Malcolm Willets in front of Collectors Book Store's Second Location, Hollywood Blvd. near Highland, 1967-c. 1985

In 1968, the store had changed locations to a very large, upscale former bank building, where the most valuable comic books were kept in a mezzanine protected by wrought iron bars and in the two full-sized bank vaults. A few years later, the vault in the basement had a major water main leak, causing the destruction of many comics. Ultimately, the important comics were transferred to the vault on the ground level, and Leonard moved from the mezzanine to a desk near that vault. That was the set up of the store when my major collecting activities began in the fall of 1977.

Until I moved to Los Angeles to attend Law School, the staff of Collectors Book Store were protected from my enthusiasm for comic-related material by distance. Even after I began to drive, the store was still far enough away that I only went there every few months. Leonard had predicted that I would lose interest in comics once I had a car, but, boy, was he ever wrong. Once I was only living only 10 miles away, I used my car to visit the store two or three Satudays a month.

My increased involvement with Collectors was in part due to the fact that I began to collect animation art soon after I moved to L.A. I was still collecting comic books -- a Batman in the no. 20s could still be had for $25, and the monthly Collectors Showcase auctions were drawing out new material on consignment. The auctions also resulted in my having interests in more areas of comic art, in particular comic strip originals, due to being exposed to more types of art through the auction catalogues.