It takes two to tango, but things have been going off the charts lately. I think it all started last year when that #82 9.6 went for $1,200 or so... then guys got plain tetchy on the big books
I sold my spare 9.6 #93 for a record price, Socal comics had another 9.6 that went for similar money, and things kept getting worse!
TTA keys are hot property right now, but the #79 pricing does seem agressive. Great cover, but hulk and Herc have tangled plenty of times...why this book is top dollar is a little lost on me
Since I began collecting TTA's over 2 and a half years ago, I have not seen a 9.6 79 for sale...it's a great cover IMHO...there has been a LOT of competition for 9.6's in the 59-101 range...just look around the web...hardly any 9.6's for sale (and the ones that are for sale are priced VERY aggressively. There were 2 pedigreed 82's in 9.6 that have sold..the one you are referring to is the one that you and I both bid on and lost out on Needless to say, we were both stunned at the final price
The 2nd I picked up for around the price of the first (neither hit GPA as they were both on C-Link)...I guess it all comes down to supply and demand