valiantman

So, are CGC 9.8s now worth $750 instead of $450, or is the value of a gullible bidder +$300?

No problem. Third prints are great for freaking out comic shop owners and other customers. Keep them bagged and only those who can recognize the extra blood in the second "T" of TURTLES will know it's not a first print. Most comic shops, that's probably just you.

I just checked my Previews information on the Acclaim books. The listing for Shadowman Vol. 3, #2 (June 1999) states: "(NOTE: This item ships with a 1:5 variant cover.)" Since that was pre-incentive I don't know if that means there's a 1-in-5 chance you'll get the variant, if there's a 1-in-6 chance you'll get the variant (1 variant, 5 regular), or if you must-order-5-to-get-1-variant. Did shops that ordered 4 copies guarantee themselves zero variants because it was fewer than 5, or did they have 4 chances to get a variant?

Yep, and you could pay for them with money from one of those automatic teller ATM machines. As long as you don't forget your PIN number. My personal PIN number?

I guess the original meaning of "incentives" is what books like the Valiant golds were... an "incentive" to do something special for Valiant. They often highlighted Valiant-painted comic shop windows and Valiant-themed comic shop contests and the incentive was to get a gold edition. True, it wasn't a "1:X" without a more solid way to earn it, but it was the origin of the "incentive program". Even the RRP books were an "incentive" for just attending the meeting (not for ordering). The 1:50 distinction was really to differentiate between variants that occurred naturally (such as LotDK 1:4) or variants which weren't extremely limited (compared to the regular), Prophet #4 being 25% isn't an extreme. Spider-Man Platinum #1 was an extreme ratio (even if we don't know the exact value of X in the 1:X), compared to the regular editions... and the Valiant gold editions were an extreme. I assume the Image golds were also extreme, but they seem more plentiful than Valiant... which makes sense. Valiant gold books were 5,000 copies and selling for $50 to $100, so Image probably printed 10,000 to 20,000 gold editions hoping for the same result. Superman #75 was an extreme ratio compared to the regular editions. I believe Acclaim had 1:6 and 1:10 ordering requirements in 1998, so that pre-dates Dreamwave in 2002, but I still think the 8% to 20% variants weren't really to the extreme that "ramped it up" to where 1:50 to 1:5,000 has become today.

GPA shows a $3,000 CGC 5.0 in March, a $3,000 CGC 7.0 in May, and a $3,600 CGC 7.5 less than three weeks ago. TMNT #1 first print has the flattest prices... the upper grades (8.5+) are bargains compared to the mid-grades.

Yep, and you could pay for them with money from one of those automatic teller ATM machines.

Actual market value would require that you put it up for auction and see where it ends. Looking at prior sales is the second best option, but there aren't always recent sales to reference. There's almost no value in looking at unsold auction prices, other than to know that the asking price is too high. People like to say "it sells for $X on Ebay!" but if it isn't sold, then it doesn't sell for $X on Ebay. GPAnalysis.com is an online service (monthly fee) that has compiled CGC graded comic sales from various sources for many years. GoCollect.com has a similar service, with minimal information for free, but in this case, it might be what you're looking for: http://comics.gocollect.com/priceguide/view/129843

It wasn't a "rule" when it started. If you were a high-ordering retailer, you might get a gold edition. You might not. We might figure out when Diamond first had the "retailer ratio" listed in Previews, but that was after the concept was created. What you seem to be requiring didn't start until they saw that it was already working. Valiant had a series of gold editions beginning in 1992, Image had them soon after. Spider-man #1 had a platinum edition for the 1990 book, which would have been about 1:100 if there were 10,000 copies and the regular editions sold a million. If you want to celebrate something that came along years later as "first", well, I submit that Wolverine #1 is the first Wolverine. Those Hulk books were just tests about Wolverine.

What was the first premium ratio (1:50 or higher) retailer incentive variant? Valiant created their "gold editions" in 1992, which were about 1:100... but was there an earlier "premium ratio" (not talking about 1:5 or 1:10)?

Image did. Image is a publisher for all kinds of separate creator-owned properties. If we need to list the Image titles that died, we'll be here a while.

Of course! You don't exist in this industry without variants... unless you have a hit HBO show... and even then... variants.

I like it. Valiant Comics are great to read, we keep hearing about Marvel and DC readers who have switched to Valiant because they had no idea the books were so good... but it isn't enough. People spend more time and money on variants than they do on opening books and reading them, even better, ENJOYING what they're reading... so Valiant is basically saying, "fine, if you're obsessed with variants, then let's take it to the extreme and just do the most variant variant that can be varianted." Then, once that's done... let's try actually reading and ENJOYING our comic books again.

I felt the same way at the time, but if it's a fake, it's been faked convincingly enough to fool CGC, who I'd imagine gave it a pretty thorough looksee. And this isn't the only multiple cover copy of this book known, right? Something wacky may have been going on at the printing press that day. True, and the fact that the outer cover is a 9.2 means that it was a "raw 9.2" with extra covers, which probably would have been $100 (if you don't know how much premium to put on the extra covers) when slabbed 9.8s were going for $275.

"tec" = "'Tec" = "Detective" = "Detective Comics" Detective Comics #880 Most titles can be shortened to their initials "AF" = "Amazing Fantasy", ASM = "Amazing Spider-Man", but shortening "Detective Comics" to "DC" would be confused with the publisher name, so "Detective Comics" the title becomes 'Tec. It's also fun to realize that DC means "Detective Comics" in the publisher name, too, so when someone says "DC Comics", they're saying Detective Comics Comics.