Allen Spiegel, art lover and friend. RIP

What a beautifully written tribute, Eric. It's a measure of how he touched our hearts, how much we miss him already. 

A really beautiful tribute, Eric, thanks so much for sharing. 

Terrible news that I can't shake. I'd only known him for 20 years, and like you seeing him and his booth at SDCC was one of the joys of being there, always my first stop. They were always kind to me in those early years as I nervously hung around, left, came back, bringing out boxes of art from underneath the tables and letting me take my time to go through them, whether I bought something or not. It was THE hang out at SDCC. Allen was such a special man. May he rest in peace.

Absolutely!  In those early years (god, I miss those days so much) Allen & Wally's booth was definitely one of my go-to stops.  People have to understand that this was another era.  It was pre-Scott Dunbier, pre-Albert, pre-Burkey, pre-Anthony, and anyone else who came after these guys.  Back then, the three must see art guys were dealer supreme (and my dear friend) Mitch Itkowitz, the Donnelly's, and Allen & Wally.  If I came to the con with $500 bucks, I was practically a millionaire.  The sheer number (and quality) of pieces I could bring home with that money was ridiculous.  Talk about a target rich environment - Mitch, Allen, & Wally had so much good stuff back then that almost every year I was broke after the first day.  Yet for every piece I managed to secure, there were probably 10-20 that I had to pass on.  And I see so many of these in other people's collections today.  Sigh!  I really, really, miss those days.  And Allen was such a huge part of them.  It's a very somber thought knowing that we'll continue to say goodbye to more and more of that generation.  I'm just glad I have so many happy and beautiful memories of my time with wonderful folks like him.  Thanks for the comment my friend.

My condolences to all those that knew him, we always enjoyed going to his booth each year at SDCC.