YEAR IN REVIEW: What you’ve collected in 2019 with recommendations. 4 4

[Cat-Man_America]

It seems like this is the right time of year to reflect on our personal acquisitions and views of the hobby in general.  This thread's emphasis should be on collectible comic books, pulps, art, movie posters, lobby cards, music collectibles and memorabilia, including grails acquired along with recommended reading and goals for the new year we choose to share. No limitation on items presented for forum consideration.  Whether you mortgaged the farm to acquire the holiest grail of your life or cracked open the piggy bank to snag an oddball treasure reacquired from your childhood, it’s all game.

My intention in starting this thread is not the business side of collecting, the financial health of the hobby or awards for best acquisitions.  However, this year I’m leaving room to acknowledge best publications that comic and nostalgic memorabilia collectors should embrace.  We certainly need another Year In Review thread that focuses on current aspects of the hobby such as it’s financial health, but that's Mitchell Mehdy's wheelhouse if he chooses to do one this year.

In short, this is primarily a collecting year in review thread. Whatever you're proudest of having added to your collection since January 1st of this year is fair game for inclusion and discussion.  To cover all aspects of collecting in 2019...including those unexpected holiday delights to come.  As with last year, the cut off for inclusions for this year is Dec. 31st, but will remain open through mid-January 2020 to capture late arrivals.  I’ll add mine as this thread evolves. 

Have fun!  

[Cat-Man_America]

Here is a fairly recent acquisition that falls under GA illustration art and kewl Schomburg collectibles... 

[Cat-Man_America]

This next recent Schomburg acquisition wasn't a piggy bank book, but definitely falls under a grail classification... 

 

Spoiler

 

[Cat-Man_America]

Finally (for this trifecta style posting), I don't want to leave those on the edge of their seats hangin', so there's this...  

 

 

Spoiler

Now it's your turn! Let's see some rare gems, recommended books and observations!  

[woowoo]

How did you ever get these great books  

[Robot Man]

47 minutes ago, woowoo said:

How did you ever get these great books  

He robbed Bedrock of the Hangman, I saw him do it...

[Robot Man]

As you all know, I'm the odd ball here. In addition to comics, I love all the other stuff too and have since the dawn of my collecting days. Might bore a lot of you but these are standouts at least for me. In no particular order.

Sergent Preston of the Yukon Premium Pinback. I have lusted after this forever. Maybe the prettiest of all character premium pins. Has always been very popular with collectors of these. And, for premiums, VERY expensive back in the day. Always just a little out of reach on the rare occasions when I saw one for sale. A few months ago, I was lucky enough to finally land one and at a great price buried on the bay. I about kissed my mail man when it arrived!

[Robot Man]

As some of you might know, I am a motorcycle rider and love the old vintage ones. You think comics are hard to find, try finding a carb for a '47 Indian Scout... So in addition to my money going to the other stuff, I also collect old comics and toys featuring motorcycles. I had the small "penny toy" version of this 1920's Indian toy but ran into a larger 5" long version this year. Had to pay up but never saw one before.

[Robot Man]

Oh, and the reason why we are all here. Comic books... I have been pretty much priced out of the hobby now. Having to make do with bottom feeding, box diving and lower grade copies. Makes the thrill of the hunt so much more rewarding. At my age, I'm in the lucky spot of having most of what I really want. But every once in a while I will "Man-up" and pay through the nose.

This is one of my favorite Nedors and Hitler covers so when I was offered this book, I jumped at the chance to upgrade my ratty copy. Probably not up to many standards here and not encased in plastic, but I am stoked to have it!

[Howling Mad]

1 hour ago, Robot Man said:

Oh, and the reason why we are all here. Comic books... I have been pretty much priced out of the hobby now. Having to make do with bottom feeding, box diving and lower grade copies. Makes the thrill of the hunt so much more rewarding. At my age, I'm in the lucky spot of having most of what I really want. But every once in a while I will "Man-up" and pay through the nose.

This is one of my favorite Nedors and Hitler covers so when I was offered this book, I jumped at the chance to upgrade my ratty copy. Probably not up to many standards here and not encased in plastic, but I am stoked to have it!

Just saw this on IG (your copy I suspect?) and love it!

[Robot Man]

3 hours ago, Howling Mad said:

Just saw this on IG (your copy I suspect?) and love it!

If so, I didn't post it there. I don't do IG. I prefer to do my bragging here...

[Tri-Color Brian]

I collect a lot of genres...and some comics too ...so I'll just show a few of what I got this year.  I'm sure you will hate them, but I don't care...

1st is this kinda cool DC that a nice boardie gave me a sorta good deal on...

2nd up is this space comic.  I don't know much about these space comics but I like the cover.  My LCS let me have this after about a month of badgering...

And then there's this.  I didn't even know this title existed until this year, but I like Powell covers (especially if they have skeletons or walking dead things on them), so I bought it from a well-known online dealer...

Oh, and I also collect covers with Arab guys whipping women in the desert (but only if there's a camel there too), so I picked this up...

And the last book I'll show is one I have wanted for 25 years.  I think it's the funniest Frankenstein cover of the whole run.

So, there's 5 of the nearly 100 GA comics I got this year.  I hope you hate them and you never search for those titles...

 

Edited December 19, 2019 by Tri-ColorBrian

[rjpb]

My favorite acquisition this year was a pair of pulps I first saw in Steranko's History of Comics nearly 50 years ago, when I was a wee lad. Villain pulps have always intrigued me, with the unusual focus on the antagonist.  I've toyed with collecting pulps on and off since I was a teen-ager (It was Shadow pulps back then), inevitably selling what I've accumulated as I decide that it's not really a dragon I want to continue chasing, and perhaps will end up selling these before long, but for now I enjoy having them, and may even get around to reading them The big selling point on these are the near-white pages, which anyone who has bought pulps knows, are rarer in this medium than with GA comic books. 

 

 

 

[circumstances]

7 hours ago, Robot Man said:

Oh, and the reason why we are all here. Comic books... I have been pretty much priced out of the hobby now. Having to make do with bottom feeding, box diving and lower grade copies. Makes the thrill of the hunt so much more rewarding. At my age, I'm in the lucky spot of having most of what I really want. But every once in a while I will "Man-up" and pay through the nose.

This is one of my favorite Nedors and Hitler covers so when I was offered this book, I jumped at the chance to upgrade my ratty copy. Probably not up to many standards here and not encased in plastic, but I am stoked to have it!

Wonder what Mussolini was doing under the desk!

[AJD]

One of the things I didn't set out to do this year but fell into when I bought a couple of modest collections fpr resale was to collect up some of the books that set me on the path to here today. These Australian Disney reprints all date from 1971 and I had them all as an 8 year old with spending power (such as it was) for the first time. Like most of us I could spot Barks a mile away and still cherish those stories. I think I'll hang on to these now, even when it's time to divest other stuff.

[Tri-Color Brian]

2 minutes ago, AJD said:

One of the things I didn't set out to do this year but fell into when I bought a couple of modest collections fpr resale was to collect up some of the books that set me on the path to here today. These Australian Disney reprints all date from 1971 and I had them all as an 8 year old with spending power (such as it was) for the first time. Like most of us I could spot Barks a mile away and still cherish those stories. I think I'll hang on to these now, even when it's time to divest other stuff.

I would rather look at Barks art, even in reprints, than that other guy's duck stuff...what was his name...uh...somebody Kelly...anyway, it doesn't matter.   You got the good stuff...

[AJD]

I just realised I hadn't made any recommendations. Head and shoulders above anything I read this year was this sci-fi trilogy.

If you like science and philosophy with your fiction, this stuff is utterly amazing. As well as being supremely entertaining, it really got me thinking about alien life and how/if we should try to interact with it.

[Cat-Man_America]

Two hardcover books on GA comic artists worth their weight in ...uhhh... gold are Greg Sadowski’s painstakingly researched 447 page biography of the late great Basil Wolverton, Brain Bats of Venus (Vol. II in series) and Roger Hill’s 160 page, less detailed albeit lavishly illustrated biography of the legendary Fawcett Capt. Marvel Jr. artist Mac Raboy Master of The Comics.  Both of these impressive works are highly recommended!

 

[Cat-Man_America]

Also collected this year, something appealing to both the pulp and fine art side this impressive fantasy work by Margaret Brundage...

Edited December 19, 2019 by Cat-Man_America

[Ricksneatstuff]

Here are my favorite personal collection acquisitions this year. I have some bigger comic buys that are still with me but the one I included here is one I would definitely not sell. I love Tip Topper 1 and to have the Church copy is pretty cool.

I think the Haunted Mansion sign would fall under memorabilia. That was my favorite thing about Disney as a kid.To own the original mold from WED Enterprises is...amazing.

The All-Story is something I look at every day. Peanuts is my all-time favorite thing and that strip I love for personal reasons.

Spicy Mystery "Batman" cover was a pretty major pulp pickup.

McFarlane Mary Jane page from ASM 300 is an extremely memorable page from my younger days.

Calvin and Hobbes is right behind Peanuts for me and this is as close as I can get to an original daily without breaking the bank.

Don Rosa is awesome and to have a page featuring Uncle Scrooge, Donald, the money bin and the Beagle Boys is pretty exciting. That page is not dark like the photo appears.

Overall, my personal collection has become a little more diversified and eclectic, but I am having more fun now with comics and all things comic related than ever.