GPA Price Variant Report for May 2015 shows Record sale of a Thor Price Variant $3000

Many of you know that I highly recommend GPAnalysis (GPA) to serious variant collectors.  GPA keeps track of almost all publicly traded sales of certified comic books.  If you buy or sell certified comic books you owe it to yourself to get a subscription.  The subscription is reasonably priced.

One of the things I like best about GPA is that it has several Market Reports.  The GPA-Price Variant Report is one of these reports.  Below is a copy of the May edition.  GPA is reporting that a 9.8 copy of a Thor 260 35 cent price variant sold for $3000.  This is a new record for Thor Price variant and is also indicative of the current market for single-highest graded 35 cent price variants.  There are only 13 certified copies of this issue in any grade.  The condition census is one 9.8, one 9.4 and three 9.2s.

Important variant sales last month also include near record sales of Star Wars 1, X-Men 99, and a $250 sales of a mid-grade Logan's Run 6 (a very cool book).

Star Wars 1 CGC 9.0 White Pages brings $6250 on ebay.

Star Wars 35 cent price variants are quickly rising to new price levels along with the rest of the original series as interest in the books has intensified with the announcement of the new movies that will extend the ever-popular franchise. Copies of the first issue, both regular and price variant, are leading the charge.

Two 9.4 copies have sold recently, both topping $13,000 (more information coming on those two sales). One sold in December of 2014 and one in February of this year. 

A buyer just paid $6250 for this very sharp copy of the first issue 35 cent price variant. The CGC census now has 148 certified copies of the price variant first issue in all grades versus 3439 of the regular edition first issue or about 4%. The CGC census currently reports that there are two 9.6s, eleven 9.4s, seven 9.2s, and eleven 9.0s. It should be recognized that the census is overstated by several books in the 9.0 to 9.4 level because they have been cracked out of the original case and resubmitted to try and achieve a higher grade. Competitive grade sets and several thousand dollars difference between each grade point will continue to drive this activity.

 

By the way, readers have asked me how I know that this book sold for $6250, when all you can find from the ebay search is that the seller listed the book for $8000 (which is scratched through) and then accepted a best offer. Why ebay is making this information difficult to find is puzzling to me, but I know of two ways to find this important information.

The first way is the easiest and simply requires a subscription to gpanalysis.com. You simply look up the book in their database and voila you have it.

The second way is more complicated but free so I will walk you through it. Once you look up the listing on ebay, copy the address of the book. Then you go to http://www.watchcount.com/ and paste the address that you copied.

Hit the "Show Me What's Most Popular" button and you get the information that you are looking for.  Pretty spiffy tool, actually.

GPA doesn't list it because ComicLink is one of the few sites that does not report sales to GPA, but the only 9.2 to sell in the last couple of years is this book, which sold in mid 2014. The seller probably sold a few months to soon as the price would be a few thousand higher today.

GPA variant report for May 2014. Fantastic Four 184 and Iron Man 100 join Four-Figure Club

The May 2014 features some strong variant sales.  There were three solid sales of Star Wars 1 books.  An 8.5 sold for $3100.  A 8.0 sold for $2500.  A 6.5 sold for $1850.  The 6.5 sale was a record price for the grade and the prices give a pretty good idea of the range of prices for the most expensive bronze-age book in comics.

I want to highlight two record breaking sales of two sensational 35 cent variants.  The first book is a simply unimprovable Fantastic Four 184 in 9.8.  35 cent price variants which have been certified at 9.8 are the rarest of the rare bronze-age books.  This book is the highest graded by two grades over three 9.4s.  This book was snapped up almost instantly when ebay seller Zillaf4 listed it for $2000.  To repeat myself, again, and again.  These never come up for sale.  The only other recorded sale in GPA of this issue was a 7.0 which sold nine years ago for $53.  2005 prices for 35 cent variants are long gone.

The other highlight was one of the three highest graded Iron Man 100 35 cent variants in 9.2.  Like the Fantastic Four, this book was sold as a Buy-It-Now for $1100.   Iron Man was a second-tier title back in 1977, but Robert Downey has helped make it a first-tier title now and the 100th issue is a great book.  This is the highest graded of 17 currently certified.

GPA variant report for April 2014; record prices for Jungle Action 21 and Iron Fist 13

Every so often I post the GPA variant report that is produced by GPA every month.  As I have written before, I highly recommend GPA to high-quality comic collectors, especially high-quality variant collectors.  Overstreet does not come close to a correct value for these books - GPA is the only useful guide and as you will see in upcoming posts - GPA is only a guide, each sale can bring a new high.

As you can see from the report, there were a couple of highlights for the month.  Here is the sale of the Jungle Action 21, one of the toughest 30 centers particularly in high grade.  The black cover and low distribution of this book add to the difficulty.  $565 is a record price for this issue which isn't surprising because it is the single highest graded of only six specimens.  This book also doesn't come up for sale very often.  The only comparably graded book sold for $82 back in 2005.  Pretty solid appreciation for a hard-to-find 30 cent variant.  One 9.2 on the census and only one 9.0 on the census.

Another record sale propelled Iron Fist 13 into the rapidly growing Four-Figure club.  This book was purchased as a Buy-It-Now Best Offer for $1700.  This 9.4 is one of two highest graded books of this ever-popular Iron Fist issue.  How often does this book come up for sale in high grade?  The previous high sale was a 9.0 for $282 back in 2004.  Yes, 10 years ago.  There are still only 10 of this issue that have been certified.

Mycomicshop sells nice Amazing Spider-Man 173 35 cent price variant on ebay

Dallas comic dealer mycomicshop sold a solid mid-grade Amazing Spider-Man 173 35 cent price variant on ebay for $374.  mycomicshop is generally regarded as decent (if not conservative) grade and they had the book pegged as a 6.5.  The only recorded sale of certified book in the last nine years was an 8.5 which sold for $612 in 2010.  There are still just eight of this price variant issue certified in ANY grade so I think this might have been a bargain.

Proof that all of the high-grade X-men books belong in the Four Figure Book Club

Ebay seller Filter81 sold one of the highest graded X-Men 100 30 cent price variant books for $1850 on ebay as a Buy It Now item.  Since 9.4 copies of this book regularly sell for more than $1000, this was just confirmation that if you want a high grade X-Men registry set, the six issues will cost you what a decent car would cost.

Another nice X-Men 100, this one in CGC 9.0 sold for $394 in December.

Also, a pretty nice raw X-Men 105 35 cent price variant sold for $305.

So just exactly how much would the highest graded X-Men set cost nowadays if you could acquire all the books at once.  Yes, I know that this impossible, but let's examine the hypothetical just for fun.

The three 30 cent issues are 98, 99, and 100.

There are three copies of issue 98 graded in CGC 9.6.  The last of which sold in 2012 for $2225.

There are only four copies of issue 99 graded in CGC 9.4, which is the highest grade for this issue.  There are no recorded sales of a 9.4.  The last recorded sale of a 9.2 of this issue is back in 2009 and was for $975.  I suspect that it would take at least $2000 to snag one of the four 9.4s in today's market.

As seen above, $1850 is a realistic price for a 100 in 9.6.  I suspect that if the seller had auctioned the book instead of listing as a BIN, the price would have been higher.  The last private sale of that book was for $3000 so who knows?  

The three 35 cent issues are 105, 106 and 107.

The last recorded sale of a 105 was an 8.5 which sold in 2010 for $799.  What would one of the four highest graded 9.4s sell for today?  My guess would be at $2500 to $4000.

The last recorded sale of a 106 was a 9.2 that sold for $1000 in 2011.  There is a single 9.6 on the census and it is the highest graded by two grades over the three 9.2s on the census!!!  I would guess that this book would easily bring $5000.

The last recorded sale of a high grade 107 was a 9.2 that sold back in 2005, yes nine years ago.  That sale brought $910.  There is just one 9.4 and one 9.2 on the census.  I think the 9.4 would easily bring $4000 to $5000 in auction.

Totaling the damage on the six books makes me think that it would take $17,500 to $21,000 to get all six of the top graded books on the census.  I don't think it will ever happen, but it would be fun to see the fireworks if it ever did.

GPA Price Variant report for December 2013 - Marvel Feature 4 joins Four Figure Club

I haven't posted in awhile, but there have been some very nice top census books sold lately so it is time to catch you up with the recent significant book sales.  We can start with one of the best resources, GPA's price variant sales report.  As always, if you don't have a subscription, I highly recommend the service if you buy or sell high-grade comic books.  The service is invaluable and one of the bonuses is the GPA price variant report.  The report for December 2013 is below. 


The highlight of course is the Star Wars 1 in CGC 9.2 that sold for $6550.  This is a new high for the grade and points to the fact that the Star Wars 1 35 cent price variant is still the most desired bronze age book.


The other highlight is the exceptional Marvel Feature 4 in CGC 9.8 which sold for $1850.  This is also a new record for the book and the 9.8 that sold is one of only two 9.8s on the census (the other is a Signature Series book!!!) followed by two 9.6s.  Vintage Red Sonja books are always in demand and this book, with its spectacular cover is no exception.

So you want to find a Star Wars price variant cheap?

If you don't mind looking tediously through thousands of listings, you can have a lot of fun when you find the proverbial "needle in the hay stack".  Take this variant hunter and this ebay transaction for instance.

So what did this ebay buyer get for his $6 plus shipping?  Yes, a nice little low-grade Star Wars 4 35 cent price variant.  Plus a couple of other books for fun reading or to give away to the kids on Halloween instead of candy.

If you find a sweet hidden copy sometime, shoot me a note and let me know.  I heard a story from a source who normally knows what he is talking about that back in the day, an ebay buyer won a lot for a high grade CGC certified Iron Fist 14 price variant which was incorrectly graded and labeled by CGC as a regular edition.  That may be the all-time story.  Can you top it?

A couple of lower grade 35 cent price variant books to illustrate a point.

There is a tremendous amount of collector interest in the Marvel Price Variant issues.  Collectors looking to complete specific titles and collectors trying to complete the entire series create a healthy competition for any fresh material that hits the market.  In addition to the Rawhide Kid 141 in CGC 4.5 that I mentioned in an earlier post, there were two other sales of nice CGC certified 4.5 books that illustrate the true rarity of these books and offer a perspective on the pricing for the books.

On ComicLink, a CGC 4.5 copy of Amazing Spider-Man 173 sold for $205.  This is the seventh highest graded copy out of eight graded copies.  The key term is that there are only eight graded copies and there are certainly more than eight Spider-Man collectors looking for these books.  Comparisons to sales of the regular issue are really difficult, because with 17 copies graded in 9.8, there just aren't that many collectors looking for a CGC 4.5 regular edition.  Honestly, a 4.5 copy of the regular edition is not worth slabbing.  The closest comparison I could find is a CGC 8.0 regular edition that sold in December 2012 for $10 (or 1/2 of the CGC encapsulation fees).  A CGC 4.5 Spider-Man price variant is worth twenty times a CGC 8.0 of the regular issue.

GPA reports the sale in May of 2013 of an Iron Fist 15 graded in CGC 4.5 for $180.  The statistics are similar to the Spidey 173.  There are 21 total books graded of the price variant issue while there are 21 9.8s graded of the regular issue.  The closest comparison is again a CGC 8.0 regular edition that sold for $19 in September of 2012.  A CGC 4.5 Iron Fist price variant is worth ten times a CGC 8.0 of the regular issue.

It bears repeating.  35 Cent Price Variants regularly trade at ten to twenty times the price of the regular issues.  For the rarest of the rare books like the HB's, horror, war and western price variants the multiple is 100 times, i.e. Scooby Doo 1 in CGC 8.5 at $3500 versus $35 for the regular issue.  Or try Star Wars 1 in CGC 9.6 for $26,000 versus $190 for the regular issue.

Rawhide Kid 141 in CGC 4.5 shows up on ebay and then disappears

One of the grails of the 35 cent price variant set showed up on ebay.  Listed by ebay seller comics4less, the book was listed in an auction format.  Within a day, however, a buyer had contacted the seller and worked out a deal (purported to be $800) to sell the book privately and pull the listing off of ebay. 

The rarity of western 35 cent price variant issues is epic.  If the purported price is true, I think it a fair price., and a record for the issue. However, knowing how many collectors are missing that book, I think if the auction had gone to completion, I suspect that the final hammer price may have even been higher.  Alas, we will never know. 

Super-Villain Team-Up 13 Joins the Four Figure Price Variant Book Club

An absolutely sensational copy of Super-Villain Team-Up in CGC 9.8 sold on ebay for $1000 which puts S-V T-U 13 in the Four Figure Price Variant Book Club.  It should be noted that CGC 9.8 price variants are exceedingly rare.  There are 184 different (185, if you count the Captain America 212 blank bar) issues in the set.  Just 10 BOOKS total out of the 184 ISSUES have achieved the CGC Mint grade of 9.8.

What are the implications?  If Super-Villain Team-Up is worth four figures in 9.8, then just about any other 35 cent price variant is worth at least $1000.  This makes sense as I don't know of any copies of a 9.8 35 cent price variant that have sold for less than $1000 except for an Avengers book which sold for over $900 many years ago.  The other thing that is interesting is that with the exception of the Avengers books, the other 9.8s are all second or third tier titles.  I think that because of their rarity, CGC is really tough on price variants, particularly the big titles.  It would be a big-time event if a 9.8 Spider-Man or X-Men book showed up.  Two 9.6 Spider-Man books and one 9.6 X-Men book are the top of the census.

2001: A Space Odyssey 8 (never sold)
Avengers 162 (never sold)
Avengers 163 ($925 in 2008)
Black Panther 5 (Four Figure Club)
Invaders 18 (never sold)
Kull, the Destroyer 21 (never sold)
Nova 10 (never sold)
Nova 12 (never sold)
Super-Villain Team-Up 13 (Four Figure Club)
Tarzan 3 (Four Figure Club)

Jon McClure lists some nice price variants on the bay

Jon McClure apparently is still searching for variants or found a few treasures that he had tucked away.  He listed a nice group of variants that appear to be every bit the VF+/NM- that he graded the books.  The lot was snatched up as a Buy-It-Now for $395 or just about $60 per book.  Here is a screenshot of the listing.

 Jon also listed some very nice, very high-grade 35 cent variants on ebay.  The first to sell was this Thor 261 which was described as VF/NM and sold as a Buy-It-Now for $543. 

For those of you that don't know, Jon McClure was one of the early discoverers and researchers of the Marvel price variants.  Using the time machine (that only comes from a library of saved screen shots of key price variant books) to travel back in time to January of 2008 we can see from his last bulk sale of price variants how the collector pressure has increased for marvel price variants.  This sale was for $1704 and was for 21 different high grade CGC graded books or $81 per book.  The lot included a Godzilla 1 (CGC 9.0), Invaders 18 (CGC 9.4), Invaders 19 (CGC 9.2), Invaders 20 (CGC 9.0), Iron Fist 15 (CGC 9.2), and a Red Sonja 4 (CGC 9.0).  Five and half years later, it is safe to say that this lot would sell for at least five times if not ten times as much.

An update to the sale of the "Blank Bar" Captain America 212 price variant

CGC board member Keldog sent me a note on an additional listed sale of the Captain America 212 "blank bar"  35 cent price variant.  The sale is noted on the Quality Comix site.  I am not sure what is going on but the Quality Comix site lists a sale of the same CGC 6.0 book at $4520.

Interestingly, the book has now shown up on ComicLink with an asking price of $7000.  It certainly begs the question of what is going on with this book?  Anyone know?

Notable ebay price variant sales 2012

Here are some notable marvel bronze age price variant sales on ebay.

$1299 FN+ Star Wars 1.  Are there many other mid-grade raw bronze-age books that regularly fetch four figures?  The new Star Wars movie announcement is really adding to the demand for this book.

$425 for CGC 9.0 2001:A Space Odyssey 8

$182 for FN+ 2001:A Space Odyssey 10

$150 for Black Panther 4

$194.50 for very nice Conan 77.

$235.50 for nice Godzilla 1

$167.50 for nice Godzilla 2

$169 for Howard the Duck 14 mid-grade

$250 for Invaders 17 CGC 9.0

$232.29 for nice Marvel Tales 82.  The reprint titles are very tough particularly in high-grade and this may be the nicest that I have seen.

$199 for Marvel Team-Up 58 CGC 7.5.

$350 for Marvel Team-Up 61 in CGC 8.5