GreatCaesarsGhost

On 11/16/2022 at 9:03 AM, sfcityduck said:

Stage 4 has seen actual sales results become available daily (eBay) and weekly (Heritage) on the internet which has had a bit of a tampering effect on some genres and is generally a healthy development. But it can lead to a lemming effect both upward and downward, and it does make it easier to spread info and opinions on pricing both upward and downward on sites like this.  We all can be market makers  now. Information disparities are decreased and buyers now have plenty of cautionary info available to them. It should make the market more rational as time goes by but challenges remain.

And who can ever forget the relentless drumbeat coming from those Wizard magazines 

On 12/11/2022 at 4:09 PM, Mmehdy said:

I have always liked #19/21 like everyone else on the board and think those are really great books, early in the 70's All Winners was one of the top GA books to get, over time the luster has faded

Yes, I remember when All Winners 19 was the book everyone wanted in the 90’s. The book I never see in grade is AW8. To me, that’s the standout cover

On 1/31/2024 at 9:13 PM, jimbo_7071 said:

Heritage will guarantee that no shill bidding will occur in the auction.

All kidding aside, it's hard to imagine any comic other than the highest-graded Tec 27 or Action 1 being worthy of a special announcement, so maybe it's the original art to a key book.

I think any offering of any Action 1 or Tec 27 book(not even original art to them) ought to be preceded by someone like the Silver Surfer, throwing rose petals in the path

On 1/30/2024 at 11:06 PM, lou_fine said:

Well, I would definitely have to say this certainly looks like a very strong jaw dropping price ot $18K or more than 3X condition guide value for what is not only a Moderate Restored book, but also one flagged with the normally much dreaded and value killing Brittle Pages PQ designation:    

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/captain-america-comics-3-timely-1941-cgc-apparent-fr-gd-15-moderate-c-3-brittle-pages/a/122405-19063.s?type=bidnotice-tracked-endofauction

Then again, I guess it shows the strength for an affordable entry level copy of Cap 3 which is clearly the second most valuable GA Cap book.  

Dean, I think it only went for $8k

I understand every one’s mileage may vary, but it worked fine for me. Sort of. The owner scoffed at my offer and said “not for all the tea in China”. But CC did their part, and quickly. 
 

as in all things CC, just call Rob and it’ll get done

2 years ago this would have been a $200k book(in cream to offwhite). Hard to know if it’s the brittle pages, or the market correction for this sad price, but I’m thinking it’s mostly the brittle designation

On 1/11/2024 at 2:08 PM, MrBedrock said:

The Promise Action 136 sold for a profit!

I promise to hold my Promise book until it does the same. And if it doesn’t look like it ever will, I’ll use it as a paperweight 

On 1/11/2024 at 1:41 PM, MrBedrock said:

Really? I guess it depends on perspective. Most of these big books previously changed hands privately and I think money has been lost on most of them.

I hate to hear this

You might find some in the Gold Reading Room.

im happy for you your page didn’t get a purple label. I thought the trimming would have done it 

On 1/3/2024 at 2:29 PM, Buzzetta said:

I would have said a lot worse if I received repeated inquiries about an undeliverable package I legally purchased at a government auction. 

 

well to each his own, I guess

On 1/2/2024 at 7:34 AM, KirbyCollector said:

Perhaps it is time to standardize use of smart tags for art. The Apple Air Tag is $29; Samsung's is on sale right now for $25. That's a small price to pay for peace of mind, plus the buyer can always send it back to you for reuse. As for what to do when the air tag is showing the package somewhere it should not be, the $200-$300 to fly somewhere and engage a local police officer (or private investigator for $100) to knock on a door is not a heavy lift (heck, maybe it is sitting at the back of the local PO, forgotten). If the person admits they have it, but states it was purchased under legit circumstances,  they will have to show proof. If they can't or won't, the local prosecutor then has probable cause for a search warrant and can seize the art while an investigation takes place (and even if the person can show proof of sale, it still might lead to a seizure b/c they were not the intended recipient). Frankly, if the seller is serving as a fence for stolen goods, they may just give it up to avoid any further trouble.

I know none of this sounds fun, but ultimately this is the only way to handle high value theft in a rapid manner.

Except that, as a former long time prosecutor for a large metropolitan area, I can assure you the chances of prosecution are slim to none. A search warrant? When pink elephants fly. The ONLY way this would get any attention is if a large enough group of complainants stormed the prosecutor’s office, and left the prosecutor no choice. 

You may be right and you may be wrong. Either way, I don’t think these guys are worthy of your defense. Not when their pat response to the true owner is “Tough”.

On 1/1/2024 at 9:16 PM, westform said:

I didn’t see any other peanuts items when I searched his store. 🤷🏻

Me neither. I looked too. But @fastballspecial said differently on the first page. If he is mistaken about that, I might have a different opinion. If he is correct about this dealer carrying lots of Peanuts strips, and then he just happened to luck into this awol piece, then my opinion is unchanged 

On 12/27/2023 at 11:14 AM, Galen130 said:

Damn!!!  Too bad I'm spent!!!  Very nice!!!

 

The “O” face!!

On 12/21/2023 at 6:43 PM, whomerjay said:

Great donation. Take.

Thanks, Homer. I guess @skypinkblutakes over from here? I’ll pm you both

I hate to hear this. I’ll help, once the plan emerges. I’m one of your followers; it’s the least I can do. I’m sorry, friend 

On 12/17/2023 at 6:18 PM, badback83 said:

I was able to nail down my #1 book this year.  Something I thought would never happen.  I was fortunate enough to find several fun books this year.  But this one is by far the most important of them all to me.  Sometimes I obsess over finding a specific item.  It can be exhausting and eventually take the fun out of the pursuit.  I'm really happy that didn't occur this time.  I took my time, made connections, worked out deals and eventually it led to the final goal.  As silly as it sounds, I was able to take a breath and relax after.  What a wonderful hobby this is...

The fact that this cover portrayed such a pivotal event, on top of being one that was as of yet unknown to Americans, catapults this cover into unique status. Congratulations!

On 12/17/2023 at 3:02 AM, Cat-Man_America said:

Alex had the forethought to include a powder room.

These would be essential additions with women replacing men as factory labor during the war! 

On 12/16/2023 at 6:14 PM, batman_fan said:

The real problem with shrink wrap on the VHS tapes is it is easy to re-shrink wrap. I am not sure how a grader can detect it.

Really? Engaging in such a hobby sounds like nothing less than perilous.

On 12/16/2023 at 3:41 PM, MrBedrock said:

Speaking of condition being a factor - how nutty is this? I had been seeing some of the prices that some auction sites have been getting for VHS. A long time customer recently passed away and his apartment was loaded with vintage VHS, all high grade and all in the original shrink wrap. He had meticulously sliced the bottom of the wrap to access and view the tapes, then replaced them in the box and put them on shelves five or six deep in closets. I had contracted with the executor of the estate to dispose of everything so I contacted one of the auction houses to see if they were interested. After viewing some photos they said sure, and seemed very excited. We boxed everything up, well over 5000 high grade VHS tapes, and dropped them off. I had nothing invested in these so I just asked the auction rep to go through them and work out what they thought would work best for all parties. A week later I got this response - "After reviewing the first half I found only about 10 fully sealed movies out of all of the tapes and nothing of value. The rest were all open on the bottom and of no real value." These were near mint factory boxes with the original tape inside, most from the 80s, and with the original shrink wrap still on. So basically, because the shrink wrap was split at the bottom the tapes were worthless. Now given the fact that most VHS tape has degraded significantly over the last 40 years and is probably unviewable I can certainly understand why sealed is so sought after. I am just amazed that markets like this can be established and folks can be so gullible.

How heartbreaking. I’m glad the original owner never knew. 
 

but Bedrock are you saying the collectors in this market are gullible to perceive these opened VHS tapes as worthless? 

Looks like a tear seal was unsealed, too

On 12/14/2023 at 1:08 AM, detective35 said:

2)  "Historic and Iconic Illustration:  *1936 Shadow Pulp  illustration Original Interior Art (double-page illustration), by Tom Lovell*

"Foreshadowing The Batman"
(illustration and storyline adapted and used in Detective 27)

A few years back in an interview with Jim Steranko, Bill Finger revealed that he and Bob Kane used the Batman storyline for Detective 27 from a shadow pulp magazine.  

A few years later, Shadow historians Anthony Tollin and Will Murray, through extensive research were able to piece the puzzle together and find out that it was indeed the story from The Shadow "The Partners of Peril" from 1936.

Tollin revealed this in a publication that was circulated, worldwide, entitled "Foreshadowing the Batman

It was a long time in the making, but I finally acquired that piece of original art from my friend  Anthony Tollin.

***No original art exists from Detective 27 (other than some proof sheets,), but this swipe source does! ****

Year:  1936
Artist: Tom Lovell
Shadow Pulp:  "The Partners of Peril"
(14" x 20") - Pen and ink with Zip-tone wash... (circa.  1936).

Wow! I didn’t know this