Rockblazer

Thank you all and yes I did buy other comics with the cash.

Well, earlier today the comic I most regretted selling has been restored to my collection. It is an Incredible Hulk 2. The story on this begins in 2010. I saw a Hulk 2 raw listed on Ebay that looked seriously under graded as a buy it now for $400 dollars. It looked to be 6.5 to 7.0 but was listed as a vg minus 3.5. I watched it thinking it was to good to be true . I waited and watched the seconds tick down to zero but did not buy it. No one did. A week later it was relisted as an auction starting at $400. So the second time around I watched all week until the final 15 seconds and placed my bid. At the same time another bid came in. Fortunately for me the other person bid $400 even and I got it for a few bucks more. So I got it and it was sharp with white pages. Sent it to CGC and it came back 6.5 with white pages. I was selling comics on Ebay then to get money to buy other comics for my collection so I listed it right away with some others to make a quick profit. The seller did tell me he knew it was better than a vg minus but he always under graded on higher dollar comics so there would be no issues with the buyers. I listed it with an $850 reserve and it slowly went up to about $800 in the last hour. With a few seconds left a bid came in which met my reserve and it sold for the $850 price. I had no problem selling it at the time as I saw a 6.5 and 7.0 sell at that time and thought I would pick up one later down the road with no problem. However some time passed and I decided I needed to get a nice copy for myself but was shocked how much the book went up and not many mid grade copies. I could have probably waited to December this year to get a 6.5 if I could find one as I get a bonus from my employer at that time but I saw this one on line for $1400 which for a 5.0 is a decent price at this time so I got it. Not as nice as the one I sold but the price was right and I'm happy with one a grade and a half less. Regret over selling that book is the main reason I don't sell anymore. It's all buying for me now at least until I retire which is over five years away. Here it is.

Tnerb, it's good to have you back. As for helping on the new journals I am still getting use to them myself. I wish they would go back to the old format but you know they won't. I was hoping you would be back in time to do your 30 in 30 days. Hopefully you won't fade out. Since the new format most of the people I really enjoyed reading have faded away. I'm going to write a short journal tonight just to get a little more practice in. It's good to hear from you again.

Tomo glad things worked out. We have the Golden Buckeye card here in Ohio which they send you when you turn 60. My wife has one. Good mostly at Wendy's and pizza places. Doubtful for tickets.

Tomo, I hope things turn out for you. I took on the man back in May of 1999 after a bogus ticket. I was going to a mall and there was a detour on the main road so it routed me down a wide street through a housing edition. I was the last car of a group of four traveling at 35 mph . I thought the speed limit was 35 as it was not posted and it was a very large road. I had just come over the top of a hill and I saw a motorcycle cop get off his cycle walk in the street wave the three cars ahead of me to go on and point at me to pull in the side street where he was parked. I thought there must be a funeral procession coming. He said "Do you know why I pulled you over? I honestly said no. He said you were going 37 in a 25 mph zone. I said it is not posted. He said it is. To make a long story short I got a camera and started to look around the area for a sign. I found one only and it was completely covered by a tree and not visible. Moving the branches it did say 25 mph. Also that week in the paper it said the Columbus police caught over 230 speeders on that road that weekend as they said people complained from the neighborhood. So I went to court. They tried three times as I was waiting for me to just pay the fine and no points would go on my license. They offered it to everyone. Very high pressure. Some took it some did not. I didn't. The cop was there and told his story . I told mine and thought I was losing until I handed the judge the pictures of the covered sign. He said in light of the photographic evidence he was reducing it to a minor equipment violation and suspending it's $20 fine. Cass dismissed. The cop was so mad and I had to ride the 14 floors down the elevator with him glaring at me while I smirked. He then went outside and burned rubber his motorcycle so much it left smoke. I was the one that got away I guess in his mind but why did he only pull me over and also he could not even see me until I got over the hill. I never saw him shoot me with the radar gun nor did I even see a gun at all. I hope you have a positive outcome. At least you are fighting it most don't.

Tell CGC I said it's a 9.9! It really does look perfect. Colors are so bright I've got to wear shades.

No, I'm all for the free exchange of ideas. I was on a business trip to Detroit the last few days and actually got out early enough to visit two shops in the Detroit area . One quite large and one of average size and picked up a few goodies which I may write about later.

Most interesting Indeed!

Last October on the way back from a mini vacation in Kentucky I stopped in four Cincinnati area comic shops. I'd been in two of the four before. One of them Up, Up and Away Comics said they had opened a new shop in the suburb of Blue Ash . It was on the way home and just off the interstate so I pulled off and proceeded to a really nice plaza. I saw the sign and walked in the door. To my surprise it looked like I walked into an upscale store of some kind. A young lady walked up to me and asked if I need help and I said "Is this Up Up and Away Comics? I thought I went in the wrong door outside. She said it was and I said I have never saw a shop look like this one. She explained that it was a former design center that went out of business. So instead of the landlord remodeling the owner said why change something that looks so nice. The Silver age comics were in a small well lit glass room near the center of the store. Very upscale. One feature which was unusual was a huge Lego bridge which was a scale version of an old bridge over the Ohio river. I have attached a picture of it and the main hallway of the shop. Not your average shop.

Some of the most striking covers I've come across are on war comics. Great artists who make you feel the action.

I stopped collecting for over 20 years at one point but came back strong in 2005 and am still at it. So take a break and when the time is right you'll know it. Rockblazer.

Yes, I agree with your wife, you must meet Stan Lee. I met him 1/24/2006 in Springfield Ohio. He spoke to us for about an hour at the Kuss auditorium and we then walked across the street to the public library and he talked to us and signed two items each . I had him sign a Journey into Mystery 112 and my $6.00 ticket to the event so I could remember what day it was in the future. I had seen him at Wizard World in Columbus a few years later but the line was so long I did not get in it but would have if I had never met him prior. You will remember everything you talk about just about word for word when you do. He is one of the few remaining giants of comics left. I hope you get to make the trip. It's a great memory.

Surfer, great set. I was wondering if you checked out the grader notes on the 9.4's? I was wondering what they saw.

Now that's what I call a high caliber cover.

Thanks Surfer. I may write a short journal tomorrow. My wife and I took a mini vacation this week and hit four comic shops while on it. One shop was totally unlike any I have been in before. I'll write about it Sunday.