TOP 10 STAR WARS ISSUES

bluehorseshoe · March 22, 2015

Make that $615 with 7 1/2 hours to go as of this post.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151617761099?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

AshKenziePaul · March 22, 2015

I'm not going to sugarcoat it at all...... this is F'ing stupid.

I sold off a beautiful copy a year ago for like 60$ and was very happy with that.

rjrjr · March 22, 2015

It is the grade for that particular issue that is getting this money, not just that particular issue. Most of these Star Wars comics (Star Wars #33 for example) are fetching this money solely because of the CGC 9.8 grade. There are quite a bit of these comics out there (Star Wars was a very good seller for Marvel with the exception of the end of the run) and a CGC 9.6 or lower will not even come close to this money wise. I don't mind seeing the CGC 9.8 getting this kind of money, except collectors start thinking that not perfect copy in their collection is worth more because this particular comic in this particular grade sold for this much. If the copy you sold was not a CGC 9.8, $60 is still a very good price to achieve for that particular issue. Probably higher than most copies have and will achieve.

rjrjr · March 22, 2015

Those are some great comics you have there! I myself am closing in a complete run of the original Star Wars title in CGC 9.6. Despite the nosebleeding prices CGC 9.8s are getting, most of the issues are fairly common in the CGC 9.6 grade and I don't see the CGC 9.8 frenzy carrying over to the lower grades or raw grades because there are just too many of these issues out there for the most part.

bluehorseshoe · March 22, 2015

You should not haven selling any SW books whatsoever a year ago, no matter what the price.

AshKenziePaul · March 22, 2015

I should have sent it in for grading, because there's not a doubt in my mind that it would've pulled a 9.6 at least (it was gorgeous). Had I hit that 9.8, I'd have sold it and been even more annoyed now though hahahahaha.

Oh well... I need to just learn my lesson and send more books in for grading.

I still think paying that kind of money on reprinted material is silly, regardless of the grade (it's time for MSS16 to gain real value)....and I'm not saying this because I've got something against SW. The fact that #1 has finally hit big numbers is fine with me. It's been long deserving to gain some major respect in the comic book world. I'd still like to see it called the first app of Luke/Vader/etc. The fact that the novel predates it means nothing to me.

rjrjr · March 22, 2015

Why?

Many of last summer's hot Marvel Star Wars comics cooled considerably during the end of last year and this year. Star Wars #42 and #68 are not selling as high as they were last year when the Boba Fett movie rumors were in full swing. These CGC 9.8 books are the exception which appear to be driven by a few highly capitalized individuals seeking to complete CGC 9.8 runs. Now, this may or may not translate into increased interest for lower grade copies. I can see sustained interest for Star Wars #1 in all grades going forward this year and in those cases, the CGC 9.8 sales are a reflection of a trend that had been going for a while now. I think for most of these other issues, this interest is going to be a blip driven by a few motivated people looking to complete uber high grade collections.

And if you know anything about me and my collection, you would also know I hope I am wrong. I have no shortage of copies of Star Wars #42 or #68 in my collection; direct or newsstand copies; foreign or domestic.

With regards to Star Wars #42 and #68's their status as keys is not based 100% on solid information. Star Wars #42 is not the first appearance of Boba Fett in comics (pamphet format - yes) and Star Wars #68 has a single picture of Boba Fett in the interior from a flashback sequence. I'll conceded the cover is probably meant to be Boba Fett and even if it isn't, it definitely is meant to draw in Boba Fett fans. I know buyers will ultimately decide if they are keys or not (and so far, the verdict is they are keys for the Star Wars title), but it is disingenuous when seller who know better keep repeating false information about these comics. There are some legitimate sellers who repeat this information because they don't know any better, but many sellers do know the truth. Anyone who has read #68 can tell you it is not a Boba Fett story. And I hate reading descriptions for Star Wars #42 that say that comic is the first appearance of Boba Fett ever. It is not even close. It is the 4th printing in U.S. comics and the 1st printing in a U.S. pamphlet sized comic. If you count all the foreign printings of the Empire Strikes Back at the time of the movie release, it probably isn't even in the first 10 printings of those pages.

This situation reminds me of the Star Wars #1 $0.35 test market editions. There are reprints that are constantly being touted as the "rare" Star Wars #1 $0.35 test market comics. I believe many of the seller do not know any better. But I also know of some legitimate sellers who do know better hoping to sell to an unsuspecting buyer.

Now, if a movie with Boba Fett is forthcoming (so far all we have are rumors) then I can see Star Wars #68 continuing to rise. But until that point, $60 for a NM copy (it isn't clear what the grade was) is a very respectable grade last year and for now, this year.

rjrjr · March 22, 2015

I wouldn't lament selling the copy for $60. That is a very good price achieved for that issue. That issue has cooled considerably since last summer along with Star Wars #42.

If you don't collect the title and are not interested in every "key" that people are hyping, selling comics to buy other comics or for other reasons is not a terrible thing. You sold a common Star Wars issue that is priced at $0.60 on the cover for 100 times that cover price. That seems like a win to me regardless of what that comic does in the future.

Broke as a Joke · March 23, 2015

I think the guy who sold his whole run of 9.8 Star Wars issues just made like a million dollars....

Impressive.

Hulk Smash · March 23, 2015

66 & 40 were a couple of my favorites.

AshKenziePaul · March 23, 2015

...closed at $690.....that's just insane. There's nothing to this issue really but the cover and it pulls nearly 700....just wow.

DarthBane · March 23, 2015

Its always a gamble for sellers and actually I give major kudos to this seller for listing in the fashion he did giving buyers a great opportunity.

Would be curious to see what you thought of the end prices. In my opinion there were a few exceptions like #1 and the Boba Fetts that went for all time new highs. And many that got full value in the $130-$180's But a whole bunch of these sold way cheaper than I would have thought. Some in the $40-$50 range. These same slabs were fetching way higher on BIN style.

Annual #2 only sold for $309 with one fixed starting amount auction at $475 & a $499 BIN in the last two years.

#99 & #98, #97 have gone for triple+ on BINs. See the difference when you have two bidders challenging one another as in #96 nearly breaking $180.

I wish I would have known so many of these would have sold so cheap because I would have put in a bunch of thrill bids. #90 & #86 were great snags as well. #45 & #44 #41 #39 (ESB Vader cover) also big surprises as well. #37 & #36 in particular only fetching $32!

#35 another one that has sold BINs for $175 and only got $46.

#30 a difficult one to get has gone for $200+ several times in the past and got $76.

#29 & #28 #15 also big snags at that price.

But the absolute shocker was the SS #4 only getting $182. The blue labels get $400+ on BINs/Fixed amount auctions. That buyer truly got a gift. But who knows their max bid could have been $500 for all we know.

I have gotten clobbered with bidding style auctions in the past selling slabs at huge multiples under market value or GPA. You never know who will or might not show up.

Marty Mann · March 23, 2015

I don't have a copy of #68 but I do have a #81 that I bought years ago from Passaic

Book Center.

mm

rjrjr · March 23, 2015

My interpretation of this sale is about what I expected, a few individuals bid up some books they needed and the rest sold for what they have usually sell for in auction. The seller hurt his sales by listing so many CGC 9.8s at one time IMHO. Most of my CGC 9.6s were bought for around $30 and this auction doesn't change my opinion that I should stick with my $30-35 valuation for most of these books in CGC 9.6. The original Marvel Star Wars title has received some attention in the past year, but the entire run is not hot. I'll stick by my statement that Star Wars #1 will remain hot this year. Yes Star Wars #42, 68, and 81 will sell if priced correctly, and the later issues will be steady sellers because of their relative scarcity compared to the other issues. Some issues in uber high grade might get attention if the right buyer comes along, but for the most part until there is more movie announcements which draw attention to particular issues, I think the original Marvel Star Wars title overall is in a holding pattern. Understand, that holding pattern is at a higher level than it was in years past.

My hope is the new movie brings in new Star Wars comic readers and we see some issues move based on the content, not on the grade or movie speculation. There are some gems in Marvel's original Star Wars output, but they have been overshadowed by the easy speculation money. For example, I believe issues #2 - 6 are grossly undervalued especially issue #2.

There will be some money to make on speculation this year in Star Wars comics, but it will come in Marvel's new titles. One or two characters will be introduced early (just like Dark Horse did with Ki Adi Mundi) in a comic or two and those issues will get some heat. If any of the new Jedi are a Skywalker or Solo, I can see movement on some of the Dark Horse issues. Additionally, if we get a Assajj Ventress or another existing character, that will be big. I wouldn't go out and bet big on any back issues right now though.

sonicyouth · March 25, 2015

The ESB storyline

68

81

1

good analysis rjrjr, you bring a lot of things to the table Ive been contemplating lately too. I also think these new Star Wars movies could be a big hit, in which case, Star Wars mania will return big time.

many people are still on the fence and I can only imagine the snowball getting bigger as it tumbles faster down the hill...

bluehorseshoe · March 25, 2015

The moment the scuttlebutt emerged that Disney was going to acquire the Lucas SW properties, which was more than a year ago, was the moment you should have stopped being a seller and started being a buyer with SW stuff.

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TOP 10 STAR WARS ISSUES

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