Carmine De Santo bought his first comic book in 1978. By 16, he'd opened his own shop. Four decades later, he's still in the game, running Dr. Comics in Orillia and organizing comic cons across North America.

In this conversation, Carmine walks us through the world of rare comics and collectibles. He talks about buying a Batman #1 at 18 and selling it for $90,000 (it's now worth $3.5 million), why the collectibles market exploded after the pandemic, and what it was like losing $850,000 worth of inventory in a fire that destroyed his downtown Orillia shop.

He also shares the story of the Tim Maple collection, one of the most fascinating pieces of comic book history you've probably never heard of.

Whether you're deep into collecting or just curious about where to start, this one's worth your time.

Dr. Comics

Website: https://www.drcomics.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1drcomics/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcomics/

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Chapters

0:00 How Carmine fell in love with comic books

2:48 Rare finds and million-dollar regrets

4:09 Why the collectibles market is booming

7:33 Losing everything in a fire

11:18 The legendary Tim Maple collection

13:17 How to start collecting

17:19 Comic cons, anime fests, and what's trending