eschnit

On 8/18/2021 at 4:30 PM, gino2paulus2 said:

Some of my fav covers of the GA involve mashups of 2 genres hero/horror. AA61 has recieved a LOT of love these few years

That Mystery Men 30 is sick!   It’s literally so rare I forget about it.  And I can’t read the writing on the label but it must say like tape everywhere, cover detached, etc.  Because it’s stunning.  Like that ain’t a 3.0 unless the cover is detached or some other flaw that can’t be seen.

On 7/21/2021 at 10:56 AM, Dr. Love said:

and here are the Promise romance to date.  It's beginning to look like the kid was more a Church type of collector, buying books because that's the mission, having not much to do with genre preference.  I find it hard to believe a male teen in that period would be "into" romance books on the basis of they were just so awesome!  And romance photocovers?  That's a bridge too far for most if not all, even today.  Except myself and @Bumble Kitty!  Maybe a case could be made for him being a Kirby freak of the first order, and just followed that fanboyishness into Prize romance.  But what about the Timely romance?  Just a Timely fan in general?  A litmus test will be if he bought Fawcett romance, as they were certainly available (being the only romance title coming out monthly) but exclusively "sappy" photocover (always the happy couple) with no star artists or salacious content. 

Speaking of which, would love to see some (more) Fox.  The one entry showing up so far is a disappointing 5.5.

Ideal	5	7.5
My Romance	1	9.4
My Romance	2	8.5
My Romance	3	9.2
My Story	5	5.5
Young Love	17	9.2
Young Love	18	7.5
Young Romance	1	7.0
Young Romance	6	9.0
Young Romance	7	8.5
Young Romance	8	8.0
Young Romance	9	9.4
Young Romance	10	9.0
Young Romance	11	9.2
Young Romance	12	8.5
Young Romance	13	8.0
Young Romance	14	9.4
Young Romance	15	9.6
Young Romance	16	9.8
Young Romance	17	7.5
Young Romance	20	9.6
Young Romance	21	9.6
Young Romance	22	9.4
Young Romance	23	9.4

I’d guess it’s more likely he bought every new issue his local comic shop got in, and they didn’t carry a lot of romance, but some.  You’re right, I can’t imagine the photo cover romance comics were appealing to anyone really.  But whomever was buying them, Asian male teenagers probably wasn’t their target market.

On 8/18/2021 at 2:44 PM, GreatCaesarsGhost said:

that you'll never find. Batman is DC and Cap is Timely, and never the twain shall meet

Haha, one can dream.  Good thing Stan and Jack were far enough away from Citizen Kane to not steal their story 😯

On 8/18/2021 at 3:55 PM, Terry JSA said:

Are you me?

On 8/18/2021 at 1:45 PM, GreatCaesarsGhost said:

Sweetness! ...was looking for the cover with Batman and Captain America both kicking Hitler’s .  I guess it doesn’t exist.

On 8/18/2021 at 12:52 PM, circumstances said:

That is badass.  Who’s the artist?

On 8/18/2021 at 12:42 PM, Mmehdy said:

WOW.. super covers

They’re not all mine lol.  I do have 5 of them, wouldn’t mind getting a copy of each in mid-high grade.  Given we entomb our books so much now, covers are almost all we see.  In most ways that’s unfortunate.  But it does lend itself to admire some like a masterpiece painting. I think that Phantom #17 went for about $500k lol.

On 8/18/2021 at 2:44 AM, lou_fine said:

Well, if this is true, then shouldn't books like New Fun 2 and New Comics 2 be worth a lot closer to both Action 1 and 'Tec 27 then?  

So, let me qualify my response.  I’m playing Devil’s Advocate to some degree. I also don’t know you, so you may be doing the same.  And I’m not the expert.  I don’t know what I don’t know.  But no, or not remotely to the same degree in my opinion.   
 

The situation surrounding the T206 Honus Wagner has been an intriguing story to card collectors in the hobby for generations throughout the hobby, and to some degree pop culture and baseball.  His protesting being on tobacco cards.  There being some minute number, maybe 50-100 ever produced, and much less than that that got out without being destroyed.  There are just enough of the other T206 cards, of say Cobb or Young to create high demand for the Wagner at the time.  Honus Wagner is underrated in the psyche of the average fan today.  He’s top 20 player all-time, maybe closer to top 10.  Baseball got big in the coming years, cards got popular again with Goudey gum in 1933-34.  By then the Wagner card was consequential and worth an astounding $50 at the time. (Gotta wonder how many were known to exist then).

Stars like Ruth and Gehrig had popular Goudey cards in the early 30s, for collectors wanting to look back, the Wagner card was already the stand out, and perhaps even an inspiration to start the hobby.  And of course it changed the hobby, as tobacco cards went by the way side, yielding to what would become a kids pastime.  Mantle rookie comes another 20 years later and you have yourself a full fledged hobby.  Then decades later the mythical Wagner card takes a life of its own with Wayne Gretzky snapping one up.

Compare this to comics.  Action 1 and Tec 27 are the medium changers.  They are the introduction to superheroes.  The biggest superhero at the time, Supes.  The biggest superhero today, albeit him perhaps “dark”, the Batman.  They have been the two biggest forever, and will likely to continue to be.  There are some odd amount out there.  Not enough, but just enough.  I’d have to look it up, but I believe around 100 graded, maybe a couple hundred more raw of each. The Golden Age of comics becomes Golden, in large part to these books.  Yeah, pre-code was awesome.  But what would it have been without these two?  Of course, comics evolve, code comes along, and we have what we have today.  A culture with comics running through it.  And 20-25 years is a long time, a whole generation.  The time from Action 1 to Fantastic Four 1.  Tge culture had a long time between Supes and Bat intro and Marvel.  Caps and Timely were around, but Lee/Kirby taking the hobby to another level wouldn’t come to later (I mean in size and scope, not quality).  
 

New Fun 2 and New Comics 2 may be rarer, but they didn’t introduce Captain America or Wonder Woman, the Joker, or even say the Destroyer.  There’s no lore, except for hardcore hobbyists.  Nic Cage scooped up Action 1 to Wayne Gretzky’s T206 Wagner, not New Fun 2.  Rarity matters, but demand matters more is my main thought.

Question, I could easily research it and find an answer quickly, but prefer to ask, as fans may have something interesting to add.  Did Flessel ever draw Batman or Superman?  When I think of Flessel and O’Mealia I think great early DC and no Supes or Bat.

...but very clearly I could be very wrong. For instance, top of mind, I can’t remember who the cover artist is for great Detective covers after 27 and before intro to the Boy Wonder.  I’m pretty knowledgeable, but obviously showing areas of ignorance.  Thanks for putting up with it.

On 8/17/2021 at 5:50 PM, G.A.tor said:

Indeed 

Better question would be if a Rick, Rich, Richie, Ricky, Richard all are out for the same book what happens?! 🤯

On 6/22/2021 at 7:55 AM, GreatEscape said:

My strategy is to avoid bidding against a Gator... 

Can a Gator outbid a Whale?

On 8/16/2021 at 8:15 PM, bpc3qh said:

That's a Gem Mint rookie for two of the five greatest basketball players of all time (Magic and Larry); it's akin to a 9.6/9.8 copy of FF1, if FF1 was also the first appearance of Spider-Man or the Hulk.

I know, lol.  I collected cards in the mid 80s, and distinctly remember what cards were of consequence.  That is an awesome card.  If I had $5 billion, I’d happily throw a cool $850k at it.  And certainly it makes more sense than  ot of those refractor cards that are super expensive.  For me, it’s just a little odd because I don’t really remember that card well.  Like they’ve got the ‘86 Fleer Jordan in gem with a bid at like $225k, I’m sure it’ll go higher.  I remember that card of course, and the rarer ‘85 Star card.  I remember the Topps Mantle rookie, the ‘33 Goudey Ruth, the Opeechee Gretzky.  I just don’t remember that Bird/Magic card for some reason.  

On 8/16/2021 at 7:54 PM, bpc3qh said:

It's obviously an inexact comparison, since the T206 cards for players like Cy Young and Ty Cobb also command huge values, as do the early Ruth and Gehrig cards. But it also shows that sports cards are a different beast from comics.

Yeah, it’s not really a great comparison.  The Wagner is super rare due to the extremely low number being manufactured. And it’s much older than the cards that came later for a Ruth or Gehrig.  Now if Green Lantern’s 1st appearance had been in 1915, and there were only 10 known copies, perhaps.

On 8/16/2021 at 7:54 PM, bpc3qh said:

It's obviously an inexact comparison, since the T206 cards for players like Cy Young and Ty Cobb also command huge values, as do the early Ruth and Gehrig cards. But it also shows that sports cards are a different beast from comics.

Then there’s this...

On 8/16/2021 at 7:39 PM, Cat-Man_America said:

If that's the case it would involve a scenario similar to what I mentioned early on, ...basically guaranteeing whatever outcome is required to help bolster the legitimacy of the auction.  

I'm not being cynical here, just rationalizing one obvious possibility given the profile of the books and trying to establish a "beachhead" for bragging rights as a new competitor on the major auction scene.

This is almost certainly true, as there is a lot for like a Vince McMahon signed t-shirt and fake billion dollar Bill framed with him on it, with a $5000 minimum bid already made on it.  I can’t conceive of anyone bidding on that.  It’s an absurd lot.  Now, the meet and greet with Undetaker, okay, cool.  The McMahon thing isn’t a meet and greet, and there’s no legit memorabilia. 
 

There’s a soccer player’s rookie card that I’ve never heard of with a $24k bid.  That I understand.  I don’t know everything about the card market, or every player in every sport.  Just as there are Golden age books that lay people would be baffled by regarding values.  But some things are just silly. 

Are the items on the auction available to preview?  I had heard a date around August 22nd for the auction, but see no books, or any indication of any books or comic auction on their site.   

Has anyone figured out how to see the items on the auction?  I logged on, the default is the current card and memorabilia auction.  No comics.

On 8/15/2021 at 12:15 PM, sckao said:

Turns out I put your copy up for auction on January 10, 2010 at a VCC Fundraiser. So your copy WAS MINE! (My memory is shot.) 

I guess the board got together to do a Fundraiser to put Danny Dupcak out of business... (I don't even recall this actually. We did so many VCC auctions, charity auctions, and fundraiser events back then, it's become a blur.) So I didn't make any money off of this and it was donated toward the fundraiser.

That thread even says I got the Epic Illustrated #16 and the Conan #1 8.0 signed together. (And I threw in a Marvel Comics Presents #84 CGC 9.8 and 5 raw copies of MCP #72! .)

 

It sold for $200. That's a pretty good deal in today's market given the freebies... 

haha, nice

On 8/14/2021 at 8:40 PM, sckao said:

I was trying to jog my memory and I seem to remember this was an event on the boards… Either it was an official event or it was facilitated by a board member here. You could have two items signed by BWS but you had to mail the items to them.

I hope I got that right. I may have slabbed that Epic Illustrated #16 along with the Conan #1 possibly since I literally had and still have hundreds of copies of that magazine series.

 

 

On 8/14/2021 at 5:40 PM, DanCooper said:

It's possible that the bidding systems are set up like this:

Let's say the current high bid is $400 and bidding increments are $50. You place your $757 bid

You are now the high bidder at $450 and no one else is currently bidding.

Bidding then starts heating up again and raises each bid by $50, including yours.

When someone bids to the $750 level, the system sees a higher amount bid logged prior (yours at $757) and makes you the high bidder at $757 than the person at $750. The system won't ignore your max even if it is not in line with the $50 increments.

You wouldn't be able to place a $757 bid if the level was already at $750 with no other bids in the system. But, since you already placed a max bid earlier, the system will take that into consideration when the level gets to that amount.

Not saying this is gospel, just a possibility.

 

That makes sense.  I think you’re likely right. 

On 8/1/2021 at 2:01 PM, szav said:

Not quite sure how to make sense of that statement...but let me suggest for your own benefit that you don't go digging too deep into Santa Claus's story or you may end up a bit disappointed.

Jolly red and white Santy Claus so Coke could sell more Coke 😭