Rob Bruce: King of Awesome Stuff
You’ve seen him on AMC’s “Comic Book Men.” He’s Rob Bruce, resident expert in pop-culture collectibles, comics and whatnot.
He’s also partners with Cliff Galbraith, whom we profiled here, and is the other main cog in the Asbury Park Comic Con machine.
Every week, we do up our Awesome Stuff column, so it seemed fitting to profile Rob today, along with a Q&A below.
As he puts it, Rob wears a lot of hats.
“My primary one is called Popculturizm,” he said. “This is my on-line retail (eBay) and standalone website business, as well as my consulting firm, since I have
specialized in vintage toys and comics for more than 25 years. I take that knowledge to collectors and businesses that need assistance with curating, cataloging and placing a value on mid- and high-end items.
“The secondary business is Crucial Entertainment, our comic convention business. … We currently produce the Asbury Park Comic Con and have additional conventions in the works for 2014,” he said.
But it’s his gig on “Comic Book Men” – his “dream job” — that has given him the most visibility.
“My role on air is as the primary ‘expert’ in pop culture … concentrating on toys, games, models, some limited comic books and anything odd, strange or unusual,” he explained. “This is an actual, real role that I have played at the Secret Stash (filmmaker Kevin Smith’s comic shop in Red Bank, N.J., where the show takes place) for years, since I am a local and one of the best known ‘professional collectors’ in the state (and I live in Red Bank).
“I was asked to do an audition very early in the pilot and was probably the first person added on after the guys at the shop,” he continued. “Behind the scenes I work as a ‘consulting producer’ and help with segment production of certain transactions, as well as vetting and authentication and some assistance with the ‘A’ story lines when needed, along with any other research production might need and some location scouting.”
On to the Q&A:
What’s the best/most prestigious comic you own?
I own approximately 5,000 comic books and the majority are non-superhero-related. I actually specialize in underground, alternative and independent comics. That being said, I recently acquired the first three issues of Yarrowstalks (all first printings), which was a 1967 underground newspaper (hippie/antiwar/concert-centric) published in Philadelphia.
It featured some of the earliest work by Robert Crumb (considered to be the father of underground comix). #1 has the first appearance of his iconic “Mr. Natural” character. #2 had his first Head Comix strip and #3 is considered to be his first solo comic book, consisting of 8 pages of his comics.
The mainstream might not understand the rarity of these publications (average print run 4,000) and together they are currently valued at approximately $2,500, if you can find them at all. But they do have great prestige in the underground comic world.
What are your earliest collecting memories?
I remember buying my first comic, Amazing Spider-Man #101 (1971) and I recall playing with a winged, Batman cap grenade as a kid (circa 1966).
What’s the best score you ever made on a collectible?
Wow! Great question, I make many scores, but here are the top two for the past 20 years:
Number 2 would be a copy of the LP record for the 1963 Washington Pop Exhibition at the Washington Gallery of Modern Art. It featured a cover produced by Andy Warhol at the Factory, called Giant Size 1.57, actual Warhol artwork. The record was spoken word with Andy interviewing all the other artists including Lichtenstein, Jasper Johns and others. Paid 25 cents and sold for $2,250.
Number 1 would be an extremely rare 1925 “Lost World” slush-mold, metal dinosaur approximately 8 inches tall, made for the opening night by one of the producers. It was sculpted by Willis O’Brien (who later created King Kong for RKO) and the movie featured an appearance by its author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I paid $20 and sold it for $4,500.
But knowledge is power and I make “scores” 2-3 times a week
Tell me about one time you got seriously hosed because you just didn’t know enough yet.
Early on I bought a tin car (probably in 1985) thinking it was vintage Japanese. I overpaid. Turned out to be made in India. But I never think of a mistake as something to get upset about, just a lesson and with any education you have to pay sometimes for those lessons. I have probably made more mistakes in selling an item too cheap than buying the wrong item.
Is there a Holy Grail book or item you wish someone would bring to you, offering to sell?
I have three:
1) 1966 Batman utility belt, complete and mint in box (value $5,000-plus)
2) 1975 Mego Aquaman vs. Great White Shark, mint in box (value $3,500-plus). I have only seen one loose in hand. Would love to find this out in the field.
3) 1966 Ideal JLA-Batman Playset (value $5,000.00+). Just a cool toy.
As far as toys/collectibles go, I have close to 100,000 (I know, I know).
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