rich_TMNT

Cause he's already had to cover insurance for the TMNT #1 Negatives. LOL I think the insurance underwriters might be a bit overwhelmed with PMC40.

CGC SIGNATURES SERIES FACILITATORS WILL BE ON HAND FOR PORTSMOUTH MINI-CON

Does anyone here have an ungraded TMNT #1 Counterfeit from the 80's that would be willing to provide me pictures of the interior pages (one in particular)? Even if you have one but it's been graded and slabbed, if you took pictures of all the interior pages before grading that would also work. If you don't have one, do you know of anyone with one that you can connect me with? This would be an actual counterfeit copy and not one of the 2nd or 3rd printings that had the printing info bleached out. Just doing a bit of research and I'm not really wanting to crack my #1 counterfeit if I don't have to (and I didn't take a pic of this specific page for some reason). So, first trying to find one in the wild. DM me if you have any info and/or pics. Thanks everyone!

I don't know the print quantities of these two but they were the two main covers for the book and so they were likely much higher print quantities than any of the limited editions. I remember seeing those two covers in back-issue bins for years and years after release so I don't think they are all that rare. Still cool though. I personally think these books are must-have for TMNT comic collectors. They are a neat part of TMNT comics in the late 90's when TMNT was waning in popularity.

@shadroch The Creed and TMNT crossover is a unique one. That issue had the most variant covers for a TMNT book until IDW started publishing in 2011. But, the crossover itself came to existence from Trent Kaniuga asking Peter Laird for permission to put Turtles in his Creed property. Lightning didn't have an ongoing Turtles title or anything but Image was just starting TMNT Vol. III at this time so Peter must have been thinking it was good for business. Here's a neat bit of info. about this directly from Trent. There are seven different variants for the Creed and TMNT crossover, with the Subscriber's Hybrid (Blue/Bronze) edition being the most rare version - although the Signed & Numbered edition with COA is pretty rare as well. The Subscriber's edition was limited to only 500 copies and was available only to those that held a subscription with Lightning Comics at the time. I'll list the variants here for you with print runs but you can see images here on my site. Trent Kaniuga Edition - regular/main cover Peter Laird Edition - regular/variant Laird cover American Entertainment Exclusive - limited to 3,000 (with numbered COA) Platinum Edition - limited to 2,000 (with numbered COA) Gold Collector's Edition - limited to 1,200 (with numbered COA) Signed & Numbered Edition - limited to 700 (with numbered COA) Subscriber's Direct Hybrid (Blue/Bronze) Edition - limited to 500 (with COA)

I have a couple of the yellow counterfeits with the fake signature and numbering on the interior. You can see them here.

This write-up has been on my "to-do" list for a while now. I had been saving all the data but it finally just seemed the time to get it done with the 40th anniversary coming up. Hope you (and everyone else here) have a fantastic holiday season!

How To Tell if TMNT #1 Is a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or Counterfeit Printing Using Only the Front Cover – Three Easy Steps

Like the proverbial bad penny...it's back. He's persistent, I'll give him that.

@KCOComics The original full counterfeits (like the one you linked to) are pretty valuable since they are part of Turtles comics lore - Overstreet warned of counterfeits in their pricing guide and their description of them matches these. I sure would like to figure out where these counterfeits came from because they are VERY well-made. The cover of these counterfeits is really the piece that makes them fairly easy to identify - but the internal pages are actually really good. I have quite a bit of info. about these counterfeits on my site. The "counterfeits" that are just 2nd or 3rd printing copies with the printing designation erased or bleached out wouldn't be as valuable - since they are just damaged 2nd & 3rd printing copies. The counterfeit this guy has been trying to pass off lately is a much newer counterfeit - one I haven't seen before. And it isn't nearly as well-made as the other and the internal page images are much too small for the pages. And, of course, the price is missing from the back cover.

A one-day auction. Interesting. Someone needs cash fast.

They definitely do grade counterfeits. Here's my #1 Counterfeit - and my #2 Counterfeits (Copy #1 and Copy #2). It makes me sad when I see SS graded counterfeits like the one you shared because it was likely submitted as authentic and the owner only found out it was counterfeit when they got it back. I do wish CGC would indicate "why" or "how" they determined these issues to be counterfeit (especially for issue #2). Many copies of the first few Turtles books had quality issues that required hand-trimming by Kevin & Peter (TMNT #1 2nd Printing & #2 1st Printing). If evidence of hand-trimming on books is what CGC uses as an indication it's counterfeit (especially with #2), they may actually be incorrectly identifying authentic copies as counterfeit. I haven't yet figured out exactly how to identify a TMNT #2 as a counterfeit but some day I'd like to do a comparison between them to see if anything stands out.

I suppose it's just like authenticating any other #1 - look first for all the signs of authenticity and go from there. This is one of those books that's risky to buy raw - even if you know what you're looking for. Not even sure I'd trust a graded one I didn't submit myself given all the scammers out there - seeing inside the book is the key for me.

Yes, the mid-week date might make it a bit tricky for many. But it was the only date we could make work. I'll definitely have pictures to share. And, there might just be a neato documentary piece in the near future about the negatives if all goes according to plan.

I'll be exhibiting the TMNT #1 Negatives at Jetpack Comics on Nov. 1. If you haven't seen them in person yet, definitely try to make it. They are amazing pieces of TMNT history. https://jetpackcomics.com/2023/10/05/join-us-at-the-megastore-on-11-1-from-1-7-pm-for-a-unique-tmnt-event/

I told you so. Here's the book for sale again! https://www.ebay.com/itm/364516693220 At least it's now being sold as a "Counterfeit" but it's anything but "Rare." Some poor person is going to get duped into buying a mostly worthless recent (modern) counterfeit that, if sold, will spawn more copies - if they don't already exist. But, if you want this, buy with confidence! This seller has a 96.6% positive rating from 27 separate feedback with an eBay account started just this year. Sounds super safe to me. LOL

I suspect the same guy (the OP - @Mike Oliver) has been emailing and messaging people using different names / identities trying to somehow get some type of proof that will legitimize this fake book. It might be a few different people that are involved in this as well - hard to tell. These are the names I suspect the OP is using out there regarding this book (from my own personal interactions): Mike Oliver, Mike Stone, Matthew Beardsley. A "Matthew Beardsley" was emailing me for quite a while asking multiple questions about how to get this book graded and authenticated using the Twitter message as proof this book wasn't counterfeit but instead uniquely original. He also wanted to know if counterfeits were valuable and kept asking how much a counterfeit would go for. When I asked to connect on FB, he conveniently had excuses why he didn't use social media anymore. He actually told me that he bought this book for $1k from a "buddy" but when I told him it was for sure fake and the Twitter message was as well, he then switched his story to "I don't really know the details of who sold it to me." He also originally claimed that he sent Kevin the Twitter message (although the fake Kevin response was to "Mikey"). Hmmmm. That's how I first knew he was likely not who he said he was. But guess what? The day I posted here about the Twitter message being faked, I never received another email from "Matthew Beardsley." I bet he emails me now though - to say "I'm not the scammer." Haha What I find most interesting is that, regardless of who the name is on all of these emails, messages, posts, etc., every one of them have the same or similar poor spelling/grammar, lack of punctuation, and a hastily-written feel to them. Additionally, a guy named Eric Christian Magee posted about this book in my FB group back on Aug. 8 saying that his "cousin" found this book at an antique store. When I commented about the book and Twitter message being faked, he claimed it must have been a faked Eastman Twitter account that it came from. But, when I called him on that obvious lie and asked who his cousin was, it has been radio silence from him. This whole thing is a big scam and he (they) are trying to push this book for quick cash - and also likely the person/people that counterfeited it in the first place (and then forgot to include the price on the back cover LOL). He (they) won't stop though - this book will be forever out there getting sold and re-sold and passed around. Buyers will come to these boards to find out more. Let's hope they do that before dropping any cash on this big-time counterfeit.

The fake Twitter message was posted as part of the 2nd auction for this book - https://www.ebay.com/itm/305115910894 The auction description clearly references it, implying that this is somehow a unique printing unto itself, just now found 40 years later in a "flee market" but never previously documented or discovered by anyone. LOL

It wasn't public - I confirmed this via emails with Kevin's team. Let me see if I can get them to post something in this thread to eliminate any doubts anyone might have.

Hi everyone, I wanted to provide an update on this book so word gets out - this copy of TMNT #1 that was "found" without pricing on the back cover is now a confirmed COUNTERFEIT !!! The Twitter (X) message used by the OP @Mike Oliver on his eBay listing which supposedly shows a response from Kevin Eastman about how some copies of TMNT #1 had no price on the back cover is also FAKE / SPOOFED. Kevin has confirmed that this conversation NEVER occurred and there were no copies ever made without pricing on the back cover - it's a fabricated story made into a Photoshopped Twitter message in an attempt to legitimize this counterfeit copy. In addition to the missing price on the back cover, I also identified a discrepancy with the copyright year in the Gobbledygook ad on the inside back cover - it's supposed to be "1983" but this counterfeit copy shows a date of "1984" on that ad (and the lettering isn't the same). Keep watch as I'm sure this copy will continue surfacing (and it's quite possible there were additional copies made). It seems to be a recently counterfeited version - I've not seen one like it previously.

Could the I column be referencing the Turtles from Last Ronin - the ghost Turtles? It's maybe a long-shot since Splinter seems more ghost-like than the Turtles. All I could think of.

@econnorjoyce I can help you authenticate this if you are willing to provide images of a few internal pages. Pages 2 & 3 (together), 18, 22, 29, 33, 35, 37, 38 Thanks!

Great info. You clearly know your printing biz stuff - hit me up. Would be great to talk shop with you. I was going through all the TMNT #1 reprints and I originally was leaning toward this issue being sourced from the 35th Anniversary reprint (Box Set of #1-4 + Raphael). That cover was the most like the original and was even oversized - showing the full wraparound front & back cover but I checked and there aren't any of the interior cover images plus Page 33 has Shredder's fist cut off so it couldn't have been that book. I think you may be right though that the FCBD issue from 2009 could be the source - especially since the page artwork on this is smaller in scale so it likely came from a smaller book. What I just can't figure out is the missing price on the back cover. I haven't yet found any images of that back cover that are missing that price but I think if that is found on any of the TMNT #1 reprints, that's undoubtedly the source for this. I can't imagine someone removing the price on the back after scanning it from one of the books that shows it.

The cover (with exception of the missing price) actually looks pretty good for a non-authentic copy - colors are decent, cross-hatching seems there, and the blood on the sword seems accurate. But the interior page art scaling doesn't at all match with a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd printing so the interiors are completely something else.

Yikes! I hadn't noticed a picture on the listing was from my site. I don't understand why it's even included because there's also a picture of that full page spread from the actual book - which doesn't at all match with mine from a 1st printing. Definitely concerning - something's amiss. Starting to get a sense that maybe this wasn't found at a store after all and we're all being duped. Hope I'm wrong.