MOST VALUABLE MODERN VARIANTS - THE RANKINGS 17 17

[World Devourer]

I think it is both sad and disconcerting that the current Top Ten are composed of almost entirely of souless variants that I do not believe will hold their value.

It reminds me entirely too much of the Chromium Age, which is now be considered to be ill-conceived and damaging to the hobby.

[kevhtx]

Which ones specifically do you consider soulless? Just curious 

[World Devourer]

The Vader Down variant is a good example.

[Jaydogrules]

19 minutes ago, World Devourer said:

The Vader Down variant is a good example.

That's not a part of the Dirty Dozen.

-J.

[Lethal_Collector]

Not yet, but in the distant future?  

 

Jerome

Edited April 18, 2017 by Lethal_Collector

[kevhtx]

3 hours ago, World Devourer said:

The Vader Down variant is a good example.

Im not really a fan of any of those Star Wars ones. I do like the Spider-man 25. Im a big Green Goblin fan though.

[jreezy]

3 hours ago, Jaydogrules said:

That's not a part of the Dirty Dozen.

-J.

 shows he really didn't read the list. 

Edited April 18, 2017 by jreezy

[World Devourer]

1 hour ago, jreezy said:

 shows he really didn't read the list. 

Irrespective of what list it is on, I find it sterile and souless, and a symptom of the times.  Big picture, folks.

[kevhtx]

4 hours ago, World Devourer said:

Irrespective of what list it is on, I find it sterile and souless, and a symptom of the times.  Big picture, folks.

Not liking them is one thing. Lots of things aren't my taste either. But come on, these things are super low print run and you're surprised that they sell for so much?

I don't understand the problem. Just because you or I don't like a book doesn't mean that effort didn't go into it or an artist didn't pour their soul into it. It's a big hobby and can accommodate many types.

[ygogolak]

4 hours ago, World Devourer said:

Irrespective of what list it is on, I find it sterile and souless, and a symptom of the times.  Big picture, folks.

What times? You tend to speak in vague generalities.

[World Devourer]

36 minutes ago, kevhtx said:

Not liking them is one thing. Lots of things aren't my taste either. But come on, these things are super low print run and you're surprised that they sell for so much?

I don't understand the problem. Just because you or I don't like a book doesn't mean that effort didn't go into it or an artist didn't pour their soul into it. It's a big hobby and can accommodate many types.

Did I say I was surprised at the prices? I am referring more to the aesthetics.

As to effort, that's subjective. But variant the cover to the Nth degree - irrespective of the quality of interior art and storytelling - and we're off to the races. 

It appears the Chromium Age was nothing more than a light precursor to this, the Variant Age.

[Jaydogrules]

24 minutes ago, World Devourer said:

Did I say I was surprised at the prices? I am referring more to the aesthetics.

As to effort, that's subjective. But variant the cover to the Nth degree - irrespective of the quality of interior art and storytelling - and we're off to the races. 

It appears the Chromium Age was nothing more than a light precursor to this, the Variant Age.

 I'm not really sure what you mean.  The vast majority of the current list either has first appearances/deaths (WD 100, ASM 700 Ditko, Bats 608RRP, CM 14), Part 1's of major storylines deep within the runs of top selling titles  (ASM 667, Dell'otto, Bats 608RRP), are a "#1" first issue (Wolverine 1, Campbell, X-23 1, Dell'otto, Black Panther 1, Campbell), and/or have internationally famous/reprinted cover art (UXM 510 Sketch, Campbell, ASM 667, Dell'otto, ASM 678 VenoMJ, Siege 3, Campbell, Wolverine 1, Campbell, Bats 608RRP). 

There is a literally a little bit of everything of why people collect comic books represented on the list, and to sweeten the pot even further, they all probably have about 1000 copy print runs or less, with most having 500 or less, with at least one having less than 250.   

-J.

Edited April 18, 2017 by Jaydogrules

[SquareChaos]

There is something to be said though concerning the fact that the Top 3 are basically just rarity + cover. I mean, unless we're going to sit here and act like Wolverine #1 of... what, the fourth volume? ... is really a key. There are several real keys present in the list though.

[ygogolak]

12 minutes ago, SquareChaos said:

There is something to be said though concerning the fact that the Top 3 are basically just rarity + cover. I mean, unless we're going to sit here and act like Wolverine #1 of... what, the fourth volume? ... is really a key. There are several real keys present in the list though.

Batman #608?

Why does a fairly common book like ASM #119 go for $1,200 in 9.8?

[SquareChaos]

1 minute ago, ygogolak said:

Batman #608?

Why does a fairly common book like ASM #119 go for $1,200 in 9.8?

Not sure what you're asking about Batman #608.
I'm also not sure what ASM #119 has to do with this thread - that book is almost 45 years old and a number of the basically brand spanking new books on this list blow it out of the water price wise. Are you saying since there are 50 some copies in 9.8 that it's overpriced in grade? 

[IntoAnother]

14 hours ago, World Devourer said:

I think it is both sad and disconcerting that the current Top Ten are composed of almost entirely of souless variants that I do not believe will hold their value.

It reminds me entirely too much of the Chromium Age, which is now be considered to be ill-conceived and damaging to the hobby.

You currently have an active WTB thread looking for a Wolverine #1 CGC 9.8 Campbell variant. 

Now what makes you feel as if that specific variant is better in any way than any of the variants you are currently trash talking? 

[SquareChaos]

Just now, IntoAnother said:

You currently have an active WTB thread looking for a Wolverine #1 CGC 9.8 Campbell variant. 

Now what makes you feel as if that specific variant is better in any way than any of the variants you are currently trash talking? 

I was also wondering specifically what he meant. I know he has been after a few of the books on this list. I mean, he can be a completionist and be unhappy of the state of the game, but I didn't fully understand what he meant either.

[ygogolak]

2 minutes ago, SquareChaos said:

Not sure what you're asking about Batman #608.
I'm also not sure what ASM #119 has to do with this thread - that book is almost 45 years old and a number of the basically brand spanking new books on this list blow it out of the water price wise. Are you saying since there are 50 some copies in 9.8 that it's overpriced in grade? 

Your comment: the fact that the Top 3 are basically just rarity + cover

Batman 608 begins a very notable Modern Batman storyline. The one on the list is the harder to find of the covers.

 

Are you saying since there are 50 some copies in 9.8 that it's overpriced in grade? 

It's not overpriced if people are willing to pay it. So why are people paying $1,200 for a fairly common book?

[SquareChaos]

1 minute ago, ygogolak said:

Your comment: the fact that the Top 3 are basically just rarity + cover

Batman 608 begins a very notable Modern Batman storyline. The one on the list is the harder to find of the covers.

 

Are you saying since there are 50 some copies in 9.8 that it's overpriced in grade? 

It's not overpriced if people are willing to pay it. So why are people paying $1,200 for a fairly common book?

I'm just going by the first page, I assume that is where the list gets upgraded?

Quote

#3- Wolverine #1, J. Scott Campbell (2010)- Yet another JSC cover, this one his best, lands at #3. Featuring a stocky Wolverine bulging out of Deadpool's costume, this book easily commands $3k+ in a 9.8 and is very strong in all down grades, as well as raw. It was another "destroy comics" incentive to retailers, an incentive that was so derided in the industry that it has yet to be repeated, but resulted in a book with a very low print run and insatiable demand. It was the uber-high sales prices of this book a couple of years ago that really got the JSC train going at 100 miles per hour, and if it ever stops chugging along, people will still be paying big money for this book.

 

#2- Amazing Spider-Man #678 (2012)- This now classic and oft-reprinted and homaged cover features Mary Jane in mid-possession by the alien symbiote known as Venom. Its character mash-up and spoof elements made it an instant hit right out of the gate and it never looked back. A 1:50 variant released when ASM sales were barely cracking 50,000, this book has gone for $3500 in a 9.8 (on the rare occasion they're offered), and still breaks $1000 in an 8.5! Raw copies routinely break $1000 and its scarcity on the market, its "modern grail" status, and presence in the ASM run should keep it at the top of this list for a very long time.

 

#1- Amazing Spider-Man #667, Dell'Otto (2011)- Really? Like, what else was it going to be? We're talking about a book that sells in raw, 8.0'ish condition for $2500. Possibly one of the rarest books of all in the entire ASM run, this book is a completionist's nightmare, and a rare variant hunter's wet dream. Hardly ever offered for sale, in any condition, there have been rumours and reports that as few as ~200 of these were produced. Whether this is true or not, however few copies there are seem to have already disappeared into permanent collections, and it is a veritable feeding frenzy when a copy does find its way to market. If there is such a thing as "Golden Age rarity" in the Modern Age (whether that rarity is "manufactured" or not), the ASM 667 Dell'Otto has it, and at this rate, there could easily come a time when years go by without a copy seeing the light of day.

 

 

My apologies if I'm reading the list wrong.

 

Re: ASM #119, I see no reason to pursue that conversation if you're just going to repeat things back to me... and honestly, the more I think about it, comparing these books with an early Bronze book... why? The only thing they have in common is that they're both comic books.

[ygogolak]

Just now, SquareChaos said:

I'm just going by the first page, I assume that is where the list gets upgraded?

 

My apologies if I'm reading the list wrong.

 

Re: ASM #119, I see no reason to pursue that conversation if you're just going to repeat things back to me... and honestly, the more I think about it, comparing these books with an early Bronze book... why? The only thing they have in common is that they're both comic books.

No, the first page is not the current list. It's about 4 pages back or so.

Let me spell it out for you, ASM #119 sells for what it does because it's hard to find in high grade and there are plenty of ASM collectors out there, demand > supply. In the same vain, the variants sell for the same reasons.

Edited April 18, 2017 by ygogolak