Detective comics 73...Outrageously Priced? 1 1

[Comiclover3000]

Hey everyone.

 

I recently saw a CGC 1.5 Restored Detective Comics 73 being sold for $3,750.

 

According to comicsprice guide, a 1.5 non-restored cgc version is only worth $70.

In the description he says not to low ball him.

 

Am I missing something here?

Edited January 30, 2023 by Comiclover3000

[Semicentennial]

$70 for that book is insane.   The book is worth much more than that.   That website is not a very good place to go to get accurate pricing.   They use an algorithm to come up with their graded prices instead of actual prices.  For a book like that, that doesn't get sold very often,  it's harder to get an accurate price but $70 is way off for such a key book. 

[Point Five]

You should subscribe to https://comics.gpanalysis.com/ for accurate GA sales data. Comicspriceguide is... not that.

Looks like this same book (purple label 1.5 with trimming) sold for $2325 in 2021, so that's probably a good ballpark. And the floor for any complete copy is likely in the $1-2K range.

 

[Comiclover3000]

Ok thanks everyone 

I'll sign up for the other website.

 

Didn't realize how bad comicsprice guide was.

 

Do people sill want a restored version of this book?

[ThothAmon]

On 1/30/2023 at 9:52 AM, Comiclover3000 said:

Ok thanks everyone 

I'll sign up for the other website.

 

Didn't realize how bad comicsprice guide was.

 

Do people sill want a restored version of this book?

I’m holding out. 

[Point Five]

On 1/30/2023 at 9:52 AM, Comiclover3000 said:

Do people sill want a restored version of this book?

'ALL 3 EDGES TRIMMED' is the biggest problem for this particular copy. That's a turn-off for most collectors unless you basically can't get a copy of the book in question any other way.

But in general, sure, IMO there is a robust market for restored GA books as well as unrestored.

 

[Comiclover3000]

On 1/30/2023 at 10:21 AM, Point Five said:

 unless you basically can't get a copy of the book in question any other way.

 

 

What's your opinion on this listing?

It doesn't really seem like there is any other way to get it.

[Comiclover3000]

On 1/30/2023 at 9:39 AM, Point Five said:

You should subscribe to https://comics.gpanalysis.com/ for accurate GA sales data. Comicspriceguide is... not that.

Looks like this same book (purple label 1.5 with trimming) sold for $2325 in 2021, so that's probably a good ballpark. And the floor for any complete copy is likely in the $1-2K range.

 

So if I'm understanding correctly, this is an overpriced listing?

[Sauce Dog]

On 1/30/2023 at 12:51 PM, Comiclover3000 said:

So if I'm understanding correctly, this is an overpriced listing?

Yup, still over priced but this is one of those books that is always a sellers game; it comes up rarely, and is a fairly in demand iconic cover, so often they can just sit on an overpriced listing and see what happens.

I want one, but alas need to find a copy for around $1k in order to get in on it.

[Comiclover3000]

On 1/30/2023 at 1:04 PM, Sauce Dog said:

Yup, still over priced but this is one of those books that is always a sellers game; it comes up rarely, and is a fairly in demand iconic cover, so often they can just sit on an overpriced listing and see what happens.

I want one, but alas need to find a copy for around $1k in order to get in on it.

Yeah, as much as I'd like to have this book, I feel like there are other books in the same price range that would be a better deal.

[OtherEric]

On 1/30/2023 at 9:51 AM, Comiclover3000 said:

So if I'm understanding correctly, this is an overpriced listing?

Let's call it extremely optimistic.  But I don't think asking 50% over the last sale of the exact same copy of a hot, scarce book is crazy, either.

[shadroch]

On 1/30/2023 at 11:11 AM, Comiclover3000 said:

Yeah, as much as I'd like to have this book, I feel like there are other books in the same price range that would be a better deal.

It's a sellers market on those books.  The seller can't easily replace it so why not get good money for it.

[fifties]

On 1/30/2023 at 9:50 AM, Comiclover3000 said:

 

What's your opinion on this listing?

It doesn't really seem like there is any other way to get it.

Welcome to the Golden Age collecting frenzy. 

As noted previously, it's a sellers market.  You can grab it now, and later on -if it's eventually possible- upgrade and ideally sell this copy for a profit.  There are books that have taken me over 15 years to U/G, but in the meantime I had a beater copy, and damn glad that I did.

[batman_fan]

Someone would have to hand me a b-load of money to pry mine out of my hands

[Semicentennial]

On 1/30/2023 at 7:21 AM, Point Five said:

'ALL 3 EDGES TRIMMED' is the biggest problem for this particular copy. That's a turn-off for most collectors unless you basically can't get a copy of the book in question any other way.

But in general, sure, IMO there is a robust market for restored GA books as well as unrestored.

 

I have no issues with buying restored books but trimmed pages or covers are a no-buy for me.  I'd rather get one with a detached and split cover than a "higher grade" trimmed book.  

[buttock]

On 1/30/2023 at 2:43 PM, batman_fan said:

Someone would have to hand me a b-load of money to pry mine out of my hands

If a 1.5 is worth $70, that's got to be $6-700.  Easily. 

Follow me for more pricing and investment advice!

Edited January 30, 2023 by buttock

[Semicentennial]

On 1/30/2023 at 6:52 AM, Comiclover3000 said:

Ok thanks everyone 

I'll sign up for the other website.

 

Didn't realize how bad comicsprice guide was.

 

Do people sill want a restored version of this book?

This is unfortunate especially considering people who don't know much about comics prices may just type "comic book price guide" into their browser and wind up getting that web site.  Imagine inheriting a bunch of old books and using that site to not only price your books but to use their marketplace to sell them.  It's always good to have more than one source for pricing.  

[Telegan]

Just my opinion, but :

Not only did that book (a restored CGC 1.5) get sold for $2325, but it was that exact book that was sold for that price.  Also, as others said, it's a restored copy (purple label) that probably has the worst type of restoration collectors want to see in a comic, and it was done to 3 edges (trimming).  Then again, this is one of those comics I think people will pay "whatever" for a lot of times just to have since it does come up for auction somewhat infrequently.

Consider that it was last sold at that $2325 price in July 2021, too -- pretty much within the market craze and comic prices ramp-up we had.

From GPA :

A Universal (blue) label 1.0 sold for $1968 in January 2021.
A Universal (blue) label 1.8 sold for $2600 in March 2021.
A Universal (blue) label 3.5 sold for $5040 in January 2022.

There are 84 CGC-graded copies on the census of that issue and a bunch of them (about 51) are graded 4.5 or lower.  About 33 are graded 2.5 or lower.

What would I do?  It probably doesn't matter, since I'm not a huge Batman/Detective Comics/DC fan (*ducks*), but, if in a similar position, I'd pass up the opportunity unless they come down on that price a lot.  You could also ask them to come down on the price (to me, a lot), but then buy it, hold onto it and just wait until a blue label version comes up for sale and see if you can acquire that, then try to sell this one.  Assuming you care about the blue vs. purple/trimming issue.  BTW, there's one up for sale on ComicLink's Exchange, but they're asking for the moon.  Maybe you could give them an offer. *shrug*

Waiting may be the most difficult part since these don't really come up for sale a lot, but the way I look at it is unless this is the comic you must have to complete something or something you just have to have for whatever reason, there are tons of great Golden Age books out there that will come up often you could spend that money on and not have to worry about "did I pay too much for that trimmed/purple label copy?" as you stare at it for months/years. But that's something only you can answer. lol.

[Timeless icons]

On 1/30/2023 at 7:11 PM, Telegan said:

Just my opinion, but :

Not only did that book (a restored CGC 1.5) get sold for $2325, but it was that exact book that was sold for that price. 

Understandable that you view it as a detractor. First, you're finding out that $70 is waaaaaay off the fair market value of what it actually is but at the same time, you're seeing a price hike from that last sale. A few things to consider.

As it's been pointed out, it's a tough book with all things considered. The second thing is, GPA (gpanalysis) is a great tool to assist in figuring out a real fair market value but it doesn't track certain sites that are known for selling the same books at higher prices than say...Ebay. A good example of this would be Comiclink.com. Many of the keys you see today are constantly hitting higher prices than the GPA lists simply because Comiclink.com and other similar sites don't report to GPA (though many do). Reasoning for this is because if you're buying a book for lets say, 10k...would you rather trust a website that's been in existence for several decades or some guy you've never met on Ebay that you have to trust with your big purchase? Many buyers prefer to buy from reputable sites for said purchases and will spend more for peace of mind. It isn't uncommon for a book to sell for a certain price and then a few months later, that exact same copy resurfaces to shatter the record sale it had only a few months ago. (see action comics 1 cgc 6.0 rocket copy for an example, though this is an extreme example) Books that are plentiful in all grades are one thing but the rarer higher grade stuff out there that's hard to obtain usually follow this same scenario. 

I agree with the above statements though. Not a fan of trimming of any kind but if you're not looking to spend thousands more or you have the patience to hold out for a similar copy without restoration, maybe an offer somewhere in between the last listed price and their asking price is a good place to start. Good luck if you do decide to make an offer though. It's a cool book to be sure. 

[Timeless icons]

On 1/30/2023 at 4:43 PM, batman_fan said:

Someone would have to hand me a b-load of money to pry mine out of my hands

Seriously? That thing is sick.