My First X-Men 94

[helionaut]

I started reading X-Men with #172 and like most kids was immediately sucked into Paul Smith's art and Claremont's great stories, and soon collected all the back issues I could find. Also like most kids I couldn't afford the $50 or so a nice copy of #94 cost at the time, and forget about GS #1. As my income has gone up prices kept pace, and I never worked myself up enough to buy a #94, even as I've filled in a nearly complete run of X-Men up to the 220s. But yesterday at a baseball card show there was one guy with 3 shortboxes of comics. There was some interesting stuff in there, a mostly a lot of bronze/copper DC horror and a long run of 80s-90s Avengers. But he also had a #94 with $50 tag on it. It's not in great shape. It's got some wrinkles and a pinhole on the cover and light stress creases on the spine, and the right edge of the cover is starting to break up, and there's writing on the back and a deep crease where it's like someone used it as a cutting surface for an X-acto knife, but the paper isn't quite broken. Other than that it's whole and the cover is tightly attached at the staples. On the whole I grade it G+, maybe G/VG if I was feeling saucy. I talked him down to $35, which was fair and not a huge steal in any sense, and it was my biggest purchase of the day. It's been a while since I've been this excited about buying a back issue, and this was really unexpected. Made my weekend.

[THE_BEYONDER]

Congrats on the purchase. How about a scan?

[BassGMan]

Great, that's cool that you were finally able to pick up a copy of that book. I'm the same way sometimes where the only way I can buy a highly desired book is to go way down in grade than I usually prefer, but once that you own it, it is really exciting. That's how it was for me when I finally found and purchased a copy of Superman #199 containing the first Superman/Flash race. Normally I prefer 8.5/9.0-ish books but I could only afford this one in 6.0. I was still as excited as hell to finally own this book.

[delekkerste]

I started reading X-Men with #172 and like most kids was immediately sucked into Paul Smith's art and Claremont's great stories, and soon collected all the back issues I could find. Also like most kids I couldn't afford the $50 or so a nice copy of #94 cost at the time, and forget about GS #1.

 

That's bizarre - I started reading X-Men with #172 as well (and officially graduated from reader to collector with #176). X-Men #94 was the seemingly unattainable Holy Grail ($100 for a nice copy at the time) for me too back then, and so I know how it feels to finally get a copy of that book. Congrats! I got my first copy in the mid-to-late 1990s, which later graded out at 5.0 by CGC. I later added a 5.5 copy and a 9.0 copy (I ended up selling the 5.0 and 9.0).

 

Not sure if you remember, but, between X-Men #94 and GS #1, #94 was the more valuable of the two for a long time. I believe that was true in the OS Guide (don't have any old copies), but whether it was or not, all the stores and dealers that I recall seeing in the early-to-mid-1980s had #94 priced higher. I believe there was a thread some time ago on these Boards where other people confirmed this observation.

[Rich_Henn]

My first X-Men was when I was about 15 or 16, it was a copy of Giant Size # 2 without the cover.

This was probably around 1983, and a copy that Mom picked up at the flea market without a cover.

The Neal Adams art got me.

Then I got #160, and the Belasco story and Illyanna got me.

A short while later, the Paul SMith stuff nailed it, and I was hooked ever since.

Too bad the 90s sucked, full of X-dreck.

I miss the days of Paul Smith.

A buddy in high school loaned me his Byrne issues with the Phoenix story...I remember being up all night at the kitchen table reading them.

He graduated in 1984, moved to NYC and paid $10 a pop for NM copies at St. Marks.

I thought he was freakin' HIGH to pay that much.

HA.

I only wish they were that much now.

I spent the better part of the last few years and many bucks building 2 high grade sets.

I did, however, pick up my X-Men 94 in NM/Mint, probably a 9.4 or 9.6 when you get down to it...for $120 back in 1996.

Saved a little bit of each paycheck for a month to get that, Amaz. SM 121 and 122 (each for $75 at a local maryland show) and was lucky to get such a price.

 

Not to get off topic...but in 1996, about the end of the year, a local dealer in Columba MD had the SWEETEST mint MINT copies of Amaz SM 121 & 122 that he wanted $200 each for.

I wish I had the money for them.

MAN those books rocked.

Easy 9.8's no doubt in my mind.

[worldsbestcomics]

I still remember my brother coming to me in 1978 and saying, "You have got to read the X-Men." They were at issue 100 then. Those stories were awesome for so many years. I sold my first 94 and the entire Byrne/Claremont run when I went to college. I bought a nice copy in 1992 that I got graded in Philly last weekend. 8.5 with white pages.

[chrisco37]

Not sure if you remember, but, between X-Men #94 and GS #1, #94 was the more valuable of the two for a long time. I believe that was true in the OS Guide (don't have any old copies), but whether it was or not, all the stores and dealers that I recall seeing in the early-to-mid-1980s had #94 priced higher. I believe there was a thread some time ago on these Boards where other people confirmed this observation.

 

I don't have the OS's to back up your claim, Gene, but I know you are correct. Back in my early collecting days (1987 was first OSPG I bought), #94 was priced higher than GS#1 every year.

 

I was out of the hobby when GS#1 overtook X-men #94 as top BA "X-book" (Hulk #181 not included).

[alwaysbronze]

Congrats on the purchase. How about a scan?

 

 

that's cool. i finally got around to buying my 1st copy of X-Men #94 about 5 years ago at a comic convention. it was the best copy i could find at that convention and couldn't talk the guy down any lower than $425 CDN. i later sent it off to CGC and got a 8.0 grade so i'm happy.

 

funny thing is that after i bought the comic i went to take a seat to examine it. as i was flipping through the pages, tracy lords walked by in high heels. click click click. my buddies will never let me live it down that i was more preoccupied with the comic than with tracy lords.

[the blob]

i believe i started reading x-men on a monthly basis with 156. that's the cover where colossus has a big spear through his chest and they think he's dead, right? that looked so cool I haddah have it and probably bought every month for the next 2 1/2 - 3 years until I lost interest in comics for a while.

[joe_collector]

I don't have the OS's to back up your claim, Gene, but I know you are correct. Back in my early collecting days (1987 was first OSPG I bought), #94 was priced higher than GS#1 every year.

 

That's because back then, first appearances were not even tracked that much, and it was far more desirable to have the "first issue of a series". It wasn't until late-80's, early-90's that the "baseball rookie card mentality" invaded comics and first appearances ruled and prices spiked wildly.

 

Before that, X-Men 94 was viewed as the "New X-Men series starts" and was worth more than GS X-Men #1, the Punisher LS guided for more than ASM 129, Silver Surfer 1 outpaced FF 48, and if Wolverine had a true 1980's ongoing series, his first LS issue would have probably been worth more than Hulk 181.

[whetteon]

I don't have the OS's to back up your claim, Gene, but I know you are correct. Back in my early collecting days (1987 was first OSPG I bought), #94 was priced higher than GS#1 every year.

 

That's because back then, first appearances were not even tracked that much, and it was far more desirable to have the "first issue of a series". It wasn't until late-80's, early-90's that the "baseball rookie card mentality" invaded comics and first appearances ruled and prices spiked wildly.

 

Before that, X-Men 94 was viewed as the "New X-Men series starts" and was worth more than GS X-Men #1, the Punisher LS guided for more than ASM 129, Silver Surfer 1 outpaced FF 48, and if Wolverine had a true 1980's ongoing series, his first LS issue would have probably been worth more than Hulk 181.

 

Interesting. I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

[THE_BEYONDER]

I started reading X-Men with #172 and like most kids was immediately sucked into Paul Smith's art and Claremont's great stories, and soon collected all the back issues I could find.

Still have my original copy....

 

[JuliusSeizure]

I started reading X-Men with #172 and like most kids was immediately sucked into Paul Smith's art and Claremont's great stories, and soon collected all the back issues I could find. Also like most kids I couldn't afford the $50 or so a nice copy of #94 cost at the time, and forget about GS #1. As my income has gone up prices kept pace, and I never worked myself up enough to buy a #94, even as I've filled in a nearly complete run of X-Men up to the 220s. But yesterday at a baseball card show there was one guy with 3 shortboxes of comics. There was some interesting stuff in there, a mostly a lot of bronze/copper DC horror and a long run of 80s-90s Avengers. But he also had a #94 with $50 tag on it. It's not in great shape. It's got some wrinkles and a pinhole on the cover and light stress creases on the spine, and the right edge of the cover is starting to break up, and there's writing on the back and a deep crease where it's like someone used it as a cutting surface for an X-acto knife, but the paper isn't quite broken. Other than that it's whole and the cover is tightly attached at the staples. On the whole I grade it G+, maybe G/VG if I was feeling saucy. I talked him down to $35, which was fair and not a huge steal in any sense, and it was my biggest purchase of the day. It's been a while since I've been this excited about buying a back issue, and this was really unexpected. Made my weekend.

 

Rock and roll! Congratulations! I started reading X-Men with #183, and my story is very similar to yours. Back in the 80s, I couldn't afford a #94 either, as badly as I yearned to own one. A few years ago, after I got back into collecting, I finally bought a VG/VG+ copy for $100 at a local con. I don't know if people who don't collect things can appreciate what it feels like to possess something you have wanted for over 20 years. I felt like I was 14 years old again.