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Post by Rob Allen on Sept 9, 2022 11:23:02 GMT -5
The stuff about the cat is in the newsletter titled "Two Heart-wrenching Essays", dated Sep 2.
"I was absolutely and totally alone in the world, except for my beloved tomcat, Clarence."
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2022 14:30:06 GMT -5
^ Yep, what Rob said above.
Kinda sucks that our boy Chuck grew up being beaten by his step-dad so often....I wouldn't wish that kind of abuse on anyone.
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Post by tonebone on Sept 15, 2022 8:21:28 GMT -5
I can see there's a lot of love/hate/ambivilance toward Rozanski, but if you have never read the "origin" of the Mile High Collection, it's a really engaging story. I can't imagine stumbling across a find like he did. Give it a read. Edgar Church, Chuck Rozanski, and the Mile High Collection
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2022 11:21:52 GMT -5
I can see there's a lot of love/hate/ambivilance toward Rozanski, but if you have never read the "origin" of the Mile High Collection, it's a really engaging story. I can't imagine stumbling across a find like he did. Give it a read. Edgar Church, Chuck Rozanski, and the Mile High Collection
It was pure luck. Right place, right time. He took full advantage of the opportunity as any dealer would.
My problem with Chuck is not how he acquired his stash. It's how he sells it. His prices are insane. He has Millie the Model comics in FINE priced in excess of $200 each. Really? Books you can still find for $5 each in antique stores.
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Post by tonebone on Sept 15, 2022 14:22:48 GMT -5
I can see there's a lot of love/hate/ambivilance toward Rozanski, but if you have never read the "origin" of the Mile High Collection, it's a really engaging story. I can't imagine stumbling across a find like he did. Give it a read. Edgar Church, Chuck Rozanski, and the Mile High Collection
It was pure luck. Right place, right time. He took full advantage of the opportunity as any dealer would.
My problem with Chuck is not how he acquired his stash. It's how he sells it. His prices are insane. He has Millie the Model comics in FINE priced in excess of $200 each. Really? Books you can still find for $5 each in antique stores.
oh yeah, I'm not a big fan, honestly. I just find that story interesting.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,408
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Post by shaxper on Sept 16, 2022 13:33:10 GMT -5
I can see there's a lot of love/hate/ambivilance toward Rozanski, but if you have never read the "origin" of the Mile High Collection, it's a really engaging story. I can't imagine stumbling across a find like he did. Give it a read. Edgar Church, Chuck Rozanski, and the Mile High CollectionMy struggle with this story will always be that if Chuck built his empire and his fame entirely on the work of another person (Edgar Church), then regardless of how fairly he paid the family by 1970s standards, doesn't he owe a little more of the empire he built entirely from that collection back to the family? Bob Kane paid Bill Finger fairly by the norms of the 1940s and 1950s too, but we champion Finger today and scowl at the memory of Kane. Why is Rozanski so different? He and Bob Kane had the money, connections, and savvy; Church and Finger did the real work. I think Rozanski's story is famous because it reads like a "sucker" story. The more greedy of us fantasize about getting such a steal-of-a-lifetime, but winning out that big necessarily means having zero empathy for the person selling you the collection. if Rozanski has kept up with the Church family/estate and done more for them since that time, I'd love to hear it. I'd certainly feel better about him and agree to see him more as the selfless humanitarian he claims to be. But, to the best of my knowledge, it's all been about Chuck right from the start.
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Post by Ozymandias on Nov 3, 2022 1:44:14 GMT -5
From Chuck's latest newsletter:
Does this surprise anyone? I mean, it's not like 60% sales are strange occurrences over at Mile High nowadays, right?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2022 1:52:25 GMT -5
When he sold Superman #1 for $5million earlier this year, did he list it on his site so I could use the 60% codeword and save $3million?
No.
So tough love, I will shop elsewhere.
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Post by tartanphantom on Nov 3, 2022 7:18:00 GMT -5
From Chuck's latest newsletter: Does this surprise anyone? I mean, it's not like 60% sales are strange occurrences over at Mile High nowadays, right?
When one's standard practice is price one's stuff at 50-150% over current market value, the perpetual "sales" are simply a gimmick to make people think they are getting a good deal. Chuck is certainly not the inventor of this pricing scheme, it's been around as long as "marketing" has been an occupation.
Back in the 1990's, there was a local chain of used CD/record/video stores in my town that priced everything at 2X and then had a perpetual "50% off" sale...every single day. Just about every used CD in the store had a $10-15 price tag, which meant when you got to the counter to purchase it you would actually pay $5-7.50. It's simple psychological consumer warfare, but it works on people who A) don't care, B) gotta have something no matter the cost, or C) are psychologically geared toward FOMO, and will buy something if they think they are getting a really good deal; even if they don't really need or want it.
The pseudo-"sales" are not the reason that I don't buy from Chuck. I just tend to view his current ambition and attitude toward comics as being somewhat akin to this guy...
Chuck came from a virtually destitute background and built his business from nothing. There was a time 15-20 years ago when you could actually get some good deals from MileHigh, but as he expanded into other ventures (real estate, indian pottery, etc) he relied less and less on comics as a necessary income stream. Consequently, he began his current pricing strategy several years back, and it appears to be working just fine for him. Good on Chuck for being a self-made man-- that's part of the "American Dream". Chuck also does a lot of philanthropic work with the homeless, so he does "give back" to his community in this respect.
I am fortunate enough to have other purchase options when pursuing my collecting hobby, so I don't have to depend on MileHigh as a primary source of books.
Those of you who live outside the USA are not as fortunate, and MileHigh is one of several companies who are willing to ship internationally. Therefore, it's a valid, if not pricey, option. I don't begrudge any business sent to this company-- it's your money, spend it however you wish.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Nov 3, 2022 21:52:38 GMT -5
Nowadays, Mile Highs prices are 200% or more above market AFTER the 60% discount.
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Post by The Captain on Nov 6, 2022 9:45:21 GMT -5
All,
As a reminder, please be aware of the CCF’s rule about bad-mouthing other online communities and individuals.
As related to this thread, discussion and criticism of Mile High’s business practices (such as pricing, sales/discounts, etc.) is completely legitimate, even when done with sarcasm, as it affects the overall comic collecting market.
Also valid are discussions about Chuck’s acquisition and subsequent handling of the Mile High find, much in the same way that discussion of the Finger/Kane or Kirby/Lee situations are allowed when relevant to the topic.
However, we need to steer clear of attacks on Chuck as a person. So far, nothing has crossed that line, but some have skirted awfully close, so please be mindful.
Thanks, The Mod Squad
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Post by Calidore on Nov 6, 2022 19:51:24 GMT -5
Years ago, Mile High used to do direct auctions for all kinds of stuff. I have quite a few art prints, books, artist card sets, etc. that came pretty cheap.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2022 19:52:07 GMT -5
Chuck came from a virtually destitute background and built his business from nothing. There was a time 15-20 years ago when you could actually get some good deals from MileHigh,
Yep....he once discounted NM prices for 'over-stock' by 80% so I got a Spider-Woman #1 in NM for $3.00. It's (out-of-stock) list price today is $350.00....almost 120 times what it cost me. This would have been somewhere around 2009-10.
But since 2010, ebay has been my 800 pound gorilla for comic deals...I can't think of one single instance where Mile High's prices were even remotely competitive. A simple example...I recently posted an Action Comics #292 in the purchases thread, I'd grade it conservatively as a FINE+ and it cost me less than $10. Chuck wants over $1,000 for it. No sales pitch could ever convince me that it's better to purchase it from him.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2022 17:21:23 GMT -5
I had an interesting observation...
A book listed on the official MHC comic site less discount codeword came up to about $80....but the same book listed in the same grade on MHC's ebay store was a little over $60.
I'm not sure if this 'cheaper' rate applies to all of the MHC titles on ebay but worth a look if you're shopping with them.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 9,589
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Post by Confessor on Nov 13, 2022 3:46:00 GMT -5
I had an interesting observation... A book listed on the official MHC comic site less discount codeword came up to about $80....but the same book listed in the same grade on MHC's ebay store was a little over $60. I'm not sure if this 'cheaper' rate applies to all of the MHC titles on ebay but worth a look if you're shopping with them. That doesn't surprise be too much because Lonestar/My Comic Shop have been doing the same thing for years. Certainly 10-15 years ago, you could sometimes find items way cheaper through Lonestar's eBay store than what they were going for on their website.
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