Cleveland Geekster toy, comic collector show debuts Oct. 4

IF YOU GO• What: Cleveland Geekster toy and comic show• When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4• Where: The Venue Creekside, 527 West Inman St., Cleveland, Tenn.• Admission: $5 (ages 13 and older)• Phone: 423-715-5192• Website: www.clevelandgeekster.comTREASURED TOYSThe following are the 10 highest-priced collectible toys with Buy It Now listings in eBay's Toys & Hobbies auction section.• 1. "Ghost version" Princess Diana Beanie Baby: up to $652,000• 2. Magic The Gathering "Black Lotus" card rated perfect 10 by Beckett Grading Services: $100,000• 3. Vintage 1930s "Flash Gordon" rocketship: $75,000• 4. Valentino Beanie Baby: $50,000• 5. Limited-edition Luis Vuitton teddy bear: $30,000• 6. Peace Bear Beanie Baby: $30,000• 7. First-edition Robbie the Robot action figure: $28,000• 8. Red and green Strenco Robot from 1955 Nuremberg Toy Fair: $25,000• 9. Vintage Bugatti "Baby" Type 52 electric car: $24,500• 10. Misprint, square-cut "Blastoise" Pokemon card: $21,990.90

photo Collectible items shown here include comic books, action figures, sports cards, diecast cars, model trains, dolls, tin toys and plastic model kits.

In the period that Cleveland, Tenn., has been without a toy and comic show, some toys practically have progressed from new-on-the-shelf to collection-worthy.

Growing up, Ashley Raburn loved wandering aisles of mini-conventions full of vintage toys and silver-age comics, but he can't remember the last time Cleveland hosted a gathering aimed at those who share his nostalgic bent.

"It's been at least 10 years," he says. "As I talked to people, there seemed to be interest in doing some kind of pop-culture event in Cleveland, but no one had done it."

In March, Raburn joined forces with fellow Cleveland natives Rob Alderman and Ryan Faricelli to create a new event to appeal to collectors. The Cleveland Geekster toy and comic show will take place Saturday, Oct. 4, at The Venue Creekside.

Raburn and his fellow organizers began spreading word about the event in July. They sold out of vendor space before September. On Saturday, 26 vendors will be on-site with about four dozen tables of merchandise, including vintage comics and action figures, classic video games and geek-themed arts and crafts. In addition to having items for sale, Raburn says he's confident some vendors also will be willing to consider purchasing items from collectors.

Geekster is aimed at die-hard collectors, but Raburn says he hopes the event's appeal isn't entirely niche.

"We want collectors, obviously ... but we don't just want hard-core collectors," he says. "We want the people who just want to walk down memory lane and find the things they used to have as a kid. There's a little bit of something for everyone."

Hopefully, Raburn says, the event will attract at least 200 people. And if even one of them walks away having found that special something they've been hunting for years, it will have served its purpose.

"That's what's most important about this," he says, "that people find what they're looking for."

Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6205.

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