Happy 60th, Steve Borock!

From everyone on the Overstreet team at Gemstone Publishing, we’d like to wish a happy 60th birthday to ComicLink’s Steve Borock.

Beginning when he was a teenager setting up at the late Phil Sueling’s Monthly Market Place in New York City in the 1970s, Borock has been active in the hobby in a multitude of roles. While he’s probably best known for serving as CGC’s first Primary Grader and later founding CBCS, that’s just part of his story.

In his 20s, he became a high-grade comic collector, starting out with Silver and Bronze Age issues before expanding to Golden Age. His collection includes examples from the Edgar Church (Mile High), Reilly, Gaines File, and other pedigrees. In 1995 he set a record price when he purchased the Church copy of More Fun Comics #52 (the first appearance of The Spectre) for a then-unheard-of $115,000.

His grading skills and experience in restoration detection coupled with his knack for diplomacy and his passion for the hobby landed him at CGC in the company’s very early days.

After his time at CGC, he went on to become a Senior Consignment Director at Heritage, where he landed a number of high-profile collections. He contributed to a significant expansion of the market for modern original comic art when he landed the Miracleman art and the “Shamus Masterpieces” collection, which included original Todd McFarlane art.

When he departed Heritage, Borock said he saw the need for another third party independent grading service, so he launched CBCS. The firm was eventually acquired by Beckett.

Following his tenure at CBCS, he helped MyComicShop.com develop their new original art program. Family matters, though, took him from Texas back to Florida. That created the opportunity for him to join ComicLink as a Senior Consignment Director, where he has already started replicating the success he’s had previously.

Through each of these stages, he’s been a tireless promoter of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, its legacy and its vital role in the hobby. He has remained an advocate for contributing to and participating with the Guide. Being observant folks by nature, this is something of which our team has taken note.

“Happy Birthday, Steve Borock! Whether as a comic book collector, a comic art enthusiast, a grading pioneer, or selling comics at the highest level, Steve has been active in both the hobby and the business of comics in a variety of roles for years. During the different phases of his life there have been at least two constants no matter what his position: his love for comics and original art always shows through, and his support for the Guide and our efforts to get the right information out there always echoes in his comments,” said Robert M. Overstreet, author and publisher of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide.