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Comic Book Marketplace #36, 1996

I bought this Fantastic Four #1 to complete my Marvel Comics collection from the Robert Bell price list circa 1971 for about $30.00. The Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) graded it a 4.0 Very Good in 2004 and I sold it that same year through Heritage Auctions for $2300.00. Thanks Bob! But I wish I had spent the 50% extra and got a Near Mint copy.

This interview with comic book dealer Robert Bell originally was published in Comic Book Marketplace #36 in 1996. The CBM editors used the typed transcript and never heard the telephone interview I conducted with Mr. Bell which I recorded live on cassette tapes. Those tapes have not been played since 1996. In June 2011 I had them converted to mp3 files. So, up until 12 July 2011 the only people who have heard the original telephone interview are myself, the lady who typed the transcript from the tapes in 1996 and the video company that converted the tapes to mp3 files. I sent CBM #36 to Mr. Bell when it was published. He was pleased but wanted to know why some changes had been made to what he actually had said. I told him that the CBM editors made some editorial changes and I had no control over that.

And so now in the year 2011 thanks to the internet you can hear Robert Bell in his own words including material that never made it into the published interview. The audio interview is in 2 parts below. A brief list of some of the topics is noted before the audio icon. Just click on the little arrow on the left side of the icon to listen. The CBM published interview follows the audio icons below.