Astronomical Sales for Comic Keys

[DiceX]

Thing vs. Hulk battle saga? Black battle cover? Hulk appearance?

Blazing Bob's New Banner?

 

 

 

 

[Pitboss]

The new Flee avatar rocks

[fantastic_four]

I follow ASM sales, so I'm well aware that a book doesn't have to be key to fetch a huge price. ASM 44 in 9.6 for 10K anyone?

 

44 goes for a lot because for some reason, it's tougher in high grade. I haven't been able to get a copy of that book yet because they've gone for 30% to 100% above market the entire time I've collected Spidey--you just don't see them that often. Maybe it's tough simply because of the dark colors? I think it's more than that, because Spidey 31 is similary as tough. Other random issues are as well--52, 58, 63, a few others. 52 really isn't a dark spine--no darker than some other issues from the same time period that also have darker spines. Some issues just don't have surviving high grade copies as well as others, not sure we'll ever know the reason why other than those that are confirmed as being in warehouse finds, as is the case with an issue such as Spidey 33 or 64 having been a part of Mile High 2.

 

I haven't found 112 to be in the category of being rare as 9.0 and up copies are almost constantly available. I've come across three 9.0 - 9.4 copies from dealers that I bought without specifically looking for it. It's highly likely that there are unslabbed 9.8 copies of most bronze books sitting around unslabbed simply because people don't know yet that they go for a lot. I've bought raw 9.4 - 9.8 FF books around that same issue range for modest multiples of guide from dealers who otherwise send Silver and Gold books to CGC; there just isn't a wide awareness that non-mega-key Bronze goes for a lot of extra money when slabbed.

 

I too have heard that GS X-Men 1 was in the Mile High 2 stacks. However, I'm sure there will be comparatively less copies of books like X-Men 94 and FF 112 simply because of the black cover, because it does seem generally true that that color bears stress marks worse than any other.

[fantastic_four]

You are wrong. This book did NOT go to new comics money. It went to a grade collector. One who has been in the hobby a long time.

 

When you consider that there are 22 copies of Giant Size X-Men #1 in 9.8, that is a bad analogy. There are NO copies of GL #76 in 9.8 and only 1 9.6. If there were a copy of GL #76 to surface, the book would bring 50,000. Is this crazy? Yes. Does that mean it won't happen. Not at all.

 

I only list those three books because they're the mega-Bronze keys. In terms of current CGC Census population, you're right that GS X-Men 1 isn't a good comparison due to the population, but X-Men 94 and GL 76 are. How long did the 9.8 X-Men 94 sit on Pedigree's site before it sold for $25,000 in 2006? A year or so? Now there's a second copy, and it sold for $20,000 in 2008. This is a decent predictor for future sales of this FF 112. Anything certainly can happen, but it seems hard to believe that there are more than a small handful of people willing to pay the same for an FF 112 CGC 9.8 that people have paid for X-Men 94 CGC 9.8. And why is there reason to believe a GL 76 in 9.8 would go for double what X-Men 94 went for?

 

Also, you seem to be hinting that you know who bought the FF 112. Is that true? If so, is it the same person who bought the X-Men 94 CGC 9.8?

[MR.COMICBOOK]

This book has been very much in demand for a long time. Its not like someone has a 9.8 that they have been waiting to spring on the market. This book would have brought 10,000 for the past couple of years. For most people, that would have been enough to draw the book out.

 

Though I agree with all of that, this sale was still anomaly. If no more copies pop up and this book goes back up for sale again as the only 9.8 copy, it almost certainly will not sell for $24K. The $10K you mentioned--probably so, and I wouldn't be shocked by a price all the way up to $15K. But $24K? That puts it at the same sales level as Giant-Size X-Men #1, X-Men #94, and Green Lantern #76, and there isn't enough demand to keep it at that level.

 

This sale is from new comics money that's either ignorant or is so rich they don't care about buys that don't exceed $30K or so. There have been a bunch of anomalous sales like it recently, such as the JIM #124 CGC 9.6 that just went for $3500--just absolutely ignorant and insane.

You think with all the bagging,boarding and hoarding over the years there would be more than one copy.

[Bronty]

Besides, your comment implies that a book has to be important to get a big price... and that's been shown over and over again to no longer be necessary in a cgc 9.8 world

 

Which comment? I was merely asking why FF 112 was important; I owned a CGC 9.2 years ago (think I sold it to FT), but I've never read it.

 

I follow ASM sales, so I'm well aware that a book doesn't have to be key to fetch a huge price. ASM 44 in 9.6 for 10K anyone?

 

Its a good book. Not great, but quite good. Perhaps if you'd read it you'd appreciate it more. Not too many bronze age books have a classic cover, a classic battle, a good story.... simply put its mostly either A) nostalgia or B) great artwork that makes books of that era desirable because let's face it there's a lot of drek story-wise

[fantastic_four]

You think with all the bagging,boarding and hoarding over the years there would be more than one copy.

 

I'm betting there are, but there's one shining bit of evidence that only a small handful of 9.8 copies will pop up in the future--the population of X-Men 94. This is a Bronze mega-key, and everyone knows it. I think the entire hobby is surprised that only two copies have surfaced. Unless I'm remembering incorrectly, the first didn't even show up until when--2004, maybe 2005? Then another at some point after that? Why would there be 2 copies of X-Men 94, yet there are 11 copies of Spidey 121 and 13 of Spidey 122? Nobody knows, but certainly the prevailing hypothesis is that it's because of the black cover. If that's true, then I suppose we'd have to assume that FF 112 will also not surface much in 9.8...but it's really too early to tell. The total submisions for the key Bronze issues we've discussed are as follows:

 

• Fantastic Four 112 - 349
  
• Giant-Size X-Men - 3045
  
• Green Lantern 76 - 384
  
• Spidey 121 - 1430
  
• Spidey 122 - 1451
  
• X-Men 94 - 2594

Given that FF 112 is submitted so comparatively infrequently when compared against the mega-Bronze keys, the possibility of more 9.8 copies popping up over the next 5-10 years is extremely high.

[LordRahl]

You think with all the bagging,boarding and hoarding over the years there would be more than one copy.

 

I'm betting there are, but there's one shining bit of evidence that only a small handful of 9.8 copies will pop up in the future--the population of X-Men 94. This is a Bronze mega-key, and everyone knows it. I think the entire hobby is surprised that only two copies have surfaced. Unless I'm remembering incorrectly, the first didn't even show up until when--2004, maybe 2005? Then another at some point after that? Why would there be 2 copies of X-Men 94, yet there are 11 copies of Spidey 121 and 13 of Spidey 122? Nobody knows, but certainly the prevailing hypothesis is that it's because of the black cover. If that's true, then I suppose we'd have to assume that FF 112 will also not surface much in 9.8...but it's really too early to tell. The total submisions for the key Bronze issues we've discussed are as follows:

 

• Fantastic Four 112 - 349
  
• Giant-Size X-Men - 3045
  
• Green Lantern 76 - 384
  
• Spidey 121 - 1430
  
• Spidey 122 - 1451
  
• X-Men 94 - 2594

Given that FF 112 is submitted so comparatively infrequently when compared against the mega-Bronze keys, the possibility of more 9.8 copies popping up over the next 5-10 years is extremely high.

 

Unless of course it's submitted less than the others because in anything below 9.0 it's not really worth submitting. Which would mean that there are few copies that people believe will garner at least a 9.0 and make the submission worthwhile.

[fantastic_four]

Unless of course it's submitted less than the others because in anything below 9.0 it's not really worth submitting. Which would mean that there are few copies that people believe will garner at least a 9.0 and make the submission worthwhile.

 

A fair point. Let's isolate the statistics then to total # of copies in 9.0 or better:

 

• Fantastic Four 112 - 111
  
• Giant-Size X-Men - 882
  
• Green Lantern 76 - 83
  
• Spidey 121 - 487
  
• Spidey 122 - 534
  
• X-Men 94 - 499

It appears that high-grade FF 112s just aren't submitted as often as the mega-keys, which we'd expect.

[chrisco37]

You are wrong. This book did NOT go to new comics money. It went to a grade collector. One who has been in the hobby a long time.

 

When you consider that there are 22 copies of Giant Size X-Men #1 in 9.8, that is a bad analogy. There are NO copies of GL #76 in 9.8 and only 1 9.6. If there were a copy of GL #76 to surface, the book would bring 50,000. Is this crazy? Yes. Does that mean it won't happen. Not at all.

 

Also, you seem to be hinting that you know who bought the FF 112. Is that true? If so, is it the same person who bought the X-Men 94 CGC 9.8?

 

Dale definitely knows. He sold the book to Doug (Pedigree) a few months ago.

[Dale Roberts]

You are wrong. This book did NOT go to new comics money. It went to a grade collector. One who has been in the hobby a long time.

 

When you consider that there are 22 copies of Giant Size X-Men #1 in 9.8, that is a bad analogy. There are NO copies of GL #76 in 9.8 and only 1 9.6. If there were a copy of GL #76 to surface, the book would bring 50,000. Is this crazy? Yes. Does that mean it won't happen. Not at all.

 

I only list those three books because they're the mega-Bronze keys. In terms of current CGC Census population, you're right that GS X-Men 1 isn't a good comparison due to the population, but X-Men 94 and GL 76 are. How long did the 9.8 X-Men 94 sit on Pedigree's site before it sold for $25,000 in 2006? A year or so? Now there's a second copy, and it sold for $20,000 in 2008. This is a decent predictor for future sales of this FF 112. Anything certainly can happen, but it seems hard to believe that there are more than a small handful of people willing to pay the same for an FF 112 CGC 9.8 that people have paid for X-Men 94 CGC 9.8. And why is there reason to believe a GL 76 in 9.8 would go for double what X-Men 94 went for?

 

Also, you seem to be hinting that you know who bought the FF 112. Is that true? If so, is it the same person who bought the X-Men 94 CGC 9.8?

 

I have no idea who bought the X-Men #94 CGC 9.8, but I could warrant a good guess. I have a pretty good idea who bought the FF #112.