Set Description:

1-25-14:

My attempt at a 5.0, or better, complete set of a spectacular series. The pursuit of this set actually began over 30 years ago, when I was 6 years old, and my father introduced me to Carmine Infantino and The Flash. I still remember when at the age of 8 I told him it would be a good idea to buy the nice looking copy of issue 4 from the local comic shop owner for $800, but was immediately shot down and told that $800 for a comic was way too much. So anyone who collects comics, knows that my dad ultimately goofed at the time, and I still remind him of that time when I talk about my latest set additions and share a laugh. The book taunted me over the years by being in every price guide I bought while collecting from my teens to my mid-20s, when a wife and 3 kids took over my purse strings. Now in my late 30's, I could finally afford my dream comic, and I actually bought my copy 3 hours before Carmine died on April 4th, 2013. I called my father that night and told him that Carmine must have been waiting on me to finally obtain a copy before he left this earth. Who knows, maybe if I had gotten the book when I was 8, I would not have appreciated how tough building this set would be, which is why I started my journey with my 6.0 purchase.



When selecting books, not only do I attempt to find quality copies of each issue, but also I have been able to score some of the highest graded copies on the census, while mixing in a few pedigree issues as well.



Though the Flash issues are nearest to my heart, I am particularly proud of my 9.0 run of 34-36 with The Atom, and I was fortunate to work a great deal on the 9.0 issue 34 from a private sale this year.



At nearly 2/3 complete as of today, I am constantly reminded of the exercise in patience that my goal of a complete 5.0+ set requires. One day I would love to make the claim of the highest graded complete set on the registry, and then pass it on to my oldest son who attended his first comic convention this year, highlighted by meeting Stan Lee.



Update 3-9-15 :

I just sent away 5 raw books that I have acquired over the last year for grading today. 12,20,71,93, and 96. Should all of the come back Blue labels, I will only need 7 more books to complete my full run. I have taken the chance to upgrade a few times this year when good deals arose.



Update 4-10-15 :

I upgraded my issue 27, first Sea Devils, to an 8.5 last week.



Update 5-15-15:

After debating heavily for nearly 3 months, I decided to purchase the 2nd highest graded copy to date, a 9.2 OW to W, of issue 12. My 5 books have yet to be graded, but it will be any day now, and I will add the results to my set asap.



Update 5-25-15 :

My Showcase 20, 1st Rip Hunter, was graded a 7.0 with OW page quality. No other books have been assigned a grade yet.



Update 6-5-15 :

I was able to get my issue 20 back just in time and add it to me set along with pictures. The biggest news by far was me working a trade deal to upgrade my issue 2 along with purchasing a #1 and #3 from an awesome boardie. I still have not received grades on my remaining 3 books submitted to CGC, but I did pick up a very nice #103 that will be sent in soon to fill that hole. Nearing completion of my run, but I will upgrading a few of my copies this year as well.

As it stands now I only have 11 books graded lower than 7.0, and on the high end there are 61 books graded 9.0 or better in my entire set.



Update 6-20-15 :

I was able to upgrade 2 issues today. I bought the 45 in a 9.2 Don/Maggie pedigree and 74 in a 9.6 with white pages.



Update 7-19-15:

I was able to upgrade so many issues this month that really add to the beauty of this set. Most came on trades, such as 9,50,42,47,49, and 52. Others like 90 and 10 came at auction. All in all, I was able to make significant upgrades, but I am still waiting on the return of the books submitted over 3 months ago to help near completion of the run. As of now I have 30 active pedigree copies of some issues, with a few pedigree under copies. I can't wait to see what I find next to add.



Update 7-29-15:

Today I narrowly won an auction for 1 of the 2 copies of issue 92 graded at a 9.6 Currently there are no 9.8's on the census.



Update 8-12-15: While awaiting my final grades to be assigned on my last 3 submitted books, I was able to pickup my final missing issue for my set, #66. To have a full run I only need to have my #103 submitted for grading. I also was able to find and upgrade 68, 76, and 83 to some nice pedigree copies. I now have 31 pedigree copies in my primary set, from 11 different recognized pedigrees.



Update 9-5-15: I was able to win at auction some upgrades on 2 issues this weekend. 23 from a 5.5 to a 7.5 and 27 from an 8.5 to a 9.0.



Update 10-14-15: I traded 11 of my under copy books with roulette44 to upgrade my copy of issue 30 to an 8.5



Update 11-18-15: I had an eBay alert come up at 5am today, and I lucked into a beautiful upgrade to issue 7. I can't wait to have this book in hand. It really cements my 4 issue Challengers of the Unknown set, and makes it on par with my Metal Men run.



Update 12-14-15: I worked a deal with a boardie to pick up a gorgeous copy of 31 today. Still upgrading copies when I can find them. 100K points is in sight, but it will take a big book to get there.



Update 1-14-16: I was able to update 28 to an 8.5



Update 1-27-16: I was able to update 93 to a 9.6, which is currently the single highest graded copy.



Update 2-28-16: Out of 3 upgrade books I was bidding on, I was only able to secure an 8.5 copy of issue 25.



Update 4-24-16: I was able to acquire the Pacific Coast copy of 84 which is a 9.6



Update 9-2-16: I grabbed a very nice 8.0 copy of 16 and 9.2 of 64 this past week



Update 10-2-16: I was able to acquire the Savannah copy of 53 which is a sweet 9.4 with White pages. Also this week I got my grade back on my issue 103. It was a 9.6 with White pages.



Update 10-29-16 : I was able to upgrade 5 issues in my set through an auction on comiclink today. 50,53,83,87, and 89. 83 is also the lone graded 9.8 as of today.





Update 3-25-17 : I purchased a 9.4 copy of issue 47, which is 1 of 2 graded this high, with none currently graded above that.



Update 6-4-17 : I finally have all 104 books' front covers scanned in and uploaded. Up next I need to get a group shot from a ladder or something similar to really admire the full run as a whole.



Update 7-2-18 : After not finding upgrades to the later issues in the set for some time, I finally upgraded my copies of 66,81, and 85. the 85 is a 9.6 from the collection of John G Fantucchio and is the single highest graded copy to date.



Update 6-24-19 : It's been a while since I have been able to find a nice copy to upgrade one of my lower grades. After missing out on a few items the past year, I am really happy to upgrade my issue 18 to this gorgeous 9.0 copy.