Curious as to what everyone's most prized possessions are in their collections. It doesn't have to be a single book. Can be a run of books, original art, a particular theme in their collection, etc.
Mine is my Usagi Yojimbo collection. I have all 29 limited signed hardcovers, plus nine original commissions from Stan--I get a supporting character each year at SDCC.
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Bought it at a flea market circa 1977 or so when I was a stupid kid for like $1.00 or something, along with a few other silver age comics. The guy was bragging to his buddy how he had bought all these comics on the cheap from this old guy a couple of tables over. As stated, as I was just a stupid kid, it wasn't until a couple of years later that I learned it was one of the "Holy Grail" items of comic collecting.
I take that back. There are two things that are a little more special over the rest. I had to rebuild my Marvel Two-In-One collection a few years ago, most of what I got came from Pants and JamieD hitting up WildPig sales. The other is Amazing Spider-Man #122, a gift from JamieD and it was completely unexpected.
Original Art - I have 4 - after wife and pets are out - these are what I grab in case of fire.
- Original page of Giffen art from Son of Ambush Bug #2 (where he gets out of Hell by finding the exit which leads to New York)
- Original sketch by George Perez of Terra smoking a cigarette
- Commission by Michael Golden of Marionette (Micronauts)
- (Just acquired!) Original cel of Melfina holding an apple from the anime Outlaw Star
Books
- I don't get as attached to them, but I do prize the books that would drop my review quotes on the back cover when I'd said something particularly poignant. Pretty much all manga.
It is my favorite of my possessions because I spent a long time finding and collecting the whole run, also it features crazy Hal and the creation of my favorite GL Kyle Rayner.
Next to that it would more than likely be my IronMan #1, It isnt in great condition but its great to look at.
-The GL/GA complete TPB signed by BOTH Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams
-On a related note, GL/GA issue #85. Again, signed by both (scanned before I got Denny to sign it)
-A copy of 'Seduction of the Innocent' that I own. Not a first edition, but since it took me FOREVER to find a single copy (original OR reprint) I'm just happy to have one.
-A page of art from the Kyle Rayner run of GL (#180) that reminds me of my mother (who is still with us, thank God, but whom I have a hard time expressing my love for in a way that is evident to everyone else)
-And, though I love ALL of my commissions, by current favorite is of Grundy by Scott Kolins.
George Perez is my favorite comic artist. I met him a few times, got a sketch and some signatures and a picture with him, but this piece from his Avengers run with Kurt Busiek is my favorite Perez "thing" in my collection
And, finally, back in the early 90s, when we had a good comic shop owner here in the area, we had an annual convention in Bangor, Maine that was quickly becoming a big deal (The Simonsons were regulars, along with Jon Bogdanove who was on Superman: Man of Steel at the time, and we also hosted Humberto Ramos in his first American convention and had the Milestone crew at the final show - it was great). Anyway, Mart Nodell was a special guest at one of the conventions and I got an original watercolor from him for fifty bucks - what a steal! This is probably my favorite piece in my collection.
chris
So as corny as it sounds, my prized possessions are the memories of doing this hobby with my Dad, then the memories of my boys collecting books with me when they were young. (We have 3 short boxes of books the boys and I put together - those did not get sold) If I could go back in time, I would have kept the early Conan's my Dad bought me in high school….. unfortunately I sold those when I was in grad school so I could buy Christmas presents for my family.
I still have a 1936 Flash Gordon coloring book that was my Dad's. The cover is detached, but its complete. It had somehow survived my Dad and all my cousins and was sitting in the "toy box" at my Grandmother's house. I also have a Big Big Book "Buck Jones and the Midnight Riders" that was Dad's. I had it restored years ago and a clam-shell box made for it. It sits proudly as part of my architecture library. I also rescued it out of the "toy box" when I was in high school.
But there are these two
And this because of the signature and the moment it represented.
But ASM #33 is also a great Spidey moment as he overcomes the odds to break out from under the heavy machinery with some brilliant full page story telling from Ditko. Neil Gaiman called it one of the top ten moments in superhero comics in the "In search of Ditko" documentary.
http://www.comicgeekspeak.com/episodes/comic_geek_speak-1515.php