Math Teacher

I'm willing to bet that this is the first time the phrase, "So glad this didn't come back 8.0," has ever been typed on this forum. Joe

I got some new books from a variety of sources. Hawkman #23, Hawkman #24, Hawkman #26, Showcase #55 CGC 8.0 from MyComicShop.com. Showcase #56 from Austin, aka @AustinReece_GRRC of Reece's Rare Comics. Showcase #17 CGC 3.5 from Rick, aka @Ricksneatstuff . This puts me seven books from a complete run of Hawkman. I'm missing Hawkman #21 and #25, along with Mystery in Space #87 - #91. I also wanted to grab Showcase #17, a minor DC Key, at a reasonable price. And I'm a sucker for these Murphy Anderson try-out books; now I just have to get nice copies of Brave and the Bold #61 - #62. Joe Ankenbauer

If I can state a negative to Con drop-off, I dropped off 4 books at C2E2 on Friday, 03/22/2019. As of Friday, 04/26/2019, these issues have not been logged in as being received. For those of you keeping score, that's five weeks (25 work days). In retrospect, I wish I had spent the $20 to mail my books there. It's hard for me to believe that a shipment mailed to CGC would have taken five weeks to been logged in as received. Also, before anyone criticized me, I called CGC on Monday, 03/15/2019, and I was told that they had just started working on the books from C2E2. Yes, I could call CGC again, but I'm sure I would get the same response. Also, please don't tell me how you have had a different experience; I'm glad that your books were recorded in a timely manner. However, all I can comment on is my situation, and I have nothing to gain by lying. Dropping off at a con - Positive - One less round of shipping, lower cost, less chance of damage Dropping off at a con - Negative - An interminable wait for your books to be marked as received Joe

Are you going to put these up for sale, or are they going into your collection? I'm in the market for a mid-grade copy of ASM #2. Joe

I'll take this as per PM. Joe

Pardon my ignorance, but what does FOMO stand for? Joe

I have a Showcase #22 in CGC 4.5 with a "small amount of glue on cover" designation, and it has a blue label. The mystery deepens .... Joe

I have two books that I am thinking of cracking, having the books cleaned & pressed, and then resubmitting them for (I hope) a better grade. The first book is Fantastic Four #1. Below are the grader notes and pictures of the front and back within the slab: Heavy marvel chipping full right of front cover Light rippling/warping full left of back cover Light, multiple crease full right of front cover breaks color Light, multiple crease full top of back cover Small stain bottom of spine Small, multiple tear bottom of back cover Subscription crease front cover The next book is Incredible Hulk #181. Below are the grader notes and pictures of the front and back within the slab: Heavy bends to cover Light staining to cover Medium, moderate tear with crease left center of back cover Moderate spine stress lines to cover I apologize for not taking them out of the slab, but I don't want to crack the cases unless I plan on resubmitting them. I have looked at some of the before and after pictures from other people, and it seems that, in some cases, a clean and press can do wonders. I have several books currently being worked by a person not associated with CGC, so I have not seen the results yet. I also decided to do some quick research, using most recent sale for GP Analysis. FF #1 - 2.5 - $6030 FF #1 - 3.0 - $8200 FF #1 - 3.5 - $9000 IH #181 - 5.0 - $2200 IH #181 - 5.5 - $2365 IH #181 - 6.0 - $2394 It seems to me that FF #1 would be the best candidate, because if the grade can be raised one point (and I don't know if it can), the value of the book would increase by almost $3000. In the case of IH #181, it seems that this might be a better pressing candidate, but the gains would not be as substantial. So, I'm here to ask if you could PLEASE give me your opinion about what you would do if you were in my place. Thanks in advance for your time and consideration! Joe

Here's my latest acquisition, Showcase #38. This completes my Metal Men run: Showcase #37 - #40, Metal Men #1 - #56. Thanks to Collin, aka @Comicdey for helping me out! Joe

I did. They said they are unpacking books from this convention. Although, I did call them on Monday. Joe

Here's another question in the same vein. I dropped off 4 books at the CGC booth at the C2E2 convention on Friday, March 22, 2019. As of today, three weeks have passed. Does this seem like a reasonable amount of time? Joe

Based on these four books, I think you did pretty good for yourself! Joe

Maybe Dr. Strange sent it into another dimension. Joe

There's a new member in town! Thanks to @Omaha-CGC-Comics for selling this to me! Joe

I know how to solve the problem - get both ASM #300 and TTA #27, like me. Joe

I have to wonder what led to the strange typography of "KID FLASH." Joe

I usually say, "People suck." Joe

Count me in! Joe

Everybody, thank you for all your input. Here's what I have decided to do. 1) I am going to hold onto ASM #13 until mid-June. I will sell it then, reap the profits, and try to buy some issues on my want list (my priorities will be GS X-Men #1, Green Lantern #1, or a replacement for my poor copy of ASM #2). In 2020 or 2021, I will replace my issue with a lower-grade copy (3.5 - 4.5). 2) I am going to purchase a 3.0 copy of Journey into Mystery #83 for a price in the mid-4000s. I am getting this from Greg, aka @Omaha-CGC-Comics, who also sold me my Tales to Astonish #27. I have an inherited IRA with over $100K in it. I can get the money from there without putting us into the poor house. I know I didn't follow anyone's particular advice, but I did value of all the opinions. Thanks so much! Joe PS - If you ever see a sale from @Omaha-CGC-Comics, make sure to consider it carefully. I've bought two key books from Greg, and it has been a pleasure to deal with him.

I understand this sentiment. I had a run of The Brave and the Bold, issues #25 - #200. I sold this whole lot when we were going through some tough times financially. I have replaced nine issues (BatB #28, #30, #34 - #36, #42 - #44, and #54, spending a pretty penny on a CGC 4.5 BatB #28. My original #28 was in BAD shape. I'm still on the look-out for an affordable #29. Joe

No, I DO want to have a copy of ASM #13 in my collection. I just don't need a 7.0. Joe

I decided to do some quick research on this. My first example will be FF #52, the first appearance of the Black Panther. I chose to look an issue in CGC 5.5. In 2017, before the movie premiered, the highest price paid for a GCG 5.5 was $495. In 2018, the year the movie came out, the highest price paid for a CGC 5.5 was $1175. So far, in 2019, the year after the movie came out, the highest price paid for a CGC 5.5 was $749. This was a decline of approximately 36% from 2018 to 2019. For a much higher grade book, CGC 7.5, the results were 2017 - $950, 2018 - $1895, and 2019 (so far) - $1700, a decline of approximately 10%. My second example will be Tales to Astonish #44, the first appearance of the Wasp. I chose to look at an issue in CGC 4.0 In 2017, before the movie came out, the highest price paid for a 4.0 was $440. In 2018, the year the movie came out, the highest price paid for a CGC 4.0 was $665. So far, in 2019, the highest price paid for a CGC 4.0 was $550. This was a decline of approximately 17% from 2018 to 2019. For a much higher grade book, CGC 6.0, the results were 2017 - $1150, 2018 - $1300, and 2019 (so far) - $1140, a decline of approximately 12%. Why did I choose the grades I did? Because that's the type of grade that I can afford. It seems to me that I have basically convinced myself. Joe

This issue has been in my collection for 35+ years. I have no idea of when or where I got it. I have no doubt that the profit I have made on it is immense. Do I want a copy of ASM #13 in my collection? Absolutely. Will I get more enjoyment from it if it's graded CGC 7.0 instead of CGC 3.5? Probably not. Yes, it's good to have a nice copy, but to be honest, my books sit a storage area 99.9% of the time. It just seems to me that issues such as X-Men #1, Tales of Suspense #39, or Journey into Mystery #83 will tend to appreciate more over time that ASM #13 will. Of course, I have nothing to base this on other than my opinion. That's why I stopped by and asked for other people's opinion. Thanks for your responses. Joe

I had my copy of Amazing Spider-Man #13 graded last fall, and it came back with a 7.0 grade with Off-White to White pages. I have been following the current prices for which this issue has been sold. GP Analysis - $2640, Go Collect value - $2250, Ebay - $2050 and $2075, ComicLink - $2000. I'm sure there are other sales, also. Obviously, this run up is due to the fact that Mysterio is scheduled to appear in this summer's blockbuster, Spider-Man: Far From Home. If I was able to sell this issue for around $2500, I could possible get an X-Men #1 in CGC 1.8 or a Tales of Suspense #39 in CGC 1.5 or a Journey Into Mystery #83 in CGC 1.8. Based on your experience, what happens to the price of an issue after a run-up prior to a movie? Does the price stay at that level, or does it drop considerably in the next 1 - 2 years? I have no experience with this, but my intuition tells me that the price of this issue will drop after a certain amount of time. Probably not too the level prior to the announcement of the movie, but lower than its peak value right before the movie is released. It seems to me that it might be wise to sell ASM #13 while it is super-hot, and then use this money to buy a low grade copy of a Marvel super-key issue. So, I have two questions. First, can you tell me of your experiences about the prices of issues prior to and after the release of a movie? Second, does my plan from above sound sane or insane? Thank you so much for your time and consideration! Joe Ankenbauer

I picked these three books up from the ComicLink auction last night: Showcase #6 CGC 3.0 (C1 restoration - small amount of color touch on cover) - White pages. I will probably send this in to see if the color touch can be removed. I got this for 38% of the current GPA blue label value. This and TTA #35 below are the first restored books I have ever purchased. I would have preferred non-restored, but Showcase #6 is just SO hard to find. Plus, it has WHITE pages. Tales to Astonish #35 CGC 4.0 (C1 restoration - piece reattached) - Cream to Off-White pages. I got this for 73% of the current GPA blue label value. Definitely paid more than I should have! Tales to Astonish #59 CGC 6.5 - Off-White to White Pages - Paid a lot more than I wanted to for this book! But this is one of my all-time favorite covers. So, what do you think? Joe