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Key, Mega Key, Ultra Key, Grail ?

Started by Chicago Boy,

28 posts in this topic

kav

kav

Posted
Posted

Grail: Action #1 Cap #1

Ultra Key: Wonder Woman #1 All Flash #1

Mega Key: AF 15

Key Hulk 181

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thunsicker

thunsicker

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Grail: For me a Grail is totally separate from the others. It would be the main things you are personally chasing. E.g. GA DC comics are totally outside of my collecting focus. So even though they are probably THE most sought after comics they are not my grails. My grails would probably be mid grade SA Marvel first appearances (Amazing Fantasy #15, Fantastic Four #1, etc.) or mid grade Schomburg covers (All-Select Comics #1, Exciting Comics #39)

 

Ultra Key: Action #1, Detective #27, AF #15, Superman #1, Batman #1, etc.

Mega Key: Fantastic Four #1, Showcase #4, Journey Into Mystery #83, Hulk #1

Key Tales to Astonish #27, Strange Tales #110, Incredible Hulk #181, Amazing Spiderman #129

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miraclemet

miraclemet

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Grail is personal (though a grail can be a key, and a key can be a grail) it can only be self defined and it's definition changes from collector to collector and can change over time as interests change. Calling a book a "grail" (say in a sale context) requires that you make an assumption about the audience and the potential buyers.

 

Key is a comic book that is held in high esteem by the general comic book community, but it does require a context. Action #1 is considered "key" by many, but what kind of key? Would it be considered a "key horror comic book" or a "key Russ Heath cover?" No. But it is a "key" in many different types of collections... It's a key first issue, a key superhero comic, a key superman issue, and so on... Key issues may, or may not have a greater monetary value associated with them.

 

Semi-keys (or minor keys) would be books that the community has less consensus on, or only partially meet the contextual qualifier.

 

All of the other qualifiers (Mega, Ultra, Super, Uber) are all just sales hyperbole which quickly become meaningless when used over and over...

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oakman29

oakman29

Posted
Posted
Grail is personal (though a grail can be a key, and a key can be a grail) it can only be self defined and it's definition changes from collector to collector and can change over time as interests change. Calling a book a "grail" (say in a sale context) requires that you make an assumption about the audience and the potential buyers.

 

Key is a comic book that is held in high esteem by the general comic book community, but it does require a context. Action #1 is considered "key" by many, but what kind of key? Would it be considered a "key horror comic book" or a "key Russ Heath cover?" No. But it is a "key" in many different types of collections... It's a key first issue, a key superhero comic, a key superman issue, and so on... Key issues may, or may not have a greater monetary value associated with them.

 

Semi-keys (or minor keys) would be books that the community has less consensus on, or only partially meet the contextual qualifier.

 

All of the other qualifiers (Mega, Ultra, Super, Uber) are all just sales hyperbole which quickly become meaningless when used over and over...

Now see I would consider everything in your sig. line key. :applause:

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shadroch

shadroch

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Drek is what you have when I'm buying it. Aftrer I bag it and price it, it becomes a minor key. Be over-eager when you find it again, I'll assume its a grail book and it becomes a mega key.

 

Every collector has a grail book. Few have mega-key books.

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CBT

CBT

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To me, the characters tend to come before the medium. The older books tend to value the medium much more, versus modern stuff which almost exclusively focuses on the content.

 

Covers, styles, trend-setters, etc, enter into the debate with the older stuff, beginning or end of an era as well.

 

1st Appearance, Death of a character(the longer they stay dead the more significant), Series starting issue, pivotal events, seminal work (by writer or artist), critically and commercially important, etc, across all the ages.

 

Then as to where on your gradient things fall, it depends, how rare, how much it sells for, how liquid (available), how culturally significant, etc.

 

 

Generally, money follows all of these different things, so for the most part, money talks. The market decides what books are keys, by people trying to buy and own them, which correspondingly raises prices.

 

Don't know that Ultra is any different, so i'll jsut tackle, Key, Mega Key, Grail, Holy Grail

 

Key - Sells for at least $100 in mid grade, over $1,000 in high-grade

Mega Key - Sells for at least $1,000 in mid grade, over $5,000 in high-grade

Grail - Sells for at least $10,000 in mid grade, for over $100,000 in high-grade

Holy Grail - Sells for at least $100,000 in mid grade, for over $1,000,000 in high-grade

 

**-People abuse the word key, if the book can't top $1000 in high-grade, it hasnt really proven itself to be a key imo. I'll add this to the chart:

 

Semi-Key/Important Book/Future Key - Sells for at least $100 raw in high grade, SS 9.8s pushing $500+

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mar-vell

mar-vell

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To me a key comic could be any important book to the storyline- DD181 death of electra, spidey 121-22 death of gwen and gobby.

 

mega /ultra key would be major first appearance and origin issues like incredible hulk #1

 

Grail would be reserved for your personal one or two most treasured books. AF 15 might be a grail to a spidey fan while some might only consider tec 27 a grail. This one is in the eye of the beholder imo.

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Lazyboy

Lazyboy

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Grail, Holy Grail

 

Grail is just short for Holy Grail and there's only one Holy Grail.

 

 

People abuse the word key

 

Yes, they do. If you want to see one of them, find a mirror.

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kav

kav

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They should print a comic called 'Holy Grail', intro some new popular character, make a movie about him, make it not suck, only make 10 copies then it would really be a grail....

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Lazyboy

Lazyboy

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"key Russ Heath cover?"

 

hm

 

qualifiers are all just hyperbole which quickly make "key" become meaningless when used over and over...

 

Fixed. Not that there aren't different levels of keys...

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Johnny545

Johnny545

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A Grail is something personal doesn't really translate to the others. A Grail may not be a key book at all. Just something your really want.

 

This is it...my grail is a book that is in demand, rare and valued, but not necessarily known to the broader comic community as an important 'key' book.

 

In fact, I doubt anyone else considers it "their" grail.

 

 

 

 

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