Who remembers Robert Bell? 0

[ComicConnoisseur]

Didn`t Robert Bell have a Marvel Comics Checklist?

 

[Duffman_Comics]

Yup, a 48 page pocket list with yellow covers.

 

I know I've got one from back in the day , but damned if I can find it

[Ameri]

Not Robert Bell, but this is from the Bell years, an interesting 1974 perspective on the hobby. It was a pamphlet the seller included with his comics catalog.

 

June 1974

 

June 1974

 

June 1974

 

[otherworldsj33]

When I ordered Robert Bells bags In 1970, I was 11. I wanted to bag my GL #76, my Detective #395, and some others of most cherished comics. He enclosed a catalog with them. I became borderline depressed for a couple of hours after looking at the prices of those back issue comics that I wanted to own, (almost desperately). There was no way I could afford one hundred dollars for a FF #1 in mint condition. Or somewhere thereabouts that price, I can't recall the exact amount. I could not convince my parents to spend any real money on old comics. Really nothing more then around 20 bucks for a single comic. Of which I had three of at the time. An Action 34, a Batman 14, and a Superman 10, all in vg/fn range. In 1970, my dad had taken me to a used book store in Brooklyn that had a large selection of old comics. So large in fact, that and various times Roger Stern and Paul Levitz worked there to help the owners out. Anyway, there was a mid grade Superman #1 there. The asking price was one thousand. I tried hard to get him to buy it. He was doing well at the time and could afford it. Finally, after a few minutes of me trying to talk him into it, he cut me off, ended the conversation. His stern remark was that "no way I am going to pay one thousand dollars for a used .10 cent comic."

[Jayman]

Great story, I feel your pain trying to convince your parents back then. A bit OT but I remember when the gold Krugerrand coins came out and I wanted one for Christmas for the big whopping price of $100 dollars, my parents said NO even though I offered to pay half and that be my only gift! They said something similar to your dad like that's too much money to spend on a coin!

 

Back on topic, I do remember buying some books early on in the Robert Bell bags. I would change them out always with new ones!

[Unca Ben]

I started buying from Robert Bell in the late sixties.

Yeah, I also still have some comics in Robert Bell bags. I threw out all the price lists.

 

Before comic bags appeared, I used to put my comics in Glad bags, the ones that were the next size up from sandwich bags - about the size of a dinner plate. Ten comics per bag.

My Mom would complain that her glad bags would disappear from the kitchen drawer

 

Was it Bell or Rogofsky that had the money printed - it was "Bell bucks" wasn't it? I don't remember.

 

[comicjack]

It was Bell bucks (thumbs u

[Ameri]

When I ordered Robert Bells bags In 1970, I was 11. I wanted to bag my GL #76, my Detective #395, and some others of most cherished comics. He enclosed a catalog with them. I became borderline depressed for a couple of hours after looking at the prices of those back issue comics that I wanted to own, (almost desperately). There was no way I could afford one hundred dollars for a FF #1 in mint condition. Or somewhere thereabouts that price, I can't recall the exact amount. I could not convince my parents to spend any real money on old comics. Really nothing more then around 20 bucks for a single comic. Of which I had three of at the time. An Action 34, a Batman 14, and a Superman 10, all in vg/fn range. In 1970, my dad had taken me to a used book store in Brooklyn that had a large selection of old comics. So large in fact, that and various times Roger Stern and Paul Levitz worked there to help the owners out. Anyway, there was a mid grade Superman #1 there. The asking price was one thousand. I tried hard to get him to buy it. He was doing well at the time and could afford it. Finally, after a few minutes of me trying to talk him into it, he cut me off, ended the conversation. His stern remark was that "no way I am going to pay one thousand dollars for a used .10 cent comic."

 

Do you recall the name of the bookstore in Brooklyn?

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

When I ordered Robert Bells bags In 1970, I was 11. I wanted to bag my GL #76, my Detective #395, and some others of most cherished comics. He enclosed a catalog with them. I became borderline depressed for a couple of hours after looking at the prices of those back issue comics that I wanted to own, (almost desperately). There was no way I could afford one hundred dollars for a FF #1 in mint condition. Or somewhere thereabouts that price, I can't recall the exact amount. I could not convince my parents to spend any real money on old comics. Really nothing more then around 20 bucks for a single comic. Of which I had three of at the time. An Action 34, a Batman 14, and a Superman 10, all in vg/fn range. In 1970, my dad had taken me to a used book store in Brooklyn that had a large selection of old comics. So large in fact, that and various times Roger Stern and Paul Levitz worked there to help the owners out. Anyway, there was a mid grade Superman #1 there. The asking price was one thousand. I tried hard to get him to buy it. He was doing well at the time and could afford it. Finally, after a few minutes of me trying to talk him into it, he cut me off, ended the conversation. His stern remark was that "no way I am going to pay one thousand dollars for a used .10 cent comic."

 

I have a similar story from the same era and at the same age. Someone was selling piles of Golden Age DCs at a flea market for a buck apiece and I told my Dad we should buy them. His response was, "A dollar! Are they crazy they cost ten cents!" Almost fifty years on I still give my Dad grief over that!

[otherworldsj33]

My Friends Book store. It was on Flatbush Ave. If I remember correctly, it was a husband and wife who wife who owned it. I think the wife's name was Dotty, or Dodie. She was in her fifties at the time, I think. They closed around 1978.

[Sqeggs]

Not Robert Bell, but this is from the Bell years, an interesting 1974 perspective on the hobby. It was a pamphlet the seller included with his comics catalog.

 

June 1974

 

June 1974

 

June 1974

 

Cool! I don't think I've seen that one before. Thanks for posting it.

[Ameri]

My Friends Book store. It was on Flatbush Ave. If I remember correctly, it was a husband and wife who wife who owned it. I think the wife's name was Dotty, or Dodie. She was in her fifties at the time, I think. They closed around 1978.

 

Thanks for the 1978 end date. Do you know when they opened? I can't believe Paul Levitz worked there. I mentioned this on the Passaic thread, but it was Dotty and her husband Rudy and they had some kind of co-ownership with Passaic. They brought comics from Passaic to the Brooklyn shop and all the comics were in front of the store (the good stuff was in a glass case) and the rest of the shop was millions of paperbacks. I always remember Dotty with a little scarf around her neck and the rubber gloves handling the books. They were way up Flatbush Avenue around Cortelyou Road. There was a mimeographed list pasted on the outside glass with Action 1 $450, Detective 27 $300 and Marvel 1 $500. I asked about them and they said they didn't have them but could get them from their other store. A lot of their golden age was brittle though and in those big plastic sleeves with colored plastic backing that were intended for something other than comics. I had some fond memories at that store.

Edited October 1, 2015 by Ameri

[Ameri]

I remember this old guy used to hang around the Flatbush book shop and one day I asked Dottie if she had any Submariner books from the 40's and the old guy immediately corrected me with "no, it is not Submariner, it's pronounced Submareen-er. All my friends bought these books at the newsstand and we always asked for Submareen-er and the newsstand guy pronounced it like that as well so please stop with the Submariner stuff because it's wrong."

[otherworldsj33]

You certainly nailed it. The first time I went there was in 1968, or '69. There was, as you mentioned, a large glass case close to the store entrance, on the right when you came in. It was around 2 to 4 feet long, and about 1 and a half feet wide. Dotty usually was behind it. I think they had that section of the store slightly elevated, maybe about a foot higher, for security reasons. The place had a musty old book smell. I don't recall if they had a cash register, or if she pulled change out of a medium sized purse she had in back of that glass case. I think it was the latter. The case had in it the more valuable comics, and also books, but mostly comics. In 1969, and I think until they closed, there was all the way in the back, in the corner, a staggered wood shelving unit about 3 levels high that held (in 1969) mid to low grade comics that were from around 1964 to about 1967. Mostly Marvel's and DC's. I am pretty sure that they were priced at 10 to 12 for a dollar. I am also fairly sure the store was closer to Newkirk then Cortelyou. There was a YMCA a block or two away, on, or close to, Bedford Ave. As to when it opened, the only people who might know that are Paul Levitz, or Roger Stern, or Sal Quartuccio. Sal worked there too. If you remember, he was well known in the '70's for owning Sal Q. Productions. He sold a lot of artists portfolio's at the time. Looking back, with perspective, Rudy and Dotty seemed like the quintessential hard working, business owning, Brooklyn Jewish couple of that era. I was a shy, quiet, 9, 10, 11 year old kid in those years, and even though they were first and foremost business people, they were always so, so nice to me, treated me respectfully, were encouraging, and mostly fair, to me, as I remember them.

[Ameri]

Wow, you have a sharp memory. I was vacillating between Newkirk and Cortelyou but you're right it was farther up by Newkirk. I don't remember the front being elevated though but you might be right about that because the paperback section in the back looked a little lower. The glass showcase was fairly small and messy and I can't imagine a standard cash register would even fit on it. They may have had an adding machine on it. What I do remember was there was a lot of glass storefront to display a lot of comic items for the passerbys. I remember that the better books were behind the glass showcase in little bins that were carefully marked. Mostly key silver age. Dottie used to let me go in back of her to pull out those shelves. To the right of the glass case, I remember two boxes of better silver that you could rummage through and they were called "specials." They had a back stock room as well and Dottie went back there one day and pulled out multiple copies of Avengers 1. I'm trying to remember what was to the left when you entered the shop. It was a more open space. I'm thinking pulps or posters?

[Ameri]

You were about the same age I was when I frequented the shop. If you know them then you must know Jerry's Trick Shop which might have been closer to Cortelyou. Jerry had his wife working there and his son Bruce who also collected comics. Unless you bought one of his tricks, Jerry wouldn't reveal the secret Then there was Flatbush Books run by Lou Diamond (later called Flatbush Video). Not sure if he took over My Friend's Bookstore or if it was another storefront. He seemed to to be around Newkirk too. Great great memories.

[otherworldsj33]

Your memory is good too. That was exactly what the front windows looked like. If I recall correctly, there was a glass display area on each side of the door, right? To the left as one walked in was some shelving and cabinets for, as you said, books, paperbacks, and pulps. If you remember, they had taller cabinets to the far left, against the wall. I think the store had three aisles? The cabinets in the middle aisles weren't that high. Didn't they have some stuff, posters, or clippings from old newspapers, or covers to paperbacks, pinned up on the wall, closer to the ceiling? I'm not sure, but I think they did. The place had old creaky wood floors? I am not sure about that either. And yeah, that showcase was always a mess. I think they just literally threw stuff in there.

[otherworldsj33]

I do remember the Diamonds. Father and son. Their store was a bit closer to where I lived and worked. At one time for maybe 4 years or so, it was in the late '70's, early '80's, they were selling more new comic books then anyone in Brooklyn. That place was a beehive at times. I picked up a run of Spider-mans there from #3 to #20, all of them in true nm- to nm, for $900.

[otherworldsj33]

Did you ever witness them argue? The father and son? A few times I did. The father didn't seem to care that people were there. The son seemed to be a little more inhibited by that, but not by much. Their verbal sparring filled my comedy quota for a week.

[otherworldsj33]

The Diamonds were a lot closer to Kings Highway. On the other side of Brooklyn college from My Friends.