Like the world at large, the comics and collecting fields have had to adjust their strategy for productivity over the last few weeks. Among those is Heritage Auctions, where employees have been working from home as part of Texas’ current stay at home policy. Heritage’s Consignment Director and cataloger, Greg Holman, who is handling day to day operations from home, took a break to dig into his collection and discuss his passion for collecting.

Scoop: Why do you collect?
Greg Holman (GH): Because I can’t help it. I’ve always said, “collectors have to collect” and I most definitely fall into that category. The collecting bug hit me at an early age, and my first collection was Red Line Hot Wheels, which I got from Phillips 66 gas stations in Berkeley, California, way back in 1969 – I would get one each time my parents put more than eight gallons of gas in the tank. I still have them all! Soon after that, we moved to Austin, Texas where my comic collecting obsession kicked in. I still have the first comic that I bought there with my own money! It’s a copy of Amazing Spider-Man #113 (1972) purchased from a Sun Rexall drug store. It’s not in great shape, but its intrinsic value is immeasurable to me!

You could say that I actually collect collections. Some of my collections include, of course, comics and comic art, autographs, sports and non-sports trading cards, Hot Wheels, action figures, lunch boxes, model kits, record albums, 45s, and 8-track tapes, knives, rocks and minerals, coins, toys, movie posters, vintage computers, and more. As my collections grew, the interior size of my home shrunk, and my wife Lisa really wanted her spare bedroom back, so I have since had to get a warehouse to store the majority of the collection, however, she does still let me keep some of my favorite pieces around.

Scoop: How many items would you estimate that you have in your collections?
GH: Gee, I think right now I have approximately 75,000 comics, several hundred pieces of comic art, 7,000 magazines, more than 2,000 movie posters, almost 1,500 autographs, 1,000-plus albums and 45s, more than 1,000 toys, 300 first edition books, several hundred action figures, about 100 model kits, around 100 knives, and more than a half of a million sports and non-sports trading cards, including about 2,500 Beta and Unlimited Magic: The Gathering cards.

Scoop: What are your favorites?
GH: We often talk about this very subject in the comics cataloging bullpen at Heritage, and while we regularly see the highest graded and most valuable books and comic art in the hobby, what we have found is that rarity, which does not always equate to value, grabs our interest the most. When you have more than a half a million collectibles, pinning down specific favorites can be challenging, and my favorites tend to change over time, as I have a quirky, eccentric, and flighty streak (you can ask my wife and friends – having ADD has its problems). The things that I currently enjoy most from my treasure trove are an original 15” tall Nexus drawing done for me in 2019 by the great Steve Rude, a John Romita Sr. splash page to a Daredevil issue, my Backlit Talking View-Master (in original packaging, with 20 sets of reels), my Spook Along with Zacherly album, a Revenge of the Jedi and a “Psychedelic” Fantasia (the 1970 rerelease) one-sheet movie poster, my personalized Vincent Price autographed photos and letters (we corresponded for a short time before his death), my original Red Line Hot Wheels, my Gil Kane-autographed Showcase #22 (first Silver Age appearance of Green Lantern), some original Irving Klaw Betty Page photo prints and one of the only existing recalled Betty Page “Betty in Space” resin model kits, a piece of the Odessa meteorite, my Nolan Ryan rookie card, my signed Mike Modano and Troy Aikman rookie cards, a 1960s Supergirl Halloween costume in the original packaging, and an unopened Aurora Troop Transport model kit.

Scoop: What items are on your want list?
GH: I’m always on the lookout for screen-used movie props from sci-fi films, especially Star Wars and Star Trek, I have a few small holes in some of my early Silver Age Marvel runs, I’m always fond of Golden Age horror and “good girl” titles, and I have recently developed an interest in vintage comic strip art, so I’m keeping my eyes open for Al Capp and Bob Lubbers’ Long Sam, Al McWilliams’ Twin Earths, and Walt Kelly Pogo strips. A Robert McGuinness original painting, and an original piece of Shag (Josh Agle) art would also cross off two of my bucket list items.

Scoop: It sounds like you have a well-rounded collection. Do you collect anything else?
GH: That I haven’t already mentioned? Let’s see, guitars, PEZ dispensers, cookbooks, board and role-playing games, Mardi Gras memorabilia, Pink Floyd collectibles (I sing for the award-winning Pink Floyd tribute, Texas Floyd in my spare time), vintage clothing, yo-yos, antique beer cans, autographed and unopened liquor bottles, colored vinyl and picture albums, vintage cookware, and Dallas Stars Hockey memorabilia (Go Stars!).

Scoop: How are you keeping busy during the current situation?
GH: Well, this sheltering at home hasn’t seemed to have affected the auction industry negatively, even possibly increasing the awareness of the effectiveness of our online bidding platform. Our auction results have been, if anything, above average, so I am still handling tons of lot descriptions and consignments on a weekly basis. Many of our clients have extra time on their hands, so they are spending time with their collections, and actively bidding, diversifying investments into tangibles, and in some cases needing an influx of cash assets, so we are very busy helping them.

In my downtime, I am enjoying time with my wife Lisa, and my dogs (Ziggy and Zuzu), and I’m also catching up on my superhero and comic-based films and TV shows. My band, Texas Floyd, was set to play some traveling shows in March, but since they were all cancelled, we are doing some remote recording, we have been working on a video, and we have a few live broadcast projects that are in development. I am also browsing auctions for the next prize to add to my ever-growing collection(s).