Top 10 silver age keys in 2015

[AlexanderM]

I'm sure we can all agree, Hulk 1 has outperformed just about every other SA mega key on the planet over the last 6-12 months (although AF 15 and SC 4 are putting up a fight). The question is, and also what I believe to be the initial intent of this thread, is whether or not we believe it will continue to surge throughout the 2nd half of 2015? Is the Hulk 1 still the book to own or would speculative Silver Age comic money be better off in greener (no pun intended) pastures?

 

My opinion is it won't drop in price...may stay stagnant a year or two and then it will jump again.

 

Other keys like TOS 39 and JIM 83 need to follow suit but they just aren't as rare.

 

Yeah, I doubt it will drop in price, but I also agree it will probably be stagnant for a period.

[oakman29]

I find it surprising that TTA 27 or TTA 35 aren't heating up as much but there just aren't that many copies around.

 

TTA 35 happens to have almost as little copies above 9.2 (Hulk has 4 9.2 and TTA 35 has 7 and 1 9.6).

 

With the movie coming out do we feel TTA 27 or 35 are heating up at all? According to the few GPA sales in 2015 all are moving up.

 

 

The public has never really caught on with Ant-Man, movie notwithstanding.

 

The movie would have to be a monster success for Ant-Man to overcome 50+ years of general antipathy regarding the character itself. That, and the fact that there have been several Ant-Men, rather than "Peter Parker", "Reed Richards", "Logan", etc, has contributed to this general lack of demand for the character.

 

Not that several different people carrying the same character name is necessarily a problem...but of the "core" Marvel characters, 1961-1964 creations, the personal identities of these characters has remained pretty consistent.

 

When we start to see Ant-Man lunch boxes, binders, and underoos, that might be the sign of a change.

 

How about some undershirts and blankets?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Dog-Womens-Robot-Tshirt-SkyBlue/dp/B00XH3J6WA/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1432573872&sr=8-15&keywords=ant-man+underwear

 

http://www.amazon.com/TGRJ-Mens-Tees-Geek-Black/dp/B00X7VRRLO/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1432573930&sr=8-7&keywords=ant-man+underwear

 

http://www.amazon.com/Marvel-Ant-Costume-T-shirt-Large/dp/B00X689ILU/ref=sr_fsl_cat_softlines_brand_0_1?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1432574014&sr=1-1-fed_softlines_strip_1&keywords=ant-man

 

How about a phone cover?

 

http://www.amazon.com/UniqueBox-Customized-Marvel-iPhone-Rubber/dp/B00VJ93HTM/ref=sr_1_3?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1432574090&sr=1-3&keywords=ant-man

 

I wonder......

Would I be considered Ant Man's arch nemesis? EXTERMINATOR MAN!

[RockMyAmadeus]

Finally you at least respond to what I said (that it has risen too much imo in the recent year) instead of inventing some issue (that I, in your head, said I didn't understand why it had risen at all).

 

No one did this, Alexander. What you claim is "in my head" is only in your head. The key phrase in the original response is in this market. That means THIS market, as it stands, right now, which includes the last year.

 

This stuff about "at all" is not relevant, not what I said, and has no bearing on the conversation. If you want to focus on this irrelevant point, fine, but that doesn't change it. I understood, Mysterio understood, others understood what you said.

 

You could have done that from the beginning. Good to see. But please stop twisting stuff like that again - it makes impossible to discuss in any positive manner.

 

I did do that from the beginning. That you didn't understand that isn't my fault. No one is twisting anything you said. You, however, ARE misunderstanding what I said, and jumping to conclusions as a result, and then focusing on these irrelevant side points. That also makes it impossible to discuss in any positive manner.

 

Be reasonable, make solid, reasoned arguments, and if someone appears to not understand what you are saying, don't get bent out of shape about it...ask. Clarify. Don't jump to conclusions.

 

"The market is crazy" is just a weak explanation. While I agree it is an up-trending market and has been for a long time, there is no reason why that should affect IH1 so much more than the first appearances of Thor or Iron-man.

 

IH1:

 

JIM83:

 

TOS39:

 

You have just said, again, that there is "no reason Hulk #1" should outperform in the market vs. JIM #83 and TOS #39. There is a reason, however, and that reason is a lower supply, coupled with enormous demand for all things Marvel SA. There are 1508 copies of TOS #39, in all flavors, on the census. There are 1219 copies of JIM #83 on the census. There are only 1177 copies of Hulk #1 on the census.

 

Now, the numbers for JIM #83 and Hulk #1 are very, very close...granted....however, when you look at the average grade for Hulk #1 vs. JIM #83, you find that it is substantially lower, which creates upward pressure on all prices for all grades.

 

 

 

Now, I haven't done the math, but a quick glance shows that there are far fewer high grade copies of Hulk #1 than JIM #83, and that reason is just one that applies upward pressure...again, in this market (that is, the last year)...to prices across the board.

 

Plus, as Jay said, two very big sales of 9.2s in the last year which raised the profile of all copies.

 

And RMA, just for the record, don't construe what I just said as "you don't understand why IH1 is priced higher than JM83" or however else it might be purposefully misunderstood. If you genuinely don't misunderstand on purpose, then please read my posts again until you are sure you understand what I'm actually saying. I don't really want to have to preempt like this, and I don't with anyone else, but many posts have shown me that I have to with you. Would be good if in the future I don't have to because you don't twist what I'm saying.

 

As others have said, the price for Hulk 1 has gone up because of supply and demand. There is a lower supply of Hulk #1 relative to the other Marvel SA mega-keys, and demand for these keys is at an all-time high. There is more demand for these books now than at any time in their 50 year history, and it is clearly reflected in prices paid for this book. To say there's no reason at all for the book to have risen so much in value in the last year means you don't understand the market dynamics for this book, and for this book relative to other Marvel keys.

 

There's no shame in not understanding...but insisting on saying you understand if you don't is where others are having a problem with what you're saying.

 

As far as having to overexplain so things aren't misunderstood...I, and others, have had to do the exact same thing with you. Maybe trying to understand what people are saying is something we ALL could do better, and maybe we should be very careful to BE understandable ourselves, no...?

[RockMyAmadeus]

I find it surprising that TTA 27 or TTA 35 aren't heating up as much but there just aren't that many copies around.

 

TTA 35 happens to have almost as little copies above 9.2 (Hulk has 4 9.2 and TTA 35 has 7 and 1 9.6).

 

With the movie coming out do we feel TTA 27 or 35 are heating up at all? According to the few GPA sales in 2015 all are moving up.

 

 

The public has never really caught on with Ant-Man, movie notwithstanding.

 

The movie would have to be a monster success for Ant-Man to overcome 50+ years of general antipathy regarding the character itself. That, and the fact that there have been several Ant-Men, rather than "Peter Parker", "Reed Richards", "Logan", etc, has contributed to this general lack of demand for the character.

 

Not that several different people carrying the same character name is necessarily a problem...but of the "core" Marvel characters, 1961-1964 creations, the personal identities of these characters has remained pretty consistent.

 

When we start to see Ant-Man lunch boxes, binders, and underoos, that might be the sign of a change.

 

How about some undershirts and blankets?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Dog-Womens-Robot-Tshirt-SkyBlue/dp/B00XH3J6WA/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1432573872&sr=8-15&keywords=ant-man+underwear

 

http://www.amazon.com/TGRJ-Mens-Tees-Geek-Black/dp/B00X7VRRLO/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1432573930&sr=8-7&keywords=ant-man+underwear

 

http://www.amazon.com/Marvel-Ant-Costume-T-shirt-Large/dp/B00X689ILU/ref=sr_fsl_cat_softlines_brand_0_1?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1432574014&sr=1-1-fed_softlines_strip_1&keywords=ant-man

 

How about a phone cover?

 

http://www.amazon.com/UniqueBox-Customized-Marvel-iPhone-Rubber/dp/B00VJ93HTM/ref=sr_1_3?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1432574090&sr=1-3&keywords=ant-man

 

Yes, those would be good indicators.

 

However...it needs to be kept in mind that there is an Ant-Man movie coming out in a few weeks, and it is standard operating procedure now for cross-merchandising to reach a fever pitch surrounding these media events.

 

The real question isn't whether this merchandise exists...but rather, is it selling. In a year, when the Ant-Man movie is a memory, will there still be Ant-Man merchandise on the shelves? When there's no "event" to tie into, will Ant-Man have captured the public's fascination as a character?

 

That is the key, and that is what has held Ant-Man back...because that has never been true of Ant-Man before.

 

Frankly, that they decided to pour resources into this film at all is pretty amazing, and a rather gutsy move.

[HighStakesComics]

Some of these books where the public is divided on where the true first appearance lies seem to have problems duplicating the type of speculative gains that the clear cut 1st appearance books do. If the first appearance of Ant-Man were as clear cut as Amazing Fantasy #15 or FF #1 the book would probably show better gains than if a collector/speculator has to muddle through the ambiguity surrounding TTA 27 & 35. Half the public backs one book and the other half backs another. The same case can be made for what we have witnessed within this very thread with BB #54 and BB #60. The ambiguity creates uncertainty. Uncertainty wont cause anyone to empty their PayPal account. They'd rather chase a sure thing.

[RockMyAmadeus]

I find it surprising that TTA 27 or TTA 35 aren't heating up as much but there just aren't that many copies around.

 

TTA 35 happens to have almost as little copies above 9.2 (Hulk has 4 9.2 and TTA 35 has 7 and 1 9.6).

 

With the movie coming out do we feel TTA 27 or 35 are heating up at all? According to the few GPA sales in 2015 all are moving up.

 

 

The public has never really caught on with Ant-Man, movie notwithstanding.

 

The movie would have to be a monster success for Ant-Man to overcome 50+ years of general antipathy regarding the character itself. That, and the fact that there have been several Ant-Men, rather than "Peter Parker", "Reed Richards", "Logan", etc, has contributed to this general lack of demand for the character.

 

Not that several different people carrying the same character name is necessarily a problem...but of the "core" Marvel characters, 1961-1964 creations, the personal identities of these characters has remained pretty consistent.

 

When we start to see Ant-Man lunch boxes, binders, and underoos, that might be the sign of a change.

 

This, plus I have always questioned how much movie hype really plays into books that are already four figures. If anything, other lower-profile books becoming more expensive does tend to make the true keys look cheap by comparison which may spur some buying.

 

This is vital. When people are spending $2-$3-$4,000 or more on modern books, the prices of traditional keys look shockingly cheap by comparison. The thinking goes "hey, if someone is spending $4,000 for a book that isn't even 3 years old, $4,000 for this 50+ year old key doesn't look that bad."

 

And we enter market euphoria.

[HighStakesComics]

And no doubt Hulk #1 in 7.0+ is a monster of a book, but Hulk 1 and JIM 83 in lower grade (<3.5) have similar census #'s, and in fact, there are actually more graded copies of The Hulk 1 in 3.0 and lower. The scarcity argument works in higher grades. Not so much when you see 1.8's going for >$6k.

 

Don't get me wrong. The Hulk is a huge player in the MCU as well as on the big screen. I hope your copies continue to realize gains. Can a 1.5-2.0 fetch $10k+ a year or two down the road though?

[mysterio]

Can a 1.5-2.0 fetch $10k+ a year or two down the road though?

 

It's already happening with AF #15, which is much more plentiful in all grades.

[RockMyAmadeus]

And no doubt Hulk #1 in 7.0+ is a monster of a book, but Hulk 1 and JIM 83 in lower grade (<3.5) have similar census #'s, and in fact, there are actually more graded copies of The Hulk 1 in 3.0 and lower. The scarcity argument works in higher grades. Not so much when you see 1.8's going for >$6k.

 

On the contrary....the much higher prices of the higher grades creates the impression that EVERY copy should therefore be "worth more", despite the preponderance of low grade copies relative to JIM #83.

 

That's just an artifact of the market.

 

When a 9.4 JIM #83 sells for substantially less than a 9.2 Hulk #1 ($217k vs. $320k), it creates the perception that every copy of Hulk is more desirable, and people are willing to pay more, even for lower grade copies.

 

It also may be a function of the character...more people like Hulk than Thor...but there's no way to quantify that.

[HighStakesComics]

And no doubt Hulk #1 in 7.0+ is a monster of a book, but Hulk 1 and JIM 83 in lower grade (<3.5) have similar census #'s, and in fact, there are actually more graded copies of The Hulk 1 in 3.0 and lower. The scarcity argument works in higher grades. Not so much when you see 1.8's going for >$6k.

 

On the contrary....the much higher prices of the higher grades creates the impression that EVERY copy should therefore be "worth more", despite the preponderance of low grade copies relative to JIM #83.

 

That's just an artifact of the market.

 

When a 9.4 JIM #83 sells for substantially less than a 9.2 Hulk #1 ($217k vs. $320k), it creates the perception that every copy of Hulk is more desirable, and people are willing to pay more, even for lower grade copies.

 

It also may be a function of the character...more people like Hulk than Thor...but there's no way to quantify that.

 

This thread is starting to lose momentum. It's probably time you shared your top 10 list

[Sam I am]

Here is my personal list -

 

Showcase 1

Showcase 3

Showcase 22

Showcase 66

Showcase 92

Showcase 103

 

j/k Being more of a DC guy, my DC only list looks like this:

 

1: Showcase 4 (still on fire)

2: Showcase 20 (Rip is going mainstream TV)

3: BB 28 (by the end of the year, it will explode)

4. Action 252 (book is always hard to pry away from the owner)

5: Showcase 34 (the book has moved more this year than the previous 5)

6: Flash 139 (Zoom)

7: Showcase 22 (tv rumblings and tough book in grade, time to rebound)

8: Flash 123 (Jay might be on the TV show, and Key book= $$)

9: Flash 106 (So hard to find in grade, book has gone bananas, like Grodd)

10: Showcase 30 (Aqua-moa might be epic)

 

[jimjum12]

Here is my personal list -

 

Showcase 1

Showcase 3

Showcase 22

Showcase 66

Showcase 92

Showcase 103

 

j/k Being more of a DC guy, my DC only list looks like this:

 

1: Showcase 4 (still on fire)

2: Showcase 20 (Rip is going mainstream TV)

3: BB 28 (by the end of the year, it will explode)

4. Action 252 (book is always hard to pry away from the owner)

5: Showcase 34 (the book has moved more this year than the previous 5)

6: Flash 139 (Zoom)

7: Showcase 22 (tv rumblings and tough book in grade, time to rebound)

8: Flash 123 (Jay might be on the TV show, and Key book= $$)

9: Flash 106 (So hard to find in grade, book has gone bananas, like Grodd)

10: Showcase 30 (Aqua-moa might be epic)

 

no Showcase 6 ?.......you're hurting me, bro........ GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

..... Rip Hunter

[Sam I am]

The WB could replace Supernatural with a Challengers show......

[RockMyAmadeus]

The WB could replace Supernatural with a Challengers show......

 

As Rocket Raccoon proved....ANYTHING can happen if done well.

 

Make way for Millie the Model!

[thirdgreenham]

The WB could replace Supernatural with a Challengers show......

 

As Rocket Raccoon proved....ANYTHING can happen if done well.

 

Make way for Millie the Model!

 

[chrisco37]

Can a 1.5-2.0 fetch $10k+ a year or two down the road though?

 

It's already happening with AF #15, which is much more plentiful in all grades.

 

Yeah, I hadn't checked GPA on AF in a bit and was really surprised at the numbers for this year alone. I knew the book had been going up, but I was really stunned at how high.

 

As it turns out, I picked mine up just in time. I'd be priced out now for the copy I got.

[AlexanderM]

Can a 1.5-2.0 fetch $10k+ a year or two down the road though?

 

It's already happening with AF #15, which is much more plentiful in all grades.

 

Yeah, I hadn't checked GPA on AF in a bit and was really surprised at the numbers for this year alone. I knew the book had been going up, but I was really stunned at how high.

 

As it turns out, I picked mine up just in time. I'd be priced out now for the copy I got.

 

So is BB28 next?

 

AF15 and even IH1 are more plentyful than BB28.

[Gatchaman]

The WB could replace Supernatural with a Challengers show......

 

Don't let my teen daughter hear you say that. It's her favorite show.

[Silver]

I still contend that Action 252 is becoming a top silver age book, not many silver age books are fetching $6,800 in 7.5 with cr/ow pages:

 

http://www.comicconnect.com/bookDetail.php?id=599745

[ComicConnoisseur]

Side note - Avengers 1 is the first appearance of the Avengers, arguably Marvel's most popular Superhero team ever.

 

Who is making that argument?

 

For much of the Avengers' history, they played second and third fiddle, first to the FF, and then to the X-Men. The Avengers has only become very popular in the last 3-4 years. For their entire existence before then, they were middle of the road in terms of popularity, at best.

 

Who is arguing that they are Marvel's most popular Superhero team EVER, and how?

 

Come to think of it, after 2 blockbuster films, I think the Avengers are the most popular superhero team ever, if you throw out the white guy comic book collectors from the mix and conducted a poll in the USA and globally. Most residents of developed nations likely have never heard of JLA or the FF. I suppose the X-Men could give the Avs a run for their money for the title "most popular hero team ever." Although the characters haven't changed after 50+ years, the marketing thereof has changed dramatically in just 4 years.

Their number one popularity could be short-lived.

Some could make the argument that Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will beat Avengers 3 at the box office.

Why?

Right now Starlord is the new cool person on the block because of Pratt the actor.Not to mention Avengers 2 didn`t have a popular phenomenon a character like Groot

and it looks like in Avengers 3 that

 

Hulk,Iron Man and Thor won`t be in it,lessing the popularity of the Avengers.

 

 

So Guardians of the Galaxy may well be the most popular super hero team by 2017!