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STAR WARS #1
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967 posts in this topic

300 9.8s (including 50 which are Sig Series) is a _ton_ for a Bronze book, even if it's only 10% of those graded.

 

While the fan base for Star Wars is beyond huge, most fans will be fine with a nice-looking copy, and aren't going to be shelling out $700+ (soon to be $1,000+) for 9.8s.

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I have had hundreds of these over the past 30 years. I think the most I have had at one time was around 30. I sold the last couple I had a couple months ago. A friend of mine, Had over a hundred at one time. He has been selling them off the past couple years. Most were 9.2 to 9.6's. I don't know how many he has left I have had only 2 of the 35 centers non reprint. Now if Rom #1's Become Hot I am in business. :grin:

Edited by HHwolfman
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Haha, that's what I keep hearing.

People are loaded up on the ROM #1s.

 

I will end up buying a SW #1 9.8 in a couple years once it dies back down (IF it dies back down).

Like so many other books, I should have just bought it when I had the opportunities.

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This book has ALWAYS been common as dirt, and simply hasn't been worth slabbing until recently. I'm sure the census numbers are going to skyrocket over the next year.

 

Would you define 2006 as recent?

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Picked up a few of these unopened packages at an auction

years ago.

 

11352418535_c714c504d6.jpg

 

mm

 

These 3 packs are very common on E-Bay with one or more listed at any given time. They go for $10 - $15 usually, although I've snagged a few in the past few years for under $10.

 

I'm guessing your 3 packs have the word REPRINT printed on the cover vertically below the diamond. What I've been trying to figure out is where do the $0.35 copies without the word REPRINT with the diamond and a blank UPC come from? I've bought several of these bags over the years and have never seen one without the word REPRINT for issues 1-3.

 

On this page http://www.bipcomics.com/showcase/StarWars/Marvel/StarWars/001-006.html I'm referring to the first 3 issues on the last row.

 

Also, I noticed on that page the $0.35 5 and 6 with diamond and blank UPC are not reprints, but I have 3 packs with those 2 copies and the $0.35 4 with diamond and blank UPC that is a reprint. So, they bundled a reprint with 2 non-reprints?

 

 

 

 

They are DIRECT MARKET copies, with the blank UPCs being made for the 3-packs by special order from Whitman.

 

If there is no "reprint" on the cover or at the indicia, it's not a reprint.

 

And yes, in the confusion of the reprints, it was very possible that Whitman would have bundled reprints and non-reprints together. Whitman got pallets of books for months, so that they would have 2-3 issues of any given run to put in their packs. That's one of the reasons why everyone thought they were all reprints: they showed up months after the originals.

 

But this was never the case. They simply sat on them until they could make whatever 3-packs they wanted to make, and then distributed them to K-Mart, Wal-Mart, etc.

 

There wasn't a "direct market" back then, just a handful of comic shops that got their new releases the same day the newsstand got theirs. I was 9 when SW #1 came out and Comics For Collectors was the main shop in Philly of the 3 in the city at the time. They had a huge sign in the window: "STAR WARS #1 $3 EACH WHILE SUPPLIES LAST" (same store that was selling HTD #1 for $25 a pop). My Dad said something like "get the F*** outta here, so I had to settle for the SW reprint 3 pack from Woolworth's a few months later. I ended up with a few, some had reprint on the cover, some only had it printed inside.

Later that year at X-Mas, I got the issue 4-6 3 pack in school for a polyanna, issue 4 had "reprint" on the cover, issues 5 and 6 didn't say "reprint" anywhere.

I don't remember what I had for dinner 2 nights ago, but my memory detail of comics, Megos and 7-11 slurpee cups from when I was a kid is flawless... *(FYI, Scarlet Witch was the hardest Marvel slurpee cup to get)*

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This book has ALWAYS been common as dirt, and simply hasn't been worth slabbing until recently. I'm sure the census numbers are going to skyrocket over the next year.

 

Too late. This book has been $500+ in 9.8 for a few years now. 9.6 copies climb from about $150 4-5 years ago to just under $300 in the past 2 years. I see price resistance at $300 for a 9.6. Census numbers have been climbing for some time now.

 

I suspect Star Wars #1 is "common" (even though it had a first print run of under 350,000 copies, less than some of Marvel's top sellers of the time) because it is not a "keeper" for most comic collectors, who value their superheroes above all else. When push comes to shove, I suspect most comic collectors would give up their Star Wars #1 before they would give up a superhero key. There is a stigma attached to 'movie' or 'TV' properties.

 

 

Edited by rjrjr
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When push comes to shove, I suspect most comic collectors would give up their Star Wars #1 before they would give up a superhero key. There is a stigma attached to 'movie' or 'TV' properties.

 

 

I think you might be underestimating the crossover appeal of the comic. There are far more Star Wars fans than comic collectors. If the new film is a hit, all it takes is a small fraction of the Star Wars fan base wanting the comic to send the demand through the roof.

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When push comes to shove, I suspect most comic collectors would give up their Star Wars #1 before they would give up a superhero key. There is a stigma attached to 'movie' or 'TV' properties.

 

 

I think you might be underestimating the crossover appeal of the comic. There are far more Star Wars fans than comic collectors. If the new film is a hit, all it takes is a small fraction of the Star Wars fan base wanting the comic to send the demand through the roof.

 

All it takes a a small fraction of any fan of any movie to send a comic through the roof (the number of movie goers vastly outnumbers the number of comic collectors.) Or a cadre of speculators hoping to convince comic collectors these hordes of fans are out there waiting to buy these comics. doh!

 

Star Wars #1 will always be a steady seller. I also believe unlike many other movie properties, there will be a continual influx of people wanting to pick up the Star Wars comics. Star Wars translates well to the comic media and there have been some terrific stories in the 35+ years that Star Wars comics have been made. But, I'm doubtful the influx will be so large as to move the price high quickly. Honestly, that is okay. Slow and steady wins the race. (thumbs u

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Just noticed this sale (?) of a slabbed UK Star Wars Weekly: ebay link

 

$800? Really? I see there are a few in other grades floating around. I had the idea to slab some of these a few months ago myself, though they aren't going to be 9.8.

 

The Star Wars Weekly #1 has to be a tough book to find in 9.8. The size (magazine size) and the insert makes that particular book a hard one to get in grade.

 

I should be getting around to adding a Star Wars UK blog post or two to my new blog:

 

http://swcomiccollector.blogspot.com/

 

I'll try to get something up this month concerning the UK comics. I believe the UK had more different formats for the original Star Wars pages than any other country, including the US. In addition to the weekly magazine, they had their own pamphlet comic (not issue #1 however), the paperback from Sphere, Treasuries (pence copies!), and a hardcover annual. Star Wars was definitely a big deal in the UK.

 

 

Yesterday, I started adding posts to the Star Wars Comic Collector blog concerning the UK comics. Here is my post from yesterday:

 

http://swcomiccollector.blogspot.com/2015/01/retro-foreign-marvel-comics-illustrated.html

 

I added another post today:

 

http://swcomiccollector.blogspot.com/2015/01/retro-foreign-star-wars-weekly-11.html

 

I have almost a complete run of Star Wars Weeklies, annuals, and pamphlets (pence copies). I am scanning covers as fast as I can. Additionally, I'm picking out interesting tidbits for blog subjects and with less than half the covers scanned, I have enough material to make a posting (or two) every day this week.

 

I hope you check it out and please participate if you are interested in seeing more or would like me to cover a particular topic.

Edited by rjrjr
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I suspect Star Wars #1 is "common" (even though it had a first print run of under 350,000 copies, less than some of Marvel's top sellers of the time) because it is not a "keeper" for most comic collectors, who value their superheroes above all else. When push comes to shove, I suspect most comic collectors would give up their Star Wars #1 before they would give up a superhero key. There is a stigma attached to 'movie' or 'TV' properties.

 

 

I am not sure that there are any bronze-age super-hero books that are close to the Star Wars 1 35 cent variant in terms of popularity or price. The demand for this book is not slowing down, either i.e. this sale for $13,500.

 

star_wars_1_94_13500_zps5b2d4a93.png

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Picked up a few of these unopened packages at an auction

years ago.

 

11352418535_c714c504d6.jpg

 

mm

 

These 3 packs are very common on E-Bay with one or more listed at any given time. They go for $10 - $15 usually, although I've snagged a few in the past few years for under $10.

 

I'm guessing your 3 packs have the word REPRINT printed on the cover vertically below the diamond. What I've been trying to figure out is where do the $0.35 copies without the word REPRINT with the diamond and a blank UPC come from? I've bought several of these bags over the years and have never seen one without the word REPRINT for issues 1-3.

 

On this page http://www.bipcomics.com/showcase/StarWars/Marvel/StarWars/001-006.html I'm referring to the first 3 issues on the last row.

 

Also, I noticed on that page the $0.35 5 and 6 with diamond and blank UPC are not reprints, but I have 3 packs with those 2 copies and the $0.35 4 with diamond and blank UPC that is a reprint. So, they bundled a reprint with 2 non-reprints?

 

 

 

 

They are DIRECT MARKET copies, with the blank UPCs being made for the 3-packs by special order from Whitman.

 

If there is no "reprint" on the cover or at the indicia, it's not a reprint.

 

And yes, in the confusion of the reprints, it was very possible that Whitman would have bundled reprints and non-reprints together. Whitman got pallets of books for months, so that they would have 2-3 issues of any given run to put in their packs. That's one of the reasons why everyone thought they were all reprints: they showed up months after the originals.

 

But this was never the case. They simply sat on them until they could make whatever 3-packs they wanted to make, and then distributed them to K-Mart, Wal-Mart, etc.

 

There wasn't a "direct market" back then, just a handful of comic shops that got their new releases the same day the newsstand got theirs.

 

You are mistaken. The Direct Market has existed since 1974, at the latest. By 1977, the Direct Market had been around for multiple years, and Marvel had already devised a program by which they could separate the DM copies from the newsstand copies.

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Someday, I'll get around to publishing a few books on the history of the comic book artform, and then I can just refer to those, instead of directly answering challenges that are incorrect.

 

:cloud9:

I'd buy 'em (worship)
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