Ditko Collection 1 1

[comicginger1789]

On 8/31/2022 at 11:33 AM, mr_highgrade said:

At the end of the day it doesn't really matters what I think,  those books are gonna sell like hot cakes regardless. 

This right here. They all look relatively the same condition wise. To suggest someone curated this collection and is trying to pass it off as Ditkos is not impossible but I do think it feels kind of silly to make that your belief simply because it goes against some preconceived notions about the man. Plus if enough of the right people authenticate them (family, overseers of his estate, etc) then that is good enough for me. I know we would all like to have heard Steve himself say “yeah I kept stuff” but that can’t happen now. 

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 8/31/2022 at 6:28 PM, comicginger1789 said:

This right here. They all look relatively the same condition wise. To suggest someone curated this collection and is trying to pass it off as Ditkos is not impossible but I do think it feels kind of silly to make that your belief simply because it goes against some preconceived notions about the man. Plus if enough of the right people authenticate them (family, overseers of his estate, etc) then that is good enough for me. I know we would all like to have heard Steve himself say “yeah I kept stuff” but that can’t happen now. 

Not to start a can of  but I'll be interested in the back story nonetheless; like if he was sent stuff from fans or just accumulated through means.

Cgc label will only probably say in the collection of Ditko. But I wonder if any of the "news" or details will really even go past that?

[taro90]

There are more books from the Steve Ditko collection? Last September (2021,) Heritage auctioned off a bunch of CGC graded Spider-Man comics from the Steve Ditko collection. 

https://www.ha.com/c/search-results.zx?N=790+231&Nty=1&Ntt="steve+ditko+collection"&ic10=ArchiveTab-071515

 

 

Edited September 1, 2022 by taro90

[taro90]

[Krydel4]

They are definitely not file copies. Lots of chipping on the AF15.

[Krydel4]

On 8/31/2022 at 5:12 PM, taro90 said:

 

 

 

 

On 8/31/2022 at 5:12 PM, taro90 said:

Here are the 2 being shown on Facebook to compare with HA. Would he have multiple copies of the same book on hand? Maybe. But who put these in the HA auction? The nephew? 

[BigLeagueCHEW]

On 8/31/2022 at 6:15 PM, Krydel4 said:

They are definitely not file copies. Lots of chipping on the AF15.

@kav Thoughts on that AF15?  I say a lot of wild turkey and tossing the book across the room.

[kav]

On 8/31/2022 at 5:52 PM, BigLeagueCHEW said:

@kav Thoughts on that AF15?  I say a lot of wild turkey and tossing the book across the room.

could have picked his teeth with 'em.

[BigLeagueCHEW]

On 8/31/2022 at 6:58 PM, kav said:

could have picked his teeth with 'em.

Is that where cream to off white pages come from? 

[PKJ]

On 8/31/2022 at 8:30 PM, Krydel4 said:

 

Here are the 2 being shown on Facebook to compare with HA. Would he have multiple copies of the same book on hand? Maybe. But who put these in the HA auction? The nephew? 

The Nephew submitted them, Heritage had a write up in their catalogs in the September auctions last year. I am surprised HA did not get one of the "big" books in with the run they had.

 I was bidding on a few and the prices were above what I expected them to go for. 

The coverless copies had Steve written on them based on the pictures but the other books had no notes of names written on the inside.

 

 

 

Edited September 1, 2022 by PKJ

[kav]

On 8/31/2022 at 6:01 PM, BigLeagueCHEW said:

Is that where cream to off white pages come from? 

yes also the bits of chicken.

[Krydel4]

So the Heritage Auction sold ASM 5-38.

https://comics.ha.com/c/search-results.zx?N=52+790+231+4294944215&Nty=1&Ntk=SI_Titles&Ntt="Steve+Ditko+Collection"+Spider-Man 

Why not the AF15 and ASM 1-4 as well at the same time? Also Ditko sent duplicates of the comics? As well as the Heritage ones look to be in worse shape than these ones.

Heritage is a much bigger auction house than the one they are going with for this auction. This doesn't really add up.

[Prince Namor]

On 8/31/2022 at 10:38 AM, lordbyroncomics said:

I don't know if he kept copies of all of his books. Whatever he had, I presume that his nephew Mark obtained ownership of them and is handling them via the estate. If Mark is at another event like last year's Ditko Con, one could ask him.

 

I can't find were Mark has commented on this from Facebook - that would certainly shed some light on things...

[lordbyroncomics]

On 9/1/2022 at 4:41 AM, Prince Namor said:

I can't find were Mark has commented on this from Facebook - that would certainly shed some light on things...

Isn't he in the M.Method group? You could tag him to ask. But again- you know me @Prince Namor, I know who Ivan Briggs is and his name carries weight, he's reputable and a well known figure in regards to rare and valuable acquisitions- as soon as I saw his name involved, I knew this was genuine. 

[PKJ]

When Heritage had these no one mentioned them on here until right at the end of the auctions and I am not sure there was any social media awareness. Could be that Mark felt they could have been marketed better. Based on what I have seen here and social media that has happened, now we will see if it has better sales impact. I for one was happy the first run was under the radar.

 

 

 

[Terry JSA]

Any reason as to why these aren’t going through a bigger auction house like Heritage?

Edited September 2, 2022 by Terry JSA

[Krydel4]

On 9/2/2022 at 9:21 AM, PKJ said:

When Heritage had these no one mentioned them on here until right at the end of the auctions and I am not sure there was any social media awareness. Could be that Mark felt they could have been marketed better. Based on what I have seen here and social media that has happened, now we will see if it has better sales impact. I for one was happy the first run was under the radar.

 

 

 

This feels really unlike Heritage though. They pump things to the Moon (Promise collection anyone?). I'm mean it's only the personal collection of Spider-Man comics by the co-creator of Spider-Man. 

[BLUECHIPCOLLECTIBLES]

On 8/31/2022 at 6:54 AM, shadroch said:

First they find boxes of Stan's file copies, after years of him saying he had none.

Then Mile High Chuck discovers a pallet of his MH2 books after years of saying they were mixed into his inventory.

Now the Ditko estate finds Steve's long lost books. 

Color me dubious.

Stan himself gave the books to Heritage (not, as implied some relative or friend labeled as ambiguous "they").

During the years of "him saying he had none" he was also saying he kept books for reference.  

He gave Heritage fewer Spider-man comics than Ditko's nephews brought forth -- after Ditko's death -- in the first round of books through HA.

I've met plenty of people who were influential in their careers who claim to have been much more casual about keeping souvenirs than they actually were.  Nothing especially unusual that Lee would do so.  And disgruntled Ditko even more so, 

Ditko see-sawed between disparaging his creations as work for hire, and occasionally letting his actual pride show through.  He said he didn't bother to save the comics or even to pay attention to what was going on with Spider-man

AND YET -- t he apparently clipped countless articles about spider-man and his part in it.  So I believe it's quite possible he downplayed his efforts to keep stuff to make it appear he wasn't as prideful as he actually was.

That said, I would feel more assured, if Ditko had acknowledged these himself.   But that would be against his nature. 

It's in keeping with what we know of his nature that any books found would be comp copies that showed up in boxes tucked away with personal items dating back to the 60s

And I wonder, however, why these weren't discovered sooner  It's been years now since Steve died. 

Why didn't buyers know about second batch of books when they bid on the first batch though Heritage, which was presented, IIRC, as the only copies Ditko saved, and which were, in addition, one step removed because he'd sent them to his nephews.  Now, will people bidding on these do so with the assumption that there are still more to be found?

Some clarity from the estate, prior to the auction, would be nice

And clarity, here it isL  From the auction site:

 

A note on the Ditko Collection: Steve Ditko owned from one to three copies of each of the 41 Spider-Man comics that he drew (comprising Amazing Fantasy #15, Amazing Spider-Man #s 1-38, and Amazing Spider-Man Annual #s 1 & 2). The only complete set of 41 Spidey comics belonging to Ditko is featured in this sale; an incomplete set of 23 Spidey comics was offered last year by another auction house; and a final incomplete set of 19 Spidey comics will be offered by PBA next year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2022 by BLUECHIPCOLLECTIBLES