Let this serve as a PSA from a guy who feels like a POS!
I have COVID!
A strict believer in Science (I even wear a tee that says, “Science Doesn’t Care What You Believe”), it fries me when I hear people with a platform tout proven to be false conspiracies and remedies. Not wanting to be “mandated” – I can somewhat understand that. However, we live with many, many mandates (laws) that are out there designed to keep us safe. Do you wear a seat belt when driving? It’s the law and there to protect YOU. Do you have liability insurance while driving? You better. It’s the law, you have to pay for it, and it’s there to protect others FROM YOU! Think about it. There are plenty of “mandates” we live under to protect us as a society. A Pandemic is certainly something we want to get a hold on before it becomes endemic! We may have missed the boat on this one with the early dismissal of it’s potential severity by those in power and behind certain microphones.
I have COVID!
But, fortunately, I’m not suffering like so many others. I drove fifty miles to get my first and second vaccinations and have gotten the booster shot. I have gotten the flu shot, also. Today is January 6th, the anniversary of the day horde of believers in a conspiracy, which has been proven over and over to be false, stormed our capital. Monday and Tuesday, I woke with a dull headache that lasted all day with some chills on Tuesday. No fever. No aches. Yesterday morning, I fell like I broken a sweat during the night and felt considerably better. The headache was gone but I still had this lingering dry cough that I had been dealing with for over a month. Back in mid-December, I saw the doctor and while there had a Covid test done. It came back negative. Yesterday, though feeling better, I decided to check again with the doctor and see if I could get some relief. The cough was really annoying. The doctor came back with the results in way less than the normal 15 minutes – no flu, but I had Covid.
I have COVID!
How did I get it? I never go out in public without a mask, even if it is a quick drop-off at the post office mailbox. Regardless, I still keep social distancing. I know that the vaccination doesn’t put a protective shield around you. You can still get it, but you are significantly less likely to end up in a hospital – or worse! But I don’t wear a mask around my family. We’re all fully vaccinated – even the 5 year old grand-daughter has her shots! Yes, Christmas Eve, we hosted a family get together that probably had 30 people. My wife had put up a sign on the front door stating that anyone not fully vaccinated had to wear a mask and got a lot of good-natured grief from some for her questioning that perhaps they weren’t protected. Were masks worn through-out the evening? No, we drank and ate and laughed and told stories. However, possibly someone was asymptomatic and I was the unfortunate one who caught it. No one else has come up with it and it’s been almost two weeks now. The symptoms I had, other than a cough, only appeared a few days ago. Was it my masks? I have not been wearing N95s, usually those disposable hospital types or some cloth versions. The cloth ones are not as protective. The CDC says so and I have to remove my glasses when they fog up while using them. I just don’t know! What has me really feeling like a POS is the fact that we were watching our littlest grand-daughter, keeping her home from daycare so she didn’t come into contact with it right before her 3rd Birthday party scheduled for Saturday. She and the rest of her class were sent home the week before Christmas due to another little one having been in contact with someone who tested positive. And, one hour before I got my results, she was snuggled in my arms!
Folks – don’t be complacent. This new variant is so much more contagious. Protect yourself and others!
This morning, that little one, her 5 year old sister, her Mom and Dad and my wife got the PCR test and are waiting for the results. Me? I’m quarantining myself upstairs. I’ve watched TV, especially while our legitimately elected President asked for peace and common sense to prevail. Then I followed an online comic book auction (see results below) and am now playing a recorded Eagles (not the football guys) concert as this is being typed.
In my previous blog, I reported on an auction house that had most comics slabbed, with high starting bids, resulting in a high percentage not receiving any bids. Today, Alderfer Auction (up Landsdale, PA way) had their online sale finish up and I watched and recorded. They had very low starting bids. I wrote down only the comics that they had slabbed, looked up the value assigned by Overstreet for the grade given by CGC (in parenthesis), and the final sold price. I included the 20% buyer’s premium. Here goes:
Fantastic Four #1 &3 coverless “raw”($1,200) $2,040
FF 48 CGC 7.0 ($1,150) $4,800
FF 52 CGC 6.5 ($700) $1,680
Daredevil 1 CGC 6.0 ($2,000) $7,200
Avengers 1 CGC 4.5 ($2,300) $5,400
Avengers 1 CGC 1.8 ($800) $2,040
Avengers 2 CGC 4.0 ($242) $450
Avengers 8 CGC 4.0 ($178) $960
Avengers 57 CGC 7.0 ($250) $780
Tales of Suspense #39 CGC 4.5 ($4,800) $13,800
X-Men #1 CGC 5.5 ($7,000) $22,800
Iron Man #1 CGC 7.5 ($850) $1,320
Iron Man & Submariner #1 CGC 9.0 ($388) $900
Detective 359 CGC 7.0 ($950) $1,920
Detective 359 CGC 4.0 ($344) $900
Amazing Spider-Man (ASM) 2 CGC 2.5 ($720) $1,800
ASM 3 CGC 4.0 ($820) $3,600
ASM 5 CGC 6.5 ($1,050) $2,700
ASM 9 CGC 4.5 ($325) $1,440
ASM 15 CGC 4.0 ($344) 41,440
ASM 20 CGC 4.0 ($158) $900
ASM 31 CGC 4.5 ($175) $$570
ASM 32 CGC 5.0 ($59) $216
ASM 50 CGC 7.5 ($900) $3,600
SASM 50 CGC 4.5 ($325) $1,080
Dr. Strange # 169 CGC 9.0 ($580) $ 1,680
Silver Surfer #1 CGC 9.0 ($2,890) $5,400
Silver Surfer 4 CGC 7.0 ($375) $1,560
Captain America #100 CGC 8.0 ($380) $1,020
WHEW! If you have the time, check out the other results online. Even the unslabbed issues and groups were bringing over guide. Question: will the next Overstreet reflect the trend we’ve seen during the pandemic or will they play it down so the market looks more stable?
Over the 45 plus years I was dealing with comics, when asked what someone should buy, I always responded that they should buy something they enjoyed – never gave “investment” advice. If only, I had squirreled away some of the great stuff I have had the privilege to handle during the years!
Here’s hoping that you and yours stay safe!
Paul
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