Official Canadian Newsstand Cover Price V****** Thread 18 18

[Lazyboy]

1 hour ago, FlyingDonut said:

Within this subset, there are keys to buy.

Yes, there are (real) keys in many, if not most, subsets.

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You're making an extreme definition of "key" which I believe is far too exclusionary.

There is no extreme definition, only the definition. Key isn't a catch-all word for anything that stands out in any way. Again, price and rarity have nothing to do with making keys.

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For example, a "key" within the 30 cent variant set is Kid Colt 208. That book is by far the hardest to find and a key to any set - therefore, when you are putting that set together, it is a "key". Is it a "key" like Amazing Fantasy 15? Of course not.

But there already are (real) keys in the 30 cent group. Calling Kid Colt 208 a key because it's seemingly rarer than the rest dilutes the meaning. You can qualify it, but that doesn't make it a real key.

Are Buzzy 70 or New Adventure Comics 26 keys?

40 minutes ago, Fantastic Thor said:

I think we had the same conversation 10 years ago about "grail " as well

Ah yes, the other most ridiculously abused word. I love it when people talk about their "grails" as if the pluralization makes a real word.

2 minutes ago, FlyingDonut said:

Swamp Thing 21, Swamp Thing 37, Teen Titans 44 - those are Copper Age "keys" in any sense of the word anyways, and within the Canadian cover price set, they are the keys of still keys, of course.

Fixed. An issue can't become "more key" than itself, no matter how many versions it has.

[Lazyboy]

13 minutes ago, FlyingDonut said:

18 minutes ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

By the way...while I was at C2E2, I had the unfortunate displeasure of attempting to deal with a french canadian dealer, whose name escapes me at the moment

I know who that guy is. He's a pain in the , and I just avoid him.

Comicage?

[RockMyAmadeus]

15 minutes ago, FlyingDonut said:

Disagree. Swamp Thing 21, Swamp Thing 37, Teen Titans 44 - those are Copper Age "keys" in any sense of the word anyways, and within the Canadian cover price set, they are the keys of keys. Again, I believe you're making an extreme use of the word "key," one that I'm not using. Within the set, there are keys.

Is Teen Titans 44 a "key" in the normal sense - I would argue yes, but that's a different argument. Is Batman 423 a key within the Canadian cover price set? Absolutely.

You're muddying the discussion. The point of contention has nothing to do with key books that are key because of factors unrelated to cover price. 

A Tales of the Teen Titans #44 isn't a "key of a key" if it's a canadian price version. It's just a canadian price version of a book that is a key. The book is a key whether it's a Direct version, a newsstand version, or a canadian version (aside: I don't call them "variants", because they aren't variants. They weren't produced as "alternates" for the same market. It's also why newsstands aren't "variants", despite what Voldemort may think.)

Trying to say "this particular book is a key within the canadian price version subset" is making the point quite a bit too fine, as I alluded to before.

[RockMyAmadeus]

I had to post the above post three times, because the previous two times it was "hidden", as I mentioned Voldemort by name, and had to figure out that it was Voldemort's name that was causing my posts to be "hidden."

Silly me, mentioning a company by its name in a discussion.

We're not children, CGC message board. It would be nice not to be treated as such.

[RockMyAmadeus]

2 minutes ago, Lazyboy said:

Comicage?

No, not them. Ah well, it will come to me. They set up at a lot of US shows.

[RockMyAmadeus]

24 minutes ago, FlyingDonut said:

I know who that guy is. 

By the way...lest you think I'm being overly critical, I thought specifically of you while looking through those long boxes, echoing your words about 95 cent Marvels in my head.

 

[Fantastic Thor]

34 minutes ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

By the way...lest you think I'm being overly critical, I thought specifically of you while looking through those long boxes, echoing your words about 95 cent Marvels in my head.

 

 

 

HEY I have afew TTT 44,45, 46 Canadian key variants... I actually do

 

If ya want some LMK 

 

 

[FlyingDonut]

1 hour ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

By the way...lest you think I'm being overly critical, I thought specifically of you while looking through those long boxes, echoing your words about 95 cent Marvels in my head.

 

I love 95 cent Marvels. They're just weird, and I think they're legitimately hard  to find. Not just in grade, but in general.

[Red_Hood]

2 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

I know his name, but it's slipped my mind. Something to do with military or something? 

I almost laughed out loud at his behavior. "If you don't want these, why did you pull them out?" 

Uh...because I wanted to LOOK at them...?

That m_oron's name is George.  He fancies himself to be quite the wheeler and dealer by buying the "bottom of the barrel" inventory of real dealers around Canada and trying to resell it by overgrading and overpricing.  I'm not sure how the hell he sells anything.   The running joke with real dealers is they are happy to dump their junk books on him as it would never sell anyways.   Its funny watching him scurry around a show before it opens to the public and low balling all the dealers setting up.

[revat]

39 minutes ago, Red_Hood said:

2 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

I know his name, but it's slipped my mind. Something to do with military or something? 

I almost laughed out loud at his behavior. "If you don't want these, why did you pull them out?" 

Uh...because I wanted to LOOK at them...?

That m_oron's name is George.  He fancies himself to be quite the wheeler and dealer by buying the "bottom of the barrel" inventory of real dealers around Canada and trying to resell it by overgrading and overpricing.  I'm not sure how the hell he sells anything.   The running joke with real dealers is they are happy to dump their junk books on him as it would never sell anyways.   Its funny watching him scurry around a show before it opens to the public and low balling all the dealers setting up.

I think I've come across this guy before.  I don't think he was specifically rude to me, but I remember thinking that some of the conversations he was engaging in and the way he talked might turn off some customers.  I don't know if that's a Canadian thing, a French Canadian thing, or a George thing.  I don't mean that to be racist or 'culturalist', I just mean that in America some things simply aren't talked about in professional or public retail settings, generally like religion or politics, sex, or how much money people make.  But in some other cultures those discussions are less frowned upon.  So I don't know if its a thing, but it stood out to me.  Also, the large amount Canadian comics.  Also, that they seemed really overpriced.  I can see the occasional person shelling out for 2-3 or three that they REALLLLLYYYY need, but there can't possibly be enough of those people to sustain a business.  I think if I was selling the drek Canadians I'd just say $5 per, buy 5 get 1 free.  Still plenty of profit to be made I think.  Last day of the show, buy 4 get one free.  I'd rather not carry SO MUCH STUFF BACK to Canada, other than my sweet sweet American cash. 

 

But what do I know? I'm not in the 'biz' (I assume the big dealers call it 'the biz')

[wormboy]

Finally found a nice copy of this book 

[Fantastic Thor]

13 hours ago, wormboy said:

Finally found a nice copy of this book 

 

 

[kimik]

21 hours ago, Fantastic Thor said:

 

He does the canadian shows... all of them ....

the boys and I don't really chat with them..

 

HOWEVER A TIP .....

His wife is cute and nice to me. I always go to her first and she helps me. She is the only woman working there usually , maybe 50 years old , helps and watches books. I will get her name in Calgary next weekend for you guys

Just incase you see them next year she is friendly.

George puts off a lot of people at first with his approach, but he is an okay guy once you get past that. He buys stuff from us all the time - keys, sets, $1 box filler, variants, etc. George will always ask for a deal, but he is willing to negotiate a fair price for both sides in the end on most books. There are worse dealers to deal with.............

It amazes me at how much he, and the other Toronto/Quebec dealers that come out, can sell stuff for down East. As an example, a couple of years ago he cleaned us out of our raw Killing Joke 1st prints at $60 (VF) - $80 (NM-) apiece since he could get $120 - $150 back home (makes me wonder if I need to do a road trip for a couple of shows down East to sell books to suckers at double what I normally charge  ). 

[Lobo1969]

2 hours ago, kimik said:

George puts off a lot of people at first with his approach, but he is an okay guy once you get past that. He buys stuff from us all the time - keys, sets, $1 box filler, variants, etc. George will always ask for a deal, but he is willing to negotiate a fair price for both sides in the end on most books. There are worse dealers to deal with.............

It amazes me at how much he, and the other Toronto/Quebec dealers that come out, can sell stuff for down East. As an example, a couple of years ago he cleaned us out of our raw Killing Joke 1st prints at $60 (VF) - $80 (NM-) apiece since he could get $120 - $150 back home (makes me wonder if I need to do a road trip for a couple of shows down East to sell books to suckers at double what I normally charge  ). 

Now I want to meet this George and grind him for a deal...

[kimik]

1 hour ago, Lobo1969 said:

Now I want to meet this George and grind him for a deal...

You would have some fun.......

[RockMyAmadeus]

5 hours ago, kimik said:

George puts off a lot of people at first with his approach, but he is an okay guy once you get past that. He buys stuff from us all the time - keys, sets, $1 box filler, variants, etc. George will always ask for a deal, but he is willing to negotiate a fair price for both sides in the end on most books. There are worse dealers to deal with.............

I doubt it. His business acumen is nil. You don't blitch at a customer for pulling out books they then decide they don't want, especially while they still have other books they're considering buying.

That is childish and petulant behavior.

Combine that with his overgrading (if you get a chance, he has a DD #161 that he marked as "NM+" that might hit 9.6 with a press...might...for $75. As it stands, it's a nice 9.0-9.2) and his overpricing, and you've got a real winner on your hands.

I thought the days of dealers whining and complaining about customers pulling things to look at that they don't buy was left back in the early 90's. Like so much of that ugly period, we've returned to entitled retailers again...? Yay. And we're not talking about long boxes, here...it was 6 or 7 books.

In any event, I think his business name is "major comics" or somesuch.

[kimik]

If it is Major Comics then it is a different dealer (is that Sebastian's company?). 

George is Comicage. 

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

Oh, and the other books that I pulled out where a Groo #1 Pacific ($25), a couple of Zatanna prestige one-shots (which weren't "priced properly"), and a few other misc. books. I don't know if he would have given me a "deal"; we didn't get that far. For the DD #161 to be a deal, he would have had to sell it to me for about $15...and with a $75 "price tag", I doubt that was happening. It's not a deal if the "discount" brings you back to FMV for a properly graded copy.

Like I said, the DD #161 has potential, as does the Groo #1 for 9.8, which is why I pulled them. I thought the Groo #1 was worth it, even at his inflated price (see what they're selling for on eBay.) 

[RockMyAmadeus]

1 minute ago, kimik said:

If it is Major Comics then it is a different dealer (is that Sebastian's company?). 

George is Comicage. 

 

I don't know. He's got a french canadian accent, he's short (5'8" or so?), and black hair which is slightly greying with age. I'd say he's 45-50 or so.

I've seen him over the years, but he was overpriced a decade ago, so I didn't waste too much time there. With the market the way it is, I figured it was time for another look.

Oops.

[kimik]

George is a bit older than that (in his 50s) so it may be Sebastian or someone else then. 

They will all be at the Calgary Expo next week.