Mark Lansdown, the feature of this collector profile, was born in 1969 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He grew up there, attended college at Oklahoma State University, and then moved to Colorado in 1992. A collector of sorts since he was younger, he got serious about collecting pinbacks a decade ago and turned himself into an expert in the years since.

A family friend gave me two 1930s Mickey Mouse Club pinbacks when I was a child. I held onto these pinbacks for years, while I concentrated on building a comic book collection. In the early 1990s, I started collecting Dennis the Menace memorabilia and artwork, and I subscribed to Ted Hake’s auction catalogs to search for Dennis items. If you are familiar with Ted’s auctions, you know that pinbacks are central to every one of his auctions. This was my first introduction to comic pinbacks. I was simply amazed by the sheer number and diversity of pinbacks that Ted offered.

I started seriously collecting pinbacks in 1998, about the same time that eBay opened its auction website. Prior to eBay, it was hard to find comic pinbacks anywhere else. The first ones I remember buying were in about 1995, I was browsing a flea market in Tulsa, Oklahoma. One of the dealers had a stack of riker mounts, and among the usual Cracker Jack prizes, broken watches, and costume jewelry, a pair of Yellow Kid pinbacks really caught my attention. The dealer was asking $60 for each pinback, I offered him $100 for the pair, and he accepted. My fate was sealed!

It was probably three years between the time I bought my first Yellow Kid pinbacks and the time that I really started collecting pinbacks. eBay brought a ton of material to the marketplace, making it much easier to build a good collection.

The Yellow Kid buttons have always topped my list of favorite buttons. Wonderful artwork by Outcault as well as a wide variety of content, scarcity, and graphical interest make this a great series to collect. I also love advertising buttons like Mickey Mouse Globe Trotters, Andy Gump for President, and Popeye Theatre Club. The Hassan/Tokio cigarette premium pinbacks are another huge series that I enjoy collecting.

I think I’m the typical obsessive/compulsive collector. Once I find a new interest, I read everything I can find on the topic. Back issues of Hake’s auction catalogs were a goldmine of information. Hake’s books on collectibles were another great resource. Most importantly, eBay auction results provided an invaluable real-world source for pricing. Watching auction results that constantly update every day is the best way to learn about a collectible market.

My family has always supported my collecting interests. My father was the director for the Woolaroc Museum, where he maintained a world-class collection of western artwork, guns, and Indian artifacts. And, my mother is a collector herself, specializing in antique quilts, dolls, and bakelite jewelry.

However, my wife claims that she is missing the collector’s gene, which made for some strange looks when I initially introduced her to my collecting hobby. The first time I showed her one of my comic books and told her that it was worth $100, she was shocked beyond words. Overall, she is still a good sport about my collecting, but her frequent response when I tell her the value of one of my collectibles: “Sell, honey, sell!”

College was a slow point in my collecting pursuits, but otherwise, I have been collecting since I was a child. I do have a broad range of collecting interests, so it is natural for me to drift back and forth between the various categories of my collection.

The thrill of finding something new continues to be my prime motivation. Comic pinbacks are particularly appealing to me because they are not well documented. I constantly find new examples and variations that I’ve never seen before. I should also point out that price is not related to the level of excitement. Some of my most exciting pinback acquisitions were made for less than $50.00.

I like most comic pinbacks from the 1890s to the 1950s. The 1930s is probably the golden age of comic pinbacks, and the vast majority of my collection is centered on that decade. The scope of my collection is pretty easy to define: if it is a pinback with a comic character from 1890 to 1950, I probably want it! Western pinbacks are not my favorite. Most of the western pinbacks feature photographs of stars, and I prefer pinbacks with artwork.

Personally, I like comic pinbacks for three reasons: they are available in a wide variety of content, scarcity, and graphical interest, they are not well documented so new examples are frequently discovered, and compared to other comic collectibles, they are relatively inexpensive.

My near-complete set of Yellow Kid pinbacks is certainly the prize of my collection. In addition to the Yellow Kid, Buster Brown, and Mickey Mouse are at the top of my list. I also love the Popeye Theatre Club pinbacks from the 1930s, the Andy Gump for President series from the 1920s, and early Santa Claus pinbacks.

The Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse pinbacks from the Evening Ledger series were tough to find. There are also a couple of buttons in the Yellow Kid series that are extremely scarce. Interestingly enough, many comic pinbacks are so rare that it is almost pointless to actively pursue them. When they do appear in the marketplace, you just have to be ready to buy! I really like vintage material, probably because it is more challenging to find.

Disney characters like Mickey Mouse are always popular. Every time a rare Disney pinback is offered, the bidding action is fierce. Early superhero pinbacks, featuring Superman, Flash Gordon, and Buck Rogers, also show strong market presence. The Yellow Kid series has seen tremendous price increases in the last 5 years as well. Vintage advertising buttons featuring Santa Claus are another popular market segment, especially those pinbacks that depict Santa in a car or airplane.

I am a partner in a software company that specializes in organizing, querying, and viewing data. It was an easy decision to marry my technology background with my interest in pinbacks. There are also very few pinback resources on the web, so I liked the idea of building a website to contribute to a hobby that has given me so much pleasure.

One of the areas if offers education on is reproductions. They are a minor but annoying problem with pinback collecting. I did add a page to my website that identifies the most common reproductions, and I have received lots of positive feedback from the collecting community about this page.

There is only a small subset of comic pinbacks that have been reproduced, and interestingly enough, the reproductions are centered on ones with relatively low value. Without knowing the characteristics of the original pinback, it can be difficult to spot reproductions. Fortunately, I have documented all of the common reproductions on my website, complete with side-by-side pictures of the real pinbacks and their fake counterparts. Likewise, I have included notes on text and graphical discrepancies that always seem to occur during the reproduction process.

Ted Hake lent me his collection of reproduction pinbacks to aid in building my website repro page, and you can access this resource here.

My site has proved to be a wonderful source of contacts for pinback collectors. Every week, I field numerous e-mails from people who have questions, comments, and stories about pinbacks. I have acquired some great pinbacks through my website, but more importantly, I have met a number of pinback collectors who I count as real friends.

I only sell duplicates from my collection, which is the best way I have found to limit seller’s regret! eBay continues to be one of my best sources for comic pinbacks. Ted Hake’s auctions frequently offer some great higher-end material. Flea markets, antique stores, and garage sales can also be worthwhile.

At the moment, my collecting activities are focused on comic pinbacks and original comic artwork. I consider the entire niche of comic pinbacks to be a sleeper branch of collectibles. The majority of attention always goes to comic books, original artwork, and toys. As a result, pinbacks are a very affordable area of comic memorabilia. Combine the relative scarcity of many comic pinbacks with their lower market prices, and you find a real sweet spot for collectors.

That said, I have always loved comic books, especially Disney and early Dell material. I also have a large collection of Dennis the Menace toys, games, and memorabilia from the 1950s and 1960s. Other interests include original comic book artwork and movie insert posters from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Recently, I discovered yet another interest, this time with Platinum Age comic postcards and trade cards featuring characters like Buster Brown and the Yellow Kid.

When I was in sixth grade, my father and I were at a garage sale, and we found the mythical box of Golden Age comic books. I still remember the titles: lots of early Four Color duck books, Joe Palooka, Superman, Batman, and all in remarkable condition. Unfortunately, the owner was only fishing for prices and he refused to sell. I was heart-broken!

Collectors joke about their collecting like it is some kind of disease. There’s a certain amount of truth to that joke: once I’m interested in a particular type of collectible, the disease inevitably spreads and I find myself drawn to related material. My interest in comic books led to an interest in Dennis the Menace memorabilia. Original comic artwork came next and was followed closely by comic pinbacks. And now, platinum-age comic postcards are the latest symptom of my collecting disease.

Coming from a comic book background, I was initially very focused on condition. However, as I got deeper into the hobby, I realized that some of these pinbacks are incredibly scarce, so it doesn’t make sense to pass on a rare pinback just because it has a few spots of foxing or some minor celluloid cracks. I would rather own a flawed example than nothing at all.

For new collectors or potential new collectors, this is my advice: Collecting is all about building something meaningful from the clutter of life. I find it rewarding to define the scope of my collecting and then turn that vision into reality. Collect what makes you happy. Some people get tremendous satisfaction from buying low and selling high. Other people want to own the best of the best. For me, I just like the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of building a collection. These little bits of celluloid, paper, and metal continue to fascinate me. Until this fascination stops, I will continue to collect!