The August Heritage Auction

[143ksk]

Hey, congrats on the Millie #1

 

I was also suprised at where it finished. Had I thought it would go that cheaply, I would have made more of a run at it. I'm at least glad a Board member picked it up

[lou_fine]

Some nice Joker cover Detectives in this auction, but nothing in my grade range.

 

 

 

Detective Comics #118 (DC, 1946) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white pages. A Joker cover, by Sprang no less, graces this issue, which... [Open item in a new window.] Signature CGC VF 8.0 August 12, 2006 $717.00

 

Detective Comics #45 Davis Crippen ("D" Copy) pedigree (DC, 1940) CGC GD/VG 3.0 Off-white pages. This is the Joker's first ... [Open item in a new window.] Signature CGC GD/VG 3.0 August 12, 2006 $448.13

 

Detective Comics #71 (DC, 1943) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white to white pages. Imagine if a supervillain could get away with a new cri... [Open item in a new window.] Signature CGC VF 8.0 August 12, 2006 $1,792.50

 

Detective Comics #91 (DC, 1944) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white to white pages. Humor was one of the main weapons in Sprang's arse... [Open item in a new window.] Signature CGC VF 8.0 August 12, 2006 $836.50

 

Detective Comics #180 Davis Crippen ("D" Copy) pedigree (DC, 1952) CGC VF/NM 9.0 Off-white to white pages. The Joker retires... [Open item in a new window.] Signature CGC VF/NM 9.0 August 12, 2006 $2,629.00

 

Seems to be a bit of a mixed bag on the 'Tec prices here:

 

A couple of books for just a bit over guide, a couple more for multiples to guide, and one for a discount to guide. Same old same old with most of the DC's I guess, as most of them are already priced quite high in guide.

 

Either a classic cover, a high grade, or a hard-to-find is now probably required in order to generate a big multiple for a DC in today's market.

[nearmint]

I hope the buyer on that Bat #37 is planning on holding onto that book for many years. It'll be quite some time before he'll be able to find a buyer at that price or higher.

[batman_fan]

I hope the buyer on that Bat #37 is planning on holding onto that book for many years. It'll be quite some time before he'll be able to find a buyer at that price or higher.

 

I agree, I know it is a truly classic cover, but there is a 9.2, 9.0, and two 8.5s. My copy is restored so that is why I was initially interested in it, but quickly realized it would go way over what I was willing to pay. I was also very interested in the Batman 18, but decided to pursue the Detectives.

[jkrk]

I hope the buyer on that Bat #37 is planning on holding onto that book for many years. It'll be quite some time before he'll be able to find a buyer at that price or higher.

 

 

And I was wondering if $500 was too much to pay in the prior Heritage auction?

 

[Norrin_Radd]

Detective Comics #180 Davis Crippen ("D" Copy) pedigree (DC, 1952) CGC VF/NM 9.0 Off-white to white pages. The Joker retires... [Open item in a new window.] Signature CGC VF/NM 9.0 August 12, 2006 $2,629.00

 

Seems to be a bit of a mixed bag on the 'Tec prices here:

 

A couple of books for just a bit over guide, a couple more for multiples to guide, and one for a discount to guide. Same old same old with most of the DC's I guess, as most of them are already priced quite high in guide.

 

Either a classic cover, a high grade, or a hard-to-find is now probably required in order to generate a big multiple for a DC in today's market.

 

I was watching the #180 even though I knew it was too high grade for me. But it WAY higher than I expected! Guide price in my 2004 Overstreet is $525 for 9.0.

 

This little animated gif best sums up my feelings on the price paid.

 

[batman_fan]

I hope the buyer on that Bat #37 is planning on holding onto that book for many years. It'll be quite some time before he'll be able to find a buyer at that price or higher.

 

 

And I was wondering if $500 was too much to pay in the prior Heritage auction?

 

 

Very nice Batman 37, let me know if you ever decide to part with it!

[tth2]

the Ducks market is very much influenced by the falling U.S. dollar coupled with the huge surge of European purchasers. This movement has been under way for awhile now.

 

 

I think this is mostly true, although I know for certain more than a few duck books in this auction and in recent ebay auctions have been either bid up or won by new US fans of Duck books.

 

I think the European surge for Duck books may serve as a catalyst that garners attention from other US collectors.

Exactly. I think more than a few of the books ended up with US collectors, but they have had to "raise their game" to compete with the Europeans. I can tell you that the skyrocketing prices have definitely caught a lot of dealers' eyes.

[FlyingDonut]

I'm not that tied into the Duck market, but know where some high grade stuff is. Is this price explosion limited to high grades or is a rising tide lifting all boats?

[tb]

the Ducks market is very much influenced by the falling U.S. dollar coupled with the huge surge of European purchasers. This movement has been under way for awhile now.

 

eBay has had an epidemic effect on the European markets. When I collected back in the early 90s, I was aware of a handful of collectors of US books in Denmark. With eBay, new people started discovering the US ducks. They started funding their upgrades by introducing other local collectors to the US titles. The trend is very clear and it is just beginning: there are thousands of serious collectors of local Duck titles all over Europe who eventually will get exposed to the US titles as they become more known and prestigious. The low $ has certainly speeded up this process, but I am sure that increasing awareness is a much stronger and more persistent underlying force.

 

I spent the first 25 years of my life in Denmark and have lived in the US for the last 14. It's hard to overstate how hugely popular the Ducks are back in Northern Europe and Italy. Superheroes essentially do not exist in comparison. This basic observation says a lot about the future international demand for Ducks vs. other US comics.

[Psiknight]

I'm not that tied into the Duck market, but know where some high grade stuff is. Is this price explosion limited to high grades or is a rising tide lifting all boats?

 

I'd say the multiples of guide tend to lie only in the 8.0+ range (mostly 9.0+). It all depends, though. The rarer the book, the lower the grade can be to achieve those multiples.

 

Some heritage examples:

 

Four Color 62 (8.0) 1.9x

FC 108 (8.5) 1.1x

FC 147 (9.0) 1.8x

FC 159 (9.0) 2.2x

FC 189 (7.5) 2.0x

FC 203 (8.0) 1.4x

FC 328 (9.2) 4.8x

FC 408 (8.0) 1.1x

 

 

Uncle Scrooge 4 (9.2) 3x

US 6 (8.0) 2.2x

US 7 (9.0) 1.6x

US 8 (9.2) 1.1x

US 10 (9.0) 2.9x

US 32 (9.2) 4.9x

US 34 (9.2) 2.3 x

US 48 (9.0) 1.2x

US 60 (9.2) 0.86x (under guide!)

[HouseofComics.Com]

Our biggest Disney order ever (by far) came from Norway.

[tth2]

I'm not that tied into the Duck market, but know where some high grade stuff is. Is this price explosion limited to high grades or is a rising tide lifting all boats?

For the Dell issues, I think there is a generally rising tide, although of course the real action is in the higher grades. I should qualify this by saying that WDC&Ss still aren't getting much love except below 100, even in 9.4. For the Gold Key issues, it's definitely primarily a 9.4 or better phenomenon.

 

The thing about Ducks, as you know, is that even with the Dell issues (except for some of the really early stuff), they're pretty common in low and mid grade, since they were published and purchased in the millions. So while there may be a rising tide, I don't expect that it'll be that strong in the lower grades.

[tth2]

the Ducks market is very much influenced by the falling U.S. dollar coupled with the huge surge of European purchasers. This movement has been under way for awhile now.

 

eBay has had an epidemic effect on the European markets. When I collected back in the early 90s, I was aware of a handful of collectors of US books in Denmark. With eBay, new people started discovering the US ducks. They started funding their upgrades by introducing other local collectors to the US titles. The trend is very clear and it is just beginning: there are thousands of serious collectors of local Duck titles all over Europe who eventually will get exposed to the US titles as they become more known and prestigious. The low $ has certainly speeded up this process, but I am sure that increasing awareness is a much stronger and more persistent underlying force.

 

I spent the first 25 years of my life in Denmark and have lived in the US for the last 14. It's hard to overstate how hugely popular the Ducks are back in Northern Europe and Italy. Superheroes essentially do not exist in comparison. This basic observation says a lot about the future international demand for Ducks vs. other US comics.

Exactly. While there is no shortage of American duck fans, the Europeans (this includes the Germans, too) are duck fanatics! The internet has tapped into this huge customer base. As Don Rosa was telling Robyx at the SD Forum Dinner, in the US's superhero-centric comic world, he gets no attention, but when he goes to Scandinavia he's treated like a rock star.

[FFB]

This auction had no Centaurs that I don't already have. I hate it when that happens. So I picked up a couple of pre-Batman Detectives instead.

You've decided to go toe to toe with RHG?

 

Actually, he outbid ME on the pre-Batman Detectives. None of those would have fit in RHG's collection. Too ratty.

[Psiknight]

Exactly. While there is no shortage of American duck fans, the Europeans (this includes the Germans, too) are duck fanatics! The internet has tapped into this huge customer base. As Don Rosa was telling Robyx at the SD Forum Dinner, in the US's superhero-centric comic world, he gets no attention, but when he goes to Scandinavia he's treated like a rock star.

 

I still don't quite understand this. I mean, Donald was an American creation. Disney is as American as Superman, no? Maybe even moreso.

 

Well, for now, I'll try and continue my small collection. I can try and keep some of the high-ish grade duck books here in the US!

[Psiknight]

I'm not that tied into the Duck market, but know where some high grade stuff is. Is this price explosion limited to high grades or is a rising tide lifting all boats?

For the Dell issues, I think there is a generally rising tide, although of course the real action is in the higher grades. I should qualify this by saying that WDC&Ss still aren't getting much love except below 100, even in 9.4. For the Gold Key issues, it's definitely primarily a 9.4 or better phenomenon.

 

The thing about Ducks, as you know, is that even with the Dell issues (except for some of the really early stuff), they're pretty common in low and mid grade, since they were published and purchased in the millions. So while there may be a rising tide, I don't expect that it'll be that strong in the lower grades.

 

Yep. I've noticed that most Dell issues in 9.0+ well sell for above guide, many times well above. 8.0-8.5 you'll see most Dell issues sell for at least slightly above guide. 7.0-7.5 you start to see guide or slightly less. The mid-graders (5.5-6.5) often achieve less than guide on most issues. The low graders often sell for much less than guide. This is a a generalization, for sure. But it holds true for most Dell duck books.

 

The interesting thing about the Duck books is that the print runs had to be huge, yet finding most in high grade is extremely difficult. This has to be due to the fact that they were only targeted at children. I can't tell you how many times I've found a beat up copy of FC 178 (1st Scrooge) to see the cover colored in, pages inside ripped and written on, etc.

[comicdonna]

I'm not that tied into the Duck market, but know where some high grade stuff is. Is this price explosion limited to high grades or is a rising tide lifting all boats?

For the Dell issues, I think there is a generally rising tide, although of course the real action is in the higher grades. I should qualify this by saying that WDC&Ss still aren't getting much love except below 100, even in 9.4. For the Gold Key issues, it's definitely primarily a 9.4 or better phenomenon.

 

The thing about Ducks, as you know, is that even with the Dell issues (except for some of the really early stuff), they're pretty common in low and mid grade, since they were published and purchased in the millions. So while there may be a rising tide, I don't expect that it'll be that strong in the lower grades.

 

Yep. I've noticed that most Dell issues in 9.0+ well sell for above guide, many times well above. 8.0-8.5 you'll see most Dell issues sell for at least slightly above guide. 7.0-7.5 you start to see guide or slightly less. The mid-graders (5.5-6.5) often achieve less than guide on most issues. The low graders often sell for much less than guide. This is a a generalization, for sure. But it holds true for most Dell duck books.

 

The interesting thing about the Duck books is that the print runs had to be huge, yet finding most in high grade is extremely difficult. This has to be due to the fact that they were only targeted at children. I can't tell you how many times I've found a beat up copy of FC 178 (1st Scrooge) to see the cover colored in, pages inside ripped and written on, etc.

I regret selling this one two years ago. It was a much nicer book, than the scan depicts. I sold it for $515

[Point Five]

It has a very early Superman story, Superman with blond hair on the cover, first published Sandman appearance, & the cool World's Fair tie in.

 

I think it sells for under guide simply because Overstreet overpriced it, and it's not a terribly hard book to find.

 

thanks, now I want one.

 

New York World's Fair 1939 is an incredibly cool book IMO...1939 Superman plus the NYC and World's Fair connections nearly make it a grail for me. But as Brian alludes to, the Guide prices for this book are off the charts and have pretty well cooled my interest. The book also has a rich dark blue cover, which makes Fair to Good copies look pretty awful! It would still be fun to own one someday, but I doubt I'll ever want it enough to take the plunge.

[HouseofComics.Com]

I still don't quite understand this. I mean, Donald was an American creation. Disney is as American as Superman, no? Maybe even moreso.

 

You can see the same thing (but not as strong) with westerns. I believe they have big Old West festivals in Germany! A lot of the westerns we sell go to Europe.

 

Marc