joe_collector

I agree, but don't ask, as it gets these guys in a hissy fit, like you're saying they can't grade or something. My problem with it is, if I pay GPA prices for raw based on some "big player's" grading, and have to sell for an emergency, I'd need to spend the $$$ and wait the time to send it to CGC, or take a big loss.

Big-time, and there was a thread about it on here. Lotsa discussion on what other potential 25-cent variants could exist.

Amazing Spider-man129 - First Punisher - RARE 25-CENT VARIANT! I purchased this comic right off the newsstand in downtownNY (during a trip) and dutifully filed it away in my collection. Only later, when Istarted attending ComicCons, did I start noticing that the cover price was different, andfeatured a 25¢ notation, rather than the standard 20¢ I kept seeing on display. At thetime, I really didn't think much of it, and since dealers didn't have a clue and reallyweren't interested in helping me out, it became a curiosity in my collection. I have some bills to pay and have decided that the pleasureof owning this book doesn't outweigh financial responsibility, so I'm putting it up forauction. The condition is VF/NM, and with the regular 20¢ edition selling for over $500in this condition, I hope you will recognize the incredible scarcity of this 25¢ variant,and bid appropriately. Please read below for a history of this particular comic, alongwith my conversations with Marvel regarding its origins and veracity. I had a the good fortune of hitting a Marvel ComicCon in NYduring the late-70's, and decided to take the book along and see if anyone at Marvel knewwhat was up. I showed the book to a few Marvelites (including Stan the Man) and none ofthem had any ideas, but Sal Buscema did point me in the direction of a gentleman at theMarvel Display, a Mr. Sol Brodsky. Apparently, Mr. Brodsky handled operations andcirculation, and was a long-time Marvel employee. When I showed him the comic, his eyes lit up, and I'll do mybest to relay what I remember of our conversation and Mr. Brodsky's replies: "I never thought I'd see one of those again. You see Stan was real worried about the proposed 25¢ price increase, so he wanted to make sure he wasn't stepping into a landmine. He talked to me about doing some market research, but as our department consisted of me and a secretary, we didn't have the manpower or procedures in place. We agreed on a compromise, whereby we would print up a few of the higher 25¢ issues, distribute these to nearby newsstand vendors and do a quick tally of any customer resistance. It was pretty basic, and at lunch, I'd head down with a few stacks of books, give them to the vendors and then check the stands and ask if anyone complained." I then asked Mr. Brodsky how many copies of these wereproduced, which months/issues and which newsstands: "I can't really remember which issues, but we stuck to the popular series, and along with this Spidey, I think we used an Avengers and maybe a Conan issue from the same time. We did this for 3 consecutive months, and couldn't have printed more than a hundred copies, and maybe not that many of the last issue. By that time, Stan had decided to go ahead with the 25¢ jump, and even decided to post an apology in the various letter pages. And like I said, we wanted to keep it small, so we only used 3-4 newsstands that were in walking distance of the Marvel offices. I think we gave the vendors some free Marvel stuff to go along with the test." Now I have never seen another of these ASM 129 25¢ issues,and with approximately 100 copies printed, it's not surprising. I've also never seen thesefabled Avengers or Conan 25¢ variants either, but using Mr. Brodsky's comments, it'spretty easy to narrow down which ones they may be. Amazing Spider-man 129 was a February 1974 issue, and Marvelwent 25¢ across the board in May. So the other possible 25¢ variants would be thesubsequent March and April issues, or Avengers 121 and 122, along with Conan 36 and 37.Obviously, the ASM 129 is the only key issue in the bunch, but if you bought comics nearthe Marvel Offices in downtown NY, then checking for these ultra rare books might be worthyour while.

They do exist... every April 1st.

Holy Cap! When did this happen, and did you get a list out here and to some local dealers?

Yeah, the fanboys ain't gonna like that.

Kudos to GACollectibles for a nice set of Byrne books, and now I can finally close off my Captain America run.

Fated to be Wizard's Investment Book of the Year!

You sound like a dealer I know. I own boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes of Bronze Age, as it's all I've ever collected, and I can guarantee you have absolutely no clue what you're talking about. Not even a single minute clue. To prove this, just ask BronzeBruce to give us a slight idea what his CGC collection would be worth if sold today. Or how about Ghost Town or World's Best?

Why? If you're financially secure and treat it like a hobby, why would you care? I don't track what my house is worth on a daily basis, so why would I worry about my funny books? , you have no clue either, as I think I could peg mine if I was given a $250,000 margin of error. Was this entire post an elaborate satire?

Why does everyone seem to let that little runt Randyp off, after he essentially creates a new sales thread for every single book he's selling. Maybe it's time I listed a few books, one at a time... just to prove a point.

If they did, it's gone now.

Well there goes the high-grade market.

Agreed, and I wasn't saying that GPA caused it, as it's obviously currency-related, only that the online format means that someone in Bolivia has the same access to GPA data as you do, thus creating a more stable and robust worldwide buying market. So when the currency shifts happen, GPA and the online selling venues allows non-US buyers to feel a bit safer with their funny book portfolios.

But there are far more market factors at work in today's ultra high-priced slab market, just like the helmetless kids of yesteryear would probably be pasted all over the sidewalk by cell phone-yabbering drivers in the car-congested streets of today. Well, we had more drunk drivers to deal with in the old days. True, but they mostly came out at night.

No, but as you realize, prices have spiked since the 90's and there are new and emerging markets today, like EBay, online consignment houses and the burgeoning UK/Euro-markets. Buying a high-grade GA or SA key is far more complex today, and also carries a far higher price tag. So how I see GPA playing a role is to give the added buying, selling or investment data to the high-rollers, making them feel safer plunking down their hard-earned money on funny books - after all, they can now track their paper portfolios, determine what and when to sell, and identify prime buying opportunities. GPA provides market validation to CGC comics, much like OS did decades before. Without GPA, there is no way the market would have expanded like it has, with new records being set on almost a daily basis.

But there are far more market factors at work in today's ultra high-priced slab market, just like the helmetless kids of yesteryear would probably be pasted all over the sidewalk by cell phone-yabbering drivers in the car-congested streets of today.

As everyone hopefully knows, I'm about as anti-investment/speculation as it goes, but this statement is pretty naive and totally ignores the market validity and investor-justification a service like GPA gives to graded CGC books. Without GPA, there would certainly be fewer players at the high-end and less of an inclination for investors, flippers or speculators to "play the market".

This place gets angrier by the minute.

What I don't understand is why more buyers aren't ticked off about this cherry-picking?

Sure, why contribute to Overstreet or GPA - it makes no business sense.

, sounds like you have a serious beef with Overstreet as well. Any smart businessman realizes that recognized price guides like OS and GPA provide buyers with a blanket of security and it's in their best interest to keep the data flowing. To me, it seems like Josh and CL are reaping the benefits of GPA, while promoting GPA-breaking sales, but without footing their share of the data bill.