mackenzie999

The butcher cover I actually had for quite awhile before realizing what it was (it was a paste-over copy). I had another dealer literally follow me all the way to my car haranguing me to sell him the cards. Funny story on the cards: I asked how much, and they said $5. I said each? disappointed that I couldn't buy them all. They looked confused for a minute then said ok two bucks for the whole box. I have a ton of other success stories like this, but at some point around 1980 or so all the flea markets ended up being 99.9% resellers of household products or cheap new knickknacks and stuff like that so I stopped going.

The books look far too similar to me in terms of wear, color, etc. Guy who made them kept his technique a little too consistent. It'd be more believable if one were a bit more trashed than the other.

This is in addition to all the new relatives you never knew you had that would appear once the story got out that you hit the jackpot.

Isn't the fundamental appeal of yard sales and flea markets that stuff can be had cheaply? I think if the seller can't be bothered to determine the value of his wares he gets what he deserves when selling. I wish everyone would post the prices they paid, that to me is a huge part of the appeal of these very fun stories, but I get why they don't. I bought a gorgeous Beatles butcher cover for a buck. I bought a box of Tops baseball cards from the 50s with multiples of all the big stars for two bucks. And plenty of other amazing deals as well. These are awesome stories and the price is, to me at least, a big part of it. BTW, these scores were back in the 70's when stuff like this was much more common. Still have the record; the cards paid for a year of study abroad.

The operative words here are "any of us." This particular group (mostly) seem to be far better informed and have better judgment than your average collector or non-collector who comes into some comics. A sizable % of people who win the lottery eventually end up worse off because they didn't know how to manage their windfall. That doesn't mean I believe the guy who has the books, although there is a small chance that he believes it.

I'm pretty sure there are three Tec27's under a shirt in there too.

Is it fair to assume the OP should have had prior knowledge of PGX's reputation? I belong to a couple of Facebook comics groups and there aren't enough hours in the day to correct the ignorance of PGX's "standards" there. Isn't it perfectly reasonable for him to assume he is getting a complete book unless otherwise stated? As far as chain of custody goes, that's a tricky one, kind of like discovering you were given a counterfeit bill in your change. Although imperfect, I think responsibility can be shifted to the source; I buy it from a dealer, I shift it to them. If they have records they can pursue the person they acquired it from, all the way back to whoever subbed it in the first place. The lesson here is keep good records for significant purchases. As far as the cracked slab goes, I view that as a wrapper the book came in; many people crack upon receipt and that is not unreasonable, in fact it's the only way to discover the book was damaged. I'd say the OP is owed his refund, and if the seller is hell-bent on having it slabbed by PGX he could deduct those costs from the refund. Kind of an uncool move but I'd allow that if I had been the OP. My apologies if these sentiments have already been expressed, I have read most but not all of this thread.

Exactly. Thank you for saving me the trouble of writing this.

First appearance anywhere, or in comics?

He'll probably let someone walk with the book for the initial $2,500 down payment and a promise to pay in full over time, letting himself be scammed by a would-be scammer. Water finds its own level.

Believe it and be happy! That seems like a great price for a great looking IH1.

I have found three of them at yard sales and flea markets. Back in the '70s.

Sellers who make these kinds of claims are relying on buyer ignorance, and that's not a bad bet if you're the deceitful type.

Thanks for these. I had heard there was some sort of warehouse find of FF48 but never knew the details. I'm assuming this is one and the same. I loooove stories like this.

I would say the returnee has a good case, because it was listed as "CGC 8.5" although typically the grade would be considered "CGC 8.5/Restored." That being said, the info is there if you dig a little so this is also on the buyer somewhat.

I never understood the appeal of this book. I hoarded it when it came out (maybe 25 copies?) but I remember thinking it was pretty bad at the time. I was a huge SW geek then too.

I was going to say that what you are missing is part of your book, but since you didn't buy it I guess I can't. Congrats on the non-purchase! Also, I have a nearly identical, non-trimmed copy; hopefully this represents FMV and I can expect a nice value bump!

Where are you located? I'd love to check this out

This was in Boston??!! Son of a....

Damn, I'm scouring the threads for some four year old AF15 and FF1 deals!

My favorite of the entire series (so far)

Two-sided frame. Scan on one side, original on the other. Scan is what's usually on display so original gets no exposure; flipped over for original on display for gatherings, personal enjoyment, or whenever.

I have purchased two mid grade ToS 39's...one for $1,400 (CGC 4.0) and one for $10 ($10 was a very long time ago, probably a CGC 6-7)

https://m.facebook.com/thecabot/photos/a.996234633725782.1073741828.988301331185779/2185629531452947/?type=3&source=48

Assuming that's not some sort of shilly shenanigans, that would be one hell of a mail day when those arrive