Jon Berk collection to be auctioned. 18 18

[walclark]

29 minutes ago, Artboy99 said:

I was extremely lucky with my FedEx parcel. I went home ( which I rarely do ) for lunch that day and when I came out the FedEx truck had just pulled up to deliver. A minute later and I would have been gone back to work.

 

Some employers do not allow personal deliveries to the work place.

Another option is, as soon as you get the notice that the package has shipped, log onto FedEx and request that the package be diverted to one of their stores and held for pickup.  I've done that on several occasions and the package is securely locked up.  They call , text, and email you to let you know it's available for pickup.  Show your ID, sign for it, and off you go.  Luckily the FedEx store is only a couple miles from my house.

[Robot Man]

Got my package on Friday. Just dumped on my doorstep with no signature. Lucky, my wife was home. Opened it up, smiled, put 'em aside and now I'm on the the next score. Comics are like crack, never satisfied...

[lou_fine]

13 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

and now I'm on the the next score. Comics are like crack, never satisfied...

Well, I guess you are just going to have to be patient if you are gunning for the better books. 

There definitely seems to be an extended lull here right now before the next Big 3 auctions are set to hit. 

Edited July 11, 2017 by lou_fine

[fishbone]

Comics are like crack, never satisfied...

 

^^^^^This    

 

[Artboy99]

21 minutes ago, walclark said:

Another option is, as soon as you get the notice that the package has shipped, log onto FedEx and request that the package be diverted to one of their stores and held for pickup.  I've done that on several occasions and the package is securely locked up.  They call , text, and email you to let you know it's available for pickup.  Show your ID, sign for it, and off you go.  Luckily the FedEx store is only a couple miles from my house.

FedEx depot is an hour drive from me. I hate going there.

[Robot Man]

12 minutes ago, lou_fine said:

Well, I guess you are just going to have to be patient if you are gunning for the better books. 

There definitely seems to be an extended lull here right now before the next Big 3 auctions are set to hit. 

I rarely if ever bid in the big auctions or even follow them. Huge prices, buyer's premiums, taxes ect. really take the fun out of it for me. I swim in the middle of the pool and can usually find more than enough stuff to buy to keep me happy. Besides, once I get it, the thrill is over for me. Especially if all I can do is flip over a plastic tomb and look for spine nicks...

The Berk auction was something special though. I went into it knowing the stuff I collect Ace, MLJ, and the other oddball books were going to go through the moon. Especially since they were mostly Church and Larson. So I carefully searched through and found several books that I really liked and went for them. I was pleasently surprised that I didn't have to pay an arm and a leg for them. 

Luckily for me, he wasn't a big "Atomic Age" collector or I would have had a real problem...

[lou_fine]

7 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

So I carefully searched through and found several books that I really liked and went for them. I was pleasently surprised that I didn't have to pay an arm and a leg for them. 

As I have said, in a massive auction like this with just so many quality books, there are bound to be quite a few of the non-highlight books that will fall through the cracks and hopefully land right in your lap if it hits your fancy.

Although for me, I am not sure if multiples of condition guide would constitute a bargain price, but if it's a HTF early Centaur or the likes which never shows up in the marketplace, I guess that's the price to hop onto the train.  

[HandsomeVanzant]

1 hour ago, lou_fine said:

Well, why in the world would we bid here and pay lower prices when we need simply wait a few weeks and be able to pick up sure fire confirmed winners at substantially higher prices:

http://www.wwcomics.com/comicdetail.asp?Product_ID=FourFavorites_18_19206

 

That's how you play the game, I suppose. Buy low, sell high! 

[Sqeggs]

40 minutes ago, HandsomeVanzant said:

That's how you play the game, I suppose. Buy low, sell high! 

Now you tell me! 

[lpsunburst]

1 hour ago, Artboy99 said:

FedEx depot is an hour drive from me. I hate going there.

You can re-direct to any FedEx Office location as well unless that is what you meant.

[1950's war comics]

2 hours ago, Robot Man said:

Got my package on Friday. Just dumped on my doorstep with no signature. Lucky, my wife was home. Opened it up, smiled, put 'em aside and now I'm on the the next score. Comics are like crack, never satisfied...

I'm the same way... hard to satisfy ... i buy em look at em for a day or two and then store them away... it is much better when i space out my buying , makes me appreciate them much more , yep comics are like crack  (even though i never did crack)

[MrBedrock]

2 hours ago, HandsomeVanzant said:

That's how you play the game, I suppose. Buy low, sell high! 

Another good one from the fine folks at Memetropolis

[Zolnerowich]

On 7/10/2017 at 3:19 PM, Sqeggs said:

That's very interesting.  So Ritter won it in the CC auction, cracked it out, and relisted it raw on his site, where he sold it for a profit. 

I wonder who would buy it for a premium over the CC auction price? (Although we don't know whether he got his full ask.)

I guess it's worth noting that it was in a CGC 8.0 slab but he listed it as a VF+ (8.5).  

Hurm. 

What is also quite interesting is that he doesn't include any mention in the WW listing that this was/is a Berk book. Rather odd, yes?

I suppose another possibility (though highly unlikely given the limited time) is that someone else won it in the CC auction, cracked it out, and then sold or consigned it to WW.

[thehumantorch]

4 hours ago, Robot Man said:

Got my package on Friday. Just dumped on my doorstep with no signature. Lucky, my wife was home. Opened it up, smiled, put 'em aside and now I'm on the the next score. Comics are like crack, never satisfied...

Your wife smiled when you got comics?  Keeper

[Jayman]

5 hours ago, walclark said:

Another option is, as soon as you get the notice that the package has shipped, log onto FedEx and request that the package be diverted to one of their stores and held for pickup.  I've done that on several occasions and the package is securely locked up.  They call , text, and email you to let you know it's available for pickup.  Show your ID, sign for it, and off you go.  Luckily the FedEx store is only a couple miles from my house.

+1 to this! I've done this several times after I once had a book delivered to my work. One of the guys that work in our warehouse tossed the box like a frisbee at me and said "Here, this came for ya! " The FedEx store is on my way to and from work so it works out fine! 

[Robot Man]

54 minutes ago, thehumantorch said:

Your wife smiled when you got comics?  Keeper

No, I smiled. She could care less. She is definately a keeper though. She is an antique dealer and on more than one occasion has brought me home piles of comics pulps, girly magazines ect.  She does know what GA comics are, she just could care less about them.

[Sqeggs]

2 hours ago, Zolnerowich said:

Hurm. 

What is also quite interesting is that he doesn't include any mention in the WW listing that this was/is a Berk book. Rather odd, yes?

I suppose another possibility (though highly unlikely given the limited time) is that someone else won it in the CC auction, cracked it out, and then sold or consigned it to WW.

I think he won them, cracked and pressed (and maybe dry cleaned) them, and is listing them raw at what he now believes their grades to be.  In my experience, he has been a very accurate grader of raw books.  So, I would draw a clear distinction between what he's doing and what the shifty folks on eBay do when they buy, say, a book graded 8.5, crack it, and relist it (unpressed or otherwise "improved") as a 9.2.

On reflection, what he's doing may seem more unusual than it actually is because of how identifiable these books are, given how closely scrutinized the Berk auction was.  But, clearly, buying at auction books that seem undervalued or likely to be improvable with a dry clean and press is one way that dealers acquire some of their stock.  Seeing it happen so quickly with some of the Berk books is a bit jarring, but probably shouldn't be.  For what it's worth, my (revised) take! 

[ThothAmon]

7 minutes ago, Sqeggs said:

I think he won them, cracked and pressed (and maybe dry cleaned) them, and is listing them raw at what he now believes their grades to be.  In my experience, he has been a very accurate grader of raw books.  So, I would draw a clear distinction between what he's doing and what the shifty folks on eBay do when they buy, say, a book graded 8.5, crack it, and relist it (unpressed or otherwise "improved") as a 9.2.

On reflection, what he's doing may seem more unusual than it actually is because of how identifiable these books are, given how closely scrutinized the Berk auction was.  But, clearly, buying at auction books that seem undervalued or likely to be improvable with a dry clean and press is one way that dealers acquire some of their stock.  Seeing it happen so quickly with some of the Berk books is a bit jarring, but probably shouldn't be.  For what it's worth, my (revised) take! 

Not sure my experience is the same as I have put many raw comics into bags as VF- waited 30 years and took them out as NM.  It's alchemy.

[jimjum12]

7 minutes ago, Sqeggs said:

I think he won them, cracked and pressed (and maybe dry cleaned) them, and is listing them raw at what he now believes their grades to be.  In my experience, he has been a very accurate grader of raw books.  So, I would draw a clear distinction between what he's doing and what the shifty folks on eBay do when they buy, say, a book graded 8.5, crack it, and relist it (unpressed or otherwise "improved") as a 9.2.

On reflection, what he's doing may seem more unusual than it actually is because of how identifiable these books are, given how closely scrutinized the Berk auction was.  But, clearly, buying at auction books that seem undervalued or likely to be improvable with a dry clean and press is one way that dealers acquire some of their stock.  Seeing it happen so quickly with some of the Berk books is a bit jarring, but probably shouldn't be.  For what it's worth, my (revised) take! 

......that needed to be said, Tony. Ritter is one of the best internet dealers out there and I don't think I've ever gotten a raw book from him that I was not happy with. GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[Zolnerowich]

57 minutes ago, Sqeggs said:

I think he won them, cracked and pressed (and maybe dry cleaned) them, and is listing them raw at what he now believes their grades to be.  In my experience, he has been a very accurate grader of raw books.  So, I would draw a clear distinction between what he's doing and what the shifty folks on eBay do when they buy, say, a book graded 8.5, crack it, and relist it (unpressed or otherwise "improved") as a 9.2.

On reflection, what he's doing may seem more unusual than it actually is because of how identifiable these books are, given how closely scrutinized the Berk auction was.  But, clearly, buying at auction books that seem undervalued or likely to be improvable with a dry clean and press is one way that dealers acquire some of their stock.  Seeing it happen so quickly with some of the Berk books is a bit jarring, but probably shouldn't be.  For what it's worth, my (revised) take! 

 

40 minutes ago, jimjum12 said:

......that needed to be said, Tony. Ritter is one of the best internet dealers out there and I don't think I've ever gotten a raw book from him that I was not happy with. GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

I certainly agree that Ritter is an awesome dealer. No doubt about that! My main question is why the "From the Collection of Jon Berk" information is not associated with the listings. I could easily see how someone not aware of the Berk hubbub buys this book without having any idea about its provenance. And thus *poof* into the ether goes the Berk association. Maybe I'm just getting too nostalgic...