Heritage and Diamond to Auction the McLaughlin Collection in Baltimore!

Crippen Comics Also to be Featured

DALLAS, TEXAS: In its first visit to "The Old Line State" of Maryland, Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries, in association with Diamond International Galleries, will present an auction of unparalleled proportions.

"This is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting auctions I can remember," said Ed Jaster, Heritage Vice President. "The level of quality represented here is the highest I've ever seen, with something to tempt even the most jaded collector."

Jaster continued, "This auction is anchored by the collection of John K. McLaughlin, former owner of The Book Sail, first in Anaheim, then in Orange, California. John, whose collection was legendary in fan circles, passed away recently, and we are honored to have been chosen, along with Diamond International Galleries, to disperse his collection to fans and collectors everywhere. Knowing John's commitment to comic fandom, I think he'd be pleased and excited about this auction. Best of all, each and every piece from John's collection is being sold without reserve, which should just increase the ferocity of demand for this A-list material."

"Teaming up with Heritage to offer this amazing collection fits perfectly with Steve Geppi's plans to celebrate collecting in a spectacular way in Baltimore," said Diamond International Galleries President John K. Snyder, Jr. "Along with hosting events with our Morphy Auctions, Hake's Americana & Collectibles, and Geppi's Memorabilia Road Show units, we're opening Geppi's Entertainment Museum at Camden Yards to the public and working closely with the Baltimore Comic-Con. It's important that we all be able to work together to help promote this field we all love, and working in concert with Heritage is a terrific step in that direction."

So what can collectors expect? "A little bit of everything," Jaster said, "including 600-plus Mile High books, with long runs of individual titles such as Modern Comics, Feature Comics, Prize Comics, Whiz Comics and more. Some of the notable books from this outstanding pedigree include Crime Does Not Pay #22, the book that would single-handedly launch the crime comics' phenomenon of the 1950s, Police Comics #1, which includes the origin and first appearance of Jack Cole's Plastic Man, and Pocket Comics #1, the very first book from fledgling publisher Harvey Comics."

"Additionally," Jaster said, "you can look forward to such hard-to-find rarities as Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of The Batman, and the ultra-rare variant edition of the 132-page Marvel Mystery Comics Annual, known to many aficionados as the very hardest Timely comic to find in any condition. It's so scarce, in fact, that Overstreet has declined even to list a price for it, simply noting that a G+ copy sold in 2002 for $7,500. Our offering, a solid VG+, should cause everyone to sit up and take notice."

"John McLaughlin wasn't only a collector of comic books," Jaster said. "His collection of pulp magazines is the finest we've ever seen, in terms of both extent and condition. Collectors of these elusive treasures will certainly want to check out the copy of the October 1912 issue of The All-Story, which introduced Edgar Rice Burrough's Tarzan to a breathlessly waiting world. A beautiful book, this copy looks like it could have come off the newsstand yesterday. There's also the August 1928 issue of Amazing Stories, featuring the initial appearance of Buck Rogers, and the insanely rare December 1932 issue of Weird Tales, which contains the very first appearance anywhere of Robert E. Howard's seminal barbarian, Conan."

"Another rarely seen item that will cause collectors to salivate," Jaster said, "is the Jerry Siegel/Joe Shuster fanzine Science Fiction, which features the very first appearance of a bald villain by the name of...Superman! Published a full five years before the Man of Steel who became a household word, this is the ultimate super-collectible!"

"The John McLaughlin Collection is truly an amazing opportunity for collectors to own a piece of history. A significant portion of these books have been out of circulation for a long time, and it's certainly unusual to find this many uncertified issues from the Mile High Collection in one place," Snyder said. "The depth of what John assembled is what we all expected, since John only focused on the best."

"As if all this isn't enough to whet your appetite," Jaster said, "we're also offering more treasures from the Davis Crippen 'D Copy' Collection, including the first three issues of Superman. The first part of the Crippen Collection that we offered in early August made headlines all over the world, with collectors coming out in droves for a chance at owning these fabulous books, so all I can say now is bid early and bid often!"

"Original art collectors will have plenty to chose from in this upcoming auction," Jaster said, "including a complete Neal Adams story from Vampirella #1, a classic 1960s 'New Look' Batman cover by Carmine Infantino, a tempting array of Silver Age covers by the likes of John Buscema, Nick Cardy, and Gene Colan, and even a great early Spider-Man page by Web-head's wonderful co-creator, Steve Ditko. For the truly well-heeled collector, there's even Frank Frazetta's unforgettable 'Battlestar Galactica' painting, which has been off the market for many, many years."

"Of course, the few things I've mentioned barely scratch the surface of this incredible auction," Jaster said. "I'd encourage anyone who has ever read a comic book to check out the auction in detail at www.HA.com/Comics. There you'll see the entire breadth and scope of this electrifying event, and you'll even be able to bid online. I know the words 'once in a lifetime event' are incredibly overused, but they're also very apt in this case. Believe me, you'll never forgive yourself if you miss out on this one."

Highlights of the September auction include:

Crime Does Not Pay #22 Mile High pedigree (Lev Gleason, 1942) Condition: NM-.
ESTIMATE: $10,000 & up

Police Comics #1 Mile High pedigree (Quality, 1941) CGC NM 9.4 White pages.
ESTIMATE: $25,000 & up

Pocket Comics #1 Mile High pedigree (Harvey, 1941) Condition: VF/NM.
ESTIMATE: $7,000 & up

Detective Comics #27 (DC, 1939) Condition: Apparent VG.
ESTIMATE: $50,000 & up

Marvel Mystery Comics 132-Page Issue - Variant Edition (Timely, 1943) Condition: VG+.
ESTIMATE: $25,000 & up

All-Story Oct 1912 (Munsey, 1912) Condition: Apparent FN.
ESTIMATE: $25,000 & up

Amazing Stories August 1928 (Gernsback, 1928) Condition: FN/VF.
ESTIMATE: $1,500 & up

Weird Tales December 1932 (Popular Fiction, 1932) Condition: VG/FN.
ESTIMATE: $900 & up

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster - "Reign of the Superman" -- Science Fiction Fanzine V1#3 And Others (1933).
ESTIMATE: $25,000 & up

Superman #1 Davis Crippen ("D" Copy) pedigree (DC, 1939) CGC GD/VG 3.0 Cream to off-white pages.
ESTIMATE: $30,000 & up

Neal Adams - Vampirella #1 Complete 6-page Story "Goddess From the Sea" Original Art (Warren, 1969).
ESTIMATE: $25,000 & up

Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson - Batman #196 Cover Original Art (DC, 1967).
ESTIMATE: $35,000 & up

Frank Frazetta - "In Pharaoh's Tomb" (Battlestar Galactica) Painting Original Art (1978).
ESTIMATE: $60,000 & up

Heritage Auction Galleries' upcoming Comics Signature Auction, in association with Diamond International Galleries, will be held September 8-9, 2006 at the Baltimore Convention Center, One West Pratt Street, Third Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21201. For more information, please visit www.HA.com/Comics.

For more information about Heritage's auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit www.HA.com.

Heritage specializes in rare, high-grade comic books, as well as vintage comic and animation art, illustration art, classic toys, movie posters and comics-related collectibles.

Prospective consignors and sellers of top-end comics material, toys, and original art are invited to call Ed Jaster at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 288 or Lon Allen at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 261 to discuss their rare comics and original illustration and comic art. Or visit http://www.HA.com and click on the "Sell Now" tab. Or simply email Ed Jaster at EdJ@HA.com or Lon Allen at LonA@HA.com.

Music and Hollywood memorabilia collectors should contact Doug Norwine at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 452 or email DougN@HA.com.

Movie poster consignors please call Grey Smith at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 367 or email GreySm@HA.com.

To reserve your copy of a catalog for any upcoming Heritage auction, please contact Nicole Jewell, c/o Heritage Auction Galleries, 3500 Maple Avenue, 17th Floor, Dallas, TX 75219, or call 1-800-872-6467, ext. 272.

About Diamond International Galleries

Since its opening in 1995, Diamond International Galleries has regularly been at the heart of many significant opportunities to preserve, promote and present historical comic character collectibles, and enjoys its position as the preeminent display house of such items. Alongside original classic comic books, movie posters, premiums and other toys, original works by such artists as Carl Barks, Gustav Tengren, Alex Ross, Murphy Anderson, Joe Shuster, Joe Simon and Charles Schulz, among others, are on display. Since its inception, Diamond International Galleries has also booked numerous record sales of individual collectibles.