High Grade find from 1965!

[Red Hook]

[OldGuy]

[burntboy]

this is going to get interesting...........

 

now that the hi-res scans are available, i wonder what some of the high bidders will do?? the ASM 28's (while nice looking books) are so far short of NM as to be ridiculous.

 

and there are some zero feedback bidders in the mix on some books, as well.

 

i'm not sure i necessarily believe everything that's been sadi about these purchases, but ya gotta respect the hype that's been generated.

 

in many ways this feels a lot like the "granddad's GA collection" from a few weeks ago..........good marketing ploys, both.......................

 

but if it's all true, ya gotta love the thought of running into 5 bags of these babies..........

[HouseofComics.Com]

We may be saying the same thing regarding the MH 2 collection. These were unsold copies that never made it out of the warehouse.

 

 

Yes, I agree with you. Your info about actual prices paid, a penny here, 2.5 cents here, is very interesting.

 

When I was a kid in the 70s these illegal "packs" were 25 cents in convenience stores (the only place I ever saw them) for two comics and the entire cover was torn off. So I guess we put these on the slightly less illegal side? The covers were returned for credit but then instead of being pulped the comics were resold?

 

I'm definitely familiar with the top third cover torn off but have only seen that on older comics. Usually 50s or older but we have an Amazing Adult Fantasy 11 right now like that.

 

In the 80s I remember Kirby Tardy getting me some Punisher minis #1s that he got from a Grand Rapids newsstand distributor after the issue had sold out in shops. So yeah, these relationships are there and across the country, stuff happened to lots of books.

 

Let me pass along three stories that are out there. I read them in CBM or Tales from the Database, etc.

 

1) Robert Beerbohm claimed in CBM that the Mafia was dumping money into comics in the early 1970s. Actually parking tons of unsold comics in warehouses. He claims to have been offered cases of early Conans at a buck each. He also made the claim that THE reason Conan #3 was thought to be scarce is because the Mafia guy forgot to pick up that issue whereas he grabbed thousands of the other early issues. (Of course I believe Rozanski claimed in one of his columns that he was the cause of #3 being scarce in the Denver area.)

 

2) I believe it was Rozanski who said that in the 1970s, the execs at DC suspected a distributor of cheating them so they specifically coded that distributor's comics at the printing plant. And then the exec (Levitz?) got a visit from a very unfriendly mobster type person who essentially told him not to do that again.

 

3) Was it on these boards that somone speculated that the reason certain Byrne titles like Iron Fist and Champions were canceled despite having Marvel's hottest artist was because serious caseloads of these comics were being stolen? That is, some sort of sad cause and effect where the art is great so the title is doomed because they are disappearing off of trucks. I have no idea if this makes any sense. I mentioned this to some old-time collector dealers last month and they told me that Byrne really wasn't popular until later. Ie, into the X-Men run.

 

Marc

[Dick Pontoon]

I'm definitely familiar with the top third cover torn off but have only seen that on older comics. Usually 50s or older but we have an Amazing Adult Fantasy 11 right now like that.

 

I used to buy them that way (coverless, too) at Northeast Five&Dime stores in the 70s.

[Davenport]

this is going to get interesting...........

 

now that the hi-res scans are available, i wonder what some of the high bidders will do?? the ASM 28's (while nice looking books) are so far short of NM as to be ridiculous.

OMG. It's beyond rediculous. It took forever just to load that ASM 28 page, but wow, I almost fell out laughing.

How can someone declare "books have never seen sunlight" when one of them clearly has a sun faded logo box? There's another with a spine that looks like a piano keyboard.

And "NM Condition, no really it is NM!!" Please.

[sckao]

 

Why is everyone focusing on the ASM #28? Is it because that's the copy you were interested in since it is supposedly the rarest?

 

Everyone asked the guy to provide larger scans of each book and he complied. Then a lot of people continued to jump on him.

 

The ASM 28 is the only book that has skyrocketed on speculation. Many of the other books are still very reasonable. Look at the photos and make your own determination.

 

It's too easy to turn into a lynch mob on these boards...

[mister_not_so_nice]

!

[micmack]

Everyone here wishes they found these books. I think it's the manner to which he claims the condition to be, "NM as to how they came off the press" is the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard and I'm sure he knows it. For what they are, the books are very nice for the condition they are in. And it's not just the ASM 28. One of the FF #48's has an 1/8" tear on the back!

[bobpfef]

 

3) Was it on these boards that somone speculated that the reason certain Byrne titles like Iron Fist and Champions were canceled despite having Marvel's hottest artist was because serious caseloads of these comics were being stolen? That is, some sort of sad cause and effect where the art is great so the title is doomed because they are disappearing off of trucks. I have no idea if this makes any sense. I mentioned this to some old-time collector dealers last month and they told me that Byrne really wasn't popular until later. Ie, into the X-Men run.

 

I heard the same story, but it was with the O'Neil / Adams Green Lantern instead of Iron Fist or Champions.

[FlamingCarrot]

I think everyone should avoid this auction. I heard the seller eats babies.

[Davenport]

Why is everyone focusing on the ASM #28? Is it because that's the copy you were interested in since it is supposedly the rarest?

 

Everyone asked the guy to provide larger scans of each book and he complied. Then a lot of people continued to jump on him.

 

The ASM 28 is the only book that has skyrocketed on speculation. Many of the other books are still very reasonable. Look at the photos and make your own determination.

 

It's too easy to turn into a lynch mob on these boards...

Lynch mob? I was just shocked that's all. The pictures should illustrate the seller's description, right? Here's the seller's auction:

Amazing Spiderman #28 NM - Flawless-white pages-No RES

 

The word "Flawless" communicates a state of preservation, it's the word he used. And he reinforces that expectancy with a more detailed description: "The condition is near mint if not mint. The corners are sharp, the pages are white with vibrant colors, the covers are magnificent with no fading, marks or blemishes."

 

Ok? His words, not mine. Break it down... "near mint if not mint", "magnificent", "flawless", "vibrant", "no fading, marks or blemishes". That's VERY clear communication of what to expect.

 

Now go look at those hi rez pictures.

[Mr. Zipper]

Now go look at those hi rez pictures.

 

I tried. Even on DSL, after 15 minutes the pics were still only half loaded.

 

[supapimp]

bah! the ASM 28 CGC VF+ 8.5 i won from aardvark88 was in WAY better condition than these "NM" copies. i wish i still had it.

 

[Davenport]

Now go look at those hi rez pictures.

 

I tried. Even on DSL, after 15 minutes the pics were still only half loaded.

 

That sounds about right Zipper. It took a looooong time with cable high speed broadband. I doubt many casual eBayer's will go to the trouble.

[divad]

Why is everyone focusing on the ASM #28? Is it because that's the copy you were interested in since it is supposedly the rarest?

 

Everyone asked the guy to provide larger scans of each book and he complied. Then a lot of people continued to jump on him.

 

The ASM 28 is the only book that has skyrocketed on speculation. Many of the other books are still very reasonable. Look at the photos and make your own determination.

 

It's too easy to turn into a lynch mob on these boards...

 

 

Shin,

 

We are just reacting to what we see and read. There's no duty to defend this guy here, nor do we seek to condemn him. In reality, we would have all liked to find these boxes - we may be envious of his find, but certainly no one is jealous or hostile. He's dug himself a hole by his marketing misrepresentations, and he will suffer the consequences and wrath of someone spending over $500 on a $50 to $100 book . . . and then he has the nerve to flip us off

 

Do I really need to buy the best copy of his Sgt. Fury #27, pay $9 somethin' to get it shipped in a plain envelope (see Jeff's earlier post) to validate his BS? I think not . . . do I care what he thinks? Hardly

 

- David

[divad]

Now go look at those hi rez pictures.

 

I tried. Even on DSL, after 15 minutes the pics were still only half loaded.

 

That sounds about right Zipper. It took a looooong time with cable high speed broadband. I doubt many casual eBayer's will go to the trouble.

 

Obfuscate confusion . . .

[sckao]

Lynch mob? I was just shocked that's all. The pictures should illustrate the seller's description, right? Here's the seller's auction:

Amazing Spiderman #28 NM - Flawless-white pages-No RES

 

The word "Flawless" communicates a state of preservation, it's the word he used. And he reinforces that expectancy with a more detailed description: "The condition is near mint if not mint. The corners are sharp, the pages are white with vibrant colors, the covers are magnificent with no fading, marks or blemishes."

 

Ok? His words, not mine. Break it down... "near mint if not mint", "magnificent", "flawless", "vibrant", "no fading, marks or blemishes". That's VERY clear communication of what to expect.

 

Now go look at those hi rez pictures.

 

He used the same description for all of his auction listings. So his descriptions applied to each of his comics even when it was clearly not true. Are some of them NM? Some could be. Should he have gone back and individually graded each one? Sure. But he also didn't have the foresight to photograph or scan each comic individually as well.

 

At some point, eBay will prevent him from modifying the auction listing so it's already too late.

 

This seller didn't do a lot of things correctly, but he IS trying. Not everyone is out there trying to cheat everyone else. Not everyone is as exact or as demanding as the clientele on this messageboard.

 

It could also be argued that he could have consigned it to Heritage or some other auction house who would then have CGC'd the best candidates and had a much higher overall return with the additional publicity.

[OldGuy]

Not everyone is as exact or as demanding as the clientele on this messageboard.

 

Now that is a fact.

[Davenport]

Maybe I over reacted a bit, sorry, but it was shocking. Like reading "Click Here: Hottest Babe on the Planet!!" And when you do up pops Granny from Beverly Hillbillies (no offense to anyone with a Granny fetish). Like that. Shocked.

 

Here's the logo that looked sun faded to me, compared to another of his books. Not sure if it's light fading, or what caused it, but to me it looks washed out and fades to colorless toward the spine.