Wayne-Tec

16 minutes ago, Jaydogrules said:

Your points are well taken and I agree with them for the most part.  

Let me throw something at you though and see what you think (and I made a similar point about second printings in the modern forum):

Okay so the vast majority of the appeal of Marvel Comics 1 is that it's the "first Marvel Comic".  That's what the "october" is.

But is the second printing of it also that ?  Regardless of how old it is now? My opinion is, no.

-J.

Because it's the same cover (sans month stamp), same interior stories, hitting newsstands prior to Marvel Mystery Comics #2, I'd say yes.

True, if we had a way to know that an OCT copy was the 322nd one off the press and a NOV copy was the 10,109th copy off the press, I'd definitely prefer the 322nd copy. But I'd also prefer the 20th copy over the 322nd copy and wouldn't put the 322nd copy in a different tier either.

It's place as the first issue of Marvel Comics remains, its order off the press is different, but not by a margin wide enough to make it feel like a different book IMO.

Second printings that hit newsstands shortly after the first printing, or at least before the next issue in the series, are what they are. The differential, visually, between OCT and NOV copies is negligible, but still noticeable. For aesthetics and the desirability of an earlier printing, there has been a slight bump for the former, which makes sense.

Marvel #1 is nearly 80 years old, nearly 30,000 days old. If a copy of a book 30,000 days old was printed 30 days after the original, you get the kind of FMV differential we've seen between OCT/NOV copies.

16 minutes ago, N e r V said:

There was a cover less copy on eBay they kept dropping the price on. Last I saw it was 7k with a CGC NG slab. Other than that there was a CGC 3.0 sold by Heritage last November for 77k.

Years ago, I kept hearing how dead Marvel #1 was. Respect for it being a grail of yesteryear, but an "old timers" key featuring non-players.

I would love to have a Marvel #1, in any condition. If I had 7K to drop on a coverless copy, I'd consider it. Sadly, I don't. 

1 hour ago, Bigsexy said:

Marvel comics 1 entry price?

Hey all, I was wondering what the entry graded value of marvel comics 1 was? Unrestored and restored, thanks 

Depends on what grade you consider to be entry level: coverless, 1.0?

I have spoken with the comic book shops in Memphis, who took down my contact information in the event that they see it come through their doors. You never know when or where it will turn up. I am incredibly thankful to everyone for their support.

Does anyone know what style of gas mask Sandman uses in Adventure Comics #40, and what the inspiration was to have the character wear one?

1 hour ago, kav said:

Did your claim ever come thru @Wayne-Tec?

They wouldn't reimburse me for any more than $100 + the cost of shipping.

14 hours ago, porcupine48 said:

2 hours ago, TeddieMercede said:

I don't think this is an apt comparison of More Fun 51's house ad for the Spectre and NY World's Fair 1939 and how it features the Sandman.  Don't get me wrong Adventure 40 is a cool book with a nice cover but I think the lessening in popularity of it is due to a couple different factors including the usage/popularity of this version of the Sandman and the decision you have to make if you're searching for his earliest appearance inside a comic. 

It's the old Action #23 vs. Superman #4 debate pertaining to the 1st app. of Lex Luthor. The latter hit newsstands first, but Action #23 followed quickly, containing Luthor's first story appearance.

NYWF 1939, being a book on-sale at the Wolrd's Fair, is a bit different than a traditional comic book, and it contains the Sandman's 2nd story appearance.

Has anyone seen my Lost/Stolen Action Comics #1 CGC Slabbed Page?

Hey guys,

Nearly a year ago. in July 2016, FedEx lost my Action Comics #1 page (CGC Universal 7th page).

It was last tracked to their hub in Memphis, Tennessee.

You can read about it here in the original thread: LINK

I was wondering if anyone has seen this page pop up anywhere: eBay, craigslist, local comic shops, etc.? This page was the centerpiece of my collection, the last thing I'd ever want to lose and not a day goes by where I don't wonder where it is and if I'll ever have it returned to my collection. If anyone has any information, please let me know.

Thanks!

9 hours ago, Sqeggs said:

It's all a matter of opinion, of course, but I would say that all of those other books you list are more appealing to the average collector than is Adventure 40.  Suspense 3 and Fantastic 3 are near the top of most people's list of favorite GA covers.  The other books have characters that have more relevance to the current day than does the Sandman as he's depicted in Adventure 40.

Most Fawcett books aren't super hot, even those with Mac Raboy covers that a few of us love, but, again, the Fawcett Captain Marvel has more current relevance than does the Sandman.

You never know which books will suddenly heat up, but I'd be surprised if we see a significant run up of prices for Adventure 40.

I think More Fun #52 is starting to heat up, but correct me if I'm mistaken. That book has a lot in common with Adventure #40: not technically the "1st" appearance, but the first cover appearance on a classic cover of a book that has seen fewer than 50 copies slabbed by CGC.

Neither the Spectre nor the Sandman are current popular favorites, but both have gritty roots, with dark incarnations published post-GA.

Some have put down All-American #16's potential due to it being Alan Scott, not Hal Jordan. Of course, at least the name "Green Lantern" is present there. Same logic can be applied to Flash Comics #1, which saw a 0.5 Voldemort copy reach nearly $10,000 on eBay recently.

Clearly, early Actions and Pre-Robin Tecs remain as strong as ever. But the 1st appearances of other D.C. heroes, even those without modern day popularity, have a lot of potential IMO.

20 minutes ago, Jaydogrules said:

That question (if it was a question) is already answered by Cap's connection to the Avengers and the fact that he is Marvel's only real (or most significant) GA holdover, whereas DC has multiple GA holdovers. 

-J.

Those connections are definitely pluses. The Avengers brand is strong and Cap is easily the most popular Marvel holdover from the GA. Still, The Avengers have not always been as popular as they are now, and even I, a fan of the team and someone who enjoys the films, still don't hold their MCU incarnations in the highest regard. The MCU, IMO, lowers their ceiling to cash in on humor. The result is a collection of enjoyable, fun films that, at least to me, fall short of their potential. In comparison to superhero films of the 1990s, they're a glowing success and you can't argue with the box office numbers, still, I don't see them holding up strong as they age over the next 10-30 years. Will we see other, even better incarnations that only serve to further boost Cap's popularity? It's a definite possibility. But I don't think Cap's staying power is a slam dunk guarantee either. Hard to find a book much better than Cap #1, but for the reasons I stated earlier, I think Superman #1 is one of the very few.

23 hours ago, twmjr1 said:

Again, I think Cap 1 could surpass Bat 1 eventually.  I could even see it passing Supes 1 and ending up the #3 book in the hobby at some point.

The two biggest hurdles there, IMO, are scarcity and the staying power of Cap's popularity. He's red hot now, and he's always been iconic, but his rise in recent years has been boosted by the success of his portrayal in the MCU. I'm a fan of all 3 Cap films, but I'm not confident that they'll be beloved 10, 20, 30 years from now. They were the first fresh, convincing depictions of the character on the big screen, but I'm not sure they were much more than that.

Superman's popularity has been up and down without question, but his historical impact is immortal. Superman is part of this country's history, not just in the fictional comic book universe, but in the real world. This message board itself wouldn't exist without Superman, I'm pretty sure it would without Captain America.

It's important to note, the significance of Superman #1 being the first comic book dedicated to the exploits of a single superhero character. That was a monumental step, signifying that one character alone could sell a book and that one character's popularity trumped the "variety" provided in anthology titles. Imagine going to a club that only played songs by whoever the most popular musician is these days. People would want variety right? But in this case, Superman could sell himself. Uncharted territory for the superhero genre. 

Superman #1 also features the 1st appearance of the Kents, an expanded origin, the "scientific explanation of Superman's powers" and newly illustrated pages completing the story told in Action Comics #1. If Superman #1 was "just" reprints of Action #1-4, you could knock it on those grounds. But there's nearly as much "new material" in Superman #1 as there is Wonder Woman content in All-Star Comics #8...so you can toss the "reprint" knock out the window.

If I had, say $250,000, set aside to buy the best conditioned copy of either book, for FMV, I'd feel more confident in the age, scarcity and historical significance of Superman #1 than I would in the classic cover, incredible illustrations and red hot wave of Cap #1.

If the 1st appearance of Captain America was in Marvel Mystery Comics #9 (very cool cover in its own right, like AS #8), but his 2nd appearance was in Cap #1 with the classic cover, which book would be more valuable?

There are GA books that derive 99% of their value from the front cover alone (Suspense Comics #3, Fantastic Comics #3). How often do you hear collectors rave about the "stories" found in Suspense Comics #3? You could almost substitute the inferior with blank paper.

So if a book has a classic cover + the 2nd appearance, how should it stack up vs. the 1st appearance of a character not featured on the cover? There are other covers in the All-Star Comics lineup that are at least comparable to the cover of AS #8, how are they doing? Personally, I really like AS #8's cover, but I think it's more a matter of the interior content motivating people to love the exterior cover.

Collector's are inconsistent. Sometimes covers account for 99% of the desirability, other times, we value the content found within. There's a lot of bandwagon-mentality sometimes. If 100 GA collectors who knew nothing of current trends were told Sensation #1 was the more valuable book of the two, for the reasons others have stated, I bet 75 of them would desire a Sensation #1 more. Same vice versa.

15 hours ago, G.A.tor said:

Been a declining  book for years 

Declining as in value going down, like we saw with the realized price for the 3.5 on CL? Or declining in the sense that the value isn't increasing at the same rate as say, Batman books?

5 years from now, do you expect to get copies of Adventure #40 for more or less than the cost of getting one today?

14 hours ago, Sqeggs said:

It's hard for me to see this book ever ascending to the level of the some of the other DC GA keys.  The Sandman just doesn't have much resonance with collectors these days, imo. I think in many ways it's only considered a key because fandom considered it a key in ye olden days. 

Not that I wouldn't mind owning a nice copy! 

It's a desirable book now for the same reasons it was years ago, but I agree as it pertains to younger collectors who will eventually dictate the market, it has less going for it than cool Batman books. Same too would then have to be said of More Fun Comics #52, Suspense Comics #3, Fantastic Comics #3, most Fawcett books, All-Star Comics #3, etc. books that don't feature characters with considerable modern relevance like Batman and Captain America.

As time moves on, I expect the next wave of collectors to have more appreciation for comic book roots than most would think, but we'll see.

14 minutes ago, Riddler said:

congrats on the book!  It's a great looking copy.

I dropped out of the bidding on this one once I struck a deal for a 1.5 with a fellow boardie.

I've been saying, for many, many years that Detective Comics #33 has some of the greatest potential there is amongst GA books. The historical significance of Batman's origin is impossible to overstate. If 0.5 copies are now pushing five-figures, that may finally be coming to fruition. 

3 hours ago, 1koko said:

My old copy

 

 

Beautiful book.

On May 17, 2017 at 5:06 PM, KirbyJack said:

It surprises me to hear that.

I'd choose Adventure 40 over any other DC 1st app., with three exceptions; Action 1, Detective 27, or Flash 1.

This is a bit of old-school mentality, but I dig it. Outside of the obvious Top-2, Adventure Comics #40, More Fun Comics #52, Flash Comics #1 and All-American Comics #16 have a lot to offer.

On May 30, 2017 at 9:05 PM, dylanthekid said:

What do you guys think of the Adventure 40 cgc 3.5 that sold for 10.5k at comiclink tonight? It sounds cheap? Am I wrong?

It's a reasonable price relative to the growth we've seen in some other GA keys over the past year. In one sense, spending five-figures on any book indicates a strong interest. The majority of DC GA books wouldn't touch five-figures in 3.5 condition. So for every knock one could come up with: it being a lesser known superhero, NYWF 1939 being the true "first appearance", etc. clearly, the book is retaining interest. In comparison to More Fun Comics #73, All-Star Comics #8...we're not seeing anything close to that kind of growth. Books can be streaky and it doesn't take much for them to take off.

Golden Age books are special for a multitude of reasons. As a DC/Timely collector, there's a lot of history and a lot of modern day connections that make the character's original incarnations incredibly desirable. It can be argued that, collectively, the modern day Marvel and DC Universes are two of the most successful outlets for creative fictional characters. Spanning from film to television to merchandise, they're as popular as ever and their popularity has remained strong throughout most of the decades since their introduction. If you download an Batman app on your iPhone, buy a Captain America t-shirt or toss up some money to watch a LEGO film about these characters, you can trace it all back to the 1930s and 1940s. Story-wise and artistically, the Golden Age has a lot to offer as well. Throw in the scarcity of some of the most desirable issues and you have the perfect combination for drifting towards this era for comic collecting.

On 5/3/2017 at 1:34 AM, shadroch said:

 

Is Superman 1 the first time a comic book story is reprinted?  I've never read the original but isn't it a retelling of Action #1 plus reprints of Action 2 and 3?

 

I wouldn't sell it , except maybe for a house.

Superman #1 reprints Action Comics #1-4, replacing the beginning of Action #1's origin story with new art and new dialog.  Most notable here is the 1st app. of "Ma" and "Pa" Kent, who were not in Action #1.

The "reprint" component begins with Superman bringing the woman to the Governor's estate.

There is a page dedicated to the scientific explanation of Superman's powers, which is also new material.

The cover image was swiped from the splash of Action Comics #10, but nevertheless, became one of the most iconic images in comic book history.

Many incorrectly label Superman #1 as "just a collection of reprints", but it was so much more. As the very first comic book devoted to the exploits of a single "superhero" character, it marked a pivotal point in the evolution of the medium.

Anybody else with scans/photos they'd like to share?

Gator, how much would a blue label 1.0 with solid PQ sell for?