THE AMAZING FANTASY #15 CLUB 39 39

[KCOComics]

On 9/18/2021 at 3:43 PM, Batmanis#1 said:

I am not worried at all prices have risen for decades and decades seen it all let the newer people be worried and sell their books only to regret it when they look at the prices years from now. As they say history repeats itself over and over and over. I have zero worries. Sure some will just be happy for what they get nothing wrong with that either. I am an old man I don't care when I sell it is to buy new TEC books. If I pass away and the books were never sold so be it I am a collector. Money is great but not everything for some of us. My will states all is to be sold and used towards my local animal shelter and children's hospital. I would like to think the money could be of great use to them and that my hobbies served a greater purpose.

It's certaintly a worthy place for your comics to go. 

I've got two young boys and I hope they'll grow up to love this hobby and want my collection when I'm gone. That's my master plan anyway... And if they aren't interested I'll figure out a plan B that would put the comics to good use.

[peewee22]

On 9/18/2021 at 9:36 PM, Batmanis#1 said:

Well the AF15 CGC 8.5 sold for 700k all-in.

Including the BP?

[lou_fine]

On 9/18/2021 at 7:37 PM, peewee22 said:

On 9/18/2021 at 7:36 PM, Batmanis#1 said:

Well the AF15 CGC 8.5 sold for 700k all-in.

Including the BP?

Don't believe it was quite $700K as I saw it closing at a hammer price of $575K which would work out to $690K with the 20% BP added in. 

Looks like only an additional 2 bids came in towards the end to move it from 5 bids at $525K up to 7 bids at $575K, for what it's worth.  

Edited September 19, 2021 by lou_fine

[lou_fine]

On 9/18/2021 at 8:19 PM, Batmanis#1 said:

On 9/18/2021 at 8:06 PM, lou_fine said:

Don't believe it was quite $700K as I saw it closing at a hammer price of $575K which would work out to $690K with the 20% BP added in. 

Looks like only an additional 2 bids came in towards the end to move it from 5 bids at $525K up to 7 bids at $575K, for what it's worth.  

I said that since someone here said 20% or 23% premium.

Well, either way, that's a pretty substantial bump up of something like $550K to $600K plus from where the 8.5 graded copies were selling for only a short 5 years ago.    

[peewee22]

Incredible prices lately. Take a bow Spidey.😁

[Mr bla bla]

Sold for 707 K

[mtracy64]

Goldin's current prices realized include the 23% BP, and presumably will be adjusted to show the 20% BP if buyers don't use a credit card and pay within ten days.

[VintageComics]

On 8/30/2021 at 9:18 PM, PKJ said:

That is great, but you keep quoting yourself with another post so it can be hard to follow. This used to be the owner club thread for people showing off their books, not the by minute auction update thread.

This place used to be about people who loved comics. It's more of a pump and dump forum now.

I understand. I make money from comics, but I rarely talk about value. I miss the old days when people just talked about how much they love their books.

When these 'club threads' started years ago, I kind of saw it coming. We're probably never going back to the innocent hobby we once had. Those days are gone.

Kind of surreal to be a part of it over the last few decades and to watch it change. Our hobby has now become a speculator's playground.

Edited September 20, 2021 by VintageComics

[VintageComics]

On 9/8/2021 at 10:08 PM, Dark Knight said:

Not here on the boards though.  More members gravitate towards Kang/Krang more than anything 

The Eternals rule!

[VintageComics]

On 9/10/2021 at 7:31 AM, Sweet Lou 14 said:

I think it's pretty simple ... I'm not the world's biggest Superman or Batman fan, but I recognize both of them as truly iconic, among the very greatest heroes ever created.  However, even though one is light and one is dark, they have something in common -- they're the kind of heroes you have to appreciate from a distance.  As a reader or a fan, you stand in awe of them but you never imagine for a moment that you could be them.  And by the way, some of my absolute favorite Marvel characters are the same way.  I have always been crazy about Thor and Captain America, but they're in that same category -- you can hero-worship these characters and revel in their superhuman feats, but you can't really put yourself in their shoes.  That's why Batman, Cap, and many other heroes of the Golden Age needed boy sidekicks to tag along with them.

That's what truly sets Spider-Man apart.  Whether you're a small child or a grown adult, you can identify with Peter Parker (and now Miles Morales) in a way that you couldn't with any hero that came before.  Classic Spidey sits right on the threshold between boyhood and manhood, he struggles with the difficult moral and practical questions of being a hero in ways that his predecessors never did, and we get to see the world from his point of view, to a previously unmatched degree in superhero comics, as he grows and evolves as a character.

Spider-Man has always been the hero you could actually imagine yourself being, and that's why he's so special.

I agree. That was Stan's touch. You connected with his characters. The DC characters were abstract. Even the cities that DC characters lived in where not real while Marvel characters were actually all over NYC. Hell's Kitchen, Mid Town, the Bronx

One thing that I think also gives Spider-man the edge is his costume colors. I've always believed that red and blue (but mainly red) was THE true Superhero color.

I think that's why Superman is so appealing. That red swirl of him changing in a telephone booth in the old days?

One of the least appealing things about Batman was that his costume was designed all grey / black and blue (although that little bit of yellow was a nice touch)

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Batman and the 'Dark Knight' concept, but even though I wasn't that in love with Spiderman growing up and Batman was my first love, his costume never really 'struck me' in the chest the way Spider-man's did. As a kid, Spider-man was one of the costumes I always made to play in.

So I think it's a combination of story appeal AND visual impact. Without the visual impact it just wouldn't be the same.

ps I read Michael Fleisher's Batman Encyclopedia cover to cover once.

Edited September 20, 2021 by VintageComics

[N e r V]

On 9/18/2021 at 1:02 AM, Batmanis#1 said:

AF15 is and will stay on a whole other level it is now with AC1 and TEC27 that will never change. The undisputed 3 kings of the entire hobby.

Guess I should be happy with owning 2 out of 3 of those…

 

 

[peewee22]

On 9/20/2021 at 2:00 AM, VintageComics said:

I agree. That was Stan's touch. You connected with his characters. The DC characters were abstract. Even the cities that DC characters lived in where not real while Marvel characters were actually all over NYC. Hell's Kitchen, Mid Town, the Bronx

One thing that I think also gives Spider-man the edge is his costume colors. I've always believed that red and blue (but mainly red) was THE true Superhero color.

I think that's why Superman is so appealing. That red swirl of him changing in a telephone booth in the old days?

One of the least appealing things about Batman was that his costume was designed all grey / black and blue (although that little bit of yellow was a nice touch)

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Batman and the 'Dark Knight' concept, but even though I wasn't that in love with Spiderman growing up and Batman was my first love, his costume never really 'struck me' in the chest the way Spider-man's did. As a kid, Spider-man was one of the costumes I always made to play in.

So I think it's a combination of story appeal AND visual impact. Without the visual impact it just wouldn't be the same.

ps I read Michael Fleisher's Batman Encyclopedia cover to cover once.

Yeah, a lot of the baby boomers (like me) can relate to Spiderman the character. We rode bikes, played outside till dark, and ate junk food. I grew up in a town of 1500. 2 stores and one had comics on a spinner rack. Spidey brought out the emotions in me, period. I remember reading Spidey 90 and how inspiring it was. The toppled chimney on Capn Stacey to save the child from being harmed. Gave his life up to save the child. Then Spidey took him to a quiet place where he breathed his last words letting the Webslinger know he knew he was Peter and to take good care of Gwen. Tragically, Gwen would meet her demise 30 issues later. Those issues stuck with me a long time, the untimely death of those characters. 

I'm not sure if the newer generation can relate to Spidey like this. His shadow has followed me for a lifetime. 

[KCOComics]

On 9/20/2021 at 2:15 AM, VintageComics said:

This place used to be about people who loved comics. It's more of a pump and dump forum now.

I understand. I make money from comics, but I rarely talk about value. I miss the old days when people just talked about how much they love their books.

When these 'club threads' started years ago, I kind of saw it coming. We're probably never going back to the innocent hobby we once had. Those days are gone.

Kind of surreal to be a part of it over the last few decades and to watch it change. Our hobby has now become a speculator's playground.

This is something I struggle with myself. 

Since I started collecting in high school, I always said, this isn't an investment, it's a hobby. I never cared about the $$, I only cared about owning these books. Reading them, the history, the artists.... 

And that was an easy position when I was finding Silver Surfer #1s for $40 at flea markets and "ponying up" to buy a low grade Avengers 1 for a few hundred dollars. 

But when those same comics become 4 and 5 figures and every big book you want to buy is a significant financial commitment, it's hard to ignore the value. And as idealistic as I have always been about comics, I find myself watching the final hammer prices with excitement. 

I still love everything about comics. And I find myself reading allot of cheap atomic age stuff, but it's impossible to ignore how the $$ has changed the hobby... 

[rsouxlja7]

On 9/20/2021 at 9:15 PM, KCOComics said:

This is something I struggle with myself. 

Since I started collecting in high school, I always said, this isn't an investment, it's a hobby. I never cared about the $$, I only cared about owning these books. Reading them, the history, the artists.... 

And that was an easy position when I was finding Silver Surfer #1s for $40 at flea markets and "ponying up" to buy a low grade Avengers 1 for a few hundred dollars. 

But when those same comics become 4 and 5 figures and every big book you want to buy is a significant financial commitment, it's hard to ignore the value. And as idealistic as I have always been about comics, I find myself watching the final hammer prices with excitement. 

I still love everything about comics. And I find myself reading allot of cheap atomic age stuff, but it's impossible to ignore how the $$ has changed the hobby... 

Yup I became completely priced out a few years ago for the stuff I'd like to own so it caused me to quit collecting. I still have around 100 books that I just view as an extension of my investment portfolio at this point. 

[Subby1938]

Some pretty big sales I’ve seen on low grades here’s one I found on eBay and comic connect also has 1.8 in auction that’s over 20K with two weeks left in bidding ?????

[NoMan]

On 9/21/2021 at 12:46 PM, Subby1938 said:

Some pretty big sales I’ve seen on low grades here’s one I found on eBay and comic connect also has 1.8 in auction that’s over 20K with two weeks left in bidding ?????

It’s the Chinese, Subby. 

[Illustrious]

On 9/21/2021 at 4:25 PM, Batmanis#1 said:

I mean if you did not see this coming with AF15 then I don't know what to say. It was obvious to many of us.

It seems like AF #15 is taking the same trajectory that the 1952 Topps Mantle card has recently. It was still within reach in lower grades to many collectors for the past 10-15 years, but in the last year or two it's completely it's shot up out of reach for many in the sports card hobby since it's considered one of the top grails in that collectible field.

Edited September 22, 2021 by Illustrious

[peewee22]

On 9/21/2021 at 7:16 PM, Batmanis#1 said:

I use to own a 1952 Topps Mantle PSA 4 paid 12 500$ super nice card and clean crisp surface. Was tilted (most are) a bit but that was it. Sold it figured I could get one later in life now that will never happen. You have to buy and hold with such things that is why I still have my AF15 CGC 6.5 learned my lesson.

Sure I could sell my AF15 to buy a 1952 Topps Mantle again but that will not happen Spiderman is global it is not the same at all. Sports they have new players each generation with comics we have the heroes we have and that is it. They will not be replaced or have some new blood compete with them.

Yeah but Spidey is a real guy and Mantle is just a made up character in skin tights. 

[alexgross.com]

On 9/21/2021 at 4:50 PM, Illustrious said:

It seems like AF #15 is taking the same trajectory that the 1952 Topps Mantle card has recently. It was still within reach in lower grades to many collectors for the past 10-15 years, but in the last year or two it's completely it's shot up out of reach for many in the sports card hobby since it's considered one of the top grails in that collectible field.

 

On 9/21/2021 at 1:25 PM, Batmanis#1 said:

 

I mean if you did not see this coming with AF15 then I don't know what to say. It was obvious to many of us. So you can't own say 20-30 books in a hobby with 1000's and 1000's of comics I fail to see the big deal. I collect TEC books will never own 27 so what I still continue enjoying the series.

i can't comment on sports cards since i don't know anything about them, nor do i especially care much. but I agree with @Batmanis#1 that this upward movement was inevitable for AF15 as it has been THE key SA book for many years now, and spidey's popularity only grows globally. is it possible that after this push, it will dip a bit? of course. i can't wait to see some bonehead start another thread next year entitled "WHY IS AF15 DROPPING IN VALUE???"   GA guys sometimes say it's too common. it's all about supply AND demand, and demand is insatiable for this book. 

[Math Teacher]

On 9/23/2021 at 9:17 AM, alexgross.com said:

 

i can't wait to see some bonehead start another thread next year entitled "WHY IS AF15 DROPPING IN VALUE???"

Good thing I read your post. I was just about to start that thread!