lou_fine

Have any of these Ebay copies sold? Now, that is definitely a key question to ask? Although sellers can always ask for more money, it doesn't mean that the books are going to necessarily sell at that higher price point.

Owner of CLink wanted to report selectively, not completely. Basically wanted to share a few record breaking transactions instead of everything. Incomplete data is more dangerous than no data, in my opinion. Personally, I feel that Josh and CL are doing a real disservice to the collecting community by not having their auction results included as part of the GPA database. Especially considering that they are one of the Big 3 comic book auction houses out there. And certainly a discredit to his company for wanting to select only certain auction results to be included in the GPA database as this can easily present a false and incorrect impression of the real marketplace. Certainly wish he would reconsider his decision to include CL's auction results as part of the GPA database, but wouldn't hold my breath waiting after all these years.

Does HA have a 6-month deferred payment plan option similar to what CC has? If so, you probably could have turn around and flipped it out yourself for a safe and reasonable profit.

Getting absent-minded here again. What was your rationale then for not bothering to bid or to bid higher on the exact same 8.5 graded copy that sold at HA for only $77K less than a year ago? Especially since the buyer simply turned around and flipped it a few short months later for $155K.

OMFG. OUCH! Nothing to see here. Most likely just a case of a tight grading time period versus a loose grading time period.

Not necessarily the new market baseline because it is not absolute. There are a bunch of books that have set market baselines in the past, but each succeeding sale, the price sold for less than predicted or less than what it last sold for. The record sale prices you pointed out are primarily uber high grades where there are less copies in the census than lower graded copies. What I am seeing is an major uptick in price in practically every grade so far on high and low grades. Don't believe the market has fully accepted those 3 record sales from the last CC auction as the new baseline. This is based upon the fact that there have been a few sales of AF 15's after the last CC auction and if I remember correctly, not a single one of them even came close to matching the CC auction results on a Price Per Point basis. And now that we have the next CC auction with some nice AF 15's in them again, only now are we starting to see record prices again. Not sure if this means it is the quality of the individual AF 15's on a more micro basis, or if is the CC auction house venue on a macro basis, or more than likely, probably a combination of both that are producing the record prices.

Roy; I'll tell you what's absurd. Is it true that the housing market is now so hot in your area that some homes are now even selling for a million dollars over their asking price.

Agreed!! Might not be the best analogy here. I am quite sure that the Hope Diamond is in a class all its own and as a result, probably doing quite well investment wise. The same certainly cannot be said for the diamond market as a whole, since this market has dropped significantly over the past few decades. With the AF 15 market at a red hot fever, it looks like all copies of AF 15 in all condition grades are rising across the board, with this increase not just being limited to the top copies only.

Most probably because those other comic book sites are not as high profile as the 3 major comic book auction sites, especially when it comes to Metro and CC. And as I have stated before, I believe that CC is the market leader at setting record prices when it comes to high in-demand books like AF 15 and the pre-Robin 'Tec books. Most probably due to their long and deep connections in the comic book marketplace which facilitates flushing out books from big established consignors and also having an extensive clientele list with very deep pockets to sell to.

I believe you have answered your own question here. From reading this thread here, it appears that most of the boardies posting here already have a copy (if not more than 1) of this book in their collection. On the other hand, I can say with almost certainty that theses same board members here do not have any copy of either Action 1 or 'Tec 27 in their personal collection.

Yes, seems awful strange that there was apparently never a scan on the CL site for this 9.4 graded copy of Vault of Horror 12. Very peculiar indeed!!!

Your max proxy is not known or visible to any other bidder? Well aware of that, but the chance of having it get there is almost assured if I put it in early. I guess I am just hoping that the book flies under the radar and everybody forgets about it until I can come in at the last second and scoop it up at a bargain price. Of course, although it works with some of the other auctions, it doesn't really work that well with CC's 3-minute extended bidding auction format.

Now that's a pretty sharp looking copy you've got there for a book from way back in 1936. Are any of these early FPS tough to find or are they out there if you search hard and long enough?

then just put in an internet bid with your max bid some time before the auction ends. Yes, but that defeats the whole purpose of my strategy as I don't want to show my hand in advance and it also provides the competing bidders with plenty of time to figure out their next move after they see my max bid in play.

I assume you must really be referring to weird stuff happening at CGC if you are talking about the grading, since CC is not involved with the grading process. If you are referring to the high prices that CC is able to get on their auctions for nicely presenting copies of AF 15's, I don't believe weird is the correct term to be using. I believe it's becoming quite apparent that CC is not only the clear market leader, but also the market maker when it comes to high in-demand books like AF 15's and the pre-Robin 'Tec books.

Very nice looking...to me it looks much better than the one selling at ComicConnect!! Plus I believe the one on ComicConnect has rust on the bottom staple. +1 Not too sure about the possible rust on the bottom staple, but your front cover definitely presents much nicer than the CGC 4.0 copy in the current CC auction.

Definitely a big risk. I know I have been bit by it in the past. Yes, and what really gets me is when the book goes for a lot less than what I was initially intending to bid on the book in the first place.

I am probably wrong in my thinking but the ComicConnect format really plays to bidding at the end as long as you can participate live. Yes, as long as you can remember to come back when it's time to ring the finishing bell on the auction lot you are interested in. The only problem with this strategy is that I remembered on many occasions in the past whereby I was tied up with something else at the auction end time or even completely forgetting all about the auction until it's already over.

Well, from taking a quick look at most of the auction lots so far, I guess most of the potential bidders must still be sitting on the sidelines waiting until it gets much closer to the end of the auction before they place their bids. Especially if you take a look at a couple of the Church Mile Highs there as they are still sitting at only single and double digit dollar amounts right now, even though there's only a total of 10 Mile High's in this auction here.

Was asking you this question in the AF 15 thread over in the SA Forum, but since I was really referring to a GA book, I figure it would be more appropriate here: Let's say the book is a pre-Robin 'Tec and would fall somewhere in the 4.0 to 5.0 condition grade range if not for the rusty staples. Approximately how much would the grade come down if the staples were very rusty and dark brown? In today's marketplace, would the book be worth more as a lower graded unrestored copy with the very rusty staples or would it be worth less or pretty much the same in a higher graded Conserved slab sitting all nice and pretty with replaced vintage staples?

Bought an AF15 in 87 for 1675. Dave Comics in Richmond VA. Supposedly NM, really F+ by today's standards. Was on the front page of the CBG (Comics Buyers Guide). Big time...lol. Still my biggest non-purchasing mistake of all time and one that will not be surpassed. Being offered a HG run of ASM 2 through 10 back in early 1987 or early '88 for only $1K (i.e. significant discount to top of guide) and turning it down after thinking about it for a couple of weeks. A truly classic dim bulb move on my part. All of those key villains first appearances and all because it didn't have the first issue in there.

You think so? Even with rusty staples? Like most issues everyone's opinion differs, but to me rust is comparable to trimming. Something I won't even consider. Any idea if a 4.0 is the highest possible grade for a book that has rusty staples? If you replace the rusty staple with vintage staples from that same time period, would the book then become a GLOD or would it be much worse and fall into the much dreaded PLOD category?

Unless the buyer of the Iron Man #30 also really wants a 9.8 Iron Man #44, I can't imagine any of the books in that list fetching $10K in the near feature. The 9.8 X-Men #79 realized $4211 in 2013 and the 9.8 DD #86 sold for $986 in 2012. The 9.6 X-Men #79s have sold for around $3400 and $2400 There are some highly sought after books in the list, but no keys. And I guess anything is possible because it just takes one aggressive buyer to pay a crazy price for any given book. But I wouldn't hold my breath for any five figure sales from that list. Definitely with you on your last point there. I actually can't figure out how it's possible for 2 extremely aggressive bidders to go that far out as to have the an otherwise common BA book hit $15K in the first place, even though it is the single highest graded copy FOR NOW. But then, to each their own, I guess.

Now, that's a real nice looking copy of Pep 34 with the classic cover that would look good in anybody's collection, especially my own. I guess it must be the PQ that's keeping the grade down.

Those numbers sound right as I remember dreaming about them around this time. And what was FF #1? Slightly more? Ah, yes.......who can forget those rip-roaring heydays of the 1980's, the decade when books just took off like a rocket ship. Ok, not really so much. Yes, 1983 where prices for FF 1 and Adv 247 were as follows: FF 1: Good: $175 / Fine: $550 / Mint: $1,200; and Adv 247 : Good: $85 / Fine: $250 / Mint: $550. Let's fast forward now 4 years later to 1987 so that we can count all of the monies we must have made on these key SA books: AF 15: Good: $120 / Fine: $500 / Mint: $1,200; ASM 1: Good: $100 / Fine: $335 / Mint: $900; FF 1: Good: $130 / Fine: $500 / Mint: $1,250; and Adv 247: Good: $188 / Fine: $565 / Mint: $1,320. OMG , it looks like they haven't done so well except for Adv 247 and in fact, have even drop down in value for the lower grades. Ok, let's go back to 1980 as I am sure we must have made big bundles of money if we had held onto these keys for 7 long years: AF 15: Good: $300 / Fine: $600 / Mint: $900; ASM 1: Good: $200 / Fine: $400 / Mint: $600; FF 1: Good: $200 / Fine: $600 / Mint: $1,000; and Adv 247: Good: $90 / Fine: $180 / Mint: $270. Well, it looks like the Legion fans must have been happy during the 1980's, but probably not so much for the Marvel SA collectors if the performance of their keys are any indication.