ComicLink sale of Star Wars 1 35 cent Price Variant Crushes Previous Price Record

One of the two highest graded copies of the 35 cent price variant issue of Star Wars 1 shattered the previous record sale of a price variant by more than $10,000.  The June ComicLink auction of the CGC 9.6 Star Wars 1 price variant closed at $36,500.  This sale is over 60 times higher than the current price of a regular issue certified 9.6.  Interest in the classic bronze age Star Wars books has been stoked because of the upcoming launch of new Star Wars films starting in December 2015.   You can search this blog for the previous two record sales of 9.6 Star Wars 1 price variants back in 2010 and 2011.  

The regular edition Star Wars 1 has risen in price in the last year from the $600 dollar level to around $2500.  It is not surprising that interest in the much, much, much rarer Star Wars 1 price variant is at an all-time high.  This is the only mainstream Star Wars collectible to be released before the release of the first Star Wars movie.  The CGC census of Star Wars 1 price variants currently has two 9.6 copies certified and lists eleven 9.4 copies.  The number of 9.4s is probably inflated a bit because both 9.6 copies were a result of resubmits to CGC.


These numbers will give you an idea of the rarity (and the justification for the high prices) of Near Mint or higher price variant issues versus the regular issues of Star Wars 1.

There are 339 copies of Star Wars 1 that have been graded 9.8, 921 copies that have graded 9.6, and 861 that have graded 9.4.  This is a total of 2121 books graded 9.4 or higher.

There are two copies of the 35 price variant in 9.6 and somewhere between seven to eleven copies in 9.4.  In other words, there is about one NM or better 35 cent price variant of Star Wars 1 for every 200 NM or better regular editions.

Here is the information on the ComicLink auction.  ComicLink does not report sales to GPA, but this blog keeps track of the important ComicLink variant sales.

Also featured in the ComicLink auction was a very nice CGC 9.0 Star Wars 1 price variant with Off-White to White pages.  I think that this is the first time that two high grade copies of this book have been auctioned in the same event.  This auction closed at $5764. 

These two sales imply current prices of $18,000 to $20,000 for 9.4 certified Star Wars 1 price variants and $9000 to $11,000 for 9.2 copies.

 

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 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.

Fake Star Wars 35 Cent Price Variants in PGX holders bring big bucks in January ComicLink Auction

In the recent January ComicLink Auction, two altered Star Wars comic books brought big bucks.  In my opinion, it is obvious that a scammer has altered the price block on a Star Wars 1 and a Star Wars 2 regular issue book to make the books look like the much more costly 35 cent price variants.  How these two books ended up in a PGX holder makes for interesting speculation.  Perhaps the scammer submitted the books to PGX and PGX simply missed the alteration through negligence or incompetence.  Maybe the scammer is an employee of PGX who altered the books and encapsulated the books themselves.  Maybe the books were altered and sold to an innocent buyer who sent the books to PGX.   Regardless of how it happened, the end result is that two mid-range Star Wars books which should normally sell for a few bucks were altered, encapsulated in PGX holders, and sold at auction for hundreds of dollars.

I have bought many books on ComicLink and I have sold books on ComicLink.  ComicLink does a great job and I recommend them to others.  I do not think that they played any part in the scam and trust them to do right by their customers.  I do think that they should reconsider whether they want to allow PGX graded books in their auctions.   I also hope that ComicLink will cancel the auction and send the books back to the seller.

I am not sure that PGX offers a guarantee for missing alterations in their grading.  I am certain that I will not use or recommend their services.

Here is a screen capture of the listing for the altered Star Wars 1 35 cent price variant.

Here is the scan of the altered Star Wars 1 and a close-up of the label.

 

So how do we know that a scammer has turned a common mid-grade book into $705 bucks?  The dead give-away is the price block.  Here is a close-up of the altered title block which you can compare to a close-up of the title block of an authentic copy below it.  As you can see, the "3", "5" and "c" and "Ccc" are not even close.

 

 

Here is a full-comic scan of an outstanding and authentic Star Wars 1 price variant that sold for $4367 in the same auction.

 

 

In the same auction, this altered Star Wars 2 sold for $390.  It has the same problem as its PGX brother above.

 

 



 

 

Here is a close-up of the altered price block and below it a close-up of an authentic Star Wars 2 35 cent variant price block. 

 



GPA's Analysis of Certified Sales of Variants for September 2012

Here is a screenshot of GPA's analysis of sales of certified price variants books.  I highly recommend their service for any serious collector of high grade books.  You will notice the $2225 sale for a CGC 9.6 X-Men 98 30 cent price variant.  What an incredible book! 

I also regularly get people asking me about Star Wars 1 price variants.  As you can see, nice mid-grade copies trade for $2000 so it is unreasonable to expect that you are going to land one of the NM- or better copies cheaply.  In fact, there is enough demand that these books are on the rise again. 

Ebay sale of Star Wars 1 8.0

A nice copy of Star Wars 1 price variant in CGC 8.0 White sold on ebay for $3200.

What does $15,000 get you? Hint. A real nice Star Wars price variant set

Ebay seller cgc_and_more listed a complete high grade Star Wars price variant set on ebay for $17,999.95.  The seller accepted a bid of $15,000 for the high grade set which included issue number 1 in 9.4 White, issue number 2 in 9.4 White (highest graded), issue number 3 in 9.2 Off-White to White, and issue number 4 in 9.4 White.  I figure $7000 for issue 1 and $3000 each for issues 2 and 4 and $2000 for issue 3 makes this a good deal for the seller and the buyer.  I am not sure that you will ever see another listing like this.  Ever.

Important Star Wars 1 in 9.4 White ComicLink auction

The second high-grade book 35 cent variant in the March ComicLink auction was this stunning Star Wars 1 35 cent price variant.  Undoubtedly a QueenAngelica book, this is one of only seven 9.4s graded with only two 9.6s graded higher.   The QueenAngelica mini-hoard brought several high-grade copies of this ultimate bronze-age comic which temporarily sated the incredible demand for this book.  Now demand again seems to be rising for this issue.


Here are the auction details.

STAR WARS #1 - The Auction Has Ended  Item description: 1977, 1st Star Wars adaptation Publisher: Marvel Condition: CGC 9.4 NM Page Quality: White Pages Type of Holder: Universal Degree Of Restoration: Unrestored Census Rank: 2nd Highest CGC Graded Pedigree or Highlight: PRICE VARIANT Current Bid: $7,300 Number Of Bids: 41  Final Bid: $7,300 End Date: 3/7/2012 10:43:00 PM ComicLink Comments: Very few Bronze Age comics can match the scarcity of the 35 cent Price Variant of the first issue of Star Wars, and the combination of this iconic series with the comic book format underscores the cultural relevancy of both. The offered example is 1 of only 7 at the CGC 9.4 NM tier and is the second highest grade ever assigned by CGC with just two examples graded slightly higher in 9.6. Elevating this one to the very top of the short 9.4 list, CGC has assigned its perfect page quality designation of White Pages.

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.

Strange Star Wars Ebay Auction

A relatively low-feedback ebay seller listed the following item and description in March.


Star Wars Comic Book by Marvel Comics #1 1977


I got this comic at an estate sale along with vintage 1977 Star Wars toys, the owner has had the collection i bought for 30 years, the comic book came sealed in an airtight laminate package to protect it and has done a good job because the comic book looks like new still, the owner said that it was in a larger case but he removed it because it was to bulky but that the grade for the book was 9.0....I put up photos so you can see for yourself, im going to be putting up more Star Wars stuff soon!!!...
Please bid cautiously because i have a no return policy to prevent 3rd party handling
Shipping is priority USPS $10.00 includes insurance tracking with signature confirmation Thank You!

Here is a picture of the books cover and back still apparently in the well.

Nowhere in the auction did it mention that the book was a 35 cent price variant.  The book attracted 40 bids and the final price was $1325. 
 
It does raise some interesting questions.
Was the book cracked out of a CGC holder?  PGX?
Why was the book cracked out?
Since the last CGC 9.0 sold for $3500, why crack and sell for $1325?
Was the book stolen and cracked out so it would be harder to trace?
Will it grade 9.0 when resubmitted?
What happened to the label?  Was it really a 9.0? 
How accurate is the CGC census?
 
If anyone has any additional information on this book, please send me a note.
 
Thanks.

Iron Fist 14 in CGC 9.2 brings $4625

One of only three Iron Fist 14 certified by CGC in 9.2 was sold by ComicLink for $4625 in an exchange (as opposed to auction) transaction.  This is truly an important book and there is still only one book graded higher at 9.4.  The last sale of a 9.2 was in October of 2008 for $4100.  Regular issue 9.2s of this issue sell for about $250 or 1/20th of the price variant amount.  Here is an interesting back of the napkin calculation - regular issue 9.8s sell for around $2000 so if a 9.8 Iron Fist 14 price variant issue is ever found would it go for $40,000.  What do you think?

Two four-figure sales of Iron Fist books in one month begs the question of which price variant issues have broken four figures.  There will be others but only if and when the books are ever found and if and when they come up for auction, particularly high-grade mainline titles like Spidey and X-Men and the exceptionally rare war, western, horror and Hanna Barbara books.  Here is the list of the ones I know of including some near four figure books.  This is a list you won't find anywhere else.  If you know of another transaction that I need to add to the list, please let me know.

Amazing Spider-Man 155 CGC 9.8      $950.00
Amazing Spider-Man 171 CGC 9.6   $1,150.00
Incredible Hulk 200 CGC 9.8            $1,434.00
Iron Fist 5 CGC 9.8                           $1034.00
Iron Fist 14 CGC 9.4                        $5,100.00 (and fifteen other four-figure sales)
Kid Colt ebay raw                                $800.00 +
Kid Colt ebay raw                                $800.00 +
Kid Colt 220 CGC 9                            $925.00
Kid Colt 208 CGC 8                            $800.00
Kid Colt Outlaw 219 CGC 5.5             $799.00
Rawhide Kid 141 CGC 5.5                  $786.00
Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos 141 CGC 7     $999.00
Star Wars 1 CGC 9.6                      $26,250.00 (and thirty other four-figure sales)
Star Wars 2 CGC 9.4                        $2,700.00 (and five other four-figure sales)
Star Wars 3 CGC 9.2                        $1,950.00 (one of two four-figure sales)
Star Wars 4 CGC 9.6                        $2,151.00 (one of two four-figure sales)
X-Men 98 CGC 9.6                          $1,875.00 (one of three four-figure sales)
X-Men 99 CGC 9.2                             $975.00
X-Men 100 CGC 9.4                        $1,825.00 (one of two four-figure sales)
X-Men 105 CGC 9.2                        $1,026.00 (one of two four figure sales)
X-Men 107 CGC 9.2                           $910.00

Long live the KING!

In ComicLink's November 2009 auction, a sizzling copy of Star Wars 1 achieved the record price for a Marvel Price variant. The auction for the CGC 9.6 white paged copy ended at $26,250.


The Star Wars 1 price variant holds a unique place for Star Wars collectors. The comic book is the only Star Wars collectible that was released prior to the release of the movie. Marvel Comics Group was struggling financially as evidenced by the need to try a price increase and the tremendous popularity of the movie and the tremendous sales of the Star Wars comics books helped save Marvel from financial ruin.

Currently, there have been 81 unrestored Star Wars 1 books graded by CGC. This 9.6 book is the single highest graded followed by two 9.4s and six 9.2s. Compare this to the 1735 regular issues that have been graded by CGC with 104 9.8s and 458 9.6s and 439 9.4s and you get an idea of the rarity of the marvel price variants. A regular edition of Star Wars 1 in 9.6 would typically sell for around $130 or half of a percent of the variant edition. Because of the huge print runs for the Star Wars 1 book, the Star Wars 1 price variant is the most common of all the price variants books and because of the popularity of the Star Wars franchise, one of the most desired.



The CGC census data is a tremendous resource for comic book researchers. To view the census data for Star Wars 1 go here.
http://www.cgccomics.com/census/grades_standard.asp?title=Star%20Wars&publisher=Marvel%20Comics&issue=1&year=1977&issuedate=7%2F77

The Big Comic Book Database is a great resource for Comic Book Collectors.
http://www.comics-db.com/comic-book/1061698-Star_Wars_1.html

To read more about how Star Wars 1 saved Marvel Comics Group go here.
http://www.starwars.com/episode-iv/bts/article/f20070601/index.html


The book was originally sold by an ebay seller who inherited a collection which included a number of high grade 35 cent variants including multiple copies of Star Wars 1. The book was originally sold on ebay in a CGC 9.4 holder for $10,000. You can find more about the story here. http://www.comicspriceguide.com/blog/post/2009/10/26/Star-Wars-1-35-Cent-Variant-CGC-94-Hits-2410000-on-eBay!.aspx