I guess so!
As mentioned numerous times, I have the “saved” seller “blissard” on eBay as he consistently has interesting material that goes off every Sunday and Monday evening. Recently, he has been offering CGC authenticated individual pages of Batman #1 with bidders paying anywhere from $400 to $900 plus each, depending upon the significance of the page.
This past week, he offered two comics from the “Okajima” pedigree – a copy of Detective Comics # 81 graded 3.5 by CGC and an Action 71, CGC graded 2.0. (If you get a chance, google this collection of comics – saved by a young Japanese-American girl who was one of the many subjected to an internment camp during WWII.) The seller always lists the estimated value according to Overstreet. The Action comic received a 2.0 and had several decent sized holes along the spine and the covers were detached – allowed for a 2.0 by Overstreet standards. A 2.0 raw, non-pedigreed issue lists for $135. This copy sold for $2,052! The Detective 81 lists for $296 in a 4.0 condition. This 3.5 sold for $4,550!
I have to admit to succumbing to a little pedigree envy when I spied a collection of 97 bound volumes of comics that evidently had been in the DC (previously National Periodical Publications) archives/library at one time. According to the auction house’s description, these had been consigned to them by the wife of a former collector. She stated that she wasn’t even aware that her deceased husband had these until sometime after his passing when she discovered them in boxes. The site showed pics of the spines and some interior pages. The first blank pages were stamped property of “LIBRARY National Periodical Publications, Inc.” In each case, the words “Property of’ had been marked out.
From what I could see, the books were gorgeous! These weren’t some beat copies from someone’s collection, but right off the press! Of course, they had been trimmed and bound and each book contained usually about 12 consecutive issues of a title. One only had 8 issues, but it contained the first issues of the World’s Best/World’s Finest Comics title, which were all thick square bound issues. The entire run of “Our Army At War”, issues 1 through 301, was there. For a short while, I was the high bidder on the first volume and the volume that contained issues 78 – 89 (first Sergeant Rock appearances!). An “online only” auction, I was an early bidder and temporarily had claims to a copy of Action Comics 37-44, Lois Lane 1-13, Green Lantern 1-12, a complete run of Jackie Gleason and Sergeant Bilko, the first 12 issues of Brave & Bold, the volume of Adventure that had the first appearance of the Hourman and early Starman, the complete 6 issue set of the Special Edition comics made specifically for the US Navy during WWII that had “lesson plans and questions” included – neat stuff! – and several more. As it got closer to the announced ending time of 2/8, all of my bids were blown away except for my bid on the volume containing Action Comics 200- 211. There was nothing terribly significant about these issues, but the pic on the site showed that opposite the stamped page was one with one of those library “pockets” I was used to seeing ‘back in the day’ when one signed out a book. Perhaps the others also had these, but this was the only volume that had a picture of it, so I thought it added a little extra to the item.
With four days to go, I was still considering bumping the high bid on a few. The $1,300 bid on the World’s Best/Finest (became WF with issue #2) was too much for my wallet, but the $325 high bid on the GL set was still within my budget. I had time to see how things were going to shake out.
I had been anticipating this auction for several weeks, having found it on Auctionzip, and planned on attending in person as there was also going to be 1,000’s of other comics offered including quite a few keys – an almost complete run of X-Men starting with #1 through roughly 50, X-Men 94, GS #1, etc., Amazing Spider-Man as early as 17 with most issues afterward including 122, 129, 252, 300. There were early FFs including 45, 46, 48, & 52; Captain America 100 and up (no 117?); Hulk 102 (no 181, but a coverless #6); Conan 1 up; Detective 359, Batman 181; and too many to mention. These, however, were not beautiful copies. The early issues were quite beat and none of them were bagged and boarded!? Regardless, worth a trip to Edison, New Jersey, me thinks.
So, when I got the disheartening email 3 days before the auction, I was going anyway. Disheartening? Yes, the 97 bound volumes were being pulled from the auction!! Darn it. Seems there was a question as to ownership and until that could be rectified, they could not take the chance in selling them. Hmmm, If I was a legitimate owner, would I deface the stamp by marking out the “property of” portion? Probably not. But, perhaps the library did it when they transferred ownership. We’ll have to wait and see.
On a side note, while waiting, I decided if I could come up with some sort of idea as to what bound volumes might bring. I found that Heritage had sold some in the past and “valued” them based on theat Overstreet’s guide as if they were 4.0s. They then claimed that typically, the realized prices would be anywhere from 20% to over 100% of that, depending upon significance of the issues contained within the volumes and provenance, with average being around 50%.
As I follow a line of cars going into the parking lot of the New Jersey Convention Center, where the auction was being held, I’m thinking, “There can’t be this many comic buyers going to this!”. The lot was crammed with cars and people getting out of them with their dogs! The major section of the center was hosting a 3 day Pet Expo!
I found the far side entrance to where the auction was being held and had plenty of time to inspect the many, many box lots and individual issues on display before the first hammer went down. They started with the several dozen lots of long boxes. I had quickly flipped through them and my “dollar” boxes (which will be available at the First State Comic Con at the Millcreek Fire Hall on Sunday, March 1st) had better material.
It didn’t take long before I was envious of the prices these were going for and starting figuring that I would be going home empty-handed. The long boxes of miscellaneous comics were fetching over $100 each. They had vetted the boxes in advance and created smaller lots with better issues. Again, these groups were bringing decent money. The key issues were left until last and the money was still rolling and not just too much for me to have any “meat left on the bone” – I’m talking going for more than I would have priced them for the shop! Yes, we were close to New York City.
The keys that I believed would be roughly “fines” were going for close to VF prices – not including the 15% buyer’s premium and 7% sales tax. The gentleman sitting directly in front of me bought the Giant Size X-Men #1 for $1,100 and placed it on the chair next to me. I remember checking it out earlier, but just by looking at the cover, not actually examining it in my hand. The cover looked like a fine (6.0’s are listed as $540 in the guide), but when I saw it flat, right in front of me, I could see that the last half of the pages had problems at the lower left corner – it looked like pieces were missing, as if a critter may have had lunch! The X-Men #1 was a “fair” copy at best. The entire spine must have been split as tape was along the entire length even though three extra staples had been used and, I believe, glue had been applied since it felt quite stiff. There was a piece of tape (also old and stained yellow) that ran across the front cover about 2/3’s of the way down. The guide places a $1.540 tag on a 2.0 copy. With what I had observed, I figured someone in this crowd was going to pony up a grand for it. I was wrong, some one ponied up 18 C notes for it!
I could go on about other keys and what they brought, but it would take too much room and I gave up before they finished. However, I do have to mention one particular sale. Again, these books were not bagged and boarded. I cringed when the runners were carelessly handling the issues – holding them at a corner and the whole issue falling forward at times. The worst was when the one runner we had earlier had to ask to turn the front cover toward us (he was holding up the back cover to us) happened to have the copy of Amazing Spider-Man 129 in his hands. The auctioneer explained that two pages had been stuck together, but they separated them and all was well. With that, several people in the crowd wanted to see if those pages were damaged. In his effort to open the comic to those pages, he actually pinched the cover between two fingers as the entire audience loudly gasped. The one interior page had a small hole in it where the two were separated, and it still sold for $700. I noticed that the young man who caused the commotion disappeared after that and did not return.
Still reading this drivel? Thank-you! And to show my appreciation, here’s a special for my blog readers:
I will be having a sale starting March 1st, but you, dear reader, will get first dibs! This will not be advertised until then. Buy any green-tagged comic, set, trade, or hardcover in the bins or boxes (not the showcases – sorry!) and get TWO FREE! (of equal or lower value, of course!) Mix and match Fine print: to prove you’ve read this, you must say “pedigree” to Paul and it is only valid on the days he works – Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays from 2 – 8.
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