August Signature Heritage Comic Art Auction

[heartened]

I was most surprised by Elektra in disguise page...I understand DD 175 has a specific buyer but the Elektra page in disguise at $8K+ was quite impressive...if you aren't after the entire book why would you bid that one up...

 

Somebody alluded to the fact that someone is after the entire book.

 

20K does seem an awful lot for a panel page though. A new record for a Miller DD page?

 

The fact of the matter is that Elektra pages have always commanded a premium, as that run from issue 168 through 181 has always been considered the peak of the run, and certainly the most nostalgia-driven. As far back as 7 years ago some of the better pages were selling at roughly 5K apiece privately. Thus, although I was a bit surprised at the final price, it was only slightly higher than I would have guessed.

 

[Guardian Comics]

I felt the Byrne X-Men prices were fine--there is a huge gap between below average and exceptional pages.

 

I agree. In fact, I thought the prices on the Byrne X-Men pages were quite strong, given that all the pages in this particular auction were very mediocre.

 

I'm actually in the market for a Byrne page with my only prerequisite being that it MUST feature Guardian/Vindicator/Weapon Alpha but this just wasn't the page, even at half the price dealers are asking for this type of page.

 

Jim

[Nexus]

I was most surprised by Elektra in disguise page...I understand DD 175 has a specific buyer but the Elektra page in disguise at $8K+ was quite impressive...if you aren't after the entire book why would you bid that one up...

 

Somebody alluded to the fact that someone is after the entire book.

 

20K does seem an awful lot for a panel page though. A new record for a Miller DD page?

 

The fact of the matter is that Elektra pages have always commanded a premium, as that run from issue 168 through 181 has always been considered the peak of the run, and certainly the most nostalgia-driven. As far back as 7 years ago some of the better pages were selling at roughly 5K apiece privately. Thus, although I was a bit surprised at the final price, it was only slightly higher than I would have guessed.

 

No doubt Elektra pages are sought after. That mostly explains the one that sold for $19K (mostly). The one that sold for $8K, though? That one's a bit of an eyebrow-raiser for me. It's worth that much to the guy putting the book together, but I can't see it being worth that much to anyone else. And yet there was an underbidder at that level.

 

Tough hobby.

[Brian Peck]

Well, there are also people who will bid up pieces just because they know certain people are trying to complete a book. But they might be get a big surprise if the person who is putting the book together has an upper limit.

[NelsonAI]

Unfortunately in this hobby, if people know your specific want list, (like trying to complete an issue or acquire a personal grail), bidders may want the piece to use as trade bait later on.

 

 

Cheers!

N.

[groovyedwin]

Unfortunately in this hobby, if people know your specific want list, (like trying to complete an issue or acquire a personal grail), bidders may want the piece to use as trade bait later on.

 

 

Cheers!

N.

 

Risky way to approach the hobby since the person is assuming that taste don't change over time and the individual will actually trade. But on the upside this keeps the prices higher.

 

Edwin

[spider9698]

With such strong prices for 175 pages we may see the remainders up for auction soon enough. Unfortunately for our friend the prices will continue to climb. One reason I stopped putting stories together. Too painful and too expensive.

[AKA Rick]

Out of fandom, it's a challenge to either put together a book page by page, or have the unique opportunity to maybe purchase the entire story at an affordable price directly through an artist or maybe a dealer before an artist emerges with popularity. Those are both bragging and pride rights.

 

QUESTION: If a book, like Daredevil #175 were to be put together and completed, if ever a time came to sell it, would it command more value as a single volume (having all the work done in compiling it) as a set, or would it command more value if separated?

 

I speculate the answer be to break-up the book, especially any issue where individual pages command major dollars (as I think was the case for formerly books held complete like the Spider-Man "Kraven's Last Hunt" issue and X-Men #1 issue). I would think the sum of the parts will outweight the whole when looking for a single buyer who can afford such an investment, but who knows, maybe there's 2 collectors ( all it takes is to = a bidding war) with deep pockets and an obsessed desire (such as the case with that $100k Daredevil cover) to drive prices beyond expectations I guess too.

 

Maybe for lesser valued books, like some of the Archie comics and complete Romance stories from the 70's, it's an affordable venture both to buy and sell?

 

I've tried to put a cheap modern book together and am at a standstill with 3 of the 21 pages remaining (which I probably will never complete) as well as the cover, just for fun, and it is (or was) the thrill of the chase (aka "The Art Collector's Last Hunt") then probably the acquisition or ownership that was/is most fulfilling.

[comix4fun]

Unfortunately in this hobby, if people know your specific want list, (like trying to complete an issue or acquire a personal grail), bidders may want the piece to use as trade bait later on.

 

 

Cheers!

N.

 

 

 

I agree Nelson, the sad underbelly of the hobby, where the bottom feeders and remora of the field congregate to parasite themselves on the collections of others.

 

Thank God for the times it blows up their faces though. It's such a risky thing to do (buying a piece you don't want as a premium for the express purpose to bend someone over) not just risky from a monetary standpoint, it's risky from a Karmic standpoint.

 

My guess there are more people in serving time in hell for using a morality set akin to this than there are "actors' " names on the waiting list for a server's job at Toscana's on San Vicente.

[Ferran Delgado]

I've tried to put a cheap modern book together and am at a standstill with 3 of the 21 pages remaining (which I probably will never complete) as well as the cover, just for fun, and it is (or was) the thrill of the chase (aka "The Art Collector's Last Hunt") then probably the acquisition or ownership that was/is most fulfilling.

 

I know a thing or two about trying to complete a book, with just missing a couple of pages on a 32 pages book... ;-)

 

Rick, I'm sure that you knew that I'd show here, you provocative... ;-)

[sborock]

Just to give a positive side to the DD miller and the Byrne X-Men pages.....

 

I got a call from a gentleman in Floridia who said he had a few "comic book pages", but nothing very old or expensive. I had to qualify if he meant pages from an old comic book or original art. I then told him I would not be in his area for awhile, could he please send me some pics to my email. He did not have a way to get that done. He asked if I would be in the Tampa area any time soon, as he had an aunt that lived there and could meet me at her home and he really needed to raise some $. Since I knew I would be in Tampa, I told him the date and he said he could make that work.

 

He then told me, he also said he now knew the artists: Miller, Byrne, & Sim.

 

A week goes by, we meet at is aunts house, and he shows me 3 DD Miller Pages, 3 Byrne X-Men pages, & a Sim Cerebus page. He asks me if I think he could get $500 or more for the pages as he paid, I think, $20-$50 each of them in the 80's.

 

I told him that the pages were worth MUCH more and the best way to sell them was in auction. He was not sure if that's what he wanted to do as, he felt, he might lose $. I explained that these were great pieces and they would go for big bucks (I did not know that the one collector was even looking to complete the DD story.) and if he sold them out right to me or any othe dealer, he would be losing money, especially after throwing out a figure to anyone of $500. He still thought the auction was kind of a way that I could take his art without paying him, but when I told him that I would give him a lage advance check that exact moment, he knew I was telling the truth.

 

End of story: He did not watch the auction, but when I called him to tell him he did about $30K (Higher than my expectations), he was so thankful and, a bit speechless. He told me I saved his life! It was a great feeling, I was walking on clounds that Sunday. (It also reminded me why I will never be a rich man )

 

Not that I am a saint, heck, I was just doing my job and many of us would have done the right thing by this gentleman, but we all know that if one of the wrong guys showed up at his aunt's home, the art might have walked out the door for a tenth of what he got for it, he would have felt he got a good deal, but he would still be in financial trouble today and that would just plain suck.

 

 

[Nexus]

Great story, Steve! Love hearing about these "buried treasure" stories. Kudos to you for not taking advantage of the man. There's one stealth dealer in the hobby who places ads in local papers throughout the country looking for old-time collectors like this guy who have no idea of current market values. Hoping, of course, to land art for pennies on the dollar. Lucky for this seller that he found you instead of him.

 

Thanks again for sharing. Definitely a positive side to the auctions.

[omegaman]

The hobby needs more stories like this. Thanks for sharing Steve!

 

Just to give a positive side to the DD miller and the Byrne X-Men pages.....

 

I got a call from a gentleman in Floridia who said he had a few "comic book pages", but nothing very old or expensive. I had to qualify if he meant pages from an old comic book or original art. I then told him I would not be in his area for awhile, could he please send me some pics to my email. He did not have a way to get that done. He asked if I would be in the Tampa area any time soon, as he had an aunt that lived there and could meet me at her home and he really needed to raise some $. Since I knew I would be in Tampa, I told him the date and he said he could make that work.

 

He then told me, he also said he now knew the artists: Miller, Byrne, & Sim.

 

A week goes by, we meet at is aunts house, and he shows me 3 DD Miller Pages, 3 Byrne X-Men pages, & a Sim Cerebus page. He asks me if I think he could get $500 or more for the pages as he paid, I think, $20-$50 each of them in the 80's.

 

I told him that the pages were worth MUCH more and the best way to sell them was in auction. He was not sure if that's what he wanted to do as, he felt, he might lose $. I explained that these were great pieces and they would go for big bucks (I did not know that the one collector was even looking to complete the DD story.) and if he sold them out right to me or any othe dealer, he would be losing money, especially after throwing out a figure to anyone of $500. He still thought the auction was kind of a way that I could take his art without paying him, but when I told him that I would give him a lage advance check that exact moment, he knew I was telling the truth.

 

End of story: He did not watch the auction, but when I called him to tell him he did about $30K (Higher than my expectations), he was so thankful and, a bit speechless. He told me I saved his life! It was a great feeling, I was walking on clounds that Sunday. (It also reminded me why I will never be a rich man )

 

Not that I am a saint, heck, I was just doing my job and many of us would have done the right thing by this gentleman, but we all know that if one of the wrong guys showed up at his aunt's home, the art might have walked out the door for a tenth of what he got for it, he would have felt he got a good deal, but he would still be in financial trouble today and that would just plain suck.

 

[pinupcartoonguy]

Gotta ask, is there more to the story about how and where he got the pages, and how it is that he know had no clue what they were worth? Also, can I have his contact info?

 

 

 

Just to give a positive side to the DD miller and the Byrne X-Men pages.....

 

I got a call from a gentleman in Floridia who said he had a few "comic book pages", but nothing very old or expensive. I had to qualify if he meant pages from an old comic book or original art. I then told him I would not be in his area for awhile, could he please send me some pics to my email. He did not have a way to get that done. He asked if I would be in the Tampa area any time soon, as he had an aunt that lived there and could meet me at her home and he really needed to raise some $. Since I knew I would be in Tampa, I told him the date and he said he could make that work.

 

He then told me, he also said he now knew the artists: Miller, Byrne, & Sim.

 

A week goes by, we meet at is aunts house, and he shows me 3 DD Miller Pages, 3 Byrne X-Men pages, & a Sim Cerebus page. He asks me if I think he could get $500 or more for the pages as he paid, I think, $20-$50 each of them in the 80's.

 

I told him that the pages were worth MUCH more and the best way to sell them was in auction. He was not sure if that's what he wanted to do as, he felt, he might lose $. I explained that these were great pieces and they would go for big bucks (I did not know that the one collector was even looking to complete the DD story.) and if he sold them out right to me or any othe dealer, he would be losing money, especially after throwing out a figure to anyone of $500. He still thought the auction was kind of a way that I could take his art without paying him, but when I told him that I would give him a lage advance check that exact moment, he knew I was telling the truth.

 

End of story: He did not watch the auction, but when I called him to tell him he did about $30K (Higher than my expectations), he was so thankful and, a bit speechless. He told me I saved his life! It was a great feeling, I was walking on clounds that Sunday. (It also reminded me why I will never be a rich man )

 

Not that I am a saint, heck, I was just doing my job and many of us would have done the right thing by this gentleman, but we all know that if one of the wrong guys showed up at his aunt's home, the art might have walked out the door for a tenth of what he got for it, he would have felt he got a good deal, but he would still be in financial trouble today and that would just plain suck.

 

[bocaratondefense]

 

A week goes by, we meet at is aunts house, and he shows me 3 DD Miller Pages, 3 Byrne X-Men pages, & a Sim Cerebus page. He asks me if I think he could get $500 or more for the pages as he paid, I think, $20-$50 each of them in the 80's.

 

 

 

That would have been tempting.

[CollectingFool]

Not that I am a saint, heck, I was just doing my job and many of us would have done the right thing by this gentleman, but we all know that if one of the wrong guys showed up at his aunt's home, the art might have walked out the door for a tenth of what he got for it

 

Actually, depending on who showed up they might have haggled and faked a heart condition to get it down to $300.

 

 

[sborock]

Gotta ask, is there more to the story about how and where he got the pages, and how it is that he know had no clue what they were worth? Also, can I have his contact info?

 

Out of the hobby for a looooong time, not computer friendly, he picked them up at a couple of conventions, and, no, you can't have his contact info

 

[Solar]

He asks me if I think he could get $500 or more for the pages as he paid, I think, $20-$50 each of them in the 80's.

 

MAJOR props to you for not taking him up on that offer. Tough deal to pass up. (thumbs u

[Nexus]

He asks me if I think he could get $500 or more for the pages as he paid, I think, $20-$50 each of them in the 80's.

 

MAJOR props to you for not taking him up on that offer. Tough deal to pass up. (thumbs u

 

Not picking on you Solar, because apparently a lot of people feel the same way. But was this really a "tough deal to pass up"? This guy was obviously ignorant about what his art was worth. I like a good deal as much as anyone, but this would have been taking advantage of a clueless and (from the sound of it) financially desperate man. $500 was nowhere close to fair value. And yeah, as Ruben alluded, there are those who would have faked a heart condition to screw the guy even more. You can't make stuff like that up.

 

Don't mean to take anything away from Steve for doing the right thing, btw...that should be applauded unconditionally.

[Solar]

He asks me if I think he could get $500 or more for the pages as he paid, I think, $20-$50 each of them in the 80's.

 

MAJOR props to you for not taking him up on that offer. Tough deal to pass up. (thumbs u

 

Not picking on you Solar, because apparently a lot of people feel the same way. But was this really a "tough deal to pass up"? This guy was obviously ignorant about what his art was worth. I like a good deal as much as anyone, but this would have been taking advantage of a clueless and (from the sound of it) financially desperate man. $500 was nowhere close to fair value. And yeah, as Ruben alluded, there are those who would have faked a heart condition to screw the guy even more. You can't make stuff like that up.

 

Don't mean to take anything away from Steve for doing the right thing, btw...that should be applauded unconditionally.

 

Well, you're absolutely right, but there are a lot of collectibles dealers (possibly a majority) who would have paid the guy's asking price and went on their way. Steve had no legal obligation to tell the guy what he had, which is why I applaud his decision to do so.