Majestic Collectibles is owned and operated by Cordell Wabeke as the sole proprietor. His love of comic books began as a child when his dad would buy them and his mom encouraged them as a love of reading. The business actually had its beginnings when he started selling comic books part time at the age of 16 at a store in his small town and through mail order.
In 1994, he opened Majestic Comics and Coins as a retail store in partnership with his dad who was retired. In addition to the physical store front in Storm Lake, Iowa, they sold through flea markets and industry specific shows and setup each year at the Buena Vista County Fair. As the internet was becoming available to the general public, a platform called AuctionWeb was developed to bring buyers and sellers together in an online marketplace. Majestic began using this in as a way to expand its reach in May 1997 – just 4 months before it was renamed eBay.
The business expanded its collectibles offerings to include Lionel and MTH model trains along with role playing and sports trading cards. Some of the many articles about the shop from the local Pilot Tribune newspaper.
A holiday favorite was the Lionel train set displayed at Santa’s Castle and the annual Festival of Trees in Storm Lake.
In 2001, the coin shop portion remained in Storm Lake when the comic book portion relocated to the metro Des Moines, Iowa area. Inventory was sold through the Majestic Lion Antique Mall and online sales continued through eBay. In 2014, when his dad finally retired the coin business, the name was changed to Majestic Collectibles. Selling is mostly still done online through eBay along with a booth or two at The Brass Armadillo Antique Mall in Des Moines (after Majestic Lion owners retired and sold the building). You can also still find Cordell at various conventions, flea markets, and shows. His experience is vast in selling, grading, talking about and enjoying comic books. Contact him if you have questions or also want to talk about the fascinating world of collectible comic books.