RockMyAmadeus

Someone is screwing around. The Tec is readily available as BINs for substantially less money.

And a newsstand one! That's tremendous. There are FIVE different versions of Amethyst #1 and #2. FIVE! Regular DM. Regular Newsstand 75 Cent Canadian 35 Cent DM 35 Cent Newsstand How crazy is that? And for the record, I've been looking for them since the early 90's, looking through old OPG Updates. Also for the record, I've never owned a single one.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again....the "Eclipse Archive Editions" have absolutely no business being in blue slabs. The books were foiled decades after the fact, and not by Eclipse, which had been out of business for a decade when this was done. It's absolutely no different from any other after-market additions to a book, and should be in Qualified slabs. Sigh.

No, "worth slabbing" is how it's always been defined: if I buy this book, will it be worth the cost to slab so I can then sell it? And if that answer is no, then it won't be slabbed. It has nothing to do with people who have the desire and resources to slab them for their own personal collections. To them, whether a book is "worth slabbing" becomes meaningless. If they want that book in a slab, it will always be "worth slabbing." That's right....and that's because Rai #0 is a more important book to more collectors than EW #4 is. Rai #0 has always been a foundational book in the Valiant universe...and EW #4 has not, and is not. More people want a Rai #0 slabbed, so of course there will be more 9.8 slabs of it. Again...."worth slabbing" has to do with the cost of the book plus the cost of the slabbing process versus what they can SELL it for. They (generally) have no intention of keeping the book, the point is to sell it. That's what "worth slabbing" means, and has always meant. People slabbing for themselves are not doing it because it's "worth slabbing"...because they don't care how much it's worth; they just want it in a slab. And there are FEWER of those people willing to pay the money to slab an EW #4 than a Rai #0, and much fewer than Wolverine, Punisher, X-Men, Spiderman, etc. I thought I made that pretty clear, but hopefully it's more clear now. No, they are quite provable, and on display all over this board. People slab a comic book for the following reasons: 1. To sell the book. 2. Because they want the book in a slab for themselves (registry, SS, they like slabs, etc.) 3. To check for restoration (which really falls under #1 or #2 moslty.) Those aren't assumptions; they're demonstrably proven. Since moderns aren't (with few exceptions) slabbed for reason #3, that leaves #1 or #2. There aren't any other reasons. People don't slab books because the slabs make excellent coasters. And they don't slab books because the slab has a wonderful feng shui effect on their living rooms. They slab books to keep, or they slab them to sell. There aren't any other reasons to slab. Why on earth would you say those are "unprovable assumptions"? And I'm pointing out the fact that conclusions made about books on the census....which many people around make much too casually...are not anywhere near as conclusive as they would like them to be. No one is disputing the census data. That would be silly. And since I'm not silly, it's safe to assume I'm not disputing it, either. I see. If by "easier to get", you mean "easier to obtain an already slabbed 9.8 copy", then yes, that is true. If by "easier to get", you mean "easier to find a copy that will grade 9.8", then the answer is "you cannot conclude that." It is fairly clear that you mean the former, but "easier to get" has nearly always meant, on this board, "easier to find a copy that will grade such and such." "I got a 9.8!" - doesn't mean "I purchased a 9.8 slab!" as you are using it here...it means you sent in a raw book, and it came back 9.8. Nobody really cares that someone bought an existing 9.8 slab. That takes no effort. But getting a 9.8 out of a raw book...now that's something to get excited about. But I can see where the confusion would lie. You're using common CGC board phraseology to mean things other than what they commonly mean. Understood. However, this: Does not typically mean what you are actually saying. It typically means "Rai #4 is harder to find in grade raw than Rai #3." What you meant was "Rai #4 is indeed harder to find already slabbed in 9.8 than Rai #3", which is self-evident from the census data, and wouldn't really need to be mentioned.

Rather, to the fact that EW #4 hasn't been worth slabbing. Such an interesting phrase, "in grade"...like "I'm sure", which means "I'm not sure." It means "in HIGH grade", but "high" is omitted. Anyhoo, no, it just demonstrates that there are more copies of Rai #3 in 9.8 than Rai #4 at the present time. There are very few definitive conclusions that can be drawn from single census snapshots. Sigh...Now you're just being specious. No, I'm correcting erroneous statements. There's a difference. $100 is a "starting point" for most slabbers of books for resale. Less than that, and it's generally not worth the time and effort to target a specific book. And "a consistent value above $100 in 2012"...? There were four recorded sales in 2012: one for $41, one for $85, one for $110, and one for $120. I don't know how four sales = consistent, but that's an average of $89 for the year. Now, 2013...12 sales, for an average of $102. Ok, now we're starting to get somewhere. But...here comes 2014, and the average is..$49, with one sale at $20...meaning, the slabber lost money on the effort. So, no, EW #4 has not been "worth slabbing" by those who are looking to resell. If you're going to say things, you have to be prepared to have them challenged. If you've got your facts up to snuff, there shouldn't be any problem, right? I don't get annoyed when people challenge me. Well, sometimes I do...depends on who, and how... Because there are far more collectors of Wolverine, Punisher, and X-Men. "Worth slabbing" means "I'm going to slab this to sell to someone." That is why you don't see more copies of EW #4 in 9.8. Slabbing for yourself is slabbing for yourself, and only the individual can determine for himself if it is "worth slabbing." It does...? That's neither here nor there, but as I was not commenting on your specific use of the phrase, which should have been fairly clear. I don't know if "definitively" is the correct word, but again, that is not a statement that can be made. What does "far more common" mean? Nail it down with quantification, not qualification. How do you know it's "easier to get"? The only thing we know from the census is that, currently, there are more copies of Rai #3 in 9.8 than Rai #4. We do not know that it is "easier to get", nor do we know if that will always be the case. We can say Rai #3 tends to be easier to get in 9.8 than #3, but you can't make that claim for sure (and you never will be able to.) By what measure?

I've gotten six. So far. Out of 8 subs (one 9.4 SS, and one 9.8 pre-screen reject.) Don't hate me. How many copies of Harbinger 1 have you held in your hands that had no shot at 9.8? Probably 30-40.

What the hell am I, chopped liver...? :shrug:

I've gotten six. So far. Out of 8 subs (one 9.4 SS, and one 9.8 pre-screen reject.) Don't hate me.

Rather, to the fact that EW #4 hasn't been worth slabbing. Such an interesting phrase, "in grade"...like "I'm sure", which means "I'm not sure." It means "in HIGH grade", but "high" is omitted. Anyhoo, no, it just demonstrates that there are more copies of Rai #3 in 9.8 than Rai #4 at the present time. There are very few definitive conclusions that can be drawn from single census snapshots.

Madness. The prices these consigners with Lonestar are setting are beyond ridiculous. 3x what a book has EVER sold for...? No problem! 4x? 5x? 10x? The sky's the limit! Let's price EVERYTHING at a million dollars!

Two copies of Harbinger #1 in 9.8 sold for $845 and $600 in the last few weeks. I think it's safe to say that Harby #1 is back in the top spot again, at least for now.

This would be wonderful, because then I would be rich! The plans and goals and dreams I had in the early 90's, long since deferred and delayed, would finally come true....and just at the point where it no longer mattered to me. It would be quite nice if Harby #1 was the $10,000 book (raw, natch) that it could have been, had it even come close to matching the trajectory of Avengers #1.

1.4 per month, same as it's been since the beginning of 2010.

To be clear, I've personally never specified a timeline, and I've used IM 55 as my baseline (i.e., 9.8s doubled in the three years since we first saw Thanos on screen). However, I would wager good money that the 9.8 census doubles to 270-300 in the next 4 years (i.e., July 1, 2019) -- sooner if we actually get a cast confirmed by year's end or a teaser trailer by Dec. 2016. (And I recall the Bret Ratner movie hype, etc.) If the current rate of increase of 1.4 per month remains in effect, that will add 70 copies to the census, or a little over 200. The "jump" from $300 to $800 is still a fluke at this point, and isn't likely to inspire much difference from what is already happening. My 9.8 is up on eBay for $850, and I haven't gotten so much as a nibble. Despite all the evidence to the contrary. No one is making the argument, by the way, that the "vast majority" of eventual 9.8s has already been slabbed. The argument is that you won't be finding 300-400 more copies of this book out there in 9.8, still sitting in collections/inventories/hoards/stockpiles. And the ones that do come in will be onesies and twosies, the same as it's been since the beginning of 2010. It doesn't matter that it has lost "80% of its value." First, that value wasn't a real one. It wasn't accurate. It's like the people who paid $1200 for an MS65 1881-S Morgan dollar, in 1989 dollars no less, and I can right now, 26 years later, pay $145 and have it in my hands in a couple of days. $1200 wasn't a real price, but when the census was low, that's what people were willing to pay, until the census caught up. Second...the book has, again, never sold for less than $300 in the last 13 years. It doesn't matter that it "crashed", because those people who are looking for them don't care. If Topnotch pays $50 for a copy, slabs it for $25, and sells it for $300, he wins. Who cares that it has "lost 80% of its value"? No one. It's not like someone is going to come across a raw 9.8 potential, and then sneer at it and say "pffft! This lousy book was worth $2,000 in 9.8, and now it's only worth $300! It is not worthy of my attention. PASS. Hmph! (best said with a snooty French accent.)" No one is going to say that.

That timing coincides with the start of the new Valiant. This is going to drive submissions, no doubt about it. You focus on the "tripling" but I look at raw numbers and they tell a different story. You can say the number of copies tripled if it went from 1 to 3. I certainly hear you. Just like I heard the people who said the same thing in 2003, 2005, 2007, etc. We still only have 140ish 9.8s on the census for a book with a ~40K print run that has never sold for much less than $300 and as much as $2k+. If you really think there are going to be 250 this time next year, I do not see the evidence for it, at all. A lot of people...and I mean, a LOT of people...would do well to find books on census analysis and read, read, read before posting. It's like fish in a barrel....all these things have already happened in the coin, and then card, markets, and it's just like clockwork happening in the comics market. It is quite scientific, how these things happen. A healthy couple of decades of experience would help, too, but that's not something you can buy. Since 2010, there has been a single instance of an 8 copy jump between census reports (August-Sept 2013), a single instance of a 4 copy jump, and four instances of 3 copy jumps. That's it. Everything else has been ones or twos, steadily creeping up, slowly but surely, at an average of 1.4 a month for the last 63 months. It is critical...VITAL...to understand that Harbinger #1 is the single most valuable book of 1992 that currently exists. That matters because it has ALWAYS been "worth it" to slab in 9.8, and there are dozens, if not hundreds, of people scouring the land on a regular basis (Rich Henn, Topnotch, Greg Reece, SOT, etc) looking for this particular book, buying 9.8 potential copies. Just like there are hundreds of people scouring the land for Bone #1 1st prints in 9.8, or Batman Adventures #12 9.8s, or X-Men #266 9.8s, etc etc etc. No one is going to pass on that book as a 9.8 potential, because it's been worth at least $300. If you buy a 9.8 potential for $50, and slab it for $25, and sell it for $300...you win. And what we have here is dribs and drabs. The flood is over. There will be no more "doubling of the census" in a few months, as in the past, or even in a year. Five years? Sure, of course! Onesies, twosies will continue to come in. But 13 copies added in two months, taking the census from 24 to 37, from April to June of 2009? Or from 24 to 42 from April to September? Or 12 to 42 from March of 08 to Sept of 09? Not going to happen, and certainly not in those same percentages.

You are correct. Fortuitously, no one assumed that. I have about 10 more 9.8 potentials sitting in a box not 20 feet away from me. I am just one person. My experience alone negates such an assumption. No argument from me. That is correct. "Effectively anyone" who had 9.8 potentials didn't all slab them.

This isn't true, and here's why: The very reason that price of Harbinger #1 was sinking drastically was precisely because 9.8s started popping up a lot more. The exact opposite is true: people rushed to have them slabbed to beat the market to the bottom. And, as I said before, "$300 for a 1992 book" (which no other regular issue book can claim, by the way...Harby #1 is, hands down, the most valuable regular book of 1992), is still plenty of incentive to slab. You can say that people were trying to beat the market, but there is no way to prove that. There absolutely is. Do you have GPA? Go to www.cgcdata.com , and enter "Harbinger #1." Then, go look up the GPA data for Harbinger #1 in 9.8. You can watch the market sink from late 2008 through the summer of 2009, as the number of submissions went up, up, up. And it's not just educated conjecture, because I am right there in the middle of that meltdown, and that's precisely what I did, and it's precisely what others said THEY did on these boards at the time. In fact, that's why I got into pressing. I had four Harby #1s signed at NYCC on Feb 9, 2009, and gave them to Matt Nelson to press...they didn't arrive to CGC until April 16, nine weeks later, and I didn't have them back in hand until June. The 6//28/09 sale of the sig series was my book (which was sold to someone on VF.com via eBay, who then sold it to someone else, who is now offering it for sale on eBay again. The circle of life.) 2009 was one giant race to the bottom. Yes, it came out around Halloween, 1991.

He does. I haven't figured out what they are, but he DOES have them.

Just sayin' ? To recap, after much prodding you supposedly shared the buyer's words in a quote where he asked if you were willing to accept $100 for a book, your response where you agreed to take $100 indicates that he inquired about two other books that you didn't have, obviously you aren't sharing the entire scope of what this potential buyer is saying. Quit editing and/or paraphrasing the discussion if you are going to try and get people's opinions - sure you may just be omitting useless words but if you're asking for people's opinions then post the entire exchange, the context of the entire PM is relevant. Also, if you are planning to share anything further...just post it all (with or without outing the buyer) rather than drag it on for a dozen more posts. (thumbs u Agreed.

Holy cow! Park got one??

This isn't true, and here's why: The very reason that price of Harbinger #1 was sinking drastically was precisely because 9.8s started popping up a lot more. The exact opposite is true: people rushed to have them slabbed to beat the market to the bottom. And, as I said before, "$300 for a 1992 book" (which no other regular issue book can claim, by the way...Harby #1 is, hands down, the most valuable regular book of 1992), is still plenty of incentive to slab. What copies? 9.8s? There already has been an influx of high grade copies of all the early Valiant keys...it happened in 2008/2009. We will creep along in dribs and drabs at this point...there will be no more "doubling the census in a couple of months" for books like Harby #1, Solar #10, etc. By the way...I sold a Harby #1 for $720 cash tonight. First 9.8 Harby #1 I have sold in two years. Around 2012, I had a couple of offers of $450, $475 for a copy, and I held out. My price was $500. I turned down multiple offers, and those people eventually ended up buying their copies for less than they offered me. I considered that I might have made a mistake turning down that money, but I was ok with it, because I literally have the cost of slabbing and about $10 each into these books. If I never got the price I wanted, I was ok with keeping them forever and never selling, even if they (especially if they) ended up at $50 in 9.8. It took several years, but I finally got what I wanted, and then some. I'm happy, buyer's happy, win. I'm glad I didn't settle.

The dinosaurs will roam the earth again before you see the next issue. Actually, there will never be an issue by Nate Washington. You never know! Special NFL crossover issue! How about Nate Vegas? Him too!

The dinosaurs will roam the earth again before you see the next issue. Actually, there will never be an issue by Nate Washington. You never know! Special NFL crossover issue!

Or have I......? ( )

I have put people on ignore for asking about a book, and then, when given an answer, they don't reply and just drop out of the thread. It's like a "thanks, but I'll pass" is too much effort to type. Very rude. But, then again, I put people on ignore for looking at me funny, so....