baslug

On 1/31/2019 at 9:29 PM, RockMyAmadeus said:

You'll get the same effects that you see in other comics not done properly.

In other words: there's nothing special about these particular books that prevents them from being done, like, say, chromium covers, which cannot be pressed, since they are plastic.

That’s a really long way of saying “yes they can be pressed”

Whoa! That’s fantastic! What a spectacular find!

FWIW, the ones I’ve seen photos of are:

• #2 (CGC 9.2)
• #7 (CGC 9.4) - this is ibeforej’s (a member of this forum)
• #10 (CGC 7.5) - this is the one RMA had on eBay for quite some time
• #13 (CGC 8.5)

All 4 were part of complete ashcan sets

Ive heard of a #9, but only in the same content as above: “I sold one. I think it was #9”

so, yes, yours would be the highest numbered. Thanks for sharing it with us. 

Wow, awesome!  Where did you find it?  I’ve been watching the Maxx ashcans since 2004. I’ve only seen photos of 4 total - and rumor of a 5th. I’d love to see a pic of it if you’re willing to share. 

 

Small world, I miss that one. I also sold the SS Blue 9.8.

when you can count some of these rare books on one hand, it is indeed a small small world.

if only we could work out a way to pass it around so each of us could hold it for a week or so... like the Stanley Cup.

Describe what it was like for me to meet Sam Kieth.

 

I don't want to gush on and on, so keep in mind my experience is biased, he really is one of my favorite artists, and as a collector, I am enamored.

 

His flight was delayed, and the reps kept it real by stating that there is a possibility of him not making it on Friday. Everyone who was in line had left a couple of times as news of his flight delays were laid out. However, he did make it, and he did sit down and greeted his fans.

 

The people first in line were those that purchased prints that he first released on his blog that he would be selling at the con. My wife bought one for her office and I picked up one for myself. The reps had set up where if you bought a print for signing or a sketch, they gave you a ticket and you could come up. We were about 5th in line, and the first 5 people wanted sketches. We stood there for a good hour and I was quite content to just stand there and watch the master interact.

 

Now, I have not met a lot of artists and I haven't been to many cons in my life. I did have the chance to get some work signed by Erik Larsen and Jae Lee before Sam showed up. Now those guys were totally cool, Larsen was who I saw first, I presented ASM 346&347 and told him the story of how those were the first comics I ever picked up and purchased. He asked if they were the originals and we had a chuckle when I said, no those are probably lining someone's birdcage. The ones I brought were CGC graded ones I cracked out. I also had him sign a Savage Dragon #1. He was a great guy, shook his hand and was genuinely nice.

 

I am familiar with Jae Lee, mostly from Youngblood and other early 90's image work. What I did not realize was that he did some work on MCP and since I had my MCP run 85-92 that I wanted Kieth to sign, I decided to get him to sign them as well. So as I plopped down 8 or so books for him to sign, I apologized that I wasn't prepared and he was totally cool, stating "I need some time to sketch, you are doing me a favor". Just a great guy. When I was ready he said I was too quick

 

So those two are the first artists I have ever gotten to sign books for me.

 

Then there was Sam Kieth. When he first sat down and saw the first 8 people or so at the table, he looked at me, smiled and said, I've seen you before, haven't I? I smiled and said, No I don't think that is possible, I've come down from Canada.

 

He chuckled and said, Oh no, I suppose we haven't met then. He then went on to sketch while other fans gushed around him. He had only kind words to say, and he was really interested in the things that people presented to him. He answered questions kindly about his work and thought processes. When it came time for my first books to be signed, he remarked on which books I had brought, which happened to be the MCP issues. I told him how Cyber was my favorite villain and he remarked how not many people liked the character. When I asked him to sketch a Cyber head on one issue, he accepted the task immediately and joyfully, explaining the process how it was like Wolverine to him.

 

Later on in the night he agreed to sign all the things I brought and he was exceptionally kind to me. I'll go into detail on another part of the site to my experience. My personal experience with the man himself, it was a highlight in my life that I won't forget. He is the type of person I wish I could be. His outlook on life is that of a person who understands the good things in life and concepts that people could all get along if they tried. You cannot help but smile when talking with him. Just a gentle and genuinely super person. A person you want to be friends with and share stories with. His hand when drawing seems to move on it's own, and he has a grasp of texture, was funny to watch him unconsciously reach for tools that weren't there. When he was at that table, he could have easily been sitting in his own studio at home. That's how calm and serine he was.

 

I am not sure, due to the events of his arrival and other things, if he will be doing shows again. I am glad I got my collection completion, but I really hope he does come back again in the future. The community is missing out without his presence. He really is someone art fans should meet.

really though... this warms my heart. thanks for that.

Putting it up for 10k was ridiculous. Getting good advice from a boardie and reducing the price to what was a legitimate, logical price is what made it sell....

 

And congrats again to bcphillips. It a great thing to have, and I for one am glad and jealous

 

when that listing went up, i figured that he had ~$4400+ in it (that number doesn't include the #2 yellow and #3 red, which may have been through private sales). i always assumed the listing was to simply verify the existence of the set and the $10k pricetag was what it would take to pry it outta his hands. kinda like when RMA lists his black #3 for $2099.99... he ain't exactly trying to get rid of it, but i'm sure he'd gladly take that coin if someone seriously wanted to buy it at that price.

Also... Talk about stepping up to the plate! Took me 4 years to get that together and that's starting out with all blacks...

only 4?

i bought my first ashcan (a blue #1) for $12 back in Feb 2004. still missing 4 for my set. but i'm not all that aggressive about getting them either. it seems everytime i push my limit for what i'm willing to pay for a book, there's someone else that's willing to pay more. but i guess that's the way markets work... sometimes hot, sometimes cold.

all i know is, showing another full is is bound to get the market sparked again

Extremely well done. Bravo indeed!

 

I don't think I'll be finding any Black #1 or #3 anytime soon

keep your chin up. those three blacks have traded hands a few times... maybe they'll come your way someday

and it *is* a nice set. 2/3 of them being 9.0 or better... that's fantastic!

You want a yellow 2? I'll trade you for a red 1/2

right... because i've got one of those just lying around... go talk to fufat

i'm jonesing on that 9.4 yellow #2 you got in there...

iirc, all of the story pages were also sold together in a separate lot.

I just did a search of Sold listings on ebay and saw a set of all three black ashcans that missed my followed searches notifications: unslabbed Black #1 (#39), 8.5 Black #2 (#9), and 9.2 Black #3 (#2)... all three went for a BIN of $2800. anyone know anything about these? bought/sold by a boardie? fantastic grab for whoever brought them home.

Well it arrived.

 

In a padded envelope, in a ZIPLOC bag

 

It looks in relatively good shape, there is a ding on the top corner, and the bottom staple looks like it might have a bit of rust on it....a little bit of a black scuff mark on the back.

 

Pages are unbelievably white. Cover and back are really glossy and shiny.

 

I dunno what grade it would be, but doesnt look all that bad. Will post scans when have some time

 

It's good the book arrived, because you took tremendous risk going outside ebay.

But how is that book a 9.0+?

 

No idea, I haven't gone in depth with the grading process. To me I would say its around a 8.5. But I will not or cannot say anything for sure. I am not good at that kind of thing. Do I think it's worth the price I paid....well, depends on how rare these actually turn out to be. If these 3 plus the other few I know of turn out to be the only ones, well its totally worth it. If all the other 99 show up...then no, I want a better copy

 

You tell me

i also do not have experience or authority to grade, so you won't find a guess from me. i always find it funny when people disqualify themselves as a grader and then still try to make an estimate: "i know nothing about grading, but it's probably an X.0-X.5". but i do see the corner wear and creases that can lower the grade.

the scans themselves are fantastic. i wish the original pictures looked this good. i will expect this quality of picture for every book on the internet from now on

Who wants to hear my email correspondence with the seller? It's quite entertaining....

 

 

Here ya go chief! (*Note, my comments quickly turn inflammatory after his second email about 'getting what I deserve', but this dialogue should be good for a few laughs).

 

Why was this auction ended early?

 

I got a "buy it now offer" way above my expectations. I had bascially 3 bidders, two seemed serious. One of them made the offer. Why didn't you make a bid? If I bring out another one would you make a "buy it now" offer?

 

I only use snipe bids on ebay auctions. Are you talking about bringing out a different one than you just ended? I'm confused, do you have more than the three copies?

 

Guess you answered your own question. If you cannot come forward and make a proper offer and choose to bid at the end of an auction, then you got what you deserve.

 

I guess snipes are beyond your comprehension, it is a bid. And thank you for confirming what I already suspected; you're clearly dishonest. You blatantly circumvent the rules of eBay, and out-an-out lie regarding condition. If you truly believe this book is an 8.5-9+, you're either very uninformed, or very crooked. I guess you took a break from running the carnival games at the local fair, to rip people off online.

 

You're ignorance is beyond reproach. My wife is currently in the hospital and I cannot continue to babysit auctions and whiners like yourself. I took a price from the highest bidder.

 

I understand what snipe bids are, I understand they are legal on eBay. I find them to be dishonest, just as you find myself to be dishonest. I am sorry you didn't get a chance to bid or took the time to contact me for an offer.

 

Good day to you.

 

How are snipes dishonest? It's a bid, the time placed has no relevance. You should learn some basic understanding of markets and how they work.

 

I really find it amusing how you manipulate ebay to gain exposure of this book, and then go off ebay to avoid paying all fees the website generated, meanwhile the buyer assumes all risk involved in the transaction. Well done, Barnum! Clearly you have no financial integrity.

One final thought of discourse; my girlfriend is in her final year of residency in psychiatry, if you'd like I can negotiate a structured-deal for your mental conditions. Think of the royalty streams if you become part of a case study?

 

I have no need to explain myself to you or anyone else.

 

 

Most crooks plead the fifth, I understand.

Putting the words "buy it now" and "offer" together is really dischordant to me. and I was content to think: he's an old guy... never used ebay before... doesn't understand how it works... not really surprised. maybe he legitimately thought that offers made in a private message on ebay are valid bids and that he could end the auction at any time by accepting one of these offers.

but when he acknowledges snipe bids as bidding "at the end of an auction" really strikes a nerve... like maybe he really does know enough about how ebay works that he purposefully circumvented the system. Unless the term "snipe bid" is also used in conventional auctions. ... or maybe he just knows how to use google.

what a disappointing end to that... even if i didn't have any hope of purchasing these books for what they were going for. garage/attic finds are exciting to me and the messages with the seller y'all shared has really soured this one.

Well with what looks to be the one in the worst shape selling for $400, I don't think they are going to go much cheaper than that....I am hoping I came out of this deal ahead. I am quite worried about what grade this is going to turn out to be.

 

I'm the purchaser of #81... just arrived in the mail yesterday and it is about 10 times better looking in person. Those pics were truly awful. I'm gonna send it out for pressing, after that I think it'll receive a pretty solid grade.

 

The image(s) I saw it looked like someone sat on them. I don't know how you press out massive creases that crumple the book...

The image(s) I saw looked like they were taken by a potato.

 

I find it odd people are willing to shell out $400+ for one of these in a heartbeat, when RMA's #2 blacks went unbid multiple times at $450.

to be fair, how many known copies of the #3 Yellow are out there? Just from this thread alone, we know there are 11 verifiable copies of #2 Black -- and at one point, RMA was sitting on 10 of them (pretty sure he's sold/traded a couple). but until these yellows popped up, the only #3 Yellow we've seen was ibeforej's (in her very lovely framed set of all 12).

now, don't take me wrong here... I'm not trying to take anything away from RMA... he know's what something is worth and where to set his prices. i'm just saying that the #3 Yellows are probably more rare, even if they had a larger print run... and at the same price point, I'm not surprised they're moving quicker.

Anyone ever collected the Topps card set? Here's the redemption card.

 

 

i have the full base card set, but only a couple of the chase cards... i'm sure that redemption card looks much better than the scan makes it appear

Saw this on the bay:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Maxx-3-Yellow-ashcan-/181261130713?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item2a34015bd9#ht_450wt_1362

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Maxx-3-Yellow-Ashcan-signed-and-numbered-by-Sam-Kieth-/181261217152?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item2a3402ad80#ht_482wt_1362

 

Both by the same seller.

 

Have you been ignoring the other posts in this thread?

that was a very nice way to say it. i couldn't figure out how to respond to that without being very rude and/or vulgar... but i share your sentiment.

and i forgot to mention...

half of them are available on ebay at this very moment!!

so, what's this bring the count up to? 4 known copies of #3 black?

numbers 2, 9, 10, and now 13

Welcome to the forums Baslug!

 

It's so cool to meet yet another person who is as excited about these books as we are. I knew they were rare when I bou'vght them, but, for me, rare books are only fun if you can share them with other collectors. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I found this forum.

 

Good luck on your search to find your missing issues- and don't forget to check the foreign eBay's, since they do pop up on there on occasion (like that black #3 that sold for a fraction of its value last year.)

Foreign eBay's???!!! holy hell, i'm in trouble.

there's no telling what ridiculous s*** i'm gonna find and talk myself into buying!

but seriously... which countries actually have a comic book collectors market? i figure Canada and the UK would... but are any of the others worth watching? Singapore? New Zealand? Korea?

which country did the black #3 pop up?

Wow. great thread.

i'm new to the forum...

started with The Maxx back in '94 (i was 12) - reading and collecting the regular series. got in early enough to beat the MTV series crowd, but too late to get a copy of Maxximum Sound. i remember a friend of mine mailed in for a red ashcan, but at 12 yo, $15 + $5 S/H was too much for a comic...even if it was "different". picked up the action figures and VHS tape when they were made available... drooled over the ceramic figures when they came out... and didnt really get into collecting the ashcans/variants/guest-appearances until around 2000.

i remember buying the Blue #1 for $12 in '04 along with a Darker Image ashcan for $2.50. unfortunately, i've been in school for-freaking-ever and could rarely come up with the money whenever i came across the books i wanted. so i've looked off-and-on (seems like once a year, usually in the summer) and picked up others along the way: a red #1, a few glow #1s, Darker Image gold & silver, 1st printings of the TPB, etc.

now that i have a legit job, i've found myself scouring the interwebs for signs of the ashcans again (~6 hours total today), and i must say, the knowledge and collections on this forum is impressive. i hadnt seen a scan/picture of the yellow or black ashcans until today... i'm pretty sure i convinced myself last year that they didnt exist, or there was only a very tiny handful being hoarded by some geek in a cave... my felt my stomach knot up when i saw RMA's stack of blacks... then nearly pooped myself when i finally got through 13 pages of this thread and saw ibeforej's complete set. but seeing the pictures and hearing some of the stories on how they were acquired has been refreshing ... and now the damn bug has bit me.

it's the only series of comics i really ever got into... and really, the only collection of any kind for me... kept in a shoebox marked "nudie magazines"... with a checklist of all the variants, appearances, or other random maxx merchandise i've heard about over the years (added the red and blue foil #1/2s when i read about them on this thread).

anyway, i too would love to have a complete set and although i'm quite interested in acquiring the many ashcans i dont have (especially the yellows and blacks), i'm not quite sure what i'm willing to spend yet. no whatever that amount is, i'll never be able to justify it to my wife

in the meantime, i *do* have alerts set up on ebay...

and will be tracking updates on this forum...

and on the right day, i just might pull the trigger and buy...

should any of you want to unload a copy or two...

just sayin...

thank you all for wasting an otherwise productive day for me it's been fun.