Topnotchman

Comic stores between 1978 and 1988, it was common that they had Silver Age collections walking in the door once or twice a week. Out of those collections within a years time just say the mega 500 comic stores could of scored 1-3 copies of an AF 15. With a ratio of 75 collections in a year with just 3% containing an AF 15, that would be 2 copies per store. So that would make 500 stores with 2 copies each, or 1,000 copies a year, for a decade, 10,000 copies. You can also add in smaller comic shops, CBG mail order dealers, convention dealers. That gets you through the bulk years of when original owner Silver Collections were recycled into the back issue market. You than have the decade of the 1990's when Silver collections thinned out dramatically. Its not that AF 15 didn't trade, just much less frequent than the previous decade due to the lower volume of original owner Silver Collections coming to market. You also have the 2000 to current where some shops don't see but one or two Silver collections in a years time. So did Silver collections all of a sudden become scarce? No, they just are not for sale in the same ratio as they were from the late 70's through the 80's. So is AF 15 all of a sudden scarce. No, it just does not come up for sale at the same ratio as it did from the late 70's through the 80's. When collectors forked out $50-$300 for a low grade copy the 80's, they absolutely did not throw it away, its still in a bag and board, in box in there collection, not for sale.

In the 80's many of the established comic shops were getting multiple silver age collections walking in the door weekly. Silver age comics were around 20 years old at the time. Only a portion of the comic collections contained an AF 15, but those Silver Age comics were resold to collectors in the 1980's and many are still in that current collection. The number of AF 15's that were recycled to there second owner is a staggering number. I would estimate at least 20% of the initial print run is still in collections today. Minimum 20K copies.

This is spot on folks.

Ebay sales 9.8 Blue label Star Wars #1 1/31 $1704.00 paid and shipped 2/2 $1575.00 paid and shipped 2/4 $1875.00 paid and shipped 2/18 $1825.00 paid and shipped 2/26 $1540.00 paid and shipped 2/27 $1750.00 paid and shipped How do I know, one was mine and I personally emailed each seller of the other copies. They all were paid and shipped. Some were buy it now, some were auction. Will it hold up, depends on how many copies surface. The days of the $500.00 dollar 9.8 are in the rear view mirror.

Just made a call to an old friend of mine who was full time in the business back in the late 70's. When Star Wars 1 came out the newsstand distributors would of sold them via bundle's. A company like Seagate would of sold them to comic stores in some type of boxes. There were remainders on the back issue market from both types of distribution. At the time DC was canceling Kirby fourth world titles with 150K print run. Star Wars 1 print run was well above a DC cancelation title.

Move this back where Harley belongs

I still have 192 pre screen Modern and Value tiers comics received in October that have not shipped yet.

I have 343 comics on 15 orders that were verified in October with the oldest dates at 10/14.

Yes out of print trade paperbacks were a gold mine, probably my best seller ever was the Crow TPB. I bought out all available publisher remainder stock at $3.00 per book, around 1,000 copies, essentially cornering the market. You could not get the trade at your comic store as the property was in legal limbo for at least a half a decade. The originals comics were just not available at my price point. They sold like hot cakes at $15.00 or higher. Goes back to my original point, books would sell on Ebay as long as you were offering a book that was difficult to find, or you had the only available copy at that given time when people searched.

I was an active seller in the early Ebay days 1998-2001, I was among only a handful of comic sellers who got to the landmark 10,000 feedback list. I can confirm that Marvel and DC superheroes from the 80's and 90's was dead as a doornail on Ebay. There was a lot of supply listed for sale, often 10-20 copies of any popular first appearance at any given time. Trying to get $5.00 was about all you could get, because there were more copies being listed as quickly as the auctions would end. Buyers had there choices, there was no rush to increase bids. So as a seller I thought outside the box and listed almost exclusively oddball lower print independents, not junk Image, Valiant, Malibu etc. I did completed searches and if there were no copies available I would list them at $5.00 and I had a sell though of 60-70%. I ran 50-100 auctions per week. I do remember a wack of around 30 copies of GI Joe 1 in vf I got $10.00 per book, but there were GI Joe toy collectors who were fighting for that book along with comic collectors. Some better sellers were DC presents 47, if you described it as first Masters of Universe you could get $20.00 or more, if you just typed DC Comics presents 47 you might of only gotten a buck or two. Toy collectors were willing to pay more than a comic collector who was patient. The savy sellers knew how to use keywords to maximize there exposure. When Ebay created fixed price stores allowing data base warehouse sellers to post tens of thousands of listings at a buck or two a book. That completely wiped out my business model. However I've observed around me and thought ahead of the curve by changing and evolving my business model every year. What I'm going to be doing in 2015 is drastically different than what I was doing in 2013.

Yes that'll happen when the refs miss a bunch of blatant personal fouls. -J. Than security escorted him out of the stadium

This thread is like a Football game. A stadium full of fans watching and enjoying the show. Players in the game making moves and scoring touchdowns. Some cheerleaders on the sidelines with pom poms. Then there's one guy yelling obscenities and throwing snowballs onto the field.

Unfortunately the shilling is real too. ComicLink auctions are harder to shill though. As we have seen, bogus ebay sales are what largely spike GPA, and the market follows (for awhile at least). And speaking of shilled ebay auctions....same bidder running up both auctions here: How about you just come out and say the entire back issue market is driven by Shilling. That way it will save you the time of linking your suspicious auctions and everyone else won't have to wade through all your comments. Your entitled to your opinion, but its gotten to the point of exhaustion and its driving me away from the boards in a negative way. http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=251801797684&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2565 http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=141546795507&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2565 Buyer beware. -J. How about you just come out and say the entire back issue market is driven by Shilling. That way it will save you the time of linking your suspicious auctions and everyone else won't have to wade through all your comments. Your entitled to your opinion, but its gotten to the point of exhaustion and its driving me away from the boards in a negative way. Feel free to create your own thread about your suspicions. That way you don't thread *spoon* this one.

I sold multiple 9.8 copies for $100.00 a pop before the hype. Well if you consider 2009 not to long ago.

Green label/qualified grade. Its a blue. Books manufactured with one staple get blue. No label note. correct Blue no notation

I hope so. I have the confidence to put all chips in (thumbs u

Breaking News folks The economy is getting better, gas is getting cheaper and people are spending money. This is going to be a good year for selling comics.

They have shipped all my August books so that month is cleared out. However I have a value order from July 17th still at graded. I called and the guy who answered the phone said he was going to go look into why it was still at graded.

Excited to pick up this copy

Mike has tightly graded books, very satisfied with my first of many future dealings. Shipped within 24 hours and packaged like fort Knox.

Must be a preview of something else inside. It's actually the first published part of From Hell. I remember that from over a decade ago, now its a spec book.

January 20th you'll get your books back.

If I see the Whites turning to cream on the covers, than I would pass on the CR/OW. If the covers look sharp than its does not bother me much.

I had several orders go to 11/5 shipping last night, it appears to be an evening shift doing some boxing.