I'M NOT DEAD.

Happy Post - St. Patrick's Day! Hope everyone isn't too hung over.

It's been... a year. A really, REALLY hectic year.

COVID. Heart and other health issues. Promotions and more responsibilities at work. Inflation and the overall economy hitting collectible markets.

But I'm STILL HERE.

And I'll be uploading some awesome stuff as soon as I can.

In the meantime, please feel free to check out the Santcum's eBay Store and see what cool new items have been added... and follow us on Instagram!

I thank all Sanctum Dwellers for their patience.

I SHALL RETURN...

TRS at BLUE HEN COMIC CON - November 18-19 2023

Hello Sanctum Dwellers! It's been quite a while, hasn't it?

The past few months have been extraordinarily busy, and so I apologize for the lack of uploads. However, a large portion of my time spent away from the Blog was to prepare for this year's BLUE HEN COMIC CON!

Last year was a ton of fun and a great success, and with this year's outing expanding into a much larger venue (with over 200 vendors!), we needed even more room... so this year the Sanctum will be at TWO tables instead of one, with literal thousands of items available for sale!

The Con will take place on November 18th and 19th at the old Sears (attached to Dover Mall) in Dover, Delaware. The Sanctum will be at Tables 400 and 402. For more information (and to pre-pay for tickets), please visit bluehencomiccon.com.

Aside from the Sanctum, I urge potential visitors to also check out the following, highly-recommended vendors:

Born To Game
They're Action Figures
Reel Vinyl Carts
Game Genie Retro
Yanky Brit Collectibles

And for Arts and Crafts:

Cory's Flow Fluid Art
Heart of Johari
J Golden Art

And a huge Thank You to Shawn from Eastern Shore Screen Printing for all of his help, and everything he's doing behind-the-scenes at BHCC!

Hope to see you there!! 😄

FEELING BLESSED.

This month marks my fourth decade around the Sun, and I just want to say... I feel blessed.

I'm by no means a religious person, so I don't use the term lightly. Between the success of the recent First Annual Blue Hen Comic Con, to the growth of Blog followers, to the sales I've had on eBay, and the feedback I've received from folks who've stumbled upon my Archival uploads... I'm really feeling like I've found a place in the "geek" community.

I love thrifting, I love sharing, and I love that even a fraction of what I enjoy doing becomes something that others can also enjoy.

So I just want to say THANK YOU to anyone who's ever visited the blog, my online storefronts, or interacted with me in a positive way.

As is tradition, starting next week I'll be sharing Out-Of-Print Holiday Season goodies... STAY TUNED!

WE'RE ON WHATNOT!

Hey there, Folks! In case anyone missed it in our previous blog post, The Random Sanctum is now a seller on WHATNOT!

I'm trying to do at least one Live Auction every weekend, and I'll always announce the auction well in advance directly on my Whatnot profile... so make sure to Follow and Bookmark upcoming auctions! Once an item sells, it's GONE!

As of right now I'm focusing on comic books and video games, but many more goodies will be made available as time goes on. Don't miss out!

https://www.whatnot.com/user/randomsanctum

TRS on Instagram!

Hey everybody!

I know it's been pretty quiet here lately. A lot of stuff is going on behind the scenes.

Looking at the metrics for the blog, I see that the posts about flea market visits, slabbed comics, and anything that doesn't actually contain links to OOP Media seem to get very little views.

So I started sharing those things on Instagram, and they seem to get a lot more attention. In fact, sales on the Sanctum's eBay store have grown since I started sharing there! It's a lot easier than fiddling with Blogspot.

I won't be abandoning this blog, however! I currently have a large number of items being digitized to share here, and since I want these pieces of media archived for as long as possible, I'll be sharing them here first - always - as well as archiving them wherever else I can, be it Soundcloud, YouTube, or Internet Archive.

So if you just want to see cool random stuff like slabbed comics and cards, thrifting pickups, vintage and stylish shirts, and other things, please consider following me on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/therandomsanctum/

And please continue to come back here to check for digitized copies of OOP vinyl, CDs, cassettes and software! I'm not through yet! 😉

SLABBED SATURDAY - TMNT #1... SIGNED!

Sent to CGC in December, Received in January, Signed in March... and now, finally, my boys are back home!

A few years ago I found a Third Printing of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" #1 at a flea market for a dollar. Yes, you read that right. I still can't believe it; I come across some lucky finds, but this one is easily in my Top Five.

I held onto it for a few years and kept going back-and-forth on whether or not I wanted to get it graded and slabbed. And then, CGC announced that TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman was going to do an in-house signing. Welp, that sealed the deal.

I immediately sent the book to Pressing Wizard Extraordinaire Gary Kendra at Impressive Comics. Then came the waiting. Hoo BOY, the waiting.

Finally, it arrived this past Thursday. The slab is clean, the signature is crisp and in a perfect spot, and best of all Gary took a crusty, dirty dollar book and turned it into a friggin' SEVEN POINT ZERO. For a roughly under $200 total investment, I now have an easy $1K+ Grail to add to my ever-growing collection.

Thank You to Mr. Eastman for the signing (and for helping bring our favorite Heroes In A Half-Shell to life!), Thanks to Gary for his always-excellent work, and Thanks to CGC for making this possible! COWABUNGA!

Thrifting Pickups - Week of 6/6/21

Kind of a slow week with only one major surprise...

I picked up a handful of common PS2 games from the flea market for $2 apiece, all of which are headed straight to this year's AbleGamers donation box.

Goodwill provided me with some $1 CDs; the live album "Good Friendly Violent Fun" from Thrash Metal legends Exodus was a neat find; it's currently OOP! I have a good friend who collects rare 80's and 90's Metal albums, so I'm gonna see if he wants it for his collection.

The soundtrack to "Once Were Warriors" is also an interesting pickup. Along with also being OOP, it's the backdrop to a fantastic, criminally underrated movie. Both the album and film are worth checking out!

And the big surprise of the week is "The Silent Majority", the lone outing from the fantastically strange Rock band Life Sex & Death. While the album can be purchased digitally via Amazon and other outlets, the physical CD itself is long OOP.

Mainstream Radio had no clue what to do with this band, which is a shame, because the album has some absolutely phenomenal tracks on it. If you're a fan of Shock Rock, early 90's Alternative, or want to see a performance that's a combination of Punk, Glam, Grunge, and even more (yes, really), then please check this album out. A single copy can currently be picked up via some blogger's eBay store...

Thrifting Pickups - Week of 5/30/21

Another week of thrifting yielded me even more GameCube games plus some interesting comics!

Three GameCube titles for only $3 apiece, plus a few semi-valuable PS3 sports titles for only $0.50 each was a great way to start my day at the flea market... but then came the comic books!

I'm always on the lookout for weird or obscure books if they're cheap enough, and so when I saw some special variants and a #1 I'd never seen before (Dee Snider's "Strangeland") for a buck apiece, I just had to grab them. Color me surprised when I did some research and found copies of "Strangeland" selling for upwards of Thirty Dollars!

I have yet to come across anything incredibly rare or expensive this thrifting season, but that's not going to deter me... I'm sure a large Grail is just around the corner! Just have to keep thrifting, just like everyone reading this should be doing this Summer as well. :-)

Thrifting Pickups - Week of 5/16/21

Took a break from thrifting for a week, but came back last week with a vengeance!

The GameCube games (of which WWE Crush Hour is uncommon) were both $4 apiece and were both CIB. All of the other discs came from a "dollar table"! The HELMET CDs are all original prints; if you haven't heard "Betty", give it a listen, it's a great album.

The Diablo coaster set was also fairly cheap, and I was surprised to see how much it goes for; they may end up on the Sanctum's eBay page soon.

Lastly, the Nintendo DSi only ended up being $5, as the seller did not have a charger to prove the handheld worked. Luckily I had a charger at home, and after about an hour charge, it did indeed work... SCORE! It's always worth taking a risk as long as the initial cost is low!

As the weather gets warmer, more and more people will be setting up tables at local flea markets, and prepping for yard sales... don't miss out on the thrifting season! You won't know what's out there unless you go out and hunt!

Thrifting Pickups - Week of 5/2/21

I only made it out to the flea market once this past week, but hooo boy was it ever worth the trip!

First off, one of the "dollar tables" had a nice little selection of GameCube, PS1, and PS2 games. I grabbed a couple to split between my collection and this upcoming Holiday Season's AbleGamers donation box. Obviously I'm keeping the "Mary-Kate & Ashley" game for myself. I mean... how could I not?

And then came the biggest surprise... on a table full of mish-mashed stuff, there sat a Golden Age - sized comic bag and board, and inside of it was a picture of Marina Sirtis (who played Deanna Troi on "Star Trek: The Next Generation"). It appeared to be signed. While I'm not a "Trek" fan myself, I know a few people who are. I asked how much, and the seller said two bucks. I figured "what the Hell", and grabbed it.

Opened it up... and behind that signature were three more: another one by Marina, one by Johnathan Frakes, and HOLY CRAP one by Sir Patrick Stewart!!

I'll be sending these to Beckett Authentication and then deciding what to do next with them. What a steal! Like I keep saying, there are always deals out there to be discovered... go out and HUNT!

Thrifting Pickups - Week of 4/25/21

Thrifting's been a bit slow the past few weeks, plus I've been busy with other things, so honestly I'm glad to have found anything of note over the past seven days!

The sealed C.S. Lewis slipcase contains two hardcover novels, "The Screwtape Letters" and "Mere Christianity". I found it for only a few dollars at Goodwill, and was shocked to discover that it usually retails for over $40 and up! Definitely a sweet find!

The two Burger King glasses from the original theatrical release of "Return of the Jedi" were only a dollar each... and considering how Disney wants to phase out any kind of physical collectible featuring the notorious "Slave Leia" outfit, I figured for that cheap of a price, I may as well grab them and hold onto 'em.

And finally, the children's album "I Have A Little Shadow" was also a dollar. When I couldn't find it available via the major outlets such as Amazon or iTunes, I decided to buy it so I could share it here. However, after doing a little more digging, I discovered it is available via the original musical team of Steve and Caitlin Klaper via Steve's Bandcamp page. If you enjoy the writings of Robert Louis Stevenson and enjoy musical renditions of his works, I'd highly suggest checking it out.

Nothing major, but still a few gems nonetheless; Summer is coming up fast, and that's when the real deals start popping up... can't wait!

SLABBED SATURDAY - "The Space Adventure" for Sega CD!

A little while ago, I posted that a friend of mine was downsizing his video game collection. In that post, I pointed out that he was considering sending one of his rarest titles, Sega CD's "The Space Adventure", to WATA for grading.

Well, he decided to go for it! It just came back, and he's absolutely ecstatic.

The game was, indeed, 100% Complete-In-Box (CIB), even including the Registration Card. WATA graded it at a whopping 8.5 CIB, making it - to the best of my research - the highest-graded CIB copy of this game in the world.

If you want to check out the game, I'd suggest doing a search for an ISO. The only (somewhat) legal download of the game is a Japanese port from the TurboGrafx-16, available via MyAbandonware.

Grading companies across the board are getting swamped: WATA, VGA, CGC, Beckett, you name it. That being said, if you happen to have any rare games, comics, or cards, you may want to consider having the patience to get them graded. You never know how desirable they may be in the future!

SLABBED SATURDAY - Impressive Comics does it again!

Back from CGC this morning!

 

More stellar work from Gary Kendra; check that "Hulk" 340!! This is the second time in a row Impressive Comics' taken a classic McFarlane comic from my childhood and magically turned it into a 9.8, the other being a "Batman" 423 1st print!

The "Castlevania" 1 is now one of only four CGC-graded copies in existence, making it one of my rarest books.

The only book for sale at the moment is one of the "Wolverine" 16s, which I've listed through ShortBoxed... however there may be others on the Sanctum's eBay store in the future!

Can't wait to see how my next batch fares!

SLABBED SATURDAY - Cards Get Slabbed, Too!

"Slabbed Saturday" isn't just for comic books; many other collectibles are encapsulated for preservation, including video games and trading cards!

Case in point: this past week some of my "Magic: The Gathering" and "Pokemon" CGC submissions came back, and I'm VERY happy with the results!

The crown jewel is a Lotus... a "Jeweled Lotus"! I pulled it from a "Commander Legends" Collector Pack that I bought at 2nd and Charles, and immediately sleeved it and set it aside for grading. Good thing I did; pack-fresh, unpressed, and it returned a Gem Mint NINE POINT FIVE! It **may** make its way to the Sanctum's eBay store; I'm still on the fence about it, lol.

"Gaea's Cradle" is one of my favorite cards from MTG. I regrettably sold my "Urza's Saga" copy for around $120 well over five years ago, and regret it immensely. Now, that print of the card is kinda out of my price range... so I'm scooping up the next-best thing, the gold-bordered "Championship Deck" editions! I had two of them come back as Near Mint 8s, and I'm super happy to have them. Absolutely NOT for sale.

My copies of  Pokemon's "Mallow" (Mint 9) and "Olivia" (Near Mint + 8.5) aren't pictured here because they quite literally sold as soon as I announced I had them!

The box of "Time Spiral Remastered" is an added bonus in this pic; my local game shop managed to get a few booster boxes of this elusive, hot set... and I was able to grab my copy for only $150! It's staying sealed. If you find any boxes under $200, I would highly suggest grabbing them.

If you have any already-valuable cards in what you believe to be Mint condition, it may be worth your while to submit them to CGC, PSA, or Beckett and have them slabbed... it may pay off big in the future!

 

Thrifting Pickups - Week of 3/21/21

Things are looking better and better on the thrifting front as the air warms and the sun shines for an extra hour a day!

My semi-local 2nd and Charles yielded me some excellent comics for only $0.95 apiece, including a virgin variant "Regular Show" #1, the "death" of Steve Rogers, and two copies of "Mystery Girl" #1, which is currently being optioned by Netflix!

While not the best MGS title, I picked up two factory-sealed copies of "Ground Zeroes" for $8 apiece.

"Fall Down Laughing", the autobiography of the late, great David L. Lander ("Squiggy" from "Laverne and Shirley") was a Goodwill find. This now-OOP 2-CD set is currently available via the Sanctum's eBay Store.

And finally, I was able to score a pristine sealed copy of the comic-and-cassette combo pack "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Complete Adventure" for around $30! I bought it with the sole intention of cracking it open (GASP) and sending the comic to get slabbed by CGC. There are only a tiny handful on the CGC census, and I want to add one more copy to those numbers.

If anyone wants to hear the awesome audio adventure, you can grab your copy right here on the TRS blog!

I hope all Sanctum Dwellers are also making the best of the great weather, and heading out to find their own deals; you never know what you'll find unless you look! Good Luck!

Thrifting Pickups - Week of 3/14/21

Finally things are picking up in terms of... uhm, picking up things.

I had a great day at the flea market earlier in the week, where I stumbled across a bunch of uncommon PS2 games for only $5 apiece... and they're all CIB!

The "Magic: The Gathering" deck boxes were also five bucks each, and each one contained a mish-mash of older cards. Nothing huge, but definitely worth what I paid.

And finally, the single Sega Dreamcast title cost me one lone dollar!

A few of these items will be cleaned up and make their way to the Sanctum's eBay store, so keep your eyes peeled!

Thrifting Pickups - Week of 3/7/21

Very, very slim pickings this past week as the cold weather continues (come on, Spring, where are you?), but it included two hits for two very different reasons:

First, I found a super-clean copy of legendary LP "Whipped Cream and Other Delights" by Herb Alpert. I love this iconic album. No, really, I love it a LOT...

And second, I came across a very rare copy of "The Night Angel Trilogy: 10th Anniversary Edition" by Brent Weeks. This thing isn't even available anymore via the author's own website, and the cheapest copy on Amazon is close to TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS. Absolutely crazy!

I'm hoping that the weather warms up soon, so the flea markets will get back into full swing; I need a bigger thrifting fix, and fast!

Thrifting Pickups - Week of 2/21/21

Due to the bi-weekly dumpings of ice and snow in my area, chances for thrifting have been slim as of late. Thankfully there was at least one decent day weather-wise over the past weekend, so I was finally able to head out to the flea market.

I walked away with a hard-to-find First Edition of "Now, Ameriky", an original CD print of a classic Run-D.M.C. album, a CIB copy of an excellent Wii title, and a complete collection of EA Sports games that usually has a disc missing!

All of these items will be making their way to The Random Sanctum's eBay store, so keep your eyes peeled and make sure to Follow us so you don't miss out!

BIG Retro Video Game Sale on the TRS eBay!

Just a quick announcement to let Sanctum Dwellers know that starting today, the Sanctum's eBay Store will be offering up a selection of awesome retro video games!

I have a friend who is downsizing and selling off his collections. We still have a ton of comic books to go through, and we already made our way through his MTG cards. Now it's time for the games, and there are some doozys in here!

The complete "dot HACK" series, several titles in the "Tales" series, two "Growlanser" entries, "Fatal Frame II", "Arc The Lad"... there's some serious stuff in this stack!

We may end up sending "The Space Adventure" to WATA or VGA.

So if you're not following the eBay store yet, DO IT NOW! There are always new random collectibles being added every week... and once an item sells, it may never appear again!

SLABBED SATURDAY - Dual Adam Hughes CGC SS!

Been waiting a while for these to come back! Trinity Comics hosted an exclusive signing event with legendary cover artist Adam (AH!) Hughes and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity.

His run of "Catwoman" covers is nothing short of incredible, and his cover for the semi-recent "Superman" #12 is a personal fave in no small part to the obvious homage to the opening of the classic Supes Paramount/Flesicher theatrical shorts from the 1940's.

I'm not sure if I'll ever part with these slabs, but I routinely put others up for sale on the Sanctum's eBay store, so keep an eye out! And be sure to follow Trinity as well as other CGC-authorized stores such as Alpha Omega Certification and CGC themselves to get your own signed books!