If collectibles are your thing, then New Jersey Collector Fest has got you covered! After a brief pause during quarantine, Collector Fest made a big comeback on October 18 inside the Wayne PAL with nearly 100 tables of vendors & artists. It was an entire day chock-full of treasure hunting with masks & social distancing rules in effect, too. So let’s take a look at all that happened and be sure to check out the full photo gallery online as well as the video at the end of this article!
Collector Fest always has a comprehensive selection of vendors specializing in a variety of collectibles and this year’s event was no exception! Here’s just some of what was available: action figures, Hess trucks, Transformers, jewelry, apparel, Matchbox, prop replicas, statues, Beanie Babies, video games, Barbie dolls, and wrestling toys.
And as always, plenty of Funko Pops were for sale by multiple vendors!
Collector Fest is also great for kids! This year we saw a bunch of families shopping together, and some fun cosplay too. And with the holidays right around the corner, it was the perfect opportunity to score a great deal on that elusive toy you’ve been unsuccessful in finding at Target or Walmart.
A lot of fan-favorite local vendors were around to offer their latest offerings. Known for the Travel Channel show Toy Hunter (with Jordan Hembrough), Steve Savino had his own booth of vintage goodies and chatted with fans & collectors. Custom action figure maker Monster Mash was also back, showing off some modified McFarlane Toys Batmobiles and new Avengers Endgame figures:
But this year, comic books & comic art were especially a big draw. With several comic book vendors like Mike Carbonaro (of Big Apple Comic Con) and NRG Comics selling key issues, CGC slabbed books, and other rarities, as well as over a dozen comic book artists, New Jersey Collector Fest was its own mini comic con!
Not only were there renowned artists like Rudy Nebres, Ray Lago, Larry Stroman, and Keith Williams, but awesome local talent as well like Bun Leung, The Art Of CFatt, Arash Zandieh of Evolution Comics, and Christian Espiritusanto.
Christian, along with his writer Paul Newnam, was promoting his creator-owned comic Warrior Amongst Realms issue #3 as well as selling prints and original sketches that you could take home.
In fact, many of the artists at Collector Fest were sketching up brand new drawings for fans to take home, or had some already set to go! Even headlining guests Keith Williams (who I asked to sign 2 of his classic Spider-Man comics) & Larry Stroman were offering quick day-of sketches:
But what made New Jersey Collector Fest 2020 stand out this time around was the incredible celebrity lineup: Edward Furlong (Terminator 2), Taimak (The Last Dragon), Tony Daniels (Tony The Tiger), Joseph D’Onofrio (Goodfellas), Christopher Atkins (The Blue Lagoon)… just to name a few!
Fans were lining up to meet their favorite stars and grabbing autographs & selfies for an additional cost. Some brought their own items to get signed, while others opted for the photos available on the celebrities’ tables. What a blast!
It was incredible seeing the venue bustling with energy all day as collectors made their way through the show floor or engaging in socially distanced conversation with one another. You could tell that an event like this, where fans of the hobby are able to unite, was exactly what they’ve been craving while staying at home.
And with all that New Jersey Collector Fest has to offer each time, the fun never really ends! The next Collector Fest is aiming for a Spring 2021 show in March or April and there’s bound to be even more amazing collectibles next time around. So be sure to keep an eye out on their Facebook page so that you can score VIP tickets for early entry next time! And don’t forget to check out the photo gallery as well as the video recap below:
LesDudis 
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