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n2wdw's Tales of the Comic Book Room
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1,369 posts in this topic

Amazing the comic market is still so strong. I have always said, collectors of anything (and I collect a lot of things) are like junkies. We got to have our fix. It’s the thrill of the hunt and the constant aquision of the item. Once you get it, you put it aside and look ahead to the next one. 

This situation and my age have made me appreciate what I already have. I think a lot more before I buy stuff. I have become a lot more selective and cut WAY back on impulse buys. 

That Atomic #4 is a big favorite of mine. What the heck is that machine? What is going on here?

The GI Janes are a fun run too!

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I'm like you.  I think a lot about what I buy before I buy.  A big part of it, is a space issue.  I also want to keep my collection focused.  So before I buy, I think about how the comic fits in my collection, and where I'll store it.  

There are a few titles I'm still trying to finish, but mostly nowadays I'm a covers collector.  Mostly GGA, but even within that genre, there are so many categories.  I've created my own categories to help keep my collecting focused.  So when I think about buying a comic, I say to myself, which category does this comic fit into?

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2 hours ago, n2wdw said:

I'm like you.  I think a lot about what I buy before I buy.  A big part of it, is a space issue.  I also want to keep my collection focused.  So before I buy, I think about how the comic fits in my collection, and where I'll store it.  

There are a few titles I'm still trying to finish, but mostly nowadays I'm a covers collector.  Mostly GGA, but even within that genre, there are so many categories.  I've created my own categories to help keep my collecting focused.  So when I think about buying a comic, I say to myself, which category does this comic fit into?

I started dealing with the space issue a few years ago. It used to be, I’d just add another box. But the space I stored my boxes became maxed out. I realized over the many years I’ve been collecting, there were a lot of books I just hung on to that at this point I don’t really care about now. I started with one publisher I had 3 boxes of. I pulled out stuff I could easily part with and got down to a box and a half. Sold them off and picked up a few better books. 

I long ago had to do it with my vintage toy collection. In the long run, it didn’t bother me a lot. 

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I was surprised this closed so high on eBay earlier this week, at about $620.  Lady Mechanika is one of the two modern registry sets I compete in (along with the Dave Stevens Covers set).  This is a sexy cover with the stockings flash, but it's by Steigerwald (the regular inker) rather than Benitez, and also I didn't think there was as much interest in LM as a few years ago.  Anyway, my high bid (I think it was around $300) was trounced by the winner.

s-l1600.thumb.jpg.33bec5c0eb5e017ac331dced26b55cc4.jpg

 

These sketch covers are very rare.  They were produced for issues 0, 1 and 2 of the original LM series, and only 200 copies were made of each.  I have never actually seen a copy without a sketch, so I wonder where they are.  I once asked Benitez at a con if he had any, and he said he did not (although who knows, maybe he has a stack that he forgot about). 

Anyway, I have 4 copies with Benitez sketches.  Thanks for reading.

 

1507891188_LadyMechanika0SS9.8Benitezsketch267--300torso.thumb.JPG.3f5d565e0eb96fd9c81e0af1189a4fdc.JPG365990382_LadyMechanika1SS9.9Benitezsketch267--200bust.thumb.JPG.a2bee97b297c280db276fe99a74e3882.JPG984232117_LadyMechanika2SS9_6220.jpg.336dfb6f386e5c39b80abf6850d01dc1.jpg256615874_LadyMechanika2SS9.6Benitezsketch267--100head.thumb.JPG.b8f9fb4687846e470321bc2a244d560f.JPG

 

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eBay Auction Closes Eary

So I guess I'll write about this, because it's bothering me.

On eBay this week, this comic came up for auction on eBay.  This is one of my fav Dave Stevens covers, and it's unique at 10, so I decided to go all-in for the auction.

s-l1600.thumb.jpg.879e37b4ea97bda9444f317c8c62e17c.jpg

 

I put in a ridiculous high bid of $1000.  It was ridiculous because I could buy so many other comics for the same amount.  Like, ASM 129, which I need.  Or a couple of Baker covers.  I mean, I could buy comics that would hold their value, and I could flip for the same or more money in the future, if I needed the cash.  But, I went for this comic because I have a soft spot for Dave Stevens, and this is the first CGC 10 of his books I've ever seen.  So I threw $1000 into the mix.

If you don't believe that I put in this ridiculous bid, here's my bidnapper page:

 

Capture3.thumb.JPG.639c3eba560a4a686412a8d8b8c0ef3f.JPG

 

So the auction was closing late last night (the evening of May 28).  I tend to go to sleep early (I'm an old guy), so I went to bed long before the auction closed.  I was confident I would win the book.  And if someone wanted the comic for more than $1000, then God bless them, they could have it.

Then I wake up to this.  The auction closed early with the winning bid at $355.

Capture2.thumb.JPG.10ba7c12e26f7e0d2e5f9e81092ca20b.JPG

 

I don't understand.  Maybe veteran eBay sellers can lend some insight.  What does it mean that an auction ends early?  Was there a side deal?  I thought you couldn't close an auction once bids were in.

Anyway, it's probably a good thing.  I now have $1000 to spend on real comics.  But I'm still annoyed by all this.  If someone outbid me, then so be it.  But I feel that this happened behind my back.  Frankly, I hope the seller got way less than $1000.  That would be a big FU to him.  In fact, I told the seller my high bid was $1000. He hasn't responded.

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9 hours ago, n2wdw said:

eBay Auction Closes Early

So I guess I'll write about this, because it's bothering me.

On eBay this week, this comic came up for auction on eBay.  This is one of my fav Dave Stevens covers, and it's unique at 10, so I decided to go all-in for the auction.

s-l1600.thumb.jpg.879e37b4ea97bda9444f317c8c62e17c.jpg

 

I put in a ridiculous high bid of $1000.  It was ridiculous because I could buy so many other comics for the same amount.  Like, ASM 129, which I need.  Or a couple of Baker covers.  I mean, I could buy comics that would hold their value, and I could flip for the same or more money in the future, if I needed the cash.  But, I went for this comic because I have a soft spot for Dave Stevens, and this is the first CGC 10 of his books I've ever seen.  So I threw $1000 into the mix.

If you don't believe that I put in this ridiculous bid, here's my bidnapper page:

 

Capture3.thumb.JPG.639c3eba560a4a686412a8d8b8c0ef3f.JPG

 

So the auction was closing late last night (the evening of May 28).  I tend to go to sleep early (I'm an old guy), so I went to bed long before the auction closed.  I was confident I would win the book.  And if someone wanted the comic for more than $1000, then God bless them, they could have it.

Then I wake up to this.  The auction closed early with the winning bid at $355.

Capture2.thumb.JPG.10ba7c12e26f7e0d2e5f9e81092ca20b.JPG

 

I don't understand.  Maybe veteran eBay sellers can lend some insight.  What does it mean that an auction ends early?  Was there a side deal?  I thought you couldn't close an auction once bids were in.

Anyway, it's probably a good thing.  I now have $1000 to spend on real comics.  But I'm still annoyed by all this.  If someone outbid me, then so be it.  But I feel that this happened behind my back.  Frankly, I hope the seller got way less than $1000.  That would be a big FU to him.  In fact, I told the seller my high bid was $1000. He hasn't responded.

Mike: The following is directly from eBay and confirms my understanding of ending an auction early: 

Whether you can end your auction listing early depends on if you’ve received any bids yet, how much time is left in the auction, and if you have a reserve price in place.

You can end your auction listing early if:

  • There are no bids on your item.

  • There are bids on your item, and you are willing to sell your item to the current highest bidder.

  • There are bids on your item, and you don’t want to sell it to the highest bidder, but there are 12 or more hours left in the listing. In this situation, you’ll need to cancel all active bids before you can end your listing. We charge a fee for ending a listing in this way.

You can’t end your auction listing early if:

  • There are fewer than 12 hours left in the listing, you’ve received bids, and you don’t want to sell it to the highest bidder.

  • There are fewer than 12 hours left in the listing, you’ve received bids, but the item’s reserve price hasn’t been met yet.

Based on the above, it appears that there was perhaps a side deal ...  and since I share your fondness for Dave Stevens, I am also in agreement that this 10.0 book certainly would have been a nice pick-up ... even at $1,000! 

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@Taxmick1 - Thanks for this information.  I'm certain the auction was not closed with 12 hours left, as I was checking it through the day until I went to sleep (which was about 3 hours before the auction's scheduled close).

So the only one that applies is:  There are bids on your item, and you are willing to sell your item to the current highest bidder.

Given this, I think there's only one way this went down.  I don't want to put it down in writing.  I'll just say the bid history is interesting.  There were 38 bids, and the "current highest bidder" would have been ***4, and this was ***4's only bid during the 5 days the auction ran. 

 

Capture.thumb.JPG.dd1e91a661b22cef3f436273e2510952.JPG

Edited by n2wdw
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On 10/10/2018 at 10:36 PM, jpepx78 said:

Gladys Parker was the artist that drew Mopsy and there was some discussion that Parker based Mopsy on herself.

Here's a picture of Parker from August 1950. What do you think?

 

gladys parker50.jpg

I think she looks just like mopsy. And she was hot. I’m in the process of trying to learn more about this remarkable designer and artist

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I haven't been posting lately because Covid has gotten me down.  Doesn't seem to be getting any better, and I don't see how it can without some kind of national plan. 

Comics aren't as interesting to me at the moment.  Frankly, I've been spending more time (and money) on my wine collection.  At least I can drink that.

But I have sent some things to CGC.  Their turnaround is amazingly fast nowadays, which probably is an indication of how this pandemic has impacted their business.

Anyway, sorry for the downer post.  Here are some things I've gotten back from CGC lately.  First up is this great Jack Kirby GGA cover.

 

1890178895_JackKirbyCollectorv4CGC9.4.thumb.JPG.19d82e69aa58bd17c1d5c42b62c03269.JPG

 

I was incredibly happy with the grade on Rangers 16.  I thought it was nice when I bought it, but I never thought it would come back 8.5.

1623515337_RangersComics16CGC8_5575.thumb.JPG.b92e19b55f16e06068381844cfa0b875.JPG

 

I was also pretty happy on this 5.0 on Torchy 3:

 

888108781_Torchy3CGC5_0308.thumb.JPG.5214704148efbf53683f4f8b33affb95.JPG

 

Here's the weirdest thing I've gotten on eBay lately.  A Lindsay Lohan action figure, signed by Lindsay. 

Thanks for reading.  Stay safe.

 

86157792_LindsayLohanSignedNunWithAGunMacheteMovieLTDCollectibleFigure20a.thumb.JPG.5328caf68020dbfc45495a9496ebf532.JPG

 

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On 5/30/2020 at 8:02 PM, Yorick said:

Perhaps it was the application you were using to submit your bid.  Maybe it didn't function properly?

I messaged the seller and he told me it sold. Too bad, as he would have made more money (from me) if he let the auction run its course.

Then I asked the seller if he would act as a middleman/broker to convey an offer from me to the seller, with a generous broker fee if a deal could be worked out.  I haven't gotten a response. 

I do have this 9.9 copy, which was a book I submitted myself.  I just thought it would be very cool to have a 10.0 too.

657376519_RocketeerAdventures1May2011JetPackCGC9_950.thumb.jpg.6ad86204c12fe87287bf94c314ead4f9.jpg

 

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On 6/9/2020 at 10:17 PM, GreatCaesarsGhost said:

I think she looks just like mopsy. And she was hot. I’m in the process of trying to learn more about this remarkable designer and artist

Yes, she does look like Mopsy!

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That's sure a purty Rangers #16 Mike. Sure beats my beater...:roflmao:

I know what you mean. My collection is now so organized it scares me. Just before this hit, I had my house and garage all cleaned up in anticipation of selling at 2 shows a month and clearing out a lot of stuff. We all know where that went. I probably miss the "hunt" and seeing all my junk buddies the most. The shows are all toast. And, probably should be as bad as I hate saying it.

The key to this is to stay as busy as possible. I've done a lot of heavy yard work, fixed up a lot of stuff around the crib, and finished restoring my vintage motorcycle. I even took on some freelance graphic design work. If you are working, you got something to keep your mind off it. I was going to take a bucket list trip to Egypt in April. Had it all set. Hopefully the pyramids will still be there when this is over. Wasn't what I had planned for retirement... Mostly, I miss my kids and grandkids. I see one of them here and there but the other one moved out of state and haven't seen her since Christmas.

I am getting used to it and make the best of it as well as I can.

Worst part is the total lack of a plan as you said. Starts at the top and works down to ourselves. Too many selfish crybabies demanding their "rights" and not doing the things needed to put this behind us.

Hang in there Mike, be as positive as you can and STAY BUSY. Sadly, this is the new norm for quite a while...

And, that Lindsay Lohan "thing" is just plain weird...:roflmao:

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5 hours ago, Robot Man said:

Worst part is the total lack of a plan as you said. Starts at the top and works down to ourselves. Too many selfish crybabies demanding their "rights" and not doing the things needed to put this behind us.

Yeah, these selfish crybabies demanding their "rights"!

If this was 1850, these selfish crybabies wanting their freedom.  Didn't they realize the southern economy was more important.

If this was 1942, these selfish crybabies not wanting to go the internment camps.  Didn't they realize the country's safety was more important.

Today, we have these crybaby dealers complaining about conventions being cancelled.  And we have low wage workers complaining that mass transit is running on a Sunday schedule.  And we have nail salons and hair cut places afraid to open for fear of getting fined.  And we have restaurant owners complaining about all the added regulations they have to follow, just to seat people outside.  I don't want to die to get sick.  My safety is more important than their "rights", right?

But I do wonder when the California Governor mandated a shutdown back in March, why was his restaurant and winery allowed to continue to operate?  I guess for him, those two were essential businesses.  At least essential to him.

But back in March, it's OK if I hoard toilet paper and pet food.  I'm not part of the problem.  I'm not a selfish crybaby demanding my "rights".  I'm just looking out for number one.

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And now we have people dying by the thousands all over the country all because of selfish, self centered folks like this. We need to stop looking out for “number one” and start looking out for each other. 

Sorry to derail your thread Mike. I was just agreeing with you and trying to make you feel better. I’ll shut up now...

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I don't mind people posting in this thread.  At least it means someone is reading and I'm not just writing into the ether.

I am keeping busy.  I'm lucky to have a job where I can work at home.  And my garden's never looked better.

We need a nationwide plan.  There's no point in shutting down again without a nationwide plan, as we'll just be back here.  If the doctors say, "we can beat covid if we all wear masks, stay 6 feet apart, and close things like bars," then we all have to do that (and yeah, that would include the POTUS) or there's no point in even trying.  And it is worth it to do this, as we have evidence that it works (see New York for example). 

It will be interesting to see what happens if they have to cancel the NFL and college football.  Football crosses all political boundaries, way more than any other sport.  If that happens (and I'm not rooting for it, just like I'm not rooting for the stock market to drop), then maybe everyone will start taking covid seriously.

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18 hours ago, n2wdw said:

I messaged the seller and he told me it sold. Too bad, as he would have made more money (from me) if he let the auction run its course.

Then I asked the seller if he would act as a middleman/broker to convey an offer from me to the seller, with a generous broker fee if a deal could be worked out.  I haven't gotten a response. 

I do have this 9.9 copy, which was a book I submitted myself.  I just thought it would be very cool to have a 10.0 too.

657376519_RocketeerAdventures1May2011JetPackCGC9_950.thumb.jpg.6ad86204c12fe87287bf94c314ead4f9.jpg

 

Mike: I really envy this book, but isn't it a different book than the 10.0 book you were bidding on back in late-May?  The book above is a Rocketeer Adventures #1 Jetpack Comics Edition with a 05/11 publishing date whereras the 10.0 book in question was a Rocketeer Adventures #v2 #1 Jetpack Comics Edition with a 03/12 publishing date.  The covers are identical other than the book title and the publishing date.  I've never come across your book in the wild and I've searched for it ... I even contacted Jetpack Comics (who were selling the  Rocketeer Adventures #v2 #1 (03/12) for $5.00 each during their Black Friday sale last year) and they could not explain why a Rocketeer Adventures #1 Jetpack Comics Edition with a 05/11 publishing date even exists.  All of the books that Jetpack has in stock are Rocketeer Adventures #v2 #1 Jetpack Comics Edition with a 03/12 publishing date.  I'm not certain whether your book was a printing error?  Variant?   Who knows?

We are doing a bit better re: COVID-19 in Canada.  As of yesterday, we had gone 13 days in Nova Scotia without a new case, everyone MUST wear masks as of July 31 in public places, and social distancing is now becoming "normal".  

 

 

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