A second copy of CGC 9.0 Action Comics #1 on the census (7/22/14)

[Bookery]

What other pieces of Americana might be considered comparable to a book like this?

 

The most valuable American literary work is probably Poe's "Tamerlane". But the highest price for that so far is $660,000. With only 12 known copies, and only 2 in private hands, personally for me, if money was no object, I'd take a "Tamerlane" over an Action #1 anyday.

 

 

[markseifert]

What other pieces of Americana might be considered comparable to a book like this?

 

The most valuable American literary work is probably Poe's "Tamerlane". But the highest price for that so far is $660,000. With only 12 known copies, and only 2 in private hands, personally for me, if money was no object, I'd take a "Tamerlane" over an Action #1 anyday.

 

 

Only 50 printed according to wiki...? It's remarkable that there are 12 known!

[jimjum12]

signed Declaration of Independence

 

Signed by Stan Lee?

 

He would sign that in a heartbeat.

 

he didn't?

 

..... he did. It's one of the ones that's hard to read..... GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[Heronext]

What other pieces of Americana might be considered comparable to a book like this?

 

A recent entrant into the club maybe - the Seven-Year Itch dress?

 

http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/06/19/hollywood.auction/

 

The Frankenstein 6-sheet?

[Sqeggs]

Asked if it had been professionally pressed and what defects kept it at 9.0 and not higher.

Note the special "guest star" in the infomercial about this book, and look at the back cover scan for the answer to these questions. An in-house pressing (and whatever else) service has it's advantages!

Seriously, MATT NELSON is in the video. I'm just upset he wasn't pressing the book in the video.

Thank goodness CGC conducting work on books in-house isn't considered a conflict of interest, otherwise the $1,000,000+ of value this book was deemed to be "improved" by might be called into question!

 

Indeed.

 

But, don't forget, they held this book off the census!!! A true slap in the face to us collectors.

 

Yeah, and apparently it wasn't the first time they have done this to accommodate a seller.

[Kevin76]

Asked if it had been professionally pressed and what defects kept it at 9.0 and not higher.

Note the special "guest star" in the infomercial about this book, and look at the back cover scan for the answer to these questions. An in-house pressing (and whatever else) service has it's advantages!

Seriously, MATT NELSON is in the video. I'm just upset he wasn't pressing the book in the video.

Thank goodness CGC conducting work on books in-house isn't considered a conflict of interest, otherwise the $1,000,000+ of value this book was deemed to be "improved" by might be called into question!

 

Indeed.

 

But, don't forget, they held this book off the census!!! A true slap in the face to us collectors.

 

Yeah, and apparently it wasn't the first time they have done this to accommodate a seller.

 

Yea it's all a big conspiracy

[bluechip]

What other pieces of Americana might be considered comparable to a book like this?

 

A recent entrant into the club maybe - the Seven-Year Itch dress?

 

http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/06/19/hollywood.auction/

 

The Frankenstein 6-sheet?

 

Generally, the term "Americana" refers to its cultural significance, not its condition. The fact that it's an Action 1 makes it significant in American culture. The fact that it's high grade makes it significant in the comic collecting culture. But even then, if you restrict the question to Action 1 and high grade copies of Action 1, it is easy to cite examples of better known copies or the possibility of better known copies. So whether anything can compare... it's an easy question to answer. Yes. If we're talking unique items that are known to exist, many things beat it for examples of Americana including other copies of Action 1.

 

None of which diminishes the fact that this is the best condition copy available now or even, and likely to be the best available copy for the foreseeable future.

 

It deserves to fetch between 3 and 5 mil, and might even fetch more. But to put this back in perspective... If it was truly unique and known absolutely to be the best copy out there, likely never to be equaled or exceeded, then we'd be talking ten mil or even more.

 

 

[Bookery]

What other pieces of Americana might be considered comparable to a book like this?

 

A recent entrant into the club maybe - the Seven-Year Itch dress?

 

http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/06/19/hollywood.auction/

 

The Frankenstein 6-sheet?

 

Generally, the term "Americana" refers to its cultural significance, not its condition. The fact that it's an Action 1 makes it significant in American culture. The fact that it's high grade makes it significant in the comic collecting culture. But even then, if you restrict the question to Action 1 and high grade copies of Action 1, it is easy to cite examples of better known copies or the possibility of better known copies. So whether anything can compare... it's an easy question to answer. Yes. If we're talking unique items that are known to exist, many things beat it for examples of Americana including other copies of Action 1.

 

None of which diminishes the fact that this is the best condition copy available now or even, and likely to be the best available copy for the foreseeable future.

 

It deserves to fetch between 3 and 5 mil, and might even fetch more. But to put this back in perspective... If it was truly unique and known absolutely to be the best copy out there, likely never to be equaled or exceeded, then we'd be talking ten mil or even more.

 

 

This is the crux of why I just can't get excited about Action #1. The number of copies in high grade seems to me to be truly bizarre. This is something you'd figure maybe one high grade copy (the Church copy for instance, since it was a bizarre and unique collection to begin with). Yet with only about 3-dozen slabbed unrestored copies, 4 of them are ultra high-grade for that time period (8.0 or above), with clearly one known, and other rumored high grade copies still out there. That's about 15% or more of all known unrestored copies fall into the freakishly high grade department.

 

There are lots of comics from that era in which there are no known copies in that sort of grade. There are even silver-age books for which 8.0 and above is a very tough grade (some of the pre-hero Atlas for instance).

 

For something like "Tarzan of the Apes" in DJ, I'm not sure there are any high-grade copies in existence, and books tend to hold up better than comics.

 

I don't know exactly why it bothers me, but even if I had the $$$, I'm not sure this is the sort of thing I'd pursue (and obviously, none of the world's uber-wealthy, that we can tell, is interested in it... from the rumors in the GA thread, it seems all of the bidders are pretty much established comics folk).

 

[nearmint]

First time I've ever heard 8.0 and above referred to as "ultra high-grade" and "freakishly high grade". Most collectors I know consider 8.0 the absolute minimum to be considered high grade, even in Golden Age.

[Bookery]

First time I've ever heard 8.0 and above referred to as "ultra high-grade" and "freakishly high grade". Most collectors I know consider 8.0 the absolute minimum to be considered high grade, even in Golden Age.

 

For 1938? Really?

 

You know some awfully picky collectors!

 

[nearmint]

First time I've ever heard 8.0 and above referred to as "ultra high-grade" and "freakishly high grade". Most collectors I know consider 8.0 the absolute minimum to be considered high grade, even in Golden Age.

 

For 1938? Really?

 

You know some awfully picky collectors!

 

It's simply a classification. Nothing wrong with low grade or mid grade.

[Bookery]

First time I've ever heard 8.0 and above referred to as "ultra high-grade" and "freakishly high grade". Most collectors I know consider 8.0 the absolute minimum to be considered high grade, even in Golden Age.

 

For 1938? Really?

 

You know some awfully picky collectors!

 

It's simply a classification. Nothing wrong with low grade or mid grade.

 

Oh, I definitely agree. But I wasn't meaning the technical definition of high grade... simply high grade in relation to other books of that era. Even assuming the only other high grade out there is the Church copy, that makes 5.

 

here's the breakdown on the next 9 issues of Action that are in 8.0 or better...

 

#2 = 0

#3 = 0

#4 = 2

#5 = 1

#6 = 3

#7 = 2

#8 = 0

#9 = 0

#10 = 1

 

 

[nearmint]

First time I've ever heard 8.0 and above referred to as "ultra high-grade" and "freakishly high grade". Most collectors I know consider 8.0 the absolute minimum to be considered high grade, even in Golden Age.

 

For 1938? Really?

 

You know some awfully picky collectors!

 

It's simply a classification. Nothing wrong with low grade or mid grade.

 

Oh, I definitely agree. But I wasn't meaning the technical definition of high grade... simply high grade in relation to other books of that era. Even assuming the only other high grade out there is the Church copy, that makes 5.

 

here's the breakdown on the next 9 issues of Action that are in 8.0 or better...

 

#2 = 0

#3 = 0

#4 = 2

#5 = 1

#6 = 3

#7 = 2

#8 = 0

#9 = 0

#10 = 1

 

 

I'm just struggling with the concept that since there are 4 or 5 high grade copies out there, that you'd never want to own one. I buy high grade Golden Age all the time that have numerous high grade copies on the census. It doesn't affect my desire to own the books.

 

You say tomato. I say ketchup.

[Bookery]

there are 4 or 5 high grade copies out there, that you'd never want to own one. I buy high grade Golden Age all the time that have numerous high grade copies on the census. It doesn't affect my desire to own the books.

 

You say tomato. I say ketchup.

 

I don't know about not caring to own one, I'm just not sure that even as someone with that sort of wealth that I'd be wanting to get into a bidding war at that multi-million dollar level, for something that seems to keep turning up with new high-grades every couple of years. If I WAS to collect comics, and had big bucks, I'd probably be happy with a nice 4.0 or so, just to say I've got one in my run.

 

It would seem that 9.0 copy of Action #2 is truly the elusive one! (Unless the Church copy grades that high, and then it still might be unique).

 

 

[Sqeggs]

Asked if it had been professionally pressed and what defects kept it at 9.0 and not higher.

Note the special "guest star" in the infomercial about this book, and look at the back cover scan for the answer to these questions. An in-house pressing (and whatever else) service has it's advantages!

Seriously, MATT NELSON is in the video. I'm just upset he wasn't pressing the book in the video.

Thank goodness CGC conducting work on books in-house isn't considered a conflict of interest, otherwise the $1,000,000+ of value this book was deemed to be "improved" by might be called into question!

 

Indeed.

 

But, don't forget, they held this book off the census!!! A true slap in the face to us collectors.

 

Yeah, and apparently it wasn't the first time they have done this to accommodate a seller.

 

Yea it's all a big conspiracy

 

What is?

[Mutie Fan]

What other pieces of Americana might be considered comparable to a book like this?

 

The most valuable American literary work is probably Poe's "Tamerlane". But the highest price for that so far is $660,000. With only 12 known copies, and only 2 in private hands, personally for me, if money was no object, I'd take a "Tamerlane" over an Action #1 anyday.

 

 

I'll admit I know next to nothing about book collecting outside of comics, but what about the Bay Psalm Book? Or would that not be considered a literary work?

[musicmeta]

If someone is using a sniper on a book like this, I'd be trying it out early!

 

Just my

 

Yes for sure. Can you imagine if some glitch happened!

[tth2]

What other pieces of Americana might be considered comparablevastly superior to a book like this?

Just off the top of my head...

 

 

 

 

[ER USA]

I'm new to this group. I've been a minor collector for many years -- making only infrequent purchases, almost always at modest prices -- and the current eBay auction intrigues me, especially after reading the messages on this board. On Tuesday morning (8/19), I submitted a question to the seller via eBay, asking, "Has the book been subjected to pressing, cleaning, trimming, or any other treatments or enhancements?" Two-and-a-half days later, I've received no response of any kind, though my eBay account shows that the message was sent. Kinda troubling, no? If folks are interested in seeing the eBay confirmation of my question, I can share a screen-cap of it -- if someone tells me how to incorporate a JPEG image in a posting to this board!

 

 

[paperheart]

I'm new to this group. I've been a minor collector for many years -- making only infrequent purchases, almost always at modest prices -- and the current eBay auction intrigues me, especially after reading the messages on this board. On Tuesday morning (8/19), I submitted a question to the seller via eBay, asking, "Has the book been subjected to pressing, cleaning, trimming, or any other treatments or enhancements?" Two-and-a-half days later, I've received no response of any kind, though my eBay account shows that the message was sent. Kinda troubling, no? If folks are interested in seeing the eBay confirmation of my question, I can share a screen-cap of it -- if someone tells me how to incorporate a JPEG image in a posting to this board!