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The Absolute Hardest to Find 90's books.
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Started by RockMyAmadeus,

1,246 posts in this topic

valiantman

valiantman

Posted
Posted
All except for the Deathmate Red and I have NEVER seen a copy for sale in a shop. Heck, I even found Magnus Robot Fighter 0s with the coupon for 50 cents each and still never saw a Deathmate Red gold.

 

The shop probably closed by the time Deathmate Red - Gold editions arrived. Seriously.

It was so late that many of the comic shops that closed during "the crash" were already closed.

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fastballspecial

fastballspecial

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I will add a few from the core publishers. While these books are tougher to find you can find them. I just dont find them in NM or higher very often if I ever find them at all. I very rarily find them in any stores I visit. Ebay seems to be the only venue I see them show up. Just some books for discussion tired of reading about Deathmate.

 

Spectre 54 - 1st Mr. Terrific. Found 3 copies in about 7 years of looking for fun. You just dont find the book. I see 3 copies on ebay currently. Very tough in higher grade never had one in NM a couple close.

 

Resident Evil Magazines/Wildstorm - Dont know what the print run was on these, but they dont show up much and when they do they sell very well.

 

Resident Evil/Capcom Giveaway - Sells well, but again dont see many copies a few in ebay currently.

 

Flex Mentallo - Always good to pick up a book that probably wont ever be reprinted. The book would sky rocket if something is ever done with story.

 

Ghost Rider 90-93 - Tough issues to find tougher in higher grade. I never keep one of these issues long, but I dont find them much either.

 

Marvel Comics Presents 175 - Never find it in shops. See a couple on ebay currently. Love the cover.

 

Swamp Thing 171 - Last issue Millar wrote it. Never found one in a shop anywhere, but a few on ebay usually.

 

 

 

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Scott Goodman

Scott Goodman

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I will add a few from the core publishers. While these books are tougher to find you can find them. I just dont find them in NM or higher very often if I ever find them at all. I very rarily find them in any stores I visit. Ebay seems to be the only venue I see them show up. Just some books for discussion tired of reading about Deathmate.

 

Spectre 54 - 1st Mr. Terrific. Found 3 copies in about 7 years of looking for fun. You just dont find the book. I see 3 copies on ebay currently. Very tough in higher grade never had one in NM a couple close.

 

Resident Evil Magazines/Wildstorm - Dont know what the print run was on these, but they dont show up much and when they do they sell very well.

 

Resident Evil/Capcom Giveaway - Sells well, but again dont see many copies a few in ebay currently.

 

Flex Mentallo - Always good to pick up a book that probably wont ever be reprinted. The book would sky rocket if something is ever done with story.

 

Ghost Rider 90-93 - Tough issues to find tougher in higher grade. I never keep one of these issues long, but I dont find them much either.

 

Marvel Comics Presents 175 - Never find it in shops. See a couple on ebay currently. Love the cover.

 

Swamp Thing 171 - Last issue Millar wrote it. Never found one in a shop anywhere, but a few on ebay usually.

 

 

 

I found a run of Ghost Rider from 70-93 all in NM+ yesterday and I bought them all at $2 each.

I also got Amazing Spider-Man 430-441 in NM+ for $2 each, Daredevil 368-380 in the same condition for the same prices, a Green Lantern: The Power of Ion trade paperback for $5 and several other hard-to-find 1990s books at the same flea market.

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the blob

the blob

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I will add a few from the core publishers. While these books are tougher to find you can find them. I just dont find them in NM or higher very often if I ever find them at all. I very rarily find them in any stores I visit. Ebay seems to be the only venue I see them show up. Just some books for discussion tired of reading about Deathmate.

 

Spectre 54 - 1st Mr. Terrific. Found 3 copies in about 7 years of looking for fun. You just dont find the book. I see 3 copies on ebay currently. Very tough in higher grade never had one in NM a couple close.

 

Resident Evil Magazines/Wildstorm - Dont know what the print run was on these, but they dont show up much and when they do they sell very well.

 

Resident Evil/Capcom Giveaway - Sells well, but again dont see many copies a few in ebay currently.

 

Flex Mentallo - Always good to pick up a book that probably wont ever be reprinted. The book would sky rocket if something is ever done with story.

 

Ghost Rider 90-93 - Tough issues to find tougher in higher grade. I never keep one of these issues long, but I dont find them much either.

 

Marvel Comics Presents 175 - Never find it in shops. See a couple on ebay currently. Love the cover.

 

Swamp Thing 171 - Last issue Millar wrote it. Never found one in a shop anywhere, but a few on ebay usually.

 

 

 

I found a run of Ghost Rider from 70-93 all in NM+ yesterday and I bought them all at $2 each.

I also got Amazing Spider-Man 430-441 in NM+ for $2 each, Daredevil 368-380 in the same condition for the same prices, a Green Lantern: The Power of Ion trade paperback for $5 and several other hard-to-find 1990s books at the same flea market.

 

Considering that OPG has most of those for $2-$3 it isn't so surprising they'd be priced like that. comic shops, flea markets, etc. don't really pay attention to "last issue" prices on ebay unless they work their way into OPG. OPG doesn't even break out Turok 47, for example.

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Scott Goodman

Scott Goodman

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Posted
I will add a few from the core publishers. While these books are tougher to find you can find them. I just dont find them in NM or higher very often if I ever find them at all. I very rarily find them in any stores I visit. Ebay seems to be the only venue I see them show up. Just some books for discussion tired of reading about Deathmate.

 

Spectre 54 - 1st Mr. Terrific. Found 3 copies in about 7 years of looking for fun. You just dont find the book. I see 3 copies on ebay currently. Very tough in higher grade never had one in NM a couple close.

 

Resident Evil Magazines/Wildstorm - Dont know what the print run was on these, but they dont show up much and when they do they sell very well.

 

Resident Evil/Capcom Giveaway - Sells well, but again dont see many copies a few in ebay currently.

 

Flex Mentallo - Always good to pick up a book that probably wont ever be reprinted. The book would sky rocket if something is ever done with story.

 

Ghost Rider 90-93 - Tough issues to find tougher in higher grade. I never keep one of these issues long, but I dont find them much either.

 

Marvel Comics Presents 175 - Never find it in shops. See a couple on ebay currently. Love the cover.

 

Swamp Thing 171 - Last issue Millar wrote it. Never found one in a shop anywhere, but a few on ebay usually.

 

 

 

I found a run of Ghost Rider from 70-93 all in NM+ yesterday and I bought them all at $2 each.

I also got Amazing Spider-Man 430-441 in NM+ for $2 each, Daredevil 368-380 in the same condition for the same prices, a Green Lantern: The Power of Ion trade paperback for $5 and several other hard-to-find 1990s books at the same flea market.

 

Considering that OPG has most of those for $2-$3 it isn't so surprising they'd be priced like that. comic shops, flea markets, etc. don't really pay attention to "last issue" prices on ebay unless they work their way into OPG. OPG doesn't even break out Turok 47, for example.

 

There were 11 comic book shops in my local area in the mid-1990s and I'm seeing so many collections turn up lately that are full of NM+ 1990s books that it makes me wonder if all these books aren't coming from the leftover stocks of those old stores. Surely one collector didn't hoard 20 copies of Magnus Robot Fighter 37 or Strong Guy 1 ...

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the blob

the blob

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Surely one collector didn't hoard 20 copies of Magnus Robot Fighter 37 or Strong Guy 1 ...

----------

 

books from that era it would not surprise me if a collector did, in fact, have 20 copies of some issues. remember, they were all going to quadruple in price eventually! (then again, by the time MRF 37 came out, I have no idea who would be thinking that). or, like me, buying 10-15 copies of Prime 1, Shadowman 16 and a host of other "hot" books that made their way into 25 and 50 cent boxes.... back then I thought these books might eventually make a comeback, not realizing that books with 500K print-runs don't make comebacks in a shrinking market with the internet/ebay a couple of years away.

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the blob

the blob

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Thanks, I figured as much. I guess people really were not as exasperated about "rarity" back then, particularly if it was just a variant, etc. Well, if I get the opportunity to pick up more of the golds for 25 cents I'll probably go for it even if they aren't selling for much more than that right now.

 

I doubt if the print run on the Deathmate Gold editions was 5,000... they were both Valiant and Image products,

so they were probably at least 5,000 for each company... so a minimum of 10,000.

 

i thought i got the 5,000 estimate off your website...so any # there should be doubled to account for each company?

 

Hmmm... hm

 

Looks like my references show that the Deathmate books that were put out by Valiant most likely had Gold editions at 5,000....

while the Deathmate books that were put out by Image most likely had Gold editions at 10,000.

 

Deathmate Blue and Yellow were put out by Valiant (and, not surprisingly, on time).

Deathmate Black and Red were put out by Image (and, not surprisingly, very very late).

 

:grin:

 

 

honestly, the Golds with the 5K print-runs "should" be $5-$10+ books based on supply, etc. if much more common #1s and last issues sell for more, but I guess the market just doesn't have any interest. the deathmate fiasco brings back bad memories for the valiant collector (and they have these already anyway) and anyone who got into comics in the last 15 years just doesn't care. i'll still buy them when i see them though.

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dupont2005

dupont2005

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There are plenty of books out there that have less than 5k print runs not selling for any more than that. Also I believe to a lot of collectors (myself included) they don't look at it as a 5k print run comic. Each Deathmate had print runs of what, 50k? 100k? I don't much care what color the foil is, it's an extremely high print run comic, and if I already own a copy with red or blue foil I'm extremely less likely to pick up a copy with a different colored foil on it. Especially if the comic isn't even worth reading lol

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Gatsby77

Gatsby77

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Greg--what's the source for your stat that the Deathmate Red Gold and Black Gold had 10k print runs?

 

I find that hard to believe just because they have always seemed so much harder for me to find than the Blue/Yellow versions. And does that mean that epilogue had a 10k print run as well?

 

I don't have a source handy for the 1:50 ratio, but I believe it was one of those old "Edge-Man" or "American Entertainment" ads that offered the Prologue up for pre-order for either $1.99 or $1.49 each, plus a gold version if you bought 50 at that price.

 

If this were true and the ratio held throughout the six issues, the red gold and black gold would be twice as hard to find than their blue/yellow counterparts, not twice as easy. (And "twice as hard" has always been my experience)

 

Likewise, I've always thought that the Predator/Magnus Platinum was distributed as a 1:50 variant, both from similar ads in comic books around that time and my anecdotal experience at local comic shops then. Superman 75 Platinum and Spider-Man 1 Platinum were "1 per store" but Predator/Magnus Platinum was "1 per 50 copies ordered."

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valiantman

valiantman

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Posted
Greg--what's the source for your stat that the Deathmate Red Gold and Black Gold had 10k print runs?

 

I find that hard to believe just because they have always seemed so much harder for me to find than the Blue/Yellow versions. And does that mean that epilogue had a 10k print run as well?

 

I don't have a source handy for the 1:50 ratio, but I believe it was one of those old "Edge-Man" or "American Entertainment" ads that offered the Prologue up for pre-order for either $1.99 or $1.49 each, plus a gold version if you bought 50 at that price.

 

If this were true and the ratio held throughout the six issues, the red gold and black gold would be twice as hard to find than their blue/yellow counterparts, not twice as easy. (And "twice as hard" has always been my experience)

 

Likewise, I've always thought that the Predator/Magnus Platinum was distributed as a 1:50 variant, both from similar ads in comic books around that time and my anecdotal experience at local comic shops then. Superman 75 Platinum and Spider-Man 1 Platinum were "1 per store" but Predator/Magnus Platinum was "1 per 50 copies ordered."

 

My source would have been someone who was in Valiant at the time... possibly Scott Friedlander or Kevin VanHook.

(I would have talked/emailed with them in the 2000-2006 timeframe.)

 

Anyway, it made sense to me that the print run for the Gold editions of the "two-company" books

would have been enough to cover the needs/obligations of both publishers.

 

The distribution method for premium editions varied depending on the distributor.

Valiant would have had the books printed and shipped to the distributors,

but the distributors may have had their own rules for obtaining the premium books.

Sometimes it was based on initial orders and sometimes it was based on large re-orders.

 

In a couple of instances, several dozen copies (or a case) of Gold editions has turned up.

Bloodshot #0 Gold and Psi-Lords #1 Gold, for example, have turned up 100+ copies in one spot.

If certain Gold editions are harder to find, it's possible that they weren't distributed very well...

and it's also possible that there are hundreds still sitting somewhere waiting to be found.

 

It's unlikely that premium books from early (1991-1992) Valiant are in any "unsold" quantities...

but the later Gold editions (1994) are definitely potentials for some type of "warehouse find".

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Bosco685

Bosco685

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It's unlikely that premium books from early Valiant are in any "unsold" quantities...

but the later Gold editions (1994) are definitely potentials for some type of "warehouse find".

Can you imagine finding an unopened case of Archer & Armstrong 0 Gold or Eternal Warrior 1 Gold Flat? It would be like winning the lottery if you released them slowly into the market.

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the blob

the blob

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Posted
There are plenty of books out there that have less than 5k print runs not selling for any more than that. Also I believe to a lot of collectors (myself included) they don't look at it as a 5k print run comic. Each Deathmate had print runs of what, 50k? 100k? I don't much care what color the foil is, it's an extremely high print run comic, and if I already own a copy with red or blue foil I'm extremely less likely to pick up a copy with a different colored foil on it. Especially if the comic isn't even worth reading lol

 

perhaps so, but this was a pretty bid deal in the day as opposed to some nothing book put out by a small publisher with a 5K print-run.

 

i guess 1:10 variants of mid tier mainstream titles are only 2-5K copies as well.

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CKB

CKB

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Posted
It's unlikely that premium books from early Valiant are in any "unsold" quantities...

but the later Gold editions (1994) are definitely potentials for some type of "warehouse find".

Can you imagine finding an unopened case of Archer & Armstrong 0 Gold or Eternal Warrior 1 Gold Flat? It would be like winning the lottery if you released them slowly into the market.

 

Unfortunately the sellers of such things rarely have such foresight. See X/O 1/2 Gold.

 

On the Deathmate Red gold - it would be shocking to me if there were actually 10,000 in circulation. It just does not come up enough compared to the others. I think 8000 of them are sitting in a warehouse somewhere.

 

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