Other notable High Grade 30 cent Variant Sales from the May Comiclink Featured Auction

The May 2011 Comiclink Feature Auction was remarkable for the size and quality of its Marvel Bronze Age price variant offerings. 

Amazing Spider-Man 155 - CGC 9.6 White (one of three in grade, two higher)  $305

Amazing Spider-Man 159 - CGC 9.6 White (one of two highest graded) $391 absolute bargain, by the way.

Avengers 148 CGC 9.6 White (one of three in grade, two higher)  $216

Avengers 149 CGC 9.4 Off-White to White (one of five, all highest graded, and the first time any have been auctioned)  $140

Jungle Action 22 CGC 9.4 White (one of three in grade, one higher)  $345.  The last and only time another of these books sold was in 2005 for $200.

Marvel Tales 67 CGC 9.8 White (single highest graded) $330

Marvel Team-Up 45 CGC 9.4 White (one of two highest graded) $330

Marvel Team-Up 46 CGC 9.4 White (one of five, highest graded) $198.  The price on this book, like many variants, has more than doubled in five years.

Marvel Two-In-One 17 CGC 9.6 White (single highest graded) $250

Also, it is always good when a Star Wars 1 comes up for auction.  Star Wars 1 CGC 8.5 Off-White to White $1628. 

There is only one variant listed so far in the June 2011 Comiclink auction.  But... it is a doozy.  The second copy of Star Wars 1 to be graded in 9.6.  I would bet that it is a Queen Angelica book that has been pressed.  If you remember, the last and only other 9.6 to auction, ended north of $25,000 in a Comiclink auction a couple of years ago.

Highest Graded Silver Age Journey Into Mystery 76 Sets Auction Record

I haven't blogged on the three Silver Age Marvel Price Variants yet.  The single highest graded of one of these issues and the easiest of the three issues to find (don't get me started on the Love Romances one), Journey into Mystery 76 recently came up for sale in the May Comiclink Feature Auction.  When the dust settled and all the snipes were set, the auction finished at $1687 which is more than twice the amount of any previous auction of this price variant.

What exactly are the black circle variants.  They are the silver-age brethren of the bronze age marvel price variants.  The three issues were all published by Marvel in January 1962.   Marvel decided to up their price from 10 cents to 12 cents and apparently still had three issues to print in January - Journey into Mystery, Love Romances, and Gunsmoke Western.  They made the decision to change the price on these but somehow the word didn't get to the printer or the printer didn't follow instructions until after the printing had started.   Some of the initial books were printed with the standard 10 cent price in a white circle.  After the mistake was discovered, the books were corrected by overprinting a black circle over the 10 cent price and printing 12 cents near where the price circel had been.  The remainder of the print run was printed with the new correct 12 cent price in the white circle.  The correctly printed 12 cent issues are the regular issue while the "black circle" ones are the variant issues. 
One question that has nagged variant collectors for years is "Did any of the 10 cent copies escape the printers?"  I have never seen or heard of one, but finding one would be a lot of fun.

Iron Man 88 in CGC 9.6 White sets record

One of only three NM or better copies of the 30 cent variant issue of Iron Man 88 and the single highest graded at 9.6 White set a new price record of $450 for the issue in the May Comiclink Featured Auction.  This price is 40 times higher than the last sale of similarly graded regular copy of this issue.  The brilliant blue background on the cover of this issue always makes this issue tough in grade.  The slight stress at the top staple is all that appears to keep this issue from grading higher.

Daredevil 134 in CGC 9.6 White sets record

In the May Comiclink Featured Auction, the single highest graded copy of Daredevil 134 set a new price record for the issue of $425.  At only seven times the average price for its regular issue brethren, I think it was a relative bargain for the auction. 

X-Men 106 35 cent price variant in CGC 9.2 Off-White to White Pages Breaks $1000 barrier

The 2nd highest graded copy of the 35 cent variant issue of X-Men 106 recently sold on ebay for $1000 which means this issue joins the $1000 club for price variant sales.  One of two copies that have received a grade of 9.2, this book trails only one book that has been graded higher at 9.6.  Regular issue copies certified in 9.2 trade for $50, so the price of the variant issue is twenty time higher than the regular issue.

What is the 9.6 worth?  A premium for certain since the book is a single highest graded copy right in the sweet spot of bronze age X-Men greatness.  Twenty times the regular issue value of $150 in CGC 9.6 would be $3000.  Who knows?  What we do know is that there have been 553 copies certified of the regular issue and only 13 copies certified of the variant issue.  Putting together a complete set of high grade X-Men price variants is a major challenge.

Amazing spider-man 157 in CGC 9.8 sets record in Comiclink feature auction

A beautiful copy of Amazing Spider-man 157 in CGC white sold for $1628 in the May 2011 Comiclink Feature auction. This is one of two highest graded copies of this variant issue and the first to come up at auction. The is the first sale of a certified spider 30 cent price variant to break the $1000 dollar barrier but it is also the first sale of a 9.8 graded spidey book to close at auction. 9.8 copies of issue 155 have sold in private treaty sales for near four-figure amounts.

This price is approximately fifteen times the amount of a regular issue 9.8.  The previous high sales price for a price variant copy of this issue was $510 for a 9.6 copy.

Daredevil 132 CGC 9.4 white monster book

An absolutely stunning copy of Daredevil 132 30-cent price variant graded by CGC as 9.4 with White pages was auctioned by CGC this month on ebay by ebay seller pickycollector ( Feedback Score Of 1213).

After spirited bidding, the book sold for $447 after shipping from Canada.  This is over a 50% increase from the last sale of a 9.4 copy of this book.  Of course, this book is rare enough that the last sale of this book in this grade was over five years ago in February 2006.  The last sale of a 9.6 was also in 2004 for $500, so I expect a 9.6 auctioned today would go for $750 to $1000.

This copy is one of only five in 9.4 with only two copies graded higher.  It is one of the 30 cent variant keys for two reasons.  First, it is an early appearance of Daredevil's arch-foe Bullseye.  Secondly, the black cover and the regular price box make it very tough to find, especially in high grade.


If only Ben Affleck had made a decent movie out of Frank Miller's Daredevil work, this book would be joining the four figure club.  Easily.

Another curious auction for a 35 cent variant key - Iron Fist 14

CGC boardie, Keldog, pointed me to a couple of recent curious auctions for a PGX 8.0 copy of an Iron Fist 14 35-cent price variant.  First on April 14, snugglebug2009 ( Feedback Score Of 47)  sold this copy on ebay for $1324 to a zero feedback buyer, who outbid two other bidders by $25 to $100 or so.  Zero feedback bidders always draw scrutiny, particularly when their only bid is on the auction in question.  Perhaps it is a new ebay bidder who signed up just to bid on the Iron Fist 14 variant that he had always wanted.  Or maybe it is just another ebay shill.  Who knows?

But then the same book is relisted five days later by bestdeals360 ( Feedback Score Of 513) and sells two days later for a best offer Buy it Now for $1625.

Strange things happen all the time on ebay.  I wonder if and when we will see this book again?

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.

Scooby Doo #1 35 cent variant

This magnificent copy of Scooby Doo #1 35 cent price variant apparently sold in a private treaty sale for $3500 by Motor City Comics.  Motor City Comics had this book (as they have had a number of other high grade 35 cent price variants) listed for sale for a long time.  Their asking price was steep but since no other copies have appeared, I am not surprised that a savvy collector finally snapped it up.  I am not certain that there is another like it.  Scooby is still very popular by the way.

Iron Fist 14 CGC 8.5 White

CGC boardie Keldog sent me a private message about a beautiful Iron Fist 14 in CGC 8.5 White that sold for $3000.  This is decent price for both the seller and buyer of this 35 cent variant key.  The selling site in Finest Comics and you can link to it here - Iron Fist 14 CGC 8.5 White.

Thanks Keldog

Interesting book that I would like to know more about.

This pretty neat Marvel Spotlight first edition featuring a neat Captain Marvel cover was recently auctioned at a Comiclink auction as a number variant.  Anybody know the backstory behind these?

Tales from the variant hunt - Iron Fist 14

I have been asked several times how I find variants.  I don't pretend to be the best variant hunter out there.  Frank (ebay seller comichunters), Terry (cosmic spider-man), Harry (horkorp) and a few others in the Variant Mafia would get that award.  Searching for them is a blast and can be addicting.  Here is the story of one successful hunt.

A couple of years ago an ebay seller listed a lot titled "Iron Fist 14 variant and others" with a high starting bid of $1000 or so.  Here is the picture of the Iron Fist book that was included in the auction.  There were no bidders.

Since the auction had no bidders, I emailed the seller and asked him if he would send me more pictures of the Iron Fist and information on the other books in the lot.  Here are the additional pictures that he sent and he said that he would throw in a Silver Surfer 3 and a Silver Surfer 4 if we could agree on a price.  I offered $600 for the lot.  He countered at $700.  We split the difference at $650.

So was this a good deal or not, you ask.  It is always difficult to grade from scans or pictures on ebay.  At the time, Iron Fist 14 price variants sold for around $350 in CGC 3.5, $700 in CGC 6.0 and $1700 in 8.0.  Is that a tape pull on the T on the cover or is it a fingerprint?  Tape pulls are a grade killer, fingerprints or smudges keep a book from being NM but this book obviously isn't NM anyway.

I submitted the book to CGC and it was my registry set book until I was able to get a higher graded one from Jon McClure.  I gave the Avengers 4 to Shieldagent because it was one of his grails and I have a nice one already.  The rest of the books are in a box somewhere. 

Here is the book back from CGC.  After I received the McClure Iron Fist 14, I sold this one so I was able to buy more high-grade variants.

   

Incredible Hulk 199 joins Incredible Hulk 200 as a four figure book.

The final 30 cent price variant auctioned in the November 2010 ComicLink auction was a stunning 9.8 white paged copy of Incredible Hulk 199.  When the dust cleared, the book brought $1433.  The only other 9.8 30 cent Hulk sold was Issue 200 in a Heritage auction in April 2009 for an almost identical $1434.  This book is the single highest graded copy of the issue followed by two 9.6s and three 9.4s.  It is a rare event when a 9.8 30 cent price variant comes up for sale, and this auction proves the tremendous interest in these books.

Defenders 35 (30 cent variant) joins the 1000 Dollar club

In the ComicLink November 2010 Featured Aution, another marvel price variant joined the $1000 club.  Defenders 35, graded, in CGC 9.8 with white pages sold for $1440.  This book is the single highest graded of the series ahead of one 9.6, two 9.4s, and five 9.2s.  I suspect that this beauty will end up in a registry set of one of the big Defenders collectors of which there are several.  Here is the ComicLink write-up and the scan of the book.

Price Comparison between 30 cent Variant Issues and Regular Issues

For buyers and sellers of high-grade certified comic books, I highly recommend a subcription to GPAnalysis.  GPAnalysis tracks and records the sales of CGC certified books and publishes them in an online-searchable database.  GPAnalysis also provides some useful monthly summary reports including a very useful report each month which details the sale of certified price variants.  (For the only comprehensive sales report that includes "raw" price variants, check this blog monthly.)  One of the interesting things that this report does is compare the sales price of variants to their regular edition issues.

Here are some high grade examples.

Amazing Spider-Man 171 9.2  $800  (40x the last regular edition sale of $20)
Iron Fist 15                       8.0  $785  (37x the last regular edition sale of $21)
Amazing Spider-Man 173 8.5  $612  (23x the last regular edition sale of $26)
Star Wars 3                       8.5  $600  (30x the last regular edition sale of $15)
Daredevil 146                   9.2  $375  (22x the last regular edition sale of $17)
X-Men 106                        7.5  $375  (22x the last regular edition sale of $17)
Spectacular Spider-Man 9 9.0 $220   (27x the last regular edition sale of $8)
Tarzan 1                             9.2 $205   (29x the last regular edition sales of $7)


I have written several times about what might happen if a high-grade Spidey or X-Men price variant book ever showed up at auction.  Consider this recent book in the November 2010 ComicLink Feature Auction.

Yes, that is correct.  One of the eight current CGC 9.8 copies of Amazing Spider-Man issue 156 brought a hammer price of $650 in the auction.  In case you think that price is unusual, there was only one sale of a 9.8 issue 156 last year and it was for $550.  Highest graded Spider-Man issues are always in demand.  Figure this.  20 times $650 is $13,000 and 30 times $650 is $19,500.  I am not saying that if a 9.8 Spider-Man 156 30 cent price variant shows up at an auction that it will bring $13,000 to $19,500.  We may never know since one has not been graded yet (there are only two price variant 9.6s and two price variant 9.4s on the census.)  I never thought I would see a 9.6 Star Wars 1 price variant sell for over $25,000 either.  Interesting to think about, yes?

ComicLink Auction Brings Strong Prices for 30 Cent Variants

On the first day of the ComicLink November Feature Auction (it is nice that variants are in the Feature Auction where typically ComicLink accepts higher value books), a couple of 30 cent variant brought strong hammer prices.

The first 30 cent variant book auctioned was a beautiful copy of Astonishing Tales 35 in CGC 9.6 with White Pages.  This is one of only three 9.6s in the census with none graded higher.  Issue 35 is the next to last book in the series and is part of the great Deathlok story arc.  GPAnalysis has records of only two sales of 9.2 graded books so this is by far the highest graded book to be auctioned to date.  The final hammer price?  $210.  Here is the auction write-up and the book.

Captain Marvel 44 was the next 30 cent price variant to be auctioned off.  It is a sizzling 9.4 White Paged beauty.  It is the only 9.4 on the census and there is no other book on the census higher than 9.2.  In fact there is only one other 9.0 on the census so this book is extremely hard to find in grade.  I am always interested in watching how highest graded variants do in a no-reserve auction.  In the interest of full disclosure, I was very interested in this book and put in what I thought was a bullet-proof bid of over $300 but was blown out of the water.  The final hammer price was $444.  Here is the auction write-up and the book.  You will probably never see one nicer.  This book also sold for over 13 times as much as the last regular issue CGC 9.4 sold for.

Be Very, Very, Very Careful - Ebay listing warning

In an earlier blog, I spelled out some keys to getting the prices for your variant books if you wish to list them on ebay.  Unfortunately, there are ebay sellers who are hitting paydirt by listing books as 35 cent variants when, in fact, they are not.

Ebay seller jordanbay listed this Daredevil 153 as a 35 cent variant.  There is just one major problem.  There is no 35 cent variant of this issue.  The listing quickly sold for $12 which must be a record for a mid-grade copy of this issue.  The 35 cent variant issues of Daredevil are 146, 147, and 148.

Ebay seller mmbuff listed these copies of Eternals 17 and 18 as 35 cent price variants.  They are not price variants.  They are regular issues, but the incorrect listing helped the books quickly sell at $14.99 each.  There are five 35 cent variant issues of the Eternals - 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16.

The moral of the story?  While it would certainly be a great deal to find a nice 35 cent variant for fifteen bucks or so, check to make sure that the issue is actually a variant before hitting the BIN.  Caveat Emptor...

High-Grade Amazing Spider-Man 35 centers - Updated Price Information

There is nothing like a well-followed auction with fresh, never-seen material to check the real price levels on great 35 cent variant books.  Long-time variant collector Darthdiesel auctioned off several top-census 35 cent books on ebay recently, including two very high grade Amazing Spider-Man 35 cent books.

Spider-Man 173 in CGC 8.5 Off-White to White (tied for highest graded, and only six books on the census) brought a hammer price of $612.  Eight bidders were recorded with fifteen bids and three bidders registered bids in excess of $500.  There was definately at least one additional bidder as I really wanted that book (my copy is a 4.5) but didn't snipe high enough and my bid was never entered.  I suspect that there were other bidders/snipers as well.  This result is now the only recorded sale of this issue in GPA.  By the way, assuming that you could sell a CGC 8.5 regular issue 173 for the cost of the slab, this price is forty times the price of the regular issue.

The other high grade Spidey 35 center that Darth auctioned was a beautiful CGC 9.2 Off-White to White 171.  This auction registered five bidders and 10 bids before the Buy It Now option was utilized for $800.  Since the 8.5 173 went for over $600, this might have been a smart move, but until another comes up for auction, we will never know.  The problem is that currently there is just one additional 9.2 and a lone 9.6 that are locked up in collections, so it may be awhile before we find out.  The BIN price of $800 is about twenty-five times the price of a regular issue CGC 9.2 171.  Twenty-five times the price of of a regular issue 9.6 would value the CGC 9.6 35 center at over $2000.