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Berk Collection Auction Wins
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Started by lpsunburst,

411 posts in this topic

MrBedrock

MrBedrock

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, buttock said:

Leave some for the rest of us!

I think I'm done. There are three huge, long-time wants in that batch.

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tth2

tth2

Posted
Posted
12 minutes ago, rjpb said:

I'm just hoping everybody else is broke before tomorrow's auctions close.

The image that now comes to mind for W-day of the auction is all this carnage and bodies lying around, and then a few people crawl out from under the rubble and muster enough energy to submit a bid with their last ounce of energy!

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adamstrange

adamstrange

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, MrBedrock said:

I think I'm done. There are three huge, long-time wants in that batch.

Mystery Men, Science and the Silver Streak?

 

Those are 5 marvelous books!

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jcb193

jcb193

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  • Popular Post
Posted (edited)

Here's my story from tonight:

I've always wanted a Church comic to own, but I didn't want it to be some random comic book that I had never heard of, and the popular ones are obviously well out of the range of us mere mortals.  Star Comics #3 was a book I remember being fascinated about as I read through an old Overstreet book on my grandfather's floor. That was the only Overstreet I had ever seen and I read it from cover to cover every summer I visited.  I'm not sure why this Star Comics stood out to me. Maybe the rarity, maybe the fact that even as a kid I knew what a different time it was in the past and how out of place those characterization felt today, but I always was enchanted by the book.  When I saw the Jon Berk collection come out, I immediately knew I would be targeting this book.  It stayed below $4000 all week long and I thought to myself "well, there's little to no GPA on this book, and the GPA is around $1000.  There's only 7 graded copies, but maybe this one will slip past. It's barely even mentioned anymore, and even on internet searches for "racial covers" or inappropriate covers of the past, it rarely comes up.  Maybe people's memories had moved on from the book and maybe I could sneak a nice sentimental win.  Even if it wasn't worth $4000, I could justify that for a book I could cherish.

Well, I set a limit in my head of $7000 (though assuming it might go to $10,000 since it was a Church with at least some notoriety).  Bidding seemed to slow down around $6000.  I started to get happy. Could I win this?  But every time I put in a winning bid, one of two others would come back and take it over.  I started to notice the patterns of the bidders and I think it was down to four or five of us. I put in a strong bid of $7600 to try and scare some of them away, and a few people tested the limit, but seemed to be reaching their max with bids of $5999 or $6999.  Was I close to winning this?  But it started to climb $1000 at a time.  Soon we were approaching $9000 and I gave myself a new limit of $9100.  Then I gave myself a limit of $10500 (maybe the other people had a cap of $10,000).  But it kept climbing $200-$300 at a time.  We were each trying to just outlast the other.  By this time I guessed it was me and two others and as we hit $11500 I decided to bow out.  I continued to watch (probably a bad idea) and watched as the clock ticked down to 25 seconds.  I thought in my head about what books I could liquidate and if I could do so in six months and decided to jump in with $12,200.  Images of selling off high grade silver age Batman books began to dance through my head as I wondered to myself: is this book really better to hold on to than Batman????  I kept reminding myself of the sentimental value, but let's be honest, nobody wants to buy a book that is overpriced.  I rationalized it by thinking "it's a Church.  It's the highest grade by far on a super rare book.  It has some historical significance," as I keyed in my final, final, final, final price, I was quite sure that it was down to me and one other guy.  I began to remember the old Golden Age adage of bidding against one other person and how you can quickly over-value a book. 

Maybe this guy is prepared to go to $25,000.  Maybe he needs it for a high grade set and will win no matter what.  Maybe he's just like me, trying to outlast the other. But then I thought to myself, only 3 of us thought this book was worth more than $8000.  I just can't afford to take this book any further. In comic collecting, the "value" is never my chief concern, but I also didn't want to bid a book into the stratosphere that only two people thought was worth that level.  My pulse quickened I finally thought to myself, well, I'm already in $12,200.  What's another $1000. I can try to sell off a Showcase 30 or something. Let's get this book.  I keyed in $13,000 and then the longest 3 minutes of my life.  Around 1:45 remaining with me still in the lead I began to worry that I was grossly overpaying, and on top of that, how many books would I have to sell.  Did I need the 6 months interest free program?  Would I still value this book a week from now?  1:01 remaining.  I continued the dreaded self-doubt.  I began to think "please outbid me, please outbid me."  I could afford the book.  I wasn't in dire straights, but a $13,000 comic book purchase isn't a walk in the park for me either.  30 seconds left.  I began to quiver in excitement mixed with fear.  "OMG I'm going to win this.  OMG, is it worth it?  Am I just paying a premium for the Jon Berk auction hype?  Will someone else want this book someday down the road?  Will I get offers two months from now for double because someone HAS TO HAVE IT, and I'll continue to rebuff their offers for eternity.  Will it ever surface again if I don't win.  Where are the other six copies?"  :20 seconds left

......YOU HAVE BEEN OUTBID.

I breathed a sigh of relied, as fate had decided the decision for me, and walked away from the computer.  I walked down to the kitchen and began to wish I had won, but began to accept reality.  Someone else wanted the book more than me. Did they want it $100 more than me, or $5000 more than me?  We'll never know.  Maybe it will turn up again someday, but I doubt it.  I gave it my best effort.  So...anyway....there's a story and picture of a book I didn't win.

 

sta15.99a.jpg

Edited by jcb193
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adamstrange

adamstrange

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, jcb193 said:

So...anyway....there's a story and picture of a book I didn't win.

That's too bad that it didn't work out this time but you never know whether a book may come around again now that it's out in the wild.  And it may not cost what it just went for. :wishluck:

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G.A.tor

G.A.tor

Posted
Posted (edited)
5 minutes ago, jcb193 said:

"  :20 seconds left

......YOU HAVE BEEN OUTBID.

I breathed a sigh of relied and walked away from the computer.  I walked down to the kitchen and began to wish I had won, but began to accept reality.  Someone else wanted the book more than me. Did they want it $100 more than me, or $5000 more than me?  We'll never know.  Maybe it will turn up again someday, but I doubt it.  I gave it my best effort.  So...anyway....there's a story and picture of a book I didn't win.

 

sta15.99a.jpg

Great story...in this case you can know that the winner would have paid a lot more ...maybe that will make you feel better 

Edited by G.A.tor
Quote to long
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thirdgreenham

thirdgreenham

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, jcb193 said:

I've always wanted a Church comic to own, but I didn't want it to be some random comic book that I had never heard of, and the popular ones are obviously well out of the range of us mere mortals.  Star Comics #3 was a book I remember being fascinated about as I read through an old Overstreet book on my grandfather's floor. That was the only Overstreet I had ever seen and I read it from cover to cover every summer I visited.  I'm not sure why this Star Comics stood out to me. Maybe the rarity, maybe the fact that even as a kid I knew what a different time it was in the past and how out of place those characterization felt today, but I always was enchanted by the book.  When I saw the Jon Berk collection come out, I immediately knew I would be targeting this book.  It stayed below $4000 all week long and I thought to myself "well, there's little to no GPA on this book, and the GPA is around $1000.  There's only 7 graded copies, but maybe this one will slip past. It's barely even mentioned anymore, and even on internet searches for "racial covers" or inappropriate covers of the past, it rarely comes up.  Maybe people's memories had moved on from the book and maybe I could sneak a nice sentimental win.  Even if it wasn't worth $4000, I could justify that for a book I could cherish.

Well, I set a limit in my head of $7000 (though assuming it might go to $10,000 since it was a Church with at least some notoriety).  Bidding seemed to slow down around $6000.  I started to get happy. Could I win this?  But every time I put in a winning bid, one of two others would come back and take it over.  I started to notice the patterns of the bidders and I think it was down to three or four of us. I put in a strong bid of $7600 to try and scare some of them away, and a few people tested the limit, but seemed to be reaching their max with bids of $5999 or $6999.  Was I close to winning this?  But it started to climb $1000 at a time.  Soon we were approaching $9000 and I gave myself a new limit of $9100.  Then I gave myself a limit of $10500 (maybe the other people had a cap of $10,000).  But it kept climbing $200-$300 at a time.  We were each trying to just outlast the other.  By this time I guessed it was me and two others and as we hit $11500 I decided to bow out.  I continued to watch (probably a bad idea) and watched as the clock ticked down to 25 seconds.  I thought in my head about what books I could liquidate and if I could do so in six months and decided to jump in with $12,200.  Images of selling off high grade silver age Batman books began to dance through my head as I wondered to myself: is this book really better to hold on to than Batman????  I kept reminding myself of the sentimental value, but let's be honest, nobody wants to buy a book that is overpriced.  I rationalized it by thinking "it's a Church.  It's the highest grade by far on a super rare book.  It has some historical significance," as I keyed in my final, final, final, final price, I was quite sure that it was down to me and one other guy.  I began to remember the old Golden Age adage of bidding against one other person and how you can quickly over-value a book. 

Maybe this guy is prepared to go to $25,000.  Maybe he needs it for a high grade set and will win no matter what.  Maybe he's just like me, trying to outlast the other. But then I thought to myself, only 3 of us thought this book was worth more than $8000.  I just can't afford to take this book any further. In comic collecting, the "value" is never my chief concern, but I also didn't want to bid a book into the stratosphere that only two people thought was worth that level.  My pulse quickened I finally thought to myself, well, I'm already in $12,200.  What's another $1000. I can try to sell off a Showcase 30 or something. Let's get this book.  I keyed in $13,000 and then the longest 3 minutes of my life.  Around 1:45 remaining with me still in the lead I began to worry that I was grossly overpaying, and on top of that, how many books would I have to sell.  Did I need the 6 months interest free program?  Would I still value this book a week from now?  1:01 remaining.  I continued the dreaded self-doubt.  I began to think "please outbid me, please outbid me."  I could afford the book.  I wasn't in dire straights, but a $13,000 comic book purchase isn't a walk in the park for me either.  30 seconds left.  I began to quiver in excitement mixed with fear.  "OMG I'm going to win this.  OMG, is it worth it?  Am I just paying a premium for the Jon Berk auction hype?  Will someone else want this book someday down the road?  Will I get offers two months from now for double because someone HAS TO HAVE IT, and I'll continue to rebuff their offers for eternity.  Will it ever surface again if I don't win.  Where are the other six copies?"  :20 seconds left

......YOU HAVE BEEN OUTBID.

I breathed a sigh of relied and walked away from the computer.  I walked down to the kitchen and began to wish I had won, but began to accept reality.  Someone else wanted the book more than me. Did they want it $100 more than me, or $5000 more than me?  We'll never know.  Maybe it will turn up again someday, but I doubt it.  I gave it my best effort.  So...anyway....there's a story and picture of a book I didn't win.

 

sta15.99a.jpg

lol what a replay! I've done the same thing 3 times before. Won 1, lost 2. 

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SushiX

SushiX

Posted
Posted (edited)
7 minutes ago, thirdgreenham said:

I stuck my foot in the door for the Sub-Mariner 11 9.4, but couldn't leave it there to get crushed. 

Would have loved to snag that beauty cheaply. :cry: 

Dang!! I love your YouTube channel by the way!!!!

Edited by SushiX
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jcb193

jcb193

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, G.A.tor said:

Great story...the winner would have paid a lot more if that will make you feel better 

It does, and now I feel a little bad that I cost them more than they needed to spend, but I figured there was someone out there that wanted this at any price, and I couldn't compete with that.  Grats winner!  I gave it my best shot!

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G.A.tor

G.A.tor

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, jcb193 said:

It does, and now I feel a little bad that I cost them more than they needed to spend, but I figured there was someone out there that wanted this at any price, and I couldn't compete with that.  Grats winner!  I gave it my best shot!

That's what auctions are for, never feel bad bidding what you are willing to pay for a book!

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