I just got back from Albany Comic-Con. I hadn’t been for many years, and last time I did go (pre-pandemic) it was disappointing. With a new, larger venue (and at $10, double the admission) I thought it was time to check it out again.
It only took me about a half hour to explore all the dealers tables, and here’s what I bought:
A 1992 issue of Dungeon magazine ($5). I took a gamble on this because I have a couple of dozen of these but happily I didn’t have this one. This is the TSR companion to Dragon magazine that features premade adventures, and I always enjoy reading them.
Two packs of Denny’s Solo Cards ($1 for the two). These were given out at Denny’s when the film came out in 2018, and each pack contained two cards and two coupons. I believe I had two of these packs, gifted to me by JF who got them at Denny’s back then, but I couldn’t resist two more at the price. The guy selling this had hundreds of them!
A ‘full set’ (or so the seller claimed) of Taco Bell Star Wars Plastic Cups from 1996 ($5 for the set), released as part of a promotion for the Star Wars special edition. These are a mystery, since I don’t remember seeing them before but they were released during a time I was mad about collecting Star Wars ephemera and surely would have got – and saved – them. Oh well, these are in fantastic condition and I own them now 🙂
A couple of Boris Vallejo Artbooks ($20 for the two). I’m not a great fan of Vellejo’s art, since I find his physiques to be a bit grotesque, but in recent years my appreciation for pulp sword and sorcery art has increased so I’m giving him a second look. These prices were very good: about half what I would have paid on Amazon.
A carded Star Wars ‘joke’ figure: R6-SNO ($18). This was a holiday 2022 Disney Parks special edition figure, and I got it for slightly less than it goes for on eBay. I only ‘collect’ astromech droids now, and this is in fact the first figure I’ve bought since I sold off my collection. It’s a travesty isn’t it?
Two Boris Vallejo jigsaw puzzles ($30 for the pair). These were unused and even shrink-wrapped, which is remarkable since they came out in 1979! I opened both and they’re in fine condition. While the art isn’t great – surely a female barbarian would have been a more logical choice? – I enjoy jigsaws and these are both 500 pieces which is believe is the ideal size.
And that’s that! Most of the dealers were selling exclusively comics, or modern toys, so there were perhaps fewer items to my interest than I would have liked. But this is a decent hail for <$100 so I think overall it was a worthy con. What do you think of my pickups?