Should I unslab my Miracleman Gold Variant?

[howardhallis]

As some of you know from checking out the Comic Book Marketplace postings, I put my Miracleman #1 Gold Variant up for auction. I set the starting price at $1000, which is pretty high, but figured since the Overstreet Guide listed that big bump in price last year to $1500, I had nothing to lose by trying.

 

I've re-listed it here but Some folks suggested that I break it out of the slab and sell it raw. In their opinion this would be good for a few reasons:

 

1.The Miracleman Gold Variant #1 is a Certificate of Authenticity and a signature by Alan Moore on the inside front page along with the number of the book. That's it. Other than that, it's like any other Miracleman #1. The only reason why it is special is because it was the first 400 copies distributed at The San Diego Comic Con in 1985 and that Alan Moore signed it. But because CGC's policies state that any signature in a comic can only be authenticated if one of their representatives are there to witness it, and CGC didn't exist back in 1985, there's no way they can label this book what it is.

 

2. The book was graded an 8.5, which, for a Modern, to some collectors is the equivalent of smearing it in excrement. It still looks pristine in my opinion... only a small crease on the cover is what knocked it down, but CGC handed down the B+ instead of the A and that's still a B to most people...

 

3. Since like a I didn't scan the autograph, it would enable me to do this. Guess my theory was: I have the real deal, I stand behind the fact that this comic is not a forgery and figure the best way to prevent forgeries is to keep the signature from being copied. I don't know whether the last guy who sold this book on eBay (which apparently was the reason Overstreet bumped the price so high) had a scan of the autograph or not (Anyone out there know?) but figure real collectors will recognize the real deal if and when they decide to crack the slab themselves. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe people need to see it.

 

Still, I payed for the slab and want to offer the book with a third party grade. It's a rare comic and I think having it in the slab is the best protection for the comic. If I can't get the $1000 opening bid, maybe I will in a few years. Still, if they make Constantine as bad as League of Extrordinary Gentlemen, and Watchmen ends up being a crappy movie too (I hope not!), maybe Alan Moore comics will see a cold period that will bring the price of this book down lower than a copy of Adolescent Radioactive Blackbelt Hamsters #1.

 

So what does everyone think? Should I crack the baby open and re-list it raw, or put this puppy away for 20 years til my kids are going to college?

 

[howardhallis]

Here's the COA:

 

[OldGuy]

Unslab every CGC book you have.

[PedigreeMan]

Unslab every CGC book you have.

 

Yeah, what he said.

[Ares]

Unslab every CGC book you have.

 

Yeah, what he said.

 

And Send to CGG

[PedigreeMan]

Unslab every CGC book you have.

 

Yeah, what he said.

 

And Send to CGG

 

[Ares]

Unslab every CGC book you have.

 

Yeah, what he said.

 

And Send to CGG

 

[blowout]

The Miracleman Gold Variant #1 is a Certificate of Authenticity and a signature by Alan Moore on the inside front page along with the number of the book. That's it. Other than that, it's like any other Miracleman #1.

 

So what you are essentially saying is that it is the certificate that is rare and not the book.

[EwanUK]

Yes, I would definitely sell it unslabbed.

The less than over-whelming grade will put off most 'normal' CGC buyers. Additionally, the MM Gold is all about the package of the signed comic with the certificate – the slab kind of puts a mental (and physical!) separation between the two.

Furthermore, you have to appreciate the Overstreet price jump is a severe error on their behalf – reflecting only ONE recorded sale in 2003. One sale does not reflect true market value. Also, I believe the copy that sold was no.11 of 400 – a much, much lower number – and in much high grade. (CBG had a front page article on it). Others copies sold on eBay last year for around $600.

 

Suggest you check out the Yahoo marvelmanmiracleman forum and do a search - loads of info there - I've copied an excerpt below from OS advisor Mike Browning - when the actual sale happened

 

for interest - The real MM rarity is the non-3D 2D Special – I’d pay $500 for that any day!

 

Anyway, I’d re-list it with a much lower reserve – and change your text.

It's valuable but not worth $1000... but then in a few years you never know.

Ewan

 

 

 

From: mediagodmike

Date: Tue Mar 18, 2003 9:40 pm

Subject: Miracleman Gold sells for $1,500!

 

Hey guys,

Just thought everyone would like to know that a copy of Miracleman

Gold 1 sold in Portland, Oregon in late 2002 for $1,500. Not bad for a

book that, until recently, many Miracleman collectors didn't believe

existed. A grand and a half! Wow.

Check www.milehighcomics.com to see how much the book went up after my

article in Comic Book Marketplace hit the stands. The site has had the

book listed at $1,000 since it appeared, but I haven't seen one for

sale on the site, just a price for one. The site also currently has a

Blue edition for sale at $560, which I believe is a steal.

With this book selling for $1,500 and a non-3-D 3-D edition going for

nearly $150 last year, the prices keep climbing and climbing.

These three books, the Gold, Blue and non-3-D 3-D editions are the

rarest MMs out there.

 

In the case of the MM 1 gold and blue editions, me wanting a copy goes

back to my teenage years.

I had seen these two books for sale in American Comics ads during the

late 1980s and had always wanted one. But, not having a job at the

time (I was in my teens and still in high school), I wasn't able to

get $20-$50 for a comic. So, I'd searched high and low for the gold

and blue editions. No one believed they existed, though, so it made it

all the more interesting for me. At one point, there were listings for

these books at upwards of $50 each even during the 1980s.

For many years, I had thought the logos were different than the

regular edition. It wasn't until I found a copy listed on eBay as a

signed edition that I found out differently.

I don't consider these books variants in the same sense that every

issue produced in the 1990s had a gold or platinum issue as a retailer

incentive, but I do consider it a precursor to the variants, as

Eclipse was in charge of the sale of these books through American

Comics, there were only 400 golds and 600 blues released with these

cards and signatures and it was a pretty big deal at the time. So,

it's a very simple variant, but a variant nonetheless.

Nowadays, with only 400 having been signed, Alan Moore's refusal to do

conventions and very little of his signed stuff floating around for

sale, I think the prices of these are justified, especially noting

that some comic shops and Web sites are charging upwards of $1,000 for

hardcovers of MM Volume 3: Olympus. Those aren't nearly as rare as the

400 signed golds and the 600 signed blues that are out there and if an

Olympus hardcover is worth $1,000, then these are worth a whole lot

more than $1,500.

But, how many are actually out there of the golds and blues. Some

buyers may have thought the gold and blue certificates were useless

(this was in 1985 and certificates of authenticity were not being used

at the time for signed comics, if I recall correctly) and may have

thrown them away. Without that piece of paper to go with the book, it

would decrease the value of the book significantly. That would make

the remaining few worth a heck of a lot more, in my opinion.

I know I offered $1,000 for a copy of the gold edition a long time

back in hopes that someone would come forward with a copy. Now, I have

two copies and hope to find a few more. If it were simply a variant

collectible, I wouldn't really care a whole lot about it. But, it's a

rare piece of MM history and that makes it very valuable to me.

And I really appreciate you taking the time to respond to my posts.

Mike Browning

[matewan1990]

I got $1500 for one of my Miracleman golds in a trade for original art recently.

And yes, I'd definitely say the reason the Portland seller got $1500 was because it was No. 11 of 400.

Other copies have received anywhere from $350 to $600 and upwards, but I haven't seen any go for over $1000, except for the copy I traded and the Portland copy.

This is a very rare book. The 2D version of the MM 3D is definitely harder to find. I've only found one copy since it was released. I did not buy that one and I regret it.

[howardhallis]

I'm gonna break the slab soon and put it up. I'll make the announcement here when I do!