AF 9.6 coming to auction 7 7

[VintageComics]

On 9/3/2021 at 2:38 PM, Aman619 said:

also we appear to be reaching a point where more copies at the top is a feature not a bug. Copies change hands more often yielding more sales data points and allows more buyers and creates competition. More so than s single HGC that sits in a collection for 10-20 years 

That logic is flawed because the number of buyers is finite and even a small increase in supply changes the ratio dramatically.

[VintageComics]

On 9/5/2021 at 8:35 PM, tth2 said:

I would be surprised if there was a 9.8 copy of AF 15 out there, although of course anything's possible.  But as was discussed earlier in this thread, 9.8 is a tough grade and not generally seen in Silver top keys, whether Marvel or DC.

The likeliest source of a 9.8 would be from a pedigree.  The 2 9.8 X-Men 1s are from the Curator and Pacific Coast pedigrees.  But we already know that the Curator, PC and White Mountain AF 15s are not 9.8s and not capable of being "improved" to 9.8.  

Having said that, the 9.8 ASM 1 is not from a pedigree as far as I know, but it's the exception that proves the rule.

The main problem is that it's from 1962.

Books from 1963 are easier in high grade and 1964 on, much easier still.

For some reason those books from 1962 and earlier are tough as hen's teeth to find in 9.8

I think one of the reasons is that the paper and inks, at least on SA Marvels of that era were different. At some point around 1963 the inks changed, the paper became more glossy and so easier to preserve than the earlier books.

Also, by 1963 you'd have had 2 years of fandom growing who started preserving new books you bought off the newsstand. Marvel was an established brand as can be evidenced by new titles continuing to come out.

Also, culturally, 'pop culture' was starting to take off in general. Stan sensed this and just two years later jumped on the band wagon when Marvel did their "POP ART PRODUCTIONS" indicia on the front cover in 1965. So comics were already gaining a place in pop culture.

I think that's the main reason all the 1962 Marvels are impossible in grades higher than 9.4/9.6

Edited September 20, 2021 by VintageComics

[VintageComics]

On 9/6/2021 at 12:49 AM, peewee22 said:

If there’s ever a 9.8 I’d look at the current 9.6’s potentiality.

Brah, if there hasn't been a 9.8 from an upgrade in the last 10 years it's not happening.

It's going to have to be a fresh copy.

[VintageComics]

On 9/6/2021 at 12:35 PM, jimjum12 said:

Very few early SA books have white pages, yet thousands of them got the designation. Unless I see the book raw, PQ is meaningless to me. I'm also in the camp that if a book has white pages but the cover stock has tanning, it does not deserve the White designation.

There are some issues where there seems to be better over all page quality.

Hulk #1 is one of those books. I think JIM #83 is as well. There are a few others I can't remember right now.

Might have to do with the paper supply they had at the time that it was superior to surrounding months.

[VintageComics]

On 9/6/2021 at 3:57 PM, The lips said:

so the AC1 that went for 3.2 million, was that price inclusive of buyers premium ?

I thought it was hammer price but as I’m far from an expert on auctions then I wouldn’t know 

You mean the $750 eBay fee when it sold?

That book was auctioned on eBay. Fees were negligible.

But for auction houses that charge a 'buyer's premium' you add that price to the value because it's what the bidder factors in to win the book.

[VintageComics]

On 9/7/2021 at 1:30 PM, The lips said:

Thanks 

I was going to stretch to a 3 million but the buyers premium makes it now out of my price range !!! 

Aren't you glad you consulted this comic book forum so that you learned about the Heritage Buyer's Premium before you thew away $3Million?

[VintageComics]

On 9/7/2021 at 4:11 PM, namisgr said:

One thing is for sure if I were a serious bidder on this book: I'd make an appointment with Heritage to view it in person.

Unless you just made $500MIL in Bitcoin. In that case, I'd be at an Airbnb in Malibu @ $50K a day, drinking a pina colada in my tiger skin robe and I'd be telling some lackey to just win the damn thing at all costs and then ship it wrapped in palm leaves and accompanied by 16 Vestal Virgins asap (references to the classic "Whiter Shade of Pale" in A minor.)

[VintageComics]

On 9/7/2021 at 5:09 PM, peewee22 said:

How does CGC split hairs from 9.8 to 9.9? 

A good grader can do it without a microscope. I subbed 11 vintage books (not moderns, which are easier) expecting a 9.9 and got 5 that hit the grade. The others were either candidates or weak and I knew it beforehand. The ones I thought were strong candidates got the grade.

 

[VintageComics]

On 9/7/2021 at 6:48 PM, namisgr said:

TOS 47 and ASM 19 are the two early SA Marvels.

ASM #19 was a huge find. Terry O'Neil had a stack of them and that submission got the 9.9

It's a bit of an anomaly.

By 1965 though, there were storage finds showing up and many SA Marvels became common. I'm not sure if ASM #19 was one of them, though. Might be a bit early.

[VintageComics]

On 9/9/2021 at 5:36 PM, rob_react said:

It's possible that there were people shut out by the outage. If I were looking to bid on this book (or any real rarity) I'd have the phone number handy, for sure. 

I can say with certainty that if someone were bidding this much money on anything, it means they really want it. And if you really want it, you're going to make sure you're in the running. I'd be bidding by phone and not relying on the internet. I'd probably also have a max proxy with my contact in case my phone got disconnected.

When you deal in these numbers you don't just 'wing it'. You make sure it happens.

[VintageComics]

On 9/9/2021 at 8:35 PM, rob_react said:

$40,000 in 1993 was crazy crazy crazy

I paid $225 for a 'mint copy' of ASM #129 and Hulk #181 just 2 years prior.

Which was the better investment?

 

[G.A.tor]

On 9/20/2021 at 3:20 AM, VintageComics said:

When I said we were entering hyperinflation I was nominated for a good tar and feathering.

It’s a financial fact. Not an opinion. 

[VintageComics]

On 9/10/2021 at 11:59 AM, zosocane said:

A 2021 study concluded that Spidey was the world's most popular character, based on Google searches.  And there is no close second.

"Peter Parker’s web slinging alter ego Spider-Man claimed the top spot in 57 countries, including the United States, for a remarkable 48.7% of the share of search volume. To put it in perspective, the next two most Googled superhero names combined didn’t approach that amount. DC stalwarts, Wonder Woman and Batman, came in second and third place, respectively, with 15 countries, and 11 countries respectively. Marvel’s Iron Man and DC’s Superman rounded out the top five."

https://insidethemagic.net/2021/04/worlds-most-popular-superhero-jm1/

This is a cool article but some of it doesn't ring true to me.

For example, why on earth would Canada and Australia care so much about Captain America?

And why would Russia be enamoured by Wonder Woman?

This is based on Google searches, right? So I wonder how many of the Google searches are corrupted data. For example, Canadians may search the words Captain and America but not actually be looking for the character.

And I know Brasil has a soccer star named Hulk, which would account for a MASSIVE number of Google searches from Brazil, certainly WAY MORE searches than for an American comic book character.

Now the WW things in Russia? I have no explanation for that. Anybody?

[Mr bla bla]

On 9/20/2021 at 7:29 PM, VintageComics said:

This is a cool article but some of it doesn't ring true to me.

For example, why on earth would Canada and Australia care so much about Captain America?

And why would Russia be enamoured by Wonder Woman?

This is based on Google searches, right? So I wonder how many of the Google searches are corrupted data. For example, Canadians may search the words Captain and America but not actually be looking for the character.

And I know Brasil has a soccer star named Hulk, which would account for a MASSIVE number of Google searches from Brazil, certainly WAY MORE searches than for an American comic book character.

Now the WW things in Russia? I have no explanation for that. Anybody?

Wunder Woman is a russian mega-porrhn star. Are you serious that you dont know her ?

[VintageComics]

On 9/20/2021 at 2:58 PM, Mr bla bla said:

Wunder Woman is a russian mega-porrhn star. Are you serious that you dont know her ?

OK, I'm Slavic but I've never heard of this. Please tell me you're pulling my leg (and I am NOT going to Google it)

I can see "Wunderbar Woman" being a thing. It has a ring to it.

[zosocane]

On 9/20/2021 at 1:29 PM, VintageComics said:

This is a cool article but some of it doesn't ring true to me.

For example, why on earth would Canada and Australia care so much about Captain America?

And why would Russia be enamoured by Wonder Woman?

This is based on Google searches, right? So I wonder how many of the Google searches are corrupted data. For example, Canadians may search the words Captain and America but not actually be looking for the character.

And I know Brasil has a soccer star named Hulk, which would account for a MASSIVE number of Google searches from Brazil, certainly WAY MORE searches than for an American comic book character.

Now the WW things in Russia? I have no explanation for that. Anybody?

FWIW, my significant other is Brazilian, and she tells me Hulk far and away is the most popular super-hero in Brazil.  (It's her personal favorite, too.)  I don't think it's a coincidence that the 2008 Marvel Studios Hulk film's opening scenes were filmed in Rio/Brazil.

[VintageComics]

On 9/20/2021 at 3:04 PM, zosocane said:

FWIW, my significant other is Brazilian, and she tells me Hulk far and away is the most popular super-hero in Brazil.  (It's her personal favorite, too.)  I don't think it's a coincidence that the 2008 Marvel Studios Hulk film's opening scenes were filmed in Rio/Brazil.

Fascinating. I had no idea.

Hulk's soccer career also started around that time period (2009) but he had his nickname since childhood.

Did she give any indication of why Hulk is so popular there? I have some Brazilian friends I'm going to ask.

[Mr bla bla]

On 9/20/2021 at 9:04 PM, VintageComics said:

OK, I'm Slavic but I've never heard of this. Please tell me you're pulling my leg (and I am NOT going to Google it)

I can see "Wunderbar Woman" being a thing. It has a ring to it.

Puuh-leece google it.

shes hot ...

no i am joking 😎

[zosocane]

 

On 9/20/2021 at 3:11 PM, VintageComics said:

Did she give any indication of why Hulk is so popular there? I have some Brazilian friends I'm going to ask.

I asked her.  She said that the late 70s/early 80s Hulk TV show with Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno was extremely popular in Brazil in syndication throughout the 80s, for both young and old.  She said that Bixby's Banner was a very tragic figure and sympathetic to Brazilian audiences. It had the vibe of a telenovela, which are quite popular throughout Brazil.

Please play the music below when reading my comment and watching the gif above to maintain mood and atmosphere.  Thank you.

 

[fishbone]

On 9/21/2021 at 3:13 PM, zosocane said:

 

I asked her.  She said that the late 70s/early 80s Hulk TV show with Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno was extremely popular in Brazil in syndication throughout the 80s, for both young and old.  She said that Bixby's Banner was a very tragic figure and sympathetic to Brazilian audiences. It had the vibe of a telenovela, which are quite popular throughout Brazil.

Please play the music below when reading my comment and watching the gif above to maintain mood and atmosphere.  Thank you.