NinjaSealed

I hate grading NM- to NM/MT books. There is a crazy amount of variance. Is this an issue CGC is known to grade loose since it has a tough black cover?

The SA was easy. It was for sure a 1.5 to 2.0. I leaned toward a 1.8.....but CGC doesn't really use that grade very often so bumped it to the flat 2.0 because I thought it was slightly too nice for 1.5.

Easiest round so far I thought.

Book was was 7.0/7.5 appeal, then I knocked it down for the back corner crease. It was still too nice to be a straight FN hence 6.5

66% of people thought the Baloo and Little Britches was 9.0+    Honestly I was afraid CGC would give this a crazy grade like that but I stuck to my guns that I thought it was a straight VF, just too many issues on back cover along with the fact that the top corner looks pretty damaged.

In

6 hours ago, Reno McCoy said:

What about Saga #1? Anyone interested in a copy?

It's a raw copy. I consider it NM+, but it's crazy nice. Might warrant a 9.8 if grading is your thing (and I know it is). 

Here's what I see:

• Bindary tear top and bottom. I believe that's pretty common with this issue.
• There's one little wrinkle on the front cover spine between the staples. I'm not sure what else to call it. It's not a crease, or even a spine tic. The spine is perfectly smooth everywhere but right there. But I've seen far worse in CGC 9.8 comics.
• The discoloration or smudging you see on the back cover near the spine aren't visible on the comic itself. I have no idea what that is...a shadow from the scanning, I suppose.

I'm willing to part with this for $180 plus shipping.

 

 per pm

3 hours ago, AL Comics said:

Again, I'm going to start posting at 6:00PM PST, but I'll post a book to keep this thread from getting pulled. 

The Amazing Spider-Man 252: $30 - Calling it an 8.0 to be safe. There are a few spine ticks and slight pressure dent on the bottom left corner that very slightly does breaks the color. Also a very faint finger bend on the top edge of the front cover. Great pressing candidate. 

 

A pretty  auction, at least compares to a few of the ones Heritage has had recently. I see a few things to bid on if they end reasonable but nothing close to a must have.

I an interested to see how long pieces from the Ethan Roberts collection come to auction. In this auction and several of the recent Sunday auctions some very nice pieces have been coming out.

Mid summer bump, still looking!

3 minutes ago, SquareChaos said:

 

 

Comicconnect does that, and they have had the same issue occur to them and they did the same thing Clink did.

2 hours ago, SquareChaos said:

I agree it is a bad situation, empowered by a flawed system to begin with.

I don't necessarily disagree that putting the items back up again "only" hurts the "winners", my argument centers around the fact that the availability issue only hurt people that choose to snipe, thereby making this decision by Clink a wholehearted official endorsement of what is supposed to be an inherently risky practice to begin with. 

Which auction format exactly are you calling for when this type of situation occurs to prevent it for happening?

Several under bids but no wins. A few I was really itching to go after harder, but nothing I "had" to have. 

Prices seemed a bit on the lower side in general.

Mad love = $55-60k

Batman: HQ = $75-80k

37 minutes ago, delekkerste said:

Worth a stack of Byrne X-Men pages?  Worth more than the first MJ page, the first Deadpool, the first Elektra, the first Walking Dead. the first TMNT, the first Swamp Thing, even McSpidey 1 (because, y'know, there are a few poll respondents who voted to value this cover in the same league or even higher than these examples)?

I have a hard time believing anybody would be having this conversation before last Thursday, except as a laugh. 

To be fair the question does not ask what is the value of the cover, but rather how would it do if put up at auction at heritage. I just happen to think there are probably a couple people out there who wouldn't mind bidding aggressively to own this cover. 

My thought process was the same with the NYX3 cover. I sure as hell don't think it's worth  the $60k I guessed. Especially not to me. I just thought that was how much it would take to win it. 

2 hours ago, SquareChaos said:

I don't get why everyone thinks HQ is such a huge cultural phenomenon - makes me wonder if I'm the one out of touch 

One of the best ways to get a snapshot of pop culture, whenever you are at the mall pop into Hot Topic and looks what properties they have front and center in the store. In general you will see Star Wars, Harley/Joker/Batman, Deadpool and Attack on Titan. 

10 hours ago, delekkerste said:

You're not wrong, but maybe people should actually consider what they're buying. Not the real first appearance of the character. Not by the character's defining artist or her creator.  Not the character's intro to the DC Universe, which explains why the cover is inspired instead by the cartoon and looks like it was created for young children, like those old 70s comics based on Hanna-Barbera cartoons.  I would imagine that the OA to this cover has about as much presence as a wet noodle - nothing really to it, like an animation cel with the color zapped out, just some lines and almost no detail.  Pretty much purely functional with no real artistry at all. 

The artwork may not hold the trophy hunters back from paying up to bag what is perceived to be the cover to a Modern key...but maybe it should? 

 

I think many would agree with this sentiment, me included, but I don't see it happening any time soon!

From a value standpoint it is almost definitely:

#1 BA12

#2 Batman: HQ

#3 Mad Love

However as a collector what I would prefer to own money aside for me it would be:

#1. Batman: HQ

#2 Mad Love

#3 BA12

6 minutes ago, RICKYBOBBY said:

Thing is BA 12 isn't Harleys first real appearance. Just first in comics. With NYX 3 not only do you get first cover appearance but also the original sketches of the characters creation. A lot more then you would get with the BA 12 cover.

On a side note what would this be worth then?

 

I am pretty sure those are Josh Middleton's concept pieces for the comic, but not the original concept pieces that were done for X-Men Evolution. I would assume something similar to that Harley piece exists for X-23 as well.

I am all for the "first in comics" appearances not being as desirable as actual concepts originating from the comics, but the market seems to strongly disagree. It is what it is. 

I ended up getting shutout today.  I let 2 pieces go that were under where I would have been a buyer at to take a shot at some later stuff, which I got blown out on. Oh well. Have a couple stragglers for tomorrow, but the focus shifts to 2 pieces I really want at Clink.

There was also this half stat page from mad love that sold for $8365 in 2015.

https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/bruce-timm-batman-adventures-mad-love-1-page-10-harley-quinn-original-art-dc-1994-total-2-items-/a/7152-92255.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515

And this page from the HW one shot may be interesting:

http://comiclink.com/auctions/item.asp?back=%2FAuctions%2Fsearch.asp%3FFocusedOnly%3D1%26where%3Dauctions%26title%3Dharley%26ItemType%3DCA%23Item_1169542&id=1169542

I was going to say that 6.0 had a strong case of the heritage effect, but after looking closely at it, it is just a phenomenal copy for the grade. Your average 6.0 is still not in that range IMO.

I think in mid grade AF 15 has pretty much doubled since the beginning of the year. Just crazy.

Auction starts in a few, so good luck all. 

I have one bid out so we will see how that goes.

2 minutes ago, vodou said:

Good question. Perhaps a better one is will we see this one again publicly in a few years time or has it disappeared for a generation (or more)? The perception of how that would work may have encouraged some bidding at the upper levels to get it while one can, because it may never be available again.

My guess is a well to do early third something and this piece will disappear. That had to have played in to the bidding in my mind. This was their one shot and the underbidder is probably feeling either really crappy or really happy about not winning.

3 hours ago, delekkerste said:

Anyway, no bubbles here; $110.5 million for a Basquiat, $71.7K for NYX #3, Bitcoin nearing $2000, $660K for a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 8 (was an $80-$90K card in 2011), Tesla stock at $313, Amazing Fantasy #15 CGC 6.5 north of $50K, nosebleed housing prices in SoCal/NoCal, Canada, Sweden, Australia, etc...all of these are perfectly justified by solid fundamental reasons I'm sure.  I'm sure it's not that we're living in the biggest, most all-encompassing asset bubble of all-time...naaaaaah, couldn't be!  

Tulip mania, except, of course AF #15 which will grow at a 10% APR 4 EVER!!!

So will this sale bring out some other top tier modern art? I wonder how surprised dealers are at the hammer. Does dealing in modern art look a lot more profitable now?

$140-160 range

About twice NYX 3 cover and right around the ASM 300 cover seems right to me.

4 hours ago, delekkerste said:

Who's going to fess up to buying this or running it up as the underbidder?  Really want to know if it was just the usual suspects or if there really is a groundswell of demand from a younger, more Modern-oriented crowd like some are speculating.  I just find it a little hard to believe that someone would make the jump from collecting CGC 9.8-10 Moderns and sketch covers to spending $71.7K on a piece like this without being on anybody's radar.  

You'd think, based on previous bidding history on other items, that The Vacuum and Fish would have been involved, at least at lower levels (whether either/both took it to the end, I have no knowledge about).  Who else?  Adam/Filter81?  Matt E.?  Not sure if those guys would be into something like this or not.  I'd rule out the BSDs who largely stick to Gold/Silver/Bronze/Copper - it would be a surprise to learn that one of them went this far to get something out of their wheelhouse.  The price would surely rule out a dealer unless buying on behalf of a client (Hugh Jackman?  LOL...)  I've heard about at least one guy paying up for newer art, but, this would be a big step up from where he's been buying as far as I know.  The underbidder was a phone bidder - anyone can bid by phone, but, in my experience, people who bid by phone are those old hands who know what they're doing; would be surprised if that person was a newbie Modern crossover guy.  

Anyway, just idle speculation given that The Cabal rejected my letter of resignation from the hobby this morning.  

The winner may stay in the dark. These new collectors are out there, they just have very different buying/collecting habits, which probably has had them off the radar for the most part. 

3 hours ago, malvin said:

Heh. I was thinking originally some sort of free doodle I got, but I can in fact choose a hand drawn published comic art from my collection to send 

Just confirm first that you really want it and it will be on its way! 

Just remember thst there is a reason why I chose it

Malvin 

No reason to waste good money shipping bleh art! (Unless it is Batman of course becauseBatman can never be bleh)

Just remember me if the time ever comes to move some of that NFS art.