Auction Highlights #70
ComicLink’s August Featured Auction ends Friday August 31st. All the books listed below sold between Tuesday August 28th and Thursday August 30th.
C-Link’s August offering was heavy on the original art, which Scott should cover in the next day or so, still it was no slouch in the vintage comic department.
Lots of great Golden Age offerings and it showed with 25 of the top 50 books being from the Golden Age (16 were DC). Usually dominant Silver Age Marvel’s had 20 pop up in the top 50 while DC Silver Age had 4 and a CGC 9.8 Hulk #181 was the sole Bronze Age book to crack the top 50.
My general sense was that many book in this auction underperformed. I kind of wish I wasn’t so busy with the Fan Expo last weekend; I should have jumped on a few of these.
Let’s have a look at a few results I found interesting.
Action Comics #1, DC Comics, (June, 1938) Graded by CGC at 8.0 with moderate restoration and with Cream to Off White pages sold for $106,222,.00. The Overstreet price guide value for this comic at 8.0 un-restored is $850,000.00.
I don’t know! I mean here is the book of books, the one to have, the one everybody wants and it happens to be one that looks dynamite. But alas that dreaded purple CGC label!
Isn’t the Mona Lisa restored?
Won’t all the Action #1’s eventually need preservation because cheap pulp newsprint is not meant to last?
In fact 22 of the 57 Action #1’s that are CGC graded are restored, of those this is the 5th best copy.
I think I’ve convinced myself to like this book. I don’t like restored comics but this is Action #1! An 8.0 un-restored is well over $1 million now!
Advantage Buyer.
Detective Comics #18, DC Comics, (August, 1938) Graded by CGC at 8.0 with White pages sold for $16,250.00. The Overstreet price guide value for this comic at 8.0 is $7,425.00.
I swear, this is the book I wanted most in this auction! Look at it! Wow!
I knew the historic prices on this book put it out of my reach so I was kind of surprised when I read the final result. This book, in this grade at this price is a bargain!
I guess I’m lucky I wasn’t watching this, I might have been tempted.
Advantage Buyer
Amazing Spider-Man #311, Marvel Comics (January, 1989) Graded by CGC at 9.9 with White pages sold $2,120.00. The Overstreet price guide value for this comic at 9.2 is $6.00.
I don’t like it! I don’t like it one bit!
I mean come on, I think I have about half a stubby box of these in the basement and they almost all look this nice.
There were a whole bunch of these modern CGC 9.9s getting crazy prices this auction.
This paying for grade has to stop people. I sold a nice CGC 9.8 on the weekend for $30.
Advantage Seller
Action Comics #19, DC Comics, (December, 1939) Graded by CGC at 4.5 with Off White to White pages sold for $2,872.00. The Overstreet price guide value for this comic at 9.2 is $2,714.00.
Here is a mid low grade early Action that sold at about guide. No big deal right?
Well to me this is a great pick up because it delivers what for me is lots, for little.
This comic represents the 7th Superman cover and it represents the last published Superman appearance of the 1930s. A Superman comic from the 30s! I’ll take one.
Advantage Buyer
Marvel Mystery Comics #84, Timely Comics. (October 1947) Graded by CGC at 8.0 with Off White pages sold for $911.00. The Overstreet price guide value for this comic at 8.0 is $1048.00.
Timely’s are always tough, CGC 8.0 Timely’s are even tougher, Timely’s with great covers featuring Captain America, Sub-Mariner, Human Torch and the Blonde Phantom are tougher still and they are books we should be picking up at below guide!
This is a nice pick up.
Advantage Buyer
Well? I know I missed out on some great books, how about you? Pick up anything?
Indeed… what gets me is how a bum books like Wolverine #5 outperforms a modern key like Secret Wars #8, both at 9.9. It’s a head scratcher:
http://www.comiclink.com/img/comics/scans/RAD2AB272012727_171717.jpg
http://www.comiclink.com/img/comics/scans/RAD953392012712_151434.jpg
Also a head scratcher was books Av#100 9.8 and GSX#1 9.8 that ended for $1100 and $5k respectively. These books are currently listed cheaper on eBay so why pay more?
http://www.comiclink.com/img/comics/scans/RAD5FCD42012814_12442.jpg
I picked up this ASM#129 for $1699:
http://www.comiclink.com/img/comics/scans/RAD7A8922012524_175113.jpg
Walt, what are your thoughts on Double Covers? As rarity goes… Double Covers are more rare than single covers which is what attracted me to this New Gods #1. However, I passed due to my limited budget:
http://www.comiclink.com/img/comics/scans/RAD951A2201281_17728.jpg
Walter, I wonder if this restored Action 1 sale will help to shed a better light on professionally restored comics, at least in cases where vintage high grade is in low supply. I agree with you about Marvel Mystery 84. I am a bit surprised that it went for under guide. True there are four 8.0s in the census, but that is really not much and there are only three higher In the census. I agree with you on.ASM 311. I think that is crazy money. Grading is subjective and 9.9s just make me nervous.
That ASM #129 is sweet, tighter than tight and about as square and perfectly bound at the comic comes!
I never liked double covers for the same reason I never liked price variants, we are paying for something above and beyond what we’re buying the book fore, i.e. 1st appearance of a character etc. I know they are rare and I know people pay more for them but I’m not hot for the, besides, comics are aesthetic driven and the outer cover usually looks worse that the grade assigned.
I think we’ve learned that Wolverine fans are crazier than Spidey fans!
Hey Peter, restored comics have always been looked down upon but they used to get a higher percentage than they are getting now. I think the visual cue of the purple label turns people off well before they actually look at the book or read what work has been done to the book.
Walter, Hulk#180 is the 1st appearance of Wolverine “in cameo” and Hulk#181 is the 1st appearance “in full” so it’s worth a lot more. But in some cases, like Uncanny X-Men #120 and #121… the “cameo” appearance of Alpha Flight is worth more than the “full appearance”.
This inconsistency exists else where as well… Why do you think this is?
Hey Charlie, I’m not sure. I t might be a combination of things. It could be a matter of degree, a more noteworthy appearance within the story context may count for more than a one panel “next issue” type of appearance.
I think past precedent plays a roll too, much of the “importance index” on these types of things was set by the early collecting community. Some of these “truths” set down by the collector base of the 1970s and 1980s are slowly being questioned by the new collector base. I remember when Hulk #180 was worth as much as Hulk #182 but a new generation of collectors has deemed it much more important and today the 1st Wolverine is worth 3 times as much as the 3rd.
It is an interesting topic though, one I’m sure is full of inconsistencies. Perhaps they are opportunities for collectors with a bit of vision!!