Heritage's Next Event Auction has started posting books ! 31 31

[lou_fine]

Looks like somebody must have been offloading their collection of Phantom books as their were a total of 8 of them in yesterday's Heritage Sunday Auction, with relatively strong results on all of them, including these two here:  

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/feature-books-39-the-phantom-david-mckay-publications-1943-cgc-nm-94-off-white-to-white-pages/a/122336-11048.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515

Can't really say that I care much for the cover, but an early Phantom issue from 1943 that still managed to fetch a whopping $4,560.  

 

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/ace-comics-147-david-mckay-publications-1949-cgc-fn-60-off-white-to-white-pages/a/122336-11001.s?ic16=ViewItem-BrowseTabs-Auction-Archive-ThisAuction-120115

Another non-classic Phantom cover that sold for a very very strong $1,440 or some 48X condition guide value of only some $30.    

Looks like the consignor of this copy, if not all of the other Phantoms in this auction here made out alright, considering that they paid only $264 for it back in September of 2018 after winning it from an obvious speculator who had paid only $144 for it a few short months earlier in June of 2018.  

Have always loved the The Ghost Who Walks Phantom character and feel that it is still much under appreciated in the comic book marketplace and probably still has a lot of untapped potential from a valuation point of view.  Maybe it needs a good movie or TV series to boost awareness for this character, although I guess they did give it a shot with the Billy Zane Phantom movie back in '96 which didn't really catch on with the moviegoers back then.  Probably time to give it another shot now that the superhero movies are much more in vogue as compared to the 90's.      

[jimbo_7071]

On 9/4/2023 at 2:37 PM, lou_fine said:

 

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/ace-comics-147-david-mckay-publications-1949-cgc-fn-60-off-white-to-white-pages/a/122336-11001.s?ic16=ViewItem-BrowseTabs-Auction-Archive-ThisAuction-120115

Another non-classic Phantom cover that sold for a very very strong $1,440 or some 48X condition guide value of only some $30.   

That's nuts. It's almost twice what I paid for this copy of #146, which cost $775 in 2019. (And it was a Sunday-night eBay auction with quite a few bidders, so it isn't like it flew under the radar.)

Edited September 5, 2023 by jimbo_7071

[tth2]

Despite all of the rumors of the post-Pandemic demise of SA, BA and CA, I note that the 9.8 TMNT #1 is already over $100k. 

[lou_fine]

On 9/4/2023 at 8:13 PM, tth2 said:

Despite all of the rumors of the post-Pandemic demise of SA, BA and CA, I note that the 9.8 TMNT #1 is already over $100k. 

I guess it's all relative as that's still about $150K below what Metro/CC were selling their copies for in non-auction private sales back in 2021.  

Then again, the fat lady still hasn't got off her duff to sing yet, so I don't think it'll have much problems passing the $131K price point that CL auctioned their 9.8 copy off for about 5 days ago, but not so sure about it being able to surpass the $155K+ price point that CC got for their 9.8 copy in their Event Auction about 10 days ago.  

[lou_fine]

On 9/4/2023 at 6:47 PM, jimbo_7071 said:

That's nuts. It's almost twice what I paid for this copy of #146, which cost $775 in 2019. (And it was a Sunday-night eBay auction with quite a few bidders, so it isn't like it flew under the radar.)

Yeah, but is it really that nutso in this current GA marketplace where paying something like only $1,400 is probably deemed to be nothing more than chump change when trying to go after a GA book?    

Especially when you have buyers today bidding thousands of dollars for what were once former dollar bin romance books not that long ago or bidding tens of thousands of dollars for non-HG PCH books which already have "tons" of graded copies slabbed to date so far.  

At least with this CGC 6.0 graded copy of Ace Comics #147, it's the second highest graded copy with a total of only 3 copies graded to date so far.  Heck, it looks like all of these late Ace issues with the rather simplistically drawn Phantom covers have only low single digit copies graded and slabbed to date.  Not sure, but isn't this lower graded copy of Ace Comics #148 selling for $960 in the same Sunday auction last night as the Ace 147 just as nuts, if not more so since it is tied with another for the lowest graded out of a total of only 5 graded copies:  

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/ace-comics-148-david-mckay-publications-1949-cgc-vg-fn-50-off-white-to-white-pages/a/122336-11002.s?type=lotlink--bidnotice-dailystatus

 

It would appear that your purchase of the single highest graded copy by a long shot of Ace 146 out of a total of only 4 graded copies appears to be more of an outlier than anything else.  Big congrats to you on being able to snag your copy for a steal of a deal and probably in a lower profile sale/auction back then in 2019.  Especially when you compare it to this beautiful looking blood red highest graded copy out of a total of only 2 graded copies back then which was still able to fetch $900 in 2020 considering that it was nowhere close to your 9.4 copy in terms of condition grade:  

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/ace-comics-151-david-mckay-publications-1949-cgc-fn-65-cream-to-off-white-pages/a/122009-11004.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515

[MrBedrock]

On 9/4/2023 at 11:13 PM, tth2 said:

Despite all of the rumors of the post-Pandemic demise of SA, BA and CA, I note that the 9.8 TMNT #1 is already over $100k. 

Only because Jimbo and Lou haven't had a chance to blow up the scans yet.

[tth2]

On 9/5/2023 at 8:27 PM, MrBedrock said:

On 9/5/2023 at 11:13 AM, tth2 said:

Despite all of the rumors of the post-Pandemic demise of SA, BA and CA, I note that the 9.8 TMNT #1 is already over $100k. 

Only because Jimbo and Lou haven't had a chance to blow up the scans yet.

You mean comics aren't actually the size of Foster Prince Valiant OA?

[lou_fine]

On 9/5/2023 at 5:27 AM, MrBedrock said:

On 9/4/2023 at 8:13 PM, tth2 said:

Despite all of the rumors of the post-Pandemic demise of SA, BA and CA, I note that the 9.8 TMNT #1 is already over $100k. 

Only because Jimbo and Lou haven't had a chance to blow up the scans yet.

Well, I certainly wouldn't want to do that because that would most probably bring the bids well back under $100K with bidders retracting their bids after seeing it for what it really is.    

[MrBedrock]

On 9/5/2023 at 10:47 AM, lou_fine said:

Well, I certainly wouldn't want to do that because that would most probably bring the bids well back under $100K with bidders retracting their bids after seeing it for what it really is.    

You are special that way.

[lou_fine]

On 9/5/2023 at 8:07 AM, MrBedrock said:

You are special that way.

Well, not just in THAT way, but also in so many other ways and let's not forget most of all, simply this:    

 

[lou_fine]

Okay, on a more serious note since some of us at least were talking about the nutso price being paid for some of the later Phantom books, I will say that the one Phantom book that I would certainly like to see hitting the marketplace would be Ace 11 with the first comic book appearance of the Phantom back in 1938 and even a few months before Action 1.  

Doubt that this is going to be happening anytime soon though since the last copy to sell at Heritage was this CGC 7.5 highest graded copy for $1,673 way back in 2010 which was then resold at CC for $4,800 a few years later in 2014:  

https://www.comicconnect.com/item/562988

Not sure about some of the other auction sites without public archives, but it looks like the last copy that CC sold was only a CGC 0.5 graded copy in 2015 for some $580.  So, not sure how long we are going to have to wait for another half decent copy to enter into the marketplace, especially since there's a total of only 12 Universe graded copies out there and the last time a copy crossed a CGC grading table was back in 2019.    

[batman_fan]

On 9/5/2023 at 1:15 AM, lou_fine said:

Yeah, but is it really that nutso in this current GA marketplace where paying something like only $1,400 is probably deemed to be nothing more than chump change when trying to go after a GA book?    

Especially when you have buyers today bidding thousands of dollars for what were once former dollar bin romance books not that long ago or bidding tens of thousands of dollars for non-HG PCH books which already have "tons" of graded copies slabbed to date so far.  

At least with this CGC 6.0 graded copy of Ace Comics #147, it's the second highest graded copy with a total of only 3 copies graded to date so far.  Heck, it looks like all of these late Ace issues with the rather simplistically drawn Phantom covers have only low single digit copies graded and slabbed to date.  Not sure, but isn't this lower graded copy of Ace Comics #148 selling for $960 in the same Sunday auction last night as the Ace 147 just as nuts, if not more so since it is tied with another for the lowest graded out of a total of only 5 graded copies:  

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/ace-comics-148-david-mckay-publications-1949-cgc-vg-fn-50-off-white-to-white-pages/a/122336-11002.s?type=lotlink--bidnotice-dailystatus

 

It would appear that your purchase of the single highest graded copy by a long shot of Ace 146 out of a total of only 4 graded copies appears to be more of an outlier than anything else.  Big congrats to you on being able to snag your copy for a steal of a deal and probably in a lower profile sale/auction back then in 2019.  Especially when you compare it to this beautiful looking blood red highest graded copy out of a total of only 2 graded copies back then which was still able to fetch $900 in 2020 considering that it was nowhere close to your 9.4 copy in terms of condition grade:  

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/ace-comics-151-david-mckay-publications-1949-cgc-fn-65-cream-to-off-white-pages/a/122009-11004.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515

I guess the rumors of Pete Davidson starring in a reboot of the character is really swinging the price.

[lou_fine]

Well, looks like it's going to be a tooth and nail drag them out and down to the wire battle between these two to see who finishes on top to be the bridesmaid behind Mystery Men 1 in the upcoming Fox Showcase Auction scheduled for near the exnd of this month:    

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/mystery-men-comics-2-fox-1939-cgc-gd-vg-30-off-white-to-white-pages/a/40239-82071.s

Will it be Mystery Men 2 in this fugly looking oversized magazine holder above who's been playing catch up and even more during the past couple of years or the seemingly perennial favorite below, namely Mystery Men 3:  

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/mystery-men-comics-3-fox-1939-cgc-gd-vg-30-cream-to-off-white-pages/a/40239-82072.s?ic16=ViewItem-BrowseTabs-Auction-Open-ThisAuction-120115

Equivalent CGC 3.0 graded copies of both, with the two of them sitting at a hammer bid of exactly $550 each with still another almost 3 weeks to go while many of the other Mystery Men issues in the run are still sitting at a hammer bid of only $0, $1, or $2 only.    

I guess there's no need to ask our fellow boardie, @tth2, since we already know his answer here plus the fact that it might caused blindness to his precious eyes to look at something as toxic as a 3.0 graded book.  

[Professor K]

On 9/10/2023 at 1:03 AM, lou_fine said:

Well, looks like it's going to be a tooth and nail drag them out and down to the wire battle between these two to see who finishes on top to be the bridesmaid behind Mystery Men 1 in the upcoming Fox Showcase Auction scheduled for near the exnd of this month:    

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/mystery-men-comics-2-fox-1939-cgc-gd-vg-30-off-white-to-white-pages/a/40239-82071.s

Will it be Mystery Men 2 in this fugly looking oversized magazine holder above who's been playing catch up and even more during the past couple of years or the seemingly perennial favorite below, namely Mystery Men 3:  

https://comics.ha.com/itm/golden-age-1938-1955-/superhero/mystery-men-comics-3-fox-1939-cgc-gd-vg-30-cream-to-off-white-pages/a/40239-82072.s?ic16=ViewItem-BrowseTabs-Auction-Open-ThisAuction-120115

Equivalent CGC 3.0 graded copies of both, with the two of them sitting at a hammer bid of exactly $550 each with still another almost 3 weeks to go while many of the other Mystery Men issues in the run are still sitting at a hammer bid of only $0, $1, or $2 only.    

I guess there's no need to ask our fellow boardie, @tth2, since we already know his answer here plus the fact that it might caused blindness to his precious eyes to look at something as toxic as a 3.0 graded book.  

Yep those two have been running neck to neck the past few times they've been in the same auction. I think #2 has taken as slight lead lately. The oversized holder will probaly hurt this #2 and the tape on the letter M in Men won't be helping the #3 any. I'm going with #2 by a nose on this one.

Whenever I see #3 I still think of this classic post. Some stuff you just can't unsee.

   On 3/18/2023 at 4:21 PM, adamstrange said:

Mystery Men 2's cover feature is Rex Dexter of Mars.  Not a great name (neither is Blue Beetle or Green Mask, for that matter), but as a sci-fi feature with spaceships, ray guns, robots, jet packs etc. it's always going to have a wide appeal.  Mystery Men 3 had a darker color scheme and an earthbound, second banana hero who is posed more like a female fashion model.  While it's a great cover because "Lou Fine", I've never thought of it as a great Lou Fine cover, even though I've seen all the premier copies (Allentown, Church and Larson).

Edited September 10, 2023 by Professor K
spelling correction

[tth2]

On 9/10/2023 at 7:22 PM, Professor K said:

   On 3/18/2023 at 4:21 PM, adamstrange said:

Mystery Men 2's cover feature is Rex Dexter of Mars.  Not a great name (neither is Blue Beetle or Green Mask, for that matter), but as a sci-fi feature with spaceships, ray guns, robots, jet packs etc. it's always going to have a wide appeal.  Mystery Men 3 had a darker color scheme and an earthbound, second banana hero who is posed more like a female fashion model.  While it's a great cover because "Lou Fine", I've never thought of it as a great Lou Fine cover, even though I've seen all the premier copies (Allentown, Church and Larson).

Which just goes to show that even greatly respected boardies like adamstrange can be utterly and spectacularly wrong sometimes!

[lou_fine]

On 9/10/2023 at 4:22 AM, Professor K said:

Yep those two have been running neck to neck the past few times they've been in the same auction. I think #2 has taken as slight lead lately.

This auction here should provide us with a more up-to-date picture of the battle as I believe Mystery Men 2 might have already surpassed Mystery Men 3 with the past few sales of MM 2 in this grade range all finishing up in the $5k to $7K price range.  No real sales of Mystery Men 3 in this condition range except for a CGC 3.0 graded copy for only $2,280 at Heritage, but that was back in November of 2020.  So, will definitely be interesting to see who wins this head on head tussle between the two of them.      

 

On 9/10/2023 at 4:22 AM, Professor K said:

The oversized holder will probaly hurt this #2 and the tape on the letter M in Men won't be helping the #3 any. I'm going with #2 by a nose on this one.

Amongst other things besides the oversized holder and the more clearly visual defects on the front cover for the Mystery Men 2 relative to the Mystery Men 3, I'm going with #3 by a full head here.    

[newshane]

I've been sniffing around Heritage. 20% "buyer's premium?" 

 

I'm sure there are many threads stuffed with complaints about this. That's a heavy tax. 

[Professor K]

On 9/12/2023 at 7:41 PM, newshane said:

I've been sniffing around Heritage. 20% "buyer's premium?" 

 

I'm sure there are many threads stuffed with complaints about this. That's a heavy tax. 

Not disagreeing but heavy tax for who? ("For whom?" is the correct way to ask that but I didn't want to sound like a poindexter).

The way I see it it's a heavy tax on the seller because people are going to pay what they are willing to pay for something and no more. Like a book on ComicConnect without a BP is going to sell for about the same as the same book would on Heritage with the BP. I'm sure you know if you ask nice they'll give the seller a percentage of the BP and bring down the fee to 15% of final hammer with BP. Even more If it's a super sweet book I've heard. 

I give HA credit that they clearly show what the final price will be during the entire life of the auction. You don't have to do the math during the countdown timer. It's alreadt stressful enough without having to do math after each bid. 

[newshane]

On 9/12/2023 at 8:00 PM, Professor K said:

The way I see it it's a heavy tax on the seller because people are going to pay what they are willing to pay for something and no more. Like a book on ComicConnect without a BP is going to sell for about the same as the same book would on Heritage with the BP.

True. 

[tth2]

On 9/13/2023 at 7:41 AM, newshane said:

I've been sniffing around Heritage. 20% "buyer's premium?" 

 

I'm sure there are many threads stuffed with complaints about this. That's a heavy tax. 

Sigh.