WHAT IS YOUR BEST and/or WORST comic purchase DEAL ????

[ajaxfarrell]

I got a Flash #105 for a BIN of $20 last year on ebay. It was in very fine conditon if not for a wavy back cover due to moist storage conditions. The front cover is a glowing yellow . It's just wonderful. I'd say it's technical grade is good plus due to the water damage on the back cover.

 

My worst horror story was at the 1986 Atlanta Fantasy Fair. I was 15 years old and took the bus up from Columbus (100 miles) to sell some of the 40 copies of GI JOE #2 (super hot book in the 80's....$75 bucks each at this time). The dealers room at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta was HUGE.

 

At the corner table of one isle was an elderly guy who looked just like Colonel Sanders. I had been flipping GI Joe 2's all day and had developed quite a presence at the convention because NOBODY had this issue but me. Colonel Sanders said something like " Hey young man, do you like original art, I'd sell these pages of art for $100 each but nobody is buying, I'd be willing to swap you any pages you like, 1 page for 1 GI JOE # 2, for as many as you'd like"

 

I took a look at the stack of pages this old gentleman had , must have been about 4 inches high, I'd figure about 50 or more pages. As GOD is my witness, every single page, every one, was a STEVE DITKO Amazing Spider-man page. Splash pages, tons of interior art, I don't recall any covers.

 

The old guy was practically begging me to trade. This goes to show how far original art has come in 18 years. HE was SO MOTIVATED to trade me these FRIGGIN' MUSEUM PIECES for FRIGGIN' GI JOE #2's. (sorry, I get a bit excited now that I'm relating this story)

 

SO what did I do? I figured that I'd like to have a few pages for my collection even though I had never thought of ever aquiring any original art. I then thought about the 100 mile Greyhound bus ride back to Columbus, and what a burden it would be to carefully return these on the cramped bus.....and respectfully passed on the whole thing.

I've had a reoccuring nightmare about this for the last 18 years. It is seriously something I don't think I'll ever come to terms with. That is my story. Sad but true.

 

Anyway....Does anyone think the winning bidder on this auction WEIRD TALES of the FUTURE got a great deal? That is a super nice deal for someone. Anyhow, thanks for letting me get out what's been on my mind for a long time. THese comic book forums are pretty cool.

 

IF anyone else would care to relate a FANTASTIC/HORRIFIC story, I'd love to read all about it.

Thanks for your time, James.

[FFB]

I got a Flash #105 for a BIN of $20 last year on ebay. It was in very fine conditon if not for a wavy back cover due to moist storage conditions. The front cover is a glowing yellow . It's just wonderful. I'd say it's technical grade is good plus due to the water damage on the back cover.

 

My worst horror story was at the 1986 Atlanta Fantasy Fair. I was 15 years old and took the bus up from Columbus (100 miles) to sell some of the 40 copies of GI JOE #2 (super hot book in the 80's....$75 bucks each at this time). The dealers room at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta was HUGE.

 

At the corner table of one isle was an elderly guy who looked just like Colonel Sanders. I had been flipping GI Joe 2's all day and had developed quite a presence at the convention because NOBODY had this issue but me. Colonel Sanders said something like " Hey young man, do you like original art, I'd sell these pages of art for $100 each but nobody is buying, I'd be willing to swap you any pages you like, 1 page for 1 GI JOE # 2, for as many as you'd like"

 

I took a look at the stack of pages this old gentleman had , must have been about 4 inches high, I'd figure about 50 or more pages. As GOD is my witness, every single page, every one, was a STEVE DITKO Amazing Spider-man page. Splash pages, tons of interior art, I don't recall any covers.

 

The old guy was practically begging me to trade. This goes to show how far original art has come in 18 years. HE was SO MOTIVATED to trade me these FRIGGIN' MUSEUM PIECES for FRIGGIN' GI JOE #2's. (sorry, I get a bit excited now that I'm relating this story)

 

SO what did I do? I figured that I'd like to have a few pages for my collection even though I had never thought of ever aquiring any original art. I then thought about the 100 mile Greyhound bus ride back to Columbus, and what a burden it would be to carefully return these on the cramped bus.....and respectfully passed on the whole thing.

I've had a reoccuring nightmare about this for the last 18 years. It is seriously something I don't think I'll ever come to terms with. That is my story. Sad but true.

 

Anyway....Does anyone think the winning bidder on this auction WEIRD TALES of the FUTURE got a great deal? That is a super nice deal for someone. Anyhow, thanks for letting me get out what's been on my mind for a long time. THese comic book forums are pretty cool.

 

IF anyone else would care to relate a FANTASTIC/HORRIFIC story, I'd love to read all about it.

Thanks for your time, James.

 

FYI -- This should be in Comics General.

 

I feel for you buddy. If it had been me, I would never forgive myself for passing up the Ditko pages. I saw a dealer selling a Ditko Spidey splash page at San Diego in 1993 for $6,000. You could have literally traded those 40 GI Joe #2s for six figures worth (in today's money) or more of original art.

 

There are lots of sad stories, but I can't think of one that compares to yours. Or even comes close.

 

Welcome to the boards!

[rjpb]

I'm not sure which part of this story I find harder to believe. That G.I. Joe #2 was selling for $75 in 1986, or that Ditko ASM pages were going begging at $100 @.

[ajaxfarrell]

Those GI JOES #2's came from a bookstore in Columbus Georgia. This was in early '86. The guy had a basment full of comic books , probably about 200 long boxes, and tons of indescriminate piles of books stacked around. For some reason he only opened the basement for the comics on Saturday. Yep, just one day a week could you zip down the stairs and check out all of the wonderful back issues (man I really miss the good old days).

 

For some reason, he just sold his normal paperback books and magazines , along with the new comics, upstairs. That was the rule.

 

So I'm rummaging around down in the basement and happen upon a perfect Avengers #4, and a Cerebus # 3 one day. I also uncovered 52 copies, still wrapped in its original twine of GI JOE #2.

 

(Incidentally, as an avid reader of CBG at the time, they had an article sometime at the height of the JOE2 craze, of the most copies found. Someone came across 30 odd issues, I still remember thinking how " if they knew I had 52 copies, I'd have an article written about me")

 

So, I brought the Avengers 4, the Cerebus 3 (which was huge at the time) upstairs. The storeowner was very happy that I uncovered them. I couldn't afford them , but he was very pleased. So, I lost out on those.

 

J and S comics (back when they were in Red Bank, NJ) was running an ad in current issues of Marvel Comics selling back issues of JOE2 for a whopping $15 bucks. I related this to the storeowner and he said something like " BAH, those aren't worth more than $3.oo bucks each." So, I asked him about the 52 copied that he had and he agreed to sell them all to me for $156. DONE DEAL.

 

From there , I proceeded to wheel and deal these books. They did indeed peak at $75.00 each. In fact I sold my remaining issues to JandS comics right around that time for $35.00 each. I don't remember the name of the guy that owns JandS but when I asked him how valuable these could become he said something like " these have the potential of being the next X-men #94 !!!!!"

 

The owner of JandS was such a great source of income for me when I was 16 and 17. I'd send him a stash of comics, graded by me, figure out the Overstreet value and cut it exactly in half. I used to sell him books all of the time. Wish I still had the flawless FF 20-26 I sold him, along with a ton of 4color Barks ducks book I sold him. Oh well.

 

SO, yeah , GI JOE #2 was huge back then. Surely some longtime collectors remember. And yes, that old guy was practically begging me to trade him.

 

I also pulled about 50 issues each of NEXUS (magazine size) # 1 and # 2 from downstairs in the same shop. I don't remember what I paid but I remember selling them and trading them for tons of stuff. Steve Rude's Nexus was gaining huge popularity along with most any independents back in the mid 80's.

 

Adventurer's skeleton cover, Trollords, Fish Police, The Realm, Elflord, Adolecent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters, and other weird titles ruled back then. (especially Love and Rockets and Grendel and Albedo, TMNT and Flaming Carrot)

 

Whew, I'm going on way too long about this , sorry....

Anyone care to relate any stories of the 1980's independent craze?

Thanks, James.

[PedigreeMan]

SO, yeah , GI JOE #2 was huge back then. Surely some longtime collectors remember.

 

Yep, I remember. Issue two was one of those "low distribution" issues like Silver Surver #4 or Conan #3. Number one was obviously ordered heavily because it was a first issue, and issues three thru five were all over the place in polybagged three packs (I got mine from Toys 'R' Us), but no one had an issue two. Seventy five bucks a copy doesn't sound like that much of a stretch, especially circa 1986 which was less than a year after the much touted "Origin of Snake Eyes" in issues 26 & 27 and barely a year after the still talked about "Silent Interlude" in #21. That series used to be smoking! Yo Joe!

 

Alan

[shadroch]

GI Joe #2 was THE hot Marvel in 86-88.Many a dealer luncheon had discusions on which Bronze book would hit $100 first,this or XMen 94.In fact,it was an attempt by NEC to bring out an exclusive reprint of #2 that caused Marvel to change its reprint policy.

Back then art didn't bring much at all. I remember Josef Rubinstein almost begging people to buy X-Men pages at a con so he could break even on his table cost.I have a few covers that ran me $40-60 each from bronze books.

[FFB]

GI Joe #2 was THE hot Marvel in 86-88.Many a dealer luncheon had discusions on which Bronze book would hit $100 first,this or XMen 94.In fact,it was an attempt by NEC to bring out an exclusive reprint of #2 that caused Marvel to change its reprint policy.

Back then art didn't bring much at all. I remember Josef Rubinstein almost begging people to buy X-Men pages at a con so he could break even on his table cost.I have a few covers that ran me $40-60 each from bronze books.

 

I didn't start buying original art until the early 90s, but even as late as 1993 when I began my exit from the hobby, I remember being shocked at how cheap original art was. The same guy who had the Ditko cover had several Jack Kirby FF splash pages for between $1,000 to $3,000.

[r100comics]

Fantastic insights James. Many people on these boards, myself included, love hearing these sorts of stories. Keep them coming !

[tth2]

Adventurer's skeleton cover, Trollords, Fish Police, The Realm, Elflord, Adolecent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters, and other weird titles ruled back then.

 

Anyone care to relate any stories of the 1980's independent craze?

 

Only that I have copies of all of the above books, plus some other derivative of the whole TMNT craze (can't remember the name now) and many other indy B&Ws that will never be more than a footnote to history. Oh, and I paid top dollar for first prints of Trollords #1 and Fish Police # 1 (if memory serves, $25 and $35, respectively). What in the hell was I thinking?!

 

Fortunately, I learned from this experience and years later sold into the Valiant craze (keeping one complete set for myself because I genuinely liked Valiants, unlike 99% of the indy B&Ws that I bought, most of which were complete and utter amateur [!@#%^&^]).

[*paull*]

You're a man for admitting passing on those Ditko pages, so I'll give up my best and worst deal:

 

WORST:

 

I was at the last Great Eastern hotel con in NYC in the early 90s and I found a long box that had at least 30-50 copies of Spyman #1 (first Steranko pro work) in it that must have been file copies or from a distributor. STUPID STUPID me.... I thought to myself, "I already have a nice copy of the book." and passed on them. Didn't even ask how much they were. Stupid [!@#%^&^]... I'm a huge Steranko fan and any one of those copies would have been an upgrade, and if I held onto those books, I would have been able to trade them later for some really nice material.

 

BEST:

 

I went to my local comic shop a couple years ago that rarely has any pre-1960 material. I looked on the wall and there was a copy of Startling Terror Tales #11 (classic L.B. Cole spider cover). I asked the clerk to bring it down from the wall and looked at it... probably in 2.0 GOOD condition. I had been looking for this book for quite a while... this was even close to the LB Cole / pre-code horror mania when the book was selling for maybe even more than it is now. The price? Twenty bucks.

[PovertyRow]

I ...there was a copy of Startling Terror Tales #11 ... probably in 2.0 GOOD ... The price? Twenty bucks.

 

Nice! I paid a few times times that for my good last year and STILL love it. Hope you still have it? Or did you upgrade?

[*paull*]

povertyrow...

 

I still have that copy and haven't upgraded yet. I love Cole's covers and have bought a lot of books featuring his work since that time, but haven't bought another STT #11. At some point, I'll upgrade it, but I'm buying other books to round out my collection first.

[PovertyRow]

povertyrow...

 

I still have that copy and haven't upgraded yet. I love Cole's covers and have bought a lot of books featuring his work since that time, but haven't bought another STT #11. At some point, I'll upgrade it, but I'm buying other books to round out my collection first.

 

Yes -feel the same way. That cover is so good (even though 1 kind of reprint) that just having one in any garde is sufficient to make you . Lots more I would rather get or upgrade before that one!

[*paull*]

I had to get a Suspense Comics #8 first... I had been wanting a copy of that book for about eight years. And then Mask #2 (to go with my #1), Blue Bolt #111 and #115, etc...... sigh...

[PovertyRow]

I had to get a Suspense Comics #8 first... I had been wanting a copy of that book for about eight years. And then Mask #2 (to go with my #1), Blue Bolt #111 and #115, etc...... sigh...

 

Jeeze while the books may be different, the song sounds the same, eh?

[jmg3637]

best deal was early on in my comic collecting days probably 1987 or 88. it was a group of books I bought from the sister of a guy who had died in his thirties. it was by no means my biggest deal or even my most profitable, but it certainly stands out. The lot consisted of runs of about 30 consecutive books from 4 titles Mighty Sampson almost full series; My greatest Adventure from maybe 60-end; Daredevil 1-30 and X-men 6-36. It looked like the books had been read once and put away for the next 20+ years. I think I paid about $300. A few years later I sold most of the pre hero adventures to John Vertzel for 200. I still have the rest entrenched in my premenent collection . I dont think I have ever been able to upgrade those book even though I have had multiple copies of each issue over the years. I woulod like to think that they would each grade over a 9.0, but maybe it is just memory. When I realized that the books might have been worth 50 times what I paid for them I should have tracked down the woman and made it up to her

 

My worst deal was on Ebay when I bough from MrGA. I got snookered by the hype an the vast hyperbole. It was a lot that included a book they called Super High Grade. It in fact had both the cover as well as centerfold detached. The key book in the lot was valued at VF+ when it was much closer to VG-. I complained after getting the lot and having it looked at by a few dealers to confirm my opinions. I have been unable to get any response out of them

[seank]

My best deal was probably buying a VG+ Great Comics #3 in the mid-1980s for about $60 or so, which was guide price back then. It's now about $500 in OS and I've seen people offering 3X guide for it in any condition.

 

Ok, that or a VG-ish Seven Seas #6 for about $60 at Wondercon in 1991 or 1992. I liked the cover. It also seems to routinely go for over guide on eBay.

 

Worst purchase deal? Probably all those moderns I keep buying because I love to read them. Half the stuff I know is going to end up in the 50 cent bin in six months, but who cares? Right now, I'm thinking of the DC Comics Presents series that's a tribute to Julius Shwartz. Great stuff, no collectability.

[*paull*]

Does "The Dark Knight Strikes Again" count as a worst deal? I would have had more fun making a paper airplane out of a twenty dollar bill and trying to fly it into my toilet.

[Larryw7]

I've had so many bad deals that I wouldn't even know where to begin!

 

 

But the best deal? Selling a bunch of modern stuff to a modern oriented dealer in 1989 and actually getting a fair price for it, and then going to the great old Comic shop on Bustleton Avenue and getting a load of Golden Age stuff with the money, including a Tales of Terror Annual, Weird Tales of the Future(forget the number, but the one with the Brain Bats of Venus), All Select #2, and a couple of Action and Detective's from the mid forties.

[Sharkey]

Great Thread!

 

FIRST DEAL: this might not be my all-time best but it's darn close. The first collection I ever bought was in the late 1980s. It put me in the comic sales business. Somebody put an ad up on the bb of the local comic shop in Iowa City, IA of a collection for sale, so I called and it was some kid who lived out in the country. I went to his house and he said he wanted money to buy a car and was selling his comics. I looked in a long box and saw Hulk 181, Silver Surfer 1, Cockrum/Byrne X-Men, and some other keys. He then pulled out his "oldest" (and only Golden Age) comic: All Winners #1, looking to be F/VF. Zoinks!!! When I asked how much for the whole collection he said, and I'll never forget this, "I dunno, $300??" I nearly got a cramp pulling out my wallet so fast. I took a couple boxes to the Chicago ComicCon (back when it was at the Ramada Inn) and sold the keys easily getting my original investment back and more, helping to finance my grad school tuition bills. And that was the start of my comic book dealing tendencies.

 

WORST DEAL: I traded a bunch of early Valiants that I had about $200 in for a VF TOS39, FINE TTA27, and FINE FF3. Boy I regret that.... JUST KIDDING. This was my other BEST DEAL.....