eBay: Big Valley Lee Majors Linda Evans Peter Breck video
Here is a videotape of a 1987 local Bay Area TV special hosted by Peter Breck. The special celebrates the 22nd anniversary of The Big Valley that ran on ABC from 1965-1969.
Opening Bid: $9.99
Final Price: $222.50
Are you kidding me?
Friday, April 21, 2006
God Speed, Scott Crossfield
Legendary test pilot Scott Crossfield died yesterday in a small plane crash in Georgia. At age 84, he was still regularly flying.Scott Crossfield was the first to fly twice the speed of sound and the first to fly the X-15... the supersonic plane that paved the way to the space race. This just scratches the surface of his long and distinguished career. He served his country with great distinction and to his last day, he was active in aviation.
Mr. Crossfield was one of those rare breed of men who was a hero as well as a down to earth, nice guy. I'd written to him many times and he always promptly responded with a signed photo as well as a few kind words of thanks. Imagine, he was thanking me for writing to him.
Chuck Yeager may have been the early focus of Tom Wolfe's book, but Scott Crossfield -- a much more modest man -- was just as important to the early days of test flight. He truly had the Right Stuff.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
The Collector's Mentality
If you haven't checked out James Powell's blog, The Collector's Mentality, do so.
It's a thoughtful -- and sometimes funny -- insight into the neurosis that drives collectors.
It's a thoughtful -- and sometimes funny -- insight into the neurosis that drives collectors.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Thursday, April 13, 2006
The Savage Pencil of Gil Kane
I had an itch for some original artwork and scratched it...
First, I am not a huge fan of Gil Kane's work. In fact, I think he drew the ugliest Superman ever. However, he is a noted Conan artist, and being a huge Conan fan, this page really appealed to me. You'll note that it's not really a battle action page, but the composition and linework is gorgeous and the bottom center panel really sold me. From The Savage Sword of Conan #85, page 12.
According to the Grand Comics Database, this page was inked by either Danny Bulanadi or Nestor Redondo. If anyone knows for sure, please leave a comment.
First, I am not a huge fan of Gil Kane's work. In fact, I think he drew the ugliest Superman ever. However, he is a noted Conan artist, and being a huge Conan fan, this page really appealed to me. You'll note that it's not really a battle action page, but the composition and linework is gorgeous and the bottom center panel really sold me. From The Savage Sword of Conan #85, page 12.
According to the Grand Comics Database, this page was inked by either Danny Bulanadi or Nestor Redondo. If anyone knows for sure, please leave a comment.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Upgrade Mania
Last year I finished my quest to have every regular issue of the Fantastic Four ever published. From Volume 1, #1 to the current ish, I have them all.
You'd think that would be good enough, no?
Well, after I finished the run, I started to get the itch to upgrade where I could. Granted, with most of the issues under 10 I'll have to live with the midgrade copies I already have. However, I saw some room for improvement in the 30 - 60 range. In this range I'd like to have books that are at the least very nice looking FINES and VF or better where possible.
Luckily, many of my books in this issue range already meet this criteria, but there were a handful that I wanted to upgrade. Here are a few...
FF 37 in VF-(7.5). I purchased this from a CGC Board Member for a great price. This is a tough book and is prone to color touches. I was burned with a previous eBay purchase that was color touched.
FF 51 in VF/VF+. A really nice copy of a very tough book in high grade. The day this was printed and bound something must have been out of whack at the printer because most copies of this book tend to suffer from an indented top staple. This copy does not have the indented staple and the tear that tends to accompany it. Got it for a great price on eBay and luckily did not get burned.
FF 53 VF. Won on a lowball bid from a Heritage eBay auction. Advertised as a VF and I concur. I really nice looking book, however, I suspect it's been pressed. The book has a somewhat unnatural crispness and "snap" to it... kinda like what a brand new $20 bill feels like.
You'd think that would be good enough, no?
Well, after I finished the run, I started to get the itch to upgrade where I could. Granted, with most of the issues under 10 I'll have to live with the midgrade copies I already have. However, I saw some room for improvement in the 30 - 60 range. In this range I'd like to have books that are at the least very nice looking FINES and VF or better where possible.
Luckily, many of my books in this issue range already meet this criteria, but there were a handful that I wanted to upgrade. Here are a few...
FF 37 in VF-(7.5). I purchased this from a CGC Board Member for a great price. This is a tough book and is prone to color touches. I was burned with a previous eBay purchase that was color touched.
FF 51 in VF/VF+. A really nice copy of a very tough book in high grade. The day this was printed and bound something must have been out of whack at the printer because most copies of this book tend to suffer from an indented top staple. This copy does not have the indented staple and the tear that tends to accompany it. Got it for a great price on eBay and luckily did not get burned.
FF 53 VF. Won on a lowball bid from a Heritage eBay auction. Advertised as a VF and I concur. I really nice looking book, however, I suspect it's been pressed. The book has a somewhat unnatural crispness and "snap" to it... kinda like what a brand new $20 bill feels like.
I'm Not Dead, But PGX May Be
Sorry for the long delay between posts. I'm finding that fatherhood is a very time consuming business... especially when the baby has colic! I have been following some important issues as well as collecting a bit here and there -- I just haven't had time to write about it. I will try to make up for some lost ground...
It appears that the wheels have come off the wagon at PGX, the comic grading company. Apparently, a number of high grade PGX Ducks books sold by Terence Leder (under a number of different eBay names) have been trimmed. Pre-trimming images have surfaced making the allegation indisputable.
PGX's Daniel Patterson has responded with the expected boilerplate type statements... "We're looking into it and taking steps to yada, yada, yada..." Sadly, nothing substantive and to even the casual observer, PGX is beginning to look like a one man garage operation that their critics have long alleged.
You can read all the gory details on the STL Comics Message Boards. More here. And even more here.
It appears that the wheels have come off the wagon at PGX, the comic grading company. Apparently, a number of high grade PGX Ducks books sold by Terence Leder (under a number of different eBay names) have been trimmed. Pre-trimming images have surfaced making the allegation indisputable.
PGX's Daniel Patterson has responded with the expected boilerplate type statements... "We're looking into it and taking steps to yada, yada, yada..." Sadly, nothing substantive and to even the casual observer, PGX is beginning to look like a one man garage operation that their critics have long alleged.
You can read all the gory details on the STL Comics Message Boards. More here. And even more here.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Signed Baseball Basics
As baseball season draws near, I thought some signed baseball information might come in handy.
What To Get Signed
Always try to use the Official Major League Baseballs.
These balls are leather and typically cost around $12 each. Before they started using the same ball for both leagues several years ago, they used to have different balls for the American and National Leagues. Each ball was imprinted with the signature of the respective League President. So, it was always best to have a player sign the ball that was specific to the league he played in. For instance, you'd have Hank Aaron sign a National League ball and Mickey Mantle sign an American League ball. Now that there is only one ball for both leagues (imprinted with the signature of the Commissioner), it's a moot point for contemporary players.
Avoid "Official League Balls."
These look like the real deal, but they may have a synthetic cover and cost around $5 each. Signatures on these balls will fade and/or bleed over time.
Use a medium point blue ballpoint pen. Try to find a pen that leaves a nice dark, blue line. Bics with the white barrel are my favorites. Avoid superfine ballpoints that leave a thin weak line.
Why Do Some Baseballs Develop Brown/Yellow Spots?
The leather in the ball contains various acids and chemicals that may or may not turn dark with time.
Baseballs should be stored in a dark and dry environment. But, even under the best conditions, the inherent acids/chemicals in some balls will create dark spots over time. This is a ticking time bomb in some balls and there is NOTHING you can do about it.
In my experience, the dark spots will usually appear in the first 10 years after manufacture. If a ball makes it past 10 years old and has no spots, it will probably remain okay.
This is why I shy away from getting balls signed, especially from today's high-priced signers. Who wants to invest a few hundred bucks in a signed ball and have it self-destruct in a few years?
What To Get Signed
Always try to use the Official Major League Baseballs.
These balls are leather and typically cost around $12 each. Before they started using the same ball for both leagues several years ago, they used to have different balls for the American and National Leagues. Each ball was imprinted with the signature of the respective League President. So, it was always best to have a player sign the ball that was specific to the league he played in. For instance, you'd have Hank Aaron sign a National League ball and Mickey Mantle sign an American League ball. Now that there is only one ball for both leagues (imprinted with the signature of the Commissioner), it's a moot point for contemporary players.
Avoid "Official League Balls."
Use a medium point blue ballpoint pen. Try to find a pen that leaves a nice dark, blue line. Bics with the white barrel are my favorites. Avoid superfine ballpoints that leave a thin weak line.
Why Do Some Baseballs Develop Brown/Yellow Spots?
The leather in the ball contains various acids and chemicals that may or may not turn dark with time.
Baseballs should be stored in a dark and dry environment. But, even under the best conditions, the inherent acids/chemicals in some balls will create dark spots over time. This is a ticking time bomb in some balls and there is NOTHING you can do about it.
In my experience, the dark spots will usually appear in the first 10 years after manufacture. If a ball makes it past 10 years old and has no spots, it will probably remain okay.
This is why I shy away from getting balls signed, especially from today's high-priced signers. Who wants to invest a few hundred bucks in a signed ball and have it self-destruct in a few years?
Monday, March 06, 2006
Friday, March 03, 2006
Superman's Cape In Strikezone Auction
From eSCD, 3/2/2006:
Items relating to sports heroes Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Jim Brown and Rick Barry were among the top sellers at the January auction for Broadway Rick’s Strike Zone, but it was a superhero’s cape that stole the show. A red cape worn by George Reeves in the 1950s “Superman” TV series sold for $22,226 (with buyer’s premium) to capture the top honors in the auction.
The rare cape had been on display for more than a decade at the Superman Museum in Metropolis, Ill. It was given to the museum by Whitney Ellsworth, the director of the TV series. The auction generated more than $970,000 in sales, the largest in company history. A dozen other items sold for five figures in the auction, paced by a rare game-used Brown jersey that sold for $26,893. Mantle’s signed 1959 contract with the Yankees garnered $18,521. Meanwhile, a Gehrig game-used bat checked in at $18,306 and a Pee Wee Reese game-used Dodgers jersey sold for $17,259.
Items relating to sports heroes Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Jim Brown and Rick Barry were among the top sellers at the January auction for Broadway Rick’s Strike Zone, but it was a superhero’s cape that stole the show. A red cape worn by George Reeves in the 1950s “Superman” TV series sold for $22,226 (with buyer’s premium) to capture the top honors in the auction.
The rare cape had been on display for more than a decade at the Superman Museum in Metropolis, Ill. It was given to the museum by Whitney Ellsworth, the director of the TV series. The auction generated more than $970,000 in sales, the largest in company history. A dozen other items sold for five figures in the auction, paced by a rare game-used Brown jersey that sold for $26,893. Mantle’s signed 1959 contract with the Yankees garnered $18,521. Meanwhile, a Gehrig game-used bat checked in at $18,306 and a Pee Wee Reese game-used Dodgers jersey sold for $17,259.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Dennis Weaver Rides Into The Sunset
As regular readers may have deduced, I am a big fan of the television show, Gunsmoke... especially the earlier -- and much grittier -- black and white episodes. So, it was with great sadness that I heard of the death of Dennis Weaver.
Mr. Weaver superbly played Chester Goode, Marshal Dillon's simple, yet honest and loyal, assistant. The media mistakenly reports that Chester was Marshal Dillon's deputy; this is not true. Chester was never deputized and typically did not carry a gun. He simply helped the marshal and was his friend... not a deputy.
Dennis Weaver went on to a very successful TV and movie career, and I enjoyed watching him introduce movies on the Western Channel.
Here is a signed photo (as Chester) I obtained directly from Dennis Weaver several years ago.
Mr. Weaver superbly played Chester Goode, Marshal Dillon's simple, yet honest and loyal, assistant. The media mistakenly reports that Chester was Marshal Dillon's deputy; this is not true. Chester was never deputized and typically did not carry a gun. He simply helped the marshal and was his friend... not a deputy.
Dennis Weaver went on to a very successful TV and movie career, and I enjoyed watching him introduce movies on the Western Channel.
Here is a signed photo (as Chester) I obtained directly from Dennis Weaver several years ago.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
UACC Suspends Two Registered Dealers
From the UACC Website:
The UACC Registered Dealer Review Committee has fielded complaints and has suspended two from the Registered Dealer Program. Permanent suspension was handed down to Myron Ross and his company, 'Heroes & Legends', who were RD018. A one year suspension was given to Robert L. Polk Autographs, who is RD041.
The UACC Registered Dealer Review Committee has fielded complaints and has suspended two from the Registered Dealer Program. Permanent suspension was handed down to Myron Ross and his company, 'Heroes & Legends', who were RD018. A one year suspension was given to Robert L. Polk Autographs, who is RD041.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)