A Collection a Day #21 – Iron Man

When I was 14, there were these really great places called “comic book shops.” They sold amazing, colorful things, but alas, they are now very rare  — nearly extinct. If you happen to see one in the wild, by all means drop me a note.

Anyway, I digress… I was in one of these comic book shops and browsing through the dollar bin, because I was 14 and, of course broke. In that dollar bin, I found a copy of Iron Man #1. Needless to say, I added it to my pile, not on top and not on the bottom, I just slipped it in the middle of the stack. The shop owner asked me where I found it, and when I told him it was from the dollar bin, I think he must have hurt his eyes from opening them so wide. I’m sure his hired help got an earful later that day.

I was a “regular” and the owner grudgingly handed me my treasure, and he told me to “hold on to that one.” I have held onto it — for the last 24 years. It might not be incredibly valuable money-wise but it is one of the earliest introductions I had to the thrill of the hunt, and my collector mentality has never let up.

Anyone else have a great story about finding a diamond in the rough? Let’s hear it.

I have collected so many different things that I thought it would be fun to try and photograph a collection a day and see how far I can get.