batman_fan

I disagree with CGCs 9.0 on the outer cover (more like an 8.0). Even with that, Batman 5 for me especially with Robin and that goofy grin

Bill, You just keep hitting home runs on the purchase front! Greg

I am a slacker ... Was hoping to do a group shot or few group shots. I have moved to buying raw again, but only from very select dealers.

Another raw purchase. This one was from Redbeard off Ebay. Advertised as a 4.0. Probably what CGC would give it, but ultra clean copy with just some light non-color breaking and color breaking creases. Definitely a tough period to find them in. Also want to say Redbeard was great at every step of the way. I have bought from him before at Wondercon but this was my first on-line purchase. I will definitely keep monitoring their offerings.

Why do you ask Marc

Just picked up this raw gem. Finally scored one that has been a tough find for some time. Purchased from Our very own George (REALITY_CONSENSUS). Great price and super fast shipping.

Great book!

B ! tch please, I would go for the 35. I have definitely seen more 31s over the years, plus I like the ow pages better. But I definitely agree 31 is one of the best GA covers.

hello all... G, you know I would have traded it to you for your Whiz 25??? but bill offered to let me drive his Cayman rick Ha ha, I bet you would have!

Hey Bill, You can send the Detective to the same address as you are using for the Heroic Comics. Again, no thanks needed, just trying to help ya out. P.S. YOU BETTER LET ME KNOW 1ST IF YOU DECIDE TO SELL IT !!!

One comment I will never forget and I think really states the comic business in general terms occured at the Phoenixcon way back in the 90's when it was at the Convention Center. Motor City Comics was there and some collector was looking at some books with his guide. He said the books were over priced based on the grade he gave them and the guide price. He asked Mike (I am pretty sure it was Mike) "what do you grade this book." Mike from Motor City calmly replied "I don't grade books, I price them" He restated this several times but the bottom line of what he was saying was I price books based on the general grade and the difficulty and desirability of the book. I think this is still very true. Most seasoned dealers know the books they have had over the years, how easy or difficult they are to replace and what the demand is. Based on that, they set the price. Myself, I have never looked at GPA and marginally look at the guide. I know what books I need and how often I see them come up. Some stuff I pay way over guide (4x guide for a uncirculated Batman 1966 3-D in 1996, 2x guide for a GD+ Mysterymen 3, tried to pay $2400 for a Batman 73 in 8.5, etc.) some stuff I pay under guide (Detectives from the late 40s and early 50s in mid grade). Other stuff, I am pretty clueless on, but a little poking around for more common stuff can give an idea. I do the same thing for deciding to send stuff to CGC before selling, poke around to see what others are asking and decide if it is worth paying to have it graded or not. At the end of the day, a smart dealer prices a book at the high end of what they can get to maximize the return on it. Otherwise it flips to someone else who makes money off it.

Having been on the boards for some time and taken my share of beatings for expressing my opinion and experiences such as CLINK screw-up, Showcase New England's non-disclosure of restored books even after it has been pointed out to them, CGC inconsistancies in grading. I have learned to keep my mouth shut, leave the problems hidden and move on. Steve has brought up issues he has had, many people have jumped to defend the people he has raised issues with. I can't speak for Dave Anderson as I have never dealt with him, but I have dealt with Metro over the years and have issues with their grading as well. What do you do? Well they have a return policy which a lot of people will beat off over, but who get stuck with the shipping charge? In my case, I did. For me, it is a waste of time and money to do business that way and I myself HATE the hassle of having to email or phone someone, be told why I am at fault but they will take it back and then go through the time and cost to do it. Now I am much more careful when buying. I want very large scans even in CGC holders since I think their grading is all over the map but their restoration check is pretty decent. After this post, maybe I won't have to worry about buying from Metro, but for the record, I have also had issues with their grading as well.

Ditto... I'll just have to be patient for now. But, today these beauties arrived thanks to a fellow forumite!! They will tide me over quite nicely! Weird printing defect in the logo, otherwise stunning.. Talk about headlights!! This one is the Mile High copy.. These two are not pedigrees, but they should be! Just a fun book all around... Heroic Comics suck, I will PM you my address so you can get that *spoon* out of your house and send them to me. No No, you don't have to thank me, it is the least I can do. Greg

Archie for me, although I also never had an interest in him, but Betty and Veronica

That looks great! The colors look incredible together.

Fantastic 3

Batman 1, no question. The faded Marvel Comics 1 is just plan ugly. I can't believe CGC graded it so high.

Detective 38

MM23 and Submariner 1. MM23 is on my want list!

Batman 11 Baby! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Let me know when you're ready.......I'll cut you a deal. Does that books description read "cover cleaned"

Simple one for me, Det 33. MPFW really isn't appealing at all to me. I am not too fond of the cover but Det 33, Batman with a gun!

Let's match 'em up against each other for the 1st time in this thread...(.I think) Both sold several years ago for approx. $48,000. Which Grail would you choose? Action 1 graders notes: "small donor piece added to 1st wrap with tape" ........................or I'll weigh in after you guys on this one Time for a I'd pass on both for the price. Here is why. As many of you know, I am a devout slab cracker. After cracking dozens of these things, here is what I have learned: As it relates to page quality - If the label says - WHITE pages ----- expect Off-white (in some cases- cream to off-white. If the label says - Off-White to WHITE pages --- expect Cream to Off-White or Cream If the label says - Cream to Off-white -- Expect them to be slightly brittle and tan Anything else -- back away from the book Since both of these books have "cream to off-white" on the label, and the bottom left corner of the Tec 27 looks brittle, along with its tan exposed corner, I'd pass. Now that begs the question, do the holders cause rapid page deterioration? Or do I just have a different interpretation of white, off-white, etc pages are? Finally, someone that has had a similar experience to mine! I stay away from anything below off-white, but that is only for very special books.

The Crippen premiums on Tec #31 and #35 were a bit crazy. Detective #31 CGC 5.5 $17327 Detective #33 CGC 4.0 $7767 Detective #35 CGC 5.5 $17925 Never noticed these auction results before. Now, that's some really aggressive pricing on the 'Tec #31 and especially on the 'Tec #35. I guess this goes to show it's really all about the covers. Let's see, now that works out to 2X condition guide for the 'Tec #31 and a whooping 6X plus condition guide for the 'Tec #35. Looks like issue #35 has really picked up steam lately with some pretty eye-opening sales. It should be noted that these types of multiples are generally reserved for HG copies. To me, when you see these same types of multiples cascading down to the mid or lower grades is a sign of real strength and a indication that a particular book is truly really undervalued in the guide. This factor should not be underplayed because the majority of all books cannot support any type of multiple as it moves down through the condition scale. Must be related to our current focus on cover images as I remember other similar results such as More Fun #56 and Target Comics #7 from a couple of years ago. The prices here for the 35 got me to dig out my copy....love this cover....Rockford copy,,. probably a nice F+...supple.......jon Jon, Can you put me on the list for that book if you ever decide to sell.