I’ve looked at that book a bunch. Like @lou_fine, I think there’s still a price pop coming. I think you’ll be lucky to get it at $50k. I did not know, per @Gotham Kid, that the slab mitigates the deterioration of the paper due to tape. I’d been told in the past by cgc that the slab will halt the progress of foxing, but this is the first I’d heard that the slab will also halt the progress of tape damage. This is surprising and welcome news.
nobody knows the future in this coronavirus world, but there’s 2 things about collecting low end keys: 1) you’ll pay a little more, relatively speaking, on a low end key because there’s more bidders for whom a less expensive key is attainable. And as you know, more bidders often results in a higher price, relatively speaking, than on a book that’s only got maybe 1 or 2 bidders. There will be more bidders on a Bat 1 1.5 than on a Bat 1 6.0, simply because more guys can afford to sit at that table. 2) not all low end keys are alike. Some have higher eye appeal than others. The number of defects at the low end are various and sundry. I don’t mind detached covers or centerfolds(even though I try to avoid books with label notes), and I don’t mind cover splits. If the result of these defects are such that I can more afford to sit at the table, and the book looks good in the slab, that hits all my buttons
oh, I almost forgot: I think it’s good strategy to buy low end keys. First of all, they are extremely satisfying to own, and secondly, I think they will always go up in value. I see the flavor-of-the-month books wax and wane(In prices people are willing to pay), but not as much the keys