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OAAW 83's potential to be a top 5 SA key?

Started by bronze johnny,

529 posts in this topic

bronze johnny

bronze johnny

Posted
Posted

There's no question that OAAW 83 is a top 20 Overstreet SA key. Here are some reasons why this top 20 key has the potential to move up the ranks into the top 5:

 

- as a war key, 83 appeals to a much smaller group of collectors than those in the much larger superhero market.

 

- even within the smaller SA war keys market, 83 is scarce- there just aren't enough copies out there to satisfy war key collectors.

 

- the scarcity of 83 increases exponentially as this war key evolves into an "overall SA key" that appeals to SA key collectors outside of the smaller group of those collecting war books. As things stand right now, 83 has not fully evolved yet into a major SA key in the minds of non-SA war key collectors.

 

- What happens when an already scarce book becomes sought after by collectors beyond the current universe of war genre collectors? What's interesting about 83 is that even a slight increase in demand has the potential to drive the price up quickly due to the fact that it is the scarcest SA key.

 

Top 10 is in 83's sight.

 

Top 5, maybe?

 

Thanks for any insight,

 

John

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Illustrious

Illustrious

Posted
Posted
There's no question that OAAW 83 is a top 20 Overstreet SA key. Here are some reasons why this top 20 key has the potential to move up the ranks into the top 5:

 

- as a war key, 83 appeals to a much smaller group of collectors than those in the much larger superhero market.

 

- even within the smaller SA war keys market, 83 is scarce- there just aren't enough copies out there to satisfy war key collectors.

 

- the scarcity of 83 increases exponentially as this war key evolves into an "overall SA key" that appeals to SA key collectors outside of the smaller group of those collecting war books. As things stand right now, 83 has not fully evolved yet into a major SA key in the minds of non-SA war key collectors.

 

- What happens when an already scarce book becomes sought after by collectors beyond the current universe of war genre collectors? What's interesting about 83 is that even a slight increase in demand has the potential to drive the price up quickly due to the fact that it is the scarcest SA key.

 

Top 10 is in 83's sight.

 

Top 5, maybe?

 

Thanks for any insight,

 

John

 

:applause:

 

I fully agree with this assessment.

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H0RR0RSH0W

H0RR0RSH0W

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Posted

OAAW#83 has much unspoken potential. I feel like I am letting the cat out of the bag but I do not think most people are aware of how scarce war books themselves are. DC war, all war is an amazing genre.Although in this years Overstreet guide it was the #1 SA war book its omission from the overall list of SA keys is very telling in that it will continue to be overlooked and so never quite reach its fullest potential. The debate has raged whether it should be on the top 20 SA keys list but there is no doubt t it should, if like me you follow this book. If you watch any auctions for that book they are very hot! I am not the wisest collector , in fact I am bottom feeder as far as these boards go but even I can tell you that while OAAW 83 deserves a spot in the limelight it will never get the recognition it deserves. Perhaps for the genre having a slight stigma and a lack of interest, perhaps just because it is a book crowded out by the super hero books I cannot see it in the top 5. Likely not even the top 10, although it will always be at the top of my list.

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MusterMark

MusterMark

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Posted
I guess I don't see it as a top 20, much less a top 5 book anytime in the near future.

 

Value-wise there are probably 100 Marvels and maybe 50 DC's ahead of it.

 

Only about 100 on the census.

 

Am I missing something?

 

I'm afraid the answer is Yes. Very, Very much so. :foryou:

 

Value-wise there are probably only a handful of SA books ahead of it actually, a far, far cry from the 150 you estimate. Overstreet is so behind the curve on this, it is appalling. The prices quoted in Overstreet do not even begin to tell the story, they are so low, and so removed from reality for this book. There is only one 8.0 at second-highest graded, and only one at the highest graded 9.0. The 8.0 went for $16,000, if I recall correctly, and it would likely be much higher today. The book is THE MAJOR War SA key and is very hard to find, period. In higher grades, it is next to impossible to find. That is why there are so few on the census!

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Tempus Fugit

Tempus Fugit

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Posted
I guess I don't see it as a top 20, much less a top 5 book anytime in the near future.

 

Value-wise there are probably 100 Marvels and maybe 50 DC's ahead of it.

 

Only about 100 on the census.

 

Am I missing something?

 

I'm afraid the answer is Yes. Very, Very much so. :foryou:

 

Value-wise there are probably only a handful of SA books ahead of it actually, a far, far cry from the 150 you estimate. Overstreet is so behind the curve on this, it is appalling. The prices quoted in Overstreet do not even begin to tell the story, they are so low, and so removed from reality for this book. The only 9.0 went for $16,000, if I recall correctly, and it would likely be much higher today. The book is THE MAJOR War SA key and is very hard to find, period. In higher grades, it is next to impossible to find. That is why there are so few on the census!

 

I'll treat this as a learning moment for sure. No offense taken (part of the new civility of late)

 

Upon some quick research I'll backtrack a bit and reduce the 150 number down to around 50:

 

40 examples from looking at GPA highs that are more than the OOAW 83's high:

 

FF 1-7

AF 15

ASM 1-9

Avengers 1-4

DD 1,2

IH 1-6

Jim 83-85

Tos 39-41

XM 1-4

 

plus all the Showcase, GL's etc.

 

 

 

 

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Action252Kid

Action252Kid

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Posted

It could certainly pass some of the Top 20 books that probably don't deserve to be there (FF #2, Showcase #9, Green Lantern #1, Showcase #8) but it's never going to be able to surpass AF #15, Hulk #1, FF #1, Showcase #4 (the current Top 4) and it's never going to be able to pass the next tier of books (ASM #1, JIM #83, X-Men #1, TOS #39, B&B #28). Those books all have extremely high demand, even if they are much more common than OOAW #83.

 

Another "problem" for OOAW #83 is the lack of super high grade copies. All of the other major SA keys have multiple 9.0+ copies that have sold for high dollar amounts, which tends to lift up the prices of lower grade copies. OOAW #83 has just one 9.0, followed by a single 8.0. With that black cover, there might not even be a 9.2+ copy out there, so you're just not going to see the $50-100k+ sales that all of the other top 10 books have.

 

Still an awesome book that should probably be higher in the guide, but I think Top 20 is more realistic than Top 5/10.

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CrocHntr

CrocHntr

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I think that it has potential Top 10 (more than likely 10-15 somewhere), but will certainly never surpass the likes of AF15, Hulk1, FF1, Showcase 4, XMen1, and a few other first appearance super-hero keys. But I'd certainly put it ahead of anything outside of first appearance super-hero SA books.

 

Sgt Rock is due for an increase in exposure. I still regret selling my OAAW 83 7.5 a few years ago :( I sure miss it!

 

 

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KPR Comics

KPR Comics

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Posted
There's no question that OAAW 83 is a top 20 Overstreet SA key. Here are some reasons why this top 20 key has the potential to move up the ranks into the top 5:

 

- as a war key, 83 appeals to a much smaller group of collectors than those in the much larger superhero market.

 

- even within the smaller SA war keys market, 83 is scarce- there just aren't enough copies out there to satisfy war key collectors.

 

- the scarcity of 83 increases exponentially as this war key evolves into an "overall SA key" that appeals to SA key collectors outside of the smaller group of those collecting war books. As things stand right now, 83 has not fully evolved yet into a major SA key in the minds of non-SA war key collectors.

 

- What happens when an already scarce book becomes sought after by collectors beyond the current universe of war genre collectors? What's interesting about 83 is that even a slight increase in demand has the potential to drive the price up quickly due to the fact that it is the scarcest SA key.

 

Top 10 is in 83's sight.

 

Top 5, maybe?

 

Thanks for any insight,

 

John

Agreed, but shhhh.

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MusterMark

MusterMark

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Posted
I guess I don't see it as a top 20, much less a top 5 book anytime in the near future.

 

Value-wise there are probably 100 Marvels and maybe 50 DC's ahead of it.

 

Only about 100 on the census.

 

Am I missing something?

 

I'm afraid the answer is Yes. Very, Very much so. :foryou:

 

Value-wise there are probably only a handful of SA books ahead of it actually, a far, far cry from the 150 you estimate. Overstreet is so behind the curve on this, it is appalling. The prices quoted in Overstreet do not even begin to tell the story, they are so low, and so removed from reality for this book. The only 9.0 went for $16,000, if I recall correctly, and it would likely be much higher today. The book is THE MAJOR War SA key and is very hard to find, period. In higher grades, it is next to impossible to find. That is why there are so few on the census!

 

I'll treat this as a learning moment for sure. No offense taken (part of the new civility of late)

 

Upon some quick research I'll backtrack a bit and reduce the 150 number down to around 50:

 

40 examples from looking at GPA highs that are more than the OOAW 83's high:

 

FF 1-7

AF 15

ASM 1-9

Avengers 1-4

DD 1,2

IH 1-6

Jim 83-85

Tos 39-41

XM 1-4

 

plus all the Showcase, GL's etc.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the response, Tempus! :)

 

I did edit my earlier post for my error. It was the 8.0 that went for $16,000, not the 9.0. (The 9.0 would be valued much higher, I believe).

 

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H0RR0RSH0W

H0RR0RSH0W

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For those that might not know OAAW#83 is a first appearance of the unknown soldier, later to become known as Sgt.Rock. The series lasted over 40 years just like alot of hero books. It being printed in 1959 actually puts it at the farthest end of the SA. What I would say is that even at $16,000 comparing GPA sales and comparing prices to hero books it is underpriced. This is evidenced in auctions for the book where it may jump $1000 in the last few minutes. I just think that looking strictly at a books GPA price in order to place it in terms of real value in the guide is not giving this books sufficient dues. However as CGC will tell you scarcity is does not determine value so even a pedigree in the highest grade regardless of how rare will not see the book going for 50-100k. So in reply to the OP I would say this book will never break the top 10.However I am biased for the book so it really does deserve to be in the top 20 without a doubt.

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MusterMark

MusterMark

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Posted
For those that might not know OAAW#83 is a first appearance of the unknown soldier, later to become known as Sgt.Rock.

 

huh ???

 

Agree with Jeffro. Umm, there is something amiss here, no?!

('Tis the first true appearance of Sgt. Rock, not the Unknown Soldier).

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H0RR0RSH0W

H0RR0RSH0W

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The character, not that I have read the actual comics, which I would be surprised if anyone here has but the unknown soldier whom I have heard debated as the supposed prototype for Sgt. Rock whos 1st appearance was indeed OAAW#83. I didn't see anybody in a disguise ;)

2qcee7p.jpg

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