PBA galleries auctioneers new collection 40000+ Every DC 9 9

[IngelsFan]

On 6/4/2023 at 11:00 AM, Mmehdy said:

I recall  in 2016/7  that a 9.4 unrestored CGC copy along with issue 1 of double action comics sold for $80,000 at CC...in that positing it was remarked that the #1 with a black and white cover was even rarer than the number 2...either way it is kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity to get one...with pedigree.

The #1 was an ashcan, and the #2 was a 9.2 on December 15, 2016. That was an unbelievable opportunity.

[sagii]

On 6/4/2023 at 2:52 PM, october said:

Pretty sure he has THE copy. One of the few with "Church" written on the cover too. 

 

[RareHighGrade]

On 6/4/2023 at 9:02 AM, sagii said:

Kind of had an idea that was the case, but wanted a boards concensus if this was the case , either way, I'm fascinated with this book now.

 

Maybe @RareHighGrade has a copy?

Either Double Action 2 or New Adventure 26 is likely the rarest DC.  Because of their perceived rarity and related values, almost all known copies of both issues are slabbed, so the CGC counts of 7 and 8 issues, respectively, are fairly accurate, although there is at least one unslabbed copy of each still out there.

From a purely CGC census standpoint, New Adventure 15 is the least common, with only 2 slabbed Universal copies (4 copies total).

[sfcityduck]

On 6/4/2023 at 12:44 PM, IngelsFan said:

The #1 was an ashcan, and the #2 was a 9.2 on December 15, 2016. That was an unbelievable opportunity.

... for Zaid.

[sfcityduck]

On 6/4/2023 at 4:19 PM, RareHighGrade said:

Either Double Action 2 or New Adventure 26 is likely the rarest DC.  Because of their perceived rarity and related values, almost all known copies of both issues are slabbed, so the CGC counts of 7 and 8 issues, respectively, are fairly accurate, although there is at least one unslabbed copy of each still out there.

 

I disagree.  Plenty of Action 1s still raw.  Less need to get a NA 26 slabbed. New Adventure 26 is exactly the type of book that gets buried in collections b/c of the Action 1 ad.  I suspect that the raw population is higher for that than DA 2 by a fair amount.

I still wonder what Double Action 2 really was.  Was it ever circulated?  The jury seems out on that one.  Weird book.

Ian thought "How to Defend ..." was the rarest DC and there are less copies on the census.  But, I'm not sure it is really a comic - definitely a comic format DC publication that you need for a complete DC collection - but not really a narrative story. Plus, they are still showing up in the wild.

 

[Sqeggs]

On 6/4/2023 at 3:44 PM, IngelsFan said:

The #1 was an ashcan, and the #2 was a 9.2 on December 15, 2016. That was an unbelievable opportunity.

I remember the auction of the DA 2. The seller was getting worried that the book was going to go low. I bid on it but was the under or the under-under or the under-under-under bidder. I was down there somewhere. 

[IngelsFan]

On 6/4/2023 at 4:42 PM, sfcityduck said:

I disagree.  Plenty of Action 1s still raw.  Less need to get a NA 26 slabbed. New Adventure 26 is exactly the type of book that gets buried in collections b/c of the Action 1 ad.  I suspect that the raw population is higher for that than DA 2 by a fair amount.

I still wonder what Double Action 2 really was.  Was it ever circulated?  The jury seems out on that one.  Weird book.

Ian thought "How to Defend ..." was the rarest DC and there are less copies on the census.  But, I'm not sure it is really a comic - definitely a comic format DC publication that you need for a complete DC collection - but not really a narrative story. Plus, they are still showing up in the wild.

 

I would LOVE to know the story of DA2. Even the title seems like an odd choice since it would be more likely to be confused with Action Comics which by then had already been around for 2 years. Supposedly the restored 5.5 was originally bought on a newsstand in NYC. The Comic Connect listing for the DAC 1 ashcan and DAC 2 says that it made it to a few magazine racks in NYC. I would love to know the source of this information. Was this a test run for the title? By this point DC was all in on superheroes, yet this one contained no superhero stories (unless you count Dr Occult), and the book was all reprints. So many questions….

[woowoo]

On 6/4/2023 at 5:43 PM, Sqeggs said:

I remember the auction of the DA 2. The seller was getting worried that the book was going to go low. I bid on it but was the under or the under-under or the under-under-under bidder. I was down there somewhere. 

Hey girl  I was the under-under or the under-under-under bidder

[woowoo]

On 6/4/2023 at 6:37 PM, IngelsFan said:

I would LOVE to know the story of DA2. Even the title seems like an odd choice since it would be more likely to be confused with Action Comics which by then had already been around for 2 years. Supposedly the restored 5.5 was originally bought on a newsstand in NYC. The Comic Connect listing for the DAC 1 ashcan and DAC 2 says that it made it to a few magazine racks in NYC. I would love to know the source of this information. Was this a test run for the title? By this point DC was all in on superheroes, yet this one contained no superhero stories (unless you count Dr Occult), and the book was all reprints. So many questions….

Ian sent me a copy of what Matt Nelson thought it would look like. Ian told me he had a few copies done my Matt for 500.00 each and he sent me a copy when he bought Tec 3 and 4 still have it now. I guess Matt was wrong.

Edited June 5, 2023 by woowoo

[Sqeggs]

On 6/4/2023 at 9:37 PM, IngelsFan said:

I would LOVE to know the story of DA2. Even the title seems like an odd choice since it would be more likely to be confused with Action Comics which by then had already been around for 2 years. Supposedly the restored 5.5 was originally bought on a newsstand in NYC. The Comic Connect listing for the DAC 1 ashcan and DAC 2 says that it made it to a few magazine racks in NYC. I would love to know the source of this information. Was this a test run for the title? By this point DC was all in on superheroes, yet this one contained no superhero stories (unless you count Dr Occult), and the book was all reprints. So many questions….

Kind of like the story that MPFW supposedly actually was given away at one theater in ... Boston, maybe? 

[Sqeggs]

On 6/4/2023 at 9:51 PM, woowoo said:

Hey girl  I was the under-under or the under-under-under bidder

You should have kept bidding, then I would have kept bidding! If only the second mortgage had been approved sooner, I'd own that book. 

[woowoo]

On 6/4/2023 at 7:03 PM, Sqeggs said:

You should have kept bidding, then I would have kept bidding! If only the second mortgage had been approved sooner, I'd own that book. 

I already had buyer's remorse and I was only the under-under bidder and did not even win.

[sfcityduck]

On 6/4/2023 at 6:37 PM, IngelsFan said:

I would LOVE to know the story of DA2. Even the title seems like an odd choice since it would be more likely to be confused with Action Comics which by then had already been around for 2 years. Supposedly the restored 5.5 was originally bought on a newsstand in NYC. The Comic Connect listing for the DAC 1 ashcan and DAC 2 says that it made it to a few magazine racks in NYC. I would love to know the source of this information. 

It would be good to know the provenance on these.  I sort of assume that they may have been stolen out of the DC office (most likely taken home by employees). Comic Connect was more than a little vague:"We believe the Double Action 1, likely the rarest of all DC comics, came from the offices of Sol Harrison, one of the longest-serving members of the DC bullpen, who rose from colorist to production manager and finally to president of DC."  Uh ... "believe"?  Didn't the owner know?  

Call me a cynic, but I assume that all "provenances" that are vague likely are for a reason - dealer might have gotten too good a deal and didn't want the sucker original owner being found by others, employee had sticky fingers like with the Marvel OA, etc.  Here, I think this story is like the Marvel OA.  Too many of these books came out at one time to have all been from a really limited distribution release to newstands.  One copy came out before OPG 7.  Then in OPG 10 or 11, there's suddenly four more copies plus the DA 1.  I dunno. I suspect maybe Harrison had a copy and that came out first (maybe around the same time as the ashcans), then the other copies came out of the "vaults".  Just a thought.

Edited June 5, 2023 by sfcityduck

[woowoo]

On 6/4/2023 at 7:01 PM, Sqeggs said:

Kind of like the story that MPFW supposedly actually was given away at one theater in ... Boston, maybe? 

I did copy the pictures of the Sub Story from MPFW years ago from someone. Here they are. I done this 3 times and the pages are still out of order when I upload let me know if you can figure it out if not, I look and tell you.

Edited June 5, 2023 by woowoo

[Bronty]

On 6/4/2023 at 9:55 PM, woowoo said:

Ian sent me a copy of what Matt Nelson thought it would look like. Ian told me he had a few copies done my Matt for 500.00 each and he sent me a copy when he bought Tec 3 and 4 still have it now. I guess Matt was wrong.

That cover never passed the smell test for me.   It’s crudely drawn, poorly inked, the subject is unusual, etc.   IMO it just doesn’t look or feel right for what it purports to be.

The purple figure has far too many lines for something from 1940 and all at the same line weight ?   In the day of inking with brushes?   It looks like it was inked with a sharpie 😂 
 

So, I have to ask because I never knew or have forgotten - where  did that artwork come from? 

Edited June 5, 2023 by Bronty

[RareHighGrade]

On 6/4/2023 at 7:19 PM, sfcityduck said:

It would be good to know the provenance on these.  I sort of assume that they may have been stolen out of the DC office (most likely taken home by employees). Comic Connect was more than a little vague:"We believe the Double Action 1, likely the rarest of all DC comics, came from the offices of Sol Harrison, one of the longest-serving members of the DC bullpen, who rose from colorist to production manager and finally to president of DC."  Uh ... "believe"?  Didn't the owner know?  

Call me a cynic, but I assume that all "provenances" that are vague likely are for a reason - dealer might have gotten too good a deal and didn't the sucker original owner being found by others, employee had sticky fingers like with the Marvel OA, etc.  Here, I think this story is like the Marvel OA.  Too many of these books came out at one time to have all been from a really limited distribution release to newstands.  One copy came out before OPG 7.  Then in OPG 10 or 11, there's suddenly four more copies plus the DA 1.  I dunno. I suspect maybe Harrison had a copy and that came out first (maybe around the same time as the ashcans), then the other copies came out the "vaults".  Just a thought.

The DA #1 and the high grade copies and color proof for DA #2 likely came from the Sol Harrison estate.  The 2-3 known lower grade copies of DA #2 were probably the product of a limited distribution.

Edited June 5, 2023 by RareHighGrade

[sfcityduck]

On 6/4/2023 at 7:26 PM, RareHighGrade said:

The DA #1 and the high grade copies and color proof for DA #2 likely came from the Sol Harrison estate.  The 2-3 known lower grade copies of DA #2 were probably the product of a limited distribution.

If so, I would have thought Moondog would know.  But he never said he did. My recollection may be faulty, but I think he said the opposite. He and Zaid seemed to work together on ashcan stuff, but Zaid never claimed to know either.  So I assume that Sol Harrison wasn't the seller.  I assume they came from someone else at DC.  

The really beat up copies do look like they came from the "wild", but DC used to give away stuff like this to kids who visited the office.  If they had a stack of worthless comics for a title that they never got off the ground (the story is MLJ beat them to it - for awhile MLJ marketed itself as "Double Action Comics" and may have reached a gentlemens agreement with DC to keep the TM but not use it for a particular title), then that would be prime material to give away.  One of the ashcans on the market had that backstory.  So unless someone can document where the limited distribution in Connecticut or Manhattan (which is actually almost the same story for the Nightingale - except its documented for that very rare comic) came from then it is hard for me to give it any credence.

Edited June 5, 2023 by sfcityduck

[Mmehdy]

this auction has something for everyone...hopefully no jacked up BP, crazy shipping charges are tacked on.....

[sfcityduck]

Gary/Moondog did weigh in 

On 6/4/2023 at 8:38 PM, Mmehdy said:

this auction has something for everyone...hopefully no jacked up BP, crazy shipping charges are tacked on.....

I live in SF.  You can drive down.  No problems.

[sfcityduck]

Speaking of Moondog/Gary knowing:

He says:

Quote

 

When I was buying the first groups of ashcans from Sol Harrison in 1986 there were only 2 loose covers and no complete copies. Fishler bought one cover and I bought the other. His cover ultimately was married to a low grade copy. My cover was sold in 2004 and to my knowledge the buyer still has it as a loose cover so I don't believe there are two married copies out there.

I never found out where those 1979 copies originated, Mark. I will add that Ray Belden, a local Chicago dealer/collector, had one for sale at an old Wabash YMCA show in 1975/76. It was a very nice looking book.

 

My surmise is that the Belden copy was the first to emerge back in 1975.  The next four or five were from DC.  And the two covers were from Harrision (and Fischler married one into a book).  

The copy that showed up from eBay in 1979 was already restored when the buyer bought it from eBay.  That copy ended up with Zaid for a while, so either has two copies now or sold it.  

So a group showed up around the same time.