Does the Church Action #1 belong in the Smithsonian?

[G.A.tor]

and again, let me clarify... I am talking about right now... not 6 months into the future, etc... right now, find me the buyer paying 1,000,000 for the 8.5... not saying they are not out there, but that buyer would still have been happy to have a 6.0 if they were truly looking "now"...

 

in a diff economy, you bet, would sell higher... I agree with Brent that the 6.0 that sold for 317 is worth 400K or more...but worth does not always equate to realized sale

[Aman619]

many people in the know (experienced comic collectors) are scared by the rusty staple. They feel is is or can only get worse over time. Im not in that camp so much except that it worries me that so many others are.

 

So to what extent, do you think, will that "malignant defect" affect the bidders? Would those outside the usual suspects be MORE or LESS affected than the comics guys by laying out so much for that copy?

 

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

May have to change the title of this thread to "Does the Church Action #1 belong in the Smithsonian with a Rusty Staple?"

[Aman619]

haha just because of my one post?

 

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

Just kidding; you guys have at it, it is all fascinating stuff. If I had the means I bet this is a great time to buy an Action 1. Alas, it is much like the first time I saw one; way beyond my means!

 

That one was $1000. at Seuling's show in 1972, I was 12 and had about $5. to spend. Had I the money then, what a fine investment that would have made.

 

Don't remember if that copy had a rusty staple or not though.

[ciorac]

May have to change the title of this thread to "Does the Church Action #1 belong in the Smithsonian with a Rusty Staple?"

 

The Church copy doesn't have a rusty staple. The 8.5 copy does.

[G.A.tor]

May have to change the title of this thread to "Does the Church Action #1 belong in the Smithsonian with a Rusty Staple?"

 

The Church copy doesn't have a rusty staple. The 8.5 copy does.

(thumbs u

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

Does anyone know if the Church Action is stored under ideal climatic conditions?

 

Also, if you were to drop $1M on a comic where would you store it? Aren't there facilities that specialize in the storage of valuable collectibles under ideal conditions. Would you trust them with a treasure like this or would you "Keep it hidden, Keep it safe?"

[G.A.tor]

I heard dave stores it in his attic, and on xmas, takes it out and hangs it from his tree

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

Well it was the ultimate Christmas present, what better time to display it.

 

I suspect he may have a shrine where he leaves daily offerings of Bronze and Copper Age books to keep the gods of paper acidification at bay.

[G.A.tor]

Well it was the ultimate Christmas present, what better time to display it.

 

I suspect he may have a shrine where he leaves daily offerings of Bronze and Copper Age books to keep the gods of paper acidification at bay.

my understanding is that the books are stored in a climate controled area, location secret to many

[tth2]

many people in the know (experienced comic collectors) are scared by the rusty staple. They feel is is or can only get worse over time. Im not in that camp so much except that it worries me that so many others are.

 

So to what extent, do you think, will that "malignant defect" affect the bidders? Would those outside the usual suspects be MORE or LESS affected than the comics guys by laying out so much for that copy?

I bet if the 8.5 copy got reslabbed today, it wouldn't say "rusty staple" on the label anymore.

[tth2]

right now, find me the buyer paying 1,000,000 for the 8.5... not saying they are not out there, but that buyer would still have been happy to have a 6.0 if they were truly looking "now"...

I don't agree with this Rick, which I think reflects our different collecting philosophies. As a collector who has an obsession with owning the best or at least one of the best, I would've had zero interest in the 6.0 copy, because I would've been confident that at some point I would get a shot at a better copy, so the price of the 6.0 copy would not have been a good indicator of my interest in the 8.5 copy.

 

On the other hand, if I were in the market for an Action #1, the "best or at least one of the best" criteria would definitely be satisfied by the 8.5 copy. I would go big for it because it's among the 3 best known copies and I would have very little confidence that I would ever get a shot at the other 2.

[Aman619]

which is the other copy? The mysterious other HG unslabbed copy? Isnt that a little like Sasquatch? Often talked about but never proven?

[qualitycomix]

which is the other copy? The mysterious other HG unslabbed copy? Isnt that a little like Sasquatch? Often talked about but never proven?

 

I thought Jeff (nearmint) says he knows of an 8.0ish unrestored. I don't know of any other high grade copies besides the Roter copy and the Mile High copy.

.

[fantastic_four]

I thought Jeff (nearmint) says he knows of an 8.0ish unrestored. I don't know of any other high grade copies besides the Roter copy and the Mile High copy.

 

What about Geppi's Court Copy already pictured earlier in this thread? I thought that was in the 9.0 range, although I could be remembering incorrectly, maybe it's 8.0ish. Fishler from Metro has posted in the forums in the past that he knows of another unrestored copy of Action 1 that he has seen up close and thinks CGC would give a 9.2 to.

[Jeffro.]

It occurred to me this morning that while many collectors may want to personally own many of the great key issues of the Golden Age available on the market; that a strong case could be made for housing some of these issues in the Smithsonian.

 

Action 1 comes to mind as the most iconic issue that the Smithsonian really should preserve and present to the public and if possible have available the best copy in existence. When one thinks of the impact that Superman has had on the American public and in fact a global audience; one can argue that he is a modern day Ulysses or Beowulf. They were traditional heroes who transcended their time and culture to become legend. I believe we will witness that same transition for Superman during this century.

 

If that happens a strong case could be made that the preservation of the earliest expressions of that hero should be the responsibility of the culture that first expressed it. And that undertaking should be done in the most professional and responsible way possible and be undertaken in a way that preserves these artifacts for future generations.

 

I am not sure who is in charge of the collections at the Smithsonian but I wonder if they actively pursue improving collections of this type or encourage and make it easy to donate key collections.

 

While many of you who collect these books will take issue with this notion, I consider it the highest form of flattery in regard to your recognition of the value of these cultural artifacts. And that recognition has come much earlier than from the traditional academic community. Like the monks of old who protected illuminated texts and scientific writings from the intellectual purges of the Middle Ages, collector's personal efforts to preserve our comic heritage should be applauded.

 

Please note, I am not advocating that anything but market forces and existing tax laws be used to effect any transactions involving the ownership of these comics.

 

If the current owner of the comics decides to sell it or donate it to the Smithsonian then yes. After all, it's his to do with as he pleases.

 

Otherwise, no.

[Mister_Comics]

During the late 80's the Smithsonian had their Action #1 on display along with many other Superman items from radio, television and movies. The comics they had were probably in 6.0 to 8.0 grade condition from what I remember seeing. This was before CGC of corse.

[Mister_Comics]

Poster: twmjr

 

I just answered my own question with a simple google of "library of congress" "comic books". They have 100,000 books, including "fairly complete" runs of Action and Detective! [/Quote]

 

Don't expect them to let you see um. The library of congress won't let anyone handle most of the old comics.

[nearmint]

which is the other copy? The mysterious other HG unslabbed copy? Isnt that a little like Sasquatch? Often talked about but never proven?

 

I thought Jeff (nearmint) says he knows of an 8.0ish unrestored.

 

Yep.