RockMyAmadeus

I ate mine. It was tasty. (burp)

Oh, and I agree. I get the feeling there's a LOT of holding out where these things are involved.

Do you think he has some left to sell? I really think there is more stuff going behind the scenes with these effin' things then anything else...here's one for you, why are you contemplating selling your black 3? Cause I need a new roof.

Sure there is! I discovered ten of #2 in one shot...and this from a seller who had no clue what they had, and frequently threw out books that they didn't think they could sell, including several hundred of the OTHER Image ashcans (Stormwatch, Brigade, etc.) Has anyone ever seen TEN #3s from any source? #1, sure, no problem. I think #1 and #2 are as common as each other. #2, I can account for at least 13 copies, my ten, at least one of yours, and the one that oftimespast listed. Quit holding out, here. I've been straightforward about what I have, how I got it, how much I paid, and what I've done with it. I could very, very easily have withheld how many black #2s I own, and pretended I only had one or two, to manipulate the market for my benefit, but I didn't. I laid it all out there, because knowledge is more important to me than profit. You, however, have been very close to the vest about what you have, what you've seen, and what you know about. I respectfully ask you to cut it out so the scholarship of these books is advanced. And I say that with the utmost respect and collegial humor. I'm not holding out, I'm happy to share information about what I have but not from those who wish to remain private. I have requested those scans and their purchase prices and the locations just for you RMA. People can remain anonymous and still share information. Happens all the time in other fields. Lots of "held by anonymous collector" details out there. But thank you.

Sure there is! I discovered ten of #2 in one shot...and this from a seller who had no clue what they had, and frequently threw out books that they didn't think they could sell, including several hundred of the OTHER Image ashcans (Stormwatch, Brigade, etc.) Has anyone ever seen TEN #3s from any source? #1, sure, no problem. I think #1 and #2 are as common as each other. #2, I can account for at least 13 copies, my ten, at least one of yours, and the one that oftimespast listed. Quit holding out, here. I've been straightforward about what I have, how I got it, how much I paid, and what I've done with it. I could very, very easily have withheld how many black #2s I own, and pretended I only had one or two, to manipulate the market for my benefit, but I didn't. I laid it all out there, because knowledge is more important to me than profit. You, however, have been very close to the vest about what you have, what you've seen, and what you know about. I respectfully ask you to cut it out so the scholarship of these books is advanced. And I say that with the utmost respect and collegial humor.

Yes. I've only been asking for this for years. Do you have one now? Four, however, is a lot less than 50. Let's see what happens when I list my #3.....

Bunnytoe, huh? This guy has some or all of the ashcans... I really wish I didn't have the feeling that people are holding out in this thread....

That 762 poster was me. As I stated there, the price guide was setting their values based on actual sales which is not an accurate representation when you only have five recorded sales that can be found. I'm open to your ideas so please let me know which parts of the post you don't agree with and I'll explain. Nothing in particular, more the commentary on how one person can base a price off 'one person's' opinion, similar to how you pointed out about lack of data for value. One thing's for sure, the prices are 'all over the map' someone pays $85 for a #1 Red from vikes and $200 for a number two red in another instance, yet when I list a number 3 with a 150 BIN and Offers, I don't get any interest at all. I'm interested....just not for that much. Vikes sucks. I hadn't blocked him, so he won a MM lot from me for $285...all F/VF...and he listed them at $499 as "NM/M!" Douchetacular!

If you need info on the sales, I could perhaps do a screen shot of my eBay sales account, which shows the sales of these books and their prices. Anything I can do to help.

I was.

Ok, lemme respond to this: As far as "is it not possible that someone is hoarding multiples of #1 and #3"...well, I suppose, but since my find was absolutely random, and obtained directly from the Image offices, I doubt it. It's not as if I carefully obtained these over the years...I bought all 11 at once, in one place (and boy, was I excited when I did.) If it were not for that buy, I would not own a single black. I have three recorded sales of Maxx #2 Blacks, the one 8.5 for $510, the one for $310, and the one for $179. Oftimespast listed, then ended, another #2, in Jan 2008. There was another #2 listed that year, too The #1 has been sold at least 3 times on eBay, including the one you bvought in 2006: http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/the-maxx-1-black-ashcan-artist-proof-signed-sam It's at least 3, as I bid on the other two. And, of course, the #3 that sold to spreads last year. So that's 9 recorded sales. Now, before you say "those are yeah, I've seen them from time to time," remember that eBay has records of everything that's ever been listed going back to at least 1998. They offer this info for sale at ridiculous amounts, but it DOES exist. Here's some recorded sales of Maxx ashcans: http://www.worthpoint.com/inventory/search;jsessionid=48F46E0838AAE0F8700F72B3CD572EF9?query=maxx+ashcan&_action_search=Submit&adquery=Search+Price+Guide&categoryurl=&img=yes http://comics.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=12111&Lot_No=30636&src=pr# Heritage Auction, #1 Yellow, $36, 2002 http://comics.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=12111&Lot_No=30635 #2 Blue, $37, 2002

That 762 poster was me. As I stated there, the price guide was setting their values based on actual sales which is not an accurate representation when you only have five recorded sales that can be found. I'm open to your ideas so please let me know which parts of the post you don't agree with and I'll explain. I guess I gotta go check this out...

You have artfully dodged every question posed you, and instead choose to insist on being a drama queen. Clearly, despite your protestations to the contrary, you very much do not "get it." Pay very close attention to the words I am about to type: no one knows what you want. You have refused to answer...several times...what you REALISTICALLY expect for these, what you would accept...so no one's going to bother making any offer. How can anyone "understand" where you're coming from, when your start offer is ludicrous and laughable, and you refuse to state what range you would accept? As far as making an offer...why do you imagine I would? And if I did, why do you imagine you would know it is me...? I have already told you what I would offer, and you have said it's not enough. So what's your point, son? This isn't about me, so stop focusing on me. Being a drama queen about this isn't going to win you any fans...guaranteed. (thumbs u

I sent my #1 Yellow to be slabbed, and they...of course...hammered the offset pages. Only got a 9.0, when the cover itself is flawless. Considering CGC has seen all of about 10 of these total, they don't really have a good handle on grades...or, they do, and 9.0 is about as high as they will ever go. I have never, ever seen a #3 Yellow...which is odd, becaue they are ostensibly twice as common as #3. I was wondering when you'd chime in http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn65/ggsae/IMG_0899.jpg http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn65/ggsae/IMG_0900.jpg http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn65/ggsae/IMG_0902.jpg http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn65/ggsae/IMG_0903.jpg http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn65/ggsae/IMG_0905.jpg You know the photos aren't as clear as i like, especially the last one on the back which makes it look worse than it actually is, . But I definitely agree that a 9.0 is about as high as we can expect, I think both of these would fall around a 9.0/8.5. Don't know what to say about the number three yellow, i thought I recalled you just missed out on one from a seller that had all three yellows (quite a feat on it's own!). Very nice. Yeah, the guy who sold me the Yellow #1...for $50... ...said he had all of them. I doubt it. But who knows. You are EVER so lucky that #3 didn't show up on US searches...I have no doubt you would have beat it, but I would have thrown a $1,000 bid up. I still need #3 Blue, #2 Red, (Thank God it's not the other way around!), #2 and #3 Yellow, and #1 Black. I keep telling people I'll GLADLY trade a #2 Black for any combination of these, but no one seems interested. Ah well! I'll keep my hoard of blacks....

And how does disclosing the reserve price hurt your sales? It's stuff like that and these absolutely absurd 20k bins which just diminishes my desire for them. And as far as I know i'm the only person in the world (aside from maybe Keith himself ) with all three blacks (2 away from a complete set), you really have to understand your target audience - it's the completest (participating here) chasing the set that are only going to spend real money for these... All I need is a #1, buddy. And #1s are the easiest to get... You and I are the only people in the world with a #3....

Yeah, I'm going to have to call BS on this one. You know where I got the $200-$500 range? Because that's what the rarest regular issues Maxx books have sold for...the Maxx Blacks. And these sold in 2008, in a MUCH firmer market, AND, the first sale was $510, the second was $310, and the last was $179. We have a SIMILAR situation, if not precisely the same. You may dismiss the Blacks, but I guarantee you, outside of my mini-hoard, these books were either tossed, or they're distributed tightly in collections, or they're sitting in Sam Keith's boxes somewhere. In the past TEN YEARS, we've seen a single sale for #3 (last year), FIVE sales of #2 (three of which were mine), and 7-9 sales of #1. So, to say the numbers are "made up" is simply not true. Ask anyone else in this thread which numbers are more realistic...$200--$500...or $20,000. And....you seem to not understand this...but what *I* am willing to pay is only slightly less than what the 4-5 OTHER guys are willing to pay, who understand what these are, appreciate them, and give a damn about owning them... Everyone else? You'd be lucky to get $10 for one. If 10 of something exists, but only 9 people want one...they're worthless...at least the 10th is.... Why don't you just state what you're willing to accept? Instead of playing the guessing game?

Why don't you just let a regular auction run (with no reserve)? This would solve all of your problems and let the market decide what it is actually worth. If you don't like the price then keep the other 9. I can tell you, right now, I'd bid $200. I'm fairly certain I'm not the only one, so it's a guaranteed $200. Fufat doesn't HAVE to sell them...I plan on listing both my #3 Black and another #2 Black...and they're going to be for crazy amounts...but I don't *have* to sell them, and if someone wants them bad enough to pay my price, they'll pay them. But I'm not going to ask $20,000 for a Maxx Black #3, even though there are only TWO known to exist currently. And, if Fufat WANTS to sell them...he's going to have to acknowledge that no one's going to waste time making offers on a $20,000 start point. It's like listing the Hulk #181 9.9 for $1,000,000. Sure, the guy could just say he's "looking for offers"...but no one's going to make a fair offer, because the start price is ridiculous. If he started it at $125,000, that's a very high amount...but it's not out of the realm of reasonableness.

Yes, you're missing something, and here's what it is: This information is useful for historical purposes, so people can understand what market existed for these relative to the entire market. It does not matter what you paid for them as it relates to future sales, but it gives everyone an idea of what they were worth at one time. The Mile High Action #1 sold for $25,000 in 1982. We know this, and it gives us a good idea of what Mile Highs were worth relative to their respective markets. John Verzyl will tell you what he paid for all his Timely Mile Highs, but you can't touch them for 20 times what he paid. And a bonus? If you scored these for $10 each, we can all be jealous.

My, what a nice set of tools you have there....

That is a fair analogy. Original comic art covers and pages do a fraction of the asking price for these books. I'd say the original art to Maxx 1/2 would be about $5-7K. Albert Moy has the cover to Detective #656 for $4500, and the cover to MCP #99, the Byrne homage, for $8K. If these were official, released books, I'd agree, but prototypes always do a bit less than official books.

Relax, grandma. Everyone realizes that you're trying to hype what you have, so you can squeeze the most you can get. No one has tried to diminish what you have (despite your clumsy attempts to try and diminish the ashcans, an argument no one here is buying.) What you have is genuinely rare, and genuinely neat, and worth about $200-$500, as stated in this thread. You need to get a little perspective and realize that you're talking to probably the most dedicated CORE of Maxx collectors that exists and also understand that "$200-$500" for a prototype of a comic that normally sells for about 50 cents...if that...is a really good thing. Saying something is "subjective" over and over again doesn't make it true. Of course you're not going to say how much you paid for them (even though such documentation is VITAL in the collectible fields for establishing value, history, and whatnot) because, just like every other hypster, you're afraid someone will come back at you and say "well, you only paid such and such for it"... Fair enough. It's not true, but such behavior is to be expected. Wanna know what I paid for my eleven Maxx Blacks? $1 each. Does that change what I'm asking for them, or what I'd accept for them? Not one bit. This was my favorite line in your post: I'm sure it would be quite the arm twist for you to "settle" for $20K. (thumbs u

For the record, there is one seriously major difference between the ashcans and the 1/2s....the ashcans are all (mostly) signed and numbered. The 1/2s are not.

I don't think you know what that means. That means you're not willing to sell them for less than YOU paid. Are you trying to say you paid about $300 each for these....?

(thumbs u Ol' Spreads here is right...and he's the proud owner of a Maxx #2 Black CGC 8.5, highest graded of only 2. That was my copy, and I let it ride in an auction back in 2008 at 99 cents, just to see how much it would end. It sold for $510. Now, could I get more than that for this book NOW? Maybe. I sold another for $310, and another with a NPB for $179. I have 8 left. Would I be willing to sell another for less than $500? No. But...if people REALLY want one, they know where to ask, and they have something to work with...and more importantly, I have a price that I am willing to accept for one (think somewhere between $1000-$1500.) Like he said, if you're not even willing to come up with an asking price, afraid that you might "set the bar too low", no one is going to ever want these. And no, $20,000 is not anywhere within the same galaxy, sorry.

Hi Fufat! Nice to have you here. 1. You're high. 2. Please pass some of that sweet, SWEET ganja you're tokin' on. Look, I understand you have something to sell, which shades how you approach this. I get it. And what you have is legitimately rare, and legitimately desired by the collecting community. However. You need to understand that the difference between a test printing and a book that was actually released is pretty significant in the eyes of the collecting community. Now...that said, there are people here who have stated that the books are worth $200-$500...which seems about right. But do you think people are going to even bother making a $200-$500 offer on a book listed for $20,000? And...here's the kicker...would you even entertain such an offer? With numerous non-sales at the $300-$350 price point, what makes you think this is worth substantially more? Let's be clear: your books are NOT "variants." They are PROTOTYPES. They were not made to be sold to the public at ANY price, and since they were not offered, they were never released...until they were tossed up on the Wizard site a decade later. Also...if I may, how much did you get these for from Wizard? This info is for scholastic purposes only, and will not be used to "drive down" the price. All of us here know...or should know...the value of the genuinely rare. As to the ashcans...yes, they are Image ashcans...but they are unique to that "program", being (mostly) signed and (mostly) numbered, without a "regular" edition. As well, the severe limitations placed on the Yellows and Blacks, as well as #2 and #3 all colors, have created a substantial value for these books in the aftermarket. You said you had "opportunities galore to buy all you wanted on the bay"...but I (and others) have been looking for these books for many years. Myself, since the late 90's when I discovered their existence. The ONLY Maxx Ashcan which has shown up with ANY regularity was #1 Blue. The rest have been sparse, at best. There have been approximately 7-9 sales of the #1 Black, about 5 sales of the #2 Black (including 3 of mine), and ONE sale (the sale mentioned here) of a #3 Black...that's going back 10+ years. So, is it ok to assume you have a complete set of all 12...? This may not be true. For some reason, the #3s did not achieve near the distribution that #1s, or even #2s did. For this kind of stuff? Doubtful. You would be surprised how tiny niche markets are, especially for uber rare items like the Maxx Ashcans and whatnot. When items don't show up for years...maybe never...people give up and move on to something that is attainable. There are rarer coins that the 1804 $1 (15) and 1913 Liberty Nickel (5)...in fact, there are probably 20-30 US coins alone that are rarer. But they don't command the multi-million dollar prices that those two command because they are TOO rare. Take the 1822 $5. There are three pieces known. Three. Two of them are locked up in the Smithsonian. That makes only one available on the market. Should be worth $5M+, right? It's not. It's too rare to be obtainable, so people don't bother, even when it came up for sale in 1982...the last time it was for sale. That would be me. Got one? Finally..... "They're" I saw you use BOTH "their" AND "there" in place of "they're", in the same paragraph! Impressive! But, it impedes the flow of the post, and makes it harder to understand. (thumbs u