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Comics You personally can't Understand Cost So Much

Started by asr0462,

682 posts in this topic

vaillant

vaillant

Posted
Posted
How about modern 9.8s?

My 67 year old father had a hard time believing that a new comic book that came out last Wednesday for $3.99 would be slabbed, and then might sell for upwards of $30 to $100 a few months later on EBay.

:fear:

 

Not only your 67-years-old father (pretty young by the way!)… :eyeroll:

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passion4comics

passion4comics

Posted
Posted

AF15

 

I don’t care how many publications by auction houses are out there saying it’s the new Action 1; it’s not. There are a lot of AF15s out there. The price of it almost parallels the housing bubble that eventually burst. It’s a major key book, but it’s a bubble where people can buy it today and flip it in 3 months for a profit. There are a lot available and we always see them up for auction. How is this any different than the first handful that sell for under GPA and people start dumping them all at once to cash out as their prices drop like a rock (the price adjustment).

 

GL76, H181, all of those already took a major hit in ultra-high grade. Silver Surfer #4 I have because it is the best cover. GSXM is lower than X94 because people are trying to complete their runs. WD1 overpriced. Chew is ridiculous even at $25. ASM 50 is high priced, but good luck finding one in 9.6 or better. Conan #1 in 9.8 is a good book for the price. Batman 227 is all about the cover. The same way Flash 123 was swiped on Flash 147 and it’s a $1500 book because of that. ASM 300 is overpriced. ASM 129 is overpriced only because people that bought it for 10k are not letting it go for 3k. IM#1 should be in line with the price of Sub-Mariner #1. Wolverine #1 Campbell cover; I have no idea why I bought one. That Iron Man/Sub-Mariner crossover in 1968 is being hawked by dealers for 10-14k meanwhile it barely fetches 4k at auction.

 

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jimbo_707

jimbo_707

Posted
Posted
AF15

 

I don’t care how many publications by auction houses are out there saying it’s the new Action 1; it’s not. There are a lot of AF15s out there. The price of it almost parallels the housing bubble that eventually burst. It’s a major key book, but it’s a bubble where people can buy it today and flip it in 3 months for a profit. There are a lot available and we always see them up for auction. How is this any different than the first handful that sell for under GPA and people start dumping them all at once to cash out as their prices drop like a rock (the price adjustment).

 

 

I agree with you on the AF15. People who bought that book strictly for investment are in for a world of hurt if they hold it too long. I have no idea when the bubble will burst, though. It could be next year but might still be ten years away.

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Tony S

Tony S

Posted
Posted
AF15

 

I don’t care how many publications by auction houses are out there saying it’s the new Action 1; it’s not. There are a lot of AF15s out there. The price of it almost parallels the housing bubble that eventually burst. It’s a major key book, but it’s a bubble where people can buy it today and flip it in 3 months for a profit. There are a lot available and we always see them up for auction. How is this any different than the first handful that sell for under GPA and people start dumping them all at once to cash out as their prices drop like a rock (the price adjustment).

 

GL76, H181, all of those already took a major hit in ultra-high grade. Silver Surfer #4 I have because it is the best cover. GSXM is lower than X94 because people are trying to complete their runs. WD1 overpriced. Chew is ridiculous even at $25. ASM 50 is high priced, but good luck finding one in 9.6 or better. Conan #1 in 9.8 is a good book for the price. Batman 227 is all about the cover. The same way Flash 123 was swiped on Flash 147 and it’s a $1500 book because of that. ASM 300 is overpriced. ASM 129 is overpriced only because people that bought it for 10k are not letting it go for 3k. IM#1 should be in line with the price of Sub-Mariner #1. Wolverine #1 Campbell cover; I have no idea why I bought one. That Iron Man/Sub-Mariner crossover in 1968 is being hawked by dealers for 10-14k meanwhile it barely fetches 4k at auction.

 

See bold:

 

Actually, Giant Size X-Men 1 and X-Men 94 are about the same price at 9.2-9.6 now, which is a fairly recent trend - just the past year. Giant Size X-Men 1 is more expensive than X-Men 94 in in 9.0 and below, which has been the case for years.

 

X-Men 94 does sell for substantially more (about 8K) than GS X-Men 1 (about 5K) in 9.8. It is not because people are trying to complete their runs. It's because there are a lot more high grade (9.4 and better) GS X-Men 1's than there are X-Men 94's.

 

Here is the census on X-Men 94 in 9.4/9.6/9.8

158/62/19

 

Here is the census on GS X-Men 1 in 9.4/9.6/9.8

352/216/96

 

There are 5x more GS X-Men 1 in 9.8 than there are X-Men 94. 3.5x more 9.6's, more than 2x more 9.4's. Considering the number of X-Men collectors that there are, the high grade census numbers on X-Men 94 are pretty small.

 

As for the "why" of the low number of high grade copies of #94, let me take you back to 1975. I was collecting then. There was no "Previews" order catalogue. There was little advanced publicity. GS X-Men 1 had a great big #1 on the cover. X-Men had been reprints for years. So no one saw #94 coming. The owner of one of the two comic book stores in Evansville at the time (both of which had been open only about a year) mother in law worked at the local book distributor. He got her to let him in at night just to look for rack returns of X-men 94. Add to that the dark cover on 94 versus the much more forgiving white cover on GS 1 you have a situation tailor made to not very many high grade 94's.

 

I've been a comic reader since 1965, a collector soon after that and a part time dealer for almost 40 years. Iron Man has always had a larger fan base than Sub-Mariner. Always. So IM 1 has always - even when the OPG didn't reflect so - sold more quickly and for more money than Subby 1. Iron Man 1 is a grail to a lot of collectors and of all the 1968 Marvel first issues, I have the most faith in this book.

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ianh

ianh

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Posted

For me it's CSS 22 and other CSS comics. I'm not into horror but I get how some people might be but a book with some woman's head chopped off? That to me personally is all sorts of weird even for a comic in the 50's before the comics codes went into effect I think.

 

 

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Illustrious

Illustrious

Posted
Posted
AF15

 

I don’t care how many publications by auction houses are out there saying it’s the new Action 1; it’s not. There are a lot of AF15s out there. The price of it almost parallels the housing bubble that eventually burst. It’s a major key book, but it’s a bubble where people can buy it today and flip it in 3 months for a profit. There are a lot available and we always see them up for auction. How is this any different than the first handful that sell for under GPA and people start dumping them all at once to cash out as their prices drop like a rock (the price adjustment).

 

 

I agree with you on the AF15. People who bought that book strictly for investment are in for a world of hurt if they hold it too long. I have no idea when the bubble will burst, though. It could be next year but might still be ten years away.

 

It does seem like AF #15 is more plentiful than almost all the SA Marvel keys.

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passion4comics

passion4comics

Posted
Posted
AF15

 

I don’t care how many publications by auction houses are out there saying it’s the new Action 1; it’s not. There are a lot of AF15s out there. The price of it almost parallels the housing bubble that eventually burst. It’s a major key book, but it’s a bubble where people can buy it today and flip it in 3 months for a profit. There are a lot available and we always see them up for auction. How is this any different than the first handful that sell for under GPA and people start dumping them all at once to cash out as their prices drop like a rock (the price adjustment).

 

GL76, H181, all of those already took a major hit in ultra-high grade. Silver Surfer #4 I have because it is the best cover. GSXM is lower than X94 because people are trying to complete their runs. WD1 overpriced. Chew is ridiculous even at $25. ASM 50 is high priced, but good luck finding one in 9.6 or better. Conan #1 in 9.8 is a good book for the price. Batman 227 is all about the cover. The same way Flash 123 was swiped on Flash 147 and it’s a $1500 book because of that. ASM 300 is overpriced. ASM 129 is overpriced only because people that bought it for 10k are not letting it go for 3k. IM#1 should be in line with the price of Sub-Mariner #1. Wolverine #1 Campbell cover; I have no idea why I bought one. That Iron Man/Sub-Mariner crossover in 1968 is being hawked by dealers for 10-14k meanwhile it barely fetches 4k at auction.

 

See bold:

 

Actually, Giant Size X-Men 1 and X-Men 94 are about the same price at 9.2-9.6 now, which is a fairly recent trend - just the past year. Giant Size X-Men 1 is more expensive than X-Men 94 in in 9.0 and below, which has been the case for years.

 

X-Men 94 does sell for substantially more (about 8K) than GS X-Men 1 (about 5K) in 9.8. It is not because people are trying to complete their runs. It's because there are a lot more high grade (9.4 and better) GS X-Men 1's than there are X-Men 94's.

 

Here is the census on X-Men 94 in 9.4/9.6/9.8

158/62/19

 

Here is the census on GS X-Men 1 in 9.4/9.6/9.8

352/216/96

 

There are 5x more GS X-Men 1 in 9.8 than there are X-Men 94. 3.5x more 9.6's, more than 2x more 9.4's. Considering the number of X-Men collectors that there are, the high grade census numbers on X-Men 94 are pretty small.

 

As for the "why" of the low number of high grade copies of #94, let me take you back to 1975. I was collecting then. There was no "Previews" order catalogue. There was little advanced publicity. GS X-Men 1 had a great big #1 on the cover. X-Men had been reprints for years. So no one saw #94 coming. The owner of one of the two comic book stores in Evansville at the time (both of which had been open only about a year) mother in law worked at the local book distributor. He got her to let him in at night just to look for rack returns of X-men 94. Add to that the dark cover on 94 versus the much more forgiving white cover on GS 1 you have a situation tailor made to not very many high grade 94's.

 

I've been a comic reader since 1965, a collector soon after that and a part time dealer for almost 40 years. Iron Man has always had a larger fan base than Sub-Mariner. Always. So IM 1 has always - even when the OPG didn't reflect so - sold more quickly and for more money than Subby 1. Iron Man 1 is a grail to a lot of collectors and of all the 1968 Marvel first issues, I have the most faith in this book.

 

Ahhhh, it's insight like that from people that were buying off the rack that I love! I agree with Iron Man being more popular. I find the Sub-Mariner boring. Conan was also boring. In the early 80's I was reading mostly Marvel. I bought them to read and few of them made it past the 90s.

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vaillant

vaillant

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Posted
Ahhhh, it's insight like that from people that were buying off the rack that I love! I agree with Iron Man being more popular. I find the Sub-Mariner boring. Conan was also boring. In the early 80's I was reading mostly Marvel. I bought them to read and few of them made it past the 90s.

 

Don’t know about the #1 (I have yet to read it) but some of the Sub-Mariner stories are excellent. It’s possible that they are less "lively", considered that most dealt with problems with his undersea kingdom, while Stark pretty much had frenzier adventures, but as long as the series proceeds there is really good stuff. :)

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dgarthwaite-migration

dgarthwaite-migration

Posted
Posted
i love astro city but why am i paying $3.99 for that every month?

Just wait a year and buy it from the dollar bins. :baiting:

 

that's what i'd typically do but do try to support certain creators and my LCS at full retail. :insane:

 

That sounds more like charity. There is nothing wrong with it, but my local shops offer nothing I want to collect. I don't care for modern comics and their back issue selection is dismal. I really only stop in once every few months and shake my head in disappointment as I leave. I really wouldn't be too upset if they shut down.

 

DG

 

 

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dgarthwaite-migration

dgarthwaite-migration

Posted
Posted
All ECs.

 

It's not 1978 anymore.

 

EC's are awesome and none of the reprints do them justice.

That being said, what is the significance of 1978?

Do you have Tourette syndrome or something?

 

DG

 

They were extremely high priced for that time period.

1978-79 OSPG lists Vault of Horror #12 in gd as $75.00 fn @ $150 mint @ $225

Amazing Fantasy #15 in gd as $120.00 fn @ $240 mint @ $360

Pep Comics #22 in gd as $35.00 fn @ $70 mint @ $105

 

Comparing just the gd price, 2013 OSPG now has them at:

VOH12 $497 AF15 $3700 Pep22 $10,000

Compared to 4.0 in GPA:

VOH12 $717 (5/13) AF15 $11,500 (10/13) Pep22 (a 2.0!) $28,600 (7/12)

 

EC are great books, obviously. Very cool stuff. Awesome. Just not... able to keep up with much of the books around them.

 

The demand varies from one period to another, but I don't think that makes them overpriced. A stand alone story typically will not keep up with a character driven key. The quality still keeps them desired after roughly 60 years. I think that is notable and the prices from every era are justified in my opinion.

 

I consider Overstreet prices pretty much irrelevant on all levels. I can name countless comics that will sell for multiples of Overstreet Guide prices and I can count even more that would sit like rocks at their prices. It's pretty much a number that some dealers agree to accept when pricing comics. It's not much more.

 

DG

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conditionfreak

conditionfreak

Posted
Posted
Tales to Astonish #27.

 

First appearance of Ant-Man for $500 in "Good" condition? Get out of here.

 

No one likes Ant-Man, and if you say you do, you're lying.

 

Ha Ha. Just read this thread for the first time.

 

There are a lot of postings I could pull out for posterity and quote. Postings about GL 76, etc. But I will go with this one.

 

My my. How things can change.

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Ken Aldred

Ken Aldred

Posted
Posted
For me it's CSS 22 and other CSS comics. I'm not into horror but I get how some people might be but a book with some woman's head chopped off? That to me personally is all sorts of weird even for a comic in the 50's before the comics codes went into effect I think.

 

 

I reread ECs quite frequently, and I wouldn't consider buying one just for the cover. The New Trend books deserve much better than that.

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Buzzetta

Buzzetta

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Posted

I still feel that that the census is way off on AF15. Due to speculation I would imagine that AF15 is one of the most pressed and reslabbed keys out there. Now, the question is, how many have been pressed and reslabbed?

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