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X-MEN #1 club
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Started by etanick,

3,535 posts in this topic

Hollywood1892

Hollywood1892

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, speedcake said:

holy moley.

If I hadn't locked in my 2.5 at November 2020 prices, I'd probably not be buying an X-Men #1 now or maybe even ever.  I was kicking myself hard as it was for not just getting one even two years earlier, much less ten years ago. Prices now are just wild.

They are totally insane, although I'm open to wheeling and dealing mine as you can see by a recent text convo

Screenshot_20210320-234902_Messages~2.jpg

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Hollywood1892

Hollywood1892

Posted
Posted (edited)
6 minutes ago, Math Teacher said:

I am. All I use IG for is to post pictures of comics in my collections, occasionally buy a comic from a seller, and post the occasional pictures of my grandchildren.

I know, I follow you!

Impressive collection!

Edited by Hollywood1892
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Math Teacher

Math Teacher

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9 minutes ago, Wreck-It Ralph said:

Is IG good for buying key comics?

I have seen AF #15, XM #1, FF #1, SM #1, JiM #83, and others all sold on Instagram. They usually give you two options for price: Friends & Family (no fee charged to seller), or Goods & Services (usually 3% extra). If I was spending $15,000 to buy an XM #1, I would pay the extra $450 so you know PayPal would help you if there is a dispute.

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Wreck-It Ralph

Wreck-It Ralph

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14 minutes ago, Math Teacher said:

I have seen AF #15, XM #1, FF #1, SM #1, JiM #83, and others all sold on Instagram. They usually give you two options for price: Friends & Family (no fee charged to seller), or Goods & Services (usually 3% extra). If I was spending $15,000 to buy an XM #1, I would pay the extra $450 so you know PayPal would help you if there is a dispute.

Would those comics only have been available on IG or could you buy them elsewhere as well?

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speedcake

speedcake

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13 minutes ago, Wreck-It Ralph said:

So if I go on Instagram are they easy to find?

Do you see the top SA Keys appear frequently on IG?

Head on over there and start exploring. There are helpful hashtags such as  #comicsforsale  #comics4sale , etc that you can search and follow

People sell very expensive books right down to dollar bin books every day on IG.

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Math Teacher

Math Teacher

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Once you get on Instagram, you need to search using this hashtag: "#comicsforsale". That will show you all the books that are available for sale. There are some silver age books available, but there are far more modern and variant books posted. If you want to see my posts, seach for "@mathteachernwmsu". After a while, you will start following individuals, and whenever they add a new post, you will see it. Currently, I am following 342 people, and 238 people are following me.

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Wreck-It Ralph

Wreck-It Ralph

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31 minutes ago, Math Teacher said:

Once you get on Instagram, you need to search using this hashtag: "#comicsforsale". That will show you all the books that are available for sale. There are some silver age books available, but there are far more modern and variant books posted. If you want to see my posts, seach for "@mathteachernwmsu". After a while, you will start following individuals, and whenever they add a new post, you will see it. Currently, I am following 342 people, and 238 people are following me.

Do you trust most of the comic book sellers on there?

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speedcake

speedcake

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Trust is a personal decision based on too many factors for anyone here to endorse that you go and buy from random sellers on any given platform, lest they be held liable in some way for deals that go bad.

There are trustworthy sellers on Instagram, and I'm sure there are snakes in the grass. You need to just go explore it, see who is on there, do your own due diligence before sending anyone money, and you'll be fine.

Just keep in mind there is no recourse built into the platform, only through third party stuff like Paypal G&S payments etc.

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Math Teacher

Math Teacher

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Posted
2 hours ago, Wreck-It Ralph said:

Do you trust most of the comic book sellers on there?

Just keep an eye on sellers that do a lot of business, as they are probably trustworthy. elite_comics11 does a LOT of business on IG, but their prices are high.

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Albert Thurgood

Albert Thurgood

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On 2/20/2021 at 8:20 AM, Kevlar568 said:

 

Hello all! 
 

first time poster, long time lurker - I’ve been seriously collecting for about 20 years and recently picked up a gorgeous CGC 4.5 - a month ago (I’ll post a picture once I figure out how to!)

On the topic of X1’s rank in the SA Marvel hierarchy, I personally feel that X1’s recent explosion is long overdue. While I appreciate and understand the more historical ranking of IH1 over it, I myself feel that the top 3 should probably be FF1, AF15, X1. 

FF1 is THE first SA “Marvel” book, it kicks off the legendary Kirby/Lee run that transitions Marvel from the atlas/monster era into superheroes, and the level of creativity and influence/characters and concepts that came from the SA FF run can never be overstated. 

AF15 needs no explanation, obviously Spider-Man is Marvel’s top dog and the sheer amount of books, characters, spin-offs, films/ branding makes Spider-Man arguably a top 3 comic book character period. 
 

Now I can understand from a historical/collecting standpoint having IH1 as a top 3 book, but outside of being a little older, perceived scarcity and a tougher dark cover - how does the Hulk character stack up? He’s a Jekyll/Hyde type monster character that helped bridge the gap between the Kirby monster books into the superhero books (along side FF’s Thing/Ben Grimm) with some Cold War atomic flair. The X-men, by comparison have near limitless storytelling possibilities with endless characters and concepts that continue to this day. Hulk has also been nowhere NEAR as popular or as influential as the X-men, where X1 gives you multiple important first appearances, the origin of the entire mutant concept, AND a villain first appearance in Magneto, who has arguably become a top 3 Marvel villain of all time. 

Think about every mutant character ever made in marvel tracing their origins directly back to X1. Think about every single version of an “X” team tracing its original back to X1. Yeah X-men’s original run was not as popular in the 60s, and it fell into reprints until GSX1, but the concept/brand has only grown larger decade after decade, where Hulk has had some time in the spotlight but is ultimately a lesser creation by comparison. 

But hey, that’s just my opinion :headbang:

Excellent first post!

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Pantodude

Pantodude

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On 2/19/2021 at 7:20 PM, Kevlar568 said:

Now I can understand from a historical/collecting standpoint having IH1 as a top 3 book, but outside of being a little older, perceived scarcity and a tougher dark cover - how does the Hulk character stack up?

Someone has to set the record straight, so here goes.  Only a long-ish post will do this  topic justice.  I own both IH#1 and X-Men#1, so this is just about setting the record straight.  IH#1 is not just about Hulk  the character.  The whole issue oozes with special stuff.  

As already noted, IH#1 is one of those special, early SA keys that lay the foundation for Marvel (even predates AF15).  So IH#1 has already cemented its place on the Mount Rushmore of Marvel.  Let’s get into why IH#1 is arguably the most legendary debut of all time, and perenially second only to AF#15 on Overstreet’s top 5 Silver Age books of all time.  I refer to X-Men #1 below (a great book, to be sure) because some folks have gotten a bit carried away with it (ehem Kevlar568), and balance must be restored to our little universe here.  AF#15, IH#1, and FF#1 are the top three in any order you want.  No other book belongs in that Holy Trinity, and here's why. 

As for the issue itself, like X-Men #1, IH#1 has multiple important first appearances, contrary to what was suggested above.  It includes the first appearance of two Marvel heavyweights, the Hulk and Dr. Banner.  Yes, they are indeed separate characters, and Marvel has succeeded in maintaining their individuality both in the books and the MCU.  

IH#1 is also the first appearance of Rick Jones, who later becomes the super-hero A-Bomb, and General (aka Thunderbolt) Ross, who later becomes the Red Hulk, and Betty Ross, who later becomes the Harpy and Red She-Hulk (or She-Rulk)!   So quite a few important first appearances. 

IH#1 is also the first time that a Marvel character was featured alone in his own self-titled series.  Think about that.  The very first time Marvel created a series focused on one superhero (actually 2 if you include Dr. Banner), and Marvel chose the Hulk.  Not Spidey.  Not Thor.  Not Dr. Strange.  Not Antman.  The Hulk got his own book first.  That is Mount Rushmore stuff.  It's like being the guy chosen for the NBA logo.     

As for the character, for many years now the Hulk has been a significant part of every comic book and every movie he has appeared in.  And he wasn’t just a great solo act.  He was one of the five founding members of the Avengers in the comics and a big part of the team in the MCU.  The importance of the Avengers, including the Hulk, to the MCU (as we know it) cannot be denied or overstated, while X-Men has yet to make its mark in the MCU.  Hulk has been a significant cinematic presence for two decades now, despite Disney not owning the rights to the Hulk yet.  Disney clearly likes the Hulk, and if it ever obtains the rights to Hulk and reboots the characters, that could be huge. 

Up to this point, the comics and movies have done just fine with incorporating the Hulk in storylines, so any suggestion that storytelling opportunities are limited with the Hulk is belies fact.  He has been everywhere to this point, and successfully at that.  And the Hulk remained important in the comic books after they went cosmic, so how do you think he’ll do in the MCU’s very cosmic future?  World-Breaker Hulk or Immortal Hulk anyone?  We have already seen Hulk/Banner’s popularity as a hero and anti-hero.  And if a cosmic MCU is in our future, the Hulk could be popular as a super villain, too. 

As for the cover, it asks the reader, "Is he a Man or Monster or... is he both?"  This reminds us of the uniqueness of this alter-ego character, another Marvel first.  

IH#1 is also Marvel’s most iconic cover, which has been copied many times.  X-Men#1's cover is admittedly just blah, even according to die-hard X-Men fans.  Other issues in this title pay homage to it, like IH#200, IH#324, IH#393, and IH#474, but also other Marvel titles, like Savage She-Hulk #1, The Immortal She-Hulk #1, Doctor Strange #169, Marvel Zombies #1, Maestro #1, Death of Wolverine #1, the list goes on and on.  And let’s not overlook issues from lesser-known publishers, like Do You Pooh Spawn #296 Mattina variant (Counterpoint Entertainment) and Stabbity Bunny Issue #7b (Scout Comics)!   Even rival publisher DC has an homage cover to IH#1, like Swamp Thing Winter Special #1!  I am not aware of any books paying homage to X-Men #1's cover, not a single one.  That speaks volumes (pun intended).     

An extra special bonus is that the Green Goliath is actually grey in the inaugural issue, including the cover.  Because he wasn’t drawn green until IH#2, this too makes IH#1 a very important book, including the cover. 

Last, but certainly not least, there is the ridiculous relative scarcity of IH#1 among early SA Marvel mega-keys.  Tales to Astonish #27 is the rarest in universal grade, followed by IH1, JIM83, ST110, FF1, TOS39, AF15, ASM1, Avengers1, and X-Men1 last, in that order.  ALL of these books are undervalued, especially in light of the valuations of more recent and common books.  But even among the early SA mega-keys, IH#1 is relatively scarce and undervalued. 

To put it in perspective, there are only 1,266 universal IH#1s, compared to 3,656 universal X-Men#1.  Yes, you read that correctly….one IH#1 for every three X-Men#1 overall, but in fact IH#1 is rarer than that in mid- to higher grades due to its notoriously dark cover.  There are only SEVEN books graded above 9.0.  Only 31 graded above 8.0, compared to 119 for X-Men #1, or one IH#1 for roughly every four X-Men#1 in higher grades.  Here’s the CGC census for them:

1815423002_IH1vsX-Men1.thumb.png.33ec034a20130490a1d8038aaf1c81b9.png

So let's not forget the many reasons why Overstreet year after year has IH#1 in the top spots for the Silver Age.  IH#1 should remain there.  And no, the Hulk did not force me to do this post.      

Edited by Pantodude
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speedcake

speedcake

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I'm fine with ranking IH #1 and FF #1 above X-Men #1, I think it's the rational and logical ranking as it always has been. X-Men #1 is a much more important book than the market has historically recognized, it's in my top 5 and not because I'm biased in my love of the X-Men.

I also want a IH #1, but I'd have to sell way too much of my collection to get one. Maybe I should. Plenty of my books are replace-able, while a IH #1 pretty much isn't.

 

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Hollywood1892

Hollywood1892

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, speedcake said:

Trust is a personal decision based on too many factors for anyone here to endorse that you go and buy from random sellers on any given platform, lest they be held liable in some way for deals that go bad.

There are trustworthy sellers on Instagram, and I'm sure there are snakes in the grass. You need to just go explore it, see who is on there, do your own due diligence before sending anyone money, and you'll be fine.

Just keep in mind there is no recourse built into the platform, only through third party stuff like Paypal G&S payments etc.

Agreed

If someone was looking for something and I knew a reputable dealer on IG then I would send him their way, other then that I would definitely not just suggest random dealers, that is definitely a slippery slope

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