40Yrs is now 50Yrs! 1 1

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

I realized a few months ago that it had been ten years since I joined these boards. They have consistently been a wonderful way to stay abreast of the old comic marketplace, discover great books I knew little about, stay excited about comics and meet some great fellow collectors! 

Anyway, I realized that I needed to update my board name to commemorate entering a new decade of collecting. While I wasn't collecting as a full-blown hobby back in 1968 I was certainly reading comics voraciously and by 1970 was beginning to become intrigued by back issue vendors at flea markets. Within two more years, I had Overstreet's Price Guide, subscribed to the Buyer's Guide and had already attended a Seuling NY Comic Con! What a great hobby; and it has been a fantastic ride to see it grow from the nerdy backwaters into a full-fledged fandom phenomenon.

It's a great year of milestones for me, 25 years of marriage, 25 years in my current job and 50 years of collecting! Hope to be here to make that counter turn to 60 in 2028! Thanks to all for the great information and virtual camaraderie!

[KirbyJack]

Well said! I’ve enjoyed my 30 years immensely!

[DavidTheDavid]

Hey man, that's awesome! You must have made some great friends and picked up some great books along the way.

 

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

12 hours ago, DavidTheDavid said:

Hey man, that's awesome! You must have made some great friends and picked up some great books along the way.

 

True but no matter how many books you get; there are always more out there you want! And there is also the regrets of the ones that got away!

[sagii]

...maybe some pics or list of your top 10 favorite non omic book but comic/ pop culture related items from your years of collecting 

[Mmehdy]

became a true collector when FF1 hit the stands..in fact a lot people became collectors of comic books during the FF 1-10 time...everybody new it was different and great.....I cannot explain but just to say to had to be there, waiting each week for the newest marvels and dc to arrive.....the early 60's stuff was just mind-blowing considering the time we were in....happy 50 and get 50 more while you are at it

[RockMyAmadeus]

I wonder whatever happened to that 40YrsCollctng guy...?

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

15 hours ago, KirbyJack said:

Well said! I’ve enjoyed my 30 years immensely!

Good gravy. 30 years next August for me. Picked up my first comics as a collector, inspired by the Batman movie.

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

1 hour ago, sagii said:

...maybe some pics or list of your top 10 favorite non omic book but comic/ pop culture related items from your years of collecting 

That's a great challenge. I will try to pull my top ten favorite books this weekend. Each one will have a little story to go with it.

[Robot Man]

Welcome to the club!  I'm well into 50 years collecting. It's been a fun ride!

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

18 minutes ago, Mmehdy said:

became a true collector when FF1 hit the stands..in fact a lot people became collectors of comic books during the FF 1-10 time...everybody new it was different and great.....I cannot explain but just to say to had to be there, waiting each week for the newest marvels and dc to arrive.....the early 60's stuff was just mind-blowing considering the time we were in....happy 50 and get 50 more while you are at it

Mitch, here is a story you will like. Going back about 25 years I attended a great 40th birthday party for a co-worker in Pasadena. It was at his Dad's house in Pasadena and his Dad was a retired pharmacist. My co-worker had gone down to Cherokee as a kid back in the seventies with his Dad to pick up some Superman books and I had given him some mylars. As I recall his Dad had some collectibles on display which were discussing and the conversation turned to comics. I remember him then saying something like, "I still remember working at the drugstore when Action 1 came out; it really caught our eye because it was really different and special." And no he didn't have one but I just thought it was so cool he remembered and your note above is so similar!

[Robot Man]

2 minutes ago, 50YrsCollctngCmcs said:

Mitch, here is a story you will like. Going back about 25 years I attended a great 40th birthday party for a co-worker in Pasadena. It was at his Dad's house in Pasadena and his Dad was a retired pharmacist. My co-worker had gone down to Cherokee as a kid back in the seventies with his Dad to pick up some Superman books and I had given him some mylars. As I recall his Dad had some collectibles on display which were discussing and the conversation turned to comics. I remember him then saying something like, "I still remember working at the drugstore when Action 1 came out; it really caught our eye because it was really different and special." And no he didn't have one but I just thought it was so cool he remembered and your note above is so similar!

I grew up in Pasadena. I remember haunting the old used book stores like the Book Nook and others looking for comics. There I met the legendary Superman collector, Gary Coddington who invited me over to his house and let me read his Action #1. I have many fond memories of Cherokee Books too. There is where I paid $2. for a MAD #9. I had never paid more than cover price for a comic. I call that the turning point from reader to collector. Glad I'm a geezer and grew up when I did. 

[telerites]

2022 will mark my 50 years of collecting so four more years.  It is amazing how much has happened during that but the collecting has been a constant, like a life-long friend.  

[Sqeggs]

16 hours ago, KirbyJack said:

Well said! I’ve enjoyed my 30 years immensely!

Of collecting or of life? 

[Sqeggs]

1 hour ago, Mmehdy said:

became a true collector when FF1 hit the stands..in fact a lot people became collectors of comic books during the FF 1-10 time...everybody new it was different and great.....I cannot explain but just to say to had to be there, waiting each week for the newest marvels and dc to arrive.....the early 60's stuff was just mind-blowing considering the time we were in....happy 50 and get 50 more while you are at it

True for me and for most of my friends.  That's why I argue that the Silver Age really began with the publication of FF 1.  That was the key event in the development of modern fandom, not the publication of Showcase 4 -- not that I'm old enough to remember when that happened! 

[KirbyJack]

14 minutes ago, Sqeggs said:

Of collecting or of life? 

Serious collecting. I bought my first comic as a kid in 1974.

In 1987 I started buying reading copies for a buck, but in 1988 I paid $75 for Tales To Astonish 27, and straight into degeneracy from there!

[Sqeggs]

Just now, KirbyJack said:

Serious collecting. I bought my first comic as a kid in 1974.

In 1987 I started buying reading copies for a buck, but in 1988 I paid $75 for Tales To Astonish 27, and straight into degeneracy from there!

I wish I could remember the first time I paid more than face value for a comic.  As a little kid, I bought used comics from a store that sold them for 2 cents and bought them for 1 cent.  (I don't think the guy retired on that margin!)

I may have first paid more than face value for some early issues of Flash (SA version) at a used bookstore in SF's Tenderloin District.

[ComicConnoisseur]

1 hour ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Good gravy. 30 years next August for me. Picked up my first comics as a collector, inspired by the Batman movie.

That 1989 Batman movie was actually a comic book movie that got people into collecting and reading comics.

I am just bringing it up because all we hear today is how today's big comic book blockbusters don't bring in any comic book fans.

So a shout out to Batman 1989 for introducing new fans into comic books.

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

1 hour ago, Robot Man said:

I grew up in Pasadena. I remember haunting the old used book stores like the Book Nook and others looking for comics. There I met the legendary Superman collector, Gary Coddington who invited me over to his house and let me read his Action #1. I have many fond memories of Cherokee Books too. There is where I paid $2. for a MAD #9. I had never paid more than cover price for a comic. I call that the turning point from reader to collector. Glad I'm a geezer and grew up when I did. 

I met Gary only once at a local Pasadena show. It was actually a show where Gary Carter was passing out free copies of Comic Book Marketplace #1 looking to get subscribers. He passed away not too long after that if I recall. Wish I could have got to know him a little better.

[Mmehdy]

6 hours ago, 50YrsCollctngCmcs said:

I met Gary only once at a local Pasadena show. It was actually a show where Gary Carter was passing out free copies of Comic Book Marketplace #1 looking to get subscribers. He passed away not too long after that if I recall. Wish I could have got to know him a little better.

He was a cool guy...wish he could of stuck around