Are these prices realistic? 1 1

[Albert Tatlock]

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Posted 5 minutes ago

https://www.easyliveauction.com/catalogue/lot/0515a5fdcbcc2cf9d1bc4611d6afcaf5/0af8d24542e81eb9357e7ef448a6646f/collectors-online-only-lot-1/?iFrameView=1

Not sure if I have taken leave of my senses, or the auctioneers have.

The first 6 lots in this sale - are the prices wildly optimistic?

 

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[Get Marwood & I]

3 minutes ago, Albert Tatlock said:

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https://www.easyliveauction.com/catalogue/lot/0515a5fdcbcc2cf9d1bc4611d6afcaf5/0af8d24542e81eb9357e7ef448a6646f/collectors-online-only-lot-1/?iFrameView=1

Not sure if I have taken leave of my senses, or the auctioneers have.

The first 6 lots in this sale - are the prices wildly optimistic?

 

Sorry Albert, when I guided you here I thought it was because you were selling something - my mistake, I should've asked more questions. This is the wrong forum for an 'are these auction estimates reasonable' type observation, so the mods may end up moving it to Comics General or something. Sorry mate.

I saw those lots too and did find them a tad optimistic. You never know nowadays though, do you. 

[Albert Tatlock]

4 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said:

did find them a tad optimistic.

Lot 1 - estimate of 13/14K.

With buyers commission added, that is 17/18K, for 74 issues circa 250 quid each.

Looking through all 6 lots, you can see that the really important early issues are not included. Presumably the vendor is awaiting the results of this auction before coming to a decision on their disposal.

Also, they do not appear to be GCG, etc copies, so the grades are estimates from the vendor, the scans are not hi-res enough to be much help, and there is no live viewing..

I will ring them tomorrow to ask if they will guarantee the grades, but I think I know the answer.

I will be surprised if any of these reach the reserve, let alone the estimate, but I have fallen over backwards before.

[Get Marwood & I]

Odd lot isn't it. Superworld and Metropolis stickers, some copies looking like they could be near the written grade, but others like the ASM #100 and 129, both without stickers incidentally, and likely foreign to the known dealer sets, so clearly overgraded it's embarrassing.  Let us know what they say Albert, if you do ring. 

[Garystar]

3 hours ago, Albert Tatlock said:

I will ring them tomorrow to ask if they will guarantee the grades, but I think I know the answer.

But which grade would they guarantee? They quote both traditional alpha (vfn, nm etc) grades and CGC numeric grades but in many cases they don’t align correctly i e 9.0 and 9.2 quoted as NM. 

41 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said:

Superworld and Metropolis stickers,

I also noted Mile High stickers, I have bought run fillers from Mile High but they wouldn’t be my first choice if I was picky about getting high grade. 

[Get Marwood & I]

5 minutes ago, Garystar said:

But which grade would they guarantee? They quote both traditional alpha (vfn, nm etc) grades and CGC numeric grades but in many cases they don’t align correctly i e 9.0 and 9.2 quoted as NM. 

9.1, 9.3, 68.2....

5 minutes ago, Garystar said:

I also noted Mile High stickers, I have bought run fillers from Mile High but they wouldn’t be my first choice if I was picky about getting high grade. 

What would you put on that ASM #100 Gary? 4.0?

[Garystar]

14 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said:

What would you put on that ASM #100 Gary? 4.0?

Have only looked on phone but 4.0 might be generous - bad rolled spine, nasty staples which have discolored cover. Looks water damaged to me, looks like photographed in bag and that couple be ripples in bag but Description says fc wrinkles which supports it being water damage.

The daredevil lot looks partially out of place, it has mid 70s issues, none of which have stickers and many pence issues which none of the other lots have. 

[Albert Tatlock]

Managed eventually to get Capes Dunn to call me back.

None of the books are in the CGC, etc, cases.

There is a spreadsheet detailing where the vendor initially purchased them, Metropolis, Harley Yee, etc, so he will have paid top dollar.

A couple sourced from private individuals, whose names I do not recognise.

The Capes Dunn fellow (Capes Crusader?) was very nice, but it doesn't sound like his firm would be in a position to guarantee the grades, and he admitted that they were relying on info from the vendor as regards grades..

He said there had been a lot of hits on them on the saleroom.com, but that was no guarantee of bids.

The vendor is keen, he said, to dispose of them by the end of the tax year, so if he bought them as an investment there may be a CGT liability.

The vendor originally wanted to sell them as one lot, but CD advised against it.

I cannot see dealers getting too heavily involved, the estimates, with the surcharge for buyers total 60/70K so the margin, if any, would be slim.

I would have liked to inspect them, but the price would have deterred me anyway.

Anyone else want to bid, fire away, but my bargepole is staying in the shed, I think.

I will have a look tomorrow, but only out of curiosity.

Edited March 22, 2021 by Albert Tatlock
correct typo

[Get Marwood & I]

Some of the books look really nice and there are undoubtedly some cracking copies in among the lots. But the odd one that is palpably over graded will give many collectors a reason to pause I think, especially if they can't inspect or get any guarantees.

Aside of the ASM #100 and #129, look at these two:

                                          NM 9.0                                                                 VF- 7.0 Tape on spine

 

Examples like those, which are eye-wateringly over graded, call into the question the sellers grading abilities, as does the incorrect use of numerical numbering vs the written grade. It implies a lack of comic-understanding.

You'd want the seller to do well of course, if they're up against it and being compelled to sell up. But I can't help thinking that this is isn't the optimum way to do it and, if there are reserves in place that match the estimates, I don't see much selling. 

[Get Marwood & I]

17 hours ago, Garystar said:

Have only looked on phone but 4.0 might be generous - bad rolled spine, nasty staples which have discolored cover. Looks water damaged to me, looks like photographed in bag and that couple be ripples in bag but Description says fc wrinkles which supports it being water damage.

The daredevil lot looks partially out of place, it has mid 70s issues, none of which have stickers and many pence issues which none of the other lots have. 

Look at the two DD #38's. It seems that the grades from reputable sellers have a chance of stacking up but the grades assigned by the buyer from unlabelled sources are way off with VG's at best graded at 9.0 

[Albert Tatlock]

From Capes Dunn terms and conditions:

Every Lot is sold with all faults and errors of description and the auctioneers disclaim, for themselves and for the vendor, all responsibility for authenticity, age, origin, condition or quality. All statements on such matters whether printed in the Catalogue or made orally are statements of opinion and not representations of fact. Purchasers are deemed to have satisfied themselves on authenticity, condition, etc., before bidding and no-one in the Auctioneers’ employment has authority to make any representation of fact.

Translation:  Once we've got your cash, that's it.

[Garystar]

Almost looks like two collections merged; one high grade unstamped cents, and one who wasn’t picky at all - low grade, cents stamped, pence. If you could afford those nice Ditko Spider-Man’s why would you settle for a low grade #100? This just doesn’t  sit right as a single owner collection. 

[Get Marwood & I]

16 minutes ago, Garystar said:

Almost looks like two collections merged; one high grade unstamped cents, and one who wasn’t picky at all - low grade, cents stamped, pence. If you could afford those nice Ditko Spider-Man’s why would you settle for a low grade #100? This just doesn’t  sit right as a single owner collection. 

Quote: "The vendor was particularly interested in purchasing the best examples that could be sourced and this lot is testament to that pursuit"

[Albert Tatlock]

Looks like they were all passed, except lot 5 at 6700, with surcharge nearly 9K.

[Get Marwood & I]

3 hours ago, Albert Tatlock said:

Looks like they were all passed, except lot 5 at 6700, with surcharge nearly 9K.

9K for 42 X-Men books - £214 a book

I've been looking at sale prices on eBay Albert, as I'm not overly in touch with X-Men silver age sale values. It's quite an eye opener. Some sale prices (CGC graded):

• X-Men #3 CGC 8.0 - $1,800
• X-Men #5 CGC 8.5 - $1,815
• X-Men #7 CGC 7.5 - $675
• X-Men #8 CGC 8.5 - $998
• X-Men #9 CGC 9.0 - $1,500

There's five grand for a start.

If the grades are as they are stated, and the buyer slabs the lot, they may make a buck here (if that's the intention), especially if some grade out 9.4.

X-Men #14 (1st Sentinels) - if that grades 9.4, the buyer is in the money as 8.5's appear to sell for over $2,000. 

I think I may need to pay a bit more attention. My initial instinct was that these estimates were bonkers. But on closer inspection, if all these 42 books are in the stated condition, the sale price may end up being a bargain. Although sale prices have rarely been my focus in my collecting history, I think I may be off the mark by some margin now. Prices have clearly moved on. That said, everything in this lot rests on the accuracy of the stated grades. 

[Albert Tatlock]

46 minutes ago, Get Marwood & I said:

they may make a buck here

Still too much of a gamble, I reckon, without having the chance to inspect them.

You would have to have them slabbed, and would be relying on the last .2 or .4 of a grade to get into profit.

Still, if you think they are a worthwhile investment, just sit on them for a while.

Why not ring Capes Dunn and ask them to get the bestest, bestest old pal's price from the vendor for the unsold lots.

One thing I am pretty sure of, is this is the time to get out of paper money - it is not worth what Uncle Sam and the Bank Of England are telling you. 

Any port in a storm, and why not high end comic books for a safe haven?