A losing flip!

[glasgap]

Quote:

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And is that a ding in the upper left-hand corner of this "practically perfect" book? Buy the label suckas!

 

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Good lord, I can't believe you pointed that out. It's only around 1/64", which is just tiny and acceptable below the 9.9 level.

 

What about the three "dings" to the cover overhang at the top - just above "comic". Is the top overhang a little damaged? Are these apparent imperfections still acceptable within the 9.8 grade?

 

Alan

[Silver Surfer]

$15K for a very nice high grade book but with 7 already on the same levell I think that issue would be way, way down on my want list especially if I have $15,000 to blow on one book. However, if I had loads of cash and could drop that kind of coin without blinking I'd probably own one myself.

[sterlingcomics]

$15,000. What a Joke!

 

Actually, based on Ideal's comments, right here on the board, the whole CGC lot was purchased for considerably less. So I doubt the book was purchased for the price listed at Ideal

[uclapeterg]

Yes, you are an anal freak.. not that there is anything wrong with that .

 

It's like I don't like to buy books with printing creases even tho I don't think CGC downgrades for them.

[sterlingcomics]

Actually, from Ideal:

 

"Aloha All,

 

For those inquiring minds that want to know, the buyers of the CGC lot is an investment company by the name of Miken Investment Group, LLC, led by Mr. Ken Tokita and Mr. Mike Harada. They are NOT interested in selling their newly aquired books but are still very interested in buying more high grade CGC's. They can be reached through their consultant Mr. John Inouye at johninouye@hawaii.rr.com . Any inquiries should be forwarded to him. Hopefully this information helps.

 

Bryce

Ideal Collectables"

[tth2]

Well, this is strictly a personal pet peeve, but I'm kinda against buying pre-bronze age books slabbed at 9.8, as I feel that they're usually not worth the multiples that the market is currently asking (with the very notable exception of Mile High books slabbed at 9.8...those are beauties!...not that I own any!)

 

Sorry, but this doesn`t make a lot of sense to me. First, I think a lot of people would say that some of the looniest premiums currently being paid are in the BA space, not SA or GA. And what do you get for your money when you buy a 9.8 BA book? The thrill of owning one of __ other 9.8s? Or even better, that after paying a big price, your copy is still not even the best or one of the best, because there could very well be a 9.9 or 10.0 out there. Contrast this with the admittedly high prices being for 9.8 SA (particularly pre-1965) and GA books. The premiums there are driven by the desire to own the best copy out there, and the fact is, if you`ve got a 9.8 pre-1965 SA or virtually any GA book (except Gaines pedigrees), then odds are you own the best copy known and the chances of a similar quality copy emerging are slim to none. Worst case, another copy of equal quality will surface, but highly unlikely that a 9.9 or 10.0 will emerge.

 

Second, why do you think it`s okay to own a Church 9.8 but not a 9.8 from the Gaines, SF/Reilly, Curator, Pacific Coast, Western Penn or other pedigrees? Because those 9.8s are not as pretty as the Church 9.8s? I would beg to differ. Gaines books are totally unreal, just to cite one example.

[shrunkenhead]

tth2,

 

 

Well, I'm not sure how much more defense I can give for an admitted PERSONAL preference, but here goes.

 

What you say about BAs in 9.8, I totally agree with. The one reason I would consider buying a BA 9.8 regardless is that it's generally nowhere near the same cost as a GA or SA in 9.8. Plus, I think a BA 9.8 will typically look more like a 9.8 than a GA 9.8...in terms of color gloss, PQ, etc.

 

However, I don't buy much bronze anymore anyways, so I might be inclined to be a little more choosy if I was actually actively looking for these books. Nowadays, I buy the occasional House of Mystery or Unexpected if it catches my eye, but that's pretty much it.

 

Why a Church book and not a Gaines? Well, I'm certainly not knocking Gaines Files! I own one (an issue of Panic), and it is absolutely beautiful. I suppose Church books are more appealing to me as there's not a dozen issues of each title floating around. If you buy a Church in 9.8, you can rest assured that it's the world's greatest copy, and always will be. That said, if I had untold thousands, I'd scoop up all the Gaines copies I could.

 

The other pedigrees you mention are certainly all wonderful too, and would make an impressive addition to anyone's collection. Ok?

[tth2]

SH, sorry, didn`t mean to come across so harsh. I didn`t realize you were talking about absolute dollars, I always think in terms of multiples over OS because it usually goes without saying that a SA or GA book will be much more expensive in terms of absolute dollars than BA books. Of course, with the prices being paid for high grade BA books lately, perhaps that gap is not quite so big anymore.

[fantastic_four]

What about the three "dings" to the cover overhang at the top - just above "comic". Is the top overhang a little damaged? Are these apparent imperfections still acceptable within the 9.8 grade?

 

I can't tell whether they break color or not from the scan. If they don't, then they can almost certainly be smoothed back out. Given that overflash can fold in on itself so easily, you shouldn't downgrade for bends in it unless the damage along the bend lines is permanent and/or it breaks color, and that kind of severity is usually tough to tell in a scan when the scale is as minor as the bends on this FF 48.

[shrunkenhead]

Tth2,

 

Cool beans.

 

Yep, those BA prices are really getting crazy, too. While I don't buy much, I check ebay pretty regularly just to keep tabs on what the going rate is for books I do have. In terms of multiples, GAs are definitely the best deal going....if only there wasn't that problem with them being so expensive anyway....

 

Wow, you're in Hong Kong? I'm jealous!

[burntboy]

I'm with you on the price, by the way. Way too expensive for a book as common as FF #48. That's coming from someone who counts it among his three favorite Silver Age Books

 

Rob - cool article and list. agree with most of it and understand your position about not wanting to start any arguments over it.

 

just curious though - no Spiderman?? why is that??

[rob_react]

I'm with you on the price, by the way. Way too expensive for a book as common as FF #48. That's coming from someone who counts it among his three favorite Silver Age Books

 

Rob - cool article and list. agree with most of it and understand your position about not wanting to start any arguments over it.

 

just curious though - no Spiderman?? why is that??

 

I've never been a Spider-Man fan. I mean, he's cool enough, and I read MK Spider-Man right now (and I just checked out the first thee issues of the current ASM arc) , but for the most part I never really connected with the character.

[tth2]

I've never been a Spider-Man fan. I mean, he's cool enough... but for the most part I never really connected with the character.

 

Same here.

[uclapeterg]

Same here too.

[Aman619]

I cant believe you guys are serious? Spidey is one of the cornerstones of comics in your lifetimes. I can see not liking long periods of his bad stories, but certainly you have read the original 50 issues at some point... and liked them, no? I mean, Spidey is Spidey! Everybody loves Spidey!! or so I thought.

[Stark This-migration]

Oy, oops, ok Church copy, not Mile High. Ya got me. Tomato, tamato, let's call the whole thing off.

 

I understand that the curve is part of the rules of the game, as you say, but it's a rule I'm not overly excited about. If I have a book in my possession that is the best existing copy, and it reads 8.5 on the label, I'm not one to complain. It's the best. Isn't the best good enough? It's kind of this weird human need that we still need the label read "9.8" or "9.6", doncha think? Why overly inflate what is already the best?

 

I totally agree with this statement. If the best is an "8.5" Let it be. If you call it a 9.8 and a true 9.8 comes along then it leaves you NO choice but to give it a higher grade. Because if you don't then this would show a inconsistancy in the grading which could continue to negatively affect grading companies. It is all part of a never-ending cycle to create a money making opportunity.

[tth2]

I cant believe you guys are serious? Spidey is one of the cornerstones of comics in your lifetimes. I can see not liking long periods of his bad stories, but certainly you have read the original 50 issues at some point... and liked them, no? I mean, Spidey is Spidey! Everybody loves Spidey!! or so I thought.

 

Clearly a huge number of fans did get into the whole melodrama of Spider-Man. The "human touch" to superheroes was of course what distinguished Marvel from its competitors and made it so successful. In small doses, it was palatable, but Stan definitely cranked up the "pathos and bathos" knob to 11 when it came to Spidey, and I just found it hard to stomach after a while. Comics were supposed to be an escape from the Peter Parker-ness of our own drab lives.

[PovertyRow]

but Stan definitely cranked up the "pathos and bathos" knob to 11 when it came to Spidey, and I just found it hard to stomach after a while.

 

I agree. I cannot count the number of times I have mentioned the umpteenth instance of Spidey/Parker angst. I mean - come on. Yes, the guy had probelms but enough is enough already.

[tth2]

but Stan definitely cranked up the "pathos and bathos" knob to 11 when it came to Spidey, and I just found it hard to stomach after a while.

 

I agree. I cannot count the number of times I have mentioned the umpteenth instance of Spidey/Parker angst. I mean - come on. Yes, the guy had probelms but enough is enough already.

 

Looks like we've uncovered a simmering core of Spidey discontent!

 

Even starting from the very first issues, didn't you find yourself yelling at Peter Parker "Come on you stupid [!@#%^&^] wimp, just pound the [!@#%^&^] out of Flash Thompson already! And if you need some money, go become a professional boxer, for god's sake, and make a fortune! You can fight crime on the side! Anything, just stop your [!@#%^&^] whining!!!"

[rob_react]

I cant believe you guys are serious? Spidey is one of the cornerstones of comics in your lifetimes. I can see not liking long periods of his bad stories, but certainly you have read the original 50 issues at some point... and liked them, no?

 

I read the first 50 issues years ago. There's some good stuff in there, but it didn't work for me in the same way that something like Fantastic Four did. I've never had a lot of "Peter Parker" in me so I feel zero affinity for him in those early issues.