NomadCow13

On 11/18/2018 at 5:19 PM, Bird said:

Good luck. Should be, what, $50-$60K for that Pep 22, at least? Did you get the rest of them slabbed (and returned) yet?

Several others were slabbed and cgc graded. Here's the link to the PEP22

https://www.comicconnect.com/bookDetail.php?id=788075

Now at auction. Go to www.comicconnect.com and see how high Pep 22 goes!

3 hours ago, skypinkblu said:

Save the corner

Yes, I have. Thank you.

51 minutes ago, shadroch said:

Are you telling us that these books, with their brilliant white covers are brittle?

No, I misspoke on that. I need an expert to see them before I say anymore about that. But at this point everyone is an expert

54 minutes ago, Chicago Boy said:

Double sorry as well.  Many of us cringed reading that.  Heritage will treat you right!!! Great guys and a great venue.to showcase. 

Heritage reassured me the little nick did not devalue the comic that much if not at all. It really comes down to if the staple can reattach to the paper without using an adhesive. 

16 hours ago, fast eddie said:

Yes,,,,,,good luck Nomad,,,,,,,let us know how it works out for you!

I wish I would have done nothing and just had someone come and see me. I nicked a corner off of Pep22 trying to bag and board. These are old and brittle and too thick for even the golden bags. Live and learn. I got Heritage wanting more pics of Pep22, which I have provided for them, and they are willing to fly out to see them. I wish I did nothing and just had an expert come and see these things.

I appreciate everyone's insights. I have been pretty obsessed with learning about these comics. I'm going to take a couple days break from them and give a couple people a call on Friday. Thank you all.

9 minutes ago, thehumantorch said:

We don't know if they're complete for starters.

To be clear... this entire collection just fell in my lap. They have been sitting around untouched for over 40 years. I have been studying, came to this forum, listening to your advice, and have been on the phone with people. I went zero to 60 in four days. 

7 hours ago, revat said:

I'd make the call to Comic connect and comic link, but my guess is that I'd still ultimately go with Heritage.  But you should do your own research, and attempt to negotiate terms with each company, then compare for yourself.

One other thing - There have been suggestions of possibly getting a cash advance on future sales, as well as negotiating terms to have the ACTUAL auction in 2019, and neither of those seem like a bad idea.  Seeing as how this could be a significant amount of money, you might want to consider some tax planning as to how much income you want and in what periods, and/or what to do with that money and when (buy some tax free bonds? load up your retirement? make other investments? buy investment property, start a business?).  Additionally, if the comics are still in trust and you have not received them yet there may be a situation where the estate trustee can just ship it all to the auction house and they just cut you a check tax-free at the end, although that may involve more income taxes on the part of the estate.  But they (and you) would have to work out the math to see if that's worth it (or legal).  I'm just saying it might be worth talking to a lawyer, accountant, or financial planner about your plans too.

Thank you revat. I didn't think about the tax part. 

10 hours ago, The Lions Den said:

Congratulations! If I may, I would like to offer some friendly suggestions regarding this wonderful inheritance. 

1)  Are you a drinking man? Personally, some of the best decisions I've ever made involving large transactions (like buying or selling real estate, or these days, a sport utility vehicle) went much smoother after I sat down and had a couple of beers (or wine, whiskey, moonshine, take your pick). It gives you time to relax and mull it over...and you've certainly got some mulling to do. 

2) Do you have a current copy of the Overstreet Price Guide and/or Grading Guide? These books can be very helpful in determining what you have and how much it's worth. You can usually find them in the hobby section of most well-stocked book outlets---just make sure it's the current copy with current pricing. In this situation, it pays to educate yourself a bit before entering shark-infested waters. 

3) Since you're probably going to get most of these books certified (a wise decision, given the value and variety of this collection) you may as well cut out the middleman. Like any transaction, the more people you deal with, the more likely it is that things will become more confusing, and it always increases the possibility of things going south. I would call CGC and ask to speak to the operations manager, Harshen Patel. He's a busy guy, but with a collection like this I'm sure it would capture his interest. At the very least, he could give you an idea of the costs involved in slabbing these books. Since the Pep #22 is the undisputed champion of this collection, I'd concentrate on that one first. 

4) Are these books bagged and boarded? If not, you may want to think about investing in some good quality mylars and backing boards. This will at least keep the books in great shape until you decide what to do with them. Always keep them out of the sunlight and try to keep them in a cool, dark, climate controlled environment (No basements or attics, please).

5) I keep my most valuable books in a safe deposit box. It's an ideal spot for obvious reasons.

Again, congratulations! I hope you have a great summer, and good luck!  

This was useful information. Thank you Lions Den.

26 minutes ago, paul747 said:

Heritage gets top buck as well

Who can I speak to at Heritage?

45 minutes ago, HENRYSPENCER said:

No, you want to put this into Comic Connect or Heritage.  Not ComicLink.  ComicLink's doesn't have the kind of exposure that Comic Connect or Heritage has.  Just see which of the two venues you can get the best deal with the most exposure.  Some things to consider:

1) A zero percent commission (especially on the Pep #22), meaning they won't charge you anything to sell your books.  That is to say; they will use your books to promote the auction and other crappier books people consign.

2) Your books should be pressed and graded by CGC, and you want the associated fees paid for by the auction house.

3) The Pep #22 should be on the front page of their auction catalog.

4) You probably want to wait until next summer to put them into the auction.  These are when the record prices and mega event auctions take place.

5) Make sure they do not put any of the same books you are offering into their auctions.  For the Pep #22 get in writing that they will not auction off another one until after your sale summer 2019.

6) Request payment by check in full no later than thirty days after the event auction takes place.

I would go with Comic Connect.  You should reach out to Vincent Zurzolo or Steven Fishler.  They deal with most of the big Golden Age titles and have some clients with deep pockets.

Interesting, and I was feeling good about comiclink. Thank you Henry for giving me more to think about.

49 minutes ago, bc said:

Agree with @thehumantorch

Contact Heritage Auctions and/or ComicConnect (who is affiliated with Metropolis Comics) as they do a great job of promoting to an international audience and have a very solid reputation for moving high-value books. Tell them you want to consign or sell the books outright. If that Pep 22 is half as nice as the picture, they will likely come to you in any of the locations that you mentioned in fairly short order. Personally, I'd spend the ten minutes it takes to contact them both and see who eventually has the best proposal. 

As you can see from the sale prices I supplied earlier, a difference of 1 grade point for that book is some serious cash; possibly several tens of thousands of dollars. Get a few (or several) offers, don't jump on the first one.

Good luck - most of us can only dream of finding books like that ! 

-bc

Anyone recommend ComicLink?

Does anyone know someone who can take this collection off of my hands for a fair price? I'm considering finding a buyer as is without me going through all of the work to get top dollar. I can meet in Portland or Seattle this week. I can meet in Phoenix next week. Or possibly meet at the San Diego Comic Con. Or should I just bring it Heritage or Comic Connect? I need to get these in front of someone who can pay the value and is excited to have these comics.

No one is really sure who's they are. My grandmother passed and they were either her dad's or from an uncle. Most look never read if that's what you are wondering. They are just old and have been sitting for years.

Who has an estimated value of what this 40 book collection is worth? Let's say the unauthorized grade of the entire collection is a 5. 

Great points Bomber-Bob. If I send to CGC now I will have them sent to my parent's house in USA. So I understand not all CGC authorized deals are the same, but don't they have to have a record of competency in order to keep their CGC authorized deal? 

Thank you bc, I did find that link prior to posting my question. It is very well described and made me feel I could do the shipping myself. Still scary though. pemart1966 I took an initial look at the comics using sites, and ebay and low end a few are selling for a couple hundred bucks. High end one sold for $50,000 eight years ago. Not sure I'm ready to touch them more or to reveal their names yet. Suggestions?

Ok, I will take some pics tomorrow. I have to go now to a family get together. Stay tuned. Thank you.

Thank you bc, I did find that link prior to posting my question. It is very well described and made me feel I could do the shipping myself. Still scary though. pemart1966 I took an initial look at the comics using sites, and ebay and low end a few are selling for a couple hundred bucks. High end one sold for $50,000 eight years ago. Not sure I'm ready to touch them more or to reveal their names yet. Suggestions?

Hello fast eddie! I will be in Vancouver, WA for another week. Then Phoenix, AZ until August 16th before heading back to China.

Hello!  I have recently inherited some pretty cool comics. I am just learning about the CGC and about comic grading, slabbing, etc. I think I want to have them professionally graded and slabbed. I understand the process for the most part. I think I want to sell. I am nervous send them in the mail. I understand there are CGC authorized peoople in my area. Should I find a trusted CGC person to do this sending off for me, or should I give this a go myself? I also understand I could meet a CGC person at a comic con, but I think this only saves me shipping costs? What are your thoughts, and advise?