When the word got out on May 30, 2018 that Diamond Comic Distributors President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Geppi had made a multi-million dollar donation of over 3,000 items from his personal collection of comics and pop culture memorabilia to the Library of Congress, the news went from local to national to international almost right away.

As most Scoop readers are well aware, for almost 12 years the items that comprise his gift to the nation resided at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum (GEM) in Baltimore’s historic Camden Yards sports complex. Among the featured pieces making their way to the Library of Congress will be Big Little Books, Beatles memorabilia, a collection of flicker rings popularizing comic book characters and political figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., R.F. Outcault’s The Yellow Kid printing blocks, and the No. 2 Brownie camera model F from Eastman Kodak Company.

And of course a sterling collection of comic books and original comic art. 

Over its lifespan, GEM hosted special exhibits and events for all types of pop culture fans. Here we present some of our favorite photos taken at GEM. From the Grand Opening to Milestones: African Americans in Comics, Pop Culture and Beyond, from Steve Epting Originals: Captain America and The Winter Soldier to Little Heroes, and from Matt Crandall’s spectacular Alice in Wonderland exhibit to the final day, here’s a brief look at GEM through the years.

We’ll have more in the coming weeks, too.