What's that 'one that got away' or that 'one you can't believe you did'? 2 2

[50 Cent #II (1st)]

Guess I just missed out on Amazing Spider-Man #300, so that's the big one. But last weekend I wanted a Zap #2 (1st print) from R. Crumb's personal collection for $90 on Saturday but didn't have the money, went back the next day and it was sold after I left the day before...

[plady69]

My ultimate regret story. When I was living in New Jersey back in the early 70's I used to go the Milltown Flea Market and met a guy that had a bunch of Golden Age books (think he was a dentist and they were his Dad's). Every week I would go back and buy more and ended up with this AWESOME run of Marvel Mystery from around #60-88. I ended up selling them in the pages of TBG (pre-CBG for you youngsters) for $10. apiece!

 

To this day I can't look at a scan of a Marvel Mystery...

[ajaxfarrell]

My ultimate regret story. When I was living in New Jersey back in the early 70's I used to go the Milltown Flea Market and met a guy that had a bunch of Golden Age books (think he was a dentist and they were his Dad's). Every week I would go back and buy more and ended up with this AWESOME run of Marvel Mystery from around #60-88. I ended up selling them in the pages of TBG (pre-CBG for you youngsters) for $10. apiece!

 

To this day I can't look at a scan of a Marvel Mystery...

OUCH....however, if you look back on it, the THRILL of selling the comics for more than you paid was COOL...I've wondered many times WHY THE FUNK DID I SELL THAT COMIC....and I tell myself...it was the THRILL OF THE SALE....

[paperheart]

harley had a flash #110 in cgc 9.2 on ebay several years ago- bid something like $3k but ended up being the underbidder. i regret not winning that one.

[worldsbestcomics]

The one I can't believe I got is Amazing Adventures 11 in CGC 9.8. I was drinking one day with my girlfriend and placed a stupid high bid on a CGC 9.8 copy of Amazing Spider-Man 200. Luckily, I was outbid (I still can't believe it). Well a few minutes later, I get an email from a guy who saw my bid and offered me a similar CGC 9.8 Copy of ASM 200 for $25 less than my bid of just minutes earlier but I passed. He asked me why and I said, I was drinking too much when I made the bid. He asked me what I collected and I shot him my grail list. His next email to me is a scan of the 9.8 AA 11. It wasn't for sale but just seeing the book and knowing who had it was cool.

 

I eventually bought the Spidey 200 and the guy was so friendly and helpful with sharing information (he introduced me to the CGC Boards) that we ended up striking a friendship. A lot of you know BronzeBruce but that was how we met.

 

A couple years later, he decides to sell the AA 11 and gave me first crack at it. You see what pure luck and some drunk eBay bidding can lead to

 

[knot's*dew]

Before I ever thought about becoming a collector (I was 15 or so) my oldest brother was collecting. In '68-69, I believe, he invited me to walk with him to one of the stores that he shopped for comics (about a 3 mile trek round trip). This was an old store in KC that dealt in paper goods... men's mags, paperbacks, comics, legal forms, etc. When I first walked into the store, all that I could do was notice that rich pulp aroma. Well, to make a really long story not quite as long, my brother bumped into a bundle of ASM 28s. He broke the bundle and picked thru to get one of the best MINT copies from the center of the stack. Of course, the worst part of the story is that since I didn't collect at that time, I didn't buy anything. And the cost of each of these books? HALF of cover price!

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Anyone have any more sob stories? This was a great thread...

 

This thread was great to re-read.

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Good read. 

[NoMan]

Superman 18, raw (no bag ,no board, no nothen') hanging by clothespin on string running across comics store at Bill's Books and Things, Manassas, Va. by drive-in. Perhaps 1978, I was 12. Don't remember anything else.

I can juice up the story by telling you all the adults in the store were gazing out the front window watching the porno film at the drive in across the street  while I wandered around the store, alone. 

Edited March 5, 2018 by NoMan

[SkOw]

To keep the Superman theme going, for it was Superman #32.  It was a VERY well presenting mid grade to 6.5 type book that would have been a stunner in a mylar.  And the price was peanuts at the time.  I just didn't know the market well enough and had just gotten back into collecting again and passed.  I bought another copy a couple years ago after years of looking for another one at cons, but it just doesn't present as well and I'm not sure another copy ever will again.  The cool thing is that it became one of my favorite GA Sup covers (and there are some good ones).

Now I just buy everything and I don't have the problem anymore. 

[KryptoMayor]

My biggest regret was not buying Amazing Spider-Man #1.

This was only about four years ago. A friend of mine did some work for his neighbor and asked the neighbor if he had any old comic books. This man was older and basically lived alone in a shack (just an old, smaller home) near some railroad tracks. The man said, "yes," and started digging through some piles of boxes that were stored in a fenced off area under tarps. Many of the comics were brittle from the way they were stored. Some of the books were stored in his house so they were in better shape. My friend flips through the books and gives me a call to come over. He told me he found an ASM 1 in this stack of books.

I grabbed my OSPG and drove out there. I go into this fortified entrance of this fenced off area. There's junk piled up everywhere. I'm introduced to the old man and he gives me several stacks of comic books to look at. He wanted to feel me out and told me I could look at the ASM 1 after I looked at all the other books. He was the original owner so I wasn't worried about restoration. I remember pulling out an old Superman issue that had the first prototype of Supergirl, but probably in GOOD condition. There was also an Avengers 7 in VG/FN. I made him an offer on a small stack of books and he accepted (negotiated as trains were passing by along the other side of the fence) . I earned his trust so he decided to show me the ASM 1. I was astonished that my friend found an OO copy that was recently uncovered. It was in decent shape aside from some heavy Marvel chipping. I graded it at 4.0-4.5. The old man did his homework before I got there and wanted $4,000 for it. I got up to $3,000 but I was having a hard time with the amount of Marvel chipping. We couldn't reach a deal although I kept trying. I asked him what he wanted to do with the money and he said buy a big screen TV. I even offered $2,000 cash and a big screen of his choosing and he said no. He ended up selling it for a full asking price to a comic book dealer. I was a little surprised because that was full retail for the book back then, but now I regret it because it's worth close to double that and I've never ran across another one since.

[comicjel]

Circa 1976 or 1977, I frequented a convention in Wheaton Maryland that was at a Howard Johnson's about every 4 months or so - there was a guy that had two Hulk 1's - one was in about fine, but the other looked off the press NM+, and he kept it in an individual glass case with foam rubber behind it and it was priced at double guide, which was $80! (guide was $40) and he wouldn't budge a nickle from the $80 (I remember offering him $65 then $70, but no go - I remember he had it at multiple shows that year.  A new Price Guide came out, and it jumped from $40 to $80, so I saved up my paper route money for a couple of months, and brought $80 to the first convention after the new guide - he had raised the price to $160 and I never considered it again after that.  Now for all I know, it could have been color touched and trimmed, but somehow I don't think it was.  I doubt I would have kept it past the car buying days, but you never know!

At that same convention about a year later, someone was selling the OA to Silver Surfer #1 for $500 - it was not even a consideration with my paper route budget, but I jokingly told a couple of my friends that we should all pool our $ and buy it - wish we had!

 

[the blob]

Cleaning up old clutter and found this printout for a 2008 sale. I guess i am no nostradamus...(to clarify, I made this sale for $8.99...)

Edited March 18, 2018 by the blob

[Phantalien]

Being a kid with no job really sucked when it came to swapmeets.   There used to be one at the mall in Columbia, MD every week or every other week in the parking garage aat least 20 years ago at this point.  One person showed up randomly having Adventure Comics 425 - 440.   I didn't know who Spectre was or Black Orchid but those covers looked amazing.   Each comic was $2 or $3 and I had enough for 1 comic but my dad was not very generous with money at the time.   I left with issue #431 as it was my favorite cover out of of all of them, but I wish I could have gotten all of them.

During those shows people were also selling that Team USA Mark McGwire (my favorite ball player when I was a kid)  rookie card for $10-$20, which eventually shot up to hundreds or thousands of dollars.   Ha ha I never let my dad forget about those.

[ADAMANTIUM]

3 minutes ago, Phantalien said:

 

During those shows people were also selling that Team USA Mark McGwire (my favorite ball player when I was a kid)  rookie card for $10-$20, which eventually shot up to hundreds or thousands of dollars.   Ha ha I never let my dad forget about those.

Mark mcgwire was my favorite growing up too  he was with the athletics, right? I did buy his rookie a couple of years ago and I believe that it did say "team usa" on the front......think we're talking about the same person. Mine was a tie between him and don Mattingly

 

[deadleg]

Not buying a 9.8 copy of Saga #1 for $150 was a regret for a while but I've gotten over it.  Missed out when @asteroid-comix sold his Cherry Poptart collection. Couple sketch pieces here and there I regret not pulling the trigger on when I had the chance. 

Edit: Just remembered this one. Not bidding on a copy of Weird Science Fantasy #29 back in December that was signed by Frazetta. If I had known the book was going to go for less than a grand, I would have definitely fought for it.... 

Edited March 18, 2018 by deadleg

[valiantman]

On 3/17/2018 at 7:33 AM, Phantalien said:

During those shows people were also selling that Team USA Mark McGwire (my favorite ball player when I was a kid)  rookie card for $10-$20, which eventually shot up to hundreds or thousands of dollars.   Ha ha I never let my dad forget about those.

They're about $1 each... https://www.ebay.com/itm/222809777926