Son of My 50 Year Junk Obsession 16 16

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

3 hours ago, Robot Man said:

At the Rose Bowl stay out of the sellers inside the perimeter of the stadium. All new stuff. Also don’t cross the bridges unless you want vintage clothes. Do the big lot on the side. That is where the stuff you want is. It’s also worth it to pay more and go in as early as possible. You want to move fast and hit stuff coming out of boxes and trucks. Do it several times until every one is set up. Go late and you get what guys like me leave...

Long Beach is a giant show like Rose Bowl. Many of the same dealers as PCC and Rose Bowl. Also pretty junky as well. Very little vintage comics although I have gotton lucky a few times over the years. I sell there with my friend. We bring some comics as does the guy you saw yesterday selling with the pb guy. Other than that that, pretty hit and miss (mostly miss). Can be good for other stuff though. In the past year, I have noticed a lot more people looking for comics. Seems like if you see any there is someone looking at them. REAL hard to find GA/SA/BA. Mostly picked over 80’s/90’s stuff. I do find a lot of photos and cool paper ephemera when I do the digging. Anything large and visual sells quick if priced right.

The Torrance street fair on the 4th Sunday can be good too. Also free. They close down a few streets and people sell at the curb. Santa Monica Airport is the same day. Don’t bother. Mostly furniture, jewelry and shabby chic. 

We are lucky that we have pretty large flea markets every weekend here all year long. Stuff turns up but stuff like comics, vintage advertising and killer toys have really dried up. You really have to be open minded and dig to find the deals. 

Those are some good tips Bob, I will pick a day and do the Rose Bowl and see what I think. Torrance could be fun as Busted Flush on the boards lives down that way and it always fun to visit him.

[Sqeggs]

On 6/24/2019 at 2:47 PM, Robot Man said:

Case in point. What would these be worth if they were comic books?

Judging from the pulps posted on the boards and sold in Heritage auctions, it looks like sex and violence of a type that only occasionally appeared on comic covers was pretty routine with pulps. Makes me wonder whether they were kept on upper shelves of newsstands or handled only by certain newsstands. Otherwise you would think there would have been heavy Wertham-style criticism.

Come to think of it, did Wertham even mention pulps? I'm thinking that he didn't, although it's been a long time since I read SOTI. That he didn't discuss pulps (if, in fact, he didn't) might indicate that they were not often read by kids and maybe were not readily available to them. 

[Robot Man]

I don’t think pulps or paperbacks were mentioned. These were aimed at adults. Although, kids could probably buy them in most cases. 

And most of them were displayed on newsstands right next to comics and other magazines. In some cases, the girly ones with nude photos were probably under the counter but the others were fair game. 

[Sqeggs]

19 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

I don’t think pulps or paperbacks were mentioned. These were aimed at adults. Although, kids could probably buy them in most cases. 

And most of them were displayed on newsstands right next to comics and other magazines. In some cases, the girly ones with nude photos were probably under the counter but the others were fair game. 

Interesting given how, uh, vivid! some of these covers are. Movies seem to have had a level of censorship that apparently didn't extend to printed material handled by newsstands. Nothing like the images shown on some of these covers could have appeared in a movie made between 1933 and the late 1968s when the Production Code collapsed. 

[Robot Man]

Here is a typical old news stand photo. As you can see, lurid titles like the Spider, Terror Tales, Thrilling Mystery and Dime Detective were displayed for any one to buy. Note, Good Housekeeping right next to a probably lurid Spider pulp. I rarely see many "girly" titles on display in photos like this. Many contained nude photos inside. They might have been "under the counter" purchases only...

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

3 hours ago, Robot Man said:

Here is a typical old news stand photo. As you can see, lurid titles like the Spider, Terror Tales, Thrilling Mystery and Dime Detective were displayed for any one to buy. Note, Good Housekeeping right next to a probably lurid Spider pulp. I rarely see many "girly" titles on display in photos like this. Many contained nude photos inside. They might have been "under the counter" purchases only...

What's interesting about that photo is the pro-communist magazines New Masses and Soviet Russia Today displayed along with the mainstream magazines. While probably an urban newsstand the fact that these were displayed like this indicates that there was little social stigma associated with this reading material at the time. Fascinating era in our history and very different than the environment post WWII and certainly in the McCarthy era.

Edited July 9, 2019 by 50YrsCollctngCmcs

[buttock]

7 hours ago, Robot Man said:

Here is a typical old news stand photo. As you can see, lurid titles like the Spider, Terror Tales, Thrilling Mystery and Dime Detective were displayed for any one to buy. Note, Good Housekeeping right next to a probably lurid Spider pulp. I rarely see many "girly" titles on display in photos like this. Many contained nude photos inside. They might have been "under the counter" purchases only...

The top margin of the Thrilling Mystery is already tattered.  It's amazing that any of them made it in high grade.  

[Robot Man]

Comic and magazine racks as much as we love them were murder on books. But they were never intended to be kept and coveted. Clothes pins also make me shudder. The passage of time and abuse they often received once purchased are other factors. For these reasons, it makes us all so happy to find nice copies of these wonderful publications. 

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

2 hours ago, Robot Man said:

Comic and magazine racks as much as we love them were murder on books. But they were never intended to be kept and coveted. Clothes pins also make me shudder. The passage of time and abuse they often received once purchased are other factors. For these reasons, it makes us all so happy to find nice copies of these wonderful publications. 

I still remember the first time I saw clothes pins to hold up books at newstands in New York city. I was shocked! I was used to the spinner racks and shelves down in suburbia and the use of clothes pins that clearly impacted the book was a crime!

[Robot Man]

Torpedo show is in the books. I need to burn my shoes, have a couple beers and watch the rest of the Dodger/Red Sox game. 

Be back here tomorrow with a full report and photos!

[Robot Man]

Well, a nice Dodger win, a few beers and a good nights sleep and I'm back. Kinda have the post Torpedo blues but a little pile to console me.

Arrived at the Hollywood Palladium right on time. Had to of course go to the Rose Bowl flea market very early first then made the short trip to Hollyweird. Turned on to Sunset and saw the old Aquarius Theatre. A 1960's land mark in the area. Great to see it still there and well taken care of. Parked in the back and walked right up to the front of the line. Was fun to go to the Palladium. Cool art deco building and still very viable. Last time I was there, my band opened for X and the Blasters. Good times.

Bumped right into boardies. Some I knew and some I just met yesterday. Pardon me if I mispell your names. I met 50 years selling comics, Ghastly54 and Dreamtoreal1 in line as well as all the local flipper kids armed with their cell phones, GPA and their strong desire to make a few bucks at the show. Had a good natured discussion with a couple guys about, political issues, the intended ICE raids and some poor homeless guy sleeping along the fence in 80 degree heat.

In we went right at 10:00. I was impressed with the venue for a comic show. The room was full, well lit and room to roam the isles. I went looking for my top tier dealers and hit them first. I picked up a few cool Atlas war books from Dale Roberts and a small pile of ECs from Mr. Bedrock. Sadly, Brain Peets from A-1 and Steve Ritter from Worldwide couldn't make it. Metro also missed, but I rarely buy anything from them anyway. Many big SDCC were there most with their full SDCC loads. A few like Terry, Graham Crackers and Harley brought small skeleton loads and probably didn't do too well. They soon realized their mistake. There were a ton of guys I heard talking that wern't going to SDCC who had big money to burn and they missed out. Lots of smaller dealers due to the low table prices and guys I've never seen around here.

In the room saw more boardies and cool dealers I just never get to see. SaCentaur, Hap Hazzard, Mr. Bedrock, GA-Tor, Nerdy Girl. As well as a lot of my local old guy EC crowd guys. Probably a lot more boardies that were under the radar or I didn't know. Half of a show is buying books but the better half is being in a room with friends, making new ones and talking funny books.

Market report... High, very high sticker prices across the board. Shocking in fact. I saw a book that I recently bought on the boards for $40. There were 3 copies in the room ranging from $150-$300. No biggie, an IW Phantom Lady reprint. I saw a cool Fawcett on a wall that I was after. Guides for maybe $150 but worth double that and I was willing to pay. His price? $1,200! Was hard to look at the wall books because I knew that they would be in the stratosphere so I didn't ask on very many. What is hot? Leonard B Cole!!! A few people have driven these way up past what they should be. PCH, Baker, classic covers. Even Archies and EC horror despite being in good supply in all grades. What is cool? GA mainstream superheroes. Especially DC. They were all over the place. All ttiles (except More Funs...). They just wern't selling. I got two lower to mid grade ones VERY cheap when I strong armed a few guys by waving hundred dollar bills and walking away only to have them chase me down the isle.

Only chance for any kind of a deal was box diving. Wade through the stuff that is totaly dead and there is stuff buried. Dealers forget about that book that has become burning hot recently and most people are seduced by the pretty wall books. I also asked guys that had SA to modern if they had any GA and some were able to fish them out from under their tables. Got 3 cool midgrade Suzies for $10. from one guy. Another guy had pretty pricey stuff including LB Coles in the $150-$400 in his boxes but I pulled out a nice Target Cole cover he had marked $30. He gasped but took my $30. when I handed it to him.

It is getting harder and harder for me to buy books at a show. Yes, I'm old school and have most of it already, but the even the obscure odd stuff is being snatched up or marked up past what I want to pay for it. I think as I said in my WonderCon report, dealers just can't get collections any more and can't afford to buy and sell amoungst them selves to come up with good material. When they do, they don't know what to sell it for because the GA market is on fire and so volital. A lot of pretty books went home yesterday to appear at SDCC and will probably go home with them after that show.

Lucky for me, I love to dig and explore boxes. I find a lot of cool stuff that way. My expectations aren't that high and I am willing to "settle" grade wise if I find something I want. I can always upgrade and did so yesterday on a few books. I am also open to most all genres. Lots of cool stuff and very affordable if you do that. But damn, I brought a LOT of cash and wanted to overpay if I had to to come home with at least one killer book. Just didn't happen...

John threw a great show. Good venue, $10. a stellar array of nationwide dealers and the customers were out in force. Nice mix of comics and original art. Even free donuts! Small tight old school show with something for every one. One day, is just perfect. I ran him down and thanked him. He said he would be back next year. Can't wait.

And for those of you going to SDCC, have fun. It's an experience that just can't be missed. But for strictly comic buyers, Torpedo fits the bill to a T!

[Robot Man]

[Robot Man]

My meager pickups...

[Robot Man]

Best bargains...

3 cool Susie’s for $10. And the cheapest LB Cole book I’ve Seen in a long time!

[N e r V]

15 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

What would you say were the pros and cons comparing this to last years show?

[Robot Man]

10 minutes ago, N e r V said:

What would you say were the pros and cons comparing this to last years show?

Pros and Cons?

Pros: Much better venue. Easy to get into and out of. Not a lot of hotel guests to shuffle past. Lots of cheap parking in the lot behind the venue. More room, better lighting. I also liked that the comic art art dealers were all together. Very friendly and intimate atmosphere. Seemed more like just a lot of comic freaks getting together. Although I didn't have any, they provided coffee and donuts to everybody. A nice touch. John was working the room to make sure everybody was happy. Also a big shout out to Steve Waytt who I believe handled the art dealers and worked the quick line to get in. Both great guys to have seen a need and provided it.

Cons: Wow, hard to think of any. Maybe the pre-register line ended going in with the paying folks because they were a little late. But being able to talk to cool folks in line made it go real fast.

This show and Terry's show in January are a great shot in the arm for collectors and dealers. Keep them small, one day and fun. I look forward to these two all year long and neither have even come close to dissapointing me.

 

[Black Bat]

Thanks for the report, I stayed for 5  hours expecting to get in and out in a few- the vibe was so cool and friendly. My only complaint is the lighting was so good that next year I’m bringing polarized glasses to cut through the Mylar glare. 

[N e r V]

35 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

Pros and Cons?

Pros: Much better venue. Easy to get into and out of. Not a lot of hotel guests to shuffle past. Lots of cheap parking in the lot behind the venue. More room, better lighting. I also liked that the comic art art dealers were all together. Very friendly and intimate atmosphere. Seemed more like just a lot of comic freaks getting together. Although I didn't have any, they provided coffee and donuts to everybody. A nice touch. John was working the room to make sure everybody was happy. Also a big shout out to Steve Waytt who I believe handled the art dealers and worked the quick line to get in. Both great guys to have seen a need and provided it.

Cons: Wow, hard to think of any. Maybe the pre-register line ended going in with the paying folks because they were a little late. But being able to talk to cool folks in line made it go real fast.

This show and Terry's show in January are a great shot in the arm for collectors and dealers. Keep them small, one day and fun. I look forward to these two all year long and neither have even come close to dissapointing me.

 

Attendance over, under, about the same as last year?

[Robot Man]

31 minutes ago, N e r V said:

Attendance over, under, about the same as last year?

Over but it was a bigger room so it didn’t seem as crowded.

[sacentaur]

Some more personal pros & cons...

PROS:

—John D. and Steve W. took good care of dealers and attendees, well done gents!

—Seeing and chatting with a plethora of fine folk from all over the country.

—Easy access parking only $10.

—Didn’t have to endure the Metropolis booth (they cancelled prior to the show).

—Talking baseball with Mr. Bedrock.

—A well functioning A/C system.

—Varied, wide selection of vintage books and OA.

CONS:

—Harley left his Romance box at home by mistake,

—A-1 and Worldwide couldn’t make it.  

—High prices, I mean REALLY high prices! In their defense, the GA market is hot and dealers keep relating that they are having trouble replacing quality material, and when they do so they have to pay more, which is certainly understandable. Still, one dealer had a handful of Bakers, lower grade from what I could tell, books maybe $200 to $400 each (and that would be pushing it in some cases) and he wanted two grand apiece. Seriously, why even bother? Another dealer had four lower grade Bakers, under $150 each, and he sold them to a couple of OA guys (who were quite pleased).

—No PA system, announcements were just shouted and were mostly unintelligible. 

—As RM said, several dealers seemingly only brought skeleton stock and they did not appear to be doing much business at all. Hope they have their usual setup at SDCC.

—What a dump Hollyweird has become, I really dislike going down there. 

 

Overall, I was happy with the Con and enjoyed perusing my small pile of newly acquired books upon getting home.

Love these 1-Day shows! 

Edited July 15, 2019 by sacentaur