Noted collector and author Harry Matetsky has died. Matetsky is the author of the 1988 book The Adventures of Superman Collecting, and his career as a collectibles expert spanned 50 years.

His affection for comics, premiums, and other memorabilia developed in the 1940s when he began collecting comics, gum cards, premiums, Big Little Books, and comic character toys. In 1947, he became a fan of original comic art after reading The Comics book by Coulton Waugh. His collection began with signed originals of Dick Tracy (Chester Gould), Steve Canyon (Milton Caniff), and Batman (Bob Kane).

Matetsky became a graphic artist, then an art director on movie magazines, and then he created his own publishing company focused on pop culture magazines. After attending his first comic convention in 1969, his collecting became a more serious passion. He left publishing in the mid-1980s to focus on his collection, which in turn led to his book, The Adventures of Superman Collecting.

To learn more about Matetsky’s journey as a collector and industry pro, read his personal account that appeared in Scoop during the early days of our e-newsletter.