Mmehdy

I never suggested a 5000 comic book auction, a 1500 book one would probably break the world record comic auction price. HA is going to put the lesser books in the weekly auctions to promote them. They have 52 of those, plus 4 signature auctions. I would say if there are a real total of 5000 that we see 2500 a year, over two years. The impact on the GA comic book market is once in a lifetime. These books separate the men from the boys. As in every type of auction, there will be bargains, now that might not be apparent right away, but say 5 years from now you are all gonna say...I should of bought more! The GA comic book market is gonna overall is going to go up, more interest on this once in a lifetime event. Everyone better start looking out on those weekly auctions, as the first couple of weeks, I predict some books will slip thru the cracks, and look like great deals in just a couple of years.

I think the real issue here is will the GA comic book market be able to handle this collection coming into the marketplace. With 5000 books with a average price of say $5000 each, it would suck out of the GA market air about $25 Million dollars, if higher average price book, then even more money. That will be the real issue here, will after say 70% of the books being sold into the GA market show some wear and tear. So when the collection hits its last 500 books will those be the "bargains" we have been looking for. Timing this sale of when and how much to purchase is the key. Why not get 5 books for the price of 3, I guess it just depends on what your want list is and what comes up for sale. What are your thoughts about the timing of buying into this collection?

I will second that, it depends on the book and the page or staple condition, if brittle pages, it might be wise to change out every 5/7 years for sure

My advice to 1-Ha.com should make separate auction for this collection, similar to the "the Billy Wright collection catalog". Put say 1500 books in there and try and break the world record for a comic book auction. I think they could do it. 2- GA comic book collectors: This collection is probably the last OO GA collection to hit the market and this is the time to buy in because a lot of these books are gonna be gone to forever collections and the other ones that are left if they resurface will reward their owners with 50% and even greater returns down the road. There are gonna be some grade record copies or tied highest, possibly many in fact there will not be able be replaced at any price. 1- Take any dupes, low grade copies, restored, bad paper quality, staple issues books and package them up and either consign to Ha for their weekly auction, get auction credit and trade up. Sell on E-bay asap, or another auction service. 2-Buy what you like, not the label...get the book you need. For example myself, there are several books I have been looking out for my the last 40+ years in great condition. I am gonna get my Favs. Good Luck.

it might cost more, but buying CGC graded books in the long run is much better, I would avoid it over say 25 bucks.

this is a amazing collection, the issue is how many books over what amount of auctions?????????

Best website, highest number of customers, HA.Com

not for me either,:Pedigree" has become diluted similar to "unrestored" over the years.

There is a difference between newsstand bought and collector bought both can be on the label

It depends on what you call Original Owner... I was referring to a "Billy Wright" type collection, one that was purchased off the newsstand...There could be several OO SA collections still out there . If OO is referring to a original collector such as the "dentist"...there are hundreds of them. There is more and better material still not graded than is. If this is a new 5000 book collection "billy wright" style...and well then this will be the last one ever discovered for GA material in that quantity.

Unless you remember a publication like the RBCC..which there should be a thead on about its impact to the GA comic book market,, I think you need to put BZ in the proper reference. 1- BZ's dad whom was a GA comic book collector and antique dealer. They used to advertise in the RBCC all the time selling their duplicates. There is a lot of misinformation contained on this thread concerning which BZ or Dad everyone is referencing here. Both were and still for BZ are true comic book lifetime collectors in the golden age" of buying comic books just as they were becoming recognized as true collectables. I have utmost respect for the both of them, it is not luck involved here, but true visionaries who were ahead the curve big time.

The GA market is not there yet...give it about 10 years and a ton of inflation over that same time period.

I would not say "better" just different. The look and feel of a GA comic book is just different from the SA books. I bought the SA books off the news stand and had to go to the used book store or other collectors for GA in the late 60's. In the long run less copies does mean a bit more price stability due to rareness and age. Both if bought in a responsible manner and selectively in terms of label, paper and staple quality can be rewarding to both GA/SA comic books. It is just a matter of time that a number of SA books will dominate the "top Ten" most expensive comic books in our GA/SA comic book world. 10 years from now the top ten sales prices look for ULTRA high grade FF1,ASM1, JIM#83, and TOS#39 to be right there.

CGC blue label outstanding paper quality and staples will be the last to take a hit and the fastest to recover. The explosive prices and price increases we had just seen cannot sustain. I disagree with the word correction..it should be a natural slowdown. I think FF1, FF5, FF25 etc will be immune as the FF movies is going to be made by Disney/ Marvel studios finally right.

I agree probably now with pressing a majority of the comic books has undergone some manipulation or beautification I also agree that grade manipulation not being detectable is going on as we speak. I like the notation idea..it refreshing and informs the buyer as to what has been altered or enhanced. Better decision making with more information is a great reality. Great post....

interesting take, just the removal from the book might get the "conserved" grade,which I think everyone agrees would decrease the value of this book by at least 1 million dollars and I do not see this changing any time soon

Let me clarify..NO more adding to the list on permissible reality restoration which is convenient or profitable by CGC just to keep the blue label and stick to the existing label system and play fair. You wanna adjust system any more...get rid of the color label. CGC has the ability to change the rules...like you mentioned...do not see that happening. To many times the goalpost has been pushed back the CGC to name what is or what is not real restoration.

The problem with your solution is this: What is a Uber Key book...who choses, what criteria...why is your book better than mine...based on GPA, based upon rarity, based upon what is popular at the time. It cannot be done, in a fair and non-arbitrary method. The current solution is not any better...destroy your book over time to preserve its current market value just to leave a rusted staple original. In my opinion, and I hate say this as over time I have been converted policy wise to this solution : eliminate the color coded grading all together and BASE the grade number overall with Subtractions for staple replacement, light or major restoration, pressing etc. Let the grade number be the ultimate number with all factors considered, you could have a ultra restored A1 be graded 2.0 under that system...that would be the fairest of the fair for every GA/SA comic book...again with some side issues as to how much to subtract from each book depending on the amount or type of work done on the book itself. This would result hopefully in the eliminating all of the hatred for GA/SA restored comic books and incorporate all books into a uniform grading system and concentrate on the GA comic book itself, not the label. Yes, you could replace the staples on A1..take a slight decrease in value, but not have the label color stigma and serious price value decease. What do you think?

Thank you so much for your great response. In spirit, I agree with you. I would however limit staple replacement to only the ones similar to those replaced from incomplete GA from the same company and time period. Where I disagree with you is that where does it modifying end and where does it begin. If we have a Blue,Green, and Purple label system. We need to stick to it. Slowly inch by inch if we give in to exceptions to the rule, it will self destruct the color labeling system and eventually destroy it. I ask you this: Do you want to destroy the color label system? First lets add staple replacement, cleaning etc..what happened to the gold old fashioned way of calling things what they really. "Unrestored" should mean just that , and not plus, plus plus. Now we even have two BLUE labels...this is getting insane. My second question to you is: Why complicate this system even further. Look what we had added to the list or better put "ignoring" reality..pressing a book like flat pancake in which everybody is in for the $ or the cut and list is too many here. How about what is right is right and modifying a comic book is restoring it. I am afraid, based upon reality I cannot agree with you if you want to keep the current CGC graded color system. More changes or exceptions do NOT need to happen.

There is a 30 day window on those Action issues, and as Superman 1 was originally one shot Action reprint 1-6 issue so the inside last back page Ac 14 cover would take time to change would be in time for the second printing. There are 3 sales reporting periods initial ( first week), mid and final. So Interestingly Superman 2 were also a reprint. 2/3 weeks out that is when you change to on sale now. According to DC Superman #2 two had two printings with first printing a 900K an second at 250K. Superman #2 was the first GA comic book to break a million copies. If I was spending Big $$. I would want a first print.

I think the fact that "rusty staples" endanger the book, along with the brittle pages which could fall apart just looking at the book are major issues here for me as a collector, and certainly as a investor, especially involving millions of dollars.To me if either pages or staples are bad are major major issues. But as it stands now you can repair this damage, and get this restored or conserved grade, but you as a collector/dealer know that $3.25 M is waaayyy out line in terms of actual resale value. So to address you directly, if the book has everything OK, then Cover is #1...but if the book has rusty staples which you cannot replace since you dropped $3.25 M dollars on the CGC unrestored grade, it becomes the biggest issue, especially long term for both the staple degeneration and paper bleed on the interior pages in my mind.

I want to correct those sale stats on Superman#1 From the DC records department: SUPERMAN #1 FIRST PRINT 500,000 a complete sell out-For the most valuable Superman #1 you can buy, the "First printing" ( look at the ad for Action #14 which say on sale "June 2"). SUPERMAN ##1 SECOND PRINT 250,000 (My mistake when I put 350k) a complete sell out ( look at the ad for Action 14 which says on sale now) SUPERMAN # 1 third print 150,000 sales unknown I think today, a Superman #1 "first print" only at 8.5 would bring the same $3.25M being close to the top copy in existence without a rusty staples I might add...

One other possible theory about the new buyer....we have really not considered..it could have been the UNDERBIDDER on the prior 3 M sale, there were two persons who were willing to pay over 3 M and maybe he did not want to wait any longer?

He paid 1 million dollars more for a 9.0 ultra white pages to upgrade his copy...both copies were on display in I think London called the impossible collection, you should check out the video that copy

which book is next Sup#1 or Cap# 1 to be bid out in the stratosphere?