Hulk 1

[blowout]

How is a ASM 14 9.4 common? there are only 8 9.4's in the census that's nothing

 

Of course although ASM #14 is by no means 'common' in high grade, it is relativly easier to find this book than most other early SA Marvels. The demand factor must also be considered though as many more people are looking for the book, which tends to even things out a bit.

The case with Hulk #1 is that the character is FAR more popular now than he was back in the early SA, and there are not even close to being enough copies of the book to satisfy demand.

[BlackShotzy-migration]

..and the fact that MANY collectors and investors will notice that even Kevin was able to procure a #14 in NM, shake their heads in disbelief, and think to themselves, "My God, if even Shuley has a high grade #14, how rare can it possibly be", will impact the future investment and perceived "rarity" of this all too common, easily acquireable issue.

[Aman619]

How is a ASM 14 9.4 common? there are only 8 9.4's in the census that's nothing

 

Of course although ASM #14 is by no means 'common' in high grade, it is relativly easier to find this book than most other early SA Marvels. The demand factor must also be considered though as many more people are looking for the book, which tends to even things out a bit.

The case with Hulk #1 is that the character is FAR more popular now than he was back in the early SA, and there are not even close to being enough copies of the book to satisfy demand.

 

I couldnt have said it better myself. thanx for explaining for me. That was why I put the "s around common. There arent tons to choose from..but way more than there are Hulk 1s.

Plus, there are six better copies all in 9.6--so there are "plenty" of high grade 14s to choose from

[Netmaster-migration]

Metropolis currently has a 7.0 for $3900.

 

I don't know about you but I don't have 3,900 to spare.

 

Besides, I already have my Hulk #1. It has had some slight restoration but mine is an ultra ultra rare UK edition. All graded copies have been restored but mine has just a bit of color touch on the spine and that's it! If you don't believe me then check out the census: Census

 

That's mine at Good+ 2.5 (Very undergraded in my opinion). CGC is very inconsitent in their grading. Even a novice collector could look at it and see that it is at least a fine with white to off-white pages, the only mark on it being a very faint point of sale ink stamp put on the cover when it was origionaly sold. Even cosidering the restoration it still has very sharp edges, reasonably sharp corners with no tears, creases, or marks, and no Marvel Chipping. There are only 2 graded copies!!!

 

The seller didn't know what he had and sold it with no reserve!!!! That coupled with the fact that the auction ended in the middle of the week about a month ago before the hype really kicked into gear is probably how I got lucky. It ended way way under the value of the book and he e-mailed me a little upset saying that he could kick himself for not selling it with a reserve and that he learned a valuable lesson, but he seemed happy for me when I told him it was a book I had been wanting to own ever since I started collecting comics when I was a kid. But he was still mad that the money he spent on getting it CGC'd was flushed down the toilet and that it probably would have went for much, much more had he not had it graded.

 

Needless to say, if you think I'm ever going to part with this copy then you're crazy!!!

 

(cept maybe for that other guy's 6.5)

[murph0]

Well I guess you got what you like, I haven't seen any UK editions but then again foreign copies aren't high on my list. Anyways, you have one and that's what counts. Congratulations.

 

Brian

[Netmaster-migration]

Well I guess you got what you like, I haven't seen any UK editions but then again foreign copies aren't high on my list. Anyways, you have one and that's what counts. Congratulations.

 

Brian

 

Gold and Silver age varients are very hard to come by. You should look into possibly getting one. I have taken my UK Hulk #1 to five different dealers and while one of them said they had known of copies printed for sale in the UK, the others said they had never known of (let alone seen) a UK Edition of Hulk #1 and all of them had never held an original Incredible Hulk #1. One of them in particular really made my day (It's so cool to see a guy that looks to be in his mid 50's stare in awe, like a little kid, and say "WOW!").

 

All basically said due to it's rarity it could easily go for more than it's Overstreet value despite the slight restoration. One of them told me that in the UK market it could very likely go for mint value and possibly go for much higher because American comic book collecting didn't start to really take off in the UK until the early bronze age and that's why it's hard to find older British versions. It all depends if someone wants it bad enough.

 

At first most of them just looked at it and said it was in nice condition, and after asking how I aquired it, they then asked if I would consider selling it. After I told them I'd never sell it, then I started to get some input. The monitary value is really of little concern to me because this is a book I have always wanted to own simply for its historic value in the comic book world (it is good to know the possible value though). Because The Incredible Hulk is without a doubt one of the most recognizable characters in comic book history.

 

It seems like those dealers all think alike: the less they tell you about what you got the easier for them to possibly get it in their collection.

 

Hey do any of you guys know were I could find some reasonably good (reasonably meaning I won't have to mortgage my home) early copies of The Flash?

[g-man]

..and the fact that MANY collectors and investors will notice that even Kevin was able to procure a #14 in NM, shake their heads in disbelief, and think to themselves, "My God, if even Shuley has a high grade #14, how rare can it possibly be", will impact the future investment and perceived "rarity" of this all too common, easily acquireable issue.

 

[rob_react]

Well I guess you got what you like, I haven't seen any UK editions but then again foreign copies aren't high on my list.

 

Not high on mine either. People always complain about pence copies being neglected by the majority of collectors and make a case for them, calling them "variants" and pointing out how rare they are. I can't answer for anyone else, but I've figured out why I don't like them- it's like buying movie posters and looking for posters from the country of origin. So, for the same reason I wouldn't buy a Mexican poster of 36th Chamber of Shaolin, or an Italian poster for Star Wars, I wouldn't buy a pence copy of practically any Silver Age Marvel book.

[Elvis]

 

Gold and Silver age varients are very hard to come by. You should look into possibly getting one. I have taken my UK Hulk #1 to five different dealers and while one of them said they had known of copies printed for sale in the UK, the others said they had never known of (let alone seen) a UK Edition of Hulk #1 and all of them had never held an original Incredible Hulk #1. One of them in particular really made my day (It's so cool to see a guy that looks to be in his mid 50's stare in awe, like a little kid, and say "WOW!").

 

Hey its all about whatever floats your boat. When i purchased my Hulk # 1 (about 1988), I searched and searched for the right copy for the right price. I was only 17 and had exactly $380 for my copy. I finally went to the old Javitz center con in NYC (was that the old Fred Greenberg show?). That is where i saw the pence varient for the first time. There was a decent copy about G+ that was pretty inexpensive. I cant remember why i did not get it. I wound up picking up a VG+ copy of the standard edition though and it has been one of my favorite books ever since. I only need #2 and #5 to complete the first 6 in VG+ or better. But i thnk the ponce copy is still ok. Nothing against it except i think it came out about a year or more after the US version. Still kind of cool... What did you pay for it anyway?

[drbanner]

While certainly a novel variant, I would not expect a pence copy to fetch the same amount as a cents copy, either in the US or the UK. Especially if it was essentially a reprint that was published a year later...

[Hensley300]

Just a little more on that $50k copy of hulk 1 that sold. The seller was ideal collectables, the same seller that sold the hulk 181 for $19k recently. I don't think it was the same buyer though

[COI]

The buyer's ID was "dutchvalleyman".

[Aman619]

The buyer's ID was "dutchvalleyman".

 

which auction did he win?

[supapimp]

i think AK is referring to the HULK CGC NM 9.2 "betheleham pedigree"

[COI]

think AK is referring to the HULK CGC NM 9.2 "betheleham pedigree"

 

Yep.

[Aman619]

i heard he bought that on rye with mustard

[Netmaster-migration]

But i thnk the ponce copy is still ok. Nothing against it except i think it came out about a year or more after the US version. Still kind of cool... What did you pay for it anyway?

 

This copy of Incredible Hulk #1 has been CGC graded and authenticated as being printed by Marvel in the US in May of 1962 and shipped over for sale in the UK. Hence, that is why everything, including the advertisements inside, are exactly the same as in the US prints. The only thing different is the UK price on the cover instead of 12 cents it reads 9d (the UK uses the decimal system) or 9 Pence. Since, pence copies were usually printed either just before or just after the US print run, I'd venture to guess these UK copies were possibly printed before the main run because of the lack of Marvel chipping (the cutting equipment hadn't dulled yet) and the fact that they had to have time to ship all the copies over, so they would probably want them printed first.

 

In any case, every serious collector and dealer tells me that foreign copies are considered varients in that they are a variations of the main US print. The Gold and Silver ones are just very hard to find so that is one of the reasons they're not collected widely. Truth be known, the Incredible Hulk #1 issue is so rare anyway, I had never even known that they had another edition until I got a confirmation on the UK print run from Overstreet, Mile High, and CGC.

 

As for the price I paid I would rather keep it to myself. I will tell you it was less than half the Good+ Overstreet value (I feel like I've won the lottery!).

 

What you guys were saying about Incredible Hulk #1 being a rare book is an understatement. Although there's no way of knowing the exact number in existence, just to give you an idea of the rarity, the CGC has only graded 227 copies (including my UK Edition along with the only other graded UK varient)! That is not a very big number! That is just a little more than half the number of Amazing Fantasy #15. The total Hulk #1's in existance probably isn't that much higher.

 

Has anyone checked with CGC about a graded to ungraded ratio (just to get an estimated number of total copies in existance) or is this not possible?

 

Whatever the case, the reason you haven't seen a lot of copies for sale is because it is a very rare book (the UK's look to be even rarer). I'm proud to own one (of course, I guess I didn't have to tell you that)

 

The CGC has only graded 7 UK varients of Amazing Fantasy #15!!! Boy, what I wouldn't give to be able to get my hands on one of those (talk about a collectors wet dream) : :!

[rob_react]

What you guys were saying about Incredible Hulk #1 being a rare book is an understatement. Although there's no way of knowing the exact number in existence, just to give you an idea of the rarity, the CGC has only graded 227 copies (including my UK Edition along with the only other graded UK varient)! That is not a very big number! That is just a little more than half the number of Amazing Fantasy #15. The total Hulk #1's in existance probably isn't that much higher.

 

By "Isn't that much higher" you mean than the 227 that have been CGC graded? That's probably off. by a pretty wide margin Just looking at ebay, where the books are for sale (a perfect excuse to get books CGC graded) raw copies outnumber slabbed copies. In people's collections the percentage would be much higher.

 

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?GetResult&SortProperty=MetaHighestPriceSort&query=hulk+1&ht=1&category2=73&combine=y&catref=C1&st=2

 

Numbering existing copies in the 100s is a Golden Age measure, not a Silver Age (for the most part.)

[Aman619]

Netmaster---Im happy tou are happy with your rare gem of a book. But dont get so carried away with it...its still a foreign version of an American comic. Yes it can be argued that its a "variant" but to date, hardly anyone, even the avowed variant collectors are remotely interested in pence editions. Rarity is only one function to value in a collectible. The rarest example of something for which demand is rarer still is not going to ever be worth much. Will this change in the future? For your sake I hope so.

 

As for it being on press before the "real" American version because your copy doesnt have Marvel chipping...? maybe DiceX can explain what the print run order would be, large then small or vice versa and how often the blades were sharpened or replaced.

 

And, Ive got a nice Hulk #1 that CGC knows nothing about. And Im sure at least 300 (600??) more are out there in the hands of collectors not yet interested in selling. And as Rob pointed out, many copies show up on ebay ungraded... so while I agree that Hulk #1 is a very tough book in high grade, and rarer overall than AF15 and the other Marvel keys, I disagree that the census gives any idea of the total # copies that exist for any book yet.

 

It MAY offer a hint at the relative proportion of any issue to another though. We'll need much more data to finally know however.

[Kevin76]

As for it being on press before the "real" American version because your copy doesnt have Marvel chipping...? maybe DiceX can explain what the print run order would be, large then small or vice versa and how often the blades were sharpened or replaced.

 

The blades don't get sharpened,the get replaces when ever it is needed,once the start cutting like S T that is.This is not the reason for the marvel chipping,poor paper quailty is