Writing on Pg. 1 of Bronze Key and impact on "perceived grade" & desirability?

[BronzeBruce13]

I need a little help.

 

I was just offered a extremely HTF Bronze Key in 9.6 that I want badly. There is less than 1% graded as such with a high submission total. Its much scarcer percentage-wise than other obvious bronze keys in this grade or above.

 

Anyway, problem is this. It has writing on the 1st page, the name of the writer, possibly his unauthenticated signature.

 

I detest writing on the outside of a bronze era comic, where its visible but have never been faced with this particular dilemma before. My initial thought is "out of site, out of mind" although I'd naturally prefer it was not there. It is reported on the label since its on the inside of the book.

 

Since this book represents a personal want as well as a serious financial investment... I am concerned about value, resale-ability, etc. should I ever get a 9.8 or a 9.6 without writing.

 

 

Does anyone have any data or opinions that reflect price differences and general desirability between books with and without such writing on the first page?

 

 

 

Thanks

Bru

 

 

 

[shiverbones]

i have been wondering that too! I have a raw 9.6 weird western #12 with a name & date written on the splash and have been curious how that affects it.

[greggy]

Mmmm...must be a MTU 1!

 

Personally, I don't care about writing on the interior first page. I know some members can't stand anything on their books regardless of how minor it is or if they will ever see it because it is in a slab. I have had some books slabbed that had the actual artist sign in on the first page and some members expressed their dislike for it when I tried to sell it.

 

Recently I sold my copy of Werewolf by Night 1 CGC 9.8 to Ideal for $1,700 which was signed by Mike Ploog on the first page. They were able to sell it promptly to one of their customers the same day but it may not be the same for lesser books. From PGCMint's website, the other 9.8 sold recently and had a listing price of $2,250. It may or may not have sold for that amount but's it hard to say if the writing made that much of a difference, as my book wasn't really advertised for sale.

 

Now...if someone pays the $2,950 for the book that I sold and recently I believed consigned back to Ideal, I guess it doesn't really make that much of a difference.

[BronzeBruce13]

Mmmm...must be a MTU 1!

 

Personally, I don't care about writing on the interior first page. I know some members can't stand anything on their books regardless of how minor it is or if they will ever see it because it is in a slab. I have had some books slabbed that had the actual artist sign in on the first page and some members expressed their dislike for it when I tried to sell it.

 

Recently I sold my copy of Werewolf by Night 1 CGC 9.8 to Ideal for $1,700 which was signed by Mike Ploog on the first page. They were able to sell it promptly to one of their customers the same day but it may not be the same for lesser books. From PGCMint's website, the other 9.8 sold recently and had a listing price of $2,250. It may or may not have sold for that amount but's it hard to say if the writing made that much of a difference, as my book wasn't really advertised for sale.

 

Now...if someone pays the $2,950 for the book that I sold and recently I believed consigned back to Ideal, I guess it doesn't really make that much of a difference.

 

Did your label say: "Mike Ploog written on 1st page"... or was it identified as a verified signature somehow?

[greggy]

It said: "Best of Luck, Ploog written in marker (or pen) on first page"

 

It wasn't verified as a signature series book but I had him sign it in 1992 so I know that it's him!

[BronzeBruce13]

It said: "Best of Luck, Ploog written in marker (or pen) on first page"

 

It wasn't verified as a signature series book but I had him sign it in 1992 so I know that it's him!

 

Thanks Greg, If the book looks really nice I might just go for it if I hear similar stories where "close to market value" was fetched for them. I'd like to hear more. The fact that many here were not interested in your signed 1st page books makes me concerned.

[greggy]

It said: "Best of Luck, Ploog written in marker (or pen) on first page"

 

It wasn't verified as a signature series book but I had him sign it in 1992 so I know that it's him!

 

Thanks Greg, If the book looks really nice I might just go for it if I hear similar stories where "close to market value" was fetched for them. I'd like to hear more. The fact that many here were not interested in your signed 1st page books makes me concerned.

To be honest, I never really got one request for the WWBN 1 book so I have no idea if it had to do with the writing or not. I sold one of my Frankenstein 1 CGC 9.4 with the same notation on eBay for around the going rate so some people don't care. The population of people not liking any writing may be skewed because of the type of collectors on the forums. However, I am less picky than others and it's not a big deal.

[BronzeBruce13]

If this book was less expensive (and HTF)... no problem pulling the trigger. We are talking serious K's though... makes it a much bigger concern. There may be a point where it matters more to everyone else too. I'd like to know if the "doesn't matter" attitude (which I need more convincing of still) holds firm across the value spectrum or not. At $500 a collector may not care, but at $5K will he?

[aardvark88]

But there is a difference from having a creator's signature on pg. 1 compared to having "Joe Butter's" name on it. A no-name's signature on the interior would turn me off even if the book was structurally 9.6.

[BronzeBruce13]

Agreed... in my case its the writer's name or signature though.

[sfilosa]

I personally do not like any writing on or in the book. I don't mind a date stamp on the inside (which is preferable to the outside).

 

I don't know how much of a difference it will make, but IT WILL BE NOTED ON THE LABEL.

 

If the book is a tough book to find, then it probably won't have a significant impact on the price. But if the book becomes somewhat common, and there are multiple choices available, almost everyone is going to choose a book with No Writing, than One with Writing.

 

[shiverbones]

yeah, but the "joe butter" books all have snow white pages, they should be a pedigree

[OldGuy]

All you're buying is the slab, label and front and back cover so who cares what's inside? It's not like it's ever coming out of the slab.

[BronzeBruce13]

 

anyone else? I need feedback!

[THE_BEYONDER]

If the signiture was "authenticated", would it still bother you this much? The book is signed on the 1st page by the writer......and this makes the book LESS desirable?

 

Some day CGC and DF will start authenticating these signitures.....and you'll be laughing all the way to the bank.

 

(If it's an IF 15 signed by Claremont......please send the book my way.)

[supapimp]

it really doesn't matter, pull the trigger. what book is it BTW?

[fantastic_four]

To me, the signature makes the book more desirable than if it didn't have it since it's one of the original creators. And the first page is the ABSOLUTE perfect place for a signature; I much prefer this to the front cover. I don't like front-cover signed books, but I love them when they're on the first page. I've got first-page signed copies of Spidey 42 (Romita), Spidey 47 (Stan Lee), and Daredevil 168 (Klaus Janson), and I love them all.

[THE_BEYONDER]

I've got two IF 15's and a X-MEN 140 signed by Byrne on the 1st page.....and I love them all as well

[COI]

I've always been of the opinion that if you're going to spend serious money on a book, being picky is not such a bad thing, and is your right. And even though this particular bronze aged book may be scarcer than other bronze keys, I still think that there's quite a bit of HG Bronze out there that has yet to be graded.

 

But there are times when being picky is not always an option. Since I'm not 100% positive what book/grade your talking about, I can't say. So use your judgement and knowledge and try to estimate when another similar opportunity may come up again. If it is something you think you might not see again for years, and it's a serious priority on your want list, then I'd probably do it.

[BronzeBruce13]

If the signiture was "authenticated", would it still bother you this much? The book is signed on the 1st page by the writer......and this makes the book LESS desirable?

 

Some day CGC and DF will start authenticating these signitures.....and you'll be laughing all the way to the bank.

 

(If it's an IF 15 signed by Claremont......please send the book my way.)

 

The signature doesn't bother me that much because I don't see it. If it was authenticated, i would be more likely to buy it because i would feel more comfortable about resale... its not though. i want it, but don't want to pay up if I can't even hope to break even when I get a non-sig 9.6 or 9.8 some day.

 

I just want a feel for how collectors will view it on a multi-K book.

 

BTW... there's been (2) IF 15 9.6's in the last month or so which is unusual. I'm in the market for a back up copy so you should go for the next posted copy... they don't show up often enough to be overly selective.