Iceman399

Don't think it reaches sc4 levels anytime soon... Would take a ton of interest likely for years. However growth potential is there.

Book is crushing it in the lower grades.

Consistent is better than tight or loose.

Has anyone else noticed books (specifically moderns) that have had what I would describe as the cover partially shifted from being encapsulated? I'll try and get a scan to show this later.

Don't post that then they will go back to taking forever to get your extra money

http://www.comicconnect.com/bookDetail.php?id=645911 (Hulk 1 8.0) http://www.comicconnect.com/bookDetail.php?id=650475 (Showcase 7.5) currently very close with SC4 having a slight edge.

I know the owner of the copy. It did not just get sold.

Did iceman sell this to you? I ask because him and I had the only ow\white SC 22's in 4.5. Or so I thought. It's a great book. No sir. Mine is still in the North.

Dec 10 to Feb 17 received to shipped.

Slight change would be get a friend with a different address (since he will likely see you and refuse to complete the deal) to win the book.

http://screenrant.com/deadpool-2-movie-sequel-domino-x-men/ that would be why then

Not quite a modern but XF11 is gaining steam or something again? I had 4 DIFFERENT ebays offer on my copy today, before one of them decided to buy it for a few pennies above GPA.

NICE!

I sort of hope not...that seems to be picking and choosing what gets added to GPA...

Apples to helmets. Can you show me some variants where the reason a variant cover took off that didn't have a ratio that took off for being a better cover and not based on "rarity" or some other determining factor? Huh, can you show me any comic that has done that? Not sure if my wording is off, or if you are confused as to my point. I can't think of a single 1:1 variant that took off (a book with multiple covers that 1 cover took off simply because it was better than the rest). The variants that do take off are associated with manufactured rarity. There are all kinds of books that take off that don't have rarity simply because of their cover art. You asked to pose an example of a book that has increased in value over cover price and then took out all of the factors as to why books increase in price. A variant with a 1:1 that took off solely based on its cover. The reason most of these variants take off is because of the manufactured rarity behind it of being a 1:50, or 1:100.

What's "100x"? Most LCS charge only $15 for a 1:15, $25 for a 1:25, $50 for a 1:50. This helps offset the cost of "upping their orders" if that is in fact what they did to acquire the variant. If you are talking about a particular variant catching fire and going for "100x" on the secondary market, well again, that's just Capitalism. And that can happen with any book, regardless of whether or not its a variant. -J. No I am talking about the 1:100, or 1:250 or the most recent shenanigans with the DKR books or ASM700.

Again you are comparing apples to helmets. Do you want the Rolex in white gold or yellow gold. Do you want your litho in a black frame or a brown one. Yes there is always a market for high end products but artificially making a fake rare one doesn't help at 100x the cost of the regular one. Said my piece. I agree with Image from stopping these silly variants and hope DC/Marvel realize its not helping them.

And that is half the point. If the customer is given the choice to purchase new book #1 with cover art by: Neal Adams Rob Liefeld Frank Miller all 3 covers at cover price. Some will buy 1 cover cause they want to read it, some will buy 2 different covers because they don't like Neal or Rob or Frank. Others will buy all 3 because they like to have them all. If that is a choice down the road every one might chase the one done by Rob as it may be seen as a classic cover or his breakout cover or whatever the reason would be. Why "strongly" encourage both the retailer and the end customer to spend 100x cover price to get the art they like.

Apples to helmets. Can you show me some variants where the reason a variant cover took off that didn't have a ratio that took off for being a better cover and not based on "rarity" or some other determining factor? Huh, can you show me any comic that has done that? Not sure if my wording is off, or if you are confused as to my point. I can't think of a single 1:1 variant that took off (a book with multiple covers that 1 cover took off simply because it was better than the rest). The variants that do take off are associated with manufactured rarity. There are all kinds of books that take off that don't have rarity simply because of their cover art. Does it not really boil down to popularity/demand versus supply? Rarity alone does not dictate worth. Sometimes the demand for a variant comes from completionists wanting it for their collection regardless of how it looks. Or people who collect variants in general. Yes they are manufactured rarity but so is anything where demand outstrips supply. I was an ASM collector and pursued all variants until recently. It got to be cost prohibitive to continue so I sold all of my variants save for ASM 667 Dell otto and 678 Venom cover. So from my point of view Marvel killed it for me and made it impossible to collect what I wanted to collect. So I stopped. Of course. Popularity! That is often what causes a book to skyrocket. However as Chuck and Image have suggested, get away from this idea of forcing retailers to buy these other books in order to qualify for the "rare" books. Print copies that end up being used as giveaways because the store wants to keep their one local customer super happy and get in the 1:200 rare variant, which leaves the store with 125 copies of a book they won't sell. If the 667 variant was a 1:1 ratio with the other cover at the time you would have both right now, you would have 2 copies of 667 simply because you wanted both covers. Now you can't because you have been priced out of the market by a retailer incentive book Nonsense. Collectors get "priced" out of books for a multitude of reasons. Scarcity is only one potential factor. And like Wow said, scarcity alone does not automatically translate to "value". -J. Other than it being a rare 1:500 copy of a book why does it increase?

Apples to helmets. Can you show me some variants where the reason a variant cover took off that didn't have a ratio that took off for being a better cover and not based on "rarity" or some other determining factor? Huh, can you show me any comic that has done that? Not sure if my wording is off, or if you are confused as to my point. I can't think of a single 1:1 variant that took off (a book with multiple covers that 1 cover took off simply because it was better than the rest). The variants that do take off are associated with manufactured rarity. There are all kinds of books that take off that don't have rarity simply because of their cover art. Does it not really boil down to popularity/demand versus supply? Rarity alone does not dictate worth. Sometimes the demand for a variant comes from completionists wanting it for their collection regardless of how it looks. Or people who collect variants in general. Yes they are manufactured rarity but so is anything where demand outstrips supply. I was an ASM collector and pursued all variants until recently. It got to be cost prohibitive to continue so I sold all of my variants save for ASM 667 Dell otto and 678 Venom cover. So from my point of view Marvel killed it for me and made it impossible to collect what I wanted to collect. So I stopped. Of course. Popularity! That is often what causes a book to skyrocket. However as Chuck and Image have suggested, get away from this idea of forcing retailers to buy these other books in order to qualify for the "rare" books. Print copies that end up being used as giveaways because the store wants to keep their one local customer super happy and get in the 1:200 rare variant, which leaves the store with 125 copies of a book they won't sell. If the 667 variant was a 1:1 ratio with the other cover at the time you would have both right now, you would have 2 copies of 667 simply because you wanted both covers. Now you can't because you have been priced out of the market by a retailer incentive book

Apples to helmets. Can you show me some variants where the reason a variant cover took off that didn't have a ratio that took off for being a better cover and not based on "rarity" or some other determining factor? Huh, can you show me any comic that has done that? Not sure if my wording is off, or if you are confused as to my point. I can't think of a single 1:1 variant that took off (a book with multiple covers that 1 cover took off simply because it was better than the rest). The variants that do take off are associated with manufactured rarity. There are all kinds of books that take off that don't have rarity simply because of their cover art.

Had the pleasure of not only selling to him but also hanging out with him at a couple of local cons.

I know who owns the book and I offered it to a few prospective buyers and there were no nibbles at anywhere close to half of the asking price. Showcase #4 was a slow book for a long time, regardless of it's value in OSPG. For whatever reason, DC buyers in the past just have not spent as much on SA keys as Marvel buyers have. I did sell several Showcase #4's during the run up including a 9.2, 9.0, 8.0 and several lower grade copies but haven't sold one in over a year but I have followed the market. That's why I disagree with blanket statements like 'Hulk #1 is #3 now'. In lower grades SC #4 may be trumping it because of relative availability but in higher grades Hulk #1 still a more expensive book in my opinion. Also, I've learned that peculating what a book would sell for is futile. Only the people shelling out the money know what they'll pay for it. The AF #15 thread is a perfect example of that. Many people thought the book would hit $500K easy and it came about 10% short. I do have a customer who wants a VF or higher copy of SC #4 if someone want to part with one. Of course the higher end market is totally different the pool of buyers is so much smaller it makes it nearly impossible to predict and just takes 2 guys to make a tornado of bidding or a single buyer in the market to get a book for a steal. Passion4Comics (I think that's who had a 7.5 offered on the boards a few months back). Which might be the same 7.5 in CC next auction. There hasn't been a public sale of a SC4 in ultra high grade in a while. The upcoming 7.5 will be the highest in a while and can't wait to see it's hammer especially against the Hulk 1 in 8.0

Good stuff. The writer took a condescending tone in the article with comments like readers and customers and trying to separate the 2 types of customers. Most of us happen to be both. Another comment that leads me to disregard any argument this guy would present in those with less discerning tastes. Really ? So he knows what you find enjoyable and worthy of reading ? Have him order your food, pick your car, and clothes in your wardrobe while he's at it. Do you think this was the writers opinion or his interpretation of ES? In other words, people who want good comics have lots of places to go, but the people who want “bad comics” (variants, gimmicks and the like) have to shop at the comic store. I ask because just as there are people who buy a comic for the story, there are people that buy a comic because of the artwork. There are a number of artists who ONLY do cover work now. Just like completionist's for a series, there are people who want all of an artists work. It seemed to me that his opinion was largely the same as ES. In my collection, its all about the stories and art. I don't have the RRP for East of West #1, even though its my favorite book. I'd rather read 100 new issues for than invest my money in a book for a cover. I'm even selling off my original art to certain books because it just isn't me. I'm a story and character driven collector. I feel and know even, that i don't speak for everybody on anybody else for that matter on what is good for them to spend their money on. The problem I have with the writer and ES is that they seem to think they know what we should be buying than we do. Choices are great. I'm sure many people at DC and Marvel thought we shouldn't be buying and reading Image books when they opened shop. They didn't get what we liked either imo. I like choice too, which is why I wish publishers would just move to the model where comic shops can order any of the variants they can sell. No incentives. I want to be able to buy the covers I like, but the publishers make it prohibitively expensive for me to do so. I could care less if a cover is a 1 of 10, 1 of 20, or 1 of 1000. I want to be able to buy the covers I like without paying through the nose for them. I want to be able to buy a Tec 27 without paying through the nose for one too. I would also like to buy a Picasso lithograph on the cheap. Or a bottle of Dom Perignon. But I can't. The overwhelming majority of variants that are released aren't worth much more than cover price regardless of they're initial ratio upon release. The ones that are become so due to the same market forces that determine "value" of every other collectible- supply and demand. -J. Apples to helmets. Can you show me some variants where the reason a variant cover took off that didn't have a ratio that took off for being a better cover and not based on "rarity" or some other determining factor?