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Transplant

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    Combined investment will cause Golden Age (Collectors) to explode

    in Golden Age Comic Books

    Posted

    On 8/31/2021 at 7:34 PM, valiantman said:

    The fact that most of you have no idea what I'm talking about is quite appropriate, since much of what is unique to this century is pretty much not in your grasp.  Such is life.

    I'm gonna hate myself for this. 

    I know all about RallyRd and what they do and how they do it and how they're regulated.  And I own crypto and I dabbled with NFTs and all that.  BUT, fractional ownership (to me) doesn't give any ownership satisfaction.  My perception is that it is just another form of investing.  I own GA, but no super keys.  I have no interest in owning a small % of one through fractional ownership.  If I ever invested that way, I would do so for the sole purpose of hoping the value goes up and nothing else.  

    My point is, I'm sophisticated enough to know what this is.  I can set the clock on my VCR too, or program my HTPC I built.  It isn't always: 1) people who can write a check for a super key without blinking; or 2) people who don't understand fractional ownership, who: don't like the idea and aren't sold on it.  There is a group of people, especially here in the GA forum, who just view it as investing and would take no personal satisfaction in the "ownership" aspect. 

    I really love the work you do with the census.  I've personally used your site several times (single digits).  But your reaction to the feedback you're getting is a little petulant.  You earlier compared that feedback to people in your yard who won't leave.  Perhaps, it's you who came into this GA forum yard and started screaming for feedback.  Then, when you got it, you started to hurl insults at people telling them they're just too old or dumb or whatever to really understand it.  Because, if they didn't agree with you, something must be wrong.  Maybe, just maybe, they don't agree that there is a ton of ownership satisfaction or even investment potential in fractional share arrangements?  

    Exposing FRAUD And DECEPTION - A Must Watch!

    in Comics General

    Posted

    On 8/28/2021 at 4:01 PM, Bronty said:

    I mean, you all ship cgc and cbcs and psa and wata and all of these grading companies your property on the same premise right?     That they are a professional outfit that you have trust in, that isn’t going to simply take or lose your property without making you whole somehow.

    No.  I make a market decision to assume some risk in a couple of ways.  1st, my stuff is insured while in transit both ways with a 3rd party, CIA.  2nd, I've known too many examples of CGC declining to take any responsibility for damage that occurred at their facility.  For the most part, what I've seen includes an offer to press it for free and reslab, and/or grading fee credits.  

    Would I entrust an Cap #1 to them to run around the country with on a promo tour, even now?  Not without something in writing providing for what happens if it was damaged or stolen.  I also wouldn't have let a brand new company like CBCS, even one shepherded by Borock who I think highly of, take some top census slab of mine and regrade it with no idea of what the market impact would be, without some assurance of being made whole.  Frankly, I'd probably want to get some compensation just for lending my book out so they could advertise with it.  

    I'm glad you trusted VGA and WATA, but it isn't super relevant to the point I was making.  I might trust the MOMA a whole bunch.  But something is going to be agreed upon before I hypothetically loan them a Picasso or Rothko.  

    Exposing FRAUD And DECEPTION - A Must Watch!

    in Comics General

    Posted

    On 8/27/2021 at 6:27 PM, Bronty said:
    On 8/27/2021 at 6:18 PM, jaybuck43 said:

    So there’s a question bouncing around my head that doesn’t make sense. 
     

    In 2017 WATA for all intents and purposes does not exist. VGA is THE company to grade video games. 

    Now in 2018 WATA embarks on a tour to various conventions around the country to advertise their services. I distinctly remember seeing them at NYCC 2018 and asking if they were going to offer an “excavation pedigree” for ET copies. Spoke to them about their product for a few minutes, wished them luck on their future endeavors and walked away. (As I said previously, while I have a large used video game collection, I’m not in the habit of grading them.) WATA came with several display games including Dan’s SMB. None of that was surprising, Borock did the same thing a few years prior when CBCS launched (set up a booth, showed off books in slabs, and hyped the new company.)

    So now to my question. What was the arrangement to tour the SMB? I mean you’re talking about THE holy grail of video game collecting right? (Oldest known copy of the most popular NES game out there.) Already Dan had turned down $50,000 offers for it so he has an idea of the value. Heck when he wacked up the collection it came from he and his partner valued it at something like between $2-4,000 in 2012 way before the mini boom in video games in the mid 2010s. So he’s always believed it was a valuable item. But…. You just crack it out, have WATA repackage it, and hand it to them for 9 months or so to tour it all over the country with no guarantee of anything in return? I mean who’s covering the insurance? What happens if it gets damaged in transit? Or worse, lost? WATA is using it in their promotional materials. Did you get paid for publicity rights? For instance when IDW approaches OA owners about scanning their art for artist additions these are always things discussed right? How it gets there safely, whose responsible in case of damage, and of course rights to publicity since IDW is gonna sell all those beautiful books at $100+ a pop. So why help WATA promote their business? It might help increase the value of your individual game, sure, but most realistically all it’s going to do is attract people to submit their games to WATA, and they make their money off that, you don’t. In other words, all the risk, (mostly) none of the reward. 
     

    Again, going back to my initial post, I’m looking at the smell test, and this just smells off. Someone lends a company a super valuable instrument to help gain the company notoriety ostensibly out of altruism, which tour then ends with Heritage signing an exclusive deal with said company, and a month later, boom said instrument just so happens to become the most valuable video game sale in history. To paraphrase the late Howard baker what did you know sir and when did you know it?

    Expand  

    Simply lent to them, as did others with other notable games, to enable them to have some notable items for display.   The same way others have lent artwork to exhibits etc.   
     

    A lot of the questions you ask - what if it gets damaged etc, frankly weren’t considered.   Maybe you think that’s crazy, but remember , I’m 90% art collector for a decade at that point.   Those questions would have been asked if I was lending cover art.    Lending a game?   Meh, just a game even if a really nice one. 

    Wait, what?  

    Look, I don't know you or the facts behind this stuff enough to judge.  Sometimes I jump in here to point what seem like really weird circumstances or positions or allegations, whatever.  But, what you just laid out is a really weird fact pattern.  I do recall enough to know that your passion seems to lie with videogame art and other art.  But, this is a game that IIRC, you turned down $50k shortly before this time period.  You said yourself that you advised the WATA folks on some things.  I get it.  

    But you just loaned them a $50k or more piece of {anything: art/game/comic/electronics/pottery} with absolutely NO discussion of it being insured against being damaged or stolen and no compensation to you for the advertising use of it?  Forgive me if I'm putting words in your mouth, I don't mean to.  

    And then, you let WATA (a brand new company) regrade it without any compensation or assurances of a grade?  And you did so, with or without any agreement in place for the SMB to sell at a certain price later in its new WATA holder/grade?  You just rolled the dice?  Was there no deal in place to assure a minimum value or buy it outright from you before it went to WATA to grade and then to Heritage to auction? Nothing?  

    Frankly, I do think it's crazy to loan, even "just a game even if a really nice one", to someone for advertising purposes, that's valued in the mid-five figures at a minimum, with absolutely no assurance regarding insurance or compensation.  And I think it's a crazy gamble to let them regrade something you owned as the pinnacle of the hobby at the time, with no assurance regarding the new grade or any protection against a drop in value as a result.  

    If you came on and responded to Jay with "none of your business" or "I'm not commenting on that"; I could understand that, but to come here and say, "Meh, it ain't no thang." Well, I'd love to hear more about your thought process.  Those are some freaking good friends to let them roadshow it; crack it and auction, all for no gain to you.  

    SOLD OUT!! CLOSED - She-Hulk 1 9.8; Special Marvel Ed. 15

    in Golden/Silver/Bronze Age Only

    Posted · Edited by Transplant

    Here are my rules. Read them carefully. Your life may depend on it.

    Whoever works out a deal for the book first wins. If that's in the thread here, fine. If it's in a PM, fine. Whoever gets to agreement on the terms with me first, wins.

    Here's the rest. I will take Paypal.  I will possibly accept other forms of payment if I trust you (please check first). Shipping is US only at a flat rate of $10 for priority.  Payment is expected within 7 days unless we work something out in advance.

    If I have you on ignore, or if you are on the PL or HOS, I will not sell to you. Sales on CGC books are final unless I screwed something up.  Assume books are pressed unless stated otherwise.

    What else can I think of? Nothing at the moment. But the above is subject to change at any time.

     

    Listing a couple of books without pics, but will add tomorrow.  To be clear, an unqualified takeit trumps one waiting on pics.  

    Check out my thread in CA/MA for Star Wars 68, ASM 300 & ASM 361 and more.