Why hasn't ebay shut this auction down?

[The Black Hand ®]

I seem to recall Showcase-4 winning this item for $10.50. Apparently the seller didn't honor the win and relisted it. Two questions:

1. Why hasn't ebay shut this down?

2. Why hasn't anyone bid on such a valuable Platinum Age grail?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230131574537

 

 

 

[Robert Beerbohm]

um, what book you talkling about?

 

can we get an URL ?

[The Black Hand ®]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230131574537

[Robert Beerbohm]

Actually, in the Overstreet history articles, i place Bob Scully & the other two known humor titles in the "modern" comic book realm,

 

starting with the 1929 THE FUNNIES series as a bridge of sorts between Plat and Modern

 

with the 3 Humors price indexed in the Main Listing of Overstreet, they are firmly part of the modern comics world

 

as for your actual question, i agree - if the seller did not honor his auction result and bite the bullet, eBay should not reward such intransigence

 

Robert Beerbohm

eBay store: BLBcomics

[rjpb]

Despite the scarcity - the opening bid may well be the top FMV given the condition - and while it may be an "important" book to some, I imagine it has a far smaller pool of potential buyers than many other $1000 books. Despite the the excellent work Robert Beerbohm and others have done in researching and promoting Platinum Age and Victorian Age comics, the only reason some of these books (particularly the ones with obscure characters) have values in the hundreds, let alone thousands of dollars, is their association as a medium with the more widely collected Golden Age comic books that followed.

 

Take a look at the values assigned to non-comic periodicals from the same eras - 99% of which would sell for probably $20 or less, no matter how scarce - and those that sell for more usually have cross-over appeal - famous athlete, movie star, risque cover, etc.

 

Or maybe the potential bidders are all waiting to snipe in the last seconds.

[The Black Hand ®]

I would say that this seller got what he deserved....a great big handful of nothing.