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890 posts in this topic

Gwen Stacy Before She Dated Peter Parker

 

Here's a recent pickup for my Gwen Stacy collection, the Spanish version of ASM #121. Interesting to see the cover without any text.

 

 

Spider-Man%2052%20Spanish%202.5_zpshdednfsy.jpg

 

 

Also, here's a commission by Neil Vokes. It's his interpretation of Gwen, Peter and Flash before Gwen and Peter were a couple. I got it years ago at a San Diego con, before any of the movies.

 

 

Gwen%20Neil%20Vokes%202_zpsitvjcnqv.jpg

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Matt Baker Is Too Expensive

 

If you're a Matt Baker fan you've probably notice more of his comics up for sale lately on eBay, as well as C-Link, C-Connect and Heritage. Some of the best offerings on eBay are from bakerfan who has been listing one Baker after another for some time now.

 

Prices are insane. Nice looking, mid-grade comics with Baker covers that would have sold for under $300 a year ago now easily sell for twice that. I have not won even one -- not even one -- of bakerfan's auctions, even though I'm bidding more than I ever have for Matt Baker comics.

 

It's disheartening. I'm trying to put together a complete collection of comics with covers by Matt Baker, and I feel like it'll never happen because I'm suddenly priced out of the market. I can't emphasize enough how insane prices have become, and it seemed to happen overnight. I'm happy to have the Baker comics currently in my collection, at today's current prices I couldn't afford them. Here are a few from my collection:

 

 

baker%201_zpsbesgavie.jpg

 

 

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Baker's art is stunning. It's considered good girl art but it's much more than that. His art captures the emotions of everyday life. If you're not familiar with his work, perhaps you can see that in these covers.

 

Right now though, there are too many people collecting his work. Or maybe just a few with deep pockets. So I'm out. I'm taking a break from my Baker collection. I'm not selling, I'm just going to stop chasing for new ones. It's too frustrating, and I'm concerned in the heat of the moment I might bid too much. Because I think the value of Baker comics has a fairly low ceiling. His stuff is not Iron Man or Superman or even Suicide Squad. His comics are not going to be the basis of any movies or TV shows. So I don't want to overpay -- and I think people right now are overpaying -- not when the cost of his books are approaching the cost of REAL keys.

 

So lately I've pivoted in my buying. I've picked up 2 keys that have been major holes in my collection. Here was my choice. I could have these 2 books, or 4 Bakers. Perhaps this post sounds bitter, and maybe I am, but I think that the story of Gwen Stacy's death and the 1st Wolverine have much more historical significance than comics with Matt Baker art, even though I love his work. Anyway, thanks for reading, and sorry for my rant.

 

 

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Mike,

 

Not a rant - just a bit of shaking a fist at the comic gods! or, in my case, at your fellow boardies, as they can afford to throw $ at a baker in order to have just one nice copy in their collection. Whereas we have a more comprehensive goal and simply can't afford to do that on a continual basis.

 

Love your collection btw - you have a great eye for nicely presenting mid grade, as well as restored/qualified. (thumbs u

 

Here's an idea. I see you like romance, in a defined way (some would never buy Baker romance regardless), including Atlas covers (don't neglect the Quality Baker romance!). You also are a Romita Gwen fan. imho it was Romita's work on Gwen and MJ that really took the title to the next level.

 

All of that expertise on drawing hot women was established in the years he spent at DC from 1958-1965 doing nothing but romance. Have you ever thought about going after Romita covers from that period? They are breathtaking, not easy to come by in decent grade, but not impossible, and they are very affordable. It's a fun challenge that is still obtainable.

 

Andy

 

FallinginLove50f_zpsn2ue9jgy.jpg

 

 

 

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Update on Baker - I Can't Stay Away

 

(Mekon - Thanks!)

 

(Dr. Love - I never really thought about collecting Romita, until now. Thanks for your suggestion!)

 

Here's an update on my Baker rant. When I posted my rant I had a few bids in progress, both on C-Link and eBay. To my surprise I won a few Bakers. The biggest surprise was on C-Link. I won Teen-age Temptations #3 CGC 4.0 for $255 and Pictorial Romances #9 CGC 4.0 for $166. I expected them to go as much as twice that much, based on recent history.

 

I also won my first auction from bakerfan on ebay, Teenage Temptations 9. It wasn't cheap, costing $332. But way less than recent sales of $500+.

 

Finally, a Teenage Romances #35 CGC 5.5 popped up on eBay this week with a BIN of $450. I thought about it for a few minutes, then bought it. It only hurt a little. Well, maybe more than a little.

 

So did I overpay for these Baker books? I don't know, maybe. I think I got undermarket for the C-Link books. So that made me feel better about (maybe) overpaying for TT 9 and TR 35 (otherwise I might not have gone for them). Here's the thing though. When I look back at my 40+ years of collecting, the only deals I really regret are the ones I didn't make. Sometimes I have buyer's remorse about buys, but usually over time that goes away and I'm just happy to have the book.

 

On eBay, we've got bakerfan selling a series of nicer grade Bakers, some of which are not often seen. I wonder if currently we're going through a window of high prices because of bakerfan. We're also seeing more Bakers coming on the market, probably because prices are high. A few were offered here on the boards today (for me, they were interesting but too beat up, even though the prices were reasonable). On eBay, in addition to bakerfan, you've got baabaa30 and recently dfoxman1983, plus a few others. I've gotten a few nice Bakers from both.

 

Anyway, these are my thoughts, at this moment and subject to change with the ups and downs of the market.

 

Here are Baker's I've managed to pick up recently, the ones mentioned above, and a few others that I got in the last couple months.

 

 

baker%203_zpsa12g4o6e.jpg

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Damsels In Distress

 

I felt like posting something today, so here are a few from my "damsels in distress" comic box. All golden age, and ones you don't see all the time. Thanks for reading.

 

 

Famous%20Crimes%203%20vgFN%2076_zpsgordsuga.jpg

 

 

Fight%20Comics%2047%20CGC%208.5%20189_zps9nscopai.jpg

 

 

Jungle%20Comics%2078%20CGC%208.0%20125_zps8lkp8ocn.jpg

 

 

Crime%20Reporter%201%20CGC%206.5%2075_zpsszccxoel.jpg

 

 

Authentic%20Police%20Cases%202%20CGC%205.5%2085_zpsihjgq480.jpg

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My Collecting Priorities and Some Classic GA GGA Covers

 

I think every now and then you have to take a look at what you're collecting and what you're focusing on, to make sure your buying is in line with your goals. Otherwise you might waste money on stuff you don't really want. When I was a kid I'd do this before going to cons, as that was my main place to buy back issues (my local comic stores didn't have much). Now though with the internet there's a 24/7 marketplace for comics. So regularly reviewing your buying and collecting goals is even more important.

 

Here are my current collecting priorities:

 

1. My Dave Stevens Covers registry set. At the moment I'm #2 and hope to take over the top spot this year.

 

2. Comics with covers by Matt Baker. According to my list, there are 299 comics in this set (although that goes up and down as I learn more). Right now I have 76 of them, 24 graded. The most I've spent is $510, the least $4, and the average is $107.

 

3. I'm trying to complete my Original Marvels Collection, which is to get complete runs of ASM, Avengers, Cap, DD, FF, Hulk, Iron Man (the titles that started in the silver age; not including the original Hulk title). I need 6 more: ASM 2, 3, 14 and 50; and FF 1 and 5.

 

4. Golden Age comics with GGA covers. This genre is so broad I've organized my goals into themes, like Classic Covers and Damsels in Distress. What goes into the Classics Covers category is subjective of course. Here are a few from my collection. I think everyone would agree the first 3 are classic covers. It's probably not so unanimous with the last 2 but they're a couple of my favorites. Thanks for reading.

 

 

Planet%20Comics%2033%20CGC%203.5%20Lily%20Renee%20225_zpspda3km7q.jpg

 

 

Marvel%20Mystery%20Comics%2087%20CGC%204.5%20450_zpsbjrrq489.jpg

 

 

Famous%20Funnies%20209%20CGC%205.0%20366_zpsuqlxvyaf.jpg

 

 

Airboy%20V3%206%2071_zpsgynj5int.jpg

 

 

Popular%20Teenagers%20-%20Star%205%20CGC%207.5%2050_zpsofbivvum.jpg

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Original Marvels - Hulk 181 (6 left)

 

As I've mentioned, I'm trying to complete my Original Marvels Collection, which is to get complete runs of ASM, Avengers, Cap, DD, FF, Hulk, Iron Man (the titles that started in the silver age; not including the original Hulk title). A couple weeks ago I filled one of the biggest holes, Incredible Hulk 181.

 

IH 181 is not rare. At any time there are a lot of copies for sale. So it just depends on what you want, how much you want to spend, and how patient you are.

 

I'm kind of impatient right now, as I want to finally finish this freaking collection. I've been working on it (off and on) for about 25 years. I want to get it done to check it off my list and so I can concentrate more on other things. Also, more importantly, I want to get it done as I'm emotionally connected to it, as these were my favorite comics as a kid (and they still rank as my favorites).

 

I saw this qualified 9.0 come on the market. There are a lot of qualified copies out there and many have the same flaw -- the Marvel Value Stamp cut out. There are some flaws that bother me more than others (like trimming and water damage), and some that don't bothered me (like chipping, color touch, subscription crease). Cut out MVSs don't bother me as long as they don't affect the story. Luckily it doesn't in IH 181.

 

Here I had a chance to get the first appearance of Wolverine in high grade, for less than half a blue 9.0. Or I could get a much lower grade for the same price.

 

So I decided to go for the qualified 9.0. Now I have 6 more to go, including FF 1 and 5. And I've definitely got my eyes open for restored and qualified cppies. Hopefully I'll finish this collection by the end of 2017. Thanks for reading.

 

 

Incredible%20Hulk%20181%20CGC%209.0R%201525_zps4dscqjed.jpg

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eBay Serendipity -- LB Cole GGA Cover

 

This is certainly the best time to be a comic collector. Yes, many comics are out of reach for a lot of us and the list is growing – like, for me, the ship has probably sailed for AF 15. But countless other gems are out there and very affordable. And with the Internet it’s a con that never closes, with everything keyword searchable.

 

One of my favorable LB Cole covers is this Popular Teenagers:

 

 

Popular%20Teenagers%20-%20Star%205%20CGC%207.5%2050_zpsqzr5k7qr.jpg

 

 

Well, I was browsing around eBay yesterday and found another LB Cole cover. The comic is beat up around the spine but otherwise Cole’s art presents well. And, I won it for only $10! I didn’t even know this cover existed. That’s what I call eBay serendipity! (And how exactly is the girl staying balanced in those high heels? She must have super powers!)

 

 

Popular%20Teenagers%207%2010_zpsdpsiinjr.jpg

 

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Ugh! The Agony of Modern CGC Submissions (Spider-Gwen)

 

At WW Philly back in May I carefully picked 8 Spider-Gwens and 1 Game of Thrones and submitted them to CGC (I submitted them as regular Modern track rather than on-site or fast track). I was hoping for 9.8s across the board and I got that for 6 of them. The other 3 -- all Spider-Gwens -- I got two 9.6s and one 9.4 (apparently the 9.4 had a corner ding which I didn't notice).

 

Ugh! So now what do I do with these 3 comics, as I'm trying to put together a 9.8 or better registry set of Spider-Gwen? I guess maybe sell them on the cheap to recover my cost (say $25 each). Then again maybe they'll go in my set until I upgrade. Oh well ... modern CGC blues.

 

:news:Update (October 9 2016) :news:

 

Here's a pic of the comics:

 

 

WW%20Philly%202016_zpszhmnjaaz.jpg

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Update: Originals Marvel Collection (4 left) and Matt Baker Covers

 

Here are a couple eBay pickups for my original Marvels collection, first appearances of Kingpin and Green Goblin. I decided to go with lower grade to make my collecting dollars go farther. Now I just need 4 more issues to complete this collection: ASM 2 & 3; and FF 1 & 5.

 

 

Amazing%20Spider-Man%2050%20104_zpsxsqh5ok1.jpg

 

 

Amazing%20Spider-Man%2014%20202_zps6myde7lv.jpg

 

 

I've also managed to pick up a few Matt Baker covers. Mostly lower grades that present well (in my opinion), but a few higher grades that fell within my price range. Prices of higher grade copies -- especially those being offered by Bakerfan on eBay, who has an amazing inventory of Bakers (I'm assuming he's liquidating his collection) -- remain high for the most part, but sometimes you can get lucky with the closing price.

 

 

New%20Bakers%20Oct%202016_zpsn9jonwza.jpg

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Journal Index

 

I use this Journal to document my collection and the history of my collecting life. Also, as a reference to my collecting. So I put together this index. Thanks for reading.

 

 

Page 1 Dec 2013 My Lady Mechanika collection; Dennis the Menace #1

 

Page 2 My Gwen Stacy collection (Dijana Granov sketch cover; ASM 31, 121 & 144; Spectacular Spider-man Annual 8; ASM Movie Photocover CGC 9.6; Marvels 4); Bourbon Steak January 2014

 

Page 3 Jan 2014 CGC 10 – Inkwell Awards; Cerebus 1 CGC 8.5 (and counterfeit CGC 7.5); The Economics of Selling Comics; Original Marvels Collection (ASM 1, Hulk 104)

 

Page 4 Buyer’s Remorse – ASM 6; Dennis the Menace paperbacks; Morning Glories books with gift certificate

 

Page 5 Getting into the Walking Dead (with cast photo and Michonne sketch cover); Avengers 5 CGC 5.0 & FF 13 (ComicLink January 2014)

 

Page 6 Cerebus 4, 5 & 7 all CGC 9.6 (ComicLink January 2014); Submitting My Next CGC Invoice (and the purpose of grading); All Flash 25 (jitterbug cover); Flash Comics 92 (Black Canary cover); Protectors of My Comic Book Room; Bone Hardcover Set Volume 1-9 and Rose; Lee's Comics on El Camino Real

 

Page 7 Powerpuff Girls (me and my 3 daughters); Kiki's Delivery Service cell; Heritage Sunday auctions (Enric Torres-Prat paperback cover); Green Lantern 40 (Crisis origin); Midtown Comics; Jamie Tyndall's Lady Mechanika and Gen 13 sketch covers; beef tartar & fried padrón peppers and prosciutto from Bourbon Steak; Original Marvels Collection - Revisited

 

Page 8 Feb 2014 Wins - ComicConnect January 2014 Auction; Famous Crimes 3 (Heritage Sunday Auction); Alfred Trujillo cover commission – sexy Black Canary pulling on boots

 

Page 9 March 2014 Dave Stevens (and why did I do that?); Olivia De Berardinis; 2 Emma Frost sketch covers; Latest CGC Invoice #1; Latest CGC Invoice #2: More buyer's remorse; Latest CGC Invoice #3: Flash "jitterbug" cover

 

Page 10 Latest CGC Invoice #4 - First Black Canary cover; Latest CGC Invoice #5 - Amazing Spider-Man 300; Latest CGC Invoice #6 - 1st Lana Lang; Gwen Stacy by Tim Sale; Carnegie Deli NYC; More Gwen Stacy and Not Going to ECCC; ComicLink March 2014 Auction; Lily Renée Planet Comics

 

Page 11 April 2014 Game of Thrones -- Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister); DScott's Recent Sale (Dijana Granov sketch cover, Laurie Holden TWD CGC SS, Anthony Castrillo sketch cover); Grail Comics When You’re Over Your Budget (Wings Comics 85 and 87); Pax East Boston, April 2014; ComicLink April 2014: Annie Oakley, Gwen Stacy and Dave Stevens; Thony Silas Gwen Stacy Sketch Covers

 

Page 12 May 2014 Comics Signed by Actors (Heroes - Hayden Panettiere); Some of My Star Wars and Star Trek Collection; My Next CGC Invoice and My Modern Indecision (Betty and Veronica 40 & 41); Fantastic Four #4: Kirby's cover of Reed, Sue and Namor; Incredible Deal or Waste of Money (Walking Dead cast photo with 11 signatures)

 

Page 13 Signed Emma Stone photo; Tim Sale MJ sketch cover; More Gwen Stacy & Unexpected Generosity from Modelmaker (Gwen sketch covers by Lobresti and Joe Benitez); Getting Ready for WW Philly and On-Site Grading; A Couple of J. Scott's (SSS 20 & Black Cat); Miss Fury 3

 

Page 14 June 2014 Okay, You Can Have It - Part 2; Comic Connect Auction and Getting Ready for WW Philadelphia (Mademoiselle Marie); Another Gwen Stacy Cover and (NOT) Doing a Good Job Saving for WW Philly (Gwen by Broomall); One Week To WW Philly (sexy Lauren Cohan); Deciding Which Comics to Submit for Grading for Onsite at WW Philly; WW Philly Con 2014 Report – Thursday

 

Page 15 WW Philly 2014 Con Report - Thursday (Part 2); WW Philly Con Report – Friday; WW Philly Con Report - Saturday (And losing out on Daryl but getting Michonne instead)

 

Page 16 WW Philly On-Site Comics #1 (Frank Miller & Sin City); WW Philly On-Site Comics #2 (Joe Benitez and Lady Mechanika); WW Philly On-Site Comics #3; WW Philadelphia -- Star Trek the Next Generation; Commentary on WW Philadelphia: On-Site Grading

 

Page 17 July 2014 WW Philly - Getting Signatures Witnessed; Startling Comics 1; Getting Ready for SDCC 2014; Most Recent CGC Invoice #1 - How Accurate Are Comic Connect's Grades?; Most Recent CGC Invoice #2 - My "Original Marvels" Collection; Most Recent CGC Invoice #3 - The first Margaret and some GGA covers

 

Page 18 Getting Ready for SDCC 2014 #2; Showcase 30 (1st Aquaman); Getting Ready for SDCC 2014 #3; San Diego 2014 Con Report – Wednesday

 

Page 19 San Diego 2014 Thursday & Friday

 

Page 20 SDCC 2014 More Friday; San Diego 2014 - Final Thoughts

 

Page 21 San Diego 2014 - Some things I got; J. Scott Campbell's Gwen Stacy & MJ Statues; Canteen Kate 3 CGC 7.0; How Does CGC Grade Missing Pieces? (Hawkman 1); CGC SS Photos (Jason Momoa); Easing Up on the Grades for Walking Dead Keys

 

Page 22 Aug 2014 Jumping Into the Dave Stevens Covers Registry Competition; Getting a deal when no one else is looking (Brenda Starr 10); Two issues closer to completing my Original Marvels Collection; Are Sketch Ops on these boards worth the bother?

 

Page 23 San Diego Is In!; Major Grail !!! Bone #1 CGC 9.6; Going to Baltimore 2014 for On-Site Grading

 

Page 24 Sept 2014 This is why I can't save for Baltimore Con (CGC Photo Shatner and Nimoy); Baltimore Con 2014 – Friday & Saturday

 

Page 25 Baltimore -- More stuff I picked up & last thoughts; First Mention of Batmobile and Gotham City; Something CGC Wouldn't Grade; On-Sites from Baltimore; Biggest Holder I've Ever Seen; My First Sketch Op Almost Done (sexy Black Canary and Scarlet Witch)

 

Page 26 Batman 42 - the First Catwoman Cover in Batman; Star Wars Mini-Figs and a Brief Tour of My Comic Book Room; Game of Thrones CGC SS (Emilia Clarke and Jason Momoa); Update on Dave Stevens Cover Set; Game of Thrones and Seville; Mostly Striking Out in the September 2014 ComicLink Auction; Which Copy Would you Buy? (Conan 23 – 1st Red Sonja)

 

Page 27 Oct 2014 Suzie Comics 51, 56; Still Waiting for my 2 Value Invoices; Dave Stevens (Bettie Page); RASL; Matt Baker Weekend; Latest CGC Grades -- DC War, Keys, Matt Baker, Good Girl Art; A few more from Baltimore on-site grading

 

Page 28 Oct 2014 C-Link wins (FF 2, Startling Terror, ASM 4, Suzie 53, 70; Latest CGC Grades Part 2 - Golden Age Good Girl Art, Archies and Greg Reese

 

Page 29 Nov 2014 Latest CGC Grades Part 2 - Valkyrie, Terry and the Pirates and a sought after GGA; All the Star Trek Captains!; More Valkyrie and Dave Stevens; Morning Glories OA; Running out of Room in the Comic Book Room!; Bourbon's My Drink

 

Page 30 Chicago Cut Steakhouse; Dave Stevens Set -- Recent Additions; Avengers Annual 10; Olivia De Berardinis (Jelly Roll; Marilyn Monroe); My Statue Collection; Which Avengers #1 Would You Buy?; Which Amazing Spider-Man #1 Would You Buy? CGC 7.0(SA) or CGC 3.0

 

Page 31 Dec 2014 Modesty Blaise; New Matt Baker; Batman's Alfred; Scaling Back My Collection (December 2014)

 

Page 32 Dec 2014 Planning My New Comic Book Room; Alfred Truillo commission (Black Canary and Scarlet Witch); Thoughts on The Walking Dead market; My First Buy of 2015 - Marvel Mystery 87; Walking Dead 105 (ironing face issue)

 

Page 33 Jan 2015 Additions to My Gwen Stacy Collection; Update on My Collecting Life (reducing my collection to 25,000 comics); January 2015 ComicLink Auction; Focusing My Collection (DC titles)

 

Page 34 Feb 2015 Dave Stevens Registry additions; Daryl Dixon In The Walking Dead Comic; a bunch of my Walking Dead books; Cerebus Graded Books and the origin of CGC SS; Update on Right Sizing My Collection

 

Page 35 Feb 2015 Happy With Modern Submission Turn-Around Time; Dave Stevens’ Satanika; Non-CGC Blue Goodness; Miscellaneous Updates On My Collecting Life

 

Page 36 Auction Wins -- Some Buyer's Remorse (Starslayer 2, Detective Comics 371); Results of My Latest CGC Modern Submission #1 (Optic Nerve, Gwen Stacy, Mining My Collection; Shadow Preliminary Art by Michael Kaluta

 

Page 37 Franchesco; Broomall; Russ Cochran's Complete EC Library; Midtown Comics and Spider Gwen; Craft Beer and a Surprise Ebay Win (Hawkman 4 – 1st Zatanna); Archie GGA (Archie #50)

 

Page 38 Spring Break and a Unique Comic Collectible at Universal Orlando; Collecting While on Vacation (and a few vacation pictures) (Disney Cruise); New Walking Dead SS Books

 

Page 39 April 2015 CGC Overall Registry and Fun Lisners; My Custom Registry Set -- Sketch Covers; Stupid Mistake On The Way To Getting a Grail (Famous Funnies 209 – Frank Frazetta); Having Fun With the CGC Registry; Mixed Feelings About March and April 2015 ComicLink Wins; Gwen Stacy as Spider-Gwen

 

Page 40 Marvel First Issues That Are Not #1s; Competing When It's All About Money; Recent Lady Mechanika Additions; My CGC Submission Strategy & Registry Addiction; Walking Dead and CGC Photos (Kate Bosworth); CGC SS from Hong Kong; This Is Why I Hate Heritage

 

Page 41 May 2015 Gwen Stacy's First Appearance; Fluctuations in Registry Points and a Dave Stevens Mystery; Joseph Lisner (Steed and Mrs. Peel); Death of Gwen Stacy; Awesome Con (Washington DC) - Short Con Report

 

Page 42 Bobbing Up and Down the Waves of the CGC Registry; Sunday Wins and One of Those eBay Sellers; More on One of Those eBay Sellers / Top Registry Spots / Howard Chaykin

 

Page 43 June 2015 Jenevieve Broomall Commission -- Gwen Stacy “pulling on boots;” What Makes Your Collection Unique?; Registry Update - Almost to Page 3!; Frank Miller and Maxim; Game of Thrones Bummer

 

Page 44 Using the Registry to Find New Things to Collect; Additions to Gwen Stacy Collection (Adam Hughes); June ComicLink Wins; My New Comic Book Room In Our Beach House (July 2015)

 

Page 45 CGC Turn-Around Times; My New Comic Book Room - Wall Books (DC gold and silver keys) & Action Figures

 

Page 46 CGC Turn-Around Times; My New Comic Book Room - Wall Books (DC gold and silver keys) & Action Figures

 

Page 47 Terry Moore Strangers in Paradise Art; New CGC Books -- Matt Baker and Neal Adams; The Joy of Cheap Comics and Checking Off Want Lists; No Baltimore Con Buys (Matt Baker and others)

 

Page 48 Finished Jenevieve Broomall Commission -- Gwen Stacy; More Matt Baker

 

Page 49 Oct 2015 ComicLink Modern Wins; Steak and Eggs in Amsterdam; Recent Matt Baker Pickups; Latest CGC Invoice & Turnaround Times, and Peaking at CGC Grades; Batman 65 (Catwoman cover); Quality Meats NYC and Spider-Gwen Update

 

Page 50 Nov 2015 Shadow 12 CGC and OA; Major Walking Dead SS Win (Rick and Beth); CGC Submission Strategy (Broomall); Anime USA; Matt Baker Weekend; When Your Grading Hopes Aren't Reality; Lisner Modern GGA; My Action Figure Collection

 

Page 51 Dec 2015 Batgirl; Great Gwen Stacy / Adam Hughes Buy; CGC Photo Yvonne Craig; Holy Cow! I Have This?!! (Batman Adventures 12); Walking Dead Cast SS Book; Recent Golden Age GGA Pickups - Matt Baker

 

Page 52 Jan 2016 Strangers in Paradise / Terry Moore Original Art; Championship Sunday Equals Deals On eBay; First Silver Surfer and Galactus

 

Page 53 Feb 2016 A Rare Valiant Collectible (?) – Valiant Index; CGC Turn-Around Times -- 2015 Report; No SDCC For Me & Pics of My Comic Book Room; Good Burger / Some Golden Age GGA; Displaying CGC Books

 

Page 54 March 2016 Newly Graded Matt Baker; Additions to the Gwen Stacy Collection (SDCC Program with Emma and Andrew photocover); Gwen commission by Richard Moore; Jane Arden - Fiction House; 1st Appearance of William Tucci's Shi

 

Page 55 March 2016 Matt Baker -- 1 out of 4; Torchy -- Bill Ward Compared to Other Artists; So I Went To a Local Con Yesterday ...

 

Page 56 April 2016 The Grail Fund; Jennifer Janesko; Recent Acquisitions and Pics of the Comic Book Room (Frozen); ASM Movie #1 multiple versions

 

Page 57 April 2016 Mound City Auctions – FF 12; Jay & Silent Bob; Inkwell Franchesco; Adam Hughes Gwen; My Staging Table and Pax East; Mylar sizes; Additions to Dave Stevens Set

 

Page 58 Before and After Pictures of My New Comic Book Room; THE Gwen Stacy Collectible – ASM Movie signed by Emma Stone!; Flashback - Vinyl LPs!; Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane; Jaka -- Wow!

 

Page 59 May 2016 Bubbles, Wrightson and Amanda Segfried; Dave Stevens Covers Set; Game of Thrones; David Nakayama; A Dave Sim miss (Jaka); Wizard World Philadelphia 2016 - Con Report

 

Page 60 June 2016 Tim Sale Gwen Stacy sketch; Matt Baker Wins and Losses; Tales of the Comic Book Room (Origin Issue!); My New Favorite Book -- Cast Signed Gotham Central

 

Page 61 Patsy Walker and More Tales of the Comic Book Room; Update on My (Collecting) Life; Tales of the Comic Room - Where Do I Store Supplies?; Displaying CGC Books; Tales of the Comic Room - Making Space to Display CGC Books; My Little Beach Cottage; My Art Gallery; Tales of the Comic Book Room -- Making Room to Work

 

Page 62 August 2016 Update on My Dave Stevens Covers Registry Set; Gwen Stacy Commissions (Ramona Fradon; George Perez; Frank Cho; Nick Cardy; Joe Staton; John Romita and JR JR; FF #3 & Boy Comics

 

Page 63 August 2016 Gwen Stacy Before She Dated Peter Parker; Matt Baker Is Too Expensive; Update on Baker - I Can't Stay Away; GA Damsels In Distress; My Collecting Priorities and Some Classic GA GGA Covers; Original Marvels - Hulk 181 (6 left)

 

Page 64 September 2016 LB Cole GGA Cover (Popular Teenagers); The Agony of Modern CGC Submissions (Spider-Gwen); Originals Marvel Collection – ASM 14 & 50 (4 left) and Matt Baker Covers; Heritage Sunday Auction Win -- Famous Funnies 211 (Frank Frazetta); I Need ASM 2 & 3 / Sailing the Danube; Vintage Paperback Collection; A Couple Oddities for My Gwen Stacy Collection; Update on CGC Turn-Around Time and Latest Matt Bakers

 

Page 65 October 2016 Fiction House and Collecting Covers; Selling the Dreks of My Collection (22,000 comics & Star Trek/Star Wars toys); Classic Covers -- Spirit, Airboy & Bruce Gentry

 

 

Edited by n2wdw
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Heritage Sunday Auction Win -- Famous Funnies 211 (Frank Frazetta)

 

As I watch the distasteful President debate, I won this comic on the Heritage Sunday auction. I rarely bid on Heritage auction because of their hefty buyer's premium but this is the kind of comic I look for -- the coupon was clipped out so it helped keep the price low.

 

 

Famous%20Funnies%20211%20Frank%20Frazetta%20144_zpsntqrrbmp.jpg

 

 

Can't wait to display this comic next to my other Frazetta Famous Funnies. Thanks for reading.

 

 

Famous%20Funnies%20209%20CGC%205.0%20366_zpsszvf5ei3.jpg

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I Need ASM 2 & 3 / Sailing the Danube

 

I need issues 2 and 3 of Amazing Spiderman to complete that title, and at this point I'm resigned to low grade copies since they're so expensive. They are major keys after all (first appearances of Vulture and Doc Ock) and I'd like to get copies that present well, but I'm open to restored copies or other flaws to keep the price down.

 

I missed out on these CGC copies in last month's C-Link auction, and I'm regretting it. They went for about $500 (for the 2). I wish I would have bid more seriously on them. Oh well. The good news is, copies regularly come up for sale so I just have to wait for the right ones.

 

 

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Changing the subject completely, last month my wife and I went on a river cruise of the Danube for our anniversary. Along the way we visited Budapest, Vienna, Passau, Bratislava, Linz and Melk (not in that order). It was like living in a postcard for 10 days. And the food was delicious on the ship (we went on Crystal). Here's a sampling of what we had: caviar, asparagus with a poached egg, a deconstructed ceasar salad (they called it ceasar fondue), burger and fries, and a sampler plate of local sausages and meats.

 

 

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Vintage Paperback Collection

 

Something else I collect are vintage paperbacks from the 40s, 50s and early 60s. I collect based on the covers and focus on "good girl art" GGA, especially the outrageously silly ones. My collection is small. There's no nudity, really nothing more than what you see in today's ads for movies (in fact, that's a criteria I use when deciding whether to buy a book, as to me outright nudity is outside GGA). But they're certainly risque and suggestive, often to the point of being ridiculous -- those are the ones I like best! But boy, the topics of some of these books are really out there!

 

If you're interested it's fairly inexpensive to buy books like this; old paperbacks are much cheaper than comics. This price disparity is discussed more in this great PB and Pulps thread in the Gold room: http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=7332234&fpart=1

 

It's amazing how risque these covers are from over 50 years ago. I would love to see a newstand or bookstore display from back then. Anyway, here are a few from my collection.

 

 

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A Couple Oddities for My Gwen Stacy Collection

 

I found a couple things on eBay lately to add to my Gwen Stacy collection. First this "Death of Gwen Stacy" card from 1992. What caught my attention is it's graded a perfect 10 by RGA. Before this I never heard of them but I guess they're still in business (at least their website is still up). They seem to grade everything, including video games. Anyway, for $5 it was worth adding this oddity to my collection.

 

 

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And 2nd up is this Marvel Fact Files, which I guess is a UK title. In addition to having a great Ms. Marvel cover, it describes Gwen's death. It starts with "If you ask anyone to name the most shocking comic ever, the chances are they'll say The Night Gwen Stacy Died." This of course refers to ASM 121, and that is certainly the case for me. Now, 40+ years later, I still remember the first time reading that issue and how surprised/distressed/sad I was by her death. I still think about it so it's still influencing me.

 

 

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Update on CGC Turn-Around Time and Latest Matt Bakers

 

In the last 18 months I've submitted 23 CGC invoices; mostly Modern but also Economy, Value and Magazine. The average turn-around time is just under 3 months. So probably no surprise with this data. CGC is slow, but it's easier if you periodically submit comics so you've got them lined up to get something back every month or two.

 

Right now I have 4 invoices pending; 2 Economy and 2 Modern for a total of 16 comics. It's fun getting a CGC shipment about once a month. But I get double the fun because I always look on the website when the invoice ships (and later I have fun when I get the comics entering them into the Registry).

 

Here's my routine. I cover the computer screen with a piece of paper and then go down the list one-by-one, each time comparing the actual grade with what I predicted. I did the same thing as a kid with my report cards. I do it with ESPN too. If I go to bed before the end of a game (and I tell my wife NOT to tell me who won, if she stays up later than me), the next morning I click on ESPN on my computer and I close my eyes as it loads. Then I open my eyes and I can tell from the picture who won.

 

Is anyone else as crazy as me?

 

Don't answer that ... I have a fragile ego. Anyway ....

 

Here are the 3 books I got back in my latest CGC submission. First this FF. Only 0.5. Ugh -- I didn't notice the missing page. Curses!

 

 

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And then these 2 Matt Baker covers. Again, I didn't notice the trimming, but that's okay, I'm still happy with them. Thanks for reading.

 

 

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