Official TMNT Speculation Thread 14 14

[whetteon]

On 5/23/2022 at 3:46 PM, BDubs said:

 

1984 Mirage Studios Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TMNT #1 First Print Signed by Pete Laird and Kevin Eastman – CGC 9.8, White Pages

 

Click to Expand

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

 

 

Final Price:

$192,000 w/ Buyer's Premium

$160,000 Winning Bid

11 Bids

Show bid history

 

Ended:

Sat, 5/21/22, 09:30 PM

Bid Amount:
Bid Date/Time:
$160,000
May 16th, 12:22 PM
$150,000
May 9th, 9:10 PM
$140,000
May 8th, 7:57 AM
$130,000
May 8th, 7:57 AM
$126,111
May 8th, 7:57 AM
$116,111
May 7th, 6:34 PM
$70,000
May 6th, 8:30 PM
$65,000
May 6th, 8:30 PM
$60,000
May 5th, 8:13 AM
$55,000
May 5th, 7:01 AM
$50,000
May 4th, 8:33 PM

 

On 5/23/2022 at 3:47 PM, BDubs said:

$160k plus buyers premium for a 9.8 1st Print.  Looks like prices are coming back down a bit. 

Hey now, Don't listen to them. I'll give ya three-fifty. 

[Jaydogrules]

On 5/22/2022 at 6:33 PM, Jaydogrules said:

$63k-68k.

Never fear. 

-J.

Nailed it.  

-J.

[jaybuck43]

Interesting to see that the downturn hasn’t affected the turtles books  congratulations to the seller and @Jaydogrules way to peg it right on.

[tvindy]

On 6/2/2022 at 11:44 PM, Jaydogrules said:

Nailed it.  

-J.

Yes, you did. Congratulations! 

Now I have to wait another month for them to send me a check.

[Jaydogrules]

On 6/3/2022 at 12:23 PM, tvindy said:

Yes, you did. Congratulations! 

Now I have to wait another month for them to send me a check.

Congrats to you!  Hate to see you leave the club but happy to see you well compensated on the way out.  

-J.

[BDubs]

TMNT's 40th Anniversary is just around the corner in 24'.  There is a movie in the works I believe.  I'm slowly starting to see movements in the 150+ books for the Mirage Studios volume #1 I've submitted.  Hoping to move these books around 24' as we, fingers crossed, come out of the recession.  Usually a year and a half timeframe although this one feels a tad different.  Any ways, started with the turtles in 84' at 7 may as well ride out with them into the unknown and look forward to a 40th Anniversary party somewhere.  Surely they'll have one!  

[BDubs]

I recently obtained a TMNT #3 Variant and went down a rabbit hole filled with some great information.  I was also shocked by the GoCollect Fair Market Value listing for this very hard to find variant. 


See below.  

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 Variant Cover "Laird's Photo" - Credit @AutomaticComics

50,000 copies of #3
300 copies of #3 Variant NOT 500!
New York City Comic Con - Incorrect - There was NOT a NYCC at the time,  as it was Creation Con. 

Lawrence Klein - "The #1 TMNT Fan! ~ Kevin Eastman"  Mr. Klein wrote a letter, published in issue #3. Kevin Eastman wrote a letter in return with three copies of the #3 variant to Mr. Klein where he states he pushed for 300 copies for the New Hampshire Comic 

"Hey got a surprise and special gift.  As you noticed there are three books enclosed, three copies of #3. Hooray! Why are these special? Because we pushed the printer into giving of  300 books early so we could have some to take to the New Hampshire Convention.  I mean we won't even be shipping these books for another  three weeks. I want you to get these to you as soon as possible.  Anything for our #1 fan. Take care Larry, I hope you enjoy the books and I would  like to hear what you think of them. Best Wishes, Kevin Eastman

Summary 
300 total copies NOT 500
Printed for the New Hampshire Convention NOT NYCC

 

 

Edited June 11, 2022 by BDubs

[MetalPSI]

On 6/11/2022 at 7:10 AM, BDubs said:

I recently obtained a TMNT #3 Variant and went down a rabbit hole filled with some great information.  I was also shocked by the GoCollect Fair Market Value listing for this very hard to find variant. 


See below.  

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 Variant Cover "Laird's Photo" - Credit @AutomaticComics

50,000 copies of #3
300 copies of #3 Variant NOT 500!
New York City Comic Con - Incorrect - There was NOT a NYCC at the time,  as it was Creation Con. 

Lawrence Klein - "The #1 TMNT Fan! ~ Kevin Eastman"  Mr. Klein wrote a letter, published in issue #3. Kevin Eastman wrote a letter in return with three copies of the #3 variant to Mr. Klein where he states he pushed for 300 copies for the New Hampshire Comic 

"Hey got a surprise and special gift.  As you noticed there are three books enclosed, three copies of #3. Hooray! Why are these special? Because we pushed the printer into giving of  300 books early so we could have some to take to the New Hampshire Convention.  I mean we won't even be shipping these books for another  three weeks. I want you to get these to you as soon as possible.  Anything for our #1 fan. Take care Larry, I hope you enjoy the books and I would  like to hear what you think of them. Best Wishes, Kevin Eastman

Summary 
300 total copies NOT 500
Printed for the New Hampshire Convention NOT NYCC

 

 

I was under the impression that this book was the first print, and not a "variant"

Reading the second print, the printer lost 10k copies of the first first print which is why they switched printers

[jaybuck43]

On 6/11/2022 at 9:10 AM, BDubs said:

I recently obtained a TMNT #3 Variant and went down a rabbit hole filled with some great information.  I was also shocked by the GoCollect Fair Market Value listing for this very hard to find variant. 


See below.  

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 Variant Cover "Laird's Photo" - Credit @AutomaticComics

50,000 copies of #3
300 copies of #3 Variant NOT 500!
New York City Comic Con - Incorrect - There was NOT a NYCC at the time,  as it was Creation Con. 

Lawrence Klein - "The #1 TMNT Fan! ~ Kevin Eastman"  Mr. Klein wrote a letter, published in issue #3. Kevin Eastman wrote a letter in return with three copies of the #3 variant to Mr. Klein where he states he pushed for 300 copies for the New Hampshire Comic 

"Hey got a surprise and special gift.  As you noticed there are three books enclosed, three copies of #3. Hooray! Why are these special? Because we pushed the printer into giving of  300 books early so we could have some to take to the New Hampshire Convention.  I mean we won't even be shipping these books for another  three weeks. I want you to get these to you as soon as possible.  Anything for our #1 fan. Take care Larry, I hope you enjoy the books and I would  like to hear what you think of them. Best Wishes, Kevin Eastman

Summary 
300 total copies NOT 500
Printed for the New Hampshire Convention NOT NYCC

 

 

Where did you get this story from? It’s neither a first or second printing, it’s an error variant cover. The interior of the books were all printed at once. They then ran off 500 covers to bring with them at nycc which was held in the Roosevelt hotel back then, in March of 1985. The covers weren’t checked and the plates weren’t right so lairds photo shows up as white in some places and blue on others. It’s supposed to be a uniform light blue. 
 

It wasn’t the reed pop convention you know today, comic convention traveled all around and was held in the Roosevelt hotel each year in NY (the also had shows in Albany). back then (I remember my uncle taking me as a kid in the early 90s late 80s) it used to be a very famous hotel, located next to grand central. I remember Kevin smith telling the story of him and Jay taking the bus into the city to go to the Roosevelt and getting mugged. Ah the city before Times Square was cleaned up…. Or today apparently  

[BDubs]

On 6/11/2022 at 6:57 PM, jaybuck43 said:

Where did you get this story from? It’s neither a first or second printing, it’s an error variant cover. The interior of the books were all printed at once. They then ran off 500 covers to bring with them at nycc which was held in the Roosevelt hotel back then, in March of 1985. The covers weren’t checked and the plates weren’t right so lairds photo shows up as white in some places and blue on others. It’s supposed to be a uniform light blue. 
 

It wasn’t the reed pop convention you know today, comic convention traveled all around and was held in the Roosevelt hotel each year in NY (the also had shows in Albany). back then (I remember my uncle taking me as a kid in the early 90s late 80s) it used to be a very famous hotel, located next to grand central. I remember Kevin smith telling the story of him and Jay taking the bus into the city to go to the Roosevelt and getting mugged. Ah the city before Times Square was cleaned up…. Or today apparently  

I put credits in the beginning but here's the link to the YouTube video. Thanks for the information.  I'm going to continue to see if I can get in touch with Mr Klein and see if he would share the letter in pdf for the group.  
 

 

[sorrenmj]

On 6/11/2022 at 2:10 PM, BDubs said:

I recently obtained a TMNT #3 Variant and went down a rabbit hole filled with some great information.  I was also shocked by the GoCollect Fair Market Value listing for this very hard to find variant. 


See below.  

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 Variant Cover "Laird's Photo" - Credit @AutomaticComics

50,000 copies of #3
300 copies of #3 Variant NOT 500!
New York City Comic Con - Incorrect - There was NOT a NYCC at the time,  as it was Creation Con. 

Lawrence Klein - "The #1 TMNT Fan! ~ Kevin Eastman"  Mr. Klein wrote a letter, published in issue #3. Kevin Eastman wrote a letter in return with three copies of the #3 variant to Mr. Klein where he states he pushed for 300 copies for the New Hampshire Comic 

"Hey got a surprise and special gift.  As you noticed there are three books enclosed, three copies of #3. Hooray! Why are these special? Because we pushed the printer into giving of  300 books early so we could have some to take to the New Hampshire Convention.  I mean we won't even be shipping these books for another  three weeks. I want you to get these to you as soon as possible.  Anything for our #1 fan. Take care Larry, I hope you enjoy the books and I would  like to hear what you think of them. Best Wishes, Kevin Eastman

Summary 
300 total copies NOT 500
Printed for the New Hampshire Convention NOT NYCC

 

 

Simply awesome thanks for sharing @BDubs. Congrats on adding this grail to your collection!

[BDubs]

On 6/12/2022 at 8:10 AM, sorrenmj said:

Simply awesome thanks for sharing @BDubs. Congrats on adding this grail to your collection!

Thank you!  Its been a really fun journey to say the least!

[jaybuck43]

On 6/11/2022 at 8:57 PM, BDubs said:

I put credits in the beginning but here's the link to the YouTube video. Thanks for the information.  I'm going to continue to see if I can get in touch with Mr Klein and see if he would share the letter in pdf for the group.  
 

 

Thanks @BDubs.  I messaged Fiona to get Kevins side on this.  

[Ozonetv]

Very cool to hear theres 300, not 500 copies of the variant...I'll have to get these graded soon.

[BDubs]

On 6/13/2022 at 2:02 PM, jaybuck43 said:

Thanks @BDubs.  I messaged Fiona to get Kevins side on this.  

Awesome!  End of day, it's fun to "speculate" especially on something so cool as the OG TMNT runs in the early days. Would be neat to get the real story from K. E.!  Thanks JB!

[sorrenmj]

On 6/13/2022 at 8:02 PM, jaybuck43 said:

Thanks @BDubs.  I messaged Fiona to get Kevins side on this.  

Please feedback anything you find out, thanks!

[BDubs]

No response on previous information above. 

I recently sold the following books I had pressed and graded at auction/Buy It Now on Ebay to recoup some $$$ building out my quest in volume 1.  Avid buyer, first time seller.  Overall pleased with the process however Ebay DOES eat into profits considerably.

Here were the results:

Purchased entire vol.1 set + extras on September. 21, 2021 for $3,450 of which had the following four comics graded and press for around $750 (WALKTHRU) if memory serves correctly.  (Included in the walkthru: raph #1 cgc 8.0 and figitoid #1 9.2? which I haven't tried to sell.)

TMNT #1 3rd print 9.6 - Sold $2012.00 yesterday
TMNT #2 1st print 9.8 - Sold $2000.00 Aug 4
TMNT #3 1st print 9.6 - Sold $500.00 July 14th 
TMNT #4 1st print 9.8 - Sold $700 July 30th

Total costs - $4200.00 (including initial purchase of #5-62 but excluding their pending pressing and grading (incl. all the various vol.1 prints 2-62 + minis leo, raph, don, mich, fugitoid, keys)

Four books sold total $5012.00 giving a profit on roughly $1,200 with 80 books still at CGC.

Any advice on best selling practices would be appreciated.  

InSummary: Current state of the market (Ebay specific) using Auction and Buy it Now.

 

Edited August 9, 2022 by BDubs

[The Comics Trip]

On 6/13/2022 at 5:24 PM, Ozonetv said:

Very cool to hear theres 300, not 500 copies of the variant...I'll have to get these graded soon.

It's a great feeling to have them graded!

[BDubs]

 

On 8/11/2022 at 2:42 PM, The Comics Trip said:

It's a great feeling to have them graded!

Not sure I'm more impressed with the grades or the speed at which you received them!  Absolutely amazing!  How'd the 2 #3 Laird Variants grade?  I'm currently holding a 9.6 looking for a 9.8 

 

Edited August 11, 2022 by BDubs

[MAR1979]

All I know is every 1980's Mirage Turtles book I had graded last year now sells for nearly 1/2 what they did in April-May 2022 time frame.

Admittedly stuff I submitted was not the cream of the crop. With them sinking like a stone sure glad I don't sell comics.

1 -  3rd 9.6w, 4th 9.6w

5,6,7 CGC 9.8w

Donatello 1 CCC 9.8w

All were my original when new LCS purchases.  Only sent in for nostalgia's sake and #5 is my favorite Turtles cover

 

 

Edited August 12, 2022 by MAR1979