Black_Adam

27 minutes ago, dupont2005 said:

Sounds a whole lot like people buying Crates of Youngblood #1 instead of a nice EC 

My point exactly. I have a (maybe misguided) suspicion that the bulk of buyers driving up the cost of Avengers #684 are doing so not because they love this new Immortal Hulk character, but because they think the book will shoot up in value (netting them a tidy profit). As always, time will tell. 

Man, I'd sure love to be in Scarlett Johansson's bracket 

Grades in!

15 minutes ago, justafan said:

I recall those card collecting days but I remember it differently. I wasn't ignoring the vintage Mickey Mantles, or Roger Maris or Nolan Ryan rookie cards.  I wanted them sooo badly. I just couldn't afford to buy them at 50k, 20k, or even 5k and nor could my father.  What we could afford was that $50-200 specialty card or other more modern rookies.  I didn't chase the specialty cards but it didn't stop my dad from overpaying for a Ricky Henderson rookie card for my birthday because he was one of my favorite players at the time. 

I think that's why the demand for those modern comics backissues exist. most new collectors can't afford the GA or SA comics they really want but they still want to get into the game because they feel they missed out or were born in the wrong decade. so they pay for and chase what they can afford and get a high when they make a good buy, snag a deal or flip and like a junkie look to keep doing so. 

A $200 modern may not seem great compared to a key SA book but it's price sure is compared to a 2nd mortgage for the SA copy.

I think some modern collectors might be surprised what $200 will get them when it comes to the Silver Age. I just bought a CGC 9.4 Fantastic Four Annual #7 with White pages - a fifty year old comic - for $100 on the boards For Sale thread yesterday.

Keys always command a premium but there is a ton of great secondary stuff available at very, very affordable prices, and I honestly believe in 30 years time many of them will be far more desirable than any of the stuff being printed today.

29 minutes ago, oakman29 said:

I wanna know how that giant size Conan was a 9.0.

I concur. I thought it an 8.0 at best.

CGC's grading lately is looser than Winnie the Pooh's pants.

6 minutes ago, DavidTheDavid said:

I hope it doesn’t indicate cash flow problems.

Focused auction starting tonight so they'll be flush with cash soon! 

3 minutes ago, DavidTheDavid said:

You hadn’t gotten January either? Ugh. I’ll see how long my February focused checks takes. I may have to switch auction houses. So far I’ve never waited more than five weeks.

In the past it has only taken six weeks or so. And that's up here in Canada where mail is delivered by dogsled across the frozen tundra. The current situation is highly irregular and, I hope, short lived.

Double rainbow bullseye for me! It can only get worse from here! 

1 minute ago, Ride the Tiger said:

How are you all coming up with your scores? I thought you would just have 1 number.

Total WINS and LOSSES

Spot on= 3 wins
Within .5= 2 wins
Not within .5 = 1 loss
Not within 1= 2 losses

Bonus= The third spot on grade will be granted 1 bonus win, fourth= 2 bonus wins, fifth through tenth= 3 bonus wins.

Sckao's explanation:

If you are spot on, you will get THREE WINS
If you are within and including .5, you will get TWO WINS

If you are .6 to 1.0 OFF, you will get ONE LOSS
If you are over 1.0 OFF, you will get TWO LOSSES

People with THREE BULLS EYES get a PLUS ONE WIN
People with FOUR BULLS EYES get a PLUS THREE WINS

1 hour ago, BlowUpTheMoon said:

Seeding Round Grades:
 

  Hide contents

2001    8.5
ASM    9.4
DD    9.8
FF    2.5
GSC    9.0
HOS    6.5
PPSP    3.5
WWT    9.4
WW    2.5
X-MEN    6.0

 

Good thing CGC isn't participating in the tournament, because they were off on a LOT of grades! 

5 minutes ago, greggy said:

I had to harass them for my November auction payment and they sent a replacement cheque which for some reason took 2 weeks to get to me.  It was small so I didn't really care but another comic friend was owed $15K so I acted on his behalf to get his replaced as well. 

After berating them by phone (when my e-mails weren't being replied to) I finally received confirmation last week a replacement cheque was being sent. I still haven't received it (but knowing yours took two weeks gives me hope). They also let me know they would be adding my payment from the January auction, thankfully reducing the odds of another cheque being "lost" in the mail.  

2 minutes ago, the blob said:

Those guys were expensive here. Honestly I am not sure the prices ever really recovered after the crash except for really high grade stuff. There were guys quiting white collar jobs to be card dealers. Yes, some of the new stuff was overvalued, vastly. 

See what I mean? With the current comic market it's like deja vu all over again! 

49 minutes ago, namisgr said:

• Fantastic Four Annual #7
• cgc 9.4 white
• $100

Kirby cover art featuring Dr. Doom and the Mole Man.

15 minutes ago, the blob said:

Nobody was ignoring Mickey mantle. Those were the most sought after cards.

Not at the shows/stores I was going to in the 1990s (and this is Canada where hockey cards are king - maybe it was different in the USA). Everyone wanted the new Fleer/Donruss/Upper Deck while the old stuff sat mainly neglected. I had a few friends who had the wisdom to grab an old Duke Snider, Tom Seaver or Stan Musial (the Mantles were too expensive) and they are laughing now at the friends still sitting on unopened boxes of Score baseball. 

Never. I am OCD with my comics when it comes to condition (my sister still loves telling the story of when we were kids and I would only let her read my comics if I was the one to turn the pages when she was ready - she was never allowed to actually touch them).

If I want to read an old comic I seek out color reprints or buy a beat reader copy.

Haven't read Immortal Hulk (I don't buy moderns). I hear it's a good series. But when I see copies of Avengers 684 selling for more than $200 less than a year after it hit stores I can't help wondering. The comic isn't rare (nearly 200 copies in 9.8 and I'm guessing a ton of raws in similar condition). Is there a movie coming or something?

I know it's been said many, many times before but when I see stuff like this I get total deja vu for the card collecting craze of the 1990s when people were emptying their wallets for fresh-off-the-press Jose Canseco rookie cards while basically ignoring vintage Mickey Mantles right beside them. And it isn't just the modern market where things have gone crazy.

I've been collecting comics for more than 40 years and have rarely had a comment from friends (other than asking "do you still have all those comics?" or cursing the stack of long boxes in my closet when they've had to help me move). Now, those same friends are asking if they can come to the comic show and scouring GoCollect, trying to figure out which comics will make them rich the quickest.

That, more than anything, makes me think the end is near...

7 hours ago, blue808 said:

Won on CC tonight. 

What's with the bottom right corner? Is the slab broken or is that the seller's scanner? I noticed a few on CC looked like that... 

12 hours ago, peakerjer said:

X-Men #136  9.0  $30

 

 

per PM

Just now, Turtle said:

This is my experience exactly.

I guess the GSP is great when you're not on the receiving end - for one slab to ship to Vancouver, Canada they were asking $63.89 shipping. 

7 hours ago, FlyingDonut said:

Don't use the Global Shipping Program. Do not buy from those who use it. Problem solved.

(here to help!)

I thought I had successfully evaded the GSP by opening a mailbox in Washington (which also helps for the vast majority of sellers who don't even want your money if you're outside the USA) but now I only have two choices - the GSP or the tax.

My solution? Don't use eBay. Do not buy from those who use it. Problem solved.

52 minutes ago, peakerjer said:

Justice League of America #64  $5

 

10 minutes ago, FlyingDonut said:

Why are you upset with eBay? eBay isn't charging sales tax on things shipped to Washington state, the Washington state government is.

I'm upset that eBay's Global Shipping Program charges way too much to ship to Canada, forcing me to have things shipped to Washington where I am now being taxed an additional 10% 

1 hour ago, 90sChild said:

Comiclink has become a similar situation - I think we can blame the state for this, as mine also recently added itself to the list of states that require sellers to collect. 

Add Heritage to the list also. I don't blame the vendors - wasn't their decision and, having talked to Comiclink, I know they hate it just as much as we do. 

These coupons just rub salt into the wound. There is a comic I'd been wanting and watching for $499 that was actually close to being a good deal at 15% off. But with eBay now charging sales tax on everything shipped to Washington state - including the shipping and handling - (and rates under the Global Shipping Program verging on lunacy) I would have had to kick in an additional $43.89 for taxes - making this more like a 5% off coupon for me.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  you eBay.