Help with Live Auction

[mcd-migration]

Just got back from a viewing for a live auction tonight. Around 15,000 books, with most being auctioned off in long boxes or short boxes. Also had a few tables full of 10 to 15 book runs of Silver & bronze age stuff. Nothing amazing, but some nice Marvel & DC stuff that averages about Fine. The full boxes was for the most part dealer stock from the 80s-90s. Any ideas on what this kind of stuff should go for in bulk? $15 a box?, $30 a box? I'd be buying it to read some of the stuff & then dump it on ebay as I have no interest in adding more bulk to my main collection. If I expect to get 10 to 15 cents per book on ebay, is it reasonable to think under 10 cents a book, maybe 5 cents? Any thoughts? Are these live type auctions usually a disappointment once the bidding starts?

[FlyingDonut]

you should get a long box for 3-4 cents each at a straight auction. Don't spend more than $15 per box for that kind of stuff.

[mcd-migration]

Yesss!!! Just got back from the auction. I'm always amazed at the stuff people go wild over. By the time the auction started, I had already decided I wasn't going to mess with the long boxes, just too tired to haul those things to the truck. Talking to a few of the 10 or so people that were bidding & there was little interest in the silver & bronze stuff stacked on the tables. I ended up spending about $250 for a stack of about 300 or so books. Included a nice run of Spidey from the 40s to the 70s plus a sharp looking 124, a run of Challengers from #8-40s (some decent 10 centers), nice run of Tales to Astonish #70-90, Ironman from basically #2-30, Submariner from around 10-50, some Byrne X-Men in the 120s & 130s, a stack of Dell 10 centers, a few Avengers including a real sharp #96, some old JLA including #21 & 22. The runs are not all complete, & the Silver books for the most part are around Fine (with a few nice suprises), but still a real nice experience.

[sckao]

 

Where do you generally find these live auctions? Are there any on the West Coast?

 

 

 

 

[PovertyRow]

Where do you generally find these live auctions? Are there any on the West Coast?

 

Was just gonna ask the same thing. I know back in Boston area I used to attend auctions - general ones - that would have some comic books. Sometimes insane prices (maning $5-10 for a 25 cent book) but sometimes some good deals as most of the folk just saw all comcis as comics).

 

but would like to attend some auctions here in SF area myself.

[aardvark88]

The live auctions in Vancouver area are part of estate sales. Usually find junky runs of bent Kamandis with cowboy 1 sheets.

[mcd-migration]

This one was at a small auction house that my wife likes to look for antique furniture, it was having a 2nd auction in their backup room of the comics/sports cards. An entertaining process as when they reached the Silver/Bronze lots on the Tables youu had a bidding war & then the winner had his choice of as many of the lots as he wanted at that bid amount per each lot. The guy that won the 1st bid went over & picked up about 5 or 6 lots, I figured he had hit the Amazing Spiderman & some of the other nicer stuff & I was getting ready to just leave. Looked over & he was taking the Gold foil cover variant stuff that was being done in the 90s. I sat back down & won the next bid & went & got most of the stuff I wanted. Waited till the prices dropped some more & went back & got the rest of what I wanted.

As Doughnut said, most of the bulk stuff was going for under 5 cents a book, with long boxes going for $10 to $15, & small boxes for $5 to $7. I had my sight set on a shotr box that had a nice run of Preacher & other Vertigo books but it was swept up while I was over choosing what I wanted out of the Silver Age table. I originally thought the books averaged around Fine condition, but after getting the dirty bags off I think more are probably up in the F/VF area. Real nice books for the price.