Comic Pinbacks Collector Mark Lansdown Interview

Mark Lansdown is a software designer, collector, and author of Mark Lansdown's Comic Pinbacks. In the following interview, Mark provides great information on comic pinback collecting.

ephemera: Pinbacks are such interesting pieces of ephemera. It's a pleasure to showcase items from your collection. Tell me about how the collection began.

Lansdown: My father introduced Uncle Scroogeand Donald Duck comics to me in grade school. By junior high, I was collecting most of the Marvel titles, and my interest progressed to Golden Age books with an emphasis on high-grade Dell comics. Along the way, I started collecting comic-related items, like original comic artwork, Denise the Menace advertising and merchandise, and finally, comic pinbacks. Comic pinbacks were particularly appealing to me because of their wide variety of content, scarcity, and graphical interest. These pinbacks are also not well documented, so I frequently discover new examples. And compared to many other collectible genres, pinbacks are relatively inexpensive to collect, which means I can buy lots of them!

ephemera: Those are great reasons, Mark. I guess you've hinted at the main challenges to collecting, so tell me how you've built your collection.

Lansdown: Building a collection requires focus, patience, and perseverance. To a non-collector, these things sound like work, but to collectors, it's all part of the game. My biggest challenge is focus: I am interested in so many different types of collectibles that it's easy to be distracted.

ephemera: Well, let's focus on pinbacks. What are your favorites?

Lansdown: The Yellow Kid pinbacks from the 1890s are one of my favorite sets of pinbacks. These buttons feature an early and historically significant comic character and Outcault's artwork is nothing short of genius. The series contains more than 150 buttons with a wide variety of content. It's a tough series to complete in high grade.

I also have particular fondness for pinbacks that are imprinted with different sponsor names. Pinback sets like Mickey Mouse, Globe Trotters, Speed Gibson, Popeye Theatre Club, and Andy Gump for President were used to promote countless businesses, products, and services. It's always fun to spot a new imprint and add it to my collection. I think I like the open-ended nature of collecting these sets as I can never really finish.

ephemera: Yes, I agree, The Yellow Kid is a very interesting and historical character. That's a good choice. What’s your advice for achieving success as a collector?

Lansdown: The generic advice that I always hear is to collect what you like, buy the best that you can afford, and build a network of dealers and fellow collectors. This is all good advice, but at the end of the day, just collect something that makes you happy.

ephemera: What resources and tools do you recommend for would-be pinback collectors?

Lansdown: eBay has been a tremendous source of material for my collections. I also love Ted Hake's auctions, which feature the rarest and best examples of comic memorabilia. Ted's books on collectibles are a gold mine of information, especially his Price Guide to Character Toys. Fellow collectors are another great resource. If you surround yourself with knowledgeable people, it's easy to learn something new.

ephemera: This was a real treat, Mark. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on collecting pinbacks.