Robot Man

I have long ago stopped being frustrated. I am mostly in the amazed frame of mind now. Prices on everything not just comics. I have almost always self funded my collection. So I just play with the “house’s money”. High prices are great when you sell but not so great when you buy. Just buying a whole lot less than I used to. And, thusly, a lot less fun.

My wife doesn’t really care or has given up. As long as I don’t clutter up the house or put out anything to weird or objectionable to her. The gloves come off in my room though. She has been a rather high end antique dealer for years so she gets the concept. She, for the most part, isn’t a collector though. Everything is merchandise to her. I hate to think of the beautiful Tiffany lamps, art pottery and paintings that have passed through her hands. She has rarely given me a hard time as long as I don’t mess up her house or use community property funds to purchase “junk”…

Yeah, to a point I would agree. But there seem to be titles and genres that are comprised of outstanding covers. Many of which make comic books look like “kiddie fodder” in many cases. But in comics, it takes a lot of folks and the market to make them considered “classic”. Pulps are the new frontier to many, including myself even after searching for them for decades. I am constantly suprised at them. Like this Thrilling Mystery which I have never seen before here. I am having a new renued interest is collecting due to the amount of amazing covers I am just discovering for the first time.

Although pretty much of my comics and paper are boxed up, my toys, advertising and other stuff is, for the most part, out and on display. I have a large collection room and have a lot of other stuff displayed tastefully around the house. I guess I feel if it is boxed up I am just storing it and not enjoying it. At one time, while during a house remodel, I had to box it all up. It was like Christmas when I opened the boxes after about a year. I have gotton to the point now where I don’t mind parting with some of it. I am at the point where if I buy something new, I have to make room for it by selling something. I find, that I don’t really miss it because I have enjoyed it for so long. And, if it is boxed up, it isn’t all that important to me anyway.

Actually, that was my thought as well. Probably breaking even. Which really isn’t a bad thing. Getting to own and enjoy something you love at cost. We are always so focused on making a profit that breaking even and enjoying something just for what it is seems to be a bad thing. This sure is a beautiful copy of an in demand issue and a pedigree to boot. I have a raw copy that is probably a 5.0. I got it just before covid in a cash/trade. Value at the time was figured at around $600. I believe. Was reasonable to me at the time. Things have obviously changed since then. Not my favorite LB Cole by a long shot. But very striking with a great image and colors. I have always liked it and was happy to get mine. Not one I felt the need to have in super high grade and especially at a price like that though. The prices of comics have just gone to places where I have a hard time going. Going from a fun hobby to very serious business has just taken a lot of the fun away for me.

Nice books and great results. These are the type of books I am focusing on grading now. Higher grade classics that still fall into the bottom tier. For now… Did they all come back in those real thick slabs?

A classic. Looks like at least one Promise buyer didn’t completely lose his shirt.

I seriously doubt it. Time has proven there to be far greater demand than supply of good vintage material especially in the GA arena.

I started on the British Invasion, slipped into the psydellic era and moved into the New Wave/Punk era. Still searching out good music that rocks today. I had a great shirt in the new Wave era. It was a Stiff records promo. It said on the front: “If it ain’t Stiff” and on the back “It ain’t worth a F…”. My wife hated it and tried to throw it away but I always managed to get it back. My younger daughter found it when she was in high school and I gave it to her. She wore it to death.

What an awsome car! I’m sure you had fun with that. Pretty sure I had more fun with my old Ford Econoline van though…

I just spoke to one of the promoters. Sounds like they are expecting a pretty decent crowd. He is urging folks to bring stuff to sell and trade. Both Pulps and Comics. Looks like I’d better get a few boxes together…

Nice! I think Alfred has taken over my life…

A great deal. Go grab it. I sold one missing the spinner bottom for $300. About a year ago.

Yes, this was the beginning of his career. In the late 1960’s he “tuned in” and moved to the Bay Area and started doing concert posters for Chet Helms and the Family Dog. Amazing stuff. This is probably his most famous one. The most iconic Grateful Dead poster of the era.

I have rarely used public transportation but it has gotton severely worse, even deadly in many large cities. Zombies would be the least of your worries if riding subways and busses.

Haven't done a "subset" in a while. A recent purchase got me to thinking. I give you "public transportation" covers. Kind of ironic that in big cities, things have only gotten progressively worse... Anybody got any others?

@Hepcat I saw one of these Weird-Ohs binders at the flea market yesterday for $300. First one I have seen in person. I passed on it at that price.

I have collected old advertising signs long before American Pickers made them fashionable. Just anything with great color or subject matter. Was up early at the flea market yesterday when an older lady pulled this out of the back of her truck. Super cool old gas station sign. Great image, nice shape and a very reasonable price. HAD to buy it. Probably had 5 or 6 people admired it when I took it to my car. It wouldn’t have lasted 5 minutes if I didn’t buy it. Some days the flea market Gods smile down upon the early worm…

Very cheap flea market pickups yesterday. Rarely, see these ice cream premium giveaways. Just paid, stuffed them in my bag and moved on. Figured they were Tarzan ice cream premiums. Was happy to find them. When I got home, I checked them out and found they were “Buddy” ice cream premiums. A new one for me. Similar but smaller size than the Tarzan ones. I rarely find old comics out there anymore. A few pulps and PBs once in a while but there are almost always some BLBs. Since these were usually bought by kids who bought comics, you would think the flea market sellers would find comics as well but not very often. As long as they are either good titles in high grade or scarcer ones like these at under $10, I have a hard time leaving them. I think old houses are getting cleaned out. It is getting harder and harder to find any old magazines except maybe Playboy or car mags which I just pass on.

Flea market pickup yesterday. Probably my favorite Amazing. This might be the last cheap copy of this I will get. Awsome color on it. And, just for fun, the British version. Number 20 from the same month and year as the US version.