| Everyone has their particular
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| | forties, the paper had yellowed a bit,
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| horror-story about something they owned
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| | but there wasn't a tear or crease in any
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| as a child that got thrown away and is
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| | of them.After Mickey Mouse, the ones I
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| now worth a small fortune. It's usually
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| | liked the most were Scrooge McDuck and
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| some trivial thing that was worthless at
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| | his square vault. I had every one,
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| the time and became a collector's item
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| | including the jumbo issues. I'm not sure
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| and very valuable later. The only thing
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| | why, but unca Scrooge seemed to hit a
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| valuable that I saved from my youth was a
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| | responsive chord. Maybe that's why I'm
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| windup GI Joe in a jeep. It's still in
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| | now a very frugal traveler. I also liked
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| mint condition, although the box
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| | Batman, Superman, Spidey and once in a
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| disappeared many years ago. But I had
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| | while I'd buy a Tales from the Crypt. The
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| tons of things that I kept for years and
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| | horror books scared me, so I didn't buy
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| then threw out. Usually at the prompting
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| | many of them. At any rate, I had more
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| of my mother. Collectibles dealers know
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| | than three hundred by the time I quit
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| that boys usually threw their stuff away.
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| | buying them at around age fifteen in
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| Girls still have their Barbies. That's
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| | 1954. Probably about the same time I
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| why there's so many of them still
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| | stopped watching Howdy Doody. In 1961 I
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| around.When I was very young I had all
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| | went into the army. When I came back, I
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| the Wheaties premiums that came out,
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| | lived at home until I got married. Every
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| starting with the clear-plastic goggles
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| | once in a while I would visit that
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| and the WWII patches that came in the
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| | treasured stack of newsprint over the
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| boxes just after WWII ended. Every time
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| | years. I'd take a look at them every time
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| the Lone Ranger announced a new gizmo,
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| | I visited the folks.Sometime in the '80s
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| I'd send off a box-top and a dime. It
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| | I happened across a store that only sold
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| really hurt when they raised the ante to
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| | comic books. Intrigued, I went inside and
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| a quarter. My favorites were a
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| | started to go through the thousands of
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| six-shooter ring and the one with the
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| | book in their plastic jackets. Holy ****.
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| miniature atomic-bomb that you could see
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| | A hundred dollars for a Walt Disney
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| sparkles in the dark if you looked into
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| | Book?I told the owner about my
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| it in a dark closet. I had a great
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| | collection. He gave me a dubious look. I
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| assortment of magnifiers and whistles,
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| | expect he had heard the same story from
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| but my favorite was a complete set of the
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| | quite a few people. When I told him about
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| Lone Ranger western town. It was a
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| | the Disney books and the Uncle Scrooges,
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| Cheerios premium. I didn't like Cheerios
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| | his eyebrows shot up. "You really have
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| that much but I ate many boxes just to
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| | them all?"Everyone, I told him. No lie.He
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| get the buildings that came on the back
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| | reached under the counter and showed me a
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| of the box. They only put some of them
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| | book he had with prices. Scrooge number
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| there, like the barber shop. The rest,
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| | one catlogued nearly $2000 in mint
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| like the grain elevator and the map for
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| | condition. The others in the hundreds of
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| the town, you had to buy from General
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| | dollars each. One of the jumbos was worth
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| Mills by mail. Whatever I got, I kept in
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| | nearly a thousand. My Barker Ducks, which
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| immaculate condition. My buddies really
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| | I also had a complete run, were all worth
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| hated me for not letting them play with
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| | at least a hundred dollars each. The
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| my things. I suppose that's where the
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| | owner said he would have been happy to
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| collector in me started.Needless to say,
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| | take any or all of my comics on
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| all the things I've mentioned are very
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| | consignment and sell them for a 20%
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| collectible now. The complete frontier
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| | commission, but he would have to sell
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| town sold for nearly $1,500 in an on-line
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| | them at about half the book price. He
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| auction. But the one sold was never cut
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| | wished I had put them into bags, but
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| out from the cereal boxes or removed from
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| | seemed reassured when I told him that the
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| the cardboard frames. I played with my
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| | basement had a dehumidifier and they were
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| town. Plastic soldiers regularly fought
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| | still in mint condition.As you can
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| pitched battles in the streets there
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| | imagine, I rushed to my parent's house
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| until the Lone Ranger would show up to
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| | and headed straight for the basement. To
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| put an end to hostilities. Today, the
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| | my horror, the comics were gone and my
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| six-shooter ring regularly sells for up
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| | baby picture was sitting where I kept
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| to $200, the atomic bomb ring for
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| | them."What did you do with my comics?" I
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| slightly less. Somewhere in some
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| | shouted."I didn't think you wanted them
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| land-fill there's a box with all my
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| | anymore so I threw them away."Do you know
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| box-top premiums. Worse, I expect there's
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| | how to say matricide? She felt terrible
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| another one there, too. The one with my
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| | when I told her what she had done. She
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| comic-book collection.I loved the Sunday
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| | said that she had wanted to do something
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| funnies and liked the pictures, even if I
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| | with the basement for years and finally
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| couldn't read them. Oddly enough, my
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| | got around to it. Couldn't she have
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| favorite was a little green man called
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| | waited just a bit longer?What's the point
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| Peter Pain in the Ben-Gay ads. Others
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| | of the story? I'm not sure, except that I
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| were Dick Tracy, Winnie Winkle, Li'l
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| | am convinced that what your heart
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| Abner and Terry and the Pirates. Mom or
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| | treasures the most must have some value
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| Dad would read me the captions. When I
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| | beyond it physical manifestation. I
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| could read myself, I spent all my
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| | visited my comics for years before I
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| allowance (and then some), on comic
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| | found out how much value they had as a
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| books. The one's I liked the best were
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| | collectible. I imagine I would have kept
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| the Disney comics. I could talk Donald
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| | on, even if they hadn't become so
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| Duck talk so I really liked Donald. But I
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| | valuable. Follow your heart. It may not
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| had a special soft spot for Mickey Mouse.
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| | be worth as much in dollars as my comic
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| At one time the publisher used to run
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| | collection, but it will give you pleasure
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| serials with Mickey and PegLeg Pete and I
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| | all your life.Oh yeah. GI Joe? He's got a
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| could hardly wait for the next episode.
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| | special place in a showcase in our living
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| This was during the period that
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| | room. The last time I had him appraised
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| comic-book experts call the Barker Duck
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| | he was worth about $200, but I would
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| era, and I had complete runs for several
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| | never sell him.Cheers from John.John
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| years from the late 40s into the mid-50s.
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| | Anderson is now a full-time writer. He
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| (I used to watch Howdy Doody until I was
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| | has also been a Teaching Assistant at the
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| fifteen, I'm ashamed to say.) As I
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| | University of Minnesota, a noise-
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| mentioned, I didn't let any of my friends
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| | pollution consultant, a census
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| read my comics. I knew they would damage
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| | enumerator, computer operator, stock
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| them, somehow. They retaliated by not
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| | clerk, Army and Navy Reservist, and a
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| letting me read their's, but I didn't
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| | dealer in collectibles. His first novel,
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| care. Over the years they remained in
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| | The Cellini Masterpiece, was published
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| just-printed mint condition. The last
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| | under the pen name of Raymond John.
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| time I looked at them, when I was in my
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|
