Crowzilla

My buddy was looking for an FF5 and a guy with a 9.4 told him he turned down $225K for a copy. Wonder if this is the same person of whom you are speaking?

I wonder if Bob is actually doing the pricing on the Guide anymore. It's been 27 years since he sold his collection and the Guide itself to Geppi, and while I'm sure he sat in the captain's chair for several years after, it wouldn't surprise me if he is taking a much less active roll at this stage. I don't believe Ted is at Hake's any longer, and it's not hard to imagine Bob just being a guy in some photos on the wall.

Are you trying to suggest that we only think guide is out of place because we are looking at the top prices and comparing them to the highest prices paid? Ok, what is "Good" guide on say Bat 1, Blue Bolt 105, Famous Funnies 213, and Seven Seas 4. Those prices must be right around FMV

So Bob is almost fully caught up to 2017 pricing on Seven Seas, got it. And you almost had me convinced earlier that it was about time to buy a new copy.

Woooot! It's so great to see how much more my books are worth today than they were yesterday. Though I'm gonna speak up for our favorite MF73 pusher and say that's it's quite strange that the gap between 52 and 73 increased this year when actual sales tend to make one think the opposite. But, it's not a 20+ year trend yet, so no need to overreact and close the gap. It's enough that he finally acknowledged Cap #3 is actually worth more than #2 and that AA16 isn't quite as valuable as Bat 1. Baby steps.

There's no Batman, Robin, or any of the other characters from the National Allied Publications line. It was intended to showcase Gaines All American Publications line (hence the title). Two separate publishers that promoted and distributed together thanks to Harry Donenfeld's investment in the company.

Wasn't that about double guide or so for the time? I don't understand your complaint

Was this known a long time ago, and then forgotten and re-known in the past five years? I can remember at the first or second Sotheby's auction Tom Horvitz talking with Weist about the possibility of getting it, and needing a five-figure guarantee. But maybe they were just speaking in hypotheticals?

I don't think anyone is disagreeing that the MF73 is worth 10x what the last auction price was, they give you heat when you suggest it is worth any of the big 4 books in value. It just isn't. The Church copy suffers from a strange print defect and slight miscut, but it's still the best copy of the book that is arguably the key book of the run (I think it's a better book than MF52, and believed so long before you got the Church copy). It suffers from the same problem as All Star 8, in that neither of the first appearances is shown on the cover. Obviously current Overstreet guide on it is incorrect, but where is its proper place? Perhaps number 10, but tough to see it climbing higher (and I'm sure Warners doesn't wish they had the publicity problem they are going to with the new film, same as with The Flash movie). Speaking of - Flash #1 is a great book, that has probably been overlooked for far too long. It has just about the right degree of rarity (more than Bat/Cap/Supey 1s, and just behind Action 1/Tec27), the cover actually features the main hero, and it introduces a second major hero, plus two minor ones (three minor ones if you count The Whip - who had way more GA cover appearances than Aquaman ). It came out at the end of 1939 and is one of the cornerstones of the DC Empire. I like it more than AA16 and MF52 for sure.

Barry Smith did a thing for Valiant that they advertised as the world's largest comic panel, which was something like 26" x 50", and the original art was supposedly the same size.

If that would be the most unethical thing sellers would do the hobby would be just fine.

This is why I keep saying it's profitable to buy restored copies and chop them up. A complete set of loose pages is probably around $75K break-up value, plus whatever you can get for the cover.

It might not be the Larson, but the Larson label number has been removed from the census, so I wouldn't be surprised if it gets the full treatment and is seen sporting a new holder and grade at some point.

Not sure what criteria you use to call a movie that came out in the middle of the pandemic a flop, but it exceeded (rightfully lowered) expectations. The first Wonder Woman film still has the highest domestic box office of any DCEU film. Perhaps China will eventually have strong demand for MF73, but that remains to be seen. No doubt, MF73 is currently the key issue in the MF run, and it might stay that way, but it's tough to call it undervalued at present. As stated earlier, WW is 3rd in DC licensing revenue and doesn't appear to be in any danger to drop below that (nor does she come close to threatening the money making duo of Batman/Superman).

I'm sure you are well aware that Batman and Superman are the only two DC Characters that individually license over $100 million in merchandise a year (Batman close to half a billion, Superman about half that amount). While Wonder Woman is a distant third, she destroys the rest of the DC Universe and is ranked above Teen Titans, Justice League, and DC Super Hero Girls, which are next on their rankings and she is the only other DC Comics property that Warnermedia lists individually on their sales charts. Aquaman may be popular, but he is still light years behind the trinity.

I meant as applies to buying the crown jewels and never letting go even though it would be hundreds of multiples now. But yes, Movie Posters might have the same problem of being held back - they certainly haven't doubled and tripled the last two years (at least we don't think so, as the major ones haven't come back up for auction). Fishler has had the only known Frankenstein 6-sheet for about 30 years now (which most would say is the most valuable movie poster), and he's held what was the only known A-Style Dracula one sheet for a similar time frame until a second copy was discovered five years ago. It's been about 20 years since an original King Kong one sheet was offered for public auction.

The Dentist is the exception to every rule.

Aquaman was literally so minor that he didn't have a single cover appearance in the Golden Age. Can you think of any other DC GA Heroes that didn't even get a headshot insert somewhere? But having said that, because of the current awareness/usage of the characters I don't have a problem thinking that MF73 might actually be The key issue from the run and is more valuable than MF52 (and will remain so). I don't believe it will ever reach the levels of the trinity, but it is certainly better than several of the books you mention fighting for the 10 spot (and better than Adventure 40, which is one of my all-time faves).

I think the "wow" was that he wasn't tied up on the cover. Cool that it's a Detective cover, but aren't there some other earlier Batman ones known? I know the first Joker cover in Detective is out there, but that is a few months later.

I don't think the owner has any interest in selling it or his Church Detective 27, but he has owned them 25+ years and with today's prices, who knows.

I believe you are thinking of the Larson AA16. The Larson Action 1 is the new 8.5 on the census I believe.

Easy when the top copy is levels above the 2nd best, but didn't the Dentist also do something like turn down the Allentown Tec 29 just to keep the 28-40 Church run intact? Need to ask West the story again, I've already forgotten.

Sure we get a story with Allentown: a loving mother did the exact opposite of what 99% of all the other moms in the USA did, she saved her son's precious comic collection, and even did so in her own closet not another room in the house. That story hits instant recognition for most every collector who came home to find he no longer had a collection. True, that just like 90% of pedigrees, I don't know the name of the original owner - but has anyone bothered to ask Payette what the owner's name was. Okajima? Heck, something like 80% of the Okajima books were never even inside an internment camp. No story in those issues.

How do we know the peds didn't/wouldn't pass them? I don't believe the KC copy of Action 1 has sold since it's original $1 million result a dozen years ago (and it's "only" an 8.0), and the Larson #1 has not sold since pre-CGC days. Truth is we have no idea what they would bring if they came back on the market. My guess is that if the Larson went to auction it would set a new record sales price for a comic. And Allentown has a great story attached to it, the best known copies of Detective #27 and Captain America #1 came from it (as well as best known copies of Mysterymen #1, Special Edition #1, Detective #38, Wonderworld #3, and several others - quite possibly including the Batman #1). I think that is a great and remarkable story for a collection that would fit in a half box.

I think the problem is that there are three printings, and they don't have a clear way to discern 2nd from 3rd. But I agree all of them should be noted if the ad says On Sale Now, or On Sale XX Date