The Pre-Robin Tec Club 18 18

[mt1000]

This one is for Detective33kid,,,

I picked this one up a while ago in Chicago..

 

 

It presents very well for a 3.0.

 

I imagine the cover being detached was the factor there; great eye-appeal never the less!

 

Would you mind if I asked how much you had to invest to pick it up?

 

Yes,, this copy has nice eye-appeal and probably would be a 4.5? if not for the detached cover,,,The back cover is clean as well with no peices missing.

I paid 5 grand at the time and had to pick it up while I had the chance..

I think it is a little bit scarcer than the Tec 31 and Tec 35 but current $$ demand is going to these two books right now...

 

There general consensus seems to be the opposite; that both Tec #31 and #35 are more scarce than #33.

 

But I think 5K was a steal for not only a Tec #33 but one that presents so much better than the number-grade.

 

Would anyone like to rank all of the Pre-Robin Tecs in order of scarcity? I'll try my best although I'm sure there will be other members with more experience who might be able to provide a more accurate list.

 

Starting from the most scarce...

 

Detective Comics #28

Detective Comics #30

Detective Comics #29

Detective Comics #27

Detective Comics #32

Detective Comics #37

Detective Comics #35

Detective Comics #31

Detective Comics #33

Detective Comics #34

Detective Comics #36

 

I agree w you but i think if you have the money right now and didnt care about resto you could pretty much get almost the whole run with the exeption of a few. It seems to go in phases of different books, maybe this year 20 #35's will be for sale then not a single one again for years , But i do agree that 28 and 30 you almost never see

 

Tec #35 seems to have been the "hot" issue for a while now. To the point in which the FMV seems to be either above or equal to Tec #33 despite the fact that Tec #33 is about 3X as valuable according to the guide.

 

Eventually a number of those Tec #35's will be held onto and another book might become the next "hot" Tec. I feel that Tec #33 is due. You rarely see unrestored copies offered for sale and it has yet to see the same explosion that some other Pre-Robin Tecs have.

 

It's the second most imporant issue in the run and will have its day eventually.

 

I dont think its never had its day, in the OSPG its the highest priced (next to 27). I love 33 and hope to own one very soon, i think sometimes it may be a popular book and sometimes it will change like you said

[mt1000]

ok, keep in mind, that our perception of "scarcity" is based on what we see for sale in the market place (so this list will and does change periodically)...

tec 31 is no more scarcer (in existing numbers) than say tec 30, but tec 31 is in so much more demand, that it appears to be sold/available "less often".... why? because when it is offered, it is generally snatched up quick! a book like tec 30 will often times sit for weeks or months unsold... and actually, tec 34 is a "tougher" non bat cover to locate than tec 30 (been far more copies of 30 in the market recently over the past 5-8 years than 34, for example)...

 

so, my "scarce to common" scale is based on what is available in the market over time, and "how long" it is available in the market

 

toughest: 28

next is 29...rarely offered, and when it is, gone in a hearbeat!

next is 35...rarely offered, and when it is, gone in less than 2 heartbeats

next is 34...actually the toughest non bat cover, but not a lot of demand except from run builders

next is 30...2nd toughest non bat cover

next is 31...simply too much demand relative to supply...but trust me, there are a LOT of existing copies

next is 27...seems to be available as much (maybe a tad bit more) than 31

next is 36

next is 37

next is 33...the most available batman cover pre robin tec...

last is tec 32, always seems to be copies available

 

Its cool to know stuff like this cause it kind of gives me hope that there are more of these books than we think out there and maybe ill have a shot at a few. I do agree that these books are snatched up very quickly, It seems theres a 100 people looking for every 1 book. So supply can never meet the demand hence the 5X guide

[Wayne-Tec]

This one is for Detective33kid,,,

I picked this one up a while ago in Chicago..

 

 

It presents very well for a 3.0.

 

I imagine the cover being detached was the factor there; great eye-appeal never the less!

 

Would you mind if I asked how much you had to invest to pick it up?

 

Yes,, this copy has nice eye-appeal and probably would be a 4.5? if not for the detached cover,,,The back cover is clean as well with no peices missing.

I paid 5 grand at the time and had to pick it up while I had the chance..

I think it is a little bit scarcer than the Tec 31 and Tec 35 but current $$ demand is going to these two books right now...

 

There general consensus seems to be the opposite; that both Tec #31 and #35 are more scarce than #33.

 

But I think 5K was a steal for not only a Tec #33 but one that presents so much better than the number-grade.

 

Would anyone like to rank all of the Pre-Robin Tecs in order of scarcity? I'll try my best although I'm sure there will be other members with more experience who might be able to provide a more accurate list.

 

Starting from the most scarce...

 

Detective Comics #28

Detective Comics #30

Detective Comics #29

Detective Comics #27

Detective Comics #32

Detective Comics #37

Detective Comics #35

Detective Comics #31

Detective Comics #33

Detective Comics #34

Detective Comics #36

 

I agree w you but i think if you have the money right now and didnt care about resto you could pretty much get almost the whole run with the exeption of a few. It seems to go in phases of different books, maybe this year 20 #35's will be for sale then not a single one again for years , But i do agree that 28 and 30 you almost never see

 

Tec #35 seems to have been the "hot" issue for a while now. To the point in which the FMV seems to be either above or equal to Tec #33 despite the fact that Tec #33 is about 3X as valuable according to the guide.

 

Eventually a number of those Tec #35's will be held onto and another book might become the next "hot" Tec. I feel that Tec #33 is due. You rarely see unrestored copies offered for sale and it has yet to see the same explosion that some other Pre-Robin Tecs have.

 

It's the second most imporant issue in the run and will have its day eventually.

 

I dont think its never had its day, in the OSPG its the highest priced (next to 27). I love 33 and hope to own one very soon, i think sometimes it may be a popular book and sometimes it will change like you said

 

I didn't mean to imply that it hasn't had its day yet.

 

There's a reason why it's the second most valuable Pre-Robin Tec in the guide; the problem is that the guide has yet to catch up. For years, Tec #33 was highly sought after for being the first telling of Batman's origin.

 

As Gator has mentioned in another thread recently, people are no longer as interested in the origin because many slab collectors can't "read" what once sold the book.

 

But I don't think that tells the entire story. I'm told that the majority of Tec #33's being sold are raw; so one would imagine that the same driving force that made Tec #33 the "#2 Tec" in years past would still be relevant.

 

I think it's more a matter of collectors having such a devotion to classic covers. Despite the fact that Tec #33 has a classic cover in its own right (probably more classic than #35) the "cool" factor of #35 is overwhelming and when you combine that with a limited supply...you see as you said, multiples of guide.

 

I do believe Tec #35 to be more scarce but at the same time, I feel there will come a time where that alone is not enough to push the book past one the caliber of Tec #33. Tec #33 has a classic cover that IMO, has not been the "hot" cover to collect in recent years. Once the desire for Tec #35 cools down a bit, I feel that collectors might turn to yet another classic cover book that just so happens to contain the most important GA story ever told.

[mt1000]

I agree the 33 is a awesome cover. My next book is def going to be a 35 or 33

[G.A.tor]

 

Tec #35 seems to have been the "hot" issue for a while now. To the point in which the FMV seems to be either above or equal to Tec #33 despite the fact that Tec #33 is about 3X as valuable according to the guide.

 

Eventually a number of those Tec #35's will be held onto and another book might become the next "hot" Tec. I feel that Tec #33 is due. You rarely see unrestored copies offered for sale and it has yet to see the same explosion that some other Pre-Robin Tecs have.

 

It's the second most imporant issue in the run and will have its day eventually.

tec 31 is still the "hot" pre robin tec...followed closely by tec 29...

tec 35 has had more demand than supply going on 5+ years now, so I don't think it is any "hotter" today than it was then, just tougher to locate...

 

tec 33 "had" its day...in fact, it had its decades...outside of 27, for mooon on top of moons, tec 33 was the 2nd most desirable tec... however, that was then and this is now...

I find it highly unlikely that 33 will ever leap back over 29, 31, or even 35...in fact, lately, it appears 33 might have even fallen behind 36 in terms of demand relative to supply

 

but that still doesn't diminish the fact that 33 is a great book, but its day has passed as the 2nd greatest (thumbs u

[G.A.tor]

There's a reason why it's the second most valuable Pre-Robin Tec in the guide; the problem is that the guide has yet to catch up. For years, Tec #33 was highly sought after for being the first telling of Batman's origin.

it was indeed...problem is while tec 33 has been a holdover as second most valuable in the guide (overstreet is not going to reduce its value), it has been #5 in "real" value for years and years now (behind 27,29,31, and 35) and will continue as the value of those other issues take much higher leaps, than 33 "in the guide"

...so your "yet to catch up" only applies to the surrounding issues (thumbs u

 

As Gator has mentioned in another thread recently, people are no longer as interested in the origin because many slab collectors can't "read" what once sold the book.

 

But I don't think that tells the entire story. I'm told that the majority of Tec #33's being sold are raw; so one would imagine that the same driving force that made Tec #33 the "#2 Tec" in years past would still be relevant.

the majority of sales are raw because the majority of 33's seem to be restored, and restored cgc tec 33's do worse sales wise, than raw copies (strange but documented true)...not sure how much has to do with the story (which has been reprinted enough times folks don't need to read it in the original)

 

I think it's more a matter of collectors having such a devotion to classic covers. Despite the fact that Tec #33 has a classic cover in its own right (probably more classic than #35) the "cool" factor of #35 is overwhelming and when you combine that with a limited supply...you see as you said, multiples of guide.

 

I do believe Tec #35 to be more scarce but at the same time, I feel there will come a time where that alone is not enough to push the book past one the caliber of Tec #33. Tec #33 has a classic cover that IMO, has not been the "hot" cover to collect in recent years. Once the desire for Tec #35 cools down a bit, I feel that collectors might turn to yet another classic cover book that just so happens to contain the most important GA story ever told.

33 is cool, and I know you are so passionate about the 33, but you have to face reality, the cover is not as cool as 29 or 31 or 35 and likely won't see a as yet to be seen rise in demand (at least not until all the existing copies in the market dissapear...which are not likely until the prices come back in line with where they should be relative to surrounding copies)...

 

I hate to sound like a broken record, but touche

[G.A.tor]

I agree the 33 is a awesome cover. My next book is def going to be a 35 or 33

[Larryw7]

I love 33, but I do think that 36 is a book that will overtake it. Not only because of the cover(which is fantastic), but it's the first appearance of Hugo Strange. If Chris Nolan uses him in the next Batman movie or he appears in one of the films down the road, that may help the book become even more desirable than it already is.

[G.A.tor]

I love 33, but I do think that 36 is a book that will overtake it. Not only because of the cover(which is fantastic), but it's the first appearance of Hugo Strange. If Chris Nolan uses him in the next Batman movie or he appears in one of the films down the road, that may help the book become even more desirable than it already is.

I concur...I think I might have mentioned something similar in a post in another thread (about demand of 36)... I don't think it will overtake 33 in value any time soon (too much ground to make up both in overstreet and in the market in the short term) but it will overtake it in demand, if it hasn't already (thumbs u

[Larryw7]

As much as I'd like to have a 33, I think I'd rather have a 36 right now. I just love that cover and story combination.

[mt1000]

I love 33, but I do think that 36 is a book that will overtake it. Not only because of the cover(which is fantastic), but it's the first appearance of Hugo Strange. If Chris Nolan uses him in the next Batman movie or he appears in one of the films down the road, that may help the book become even more desirable than it already is.

I concur...I think I might have mentioned something similar in a post in another thread (about demand of 36)... I don't think it will overtake 33 in value any time soon (too much ground to make up both in overstreet and in the market in the short term) but it will overtake it in demand, if it hasn't already (thumbs u

 

And wait for it.................1st apperance of finned gloves thats almost as important as the origin right??

[Larryw7]

[Wayne-Tec]

it was indeed...problem is while tec 33 has been a holdover as second most valuable in the guide (overstreet is not going to reduce its value), it has been #5 in "real" value for years and years now (behind 27,29,31, and 35) and will continue as the value of those other issues take much higher leaps, than 33 "in the guide"

...so your "yet to catch up" only applies to the surrounding issues (thumbs u

 

the majority of sales are raw because the majority of 33's seem to be restored, and restored cgc tec 33's do worse sales wise, than raw copies (strange but documented true)...not sure how much has to do with the story (which has been reprinted enough times folks don't need to read it in the original)

 

33 is cool, and I know you are so passionate about the 33, but you have to face reality, the cover is not as cool as 29 or 31 or 35 and likely won't see a as yet to be seen rise in demand (at least not until all the existing copies in the market dissapear...which are not likely until the prices come back in line with where they should be relative to surrounding copies)...

 

I hate to sound like a broken record, but touche

 

I cannot change the reality of the market and I'm not trying to claim that the market is "wrong". I just feel there to be a very valid reason why Tec #33 held the number two spot for so many years.

 

You've mentioned the advent of CGC and collectors' desire now more than ever to appreciate classic covers as a result of collecting "slabs". That's a perfectly valid point which would explain (at least to some degree) why the Tecs you have mentioned (29, 31, and 35) have seen such a significant increase in demand; especially relative to supply.

 

For whatever reason, I think the majority of Pre-Robin collectors feel that 29, 31, and 35 have the superior covers. I would make no argument against #31 and even with #29, I can see how the "darker" and more "gothic" style might be more appealing to a number of collectors; that's cool. (thumbs u

 

But with #35, I think it's really a matter of the "cool" factor combined with the fact that Tec #33's color-scheme does not seem to fit in with that "dark" tone that has been so popular. I love it because the color-scheme reminds me of Tec #27 and I appreciate the contrast between the vibrance of the background colors and the darkness of Batman. I don't think #35 is the better cover; I just think it's the "cooler" cover which is all it needs to be to drive collectors to pay well for it.

 

Tec #33 seems to be very difficult to find unrestored which is where I feel it has the potential to see the most growth.

 

There is really no competition between the importance of the stories of these issues. 29, 31, and 35 all have their own elements that make them significant but the story of Batman's origin is (not to sound like a broken record myself), the most important GA story ever told.

 

Yet as Tec #29, 31, and 35 have all seen their respective "explosions", the same cannot be said of Tec #33 recently. It's held a solid value mind you but has not sold for the same "multiples of guide" that we've seen other issues sell for; it just hasn't been as "hot".

 

The reasons?

 

As we've discussed...the cover is not as "hot" at the moment (something that does seem to change from time to time) and there is a greater supply. Yet I feel when it comes to Pre-Robin Tecs (especially those with Batman on the cover)...there will never be enough supply to meet the demand. Prices seem to go down when too many copies come out around the same time (thus collectors' interest is distributed amongst multiple copies instead of being concentrated into one).

 

I do feel the Tec #33 cover will get "hot" sometime in the future and one day when it becomes fashionable to get your hands on an unrestored Tec #33 in the same ways that it has been for #35 (for instance)...we'll see a book that is already valuable realize a surge in demand and thus, an increase in value.

[Wayne-Tec]

I love 33, but I do think that 36 is a book that will overtake it. Not only because of the cover(which is fantastic), but it's the first appearance of Hugo Strange. If Chris Nolan uses him in the next Batman movie or he appears in one of the films down the road, that may help the book become even more desirable than it already is.

 

While I think that Tec #36 is a very underrated (and somewhat under-appreciated) book, I don't think it's fair to compare it to Tec #33.

 

Tec #33 cover > Tec #36 cover.

 

1st origin of Batman > 1st app. of Hugo Strange.

 

I agree with Gator in that the demand might at some point become higher than that for #33; but I think that would be due to the many collectors who might have enough to buy a Tec #36 but not a Tec #33.

 

The desparity in asking prices is enough to attract a number of collectors' attention. Had I not managed to find the "perfect" copy for me, I would have never considered Tec #33 an option (as it would have been out of my price-range) and might have very well ended up focusing on a book like Tec #36 as my next option (although knowing my tastes, a coverless Batman #1 would have been next on my list).

[KryptoSpidey]

There is no demand for 36,nor will there be in the short term,you don't want one,so move on and pick on another book please

[showcase22gr1959]

I want a TEC 31.

[mt1000]

There is no demand for 36,nor will there be in the short term,you don't want one,so move on and pick on another book please

 

lol Nothing to see here move along no one needs tec 36 in there collection

[mt1000]

I love 33, but I do think that 36 is a book that will overtake it. Not only because of the cover(which is fantastic), but it's the first appearance of Hugo Strange. If Chris Nolan uses him in the next Batman movie or he appears in one of the films down the road, that may help the book become even more desirable than it already is.

 

While I think that Tec #36 is a very underrated (and somewhat under-appreciated) book, I don't think it's fair to compare it to Tec #33.

 

Tec #33 cover > Tec #36 cover.

 

1st origin of Batman > 1st app. of Hugo Strange.

 

I agree with Gator in that the demand might at some point become higher than that for #33; but I think that would be due to the many collectors who might have enough to buy a Tec #36 but not a Tec #33.

 

The desparity in asking prices is enough to attract a number of collectors' attention. Had I not managed to find the "perfect" copy for me, I would have never considered Tec #33 an option (as it would have been out of my price-range) and might have very well ended up focusing on a book like Tec #36 as my next option (although knowing my tastes, a coverless Batman #1 would have been next on my list).

 

Im sorry but i feel like were all going around in circles, Its really all about what cover/books you love the most so if i love 32 better than 27 thats my choice no ones right or wrong. 33 is the second most valueable tec after 27 in the OSPG so theres no dispute, but in real market its all about your own personal choice and how easily "rare" certain issues are to aquire that determines the price (now i sound like a broken record). I love ALL the covers as im sure most of you do to so theres no dispute it just personal opinion. If value were no meaning id take a 35 over a 27 anyday of the week.

[Wayne-Tec]

There is no demand for 36,nor will there be in the short term,you don't want one,so move on and pick on another book please

 

lol Nothing to see here move along no one needs tec 36 in there collection

 

By the way Matt,

 

I want you to know that I didn't mean anything personal against Tec #36 as I know you own a beautiful copy yourself. If I said anything that came across even the slightest bit offensive...I apologize as that was not my intention.

 

I love your Tec #36 and stand by my saying that it is a very underrated and historically significant book. (thumbs u

[mt1000]

There is no demand for 36,nor will there be in the short term,you don't want one,so move on and pick on another book please

 

lol Nothing to see here move along no one needs tec 36 in there collection

 

By the way Matt,

 

I want you to know that I didn't mean anything personal against Tec #36 as I know you own a beautiful copy yourself. If I said anything that came across even the slightest bit offensive...I apologize as that was not my intention.

 

I love your Tec #36 and stand by my saying that it is a very underrated and historically significant book. (thumbs u

 

No dont worry about it i also love your book too so i wasnt trying to offend you in any way either. I just meant there all beutiful and were both equally as lucky to even own 1.