In May of 1980, I was 10 years old, my buddy had a copy of Uncanny X-men #133. Every time I was at his house I HAD to read that issue. That particular issue is probably long since been destroyed but that’s the spark that started it all.

Now, fast forward 9 years. I finally have a job and steady enough income, for 19 year old, and my first purchase was Spectacular Spider man #156 from a 7 '11 near that jobsite.

As fate would have it, that job had me bring inventory to another store which was in Olney, Maryland. It was there that I spotted the “Zenith Comics” shop. 

It quickly became my LCS and I learned A LOT from them.

• Pull lists

• Bagging/boarding and storage in cardboard boxes

• Key issues/2nd prints

• Variants

At one point I think I was at 40 titles a month, that I was actively collecting. Every payday, I was in the shop getting my haul. When I pick up really old back issues, the scent of them brings me back to those early days of collecting. I can't resist a "gimmick" book, whether it's a foil, die-cut cover or sealed in a polybag.

Then one fateful day, I discovered “SLABS”, but that’s a story for another time.