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Price Variant Club
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3,550 posts in this topic

Back in the late 90's in Baltimore, the Spidey's were exceedingly common. You could find at least one in almost every store in the area. By 1999, I had to stop myself from buying them unless they were in high grade. Not as common as Eternals 1 or 2, mind you, but common.

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I finished my 30 cent variant set 10 years ago so my opinion may be out-of-date but I'll put in my 2 cents here.

 

I put together my own rarity list based on my experiences and FD is right on except for a few that I had a lot of trouble finding in decent shape.

 

Also I didn't have any troubles finding the Jungle Actions and in fact found some nice copies early on in my 2 1/2 year quest to complete the set.

 

I agree that MOFK 39 was very tough and along with MTA 29 and Marvel Tales 68 I would add to the bottom tier.

 

Chamber of Chills 23 was very difficult in grade so I might move that one up to the middle tier.

 

I would also put the Dr. Strange 14 Orange Starburst variant in the top tier but that is a special case that not everyone needs for a standard complete set but is a fun addition.

 

It was great to talk about variants again after so long and good luck to all trying to complete a set.

 

 

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I finished my 30 cent variant set 10 years ago so my opinion may be out-of-date but I'll put in my 2 cents here.

 

I put together my own rarity list based on my experiences and FD is right on except for a few that I had a lot of trouble finding in decent shape.

 

Also I didn't have any troubles finding the Jungle Actions and in fact found some nice copies early on in my 2 1/2 year quest to complete the set.

 

I agree that MOFK 39 was very tough and along with MTA 29 and Marvel Tales 68 I would add to the bottom tier.

 

Chamber of Chills 23 was very difficult in grade so I might move that one up to the middle tier.

 

I would also put the Dr. Strange 14 Orange Starburst variant in the top tier but that is a special case that not everyone needs for a standard complete set but is a fun addition.

 

It was great to talk about variants again after so long and good luck to all trying to complete a set.

 

 

2 1/2 year quest :o:insane: man I'm on the slow boat to Variant nirvana, that's for sure.

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My experience was pretty different. I found my Kid Colt 205 among my first 80-90 variants for 2 dollars and if I remember correctly I found my WWT 15 at around the mid-point of my journey also for 2 bucks. The hunt is completely idiosyncratic when you get to the hardest 30 or so. I'm not sure, but I believe my last two were Sgt Fury 133 and MTA 29

 

I really think it's regional, at least it was when we first started hunting these. Westerns and Horror are always hard to find regardless, but the rest are hit and miss. For example, in San Antonio IM 89 was just a plentiful as the other issues. It was almost impossible to find POTA or Black Goliath.

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I finished my 30 cent variant set 10 years ago so my opinion may be out-of-date but I'll put in my 2 cents here.

 

I put together my own rarity list based on my experiences and FD is right on except for a few that I had a lot of trouble finding in decent shape.

 

Also I didn't have any troubles finding the Jungle Actions and in fact found some nice copies early on in my 2 1/2 year quest to complete the set.

 

I agree that MOFK 39 was very tough and along with MTA 29 and Marvel Tales 68 I would add to the bottom tier.

 

Chamber of Chills 23 was very difficult in grade so I might move that one up to the middle tier.

 

I would also put the Dr. Strange 14 Orange Starburst variant in the top tier but that is a special case that not everyone needs for a standard complete set but is a fun addition.

 

It was great to talk about variants again after so long and good luck to all trying to complete a set.

 

 

I used to have two and bought a cgc 9.6 from greg reece. Tough, tough book. The 35's are tougher.

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I was second high bidder! :frustrated:

Glad to see a boardie got them though. (thumbs u

 

Sorry about that. ? it was a double win as I needed many issues from the rest of the lot to fill gaps in my TOD run I've been slowly working on.

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The 35's are tougher.

Disagree on the hero books.

I have a short box of 35 centers found in the wild. Never found that many 30 centers.

It is the same reason IM #89 and MOKF #39 seem so difficult.

When they look like every other book, they don't end up on eBay as "price variants" They are found in long boxes mixed in with all the rest.

The rarity of the hero 35 centers is grossly exaggerated.

Full disclosure: I have 2 short boxes of 35 cent hero books and counting, I have no self-interest here.

 

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Uh, no.

 

Seriously, speaking as the person who found the first known copies of Iron Man 89 and Iron Fist 14 (both of which look like regular copies), I can guarantee you that I have always looked at the actual price, and back in the late 90's probably made a few thousand dollars doing so. I have found about 70-80 35 cent variants in the wild. I have probably found about 800 30 cent variants. A very different statistical technique appeared to be used to determine return rates for the two different sets of variants and there is absolutely a difference in the rate at which the two appear.

 

If you have found that many 35 cent variants in the wild, then two things are happening. First, you've been very lucky. Second, you've clearly tapped into a test market, either known or unknown. Good for you. I guarantee that is not the typical experience.

Edited by underthebigw
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The 35's are tougher.

Disagree on the hero books.

I have a short box of 35 centers found in the wild. Never found that many 30 centers.

It is the same reason IM #89 and MOKF #39 seem so difficult.

When they look like every other book, they don't end up on eBay as "price variants" They are found in long boxes mixed in with all the rest.

The rarity of the hero 35 centers is grossly exaggerated.

Full disclosure: I have 2 short boxes of 35 cent hero books and counting, I have no self-interest here.

 

No. Speaking as someone who has been actively looking for variants in all the known test markets since 1997, your analysis is completely wrong. I've been through entire comic stores backstocks in test markets before people knew what they were (Memphis, San Jose, Wilmington) looking through literally 1000s of books and have found maybe 100 35s in 20 years in the raw. Strictly from my own experience, the ratio of 30s to 35s is at least 10-1 in the raw, maybe 15-1, with the ratio of a non-variant to a 30 center probably 75-1 in a test market area.

 

As Paul stated, if you've found two full short boxes of 35s in the wild you are either the luckiest guy in the world OR you've hit a previously unknown test market.

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The 35's are tougher.

Disagree on the hero books.

I have a short box of 35 centers found in the wild. Never found that many 30 centers.

It is the same reason IM #89 and MOKF #39 seem so difficult.

When they look like every other book, they don't end up on eBay as "price variants" They are found in long boxes mixed in with all the rest.

The rarity of the hero 35 centers is grossly exaggerated.

Full disclosure: I have 2 short boxes of 35 cent hero books and counting, I have no self-interest here.

 

No. Speaking as someone who has been actively looking for variants in all the known test markets since 1997, your analysis is completely wrong. I've been through entire comic stores backstocks in test markets before people knew what they were (Memphis, San Jose, Wilmington) looking through literally 1000s of books and have found maybe 100 35s in 20 years in the raw. Strictly from my own experience, the ratio of 30s to 35s is at least 10-1 in the raw, maybe 15-1, with the ratio of a non-variant to a 30 center probably 75-1 in a test market area.

 

As Paul stated, if you've found two full short boxes of 35s in the wild you are either the luckiest guy in the world OR you've hit a previously unknown test market.

 

Stay out of San Jose (tsk):sumo::kidaround:

 

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I've been through entire comic stores backstocks in test markets before people knew what they were (Memphis, San Jose, Wilmington)

I can tell you from experience you missed 2 test markets. Found most of mine in road trips out of state to places you apparently aren't checking.
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I've been through entire comic stores backstocks in test markets before people knew what they were (Memphis, San Jose, Wilmington)

I can tell you from experience you missed 2 test markets. Found most of mine in road trips out of state to places you apparently aren't checking.

 

I've been to all six.

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The book on EBAY right now is owned by our very own Flying Donut (thumbs u had I not purchased this book last week (crazy no copies for public sale in like a year and two come up in same week - ah variant collecting) I would definitely be bidding on Donut's book.

 

In general the non-super hero titles with smaller print runs, are harder to find, which makes sense; less printed less to be found. So Westerns and Horror and Sci-Fi books are more difficult than Spider-Man, DD, Cap and Thor.

 

There is a scarcity index that was created on Stl Comics, in general its pretty solid. I don't know if anyone has done a top 10, I'd put Chamber of Chills 22 in the top 20.

 

2c

 

I haven't done the scarcity index in a long time, but - and this is off the top of my head, mind you - here you go:

 

By far the hardest to find:

1. Kid Colt 208

2. Weird Wonder Tales 15

 

Extremely difficult

3. Kid Colt 205

4. Kid Colt 206

5. Kid Colt 207

6. Kid Colt 209

7. Mighty Marvel Western 45

8. Rawhide Kid 133

9. Rawhide Kid 134

10. Ringo Kid 27

11. Ringo Kid 28

12. Two-Gun Kid 129

13. Two-Gun Kid 130

14. Two-Gun Kid 131

 

Show up but still rare

15. Chamber of Chills 22

16. Chamber of Chills 23

17. Jungle Action 22 <=== this is the first superhero book on the list

18. Jungle Action 23

19. Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos 133

20. Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos 134

21. Tomb of Darkness 20

22. Tomb of Darkness 21

23. Weird Wonder Tales 16

24. Weird Wonder Tales 17

25. Iron Man 89

 

A couple of quick notes. I have been looking for variants for 20 years in the wild (seriously!) and have never seen a Kid Colt 208. I bought mine as part of a buy from Fred McSurley in 2000. My Weird Wonder Tales 15 - which was the last one I needed for the set - came in a trade with departed board member Lighthouse in 2000.

 

In the wild, I've only seen one Weird Wonder Tales 15 - the one I sold on eBay for $810 last year - and only one Kid Colt 205, which I bought for a dollar in 1999 and have had ever since.

 

To illustrate how hard those books are to find all share my ones I have found. Of that 25 I have only found Numbers 23,24 and 25 I have looked solidly now for over 10 years. They are very hard to find.

 

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I wouldn't even look for them in Baltimore unless I slashed FDs tires first lol

 

On the Kid Colt 205, a little karma for all you sharks out there. I found this book with a dealer and it was marked around the rest of the variants, I was open about it and let him know it was probably work 4-5 times that and actually ended up paying that as he gave me a deal on the other variants.

 

Now whenever ones comes in I get a email, these were the last two he pinged me on. Probably no way I ever see them otherwise. So sometimes, even if its a dealer, working with them and being forthright gets you access to books that are pretty rare and they have a much higher probability of seeing than you do.

 

 

There are other serious collectors in the Baltimore area as well.

Its not just FD chasing them up there.

 

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The 35's are tougher.

Disagree on the hero books.

I have a short box of 35 centers found in the wild. Never found that many 30 centers.

It is the same reason IM #89 and MOKF #39 seem so difficult.

When they look like every other book, they don't end up on eBay as "price variants" They are found in long boxes mixed in with all the rest.

The rarity of the hero 35 centers is grossly exaggerated.

Full disclosure: I have 2 short boxes of 35 cent hero books and counting, I have no self-interest here.

 

Yes and no. I understand what you are saying here. Super Hero books were printed in much larger numbers over all so they should be easier to find. 35s in some cases I have found much easier and in multiples, but I don't buy everyone I see I only buy cheap undiscovered ones. So it skews my viewpoint some. They are still books that comic shop owners know nothing about. I still have never walked into a comic shop and found a 30 or 35 center on the wall marked as a price variant.

 

I would argue a more book by book comparison with overall 35s being harder to find, but some 30s are just a nightmare as well as some 35s I may never see a copy of in person. You also have to take into consideration the fan base for some of these comics which dilutes the copies available sometimes.

 

 

 

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