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TMNT #1 Club
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3,735 posts in this topic

Sigh...okay I lied, I'm buying more into the club. While I have the raw 3rd print and 5th print I posted earlier, I felt I still wanted to have at least one #1 issue in graded condition (and at this point didn't make much sense to grade my 3rd print).

So I looked and found this copy literally in the same part of the city as me, and signed, so makes sense to save on shipping fees, signing fees, and grading fees by just picking this one up. Real nice and crisp, I didn't realize how worn my raw 5th copy was as the blacks and red on this one have a much better punch to them. Still want to find out the print numbers for this one...it's the only comic mystery that keeps bugging me.

So yeah, this club is never getting rid of me - no matter how many versions of issue #1 I end up selling!

20201010_082314.thumb.jpg.568e35223d01e638b73c8fec759a3e1f.jpg
 

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1 hour ago, Sauce Dog said:

Sigh...okay I lied, I'm buying more into the club. While I have the raw 3rd print and 5th print I posted earlier, I felt I still wanted to have at least one #1 issue in graded condition (and at this point didn't make much sense to grade my 3rd print).

So I looked and found this copy literally in the same part of the city as me, and signed, so makes sense to save on shipping fees, signing fees, and grading fees by just picking this one up. Real nice and crisp, I didn't realize how worn my raw 5th copy was as the blacks and red on this one have a much better punch to them. Still want to find out the print numbers for this one...it's the only comic mystery that keeps bugging me.

So yeah, this club is never getting rid of me - no matter how many versions of issue #1 I end up selling!

20201010_082314.thumb.jpg.568e35223d01e638b73c8fec759a3e1f.jpg
 

I know there are only around 14 graded 9.8s so it’s pretty rare in that grade . This one has a lot of room for growth imo . It’s a nice looking cover in the red and wraparound . Nice pick up 

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53 minutes ago, Subby1938 said:

I know there are only around 14 graded 9.8s so it’s pretty rare in that grade . This one has a lot of room for growth imo . It’s a nice looking cover in the red and wraparound . Nice pick up 

Yeah, I've begun to notice that about high grades for this copy with all the raw copies showing up online for sale looking no higher than 9.2 at best (I did see a VF-NM raw on Ebay recently sell for $207us, which looked comparable to my copy so was happy with my 9.6 purchase) but I'm sure more will start being slabbed with the rising interest in the book.

Regardless of rarity or how it grows, I just prefer this cover over the 4th printing (as the black and white style lends itself better to the feeling of the original cover, as does the frame border around the art and utilizing red inks and not full color...all that and it doesn't say REPRINT across the top in large letters like the 4th)

Edited by Sauce Dog
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53 minutes ago, GM8 said:

Ok I can finally get this off my chest. I'm in the club. I've been following the Turtles since they originally came out and have loved talking with other Turtle-heads over the years on this forum but have kept my collection private mostly. Some PMs here or there but I've never felt the time was right. Now is the time. Why? Because they're safe and sound in a safe deposit box and I don't have to stress about the risk of having them get stolen/damaged, etc.

My first "1st print" purchase was from a big NYC comic shop back in 1986 or 1987. I got it and was so happy, paying about $125 at the time. A couple looks later and something didn't sit right with me. I looked closer and in better light and saw the abrasion below the word "First" on the inside cover. Then I read a little about it, I don't recall where, but they talked about counterfeit copies. It was a third print with the "third" scratched out and "first" written in. I told the comic shop guy (who probably knew it was fake) and luckily he acquiesced and gave me my money back. His reply to me was "you were right!". Yeah. I was really disappointed of course and gave up the search at the time.

Finally not long after, I got the urge again as I saw prices were increasing. I managed to track down not one but two first prints. Originally I bought them from two different sellers in the Comics Buyers Guide probably around '89 and '91 for the two purchases. I believe I paid about $180 for the signed one and $300 for the unsigned one a couple years later. They graded 9.6 and 9.8 a couple years ago at CGC respectively, both blue label. Seeing those grades at first was just unbelievable in the moment for me. I lost my s*&t when the 9.8 popped up on my screen! 

Just a big weight off my shoulders now that they're safe and secure. Not sharing photos/CGC #'s until I decide to part with them. Either way, I'll hold on to my 3rd print which I bought off the shelf in '85. 

Thanks for the share, gold for sure :whee: 

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This is a bonkers price for a 2nd print - a low grade raw copy just sold for half that of the Elite comics graded and signed 9.0. This one looked like a 4.0 or maybe 5.0 at best (comparing it to my previous 5.0 graded one that looks worlds better than this). Clearly some mad-turtle brain disease is still out there fuelling the bidding wars.

751547489_ScreenShot2020-11-08at9_48_07AM.thumb.png.3d1aa9d2530026c385814ad3bcccebec.png

Edited by Sauce Dog
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I was at a LCS today discussing with the owner the insane gains on all things TMNT lately. He mentioned that, in 1984, the local Diamond distribution center, then located in Allston, MA, had a full long box of first prints sitting in the warehouse unsold. The rep contacted local shops asking if anyone wanted them, everyone passed, and that box was tossed in a dumpster. That box would have held somewhere around 250 copies. I have no idea how accurate this story is, if his memory is correct, etc. But I found it interesting. 

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34 minutes ago, Ryan. said:

I was at a LCS today discussing with the owner the insane gains on all things TMNT lately. He mentioned that, in 1984, the local Diamond distribution center, then located in Allston, MA, had a full long box of first prints sitting in the warehouse unsold. The rep contacted local shops asking if anyone wanted them, everyone passed, and that box was tossed in a dumpster. That box would have held somewhere around 250 copies. I have no idea how accurate this story is, if his memory is correct, etc. But I found it interesting. 

I think he must be mis-remembering because that book was the talk of everywhere in the northeast at the time. It was a literal frenzy for month after month. Diamond of all people would have been knowledgeable about the demand.

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1 minute ago, GM8 said:

I think he must be mis-remembering because that book was the talk of everywhere in the northeast at the time. It was a literal frenzy for month after month. Diamond of all people would have been knowledgeable about the demand.

That was my understanding as well. 

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30 minutes ago, GM8 said:
1 hour ago, Ryan. said:

I was at a LCS today discussing with the owner the insane gains on all things TMNT lately. He mentioned that, in 1984, the local Diamond distribution center, then located in Allston, MA, had a full long box of first prints sitting in the warehouse unsold. The rep contacted local shops asking if anyone wanted them, everyone passed, and that box was tossed in a dumpster. That box would have held somewhere around 250 copies. I have no idea how accurate this story is, if his memory is correct, etc. But I found it interesting. 

I think he must be mis-remembering because that book was the talk of everywhere in the northeast at the time. It was a literal frenzy for month after month. Diamond of all people would have been knowledgeable about the demand.

Feels like that could have been true of 2nd or 3rd prints (depending on the exact date), but the fact that they went to 2nd printing at all means there was demand that wouldn't have resulted in dumping 1st prints.

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20 hours ago, valiantman said:

Feels like that could have been true of 2nd or 3rd prints (depending on the exact date), but the fact that they went to 2nd printing at all means there was demand that wouldn't have resulted in dumping 1st prints.

While I do agree it was most certainly one of the later prints, I could see it happening. Mirage would only know all the 1st prints sold to distributors/LCS, not necessarily if those were then sold to customers, and as such you could have some remote locations that ended up selling out (and being vocal about wanting more) while other smaller shops never had any local interest in buying the books so they just sat on the excess or dumped em (or didn't return or tell Mirage how it turned out). 

Edited by Sauce Dog
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3 hours ago, GM8 said:

The 9.4 on Heritage is up to $28.8K with buyers premium with ~9+ hours remaining until live auction, which means I have no idea how much more time is left!

 

https://comics.ha.com/itm/modern-age-1980-present-/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-1-mirage-studios-1984-cgc-nm-94-white-pages/a/40162-83009.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515

Now sitting at $31,200 with BP, just under 7 hours to go, then it should be the 9th item in the live auction.

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