Why is someone paying over $100 for a raw Watchmen #1?

[toro]

They are paying $122 because they think its a 9.8.

 

A #1 on ebay in 9.8 goes for $1000

 

 

 

 

Okay, that is sort of nuts too! 17 in 9.8, 58 in 9.6! Doesn't sound overly rare in high grade.

 

But that's just me.

[-cryptkeeper-]

They are paying $122 because they think its a 9.8.

 

A #1 on ebay in 9.8 goes for $1000

 

 

$1000

[MutantKeys]

I have bought alot of stuff from him and have been watching other auctions... Some of his stuff usually goes for a decent amount...

[kingofwhales]

I`ve bought tons of bronze age stuff from that seller and it`s true that he has regular group of buyers that snipe like crazy.

awhile back i`d only buy from him on ebay because the grading was excellent in some cases under grading.

So when he lists a book at NM/Mint he has a few regulars that only bid on that grade and they jack up the price.

I figure they must have gotten some CGC`d and found that nm/mint grade accurate,

so they keep coming back.

 

I have multiple copys watchmen issues but no#1`s

 

 

[JLA_ALL_THE_WAY]

I have a complete set at CGC HQ as we speak!

 

Including multiple #1's

 

Rick

[lizards2]

I`ve bought tons of bronze age stuff from that seller and it`s true that he has regular group of buyers that snipe like crazy.

awhile back i`d only buy from him on ebay because the grading was excellent in some cases under grading.

So when he lists a book at NM/Mint he has a few regulars that only bid on that grade and they jack up the price.

I figure they must have gotten some CGC`d and found that nm/mint grade accurate,

so they keep coming back.

 

I have multiple copys watchmen issues but no#1`s

 

 

I'll second that - most of their stuff is under graded.

[jduran1]

They almost don't exist in 9.8 quality..........thats why.

[jduran1]

Here is a 9.8 for 3 thousand plus.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/WATCHMEN-1-CGC-9-8-HOLY-GRAIL-WHITE-PAGES-HIGHEST_W0QQitemZ170133930197QQihZ007QQcategoryZ35764QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

[dekeuk]

 

You would think there would be lots of 9.8's for the following reasons:

 

1. It was printed on a higher quality paper that is less prone to damage than cheap newsprint

 

2. Alan Moore was HOT after his Swamp Thing run so a lot of people bought and hoarded these

 

3. It was heavily promoted by DC

 

4. By 1986 everyone knew how to preserve comics with bags, boards, storage conditions, etc.

 

5. Every #1 issue of the 1980's was hoarded by the masses as an "investment"

 

 

So there are many more 9.8's out there, we just don't know about them yet. I am sure some people are sitting of 20+ copies of #1 with several of them being 9.8's

 

 

[carcrawfordfan]

I have about 25-30 copies that I have bought for the past 4 years. Pretty much every NM+ book I see at a show or shop and I do not have even one book that would grade 9.6. This is a very, very hard book in high grade. The back cover is a killer and also it is very prone to have small spine tears. I do not know about the hoarders with 100s of them or anything like that, but from what I have seen personally it is a very hard book.

[seanfingh]

 

 

That absolutely floors me. Not that I dispute what you are saying, but I look at all those Thor 132s and ASM 33s and Rawhide Kid 50's and all the other newer warehouse finds that are 9.6-9.8. Then I figure Watchmen must have had literally 300-400k in circulation and there must be thousands of 9.8s waiting to be sprung upon us. Maybe I'm all wet.

[DocGo]

The census for a 9.8 #1 was 10 in June then jumped to 17 in July. During the same period the 9.6 went up by only three to 58. I wouldn't be surprised to see this issue's 9.8 numbers to be over 50 by the end of the year. This would be good for me because I still need a 9.8 (only have a 9.6) and I'd like to eventually afford it.