completing a complete issue 0

[Unovis]

I have 23 of 24 pages of an late 90's/early 2000 book mid-tier book. I have the opportunity to finally get the last remaining page but, with the market as it now, it is very expensive. I wouldn't even pursue the page on its own since I have so many more pages from the series. So my question is about completing the book... Does actually having a complete run matter? Will it magically take the book from $20k if sold individually to $30k if it is complete? 

Complete issues is not something I have ever priced as they seem to be very rare. But I suspect that breaking up the book would sell for more than the entire book would sell for. But I am really not wanting to break it up and, had the last page been selling for something reasonable, I would not question buying it. But this last page is more expensive than the other 23 pages combined.

So, those who deal artwork regularly, is it worth it go after this page?

[The Voord]

On 8/28/2021 at 9:29 AM, Unovis said:

I have 23 of 24 pages of an late 90's/early 2000 book mid-tier book. I have the opportunity to finally get the last remaining page but, with the market as it now, it is very expensive. I wouldn't even pursue the page on its own since I have so many more pages from the series. So my question is about completing the book... Does actually having a complete run matter? Will it magically take the book from $20k if sold individually to $30k if it is complete? 

Complete issues is not something I have ever priced as they seem to be very rare. But I suspect that breaking up the book would sell for more than the entire book would sell for. But I am really not wanting to break it up and, had the last page been selling for something reasonable, I would not question buying it. But this last page is more expensive than the other 23 pages combined.

So, those who deal artwork regularly, is it worth it go after this page?

Depends on your sense of self-respect and if that last remaining page is realistically priced (sounds like the owner could be practicing extortion?).

I've been trying to put back together two 1965 UK serials for years.  A Spanish collector has one page that's important to me, but has something like 10 x FMV on his page that I'm not about to jump through hoops to acquire.  I've made a very generous offer but will not go the route of masochism to obtain the art.

I own a couple of pre-trend EC complete books (covers and interiors) that I bought in their entirety.  Nothing special to me.

Another run I've been pursuing is the Marshall Rogers Demon With a Glass Hand graphic novel from (I think) 1986.  On that one, I'm just happy to now own ten representative pages plus the cover prelim.  Putting the book back together is never going to happen and it's not my aim.

 

[Bird]

On 8/28/2021 at 4:29 AM, Unovis said:

Will it magically take the book from $20k if sold individually to $30k if it is complete? 

I would be surprised if this is the case, especially if it is a mid tier book. If it is not new and there is no hype to attach, finding a buyer who would pay a premium for the whole book might take time.

the point is moot really without knowing the exact issue though

 

[Twanj]

On 8/28/2021 at 4:29 AM, Unovis said:

But I suspect that breaking up the book would sell for more than the entire book would sell for. But I am really not wanting to break it up and, had the last page been selling for something reasonable, I would not question buying it. But this last page is more expensive than the other 23 pages combined.

So, those who deal artwork regularly, is it worth it go after this page?

Nobody cares unless they care.

You only care because you have the other 23 pages.

In one of the last few Felix podcasts, there's a collector that trying to complete an issue and he waaaaay overpays for a page. Pretty begrudgingly.

[Timely]

It depends on the book and the price. Is the page $300 or $3000?
 

Also, is the missing page the best page, the worst or somewhere in the middle?

 

Most people break up complete issues because the parts are worth more than the whole, as most cannot afford the whole, or don’t want the whole. If your plan down the road is to break it up anyway, no need to buy it. 

[Real Elijah Snow]

If you're the person that owns the 1 page and it's a book that really means something to you then you might be inclined to make the asking price something insane knowing that you won't possibly be able to get another page from the issue. 

Let's say that I have a fairly middling panel page by Jim Lee from X-men issue #277. (This is my favorite issue of the title). Some collector has amassed every other page from the issue. The only way I would even consider selling my lone page is if I could turn that $ into something I like more. Since this is my favorite issue of Uncanny, it would have to be something like a cover or a really good splash from an issue of Uncanny that Lee did. Basically getting something I like more that's similar would be a tall order, so my asking price for that one particular page that the collector needs to complete his issue would likely be 10X+ whatever the collector or any sane person versed in the current market views as FMV. 

Basically my point here is that if I were in this situation as the seller of the last page the guy needs and it was also a book that really meant a lot to me, it would probably be a gross overpay on the buyer's part from their point of view or it would not happen. If this is a page from a book that means less to me I would be more reasonable in my asking price. As an example, I wouldn't be too concerned with which JRjr Uncanny page I have as long as I have one that I like from his original run. Plenty of pages could fit that bill. My asking price for the page the guy needs to complete his issue would be somewhere = to what the cost of getting another similar page would be. 

Calling someone who has the last piece of the puzzle an extortionist is silly to me. You don't know know why that person is asking what they are for that piece. That person doesn't owe you anything. That person certainly doesn't owe you enough to sell at what you view as FMV or FMVx10 or whatever. That person can name their price, and if completing the issue isn't worth that price to the guy trying to do it then it doesn't get done, and it's as simple as that. 

[The Voord]

On 8/28/2021 at 5:51 PM, Real Elijah Snow said:

 

Calling someone who has the last piece of the puzzle an extortionist is silly to me. 

Not when the other person has already declared to me that the page I want is nothing special to him.

[Unovis]

On 8/28/2021 at 6:56 AM, Timely said:

It depends on the book and the price. Is the page $300 or $3000?
 

Also, is the missing page the best page, the worst or somewhere in the middle?

 

Most people break up complete issues because the parts are worth more than the whole, as most cannot afford the whole, or don’t want the whole. If your plan down the road is to break it up anyway, no need to buy it. 

The page is multiple thousands and is the best page in the book. <rant>That is why the #%%# penciller/inker and their rep sold it outside of the deal I had in place to buy the full issue. All three did not care about that deal.</rant> 20 years later I am still trying to piece together the full issue but with the market as it now the page is super expensive. I don't think it is going for more than expected, unlike the other story in this thread, just that I am not sure if it is worth being a completist unless doing so would increase the overall value. If can get the last piece I will never break it up. If cannot I am not sure what I will do with other pages.

[vodou]

On 8/28/2021 at 1:32 PM, Unovis said:

If can get the last piece I will never break it up.

Then it doesn't matter what it costs, only whether you can afford it or not.

On 8/28/2021 at 1:32 PM, Unovis said:

If cannot I am not sure what I will do with other pages.

You'll break them up to maximize return. As a matter of fact, being that you're already halfway there, my guess is this will commence in less than 12 months from today. The stopgap is paying up for that one page. You either do it or don't but I think your attraction to this book at all is on the line.

[cloud cloddie]

On 8/28/2021 at 10:32 AM, Unovis said:

The page is multiple thousands and is the best page in the book. <rant>That is why the #%%# penciller/inker and their rep sold it outside of the deal I had in place to buy the full issue. All three did not care about that deal.</rant> 20 years later I am still trying to piece together the full issue but with the market as it now the page is super expensive. I don't think it is going for more than expected, unlike the other story in this thread, just that I am not sure if it is worth being a completist unless doing so would increase the overall value. If can get the last piece I will never break it up. If cannot I am not sure what I will do with other pages.

If the page is going for market and you can afford it, why not? If this is the last and best page of a book you’ve been trying to put back together, seems like a no brainer. Otherwise, keep the pages you want, sell the rest, and move on. To put it bluntly, sound like this is your s**t or get off the pot moment. 

[malvin]

On 8/28/2021 at 10:32 AM, Unovis said:

The page is multiple thousands and is the best page in the book. <rant>That is why the #%%# penciller/inker and their rep sold it outside of the deal I had in place to buy the full issue. All three did not care about that deal.</rant> 20 years later I am still trying to piece together the full issue but with the market as it now the page is super expensive. I don't think it is going for more than expected, unlike the other story in this thread, just that I am not sure if it is worth being a completist unless doing so would increase the overall value. If can get the last piece I will never break it up. If cannot I am not sure what I will do with other pages.

I don't believe there is a premium for complete issue, rather it is a discount.

People break up books because it fetches more.

Malvin

[Unovis]

On 8/28/2021 at 11:55 AM, malvin said:

I don't believe there is a premium for complete issue, rather it is a discount.

People break up books because it fetches more.

Malvin

Thank you Malvin. That is what I expected. Paying 3K or so for my last page would not be worth it if the entire book is worth less than the sum of the individual pages. If I was intending on breaking up the book I certainly would not bother to get the last page. I had been wanting to get the entire book way back in the day because I loved it. Thanks for confirming it would be a loss at this point to complete it.

JG

[Bird]

print out the page and place it in the story

don't reward the people who bought it out from under your deal

[Real Elijah Snow]

On 8/28/2021 at 1:18 PM, The Voord said:

Not when the other person has already declared to me that the page I want is nothing special to him.

It's silly because it's a misapplication of what extortion means. 

He has the item. You want the item. If you threatened him for the item then that would be extortion. Him telling you that he wants X for the item isn't him extorting you. You could say he's exploiting your need for it, but he's not extorting you. Whether you realize it or not, your own entitlement is why you're even thinking in these terms. 

Just make an offer that you will be ok with, let him know it has an expiration date, and if he decides to keep rather than sell to you then move on. Whether that's keeping a few of the better ones and selling the rest, or just keeping the almost complete issue; whatever. As others have said before me, there is rarely an occasion where the complete issue will be more valuable than the sum of it's parts. 

[Rick2you2]

Assuming the subject hasn’t poisoned you to the book, blow your bankroll, finish the puzzle, and move on with life rather than remain frustrated. Either that, or just burn the dam’n thing and then move on to a healthier obsession.

[Real Elijah Snow]

On 8/28/2021 at 4:59 PM, Rick2you2 said:

Assuming the subject hasn’t poisoned you to the book, blow your bankroll, finish the puzzle, and move on with life rather than remain frustrated. Either that, or just burn the dam’n thing and then move on to a healthier obsession.

Definitely this. 

Make your stand. Let the chips fall where they may. 

Now I'm wondering what the book is..I'll be obsessed with that for the next hour-ish. 

[The Voord]

On 8/28/2021 at 9:43 PM, Real Elijah Snow said:

Just make an offer that you will be ok with, let him know it has an expiration date, and if he decides to keep rather than sell to you then move on. Whether that's keeping a few of the better ones and selling the rest, or just keeping the almost complete issue; whatever. As others have said before me, there is rarely an occasion where the complete issue will be more valuable than the sum of it's parts. 

Don't you think I haven't already done all that?

Maybe 'extortion' isn't the best of descriptions, but when someone tells you that, "If you want me to release this page to you, you're going to have to pay through the nose for it", doesn't exactly seem like a reasonable person to negotiate with.  Yeah, I moved on, but I remember.

Am I trying to put something back together because I think the entire serial be will worth more than the sum of its parts?  Value has nothing to do with it in my case.  I couldn't care less about that.

[Real Elijah Snow]

On 8/28/2021 at 5:23 PM, The Voord said:

Don't you think I haven't already done all that?

Maybe 'extortion' isn't the best of descriptions, but when someone tells you that, "If you want me to release this page to you, you're going to have to pay through the nose for it", doesn't exactly seem like a reasonable person to negotiate with.  Yeah, I moved on, but I remember.

Am I trying to put something back together because I think the entire serial be will worth more than the sum of its parts?  Value has nothing to do with it in my case.  I couldn't care less about that.

I just realized that you aren't the OP. That's my fault for not paying more attention to your screen names. 

If you've moved on then why are you still "trying to put something back together"?

Let it gooooo

Leeeet iiiiitttt goooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Will_K]

On 8/28/2021 at 1:32 PM, Unovis said:

The page is multiple thousands and is the best page in the book. <rant>That is why the #%%# penciller/inker and their rep sold it outside of the deal I had in place to buy the full issue. All three did not care about that deal.</rant>

So you had a deal in place to buy the entire story and then the rep and artists sold that page?  Did you find out about that before or after receiving the pages ? 

From your first post, I thought you were trying re-assemble the story but this sounds much worse.  If I thought I had a deal for an entire story and then a page got pulled, I would've called off the deal.

There was an ebay auction for entire un-inked/unpublished complete story.  Before buying, I asked the seller to confirm all the pages were there.  He confirmed.  Upon receipt, one of the pages was missing.  I asked about the page.  Then he admits he didn't really count the pages.

[The Voord]

On 8/28/2021 at 10:40 PM, Real Elijah Snow said:

I just realized that you aren't the OP. That's my fault for not paying more attention to your screen names. 

If you've moved on then why are you still "trying to put something back together"?

Let it gooooo

Leeeet iiiiitttt goooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Because their might be other pages, I'm after, no?  Just because one door closes, doesn't mean others remain ajar.

How about you letting this one goooooooooo????????

My initial response to the OP was more about the idea that there are some individuals who will try to exploit you.  There, does 'exploit' work better for you?

Edited August 28, 2021 by The Voord