Another sensational Star Wars 1 CGC 9.6 35 cent variant auction

The second CGC certified 9.6 copy of a Star Wars 1 35 cent price variant was sold for $21,805 in the June ComicLink auction.  This is the second sale of a 35 cent variant to break the $20,000 barrier (the first was also a Star Wars 1 CGC 9.6 in a ComicLink auction.  This is about 170 times the going rate for a regular edition in the same grade.

I can only speculate, but I would expect a 9.8 copy of this book, if one ever shows up, to fetch between $40,000 to $50,000.

Here is the ComicLink write-up on the book:

STAR WARS #1

Section: For Sale / Golden, Silver and Bronze Age Comic Books / Marvel, Timely and Atlas / STAR WARS
Price: $21,805
Publisher: Marvel
Condition: CGC 9.6 NM+
Census Rank: Highest CGC Graded!
Page Quality: White Pages
Type of Holder: Universal
Degree Of Restoration: Unrestored
Pedigree or Highlight: PRICE VARIANT

Item description:
1977, 1st Star Wars adaptation

ComicLink Comments:
This upper Near Mint CGC 9.6 NM+ is the highest graded example for the Price Variant of Star Wars #1, the most valuable Bronze Age comic book and it is 1 of only 2 ever certified at this top tier. We have to go back to the ComicLink Featured Auction of November 2009 to find the last, and only time, another 9.6 price variant has changed hands (at $26,250). Both that example and the one presented here leave nothing to be desired, with CGC's perfect page quality designation of White Pages complementing the highest certified grade of 9.6.

No Bronze Age comic books with comparably high demand can match the scarcity of the 35 cent Price Variant version of the first issue of Star Wars, and that it is why, grade for grade, it is the most valuable Bronze Age book that exists. Underscoring the rarity of this 9.6, is the fact that after nearly a decade of CGC grading only 4 examples of this key issue have ever even made it to the one grade lower tier of 9.4. On the demand side of the equation, the continued popularity of the iconic film franchise combined with the comic book medium makes for a large fan base. This is a unique opportunity to acquire the best example of this highly coveted issue.