ASM #252 CGC 9.8 Record Sale - something fishy going on? - Holder Tampering Incident confirmed by CGC 50 50

[Happy Noodle Boy]

On 12/31/2023 at 6:59 PM, Chip Cataldo said:

 

They really don't add much to the hobby at all. They're all about clicks and ad revenue. That's it.

I generally agree; most of them are all about the latest key issues based on the latest MCU rumors, and they treat comic books like stocks. But I found one great channel that doesn't treat comics that way, but is instead about the pure love of reading comics. It's called Old Guys Who Love Old Comics  and it's hosted by Jason Mink. It's just Jason introducing you to a different stack of comics every video, opening them up and talking about them. He has no CGC slabs; he doesn't care about condition at all. He just likes reading the books. You never know what kind of comic he's going to pull out of the stack. Gold, silver, bronze; superhero, Archie, horror; Marvel, DC, Atlas, Charlton, Gold Key, Whitman, Dell. Watching him has really revitalized my collecting and reconnected me with my love of comics.

[Chip Cataldo]

On 1/1/2024 at 11:49 AM, Happy Noodle Boy said:

I generally agree; most of them are all about the latest key issues based on the latest MCU rumors, and they treat comic books like stocks. But I found one great channel that doesn't treat comics that way, but is instead about the pure love of reading comics. It's called Old Guys Who Love Old Comics  and it's hosted by Jason Mink. It's just Jason introducing you to a different stack of comics every video, opening them up and talking about them. He has no CGC slabs; he doesn't care about condition at all. He just likes reading the books. You never know what kind of comic he's going to pull out of the stack. Gold, silver, bronze; superhero, Archie, horror; Marvel, DC, Atlas, Charlton, Gold Key, Whitman, Dell. Watching him has really revitalized my collecting and reconnected me with my love of comics.

There are, of course, exceptions to every rule or trend. I'll check him out, thanks! 

[CJ Design]

On 1/1/2024 at 12:58 AM, migmtl76 said:

Eta Nick sure knew when to sell at the peak and bail out

Plus he had a great method (never auctions) of jumping on high grades well below FMV...but as he always said...you gotta know how to grade. His grading cheat sheet is still my template.

 

[CJ Design]

On 1/1/2024 at 8:20 AM, Steven Valdez said:

Indeed... why would anyone NOT request a blue label on an incomplete book if that's an option? Seems not to be quite right.

I have requested a blue .05 on an ASM 20 before that was missing the MF'n pin-up (as many are) .......because it was not over a 4.0 with it and people hate green. If it is a high grade I may have gone the green route.

[Steven Valdez]

On 1/2/2024 at 3:49 AM, Happy Noodle Boy said:

I generally agree; most of them are all about the latest key issues based on the latest MCU rumors, and they treat comic books like stocks. But I found one great channel that doesn't treat comics that way, but is instead about the pure love of reading comics. It's called Old Guys Who Love Old Comics  and it's hosted by Jason Mink. It's just Jason introducing you to a different stack of comics every video, opening them up and talking about them. He has no CGC slabs; he doesn't care about condition at all. He just likes reading the books. You never know what kind of comic he's going to pull out of the stack. Gold, silver, bronze; superhero, Archie, horror; Marvel, DC, Atlas, Charlton, Gold Key, Whitman, Dell. Watching him has really revitalized my collecting and reconnected me with my love of comics.

I really like the Bronze and Modern Gods guys.

[sledgehammer]

On 1/1/2024 at 11:00 AM, CJ Design said:

I have requested a blue .05 on an ASM 20 before that was missing the MF'n pin-up (as many are) .......because it was not over a 4.0 with it and people hate green. If it is a high grade I may have gone the green route.

For years, CGC did not have a green signature series label. That changed

Personally, if I owned this book, I would rather it say Qualified 6.0, than be called a .5.

I own a beautiful looking ASM 3, that is a green label 7.5.

 

 

 

 

[CJ Design]

On 1/1/2024 at 11:17 AM, sledgehammer said:

For years, CGC did not have a green signature series label. That changed

Personally, if I owned this book, I would rather it say Qualified 6.0, than be called a .5.

I own a beautiful looking ASM 3, that is a green label 7.5.

 

 

 

 

Oh yes for sure...but with 4.0 ish and down it's a Blue Preference for me. JMHO.

[Sigur Ros]

On 12/31/2023 at 10:54 PM, HighGrade said:

You underestimate the power of us OCD CGC collectors😁, if someone had pulled off a perfect swap without "any" sign of tampering, you better believe some collector would have found the swapped book

Unless it wasn't sold to one of you and was sold to someone not looking for fraud.

Just saying... you can't possibly know what you claim to know.

[comicwiz]

Post withheld

Edited February 15 by comicwiz

[Sigur Ros]

On 1/1/2024 at 10:48 AM, Buzzetta said:

No...  Here is a book missing pages.  Here is one with a missing back cover and the front cover detached, and the Daredevil is a remaindered copy. 

 

 

 

Here is also one missing the cover.

 

 

[pdags]

On 1/1/2024 at 1:32 PM, comicwiz said:

Just wanted to provide an update.

I really hope CGC compensates you something as a "thank you".

[Dr. Balls]

On 1/1/2024 at 12:14 PM, pdags said:

I really hope CGC compensates you something as a "thank you".

Corporations and businesses don't really work that way. Comicwiz has the appreciation of the collectors, though - that's for sure.

[Microchip]

On 1/2/2024 at 5:32 AM, comicwiz said:

Just wanted to provide an update. The dataset has expanded to 1483 listings, as two different accounts have been confirmed by myself, based on patterns I examined that connected the two. This dataset is sure to expand with the information shared thus far on 4 other possible accounts. I prefer to make that determination independently simply because the notion of doubling my efforts (previously only 778 listings tied to this seller) is one that needs to be measured, particularly in order to make the best use of time.

I quickly scanned through some of the comments, and I just wanted to show this graphic below to reveal one of the patterns I analyze to help with pinpointing potential matches. The colour coded items in the list show the repeating pattern of items which were triggering a recorded sale. While you don't see the dates of these sales, you can see the number of the record set, and that gap should give some indication of passage in time between each time the same item, with the same certification number reappeared for sale, and was recorded as a past sale comparable. The record numbered 196 is the parting point, where I have found 6 Hulk 181's that went from green to blue (records 16-166), and also signifies where the activities of the the second seller alias begins (166-1242). This is where I am focusing my attention, however I am also needing to verify these other aliases and whether I will need to expand the data set. It's a lot of information to sift through, but the patterning has been a help, and I wanted most to share this because this shouldn't be recognized as just any dealer activity, this is someone with motivations to subvert the variables, not only in how we assign value commensure to grade, but how the market determines value based on comparables. Something that as an appraiser concerns me greatly, and which I expanded on recently in another post where I describe "immitation bubbles." This seller not only exploited a number of the variables in the system, but took it to a whole new level.

Below is a Worthpoint screenshot of the very first item from 2016 (number 1242 from the record set), which ties into the above intermingled listings between two different eBay seller accounts, and the red outlined slogan he's used throughout.

 

So what are we looking there.  A clear trend of repeated sales of the same books, across multiple accounts, building at Sales results for the various grades for #181.

What does the number at the start of each line interference to?

This guy looks like a one man market avalanche at this point.   The price escalation (manipulation) of 181 was triggered, or pushed along by a fraudster by the look of things.   It will be interesting to see how much the global pharma consortium exacerbated the FOMO in the rest of the hobby for this book.    I'm thinking not that much, at this point.   This guy alone had things moving along.

 

 

 

[sd2416]

On 1/1/2024 at 12:32 AM, wiparker824 said:

I thought I was meticulous and generally good at self-grading… until I stumbled across his videos probably a decade ago now. Genuinely learned a lot from his YT. Don’t see channels like that anymore. Every channel is just MCU leaked so and so is playing the next villain in Doctor Strange 6, buy this random book now! now! now!

Whats his channel?

[DWL]

On 1/1/2024 at 1:19 PM, Dr. Balls said:

Corporations and businesses don't really work that way. Comicwiz has the appreciation of the collectors, though - that's for sure.

Darn right about that! Appreciate his efforts for sure. 

[Doctor Dositheus]

Uh oh

 

[ADAMANTIUM]

All this does is make an excuse for slab cracktastic videos to be on the internet. If this was any other circumstances people would be saying wth to these videos, as teaching examples. Smh

Edited January 1 by ADAMANTIUM

[CJ Design]

On 1/1/2024 at 3:33 PM, sd2416 said:

Whats his channel?

eta nick....he has a whole series on grading per grade, and a great cheat sheet I still use

[namisgr]

On 1/1/2024 at 4:55 PM, Doctor Dositheus said:

Uh oh

 

This was informative, thanks for posting it.  While he shows a relatively easy heat-based method for opening the top and removing the label, he also admits that upon careful inspection one sees damage to the plastic along the top near and at the two posts.

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 1/1/2024 at 4:05 PM, namisgr said:

This was informative, thanks for posting it.  While he shows a relatively easy heat-based method for opening the top and removing the label, he also admits that upon careful inspection one sees damage to the plastic along the top near and at the two posts.

I can tell you're sincere, but what it is missing?

After he separates he holds it at that end with his fingers, saying does that look apart

Not saying he's squeezing but still take a pic with you're fingers off.

Secondly, when this guy scammer sent to CGC if the guy had glue? Cgc has to fully separate to reholders, and he doesn't say that they then can't see the glue. It might fool buyers, but says it is a "subtle difference and 'is noticable'...

Not a complete confirmation for me 😕 and yet it may feed the narrative