Have you ever used the word “memorabilia” to simply mean collectible? The truth is that most memorabilia might be collectible, but lots of collectibles aren’t memorabilia!
The official Oxford definition of the term is: “Objects kept or collected because of their historical interest, especially those associated with memorable people or events.” What does this mean and what does Back to the Past Collectibles handle that is memorabilia?
Items that were signed as a part of an event or location. For example, getting Adam West’s autograph while you were attending Autorama at Cobo Hall in Detroit in 1988! Or grabbing Justin Verlander’s signature on your baseball glove as he was walking off the field during spring training in 2006.
Items connected to historical culture or entertainment events, like publicity stills (photographs), movie posters, press kits for Star Wars, or ticket stubs and programs.
Here’s a sampling of just a few of the types of collectible memorabilia we handle:
“I had a wonderful experience selling some of my vintage toys and comics to Pete and crew at Back to the Past! They were kind to speak with me at length on the phone, schedule a mutually convenient time for drop off, and provided a great offer with a fast turnaround! Even as I’m trying to purge my collection before moving out of state, I couldn’t resist picking up a few new items from their awesome showroom — truly a treasure trove where deals abound!”
“I wanted to take a minute to talk about what a great job you guys did for me recently. I purchased $5,000 worth of books from you guys at a recent auction. Even though I purchased from you before and you’ve always done a great job on shipping, I was rather concerned about getting these books in good condition. I order a lot of graphic novels from auction houses all over the country and I’ve had some issues with other sellers. I received the 20 boxes of books each weighing approximately 35 lbs. I’ve got to tell you this was the greatest packing job I have ever seen. You guys did an amazing job. Every single box of books made it in perfect condition. I can’t thank you enough, I was really sweating it. I will be purchasing more soon. Thank you!”
“We feel so blessed we found you and you were willing to help us out. We feel you all went WAY above and beyond helping us and getting the best prices for everything. We were at our weakest and most vulnerable and you all stepped up to help and protect us as well as make this process so much easier for us. No business takes that kind of risk or cares that much! You all are a HUGE exception!! We felt 100% trust for you and felt so unbelievably lucky that our paths crossed. We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for all your help, support, empathy, kindness, support, and trust. We feel like our brother would have been very happy and honored with how you handled his life’s collection and what you got for it.”
“Thanks for charging such reasonable shipping and handling rates. It’s nice to deal with a company that isn’t trying to gouge folks on the shipping and handling costs… as several others do routinely.”
“I love your auctions and have gotten some great items from you. I hope you have many more auctions of this type coming up this year. Your packing is excellent and I appreciate the items being individually packaged.”
“Got my package today. 4 stars to you and your crew. Everything arrived in Florida just fine. Thanks again for the great service!”
“It’s always an adventure walking into your store. It’s always that odd mystery as to what may be found hiding in the rows of cardboard boxes which hold unimaginable treasure or horror, almost like a great Lovecraft tale.”
“I just want to say thanks’ again for helping me find some issues from DC’s 1987 miniseries Phantom Stranger and DEMON. I was all over town looking for these titles and your store became my hero of the day!”
“Over the last 20 years, I’ve visited tons of comics/pop culture shops in at least 16 states (including over a half dozen in my current area) and Toronto, Canada. I can honestly say that Back to the Past is the best overall location I’ve seen yet. (They’ve ruined me for other stores.)”
“What a great store. As the name implies, they’ve got just about everything retro here, not just comics. Paperbacks, used DVDs, action figures, posters, lunchboxes, vintage magazines… more pop culture ephemera than you can shake a stick at. Dudes are super-friendly, too.”
“The Back to the Past crew never hesitates to discuss topics relating to art, comics, sci-fi, television and all the very essences of fandom with any and all customers that happen to be fortunate enough to straddle through their doors. A great place to escape from boredom and drudgery.”
“The selection of merchandise is vast and keeps growing. This is far more than just your average comic book store. They have a selection of non-comic book, but pop culture-related merchandise that matches, if not exceeds their comic merchandise!”
“Thank you for combining shipping from two auctions. That is a breath of fresh air from an auction company. We appreciate it!”
“Thank you very much for your careful packaging. There was no way the book was going to get damaged during transit!”
“You guys are my absolute favorites to buy from on Proxibid as you have some great auctions, you really know how to pack collectibles safely, and I am consistently impressed with all that you do.”
“I love Back to the Past so much, because of the excellent staff interaction (aka customer service). They have always been friendly, knowledgeable, funny, and fully committed to completing customer requests.”
“Some of the highest grade comics I’ve purchased through a Proxibid auction. Great experience with this auctioneer who is also responsive to e-mail questions. This is how online auctions should be run!”
We offer treasures from both our own warehouse and other consignors from across the country.
Main event auctions are held in our physical showroom (COVID-safety permitting) and are broadcast online via Proxibid.com, so you can attend whether or not you’re from our local neighborhood. Most auction events have a 1-hour inspection and registration window, so you can take your time looking over the lots.
The buzz you’ve heard is real. It’s a lot of fun to attend our onsite live events, so we invite you to come and check it out!
If you’re unable to join us in person on auction day, we highly recommend using Proxibid to place absentee bids and attend online.
In the popular memory, G.I. Joes come in two types: the comic book influenced 3.75” figures and the older, more realistic 12” figures. And while that’s broadly true, it misses a very specific era that linked the two thematically: the 12” Adventure Team figures! G.I. Joe Debuts Fun Fact: Hasbro coined the term “Action Figure”…
Did you grow up watching DuckTales? If you’re a little older, you probably grew up reading the adventures of Donald Duck and family in comic books. Either way, the man most responsible for those childhood memories isn’t Walt Disney. No, Donald Ducks iconic nephews and stingy Uncle Scrooge were the creations of “The Good Ducks…
A gorgeous collection of screen-printed movie posters from Mondo and other boutique pop culture labels is now available in our eBay store! Which may leave you wondering: what exactly is a “Mondo Movie Poster”? Well, the short answer is “art”. For the longer answer, keep reading! The Alamo Drafthouse’s T-Shirt Shop The first Alamo Drafthouse…
If you’re a collector of trading cards, comic books, novels, movie posters, et al, you’ll probably run into the name “Boris Vallejo” at some point. Moreover, you’ll probably run into it as a selling point, a reason why you should give this comic or poster some extra attention. So who the heck is he? Let…
Cool People With Cool Stuff!
When you step into our Wixom headquarters it’s obvious that we possess a relentless passion for vintage treasures. You’ll always find something new in our weekly auctions, and on our eBay store with new inventory listed every week!
If you’re looking to make some cash or do some trading with your comic books, figurines, vinyl, magazines or just about any vintage collectibles or memorabilia, we’d love to meet you.
Come and visit! You’ll feel right at home.
