Choose Your Favorite Child (for encapsulation)".
    First a thanks to clouded9 regarding the checkbox for having journals posted to the message boards. I too spend time on the message boards, and have responded in the Journal forum as well, and thought I had with each of my first two journal entries checked the "Post Journal to Message Boards" each time (in fact it appears to be defaulted to checked. I do even go so far as to log in with my board account.
    But alas my Journal entries have not made their way to the Journal sub-forum. I will make sure the box is checked this time and see if it appears...
    On to the Journaling!
    My plan is to submit 5 books of varying ages and grades and values in my first lot to CGC.
    1. Planet Comics #61. Raw grade FN to FN+ This is my highest grade raw Planet Comics at the moment, and I'd like to see how close my grade is.
    2. Planet Comics 27. Raw Grade VG. This was a cheap buy on ebay, and I want to slab it for collection registration, and if in the future I need to sell it, well encapsulation should make for an easier sale.
    3 & 4. Amazing Spider-Man 119 & 120. Grades of 8.5 & 9.0 Bought on the cheap, and I love these Spidey vs Hulk covers. Have been putting together a 101-200 run, and the HG versions of these issues are steep, so Im submitting my own.
    5. Final slot. I have been going back and forth on this. I could submit my last raw Planet comic (#57 sold to me as a VG+ but I think will grade closer to FN- range). Im also a big Green Lantern collector, and have thought about sending in one of my highest grade Lanterns (a VF+ #42), but I think I will wait on that one until some other raw lanterns come in for submission. Im leaning towards a HG Star Wars comic (also working on a run of that) KIts an early one (#14) and looks to be a 9.6 but might pass as a 9.8. So Im thinking to test my eye and see if this book really does come back as a 9.8.
    So final count: 2 Planet Comics, 2 Amazing Spider-Mans and a Star Wars. All books I already have slabbed collections started, all books that I intend to keep for a while. All bought cheep enough that a later sale should "break even" or close to cover the slabbing costs.
    As others have said. Your first submission is a learning experience. And the cost of your first slabbing is like the cost of tuition.

  22. miraclemet
    but to each his own...
    Everyone has their niche in the hobby. We cant all collect everything, so everyone picks their poison. Maybe its Silver age keys. Maybe its a high grade run of that favorite title from childhood. Maybe its a favorite character, artist, or publisher.
    I can appreciate many peoples specialties, but some I just cant seem to find a foothold for interest in. And when the market on those books is low I understand that its a small niche and the market is reacting accordingly (say Golden Age Jungle comics, not my thing, but they are for some, and relatively affordable).
    There are some collector titles, that have higher price points, but I just don't understand the love. Ever since returning to the hobby I've been befuddled by the high prices that 70s Silver Surfer comics command, and to a lesser degree Sub-Mariner. What is their pull? Is it the managable set size ( 36 issues of Silver age Silver Surfer) There are 178 sets started on CGC of Surfer and 103 Submariner sets. Both series started up in 1968, and ther e is even a special CGC set that includes them (Marvel 1968 Series Starters) along with other big hitter #1s like Iron Man and relaunches of Captain America (#100) Dr Strange (#169) and Incredible Hulk (#102).
    Are they collected beacuse of their easy price point? I cant imagine. Surger averages over $2300 in 9.4 NM condition while Submariener is a far more affordable $400 in 9.4. The surfer nets you 2000 point on your Collection score, while Mariner scores you 750.
    All I can point to is their availability (1600 on census of Surfer & 1085 for Sub-Mariner)and that they are #1s from an era of collectors who are probably empty nesters with well established incomes and some disposable cash by this point. If you bought Surfer #1 off the news stand in 1968 as an 8 year old you are 51 and probably have more disposable income than someone yonger, or someone older who has their eyes on retirement.
    Is someone can explain the Surfer & Subby love and their collectability especially their proximity to headliners like Iron Man, Thor and such I'd love to hear about it.
  23. miraclemet
    New to the HG and Golden Age collecting world I wanted to journal my slow descent into comic collecting madness.
    After a 15 year absence from comics (a child reader in the 80s) I dove back into the current slate of comics 5 years ago, but after event fatigue and moving from the weekly Wednesday grind to trade reading Ive refocused my collecting sights on Golden Age comics, High Grade slabbed comics, and anything else that I think is "cool".
    I've been on these boards for a few months, buying here, selling there, posting this, reading that... and Im nearing my first CGC submission. I have a small stack of slab-worthy books, mostly Golden Age Planet comics, and a few high grade Silvers that I love and want to preserve. Why CGC? Well partially cause I like the look of a nice slabbed book, also I like the certified grading. Part of me also knows that should I need to liquidate, a CGCed book will sell much easier than an uncertified book.
    Here on the eve of December 1 my CGC collection stands at 16 books. Only one high $$ book, a Planet Comics #36 CGC 7.5 from the Nick Cage collection that I bought on the boards at current GPA prices. All of my other slabs right now are lower $$ books, many costing less that the cost of slabbing that Ive pinched either from ebay or the board sales.
    Im trying to limit my buys to the following loose catagories:
    Golden Age Sci-Fi (Planet Comics mostly, but anything cool)
    Silver Age Sci-Fi (Adam Strange covers mostly if I can get a deal)
    Green Lantern any-all (avoiding the high $$ Adams/O'Neil run at the moment)
    Amazing Spider-Man 100-200 (again looking for deals on 9/6-9/.8 books)
    Star Wars complete run in 9.8 (only if there's a deal to be had)
    Of course sticking to my collections doesn't always work. I've ended up with a few Fantastic Fours that just had awesome covers, and a random Godzilla #8 slab (Godzilla vs Red Ronin).
    To close here's a shot of my Planet Comics #36 from the Nick Cage collection

  25. miraclemet
    Just a classic GGA cover in my book, Torchy 4. There are quite a few great Torchy covers (really there are no losers in the 6 issue run). #4 though is the swimsuit edition, with the periscope gag (how do all those subs fit in that space!?!?!). 
    The old piece of tape that is holding the tear in place on the bottom edge is actually on the back of the cover (with the adhesive making the discoloring thru the cover material). And some cheeky kid decided to draw on the first page in the margin to hide the fact that the cover's bottom corner was missing. Such a fun book to have, I dont care about the old "enhancements"  This was my first GGA/Cheesecake cover as I started to expand my collection this year.