Hey guys....this is my life we're talking about....

[ComicConnoisseur]

Ernest Gerber himself rated this comic ahead of all the classics. Ahead of All-American 16, Flash Comics 1, Captain America 1, and all the rest. He rated it at 1/4 the value of Action #1 (most valuable comic). So since the Mile High top-rated copy of Action 1 would undoubtedly go for well-over $4M....why shouldn't my comic go for $1M ??

It's absolutely a very cool book, but I'm not sure I find this logic convincing.

 

I wouldn`t sell this now,but wait until the Captain Marvel/Shazam movie hype is in full swing. The Shazam movie is slated to debut April 5, 2019.

Selling it now will probably bring a lower price then in 2018 to 2019.

Just my thoughts.

[sfcityduck]

Disagree. Speculators will bid up the price in anticipation of the movie. If the movie flops (we're talking about a SHAZAM movie here) the prices will drop. I think the seller is being smart.

[goldust40]

FAR less important and less rare comics have sold for more than my [$900,000] asking price.

 

Must admit that line did catch my eye as well.

 

Other than Action #1 and Tec #27, I assume no single comic has ever sold at that level?

 

(And that said, does anyone know offhand the highest sale price recorded for a comic not counting those two books?)

 

 

I think an AF 15 in 9.6 went for around seven figures.

[VintageComics]

It did. And the owners of AA #16 church and Supes #1 church have turned down $1MIL from what I understand...for what it's worth. It may or may not be true.

[Big Moov]

FAR less important and less rare comics have sold for more than my [$900,000] asking price.

 

 

Glad I ran this by you guys. Thanks for the discussion. And yes, I should remove this line. I stand by everything else in my ad....I especially find it interesting how Ernest Gerber gives this one an RVI of 9000....but you guys are correct - I was referring to the AF #15 that sold for $1.1M. But yeah, I guess that's the only one. I made it sound like several comics have sold for that price, which is inaccurate. I will revise that line in my ad. Thanks.

[MrBedrock]

FAR less important and less rare comics have sold for more than my [$900,000] asking price.

 

 

Glad I ran this by you guys. Thanks for the discussion. And yes, I should remove this line. I stand by everything else in my ad....I especially find it interesting how Ernest Gerber gives this one an RVI of 9000....but you guys are correct - I was referring to the AF #15 that sold for $1.1M. But yeah, I guess that's the only one. I made it sound like several comics have sold for that price, which is inaccurate. I will revise that line in my ad. Thanks.

Ernie has been gone for quite a while.

[AlexanderM]

Disagree. Speculators will bid up the price in anticipation of the movie. If the movie flops (we're talking about a SHAZAM movie here) the prices will drop. I think the seller is being smart.

 

I agree. Although 2017 or beginning of 18 would probably be ideal. But waiting until after the movie might be risky.

[Hepcat]

I predict this thread will not end well.

 

The start it got was pretty questionable as well. For one thing I believe it's against the rules to advertise comics one is selling in the Gold Comics forum.

 

[Hepcat]

FAR less important and less rare comics have sold for more than my [$900,000] asking price.

 

 

Glad I ran this by you guys. Thanks for the discussion. And yes, I should remove this line. I stand by everything else in my ad....I especially find it interesting how Ernest Gerber gives this one an RVI of 9000....but you guys are correct - I was referring to the AF #15 that sold for $1.1M. But yeah, I guess that's the only one. I made it sound like several comics have sold for that price, which is inaccurate. I will revise that line in my ad. Thanks.

 

I'd suggest cutting out the rest of the puffery as well - including the title of this thread. Equating putting a comic up for sale to your life is a major groan to put it mildly. You're not exactly doing wonders for your credibility.

 

 

[Moondog]

Ashcans, of all the genres of comic books, are the rarest group. No Golden Age ashcan is common - all are scarce, most are rare, and some are unique.

 

I penned an article in the September 1999 issue of Comic Book Marketplace about my collection. Included was a complete (at the time) census of all known GA ashcans.

 

 

The article in CBM was the first time many collectors had ever seen an ashcan. I enjoyed tremendously the opportunity to show off my collection. I hoped that the feature would spark interest in ashcans and lead to more collectors targeting these rarities and subsequently prices would rise.

 

Mark Zaid and I co-authored a follow-up piece in Overstreet 38 (2008). In this article we specifically mention the Flash ashcans. Here's the excerpt:

 

 

The Battle of the Flashes: Fawcett vs. DC

 

One ashcan in particular soon provided an insight into the battles between two major publishing giants – DC and Fawcett. In late 1939 Fawcett and DC apparently found themselves in a heated race to see who would be the first to secure the trademark for Flash Comics. DC’s ashcan edition dated December 1939 pre-dated Fawcett’s ashcan by just one month and Fawcett, likely not wanting to battle litigious-minded DC (which had already sued other publishers for copyright infringement of its best known character, Superman), backed off and changed their title to Thrill Comics. Apparently the Fastest Man Alive was more than a match for the World’s Mightiest Mortal – or at least their lawyers may have been. Ironically, Fawcett ended up dumping this second title too (perhaps because it was too easily confused with Nedor’s Thrilling Comics published in February 1940) and ultimately published the first Captain Marvel story in Whiz Comics dated February 1940.

 

With the discovery of the Fawcett ashcans in 1983 by dealers negotiating the purchase of inventory from the publisher’s family, the mystery of why the first newsstand issue of Whiz Comics is numbered # 2 was presumably solved. Of course, although Superman and Captain Marvel never confronted each other during their heyday within the pages of a comic book, Fawcett and DC eventually did lock arms in mortal combat. DC sued Fawcett in 1941 citing copyright infringement and spent more than a decade in litigation. The case was eventually settled in 1954.

-----------

 

Though very valuable, ashcans have never attained the lofty prices of regular newsstand editions. The most obvious reason is they are so rare no market has ever truly developed for them. What I mean is that they don't change hands often enough for a clear, precise pattern of rising prices to emerge. Now don't get me wrong, I think $36,000 is a lot of money for a comic book, but it's not $3.6 million or $360,000. I sold a 9.0 Superman ashcan in 2002 for $36,000. That copy is locked up in a collection as is my copy (7.5). (There are rumors a third copy exists outside the DC vault, but it has never been offered for sale.) So a copy has not been on the market for over a dozen years. If Heritage or ComicConnect were to list one next month how much would it sell for? $50,000? $100,000? $250,000? I think all are reasonable estimates, but for sake of argument let's say $100,000. That's a three-fold increase in 13 years. Not very "hot" when you compare this to newsstand editions of Superman, Action, Detective, etc., that have changed hands many times during this period of meteoric price increases.

 

The other reason was that Bob Overstreet never considered ashcans real comic books and refused to list them in the Guide. He would mention them here and there (Fawcett's Flash for instance), but since they weren't in the Guide and there were no prices listed, collectors who may have been interested never had the chance to see them. This changed in 2007 when Tom Gordon, then pricing editor, convinced Bob the time was right. Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than seeing ashcans in the Guide today.

 

WARNING: Shameless plug!

 

My copy of the All-American ashcan is for sale in the current ComicConnect auction. This is the only copy known to exist in the entire world. DC does not have a copy in their vault. I purchased it directly from Sol Harrison in 1985 and it's been in my collection ever since. When M.C. Gaines created the All-American line of comics this was his flagship title. Historically it's one of the most important comics of all time.

 

 

For the past 5 years I've slowly been selling my ashcan collection as I downsize now that I'm retired. A few years ago I consigned 12 different ashcans to Heritage. They did a bang-up job of promoting them, but results were mixed with most of the lesser titles (Real Screen Funnies, Here's Howie, Girl's Love Stories, etc.) ended up selling for $1,000-$3,000 each. I was counting on collectors of these titles targeting an ashcan to "complete" their collections. What I discovered was that most collectors had not even heard of them or had any idea what they were.

 

A few months ago the All-Star ashcan sold through ComicConnect and went for a record price of $21,000. (It had previously sold for $15,000 ten years ago.) I'm hoping that the All-American sells for more, but if it doesn't, no biggie. It will find a good home.

 

Ashcans are historically important rarities. They're cool and they generate incredible interest when I show them to collectors. Someday they may be as valuable as their newsstand counterparts. If it happens - great. If not - no worries. Those of us with copies in our collections will continue to love them.

 

The following 5 books are my favorites. They are NOT for sale and I love the opportunity to show them off. By the way, it took me 25 years to get the Supergirl ashcan...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MusterMark]

Wow. Just stunning.

[tth2]

I predict this thread will not end well.

Knowing you folks… fixed!

[AlexanderM]

Very nice. But yeah, also very limited crowd collecting ashcans.

[Hepcat]

Ashcans, of all the genres of comic books, are the rarest group. No Golden Age ashcan is common - all are scarce, most are rare, and some are unique.

 

Great collection to accumulate at reasonable prices!

 

(thumbs u

[Sqeggs]

A head's up to anyone who might have clicked on the links in posts to this thread last night (the posts have been deleted). Apparently, judging from a thread in CG (also deleted), the links led to porn ... and a virus.

[MrBedrock]

A head's up to anyone who might have clicked on the links in posts to this thread last night (the posts have been deleted). Apparently, judging from a thread in CG (also deleted), the links led to porn ...

Where is this link again?

[Sqeggs]

I'll PM it to you.

[MrBedrock]

[eman13]

The Fawcett 9.0 is also currently listed on eBay (by a different seller) : http://www.ebay.com/itm/Flash-1-Ashcan-x2-Superman-1-Ashcan-super-valible-read-discription-/121487192701?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item1c4933727d

 

Actually, scratch that...if you read the item description, the seller clarifies that the item is NOT for sale on eBay...how bizarre.

 

Notwithstanding that nonsense...in comparing the scans, it appears that the 9.0 and 9.4 Fawcetts are different books...

 

Actually, if you read the fine print on the site, he is not selling the comics but copies of them he made himself.

 

Pertaining to the OP, good luck! I hope it does well

[Moondog]

Very nice. But yeah, also very limited crowd collecting ashcans.

 

Considering that there are less than 100 GA ashcans in existence, I would say that it's an EXTREMELY limited crowd collecting them.