Tuesday, May 7, 2024
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Brian Block, this month's Star Collector, is the founder of WB Auction
Services and manager of Renninger's's Antique Market in Adamstown Pennsylvania,
As a collector/dealer, he has more than 36 years of experience in antiques and
collectibles field. He joined the ranks of the Overstreet Advisors, contributing
pricing advice and historical background data, in 2004. Block has been active
in comics and character collectibles since the age of eleven. Along the way his
interest in comic book history and overall views of the market has allowed him
to not only build a substantial collection but also a vast knowledge of the
business.
Brian Block was born September 11, 1958 in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, and spent a lot of his youth moving throughout the state. He had stints in Upper Darby, Malvern, West Chester, Exton, Mt. Penn, Adamstown and Denver, Pennsylvania, as well as Stafford, New Jersey. He started reading comics at age 9 with an issue of Tales Of Suspense (featuring Iron Man) and an Avengers Annual a news agency in Paoli, PA.
"My father bought them for me," Block said. "He noticed me admiring them on the comic spinner rack."
It took him about four years to turn from a casual reader into a serious collector. During that time he discovered his early favorites, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Avengers, Conan, Incredible Hulk and Batman. From then on, he said, it was slow, steady and strong growth.
"I widened my interest into many titles and starting saving issues of everything, but they had to be in fine/fine minus condition or better. As I grew older, I had less interest in reading the comics themselves and [developed] more in the history and roots of comics. I found myself collecting older comics for their historical value and great art appeal," he said, "not to mention [they are] a good solid investment."
As he delved further into the history of comics, he also began exploring other areas of collecting as well.
"I branched into a little bit of everything. Old toys, character memorabilia, coca cola advertising, Olympic pins, Baseball memorabilia, glassware, pottery, nodders..." he said. "I had the great fortune to began work with my father (at age 11) at one of the premier
antique/collectors markets in the USA. Thirty-five years later I am still there. This obviously exposed me to the heart of serious collecting at a very young age. I literally grew up with it and fell in love with it."
It should come as no surprise that his parents had a positive attitude about his newfound collecting habits. "My family thought it was great and were very supportive," he said.
They weren't much into the collecting game themselves, though. "Oddly enough none of my immediate family were or are serious collectors. My father has in the past collected knifes and cameras, though," he said.
Where some collectors see their interest in collecting wane during their teenage or college-age years, Block said that wasn't the case with him. "I never drifted away. If anything my passion for gems of the past grows stronger every year," he said. "The passion for Golden and older Silver age remains the same. I now read fewer titles but enjoy them just as much. My reading interests center around Marvels cosmic characters - Galactus, Silver Surfer, Thanos, The Watcher, Fantastic Four - while my collecting-investing focuses on Golden Age. I collect it all: Victorian Age, Platinum Age, Golden Age, Silver Age, and Bronze Age. I especially like the first appearance issues such as Detective Comics #33, Pep Comics #17, Tales To Astonish #27, Tales Of Suspense #39. Another particular favorite are the CGC-certified books. I have three highest-known graded copies."
Block sold his original comic book collection including many high-grade Golden Age comics to finance his college education. In college he majored in computer programming and software design with a 4.0 GPA and ranked first in his class. There are, though, some comics he's sold over the years that he wishes he had back.
"Single Series #20, Batman #1, Detective Comics #1, 27 and 31, Superman #1 and
Captain America #1," he said, but quickly added that collecting has had a lot of rewards. "You meet interesting people, invest money with a chance of a return, get to read and enjoy what you buy. The reward is great memories of my childhood. When I read a comic I think of the past, my family and friends. It reminds of the great love I have for my family, especially my father. What a wonderful memory that day in the news agency with my dad. He honestly did not have 24 cents to spare but he bought me those two comics I was admiring even though I never said a word to him."
He said that his favorite non-comic items in his collection where in the character memorabilia category, such as The Shadow cast pin, the Captain Marvel racecar, and a Captain America badge.
As the owner of an auction service and as someone who works in the market, it might seem obvious that he considers collectibles a good investment for prospective buyers, but actually her urges caution. "[It's] a great idea, but please educate yourself first. If you have a friend into it, look to them for advice. Definitely build a library of reference books and price guides to study. I would suggest including guides like The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, as just one 'must have' reference book. You should attend several comic cons to get a feel for the hobby," he said.
He pointed out that the understanding the comes from being informed about the marketplace made it easier to understand the various forces at work in it, including the impact of independent grading and certification on the process.
"Certification must be held to the highest ethical standards and if done right it is good for the hobby. I applaud CGC efforts and do not envy them their tasks. I see it expanding and growing for many years. What concerns me is the pricing of CGC books. With such a small population report [out of all the comics published to date], it is very difficult to sort out how rare a specific condition of a specific book is. For instance, right now there may just be one 9.6 copy of a specific book, but in ten years there may be 25. Common sense does help a little, but it is still a very touchy call considering the money involved," he said.
Block also said the last couple of years have been a highly interesting time to be in the business. "The tremendous popularity of comic character movies and the related merchandising, the rise of the modern statue market, especially the Bowen collection," he said. "Both are a very pleasant surprise."
He continues to manage Renninger's Antique Market in Adamstown, Pennsylvania, which along with two additional locations is one of the largest antique markets in the country. In 1999, Brian founded WB Auction Services, which specializes in antiques and collectibles. Comic books are the company's number one specialty. Over the past few years they have discovered and offered for sale numerous original owner collections featuring Golden Age and Silver Age issues, and Block said he hopes that will continue.
Brian Block was born September 11, 1958 in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, and spent a lot of his youth moving throughout the state. He had stints in Upper Darby, Malvern, West Chester, Exton, Mt. Penn, Adamstown and Denver, Pennsylvania, as well as Stafford, New Jersey. He started reading comics at age 9 with an issue of Tales Of Suspense (featuring Iron Man) and an Avengers Annual a news agency in Paoli, PA.
"My father bought them for me," Block said. "He noticed me admiring them on the comic spinner rack."
It took him about four years to turn from a casual reader into a serious collector. During that time he discovered his early favorites, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Avengers, Conan, Incredible Hulk and Batman. From then on, he said, it was slow, steady and strong growth.
"I widened my interest into many titles and starting saving issues of everything, but they had to be in fine/fine minus condition or better. As I grew older, I had less interest in reading the comics themselves and [developed] more in the history and roots of comics. I found myself collecting older comics for their historical value and great art appeal," he said, "not to mention [they are] a good solid investment."
As he delved further into the history of comics, he also began exploring other areas of collecting as well.
"I branched into a little bit of everything. Old toys, character memorabilia, coca cola advertising, Olympic pins, Baseball memorabilia, glassware, pottery, nodders..." he said. "I had the great fortune to began work with my father (at age 11) at one of the premier
antique/collectors markets in the USA. Thirty-five years later I am still there. This obviously exposed me to the heart of serious collecting at a very young age. I literally grew up with it and fell in love with it."
It should come as no surprise that his parents had a positive attitude about his newfound collecting habits. "My family thought it was great and were very supportive," he said.
They weren't much into the collecting game themselves, though. "Oddly enough none of my immediate family were or are serious collectors. My father has in the past collected knifes and cameras, though," he said.
Where some collectors see their interest in collecting wane during their teenage or college-age years, Block said that wasn't the case with him. "I never drifted away. If anything my passion for gems of the past grows stronger every year," he said. "The passion for Golden and older Silver age remains the same. I now read fewer titles but enjoy them just as much. My reading interests center around Marvels cosmic characters - Galactus, Silver Surfer, Thanos, The Watcher, Fantastic Four - while my collecting-investing focuses on Golden Age. I collect it all: Victorian Age, Platinum Age, Golden Age, Silver Age, and Bronze Age. I especially like the first appearance issues such as Detective Comics #33, Pep Comics #17, Tales To Astonish #27, Tales Of Suspense #39. Another particular favorite are the CGC-certified books. I have three highest-known graded copies."
Block sold his original comic book collection including many high-grade Golden Age comics to finance his college education. In college he majored in computer programming and software design with a 4.0 GPA and ranked first in his class. There are, though, some comics he's sold over the years that he wishes he had back.
"Single Series #20, Batman #1, Detective Comics #1, 27 and 31, Superman #1 and
Captain America #1," he said, but quickly added that collecting has had a lot of rewards. "You meet interesting people, invest money with a chance of a return, get to read and enjoy what you buy. The reward is great memories of my childhood. When I read a comic I think of the past, my family and friends. It reminds of the great love I have for my family, especially my father. What a wonderful memory that day in the news agency with my dad. He honestly did not have 24 cents to spare but he bought me those two comics I was admiring even though I never said a word to him."
He said that his favorite non-comic items in his collection where in the character memorabilia category, such as The Shadow cast pin, the Captain Marvel racecar, and a Captain America badge.
As the owner of an auction service and as someone who works in the market, it might seem obvious that he considers collectibles a good investment for prospective buyers, but actually her urges caution. "[It's] a great idea, but please educate yourself first. If you have a friend into it, look to them for advice. Definitely build a library of reference books and price guides to study. I would suggest including guides like The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, as just one 'must have' reference book. You should attend several comic cons to get a feel for the hobby," he said.
He pointed out that the understanding the comes from being informed about the marketplace made it easier to understand the various forces at work in it, including the impact of independent grading and certification on the process.
"Certification must be held to the highest ethical standards and if done right it is good for the hobby. I applaud CGC efforts and do not envy them their tasks. I see it expanding and growing for many years. What concerns me is the pricing of CGC books. With such a small population report [out of all the comics published to date], it is very difficult to sort out how rare a specific condition of a specific book is. For instance, right now there may just be one 9.6 copy of a specific book, but in ten years there may be 25. Common sense does help a little, but it is still a very touchy call considering the money involved," he said.
Block also said the last couple of years have been a highly interesting time to be in the business. "The tremendous popularity of comic character movies and the related merchandising, the rise of the modern statue market, especially the Bowen collection," he said. "Both are a very pleasant surprise."
He continues to manage Renninger's Antique Market in Adamstown, Pennsylvania, which along with two additional locations is one of the largest antique markets in the country. In 1999, Brian founded WB Auction Services, which specializes in antiques and collectibles. Comic books are the company's number one specialty. Over the past few years they have discovered and offered for sale numerous original owner collections featuring Golden Age and Silver Age issues, and Block said he hopes that will continue.
