mtracy64

I'm not sure either has the widespread appeal to generate the home run needed from the next Star Wars film. The Clone Wars made Ahsoka Tano the star of modern Star Wars, so she's probably the best chance for that home run.

On 11/3/2021 at 11:42 AM, Bosco685 said:

So in this case Toto is speaking for Hollywood? That's fantastic.

I initially thought the highlighted sentence didn't make sense as written, and thought the simple fact of capitalizing Toto indicated a reference to the reviewer's surname rather than the Latin phrase. Thanks to Google, all is clear now - Toto's website is named Hollywood in Toto.

On 11/3/2021 at 10:12 AM, Bosco685 said:

'in toto' meaning TOTALLY and ENTIRELY which movie critics are part of the Hollywood system. As much as you want to present that is not what you meant. So you are stating all of Hollywood is rallying against MCU diversity.

Or was that post 'so much days ago' and it doesn't count anymore?

Oddly, the reviewers name is Toto.

On 11/1/2021 at 11:50 PM, PopKulture said:

I'm a long-time fan of Pink Floyd, but admittedly the Gilmore years. I appreciate the scarcity of your Barrett-era treasure trove, however.

Your beer cans make my mouth water, and not just with the promise of aged hops. Those are the exact sort I fell in love with pouring over Martells' Beer Can Bible those many moons ago in the 70's and thereafter. The bocks always caught my eye, and those two shown are among the best. The other cans that I always seemed to favor were, no surprise here, by Grace Bros. Somehow I was always drawn to them. I for one would love any further glimpses of your collection. 

By the way, what's the most recent price for a Clipper Pale? Have the top cans followed a similar trajectory as comics these past few years?  

I'm a big fan of the later Pink Floyd as well, but there's so much to collect that I decided to stick to just the Barrett stuff. That music, and the Yardbirds stuff, has a timeless, almost magical quality to it and I can listen endlessly.

Collecting current and recently obsolete beer cans was very popular with kids for a few years in the mid-1970's, so I wondered if anybody here had collected or knew about the older cans. I put that hobby aside when I discovered girls and cars, but got interested again around 1990. The internet, primarily eBay, drove prices way up in the late 1990's. Once things settled down, we had a healthy, mature market with slow increases over time. That went out the window last summer. Most better cans sell at auction now, and selling prices often don't make sense - very high is one thing, but prices often don't make sense relative to other cans sold at the same time. Many sell 25% t0 50% higher than we're used to, but an alarming number sell at multiples of what we're used to and there's no rhyme or reason to it.

I always felt the way you did about the bocks. The finest collection ever assembled sold in early 2019, and the buyer is a friend (and dealer). I found out a few days ahead of most people, and went outside my normal price range for those two. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I knew I'd hate myself if I didn't.

I don't think a really clean Clipper Pale was known until a lady found one in an old house about 20 years ago. She put it on eBay and got a little over $19,000 for it, which is still the highest eBay result for a beer can. She went back and found 11 more (that's her story, anyhow . . .). To her credit, she gave the initial buyer another one and sold the rest to a dealer. They sold at around $7,500 each. I haven't seen one sell since then.

I moved a while back and haven't put shelves up, but I'll post more photos when I do.

On 11/1/2021 at 6:21 PM, MattTheDuck said:

Finding those sleeves in that condition can't have been easy!

By the way, which one's Pink?

Ha, I'm sure Roger Waters considers himself Pink, but Syd Barrett named the band and was principal songwriter, lead singer and lead guitarist. He has to be Pink, despite only being in the band for roughly two years because the band never would have existed without him.

I collected through the 1980's and until 1996 or 1997 before selling. I started collecting again about ten years ago, and the timing was quite fortuitous. Prices were down and rarities were popping up with surprising regularity. It should have taken much longer to find these than it did.

On 10/27/2021 at 11:18 AM, @therealsilvermane said:

Brie Larson was and is great casting for Carol Danvers. 

When RDJ was cast as Tony Stark, there was a kind of kismet to it. Here was a guy who not only kinda resembled Stark, but also had his own battle with personal demons that the comic book character dealt with. Brie Larson could similarly relate to her comic book counterpart. Carol Danvers was created by Roy Thomas in 1969 as a kind of pre-feminist supporting character, a woman in a man's world. As Ms. Marvel, she became not only Marvel's answer to TV's Wonder Woman, but also to the feminist movement of the late 70's. Ms. Larson herself is an outspoken feminist and an early leader of the #MeToo movement. In an Avengers comics storyline, Danvers was infamously kidnapped, raped, and impregnated by a distant interdimensional variant of Kang. Larson won a Best Actress Oscar for playing a woman who is kidnapped, raped, and impregnated by her abductor.

Brie Larson brought charm, funny, spunk, and a kind of improvisational naturalism to the role of Carol Danvers. I'm not sure another actor like the glum yet fan-favorite Emily Blunt would have brought that same spirit and charm. While Ms. Blunt nails intensity and grit in Edge of Tomorrow, she was bland boring and stiff in Mary Poppins 2. You can say Larson was bland and boring in CM all day, but she wasn't. The filmmakers for sure had a low-key subtle approach to the way they told their story (as opposed to over the top storytelling), and Larson played her role to fit that approach perfectly. 

The MCU was definitely built on RDJ's back. He was very popular with moviegoers for decades, and even more so after his very public fall and subsequent redemption. He was also respected highly by other actors, so getting RDJ gave the MCU instant credibility with both moviegoers and the acting community. They get RDJ, then they get Gwyneth, Jeff Bridges and Scarlett, and from there they get pretty much whoever they want . . . except Emily Blunt, but that's a good thing in my opinion. I can't imagine her as anything but terrible as Black Widow or Agent Carter. Samuel L. Jackson was a big plus too, but he needed no convincing - he grew up reading the comics and wanted to be Nick Fury on that alone.

I knew little of Captain Marvel or Brie Larson until she was cast in the role, and was quite surprised at all the backlash. I don't put much stock in that type of thing, though. Gwyneth Paltrow has said many stupid things publicly over the years, and so have many others. I found the film to be typical Marvel fare - very enjoyable, not their best, far from their worst, and I thought Brie Larson's performance was quite good. I do have issues with Marvel themselves over this film, but not with the actual film. Marvel had the most bankable actress on the planet in a bunch of films, playing an excellent character with a very compelling backstory which had only been hinted at, and instead of telling that story they brought in a new character for their first female-led film. They then shoe-horned the film in right before Endgame to ensure it would be a huge success. I really enjoyed the Black Widow film when it finally arrived, even if I think it would have fit better as a sequel to the type of film I had hoped for (her acquisition by the Red Room, highlights of the training, graduation, an early mission or two, and then her defection). Florence Pugh was tremendous in Black Widow, and I look forward to seeing her in more MCU films going forward.

On 10/5/2021 at 4:08 PM, Pantodude said:

But ultimately, I must go with my The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck (London:  Tilt & Bogue, 1841).  

Unlike the SSC #1, I was not looking for this book (literally a book!), which made ending up with it even sweeter.  Even after my collecting gained momentum and I dabbled in some GA and even Platinum Age books, I never ever imagined that I'd go waaaaaaay back and own the book that started the Victorian Age (!) as the world's first English-language comic book!    Cool comparison while we have the books on top of eachother:  while the SSC #1 experimented with silver metallic ink cover in 1939, the Oldbuck does [did?] it one better with a gilt cover in 1841, almost 100 years earlier!  Just sayin. 

Thanks for posting this. I lurked for years before starting to post recently, and it's nice to see the Oldbuck book that is so frequently mentioned.

On 8/20/2021 at 8:28 AM, G G © ® ™ said:

Total keeper, just in.

 

Now on eBay . . .

https://www.ebay.com/itm/265367023862?hash=item3dc91b70f6:g:wTUAAOSwcKlhbeYD

On 10/9/2021 at 7:54 PM, jimbo_7071 said:

I haven't been to a con in over 20 years now. The cons here in the Detroit area never have much GA material. Maybe I'll go to the next Motor City Comicon just for old times' sake. I don't like paying the high admission prices that the cons charge now, but I think that the Motor City show might have half-price admission on Sunday.

Motor City was rescheduled to this coming weekend. Today is the last day to pick up a wristband in advance so you don't have to wait in line for entry, plus buying in advance saves you a few bucks. Friday is actually $5 cheaper than Sunday - on Sunday kids from 6 - 12 are free instead of $10.

On 10/11/2021 at 8:50 PM, Subby1938 said:

That’s a serious amount of dough geez

. . . especially compared to this Heritage sale last spring . . .

On 10/11/2021 at 9:18 AM, NoMan said:

Ok, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

How much is an 8.5 worth these days?

$707,250.00 at the recent Goldin auction.

The Accountant (Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, etc.)

Action Comics #1, All-American Comics #16

Goldin's current prices realized include the 23% BP, and presumably will be adjusted to show the 20% BP if buyers don't use a credit card and pay within ten days.

The price of the 8.0 Action 1, and the 7.5 for that matter, would likely be largely dependent upon potential buyers' perception of how "locked-up" the higher graded copies are. The 8.5 likely wouldn't have brought $3.25M if buyers believed a 9.0 would be available in the next few years. 

I've followed many debates here over whether Detective 27 or Action 1 is the better book, and one salient point that doesn't come up in those discussions is the fact that the high grade copies of Action 1 have come to market repeatedly over the past 20 years, while the same is not true for Detective 27. Attempting to guess how other people will spend their millions is a bit of a fool's game, but I'd be shocked if an 8.0 Detective 27 came up for auction and fell short of the 8.5 Action 1. It's worth noting also that the Heritage 7.0 Detective 27 got a $2.25M offer this morning.

A little over $3K

The auction result for this piece was stunning, even knowing how difficult it has become to find Budd Root art of this quality. His work is spectacular, but he's really slow and therefore doesn't often take the time to produce this level of detail anymore. I started collecting his art in 2003 or 2004, and it's probably been 6 - 7 years since I've found anything worth buying. On the plus side, a few of my pieces were used as cover art long after I acquired them.

I think Pangaean Sea #11 was the last time Budd did interior art, and that was 2009. Even at the height of Cavewoman's popularity, the days of Caliber Comics in the 1990's, other artists/writers put out Cavewoman books. Devon Massey's work (art and story) in that timeframe was far superior to what he's doing now in my opinion. I'd love to see Budd do another Cavewoman series, but it seems very unlikely at this point.

On 7/20/2021 at 10:41 PM, GeeksAreMyPeeps said:

There is a Facebook group for Cleaning and Pressing, if you're looking to find a presser. I've never used anyone through there, but there are a number of reputable people that the community recommends. Not sure how much it would cost for a high-value book.

Thanks. I assumed I should use CCS for pressing, but it's nice to know there are other options. Even a 0.2 bump in grade is well worth the fee, plus I bought these new when they came out - I don't remember what the variants cost, or why I bought two for that matter, but I've probably got $30 or less into the three books. I've collected various things since I was about 10 years old - I've had things go up in value, but never remotely to this degree until now, so it's nice to have an extra to reap some reward with - or to make up for the many things that decreased in value after I bought them.

Marc

Yes, I'm going to submit them. The regular edition is 9.4 or better, but the variants look like about 9.0's that could benefit from pressing. I've purchased graded books, but I've never submitted anything. I've lurked here for a long time, mostly in GA, but my first post was a few days ago to ask advice about submitting books.

I see that the 9.6 variant sold for $5,500 tonight, and I can't help but think it could have done better after seeing what the 9.8's went for.

Marc

Thanks! I used to use flippertools, but it doesn't work anymore.

The regular edition seems to have peaked, at least for the time being, but the variant is really volatile!

Marc

Is there a way to find out what the accepted offers were on these?

I just became aware of the high values on these last week, and was quite surprised to find that I have a duplicate of the variant. I collected from 2002 or 2003 until Marvel took over, and I have nearly all of the Dark Horse Star Wars comics and TPBs, aside from the Omnibus TPBs of which I only bought the first half dozen or so. I never imagined any of it would be worth even the money I spent on it.

Marc

42 minutes ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

Sounds good!

 I'm really not too familiar with star wars and or comics

It's not my collecting goal, I HAVE picked up a few along the way, #4 35 cent variant is at cgc now, and I found the ckome wars #1 the other day for 54  cents.... but it IS only about a 4.0 if that

But I'm still sending it in 

So I was aware if it's value

I saw a 6.0 listed at $500/offer on eBay, and it got an offer and sold. A 4.0 is worth having, and I'm sure there are many people who would love to have it. I suspect it will go up long-term, but the market's flooded right now.

I bought a lot of $25 comics that became $10 comics over time, so it's nice to know I did a few things right. Grimm Fairy Tales worked out well for me, but virtually everything else I bought stagnated or tanked. I'm still shocked that Dark Horse Star Wars comics are bringing the money they are - they sold well enough that it seems impossible.

1 hour ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

Yes

Mainly go by the tier of insurance value first, then if you want it back sooner, go up tiers from there.

Also once you pay the $150 membership credit, if you do automatical renewal, the next year you get that $150 renewal credit for only $130 cost, a free $20credit.

Depending on if you're going to submit a lot, even the standard tier, the membership will ensure you get to pack it up the way you want, get the cost of $150 then you can send it in and they'll use the $150credit, charge you the difference  between actual cost etc. soooooo

If you only send in the one book it can make the cost paid not all at once

Just some pros and cons.  @mtracy64

 

Thanks. The link I hit to view services and turnaround times was one page past subscriptions, so I missed those options. I was thinking 'express' or 'walk through' for the three Clone Wars #1's based entirely on the value of the variant, and that's slippery until they're actually graded. Turnaround times are extremely long right now, but I'm not in any particular hurry. I'll of course sell the lesser copy of the variant, but it's not life-changing money we're talking about. My view of the market for the variant is limited to the past couple weeks and eBay history for the past couple months, but it looks like people are almost afraid to sell - asking prices far exceed previous results and few copies are being offered up. It could go up over time, whereas prices are already dropping on the standard issue. Heir To The Empire #1 and the two Jedi Vs Sith #1's are probably worth grading, though my gold foil of the latter is only 8.5 - 9.0. The rest of the modern Star Wars comics I've looked at appear to really only be worth grading if they're 9.6 or better and you want to sell. I do want to sell half my collection, but not Star Wars. I bought a lot of drek when I was buying, and most of the good stuff I bought and decided not to keep has already been sold - though I'm finding I have a few gems here and there. Variant covers drove me nuts, so I stopped buying new stuff except to read. I started collecting some art as mentioned, and I also collect old records, and I've got better self-control with those than I do with comics . . .

Thanks again for the insights,

Marc

Hello,

Long time lurker, primarily in GA, first time poster. I'm seeking advice on submitting comics to CGC, specifically on which service to use. I'll probably want to have more Dark Horse Star Wars graded later after I go through my collection in great detail, but for the time being I want to submit my Clone Wars #1 comics - one standard issue that looks to be 9.4 or better and two copies of the limited variant (a 9.0/9.2 and a 9.4 or better). After reviewing CGC's options, I'm left with the impression that 'walk through' service is the best option at least for the variant. Any guidance on this, and whether I should have them pressed, would be much appreciated.

I got into comics relatively late in life. I started a new job in 2001 and became fast friends with a colleague who collected everything from GA to currents, and the first thing he got me hooked on was Dark Horse Star Wars. I was 13 when Star Wars came out, so it was an easy sell! I've collected various things since I was a child (baseball cards), so I approached buying with a collector's mentality despite primarily just wanting to read the stories. As such, I picked up all the variant covers I could find and bought the TPB's too so I could leave the comics unread. Stupidly, I did not continue buying the comics after Marvel took over, though I have been picking up some of the TPB's to read over the last year or so

Unfortunately, I didn't get real interested in collecting GA until much later, and values are such that I'll never have more than a few GA books. I got into reading a lot of small press stuff, and of reprints of classics such as the entire EC catalog. I became more and more interested in the art over time, collecting a few Joseph Linsner pieces and more than a few Budd Root pieces. I hope to add a Mark Schultz piece at some point, and a Dave Stevens piece would be spectacular. I got into collecting iconage also and got carried away with that before downsizing dramatically - I sold about 125 Star Wars busts and a number of statues of various characters. I kept 15 - 20 busts I like, along with my Frazetta statues and about 25 other statues. I got hooked on the Clone Wars cartoons long after they came out, and simply didn't think to look for an Ahsoka Tano bust until it was selling for over $1,000. I also never thought any of the Dark Horse Star Wars comics would be worth much, and I only became aware of the current values by looking for an Ahsoka bust or statue on eBay. I don't recall how I ended up with two copies of the variant, but I do have quite a few duplicates.

Thanks for any insight you might be able to provide,

Marc