What’s driving the price of Hulk 1 ?

[passion4comics]

After that sale of the 9.2, Hulk 1 seemed to take off; followed by another sale in the same range. The Hulk first issue has always been rare in mid to high grades. What changed? There are no new movies announced that we/everyone doesn’t already know about going back to 2003. What is causing the spike? Is it speculation that the 5 year 9.2 gap with its 300% appreciation is going to trickle down to the undercopies so everyone is getting on the boat?

 

What is driving people to pay double what they could have paid 6-months earlier? Why now?

 

[Hulksdaddy1]

Leprechauns and unicorns.

[oakman29]

Finally the big man is getting credit where credit is due.

[Dark Knight]

Because Hulk smashes everyone and everything ( puny spider, goldilocks, tin man, running man, etc).

[jimjum12]

Hulk is a high profile icon status character and a household word. Rare in grade and one of the best first appearance covers of the silver age...... and a scarce issue in any shape. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[passion4comics]

Leprechauns and unicorns.

 

Most reasonable answer so far

 

Why now? Like any commodity something drives it. Hype? Manipulation? A movie? Speculation? what changed?

[NinjaSealed]

That 9.2 Hulk sale started to pull lower copies up and then after Metro bought that Action #1 its turned the market for some of the bigger keys(especially the ones that were already going up quickly) into hyperdrive.

That sale told everyone it's okay to overpay and these books are going to go up in price forever. If Metro is that confident surely one can't lose buying these books. Hulk #1 which is a tougher than average Marvel and was already shooting up got a bigger boost than many other books.

[DavidTheDavid]

Leprechauns and unicorns.

mess, I knew it.

 

But yeah, big green gets his due. This character is universally known and omnipresent in the Marvel Universe.

[makeminemego]

I think it comes down to the realized scarcity of IH #1 compared to its Marvel brethren.

 

I also think movie hype may have a hand in the increase. The way the Hulk was presented in the Avengers went over really well. I usually scoff at some of the movie hype that's out there, but I think it may be the case with IH #1 to some degree.

 

Great book. Frankly not that easy to come by in anything >5.0.

[KirbyJack]

It feels like the early/mid 90s in regard to Marvel keys.

Back then, Overstreet felt the need to publish a monthly update, to keep tabs on the wildly escalating prices. When a $50 book got "hot", it could double, and redouble, over the course of a month.

I assembled most of my key Marvels during this time, and I remember feeling stress about getting books before they appreciated beyond my means. I vividly recall missing an entire night's sleep wondering how on Earth I would ever afford the last biggie on my list, ASM #1.

(My 1st copy cost $240. It's all relative)

 

I think there is a lot of faith that these comics are on the rise, and people are eager to spend 5 thousand now so they don't pay 10 thousand later.

[Mongkorn]

All of the above, but I think there is some schilling too. Overall i think when enough people have bought at the higher prices it establishes a new entry price -since the newly acquired wont want to sell at a loss, they hang on -- further decreasing supply, and subsequently, actually justifying the price....

 

Im not sure what started it, but i think its getting close to the point that enough have bought in, making it a reality...

 

I think the difference is the scale. Big numbers and money seemingly coming out of the woodwork. But maybe they already have there AF15s and SC4s?

 

I also agree that Hulk presented well in the Avengers movie, but that alone shouldnt spawn a high rolling collector/speculator overnight.

[passion4comics]

I was never really a die-hard Hulk fan, but was still looking for a 7.5-8.0 and it usually took a backseat to other books. When the 9.2 sold it just seemed like all of the prices jumped. Sustainable? Like you mentioned, most people are not going to sell it at a loss which will make them even harder to come by. We’ll probably see more raw books graded and see a lot of CPR books to chase the prices. The shilling can only work to a point. There has to be someone willing to pay the price even with a shill. It’s always been a rare book. It’s the why now part that baffles me.

[blazingbob]

Shills? Really? How is a shill possible on a non-auction website?

 

I've sold 10 Hulk #1's since June 1st 2014 and not one of them was to a shill.

 

Real sales, real customers.

 

Unless I imagined the guy I met today and the imaginary cash sitting on my desk.

 

 

 

 

[MrBedrock]

I think it comes down to the realized scarcity of IH #1

Total CGC graded copies of Hulk 1...1116. Ridiculously scarce when compared to FF1 ... 1509 copies, Tales of Suspense 39 ... 1439 copies, Journey 83 ... 1157 copies, or Tales to Astonish 27 ... 623 copies.

 

It is also interesting to compare the concept of scarce. Over in the golden age forum we marvel at the recent heat and price run up on Captain America #1, relatively speaking one of the most common golden age keys with a grand total of ... 143 CGC graded copies.

[Mongkorn]

I don't think shilling is the only reason. I think it is present, and has, to an extent, helped stabilize the market. One true auction sold for a "steal" is seen as a fluke, but too many, and people call it a correction. Bob your scenario is essentially take it or leave it, and the combo of rarity and collectors wanting one, results in an obvious non shill sale. Again perception becomes reality. People at least on the boards seem to weight a an auction style result as a true test of the market, since dealer sales for understandable reasons are not disclosed. As I said, I don't know what caused it, but I think it's reality now..

 

I can only speak for myself. I'm 38 yrs old and finally have some money. My childhood hobby is experiencing a mainstream exposure and acceptance that in the past, I use to get my kicked for. (Not really but it's more dramatic) I am a product of the dark speculator 90s where I thought I was gonna be set for life with valiant. (That's actually partially true) We know how that story ended, but I still have the bug. It's like picking a penny stock that makes it big. There is a pride In making the pick and watching your perceived gains accumulate. In nutshell it looks like hulk 1 is as close to the next "sure thing", it brings me back to my hobby, and it's even kind of cool now.

 

 

 

 

 

[Jaydogrules]

I think it comes down to the realized scarcity of IH #1

Total CGC graded copies of Hulk 1...1116. Ridiculously scarce when compared to FF1 ... 1509 copies, Tales of Suspense 39 ... 1439 copies, Journey 83 ... 1157 copies, or Tales to Astonish 27 ... 623 copies.

 

It is also interesting to compare the concept of scarce. Over in the golden age forum we marvel at the recent heat and price run up on Captain America #1, relatively speaking one of the most common golden age keys with a grand total of ... 143 CGC graded copies.

 

I really prefer to compare blue labels to blue labels. There are "only" 736 hulk 1's. The next closest I believe is JIM 83 with over 850. I consider TTA 27 to be a pre hero marvel, but a key nonetheless because of the ant man connection. But these numbers make hulk 1 by far the toughest big marvel SA key.

 

And yes, cap 1 is considered to be a "common" book by GA standards. So is batman 1.

 

-J.

[passion4comics]

Shills? Really? How is a shill possible on a non-auction website?

 

I've sold 10 Hulk #1's since June 1st 2014 and not one of them was to a shill.

 

Real sales, real customers.

 

Unless I imagined the guy I met today and the imaginary cash sitting on my desk.

 

 

 

 

Bob, I wasn't the one that suggested shilling and discounted it because even with shilling, someone has to be willing to pay the price. I'm just trying to understand what kicked off the jump in pricing and it kind of happened soon after that 300k+ sale of that 9.2 copy. Do you have any input on the why the sudden surge since you seem to be dealing with them more than the average person?

[ft88]

As AF 15 rose above FF 1 then SC 4 as the silver age book to have it first seemed weird then obvious as Spiderman is simply the character to have. With seemingly every other issue from 1-50 a key of some sort or another. When his girlfriend has cameo appearances noted, that's when you know its for real.

 

And now FF1 is the least of the big keys and Hulk 1 and SC 4 are almost equal to AF 15. Seems off to me but the market says otherwise. Demand is always the driver and demand for Af 15 is simply getting soft.

[makeminemego]

I think it comes down to the realized scarcity of IH #1

Total CGC graded copies of Hulk 1...1116. Ridiculously scarce when compared to FF1 ... 1509 copies, Tales of Suspense 39 ... 1439 copies, Journey 83 ... 1157 copies, or Tales to Astonish 27 ... 623 copies.

 

It is also interesting to compare the concept of scarce. Over in the golden age forum we marvel at the recent heat and price run up on Captain America #1, relatively speaking one of the most common golden age keys with a grand total of ... 143 CGC graded copies.

 

I really prefer to compare blue labels to blue labels. There are "only" 736 hulk 1's. The next closest I believe is JIM 83 with over 850. I consider TTA 27 to be a pre hero marvel, but a key nonetheless because of the ant man connection. But these numbers make hulk 1 by far the toughest big marvel SA key.

 

And yes, cap 1 is considered to be a "common" book by GA standards. So is batman 1.

 

-J.

 

 

It's interesting to see how relative scarcity is so much different from IH 1/Cap 1/Action 1/Hope Diamond. I'm not a GA collector, so it's something that I've never really taken into account. I'm not surprised at all that the population is lower on GA books, but I guess I never took into account just how big that gap is.

 

I'm not an anti restoration person at all, but I agree that the population taken into account to determine scarcity should be blue label stats.

 

TTA 27 is still a pre-hero to me, and isn't as comparable to Hulk 1 as FF 1, AF 15, or JIM 83.

 

 

[Magneto]

I don't think shilling is the only reason. I think it is present, and has, to an extent, helped stabilize the market. One true auction sold for a "steal" is seen as a fluke, but too many, and people call it a correction. Bob your scenario is essentially take it or leave it, and the combo of rarity and collectors wanting one, results in an obvious non shill sale. Again perception becomes reality. People at least on the boards seem to weight a an auction style result as a true test of the market, since dealer sales for understandable reasons are not disclosed. As I said, I don't know what caused it, but I think it's reality now..

 

I can only speak for myself. I'm 38 yrs old and finally have some money. My childhood hobby is experiencing a mainstream exposure and acceptance that in the past, I use to get my kicked for. (Not really but it's more dramatic) I am a product of the dark speculator 90s where I thought I was gonna be set for life with valiant. (That's actually partially true) We know how that story ended, but I still have the bug. It's like picking a penny stock that makes it big. There is a pride In making the pick and watching your perceived gains accumulate. In nutshell it looks like hulk 1 is as close to the next "sure thing", it brings me back to my hobby, and it's even kind of cool now.

 

 

 

 

 

Good story and I can relate to a lot of it as a 37 year old. I got my Hulk 1 4.0 in 2012 and am less concerned I spent above my means when I did!