First con in in 27 years. Some help

[F For Fake]

I don't usually look for keys at cons, just because it seems like these days the prices are always jacked up through the roof, and I could usually get a better deal here or on eBay (caveat emptor.)

 

Instead, I mostly focus on finding weird or rare stuff, like the random odd golden age book that you just don't run across every day. I also dive through the $1 and 50 cent boxes, because you never know what you'll find.

 

All in all, I try to mix it up and pick up one or two "good books", and a mixture of bargain stuff. To me, the key to a good con experience is making sure it's a well rounded one! Some dollar books, some good books, some art, some toys, some signatures, just do the whole thing!

[NoMan]

This will NOT be a "Comic Convention" I see no major (or minor comic dealers) on the website. A friend of mine went last year and spent about an hour in there and bought nothing. It is a "Media Con". I don't even think there was a Stan Lee signing announcement.

 

If you are in LA, save your money until January and go to Terry O'Neil's show in Yorba Linda. Nothing but vintage comic dealers. You will have no problem spending your money there.

 

I already bought a ticket. I was told by LCS that this was one to go to for back issues. Thanks for the tip on Yorba Linda con. Will put it on my radar

 

Sigh... Live and learn. I'll go and see for myself and report back if anyone is interested. Money may stay in pocket. Learning lots since getting back in hobby 3 months ago.

 

Link to Yorba Linda?

[nearmint]

This will NOT be a "Comic Convention" I see no major (or minor comic dealers) on the website. A friend of mine went last year and spent about an hour in there and bought nothing. It is a "Media Con". I don't even think there was a Stan Lee signing announcement.

 

If you are in LA, save your money until January and go to Terry O'Neil's show in Yorba Linda. Nothing but vintage comic dealers. You will have no problem spending your money there.

 

I already bought a ticket. I was told by LCS that this was one to go to for back issues. Thanks for the tip on Yorba Linda con. Will put it on my radar

 

Sigh... Live and learn. I'll go and see for myself and report back if anyone is interested. Money may stay in pocket. Learning lots since getting back in hobby 3 months ago.

 

Link to Yorba Linda?

 

linky

[doxbane]

let us know how it went...I love con reports

[cranky's]

This will NOT be a "Comic Convention" I see no major (or minor comic dealers) on the website. A friend of mine went last year and spent about an hour in there and bought nothing. It is a "Media Con". I don't even think there was a Stan Lee signing announcement.

 

If you are in LA, save your money until January and go to Terry O'Neil's show in Yorba Linda. Nothing but vintage comic dealers. You will have no problem spending your money there.

 

I already bought a ticket. I was told by LCS that this was one to go to for back issues. Thanks for the tip on Yorba Linda con. Will put it on my radar

 

Sigh... Live and learn. I'll go and see for myself and report back if anyone is interested. Money may stay in pocket. Learning lots since getting back in hobby 3 months ago.

 

Link to Yorba Linda?

 

linky

 

You can tell it'll be a good one cuz the webpage looks 1995.

[romanheart]

There might be a dealer who just obtained a collection with a run of comics of the same type but I don't see it much anymore.

 

At the big cons I usually find the odd issue that interests me. I have trouble back filling my collection that way.

[BlowUpTheMoon]

This will NOT be a "Comic Convention" I see no major (or minor comic dealers) on the website. A friend of mine went last year and spent about an hour in there and bought nothing. It is a "Media Con". I don't even think there was a Stan Lee signing announcement.

 

If you are in LA, save your money until January and go to Terry O'Neil's show in Yorba Linda. Nothing but vintage comic dealers. You will have no problem spending your money there.

 

I already bought a ticket. I was told by LCS that this was one to go to for back issues. Thanks for the tip on Yorba Linda con. Will put it on my radar

 

Sigh... Live and learn. I'll go and see for myself and report back if anyone is interested. Money may stay in pocket. Learning lots since getting back in hobby 3 months ago.

 

Link to Yorba Linda?

 

linky

 

You can tell it'll be a good one cuz the webpage looks 1995.

 

This high school student who made that in 1995 received a C- for that project.

[Robot Man]

This will NOT be a "Comic Convention" I see no major (or minor comic dealers) on the website. A friend of mine went last year and spent about an hour in there and bought nothing. It is a "Media Con". I don't even think there was a Stan Lee signing announcement.

 

If you are in LA, save your money until January and go to Terry O'Neil's show in Yorba Linda. Nothing but vintage comic dealers. You will have no problem spending your money there.

 

I already bought a ticket. I was told by LCS that this was one to go to for back issues. Thanks for the tip on Yorba Linda con. Will put it on my radar

 

Sigh... Live and learn. I'll go and see for myself and report back if anyone is interested. Money may stay in pocket. Learning lots since getting back in hobby 3 months ago.

 

Link to Yorba Linda?

 

If you haven't been to a con in 27 years you might be real disapointed. The only real comic dealer I recognized was Torpedo Comics and they don't have much in the way of GA books usually. If it is an LA show and you don't see Terry O'neil, Brad Sloan or Harley not a good thing usually. Would love a con report if you go. Go to the Yorba Linda show end of January. You won't be disapointed.

[OhBother-migration]

 

Convention is a larger one: the Stan lee one this weekend in Los angeles

 

I thought about going to this, but are any decent dealers setting up? Seems like a large pop culture show, but more the type where you get an autograph from the guy who played the Gorn in one episode of Classic Trek than a show where you'd find a major key.

 

What's wrong with the comic book guests? Looks like good line up to me, there's st least 5 artists I would get something signed by. Granted, these artists appeal to me because I actually read comics and they wouldn't be getting slabbed, so YMMV.

[kimik]

Reading these posts is interesting. I set up at cons for two reasons primarily: 1) to sell moderns and other common books I acquire in collections (allowing me to keep the keys for at least 2 years) and 2) to buy key books that I can evaluate in person (not all slabbed books are graded equally).

 

Re: the OP, you can usually get a decent deal on keys as well as commons at shows if you know where to look. Personally, I would focus on buying keys as the common issues will be there next year at the same discounted prices. Common books are slow, even when discounted. Buy the keys first and fill in the runs after if you want (or buy the trades/digital comics to read).

[MetalPSI]

Reading these posts is interesting. I set up at cons for two reasons primarily: 1) to sell moderns and other common books I acquire in collections (allowing me to keep the keys for at least 2 years) and 2) to buy key books that I can evaluate in person (not all slabbed books are graded equally).

 

A great truth right there

[NoMan]

i actually had a great time. got some slabbed key books at a fair price (I think). lucked out in the dollar box and met a couple of dealers face to face re: a pretty big buy (to me) I hope to do later this year. Narrowed it down to two dealers I got good vibes from and feel comfortable with

 

detailed scene report to follow as it seems one or two of you are interested

[porcupine48]

please.love to see!

 

[NoMan]

Crowd started letting in about 1/2 hour after it opened. About a thousand people. ?? Having social/crowd anxiety I was getting pissed about the whole thing but everyone else seemed super happy. Family had kids dressed as superheros, ghostbusters, everything. I really was the only one unhappy about the wait. Anyways, got in and it was what I expected. Even though I haven't been to a convention in 27 years I know the social phenomenon they have become. It was mostly toys and trinkets. Some comics, not many, but some. And lots of women looking like they were heading to the stripper pole. Again, no surprise there. There was a GI Joe toy exhibit and I think there is GI Joe fans here. There was a HUGE GI Joe toy aircraft carrier. I mean HUGE.

 

Anyway, um, I'm not sure how to proceed. I don't feel comfortable using dealers names cause I don't want to get into, I dunno, I just don't want to. So if that upsets you, please stop reading.

 

I went mostly to make headway into finding a high grade AF15 for purchase late this year. I wanted to meet dealers, shake hands let people know I was looking. I'm not comfortable buying from someone I don't know.

 

There were two AF15s there. One was a 3.0 (?) and a 2.5. They were PGX or CVS or whatever. They were not CGC. I'm looking for higher grade so I kept cruising.

 

There was some walls. Not many. Maybe 6 or 7. Not many GA. Not many at all. I saw maybe 10 GA books.

 

Saw a wall with a HOS92 CGC 8.0 White Pages. Dealer was a nice guy, if a little excitable. But so am I so who I'm I to talk? Dealer was having a hard time with a customer as I walked up. "You can't keep running me around to get that and get this," Dealer said as he was pulling nice looking X-Men early 100's issues out of boxes. "But I'm the customer," Customer said. "But don't ask me to get something and when I show it to you, say you don't need it because you already have it," Dealer replied. "I AM THE CUSTOMER," Customer said curtly as he stormed away. I felt bad for the dealer and thought it most suck sometimes to deal with customers.

Dealer came over to me and we talked about his HOS92 and his Batman 227 9.0 CGC. He wanted $950 for HOS (and Batman 227, I think) , almost $200.00 more then last GPA sale and much more then average sales for 2016 if I'm understanding that GPA table correctly. I said I could do $850.00 cash. He said no. This was the second wall I looked at and I said let me look around it's possible I may take it and he said cool. We talked about my looking for AF15 and he gave me his card.

 

Saw Neal Adams and he was eating a cheeseburger and fries and getting ketchup on a drawing he was doing. He didn't think anyone saw it, but I did. He had a HUGE table and almost nobody around. He seemed to have a zonked-out appearance like the people that I've know who abuse prescription medicine. I'm not attempting to be libelous if any of you are friends with him, I'm sorry. I know what prescription medication abuse looks like it and he looks it. I lurked in a corner and watched him a bit and when someone came up and asked a question about the "on going interest and continuing monetary value increase" of his Batman comic book work, he slammed his fist on the table sending drawing pencils and french fries flying and yelled, "YOU SHOULD BE COLLECTING MY ORIGINAL ART!"

 

Moving along, I met an awesome dealer with a great wall of silver/bronze stuff and potential leads to AF15. I'll call him "Bill." Bill said you have to talk to this other dealer over there before you go re: AF15. I went over there and this dude had an awesome wall of everything including one or two GA. I'll call this guy "Sam." We talked AF15. Sam seems the most promising re finding me an AF15 in my price range/grade. Although bill seems promising, too. Both Sam and Bill seem like good dudes and I got a good feeling about them. I have both their cards. Told Sam about the HOS92 I saw earlier and Sam says give me want you want to pay for it and I'll go get it. I gave him 850 cash and 5 minutes later he comes back with the book. Cool! Apparently he knew the dealer and they do a bunch of deals with each other. We make plans to talk in December. He texted someone about AF15 and immediately got a text with pic of a 6.0 but it has too much Marvel chipping and I said no. He said by December I will have what you want. He invited me to a private Jim Lee shindig but I don't care for Jim Lee's art.

 

I wanted to go back to Dealer Bill and give him some business, thanking him for the AF15 lead with Sam. Checking out bill's dollar box i found a partial run of Alan Moore's Swamp Thing for a buck each. I also bought the low print run of Miracle Man from Bill (issue 15 and 16) off his wall along with the Swamp Thing 47 (first Constintine) Back in bill's dollar box I found a couple issues of Micronaults to finish my 1-12 reading collection. Back to Bill's wall I bought a Giant Sized Xmen CGC 9.2 for $1,600 that Bill sold to me for $1,500.

 

So my haul:

 

HOS92 CGC 8.0 White pages: $850.00

Giant Sized Xmen 1 CGC 9.2 $1,500

Miracle Man 15, 16 for 17$ and 35$

13 issues of Alan Moore Swamp Thing for a buck each

5 issues of 80s Micronaults for a buck each

Swamp Thing 47 for $65.00

Two solid leads for mid to high grade AF15

 

So that's the story of my first convention in 27 years. Not sure if this is how "con-reports" go around here or if it was a too-much-information diary.

 

And on a closing note for a great day, the Dark Knight Returns #1 CGC 9.6 SS with Miller/Janson I bought from Boardie Comix4fun is waiting for me at the post office.

 

 

[HouseofComics.Com]

Thanks for the report. I also recommend the Yorba Linda show.

[NoMan]

Thanks for the report. I also recommend the Yorba Linda show.

 

I might not have any money by then.

[porcupine48]

good report.in the end,overall fun?

[NoMan]

sure it was fun. i think it was smart to go on opening friday night and not saturday or sunday.

 

can't say i'd go again. glad i went once.

 

it's smaller comic-only cons for me from here on out.

[grebal]

Glad you posted and have shared your return to comics since joining here.

[batman_fan]

I don't know, sounds to me like you had a pretty decent show !