F For Fake

Indeed, FB groups are where the action is these days. I'm in several, my favorite is probably GI Joe ARAH Vintage Toy Line 1982 to 1994. It's very active. It's been a couple of years since I checked forums like Hisstank. They used to be hopping, not sure these days. Seems like everyone went to FB.

Agreed all around. I did really well with estate sales and auctions for a long time, but the last couple of years especially it seems that the "all comics = $$$" belief is circulating wildly once again. Same with Star Wars, GI Joes, etc. People with no real knowledge of the hobby are bidding the stuff up to crazy numbers.It's pretty amazing what low-mid grade silver age third tier books will sell for at sales like that.

Agree with the chorus, leave it sealed. That is what makes it unique. If you don't personally care about it being sealed, sell it to someone who does, and use the money to purchase a slab in the condition you want. But raw copies of that book are common as dirt, whereas a sealed envelope is something most have never seen. I'm sure you're already getting lots of PM's with offers though ha

At the end of the day, any reason for wanting to slab a book is valid if that's just what you want to do. It's your money and that's how you want to spend it, more power to you. Me personally, I wouldn't bother with any 90's Wolverine/X-Men etc unless they were keys (I guess there are a few?) and/or slam dunk 9.8's. The books are just too plentiful to make it worthwhile. Most of them are barely worth the price of a standard bag and board, much less bothering with swapping out mylars for a few years. I'd keep the ones I like in bags and boards, or even mylars and fullbacks if you're really concerned about maintaining their condition, and be done with it. If down the road the books have suffered any deterioration, there are zillions of them around for a buck or less. It's just not worth slabbing stuff that isn't worth the cost of the slab, particularly if you're pretty sure of that going into it. There's no wrong way to collect, but your money could almost definitely be better spent in other ways. If you really want to sub a bunch of books, contact CGC about pre-screening. I'm sure someone else can give the pertinent info (I haven't subbed in a long time) but I think it's like $5 per book. I'd definitely do that if I was subbing a bunch of books and wanted to see if there was any purpose in slabbing. Good luck and enjoy the hobby however you see fit!

I think you're right. The cost incentive just isn't there for floppies anymore. I'd expect trades and gn's for the comic shops, and early reader/Scholastic type books for the book market. Whatever is happening, it's big.

I know! Can’t believe they used that classic poster art on a toy directed at kids instead of adult collectors. Not that I’m complaining!

Also, I had to have this once I realize it existed! I know I keep saying I done with modern toys, but I couldn't pass up a walking talking Robby the Robot for $20! Who would have thought you'd be able to find something like this on the shelves at Wal-Mart in 2020?!

$6 pickup from Craigslist, I had to have that wallet! It's so clean! And the good news is that when I picked it up from the nice grandmother, she told me that she had a "tub of GI Joes" that her grandkids had been playing with that she'd probably be selling soon. She said they'd "pulled some of them apart" and some were "missing their helmets and stuff" but I told her I'd still be interested. So she said she'd give me dibs on them whenever she sells. Cross yr fingers!

To be sure, I love Bolland. LOVE him. He's one of the all time greats, for sure. But in this particular discussion I think we have to weight the fact that Byrne and Perez could actually turn out a monthly book. Bolland, beautiful as his stuff is, couldn't even get a 12 issue mini series out in a timely fashion. Put all of the work side by side, sure, Bolland wins on the level of pure artistry. Gorgeous stuff. But tally up the number of books put out consistently and at a generally high level, I think Byrne and Perez would get the win. I prefer Bolland all in all, but "better artist of the era" would also have to include the ability to get the books out on time, I'd think.

I certainly respect the opinions of those who are anti-pressing, but these days I just assume that any book in a slab has been squashed within an inch of its life. The genie is out of the bottle, there's no going back. We're past disclosing pressing because everything has been pressed, more or less. The only books you can know for sure aren't pressed are your own original owner books. And if you slab and sell them and advertise them as "not pressed"...well, someone is going to buy it and press it.

Not sure about all of our shops, but the one I frequent opened back up a couple of weeks ago. Limited hours, you have to wear masks (they'll provide if you don't have one), limit on number of people in the store, etc. I'm just glad they're still in business!

I'm leaning this way a bit just because the "white" areas on the covers aren't totally white, they're off white. Check out the "prizes" area on the back cover and other spots. You can still see a faint box outline (which was originally red) around the "Business Reply Label" and "No Postage Necessary" fields on the back cover. If they'd never receive the red ink, you shouldn't see a faded outline, as least I wouldn't imagine so. I'll leave it to the experts, but that's my two cents (and worth precisely that much.)

As for the fees/Buyer's Premium/etc discussion, my belief is this: Whatever the total amount of money the buyer sends to the auction house/dealer is, that is the current market value for that particular piece. Doesn't matter what percentage was the final hammer price and what was buyer's premium, etc. The total amount of money it takes to get that book/art/whatever from the seller and into your home, that's what it's worth, period.

I'd go with Comiclink. Flat 10% fee, and they tend to feature more middle of the road pieces than Heritage. I've always enjoyed dealing with them. It CAN take a while to get your money, so if you're in a hurry, eBay may be the best route. But if you don't mind waiting (waiting for them to receive the art in house, decide which auction they're going to list it in, let the auction run its course, then another month or so to pay you once the auction has ended) I'd recommend CLink for the less high falutin' art, as the fees are less than ebay, they have a dedicated bidder base, and they have to deal with the potential hassle of dealing with the buyers, leaving you out of it. My two cents.

There's also Aquaman with green arms vs Orange arms, and some other neat little variants.

Yup, it's a fun line to collect, because there are a lot of different little things to track down, but none of them are too pricey (yet!) I've got all four variants of the Penguin and his umbrella, long missile, short missile, no missile, etc. Green Lantern is one of the best figures in the line, I love it. I remember getting him and Hawkman for Christmas. I was really "too old" for toys at that point (what does that make me now??) but I still thought they were very cool. I still have the figures, though I lost all of the accessories. Haven't gotten around to buying complete ones for the collection yet.

From an art perspective, I'd probably give the edge to Perez, though I definitely loved Byrne back in the day. From a personal perspective, if the question was which one I'd rather be trapped in an elevator with, it's not even close.

Well, again, that was nearly 20 years ago, I didn't know anything about anything ha So, I'd say practically none. Like most folks here, I had my rude awakening moment when I did my first sub those many, many years ago, and regretted the error of my ways. I repented then and I do so again, I throw myself on the mercy of the court!

Man, just getting caught up on this thread. THis takes me back. My observations: 1. Dutch auctions - hahaha man that really takes me back. Haven't thought about that term in ages. 2. OOP is still a perfectly suitable term for HC's and TPB's that are, indeed, out of print. Prices tend to skyrocket on OOP volumes. It's legit. But as for individual comic issues, unless there is a second or higher printing, all comics are pretty much out of print as soon as they hit the shops. So that is, indeed, dumb. 3. This is a chance for me to make right. You see, folks, nearly 20 years ago, I was a "CGC It" guy. CGC was relatively new, and if I had a book I thought would be a legit candidate, I'd use the term "CGC It" in the eBay auction title. It's true! It didn't take long for me to receive a couple of strongly worded messages from folks letting me know that this was "spamming" and definitely not cool. So, I stopped! I've since then come to assume that they were probably boardies (who else is nosier and more inclined to police the comics business of others than CGC Boardies?) and maybe they're still around. If so, I apologized then, I apologize now. I WAS YOUNG AND I NEEDED THE MONEY!

@Larryw7 I'm very sorry you're having to go through this hassle, and I pray it the return goes smoothly, you get your book back quickly, and you can put this behind you. Really hate that for you, it's a lousy situation, and a real shame that so many people who love superhero comics apparently never took any lessons to heart from the good guys they portray. Did you say the guy was located in Kentucky? As a comic buyer in KY, I'd love to know the name. You can PM if you don't want to publicly out him. The circle of big ticket buyers in Kentucky is a relatively small one, I'd bet @Dale Roberts knows most of 'em. A word to anyone reading that may contemplate doing something shady in the future: Don't do it! You can't get away with it. The CGC Boards are home to the smartest and most determined comic book detectives in the world. We have so many lawyers, amateur sleuths, and general busybodies who love nothing better than rooting out deception. They know everything, they see everything, they will never stop picking at it, and they will hunt down the truth and destroy you. Don't do it!

Sweet collection! Love the Flash, such a classic character and costume, great visual makes for terrific toys/statues. Simple perfection.

Great pickups! I really dig the TMNT figures, but I just can't pursue another line. I pick them up here and there but always end up selling, because I'll never have the spare cash to pursue the line fully. Joes, G1 Transformers and MASK keep me plenty broke!

Yup, Psych-Out is the Euro version. He's missing the wrist radars, but the good thing is that the Euro accessories are the same as the original US Psych-Out, so he'll be easy enough to complete. I picked up the Snake file card on the off chance that I'd one day find a good deal on a straight arm figure. Seemed like a good idea to go ahead and grab the card now!

Nice mail call today, as I've moved on from eBay auctions to the wild world of Facebook claim sales. Dangerous! Totally random assortment of stuff. Carded figs, loose complete figs, junkers, lots, etc. A little bit of everything, fun to go through!